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 28,307 complaints for BUICK
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
10 days ago transmission on 2004 Rav started to act funny. Slow/jerky to engage in lower gears. Check engine lights came on. Checked out by mechanic who said it looked like a transmission problem and should have it looked at by transmission specialist who said it was not safe to drive as is since it could simply die at any time, and it needed a new transmission. When replacing trans, the tr... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The vehicle suddenly shuts down while driving creating a dangerous situation. The dealership diagnosed it as a faulty ignition switch and said it is common and that there was the same issue on previous generation of caravan that was recalled. I have it scheduled for replacement and will ask for the old part back.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Received warning that steering effort changed requiring replacement of steering module
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
Car makes "clicking noises" when accelerating or braking that appears coming from engine bay or front wheels. Other users reported similar issue on consumer forum: [XXX] ) Car dealership does not have availability to diagnose the issue until next month. Car currently has 55,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a message was displayed to “Stop Driving and Allow Engine to Cool Down”. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
Abs module failure. Traction control failure Stability control failure. Module replaced by dealer once under warranty and failed a little over a year later. Dealer would not replace defective unit stating it was out of warranty.
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Check engine light came on. Ran codes in vehicle and showed code P2681-15 engine coolant bypass valve needs replaced.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon inspection, it was noticed that the B-pillar applique trim was peeling off. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the B-pillar applique trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for as... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Transmission does a hard downshift from gear 7 to gear 6. There is a TSB bulletin for it but no recall. Car is under 100k miles but out of warranty and estimated to cost $3500 to repair. Also, the screen and backup camera frequently freeze or go black
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking and turning the vehicle off, several electrical features remained activated including the radio and the infotainment touchscreen. Additionally, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that due to the failure, the battery was drained, and the vehicle could not be immediately restarted. The cause of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Sequoia Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the trailer hitch cover separated from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a claim. The failure mileage was approximately 21,650.
Incident date: May 29, 2024
Second time the rear left tail light not working properly. The parking light stay on after turning vehicle off at time it turns off. The light assembly was replaced by dealership less than a year ago. The light assembly was defective according to the dealership vehicle was purchase 10 prior.
Incident date: May 30, 2023
Oil pump issue, Ford refuses to repair. They will keep delaying it indefinitely. I want Ford to buy back my ecosport as I feel unsafe driving it.
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
EPC (engine light) light came on two separate times while car stopped accelerating and was shaking a lot with smells of chemicals from vents all at once. Inside electrical issues as well. Car bought new First incident was the first week and a few months later and a year later
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
While driving this vehicle, the steering would take control and pull me to another lane at times. While turning or merging into another lane, it would auto correct and steer me into the lane I’m not steering into causing me from losing control of which direction I’m going into. A hard pull of the steering wheel would try to auto correct. Car automatically turned off on me while on the freeway ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The component that failed was the front, driver's side subframe. This component and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The sudden and unexpected failure of the subframe on the vehicle, due to excessive rust corrosion, precipitated a series of hazardous events that significantly compromised not only my own safety but also the safety of others on the road. While driving at a low... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
I have a 2019 Ford Edge with about 68,000 miles on it that is having transmission issues. The dealer has said it needs a new torque converter. However, they cannot guarantee it will be covered by the warranty. I am [XXX], and cannot afford this if I end up having to pay for it!! After researching 2019 Ford Edge issues online, I see that there are MANY with the same issue, and that having it re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
Bought 5/28/24 a little over 2k miles on it. Noticed paint changing color on 8/3 at night when raining. Next morning the speckles of paint that the rain drops hit that were white disappeared. That night I was also frayed because there had been this foggy what looked like water stains on my windshield that the wipers weren’t cleaning off everytime it rained. Thought it was my windshield wipers ... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
Headlights turn off and on randomly every few seconds. No fault lights on dashboard. Dealership confirmed issue exists. Dealership was advised to replace control module by GM. This did not fix the issue. Advised to change headlight assemblies but they are backordered with no ETA. This issue causes confusion to other drivers and is a safety hazard while driving at night. No recall issued yet.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated while driving and activating the headlights, there was a message stating that the side marker lights were inoperable displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred whenever the headlights were activated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
There was a customer support program from Toyota for certain Highlander from 2008 to 2010. The deadline was in 2020. The same issue started for me three weeks ago. Local Toyota Service center confirmed that it is the same code and issue but quoted me over $3000 to replace the whole thing. Since Toyota admitted that this is a faulty part and had support program to replace the parts, there should no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
Driving our car down the road. No engine lights or warnings and the engine powered down and the car came to a complete stop. Vehicle was a 2017 certified pre-owned which we have had for about three years. It has 61k miles and has always been serviced by the local land rover dealership. Vehicle was serviced by the landrover dealership two months prior to this incident and there was no recommend... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
Chevy Trax has chrome in the interior that reflects the sun and causes blinding effects making the car difficult to control during sunny days. Causes driver to look away creating safety hazard.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
