Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 16,369 complaints for AUDI
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
Upon normal acceleration at a stop light, the car accelerated normally for about 2 seconds and then a loud grinding sound followed and I lost all acceleration in the middle of a busy intersection unexpectedly with cars having to slam their brakes behind me and steer into other oncoming traffic to avoid hitting me. The car was able to slowly cruise through the light however the brakes also stopped ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
As I was driving, the ABS failed then multiple warning lights displayed and the power steering failed completely. Initially, I could not get the car to turn off.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
While stopped at a stop sign the vehicles start/stop activated and turned off the engine. When I released the break to hit the gas the engine would not turn back on. I was stuck in the middle of the road and unable to restart my vehicle. After several minutes of trying to turn the vehicle off/on it started back up. The second incident happened when using the remote start. Once I entered the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
While stopped at a stop sign the vehicles start/stop activated and turned off the engine. When I released the break to hit the gas the engine would not turn back on. I was stuck in the middle of the road and unable to restart my vehicle. After several minutes of trying to turn the vehicle off/on it started back up. The second incident happened when using the remote start. Once I entered the vehicl... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2023) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2023
Incident date: Jan 15, 2023
Brand new vehicle with less than 1000 miles. Whenever I take an exit from highyway vehicle's rear wheel slips and shakes. It shakes and slips when I change lanes in a curvy highway such as Hardy Toll Road in Houston. Happened several times. I am taking it to the dealer this week to have it checked out. I suspect that a recall may be needed here!
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 16, 2023
Incident date: Jan 15, 2023
I was sold an bad car
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The very front glass portion of the sun roof suddenly shattered . I have years of aviation experiences involving inspecting of crash damaged parts and sudden failures. This glass shows no signs of any external damage from a strike of a foreign object. It appears to be a manufactured discrepancy or a stress issues. I have enclosed some pictures of the discrepancy glass. I reported the issue to Aut... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
While driving on the engine turned off without warning The car stalled in the middle of traffic.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The car went full throttle by itself and would not stop.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
I have not experienced an incident YET but the recall of the hood latch was first brought to my attention in August 2022 and it is now January 2023 with NO remedy being proposed. It still says "recall incomplete, remedy not available" -- meanwhile it's been more than 6 months, which should be plenty of time to make these arrangements! I don't drive on the freeway very often but every time I do I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
We where lucky compared to the other lady who wrote in this problem area. We where parked in a parking lot, ran in store to get item, left car running for wife to listen to radio and stay warm. As I got in, we spoke and was ready to pull out of the parking space and the car went weird. The car hesitated a little but was still running and then all the warning lights came on. It told us on the scree... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
Took vehicle to fix a power steering leak at the Jeep dealership. The technician was troubleshooting the issue and found that the lower sub frame crossmember assembly was almost completely rusted. They indicated if riding on rough roads a hitting a pot hole it would break completely and cause major damage and a driving safety issue. Went ahead and got the repair completed which was extremely expen... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
There is a great possibility of being stranded with this car. And in winter weather, it could be deadly. The car is draining the battery abnormally quick. I have a less than 1 yr old battery and if my car sits a day or two the battery goes dead. The battery will take a charge and then work, but then is drained in a day or two. I have also read there is something going on with the CAN system in the... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - SEATS
Jan 13, 2023
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH with the front driver's seat heater engaged, she felt a burning sensation as the seat was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact disengaged the seat heater. The contact stated that upon arriving at her destination and exiting the vehicle, she noticed that a portion of the seat's lumbar support had me... Read more
1 injured
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jan 13, 2023
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
When driving early in the morning or late at night, front impact sensor and front distance sensor lights flash on the dash display for between 2-5 minutes. Vehicle has been to the dealership for this exact issue 3 times previously, have a 4th visit scheduled this coming week.
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Jan 13, 2023
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
When driving early in the morning or late at night, front impact sensor and front distance sensor lights flash on the dash display for between 2-5 minutes. Vehicle has been to the dealership for this exact issue 3 times previously, have a 4th visit scheduled this coming week.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
ENGINE SEASED UP OUT OF NO WHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION NO SOUNDS NOTHING JUST STOPPED RUNNING
Incident date: Jan 9, 2023
There is a huge concern about excess RTV getting into the oil pick up that will cause oil starvation in the engine once enough particles of RTV have caused obstruction. The 2022 WRX has the same engine FA24 as the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86, both have had issues with excess RTV in the oil can and have caused catastrophic damage. There has been many articles, forum posts, and videos showing this i... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 13, 2023
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
I was driving on highway 395 in California on Jan 6th in the afternoon. It was a very clear day. I was driving north on the 2 lane portion of the road north of Adelanto and Kramer junction with cruise control on set to about 72. With no cars in sight in front of me the car hard braked with no cars in front of me. I disabled cruise control and later enabled it again. It happened again. I conta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
I was driving on highway 395 in California on Jan 6th in the afternoon. It was a very clear day. I was driving north on the 2 lane portion of the road north of Adelanto and Kramer junction with cruise control on set to about 72. With no cars in sight in front of me the car hard braked with no cars in front of me. I disabled cruise control and later enabled it again. It happened again. I conta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distributi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
As I am going up a hill I will be pushing on the gas and the engine will rev up loudly and the rpm will increase but the vehicle speed won’t increase or it decreases as I’m trying to accelerate. This is dangerous because the people behind me are expecting me to be speeding up to go up the hill but my vehicle will be slowing down and won’t let me increase speed. It has been to the dealer mult... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
