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 28,115 complaints for BUICK
Incident date: May 21, 2025
I've owned this car since October 26, 2022. I noticed that my gas pedal is spongy and doesn't want to go or after I've stopped for a stop sign or a light. It was only happening every so often when I first got it but now it's happening at least once a week. My local CarX, whom I've been taking my vehicles to since 2013 and have a great relationship with, has looked at everything and can't find a ca... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
Control Valve Engine Coolant which is a well known issue with back orders taking months for the part and GMC not acknowledging responsibility and having loyal customers pay out of pocket.
Incident date: May 19, 2025
My Bolt has 87k miles and the steering sticks in various rotation spots. Accelerating doesn't affect the auto-straightening, as power steering should. I've been told to pull the boots back on the steering rack and regreasing the rack. My mechanic won't do this due to a safety. There are 100s of folks on Reddit experiencing the same issue. Some of these folks have less than 50k miles on their car... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 430I. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
I was driving and while trying to put on brakes and stop I couldn't . I noticed that the Antilock Braking System light came on along with other lights. I almost hit a car because I could not stop. I was very frantic and scared. I could have hurt someone including myself. I am still shaken by this. I called roadside service and they towed it to Suntrup Buick in St. Peters Mo. After the car was deli... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
Vehicle was being driven by a driver service to be delivered to the home garage after production was completed at the manufacturer. During transit, the operator reported that the low fuel pressure warning light came on immediately followed by flames in the engine compartment.
Fire
Incident date: May 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving on the highway at 60 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate, and the vehicle experienced a reduced power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the crankshaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
The transmission doesn't shift correctly even after it's warmed up it is erratic and rough while connecting the transmission gears and jerks very hard at most times. The power steering is not working correctly and makes it difficult to drive at all with the combined issues I'm very concerned about my and my family safely
Incident date: May 15, 2025
Engine coolant intrusion into Cylinder head. Vehicle is a 2018 with 95k miles on it. This is causing cylinder 1 misfiring and FORD is saying it requires a new engine block.
Incident date: May 5, 2025
Steering wheel lock module steering wheel was locked in place and vehicle wouldn’t do anything.
Incident date: May 5, 2025
I purchased a 2020 GMC Denali Sierra 1500. My oil light has came on twice and I have taken it into the dealer and dealer has said that that's normal. That car loses oil. I'm retired so I do not utilize the vehicle every day I think since I've had the vehicle I've put on several thousand miles very very low mileage put on. And I'm being told that I need to check the oil basically before I take the ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
While driving, my car began to glitch out. The screens started turning on and off, the doors began locking and unlocking, and I lost my ability to steer, brake, and accelerate. It caused me to run a red light and I almost got into a severe accident. This issue has occurred several times, and during more recent occasions the car has turned off completely while driving. There were no warning lights ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
On [XXX] this vehicle was in Blue Cruise on [XXX] in Louisiana when it without warning coasted to a stop after the engine quit. Cruise lights remained active, no other lights were illuminated, and the vehicle simply rolled to a stop. La. DOT assisted. The vehicle was towed (complicated that once placed into park, and the engine would not restart, the vehicle cannot easily be placed in neutral ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was vibrating abnormally while driving 45 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The mechanic later determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
All Fisker Ocean vehicles were supposed to receive a full 2.2 OS update. However, I received 2.2 (2/3) partial update. I have waited since end of 2024. No full update was ever pushed via OTA on my Fisker Ocean One. I'm the very first Fisker owner. The full 2.2 OS update will fix many software bugs which still exist on my vehicle today.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
Car hit pole head on, airbags did not deploy. Dash indicated SRS airbag failure
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 8, 2025
low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or may run in a rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) with only diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This is due to coolant intrusion into a cylinder bore.
Incident date: May 8, 2025
There is an active recall for my vehicle involving the passenger airbag potentially not deploying. This is a huge safety risk and the remedy is still not available. The active recall was first initiated in December of 2023.
