Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 40,555 complaints for BMW
Incident date: Apr 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V132000 (Suspension, Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
No parts available to fix hydraulic electronic control unit HECU. Been told this since December 2023. Received another letter dated 4/10/3024. The remedy is now available. Being told again there are no parts. Went by another car insurance company. Being told I cannot get a quote because of repair problems with recalls.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
65,000 miles towing a motorcycle trailer and the wrench light comes on. Transmission would sometimes slam shift, other times slip out of gear completely. It also shifted from 3-8, slipped out of gear and over revved 1500-2000 rpms. Ford says CDF drum and valve body needs replacement. Trans rebuild. $4,500 covered by personal extended warranty, co pay $787. Parts on backorder. No get well date. De... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
On 03Feb24, immediately following a 4-wheel alignment of my 2022 Subaru Outback Limited, my vehicle’s suspension feels unstable over patched potholes or rough/broken pavement. I can best describe the condition as similar to the movements felt while hydroplaning but it does it on dry road. It jerks side to side; 3 or 4 times; in rapid succession; just enough to command the driver’s full attenti... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
Steering Geer Box Structure body Roof and Pillars Seat belt retractors Air bags frontal
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Maverick. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact h... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the "Service Safety Restraint" massage was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front driver's side seat interior air bag connector was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
Vehicle displays Transmission Malfunction & DSC and xDrive malfunction, this vehicle is available upon request for inspection. Currently been to two dealerships and all I got from the first dealership is to replace transmission at 59k mile. I purchased a used transmission same problem exist in the replacement transmission. As I was driving on highway, the transmission began displaying message abov... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The infotainment screen starts glitching out on extended trips. It constantly beeps and flashes on the screen as of a button is being pressed. It also will not allow you to turn the system off to remove the distraction. This happened on a trip to Chattanooga in July 2022 and was 'fixed' with a software update. It happened again on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The vacuum pump seized causing the breaks to not work, brake assist not working code shows. The pump was replaced and after a week the same issue happened (vacuum pump seized) breaks are not working again.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
While driving on the interstate car suddenly flashed a "reduced propulsion power " warning indicator. At this time the car was speed limited and made us a liability on the interstate. We were about 80 miles from our home so ended up driving the car back home being speed limited. Took car into the shop and was told the EGR valve was bad which kept causing the "no walk fuse" to blow. Ended up having... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, upon the transmission shifting into 4th gear, the tachometer rose 3,000 RPM, after which the vehicle lost motive power and the transmission was unable to shift above 4th gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
My Escape only has 60k miles on it. I got off work and needed to open my passenger door to get my work bag. Being a single mom, my kids ride in the back and the passenger seat is rarely used. I opened the door and it fell apart. The arm on the door just broke. Now I'm stuck with a hefty bill on a newer car. I am not sure how it broke, it just snapped halfway into opening. Ford told me this s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Battery light on no power charging 12v battery from hybdrid
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, noticing an excessive amount of understeer. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering column. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
In June of 2023 the car was sputtering in 2-3 gear. It went in to replace the torque converter. This was replaced and 10 months later the transmission goes out. I believe that the transmission when out due to the torque converter going out. At the time of the torque converter was replaced the car was still under warranty. I believe Ford is responsible as regularly scheduled maintenance was perform... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V001000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The air bag ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
On three occasions, when driving at night, both headlights suddenly went out. The next day the headlights were working normally. The dealer's service department could not find anything wrong. Later, we found out there was a "Safety Recall" (#14291),but it expired one year before our car developed the problem. We have contacted the dealership and Buick, neither one will help us. They expect us to p... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The Transmission in these vehicles have been known to fail. This is just one of 38 in our fleet. Currently there are 8 of these vehicles at dealerships with transmission problem. We also have 4 more now that have to wait for dealerships to have room for them. Between the 2 dealerships within 6 miles of our business headquarters, they currently have almost 70 ProMasters with transmission problems a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
On this vehicle both front eat seatbelt receivers are faulty. This was not caused by an accident or excessive wear of the seatbelts. When you push the seatbelt into the receiver, it will not accept the seatbelt without first pushing down on the seatbelt button. Additionally, the vehicle does not recognize when the seatbelts are in use and the light on the dash stays on regardless. This issue start... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
Battery indicator began intermittently flashing on the dash. Then the car shut off mid turn in an intersection with my young kids in the car. Everything shut off without warning including power steering, ABS and so on. Luckily no one crashed into the car
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
My vehicle just hit 39K miles, it has all of a sudden started giving me a Shift Into Park warning. The sensor is not registering that its in park and will not let you turn car off. There is a recall on the 2017-2018 vehicles for this issue and but many report an issue with the 2019, when I called GMC they would not fix. How to we go about having this included in the recalls?
