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: May 8, 2023
I would like to confirm if the recall for 2016 Kia Sorento Transmission Shift Level Assembly also covers all of us who have reported complaints about having to use a screw driver to engage our vehicles out of park? This is a safety concerns just as well as the cars that are impacted by the shift lever slipping out of park while engine off. using a screw driver because Kia refuses to replace the ... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Have a known hacker. They have shown experience on remote hacking using TimeStomping and ECM modifications. I work as an Amazon Delivery driver in Kentucky. My Hackers are my Employer and the Operations Manager. The same hacking to their company vehicles are being done to employees personal vehicles. Forced Limp Mode, Power distribution, Fake sensors malfunctions, and Alarm controls are reoccurrin... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
The car had been preconditioned and driven within 45 minutes of my starting a route to the gym, all surface streets/neighborhood. I was in electric mode. I came to a stop at an intersection and when the light turned green, I pulled into the intersection to turn left and the car stalled. No power, no power steering. I put it in park and tried to restart in sport (ICE) mode and nothing happenned... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
My rear view camera was replaced in August 2019 as it stopped working. It was an expensive costing $1000 to repair. It just stopped working again. Car has 100500 miles and this is excessive for what I consider a safety feature in a car this large. I was just told by Ford the backlog for a new camera nationwide is greater than 240 units and some customers have waited over 6 months. I searched o... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while shifted in reverse, the rearview camera displayed a blue or distorted screen. The contact stated that an un-named dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to not take the vehicle in to be diagnosed since the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
Front passenger seatbelt indicator is triggered even if there is no one sitting in seat. Unclear if the sensor is too sensitive. For example, if a book is set on the passenger seat, the indicator may go off. Or if I am tapping on the side of the console next to the passenger seat, the indicator may go off.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
Began driving vehicle on short 4.5 mile trip to the store with over 1/4 tank of fuel. Began to smell of fuel inside and noticed that when accelerating from a stop vehicle would hesitate and stutter. Halfway through trip noticed that vehicle had only 1/8 tank of fuel left and light came on. Pulled into parking lot at destination, shut vehicle off near empty and noticed trail of gasoline behind vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Motorcycle Talon 1000X. The contact stated that while driving at a speed unknown, when it was placed into low gear and drive it would disengage from low gear causing the side-by-side to flip downhill. The contact hit another motorist and came to a stop. The contact received injuries to their hands however due to them being harnessed in they did not receive many injuri... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brakes needed to be replaced. The contact received a second opinion from the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the vehicle was previously repaired under Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Starting in June 2018, I have had seven episodes of unintended acceleration. (I have owned the car, purchased in private sale, since June of 2013.) There were common elements to each incident:1. gradually slowing; 2. foot on brake; 3. engine accelerates sharply, a moment before complete stop in first six, a moment after in seventh and last. In each incident able to maintain control as foot alrea... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Starting in June 2018, I have had seven episodes of unintended acceleration. (I have owned the car, purchased in private sale, since June of 2013.) There were common elements to each incident:1. gradually slowing; 2. foot on brake; 3. engine accelerates sharply, a moment before complete stop in first six, a moment after in seventh and last. In each incident able to maintain control as foot alrea... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2023
Vehicle is as purchases brand new in august 2022. After a few months when engaging reverse, there is a lag time of 3-10 seconds. The reverse screen in dash does not engage as well. Local dealer “fixed” in February 2023 at roughly 5k miles. Issue has returned. When brought to dealer beginning of May 2023. We were informed they would not work on it as it’s a known issue with no fix. Issue is c... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
False forward collision warning incident took place on May 20, 2023 at 9:25pm on Alder Woods Dr. Fairfax, VA. The forward collision system mistake a legally parked on the street car for a moving car, and produced a false/phantom warning.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
My vehicle has had 3 software updates to try correct blue screen issues. Recently under a blue screen i was backing up in a parking garage and hit the wall as i could not see with the screen being blue. Fortunately I was going slow but it did scrape my bumper from hitting the concrete wall. Mostly It scared my kids and had an abrupt stop. I had read a pin on the connector was left uncapped leadin... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera went black. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
