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: Feb 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a rattling noise was heard underneath the vehicle. Additionally, water was entering the vehicle from the roof rack. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000 (Suspension), 21V537000 (Suspension), and 21V316000 (Structure). The contact state... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated abnormally. There was message indicating that "transmission was overheating" displayed. The contact also stated that after refueling the vehicle would fail to immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the purge valve, motor mounts, and shi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
5.0 liter V8 engine has a stalling problem. Very randomly the engine will stall when I come to a stop. This has become a very concerning safety issue for me. I have taken it to my local Ford dealership and after 5 days of having the vehicle they cannot duplicate the issue. I have had the injectors cleaned, the plugs replaced and the dealer replaced the throttle body. None of these repairs tha... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2023
ABS / Traction Control lights began intermittently turning on. After roughly 5k miles, the lights are on all the time. The truck is throwing code C0020-01. From looking around online, this is certainly not a unique situation. The fact that there is an updated HCU (P/N 68143491AB) to be released later this year, shows that this is a known issue.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2023
ABS / Traction Control lights began intermittently turning on. After roughly 5k miles, the lights are on all the time. The truck is throwing code C0020-01. From looking around online, this is certainly not a unique situation. The fact that there is an updated HCU (P/N 68143491AB) to be released later this year, shows that this is a known issue.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2021
I have 2006 buick lucerne.i paid over 800 dollars get brakes fixed.now they saying messed up again power steering messed up.the front passenger side where tire hits bump makes nise like strut.power steering fluid leaking brake fliud leaking.air bags.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2021
The clutch pedal sticks to the floor and won't let me shift gears. There is a recall already but for some reason my car is not included the no.16v302000 please help if possible to get my car added to this recall thanks [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident date: Feb 12, 2021
Electrical System Malfunction w/yellow battery icon...stop/start system unavailable. Vehicle deemed unsafe to drive. Towed to dealership, part on worldwide B/O...estimate several month wait for starter/alternator
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
I was pulling out of my alley onto a main street and my power steering went out I had to pull over I shut the car off and restarted it and it came back. When this happened got a message on dash ESC active and service power steering.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
Many states like Florida have a law that headlights need to be on when it is raining, My Tesla has automatic wipers that come on when it senses rain, when this happens, it should also turn on headlights for safety reasons but it does not, they need to be turned on manually, the car does also have automatic headlights, but the automatic headlights on the car only work when it gets dark in the eveni... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
Power Steering, Brakes, Turn Signals, Monitor Screen. The Cars steering will lock up and pull to the right hand side and the brakes get mushy. This could be deadly to myself and other motor vehicles. It happens suddenly with out warning and if there is a vehicle in the right hand lane, you will crash into it. I am waiting to take it to the dealer but prior to the steering and electrical, I told th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
On February 5th I was taking my car out to the grocery store. All of a sudden my lights turned on and as soon as I'm going up the hill, going back home the car starts to shake uncrontrollably. I check my car under the hood toes what is going on, all of my wiring had been damaged, even the battery was damaged. I later bought the new wiring and and battery and had it replaced. After a few days at th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
On February 5th I was taking my car out to the grocery store. All of a sudden my lights turned on and as soon as I'm going up the hill, going back home the car starts to shake uncrontrollably. I check my car under the hood toes what is going on, all of my wiring had been damaged, even the battery was damaged. I later bought the new wiring and and battery and had it replaced. After a few days at th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Steering becomes unpredictable and stiff accompanied by surging and loss of power. Check engine light comes on. Code P0882
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Steering becomes unpredictable and stiff accompanied by surging and loss of power. Check engine light comes on. Code P0882
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