Car has 1-2 second hesitation when the accelerator is pressed before the vehicle will accelerate. Causes dangerous condition when trying to turn in front of oncoming traffic.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Driver seat belt exhibits signs of fraying in area of belt hidden from view when not in use. When extended, hair-like fibers extend out, primarily from the car-forward side of the belt in the area coming out of the B-pillar and from behind the trim. It is available for inspection. Concerned that this may continue to degrade the integrity of the seat belt over time. There could be something sha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
My engine failed while driving at 65 mph. There were no warning signs: no check engine light, no low oil pressure, and the temperature gauge prior to failure looked normal. My car had been well-maintained with regular oil changes within the recommended intervals with synthetic oil. The engine failed at approximately 103k miles; there were no known issues prior to failure.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
The passenger presence sensor in the front passenger seat is malfunctioning and spare parts to replace it are not available from the manufacturer. The Chevrolet dealership has inspected and verified this issue, and the system is available for inspection upon request. This is the same issue that NHTSA investigated in the 2013 model described below. This sensor failure results in a check airbag sign... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
The truck only has 12,009 miles on it we purchased it new in November 2021. Now the fuel gage only shows Full regardless of the amount of gas in the tank. Also when we try to fill the tank the gas pump keeps stopping as if the tank is full even when the tank is not. We are extremely uncomfortable to travel any distance. The dealership looked at the issue and said everything checked out ok. It... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2023
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE THE CONSUMER PLACED THE REQUEST.*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: Jan 8, 2023
Excessive RTV used to seal engine and oil pan is clogging the oil pickup in the oil pan. Many 2022 Subaru WRX owners have had a technician take off the oil pan to inspect the oil pickup and inside the oil pan. They are finding lots of Grey RTV as well as black RTV. Both grey and black are used to seal the engine in different areas. This is very concerning especially since most of these cars... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2023
the backup camera does not have enough lighting or contrast at night. you can't see behind the vehicle, especially on the sides.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2023
About 3 minutes after I started driving the 2017 Chevy Volt, an error message showed saying "propulsion power is reduced" and I was unable to drive the vehicle as typical. While driving on base at fairly low speed (~15-20mph) in the battery area of the display, the EV range was reading 12mi, and it started going up. When it read 20mi, the "Propulsion power reduced" showed on the display and the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
While driving in heavy traffic on 12/23/22 the entire electrical system shut down and all power was lost. Fortunately I was not hit by another vehicle and coasted into a parking lot with no power. This is very dangerous. Per conversations with the dealership and with Audi (1/10/23), alternators on thousands of vehicles are failing (possibly due to a software issue). The vehicles are sitting on d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
The ESS/Auto Start/Stop system is unavailable rendering the remote start for cold weather unavailable. This issue also effects the reliability of the battery and electrical supply as a whole potentially leading to unexpected engine stoppages and stranding due to a no start scenario. The issue is widespread and well documented among 2018-Current Jeep Rangler models as well as 2020-Current Jeep Gla... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
The ESS/Auto Start/Stop system is unavailable rendering the remote start for cold weather unavailable. This issue also effects the reliability of the battery and electrical supply as a whole potentially leading to unexpected engine stoppages and stranding due to a no start scenario. The issue is widespread and well documented among 2018-Current Jeep Rangler models as well as 2020-Current Jeep Gla... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the rear end of the vehicle pushed out. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and noticed that the subframe was rusted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the control arm had detached. The contact called the local deal... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the rear end of the vehicle pushed out. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and noticed that the subframe was rusted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the control arm had detached. The contact called the local deal... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2023
AS I WAS DRIVING THE BREAK PEDDAL SEEM LIKE IT HAD GOTTEN LOOSE AND ON ITS ON WAS LITERRALY PUSH ALL THE WAY DOWN HOW EVER I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP AND I HIT A VEHICLE I WAS NOT SPEEDING HOW EVER WAS A SOFT HIT BUT BREAKS ARE MALFUCTIONING\
Crash
Incident date: Jan 9, 2023
2007 AUDI A4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIRBAG WAS REPLACED ON MAY 30, 2018.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Due to apparently deficient sunroof water drain system design, rainwater and condensation entered the passenger compartment under the carpeting, potentially damaging the vehicle's electrical wiring. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. A dealer has inspected and confirmed the damage. Initial symptoms of the problem were wet carpeting and the sound of water sloshing around under th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
UNKNOWN There are recalls for the vehicle and the Kia dealership hasn’t sent any letters notifying I had to find out online.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
"Electrical System Malfunction!" warning popped up, along with "Start/Stop Malfunction!". Car seemed to drive fine. Called dealership to make appointment to drop off car. Drove car another 8 miles, was on the way to the dealership when all components of the vehicle shut down, many warning lights then the vehicle went into limp mode and completely died. I was on a 50mph stretch of the highway and h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
Fuel gauge does not move at all and showed tank was 5/8 full. However, when I was on the freeway, the vehicle stalled because I was out of gas. Luckily, I was on the right lane and therefore was able to pull over to the side without an incident. This is a new vehicle with faulty fuel sensors. Audi should have QC'd before releasing the vehicle for sale.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
Front left side marker defective
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
Front left side marker defective
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Starter/Generator failure. Message: "Electrical system malfunction" Car became disabled intermittently. Brought to dealer despite no service appointment available for more than a week. Dealer advised me that 7 other A6 models were in with same issue.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
I get a message on the dashboard while driving that the electrical system failed. There is a message later that says the "Start/Stop system: malfunction! Function unavailable. Please contact Service"
Incident date: Nov 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was antifreeze leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak was a recurring failure. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the "Turn Off Engine, Check Coolant Level" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the coolant pump was replaced under NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A7. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the safety features slowly became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the alternator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not r... Read more