While I was driving my BMW X1 1 to 3 weeks ago, frontal collision warning malfunction, pedestrian alert and request service flashed. It was a distraction and not safe. When My husband brought it to the dealership, they were not certain how to fix it. They took a video while doing diagnostic. The right bumper is pop out a little bit because it got hooked to a protruding rod in a concrete parking bl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
-rear differential -risque of failure of delivering power to the wheels and stopping in the middle of traffic -yes -the component inspected by the dealer and been replaced -the only warning is a loud noise when you drive above 50 mph and it appeared in the early miles of the first 5400k
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
Front left window trim coming off.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
I have a snow white pearl painted Kia optima that has peeling paint on the pillars by the windshield. It started out really small but now it’s almost down the entire pillar.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was a continuous abnormal dinging sound every 30 seconds. The contact stated that the cruise control was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the hydraulic control unit had caused the fail... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500 equipped with a Hensley Pro Pride trailer hitch. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a 40-ft RV, he made a right turn and the trailer hitch inadvertently detached and veered off to the left and the vehicle veered to the right. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed that the weld had failed and caused the detachment... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500 equipped with a Hensley Pro Pride trailer hitch. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a 40-ft RV, he made a right turn and the trailer hitch inadvertently detached and veered off to the left and the vehicle veered to the right. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed that the weld had failed and caused the detachment... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
The TCM failed while my husband was driving the pick up and this also set off the posi traction control and stabilization link. The truck has fluctuating shifting and could have cause a wreck if there had been someone behind him because the speed dropped on the tuck and it the transmission can't shift properly or consistently for safe driving. The part has been on nationwide backorder for over a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Just 2 months ago, when walking out to get in my 2018 Honda CRV, I found all 4 windows partway down and the roof window completely open. It has happened twice since then. What is up with this?
Incident date: May 1, 2018
I took my vehicle to a BMW authorized service dealer for the repair of the "AirBag Recall" notice I received in the mail. The dealer did the recall repair and about a week later the light came back on and has remained on. After that happened my electric started acting up and also I was not able to get my convertible roof to go up or down ever again. I politely contacted the dealership, (and not wa... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2018
The new model y froze in the middle of an interstate Highway indicating it was shutting itself down and not driveable. It took only 30seconds from 60 miles per hour to completely inoperable and stopped itself in traffic. Currently the mileage of this car is only 12 miles and I drove only 7 miles about 20 minutes after the we picked up the car. Tesla service told me it was a rear motor inverter i... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I have owned this vehicle for under 6 months. The brakes stopped working and have had to have car towed into shop now twice due to the car not being able to be started due to error codes. When the brake issues occured you would press them and it would barely stop and create a very unsafe situation.
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The inside run channel which holds the "check strap arm" on the driver-side door has broken loose from the welds. The door would barely open which is a potential safety concern should someone need to exit the vehicle quickly in an emergency. This is the same issue reported in SSM 50150. Ford should issue a recall as this is a widespread issue with this model as reported online by customers and in ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The speed sensor on car seems to have failed unexpectedly while driving over a bridge. The car would barely move and could have become a dangerous situation for multiple people had it been typical traffic. The issue seems to be that although the sensors are corrupted, the entire valve body or transmission must be replaced to solve the issue leaving the car inoperable. The car is currently at a re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
The car was displaying these messages: Frontal Collision Warning System: Malfunction, Brake intervention not available. Visual and acoustic ⚠️ warnings active. Consult service center. Daytime Pedestrian Warning reduced:Brake intervention not possible, but visual and acoustic warnings are still given. Consult service center. It was inspected by the dealership but they were saying that I have... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
May car just stopped working come to find out water was leaking from my sunroof which I always keep my closed. Found out water in leaking from sunroof to my mom board now mechanic is saying to take to dealership I no its gonna be a lot of money to fix electric issue smh.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
The USB charging plug inside the middle console burned my charger causing smoke inside the cabin. Tesla has rescheduled the appt once already and doesn't seem to be a concern to them. This is a huge safety concern as it could have caused a fire if items were near this USB plug.