On December 29, 2022 as I was driving my engine light came on, the fuel gauge registered empty (I had over a quarter tank of fuel at the time), and my miles till empty display in the upper left of the instrument cluster went blank. I took my Audi to my Audi dealer and their recommended repair was as follows: Fuel Tank: After removing fuel pump and level sensor we found that the secondary fuel lev... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while attempting to turn on the heat in the vehicle, the HVAC system failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was no recall for the failure. There was no additio... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 5500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the contact was unable to shift gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
2021 Honda Pilot Black Edition with 37,007 miles. Navigation screen will display "Network Communication Lost" and "MOST Net Off" before completely shutting down for 5-10 minutes at a time, only to do the same thing after resetting. This is a known issue for Honda, hence Technical Service Bulletin 20-058 to cover a range of vehicles, including my 21 Pilot; most older covered vehicles are at 5 years... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle overheated and stalled. The engine misfire warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown, and that antifreeze was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provid... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
We have had power steering loss upon starting our 2015 Ford Explorer front wheel drive with park assist. This evening 2/13/2023 my wife called me to tell me the steering has stopped working again and she could not turn the wheels. The power rack has totally failed and I AS A STRONG MAN COULD HARDLY turn the wheels. I limped it home and it was all I could do to turn the wheels even going down the r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
The Oil pressure sensor is faulty. The light comes on when it's cold temperatures outside. Upon revving the engine above 1500RPMs or so, the oil pressure sensor light goes off.
BUICK
PARK AVENUE
(2000) - WHEELS:RIM
Feb 10, 2023
Incident date: Feb 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was drifting and would not drive in a straight line. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who performed a wheel alignment and changed the tires, but the failure persisted. The mechanic later diagnosed that the surface of all four alloy wheels had begun to deteriorate and was ... Read more
BUICK
PARK AVENUE
(2000) - SERVICE BRAKES
Feb 10, 2023
Incident date: Feb 10, 2023
System constantly chimes alarm on and off for Service electronic braking system, Service Antilock brake system. The HCU seems to be in short supply because you cannot buy it online or from a dealership they all show out of stock or backordered with no eta of when it will come in. I feel like it only a matter of time before it causes an accident. Seems to be a known issue with RAM. I have a video o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
The heating seat is not working, and the locking system within all doors is failing. Also, lane departure and steering assist is not aligning properly
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
I have been intermittently losing power steering. The code is B1342. After researching, it looks like Ford is aware of this problem but is unwilling to fix the issue. This fix must be done at a dealership since it is a software issue and going to cost $2,000. Obviously losing power steering when going at fast speeds is incredibly dangerous for myself and others. There is no check engine light that... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2023
Right Rear Wheel locked up (froze) while operating vehicle in cold conditions (mid 20's) - brake caliper froze - ruined rear tire
Incident date: Jan 31, 2023
Engine Oil light come on / Low on Engine Oil
Incident date: Jan 31, 2023
The headrests on the seats slip out of place very easily. It is available for inspection on request. In case of accident, the headrests may fly off the seat very easily, with failure to prevent whiplash injury. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone but me, the owner. There are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptom... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
I purchased this vehicle from Carvana and when diagnostics were done I was told the tire rods are bad and if I drove it itwould be like an accident waiting to happen. I have sat in the car. Never driven it yet. My boyfriend says not safe to drive. I am 68 years old and need a vehicle. Carvana sold this to me like this with other problems too and they are doing a runaround to get it fixed.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
Fumes from Car inside cabin Why is this not a recall This is not the only model doing this This needs to be addressed
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
I drive a 2004 Honda Element and on Friday 2/3/23 I was in a car accident where I t-boned a car going 25 mph and my airbags did NOT deploy.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the yellow check engine warning light displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle behind him came to a screeching halt to avoid causing a major accident. Multiple attempts to restart the vehicle failed, resulting in the vehicle being towed to an independent mechanic. T... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The gas pedel is not responding. It goes down to the floor and nothing happens. I experienced this pulling out into traffic. I hit it several times to get it going. I made it to the turning lane. It kicked in. I turned out of the turning lane onto my street and it stopped working again. I made it home where it sits. I am terrified. This is danger to everyone around me.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