Incident date: May 7, 2025
When driving the car the steering column felt loose and when going over a railroad track or bump the steering column would jiggle. The car steering felt unsafe. Took it to the Lexus dealer in Austin Texas four or five times and they said they could not find a problem. This a a known issue on several models of Toyotas and Lexus vehicles since the early 2000’s. Toyotas/lexus continued to be manu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
The contact leased a 2024 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and there was a loss of pressure on the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to roll but eventually came to a stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on three occasions, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken back to ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2025
The car first does not respond to the key fob and when you look inside the dash is on despite not using push-to-start and you have to use the manual key to open the door. Then the car alarm will go off and continue not to repond to the KeyFob until you, once again, use the manual key to unlock and silence th e car. The only solution I have gotten is t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Ball Joint and Control Arm Issues on My 2007 Jeep Liberty Dear support tech, I am writing to express my concerns regarding recurring issues with my 2007 Jeep Liberty, specifically with the driver-side ball joint and control arm. In 2019, I had the driver-side ball joint replaced at Firestone. However, on [XXX], I experienced a serious issue when the wheel became stuck... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I was driving my vehicle on the highway at approx 55 mph. Without warning my vehicle’s engine failed and the vehicle went into neutral. I had to coast until the emergency shoulder was available as power steering was dwindling. As I pulled into the shoulder the wheel locked. The vehicle’s engine could not be restarted and the vehicle was towed to the Cadillac Dealership. I feared for my life as... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
2019 Honda CRV brake system problem. Cannot start my car.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
2019 Honda CRV brake system problem. Cannot start my car.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
Vehicle hesitating when attempting to accelerate. No power or minimal momentum when pressing on gas pedal. Transmission control module would randomly drop out and loose communication at the same time the body control module thought the vehicle was in park. It would lock and unlock the doors multiple times and the car would jerk uncontrollably. Extremely unsafe while mobile. Issue first occurred r... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2025
While driving down the interstate the car lost power. The engine would continue to rev, but the car was not receiving power and was unable to accelerate. As this happened on the interstate where vehicles travel at high rates of speed, this was a safety concern because the car suddenly lost power. No lights lit up on the dash indicating a problem. Once the vehicle was towed to a Honda dealership, t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the instrument panel failed to display the speed, RPM, engine temperature, or any other vehicle information. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the instrument cluster. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed t... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
Water apparantly was going thru the sunroof and clogging the drains-- No water seeped into the car or from the roof-- It went through the interior of the car nor did it ever get into the vehicle floor so no way to even be aware of car accumlating water- This interior water damage nd destroyed the electronic system of the vehicle- Insured driver - my daughter was driving when car alarm and back doo... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
Water apparantly was going thru the sunroof and clogging the drains-- No water seeped into the car or from the roof-- It went through the interior of the car nor did it ever get into the vehicle floor so no way to even be aware of car accumlating water- This interior water damage nd destroyed the electronic system of the vehicle- Insured driver - my daughter was driving when car alarm and back doo... Read more
BUICK
ENVISION
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
May 6, 2025
Incident date: May 1, 2025
Fuel Rail and fuel injectors Leak contacted Mercedes cooperate to investigate why my car. VIN did not list according to campaign no 2022030003 to replace the fuel Ra and fuel injectors and a Ssfety & Emissios recall campaign that covers 139 Model year 2016-2030 that include my vehicle CLC-Class. My car is experiencing fuel injectors defects but my VIN number was not flagged
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
1/16/25 Van brought to Honda of Kenosha to complete fuel pump recall. Advised work was complete. 3/30/25 While driving, my van completely turned off. Creating an unsafe situation as I wasn’t parked but with engine running & van in drive. Van was towed to repair shop 3/3/25. When they opened on 3/31/25, I contacted them to explain what happened. Mechanic said it sounded like a fuel issue. I expla... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
Car was driving fine one day and then while driving down the interstate I had the Pre collision system malfunction error, Brake light came on, Cruise will not operate, ABS light is on. After much research it seems Prius V has a common issue with brake booster faulting.
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
On the [XXX], my 2012 Hyundai Accent caught fire in the engine compartment and engulfed in flames. Right before the fire started, smoke came out of the air vents into the car, causing me to become stifled and choke for several minutes. Smoke was also coming out of the hood. At that point, I lifted the hood and there were flames coming out of the engine. During the past six months prior to the fire... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the instrument cluster flickered, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and preparing to complete a left turn, there was an abnormal pop coming from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the driveshaft had fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that several days later the cont... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that a second motorist alerted the contact that fuel was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The contact stopped to inspect the vehicle and after raising the hood, it was discovered that diesel fuel was leaking from the top fuel ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I am unknown of what system has failed but the issue is that while the car is in motion, it will completely shut off. All Electrical will disengage and there have been times where a pop up has come on my screen stating that air bags and seat belts are non functioning to get to a service station as soon as possible. It has happened multiple times while driving on a large highway. This is a severe ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I purchased my car used at the Mercedes dealership in Tyler Texas June 2023. I took all my savings and paid cash and was told that the car was impeccable shape and there were no current issues and all the service records were up to date. November 2023 is when everything started happening and my engine light came on. It was revealed to me by a service tech that I was sold the vehicle with an exis... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The horn stopped working in our 2024 Elantra. This is a widespread issue (see NHTSA complaints and Reddit posts). I called ahead to verify with the San Leandro dealership that parts were in stock to perform this repair under warranty (prior to scheduling appointment). We arrived and were told that parts were actually not available (after a 3-hour diagnostic). What changed? Hyundai issued ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked, and there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
My vehicle is having the blue screen & message to contact my dealer when in reverse. I understand there is a recall for this. I contacted ford to see why I haven't received a notice & am being told that it only affects certain vehicles yet I'm having the exact issue. It is a safety hazard due to low visibility behind the vehicle when in reverse.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The Nuna RAVA is currently under recall due to a harness tightening defect. Over time, the harness on my unit has become increasingly difficult to tighten, even when following all recommended usage instructions. This raises serious safety concerns, as the primary function of a car seat is to provide secure restraint during a crash. Nuna’s proposed remedy is insufficient. Instead of replacing or... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
On 4/24/25 I noticed a pungent odor (like rotten eggs). The odor is worse today. I did research and it appears there may be a problem and or leak with the catalytic converter. The emissions are making me and my kids feel sick, nauseous, headache, irritated eyes, etc.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while at a stoplight, there was an abnormal odor of fuel inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was restarted and shut off independently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V961000 (Fue... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2025
Our 2020 Sprinter (Winnebago Revel) had 13,212 miles on it when I first reported this issue. During our ownership we have experienced many failures of the Advanced Driver Assistance System, one previous failure happened when where a semi-truck was preparing to pass me and was very close behind my van, when my vans cruise control deactivated we quickly slowed down and the driver of the truck had to... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted by the mechanic and the mechanic was advised that the vehicle should be take... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, all four tires felt flat, and the vehicle was pulling to the left, with an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. ... Read more