Fire
Incident date: Apr 7, 2021
The windshield on the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE cracked with no outside forces causing the crack. The vehicle was inspected by Toyota and they assumed that it was caused by a point of impact, but the crack appeared overnight, randomly, while my car was parked in my garage, and it split across half the windshield. There is a small point in the windshield that The vehicle is available for inspec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
This Is a volvo semi tractor 2021 the original sunvisor was removed from tractor. And an off brand replacement was installed which is substantially smaller by 4 inches on each side of visor + it's mounted in wrong direction making morning and evening's very difficult due too extremely bright glares from sun even head lights Led signage. It's a danger I don't like ! Bike lanes,people crossing the... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
While driving with my family the truck gave several error messages and a check engine light. I pulled over immediately because the truck lost power and the stability control started shaking violently. I was able to safely maneuver out of traffic, but I cannot imagine what would have happened if I was on a busy highway instead of a small side street. Apparently this is an issue that has been fairly... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2023
Car was stopped in traffic and has a feature that shuts off the engine when stopped (in Drive but with brakes pressed). When trying to proceed forward car shuts down with numerous errors and does not start back up for 5 minutes. Cars are honking and having to drive around us. Eventually was able to get the car running and moved to a safe area. Errors car displayed included: blind spot info syste... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2023
I called Kia to replace fuse per their safety recall information. They are really uninterested in fixing these recalls or allowing me to speak to a manager to fix the issue. What's the point?
Incident date: May 15, 2023
I have had multiple instances where the car will not accelerate and can shutter or lurch when I press on the gas. I recently had an incident where I was turning left and the car lurched into traffic and almost stalled as I was trying to turn and avoid the oncoming traffic. This has happened before and is very unsafe. Fortunately, the oncoming traffic was able to stop prior to hitting my car. T... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Tesla purposely disabled sensors to warn when close to objects (curb, other vehicles, garage door opening & wall). I wasn’t informed that there will be no parking assist feature indefinitely when I spoke to sakes dept.Tesla says it is still developing cameras to replace sensors. I had a 2015 tesla, which had these warnings. Before that I had a2002 Jaguar with park sensors. It is not new. Because... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
Subaru has failed to repair the halogen headlight safety recall in a timely manner. This recall was first announced on August 16th, 2022. It has been 9 months and the remedy for the safety recall has not yet been made available.
Incident date: May 11, 2023
Anda manejando cuando empezó a salir mucho humo por el tablero y la troca ya no respodia no podia ya aselerar y el volante se puso duro me sali de la carretera marqué al sitio de emergencia por ayuda pero la tahoe se quemo muy rápido
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I had 2 accidents in the same week. First one was Monday 2-20-2023. Leaving work heading home, I was at a red light. The light turned green and the car in front proceeded to go. As I hit the accelerator, my car ran into the back of a car full speed. Every attempt to stop car and was unsuccessful. I called to make appt at dealership to have car inspected. Before I could get to said appt at dealersh... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I had 2 accidents in the same week. First one was Monday 2-20-2023. Leaving work heading home, I was at a red light. The light turned green and the car in front proceeded to go. As I hit the accelerator, my car ran into the back of a car full speed. Every attempt to stop car and was unsuccessful. I called to make appt at dealership to have car inspected. Before I could get to said appt at dealersh... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Was using cruise control on a road trip, traveling through Arizona and the car jolted to stop three different times without advance notice or anything in the road. It was like slamming on the brakes. I was afraid to use it anymore, so now it’s like having a vehicle without cruise control feature. There were cars all around. We are fortunate no one hit us. This needs to be addressed. Googled and ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Rattling noise when accelerating
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I was driving home on april 13, 2023 when the power seemed to leave my car & steering & brakes felt like they weren't working right like I had no control. The battery & oil change lights came on. I was scared & didn't know what to do but then a min or so later I was able to get enough control to direct it into a parking lot across from my house & turned off the engine. When I turned the car back o... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
On my way to work one day the check engine light,ABS light and traction control light came on and I thought something under the hood had came loose thought nothing about it and went into work when I came back out and got into the truck the lights where gone no big deal just sorta let it go and since I work out of state this is the truck I drive when I go back to my home state so I drove it 4 hours... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2022
When the vehicle is turn off the radio is still on and playing when the car is off and had several diagnostic test nothing came back battery ran down 4 times in 1 week got new battery drained it in 2 days..pulled the fuse to audio battery hasn't drained since...something is not wired right...should not have to remove fuse of audio/radio on a 2018 vehicle...this needs to be recalled...please I spen... Read more