My vehicle has been to the dealer multiple times for a well-known and common error: Travel Assist Unavailable. My dealer is saying that the steering wheel needs to be replaced, but the parts are 200+ on back order with no update on when they will come in. This is a major design flaw with this vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
While driving I heard a sound under the truck. When I pulled over I looked under the truck and noted that one of the straps that holds the gas tank up had come loose. Further inspection noted that the strap had not broken, the part where it connected to the frame had rusted out and let the strap loose. When I looked into it I found out there was a safety recall for the same issue in prior model ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The headlights on the 2022 Kia EV6 do not provide enough illumination for proper night driving. They are full and barely shine enough for 10 feet out from vehicle. This causes concern for object avoidance and proper identification from oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Kia made adjustments to later year 2022 model years, European models get Matrix lights, and all 2023 model years. IIHS rated 2022 ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
Faulty water pumps causing leakage and eventually seize the engine
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
Car went down on Friday. Won't start. Brand-new battery and the starter and alternator was tested and they both are good. Looked up VIN and was not notified that there was a recall on a certain part on my vehicle. I'd like to get this issue fixed because now my windows won't even go up or down.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Compression test found cylinder 3 @ 58. Found cylinder leakage between cylinder 2 & 3. Engine replacement suggested by dealer. Vehicle has 149990. Dealer also stated engine is warp which is not included in diagnostic statement. Dealer engine replacement cost $12,324.23
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
While driving, had cruise control on, not full self driving, the car suddenly breaks. No one was around us. This happened on two occasions a few hours apart.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
With less than 29000 miles the backup camera has failed. While trying to back up and use rear view mirror it’s almost impossible to see what’s behind the vehicle. Dodge says this vehicle is out of warranty because of over 36 months. What’s it take 10-12 kids to be backed over in-order to issue recalls. There’s numerous others complaining about this. Please in the interest of SAFETY pl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
This is my 2nd 2023 Nissan Rogue. The first one was purchase in October 2022 Around Thanksgiving 2022 we started smelling gas inside the car and outside the car. After the dealer confirmed the smell and told us there was no fix at the time, we left car at dealership and took a loaner, several weeks later the dealer said there is still no fix. We went to dealer and bought another 2023 Nissan Rogue ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
I got my car from Buick of Long Island City I was giving the wrong key mess up battery the car will not start and I crashed
1 injured
1 deaths
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
The rear subframe is corroded with rust to the point of about to break into pieces. I did not have control of the vehicle and could not drive above 40mph, sudden pull to one side while braking, loose steering. I could have had a wreck if the subframe would have broke before taking the vehicle in to be inspected by an independent service center. I live over an hour to the nearest Mazda dealership... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
Using Autopilot on an empty highway at appx 65mph, the auto pilot system began to brake aggressively without any obstacles in front of me. As it approached 40 or 30 mph, I pressed on the brake to cancel the autopilot before I was hit from behind. Scary.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
Just noticed that the Frame is rusting badly. It is available for inspection upon request. I see that the Chevy Silverado has the same problem and that a recall exists for it, but not for the GMC Sierra, which is virtually the same truck. My safety or the safety of others can be put at risk if the frame were to fail. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent serv... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
During lane departure the size of the rear view mirrors do not display a vehicle in an adjacent lane until it’s too late. However, although the lane departure does notify the driver with a flashing light in the mirror the flashing light is easily missed. An audible warning would be more effective when the turn signal is activated. I departed my lane nearly colliding with an unseen vehicle.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
Anti Theft Security system is non-existent. There is a current known issue on the internet on the ease of theft of any Kia or Hyundai to certain years of manufacture. I am currently a single disabled person that could be a victim of vehicle theft because of a lack of this security software that Kia did not include on my 2015 vehicle. This Kia/Hyundai known issue could potentially leave anyone stra... Read more