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
My vehicle just hit 39K miles, it has all of a sudden started giving me a Shift Into Park warning. The sensor is not registering that its in park and will not let you turn car off. There is a recall on the 2017-2018 vehicles for this issue and but many report an issue with the 2019, when I called GMC they would not fix. How to we go about having this included in the recalls?
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Panaramic roof exploded. Vehicle defect. Out of extended warranty by 3 months. The noise from the explosion could cause driver to drive erratically and cause an accident. This has been reported several times by other owners of vehicles with panoramic roofs.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Reoccurring check engine light for the omissions system. Damage to the catalytic converter, diagnostic codes. Poor gas mileage and abnormal engine combustion. Oil is burning extremely fast in engine, having to get oil changes more frequently. Incident where vehicle was driving, came to a complete stop and would not accelerate in the middle of heavy traffic. Had to replace all 4 fuel injections and... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The rear actuator has gone out 4 years in a row and breaks within less than a year from getting repaired by ford dealers only. The rear camera is always blacking out too. This also has to be replaced each year and a half for the past 5 years.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, the instrument panel flashed, and the vehicle turned off. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted approximately 15 minutes later and was taken to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the flash software, power train control module, anti-loc... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
My two back doors will not open they just opening
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and various other speeds, the vehicle jerked and shuddered. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly while driving and turning. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission fluid was replaced by both herself and her husband; however, the failure persisted. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. There was a recall on airbags for the Mercedes C300 within the year my vehicle was made, however, the recall did not include my VIN. Also, the sunroof drain is faulty, which was also recalled on other Mercedes C300s within the same production year, again not my VIN, but upon inspection by a certified dealership, it appears to be the same issue a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Vehicle stalled while driving with both front and rear wind shield wipers on. It was raining when this occurred. We were in heavy traffic and vehicle would not move, putting us at risk. The dealer states that they are unaware of this failure occurring in the 2023 corolla cross model. The failure happened suddenly without any type of warning.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Vehicle stalled while driving with both front and rear wind shield wipers on. It was raining when this occurred. We were in heavy traffic and vehicle would not move, putting us at risk. The dealer states that they are unaware of this failure occurring in the 2023 corolla cross model. The failure happened suddenly without any type of warning.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW Z4. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, the vehicle failed to reverse without warning upon depression of the accelerator pedal while in the reverse(R) position. The contact stated that the vehicle resumed normal operation upon restart of the engine. A few days later while the contact's husband was driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle continued to accelerate... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The transmission is making a growling sound, also while driving at time when go to accelerate faster on freeway it stays where it's at even if you push pedal all the way down. Took to Honda dealer they acknowledge something is wrong with transmission but don't know what, so they want me to wait until a light comes on and to bring it back. I called Honda Corp but they were no help at all. Told them... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag was flopping around. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no assistance was provided. The contact called the local dealer, where it was determined that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
UNKNOWN. I have received recall notice 23V380 in February 2024 after buying the car from a certified Ford dealer on October 24, 2023. The defect has not been remedied, and I need to sell the car now due to a job change outside of the country. This unaddressed recall and threat that the "engine could fail prematurely" has made it nearly impossible to sell the car at anywhere near the price paid. I ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
My Camry has the reflection from the dashboard causing vision issues looking out of the front windshield. Also the dash is very sticky and peels off if your finger nail hits it. I know Toyota had a TSB on this issue but when I reach out to them they said they knew about the issue but my car is out of the timeframe. If it is a safety issue it should not have a time limit, you need to be able to see... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on six occasions over 12 months, the vehicle overheated while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact observed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe on the rear passenger’s side and the front of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated during the last failure. The contact stated that on several o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
Faulty design by honda for sunroof drain tubes. Clogged drain tubes cause water to intrude cabin and get fuse panel wet and inoperperable. Nothing about drain tube maintenace in manual. Honda denied repair stating because of rain. No easy access to clean drain tubes on vehicle. Cost me over $2000 for repairs to be made. Had to replace all fuses and fuse panel.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Major safety concern with vehicle stalling, having no power, not moving mainly in Snow Mode. The first month of purchase the car stalled, had no power, would not move in Comfort Mode. My Husband was driving and I thought it was a weird fluke or something. Then it happened driving up the hill to our house several times over the past year. That was annoying enough and THEN it snowed last week, road... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
My vehicle engine cooling fan caught fire one evening while following behind someone to make sure they made it to a parking lot safely due to their own vehicle having problems requiring them to stay under around 20mph. Once we made it to a parking lot, i exited my vehicle to check on the other person, and realized there was smoke starting to come out from under my hood. My husband waited for me to... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the passenger’s side headlight began to fog up. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was condensation in the headlight housing and that the headlight housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Water is leaking in through my trunk due to a flaw manufacturing design