On three occasions my check engine light came on. My panel board lite up like a Christmas tree. Went to auto store to have it checked out , they were able clear it off. Backtracked 38 miles to find the problem. Rough start at times. Cruise control has shut off by itself for no reason 2/3 times this past year Driver side seat that cover seat controls has been replaced once and second is broke ag... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2024
This has actually happened a few times. That stated, I KNOW I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt because my aunt was killed when she was a teenager (in the late 60's) when she was thrown through the windshield because she wasn't wearing one...so it was DRILLED into us. That stated, most recently last Thursday 8/8, I got in my car, buckled up, backed down my driveway and was 1 house away when my seatbelt ca... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission was slipping and shifting hard. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission and another unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
Started the vehicle on 7/3. Multiple warning lights show on my dashboard: 1. ACC problem 2. Collision Mitigation Problem 3. LKA Problem 4. Auto High Beam Problem I took it to Purrfect Auto (as I had just had work done). They claim it is a software issue (per Honda) and did a reset of the dashboard (I was not charged for this). Problem was fixed. Later that day when I started the car, the warn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
Started the vehicle on 7/3. Multiple warning lights show on my dashboard: 1. ACC problem 2. Collision Mitigation Problem 3. LKA Problem 4. Auto High Beam Problem I took it to Purrfect Auto (as I had just had work done). They claim it is a software issue (per Honda) and did a reset of the dashboard (I was not charged for this). Problem was fixed. Later that day when I started the car, the warn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
I bought new and have 59,000 miles on the car. During the past year or two, when I get to a stop sign and about to cross or turn into a busy road (that has no traffic signs for the cars traveling on that road), the car hesitates when I step on the gas pedal, then after a second or two, the car lurches forward (abruptly) while screeching the tires. My analysis is that there is something about mak... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The truck alames into 1st gear while driving sticks in 3rd gear as well as 5th gear no miles are being registered Speedometer not working, not registering accurate speed or mileage engine and transmission stop communicating.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
On several occasions, starting in the Fall of 2023 and occurring most recently on 8/9/24, I observed my Elantra's red EPS warning light turn on, and the steering wheel became very "stiff" while driving. Power steering was instantly disabled, resulting in momentary loss of control of the rate of turning in the vehicle. These symptoms are in accordance with Hyundai Recall Campaign 127, but a VIN sea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
When driving at 40mph a service Stabilitrak warning came up on the dashboard and the power steering immediately turned off making the truck difficult to control. The check engine light also turned on, but there was no prior warning that something was wrong. I was able to pull off the road safely, but would not have been able to execute anything more than a wide turn and if the road wasn't complete... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2024
I was in an accident that was can be contributed to my lane keeping assistance. Once the car crashed into another vehicle my airbags failed to deploy.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
When braking lightly between 10-20MPH, the ABS will activate if I hit a small bump or pothole. Something as simple as pulling into my driveway will cause the ABS to activate. On one occasion, I was driving through a gas station parking lot, lightly pressed on the brakes to slow down over a rough patch of concrete and the ABS came on. The car behaved as though I was braking on ice. This is incredib... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2019
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Feb 1, 2019
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Feb 1, 2019
The suspension spring on the passenger side rear wheel broke.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
Engine began to stall while driving or would not restart after parking. Happened one time while driving on highway [XXX]. Towed to dealer. Same fuel pump issue as recall N212332040 however that build date window closed March 4 2021 and my Tahoe was built in June 2021. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
I own a 2012 Chevy equinox 2.4 eco-tech all wheel drive I purchased it three years ago and a little over 90,000 miles on it asked the dealer if it was part of the class action oil consumption lawsuit. They said they knew nothing about it Shortly after I purchased vehicle I noticed I was having to add to 4 quarts of oil every two months I saw oil puddles under my car and not sure where it was comin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Fuel tank strap bracket has broken. Dealers and Ram customer service refuse to cover the repairs even though there is a technical service bulletin related to this issue. They state since my vehicle was originally from Canada the extended warranty is void.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Driving in normal conditions .. even leaving my driveway ABS light comes on and traction control light comes on. and flashes randomly. Sometimes in doesn't come on for a bit but then will flicker on and off.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
Vehicle steering failed and caused the vehicle to go in opposite direction than intended, ended up almost hitting a streetlamp due to this. Issue had happened before and ended up on opposite side of traffic but had attributed it to loss of traction and wet weather at the time, but likely related to this. reported to dealer and they were unable to recreate or find any issue
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle shut off on an exit and blocked traffic. The vehicle was pushed out of the roadway by bystanders. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
This complaint is in regards to RECALL 255 TO ADDRESS A CONDITION INVOLVING THE ENGINE VALVE SPRING(S). Hyundai leased us a Palisade under this recall without informing us about the recall until after we had signed the lease paperwork. We were told there was a stop sale on the car when we went to pick it up the next day and we were not allowed to drive it off the lot. We have been without our car ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
Car has collision detection and remedy system that detects for impending collision and activates braking. Incident occurred when the car in front abruptly brakes and my car detected collision and applied brakes, however, the brakes were not fully applied and would not completely stop to avoid colliding with the rear end of the car. Most importantly, the car would not respond to me pushing the brak... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started and there was smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was occasionally adding coolant to the coolant reservoir prior to the vehicle being taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and the mechanic in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2014
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
A warning to check electrical system was displayed. The battery did not have sufficient charge to drive it to a dealer so I tried to charge and the car would not charge past 60%. I was able to drive the car to the dealer where they diagnosed a failed EV battery. Prior to the failure the car would use battery percentage much faster than it should have. For example, a fifteen mile drive would de... Read more