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, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Buick Regal. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V465000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while attempting to depress the brake pedal excessive amount of pressure was need... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
Service Safety Restraint System warning and Airbag light comes on and off multiple times a day. Onstar and Dealer state they cannot recreate issue or find a code. I have pictures of the warning. It is very distracting when driving and warning bells are sounding and messages are popping up that take my eyes off the road. This vehicle has ~2500 miles and began at ~2400 miles.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
At low speed all power steering is lost. Almost ran into a parked car. When pulling from a driveway onto the roadway almost hit another car head on. My wife will no longer drive the car because of this.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Buick Verano. The contact stated when she attempted to shift the gear into reverse however the lever would not shift. Once the contact was able to shift the lever, it felt lose. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 101,820.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the power steering failed at speeds of 15 mph or less. In addition, the failure occurred while making a turn. The contact stated the vehicle would have to use manual steering in order to operate the vehicle. There were no warning lights. The dealer was not informed of the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V246000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2022
Driving 50km per hr, went over railway crossing, then the car became unstable, rear felt loose as if it was drifting. Stopped the car had a look under the cars driver side rear end, and noticed the bar connecting tire the rest of vehicle was fractured, don't know the exact name of it. The car only has a out 145000 km on it. I live in Canada. The consumer has stated that the rear tow link was t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
Left front brake hose failure.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2022
I keep getting a message stating "service side detection system" every time my car is started. This happened shortly after getting a car wash. I no longer can use the blind spot system in my car. I have done some research online and have seen that this is a common issue in chevy cars, (NHTSA Bulletin Subject N172097060) and I'm seeing a few videos pop up on Youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano . The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of fuel entering through the vents. In addition, while driving, there was an abnormal very loud knocking noise. The contact noticed that there was oil or fuel leaking from the injection system. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but it was not diagnosed or repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano . The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of fuel entering through the vents. In addition, while driving, there was an abnormal very loud knocking noise. The contact noticed that there was oil or fuel leaking from the injection system. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but it was not diagnosed or repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
Purchased my 2022 Buick Encore GX from Alexander Buick, Oxnard CA. on July 14th, 2022. On August 4th, 2022 (3 weeks and 273 miles later) was driving in the fast lane of major freeway 101 in Southern Ca.. Without any warning the car died. How I made it across two lanes to my right to get off the freeway without a seconds notice to the many cars and semis behind me I was able to veer a dead car t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Lane departure went out took to dealer they said oh your out of warranty 3 months we can repair for 1,000 dollars I said you are crazy and walked away .contacted GM customer service said it’s out of warranty should of been recalled for their past history of problems
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
My airbags driver side and the passenger front all exploded while sitting in my driveway nobody in the vehicle
Incident date: Aug 31, 2021
Passenger airbag will disable randomly while driving for random periods of time ranging from a few seconds to a few hours despite there being a 140+ lb passenger. This will happen every few minutes.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
All occurrences happened on city streets and all during the daytime. First time this occurred was on 6/15/2022 with 148,467 miles. It went to the dealer. Lots of low voltage and lots of comm codes stored in a lot of modules. All were cleared out. They could not replicate the problem. Then it occurred again on 7/23, 7/24 and 7/25. Then on 7/26/2022 (twice) with 151,261 miles and again at ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
All occurrences happened on city streets and all during the daytime. First time this occurred was on 6/15/2022 with 148,467 miles. It went to the dealer. Lots of low voltage and lots of comm codes stored in a lot of modules. All were cleared out. They could not replicate the problem. Then it occurred again on 7/23, 7/24 and 7/25. Then on 7/26/2022 (twice) with 151,261 miles and again at ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Buick Verano. The contact stated that while driving at 60-65 MPH, the vehicle lost all power with no warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after a minute. The vehicle was not taken an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic due to the fact that t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
Brakes did not engage when my husband pressed on them while he was driving. Brakes when straight to the floor. He noticed brake fluid on the ground and when he filled it back up and pressed on the brakes the fluid spewed out of the brake line. His safety and the safety of others was impacted because he was in traffic and a car started to slow and our Envisions brakes were not working. He had to sw... Read more
BUICK
ENVISION
(2017) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Jul 31, 2022
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
Brakes did not engage when my husband pressed on them while he was driving. Brakes when straight to the floor. He noticed brake fluid on the ground and when he filled it back up and pressed on the brakes the fluid spewed out of the brake line. His safety and the safety of others was impacted because he was in traffic and a car started to slow and our Envisions brakes were not working. He had to sw... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Drivers side headlight has condensation in it & stopped working. Vehicle hasn’t been involved in any accidents or incidents that would have caused this. Dealer advised of the problem while performing oil change.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
My wife was driving and went to turn the vehicle and the steering locked up momentarily. She drove directly home a block away and pulled into the garage. When attempting to take the car for service it would not turn in either direction.
Incident date: Jul 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated while parked, the vehicle was not able to be started. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed a failure with the fuse box. Additionally, the fuel pump relay was melted. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Stability control light keeps coming on the car shut downs in the middle of the road or it won’t start I called Buick they say there is no recall but it shows on the NHTSA site 2012 Buick has a improperly calibrated faulty electric stabilitrack ESC campaign ID Number 11v404000 so I don’t under stand why my car can’t be fixed this very dangerous for me an my kids it they won’t even look a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Stability control light keeps coming on the car shut downs in the middle of the road or it won’t start I called Buick they say there is no recall but it shows on the NHTSA site 2012 Buick has a improperly calibrated faulty electric stabilitrack ESC campaign ID Number 11v404000 so I don’t under stand why my car can’t be fixed this very dangerous for me an my kids it they won’t even look a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
During periods of time with ignition switch on, the wipers will loose the ability to both regulate speed and shut off. The wiper cover AC Delco/GM part number 19120931 will fail and loose control of the wipers (fail to shut off while driving). Because you cannot shut off the wipers, the driver's vision is obscured, and the noise from the wipers on the dry glass is very distracting. This will cau... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Regal. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the brake pedal seized while depressed, preventing the vehicle from immediately stopping. The brake assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a brake vacuum pump failure. The dealer informed the contact that the exhaust camshaft needed to be replaced and the com... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
Stabilitrack continues to cause problems with the car. I was traveling 60 mph and the stabilitrack and check engine light reduce engine power and car is unable to drive over 40 mph. This is a serious concern when on the highway. When this issue is tripped the car shakes and runs roughly. This car continues to have air bag relay or electrical issues even after fixing the seat belt harness which... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
Stabilitrack continues to cause problems with the car. I was traveling 60 mph and the stabilitrack and check engine light reduce engine power and car is unable to drive over 40 mph. This is a serious concern when on the highway. When this issue is tripped the car shakes and runs roughly. This car continues to have air bag relay or electrical issues even after fixing the seat belt harness which... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The car stopped having power steering and went into limp mode while I was turning into a school and then stalled.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2019
My passenger air bag module is faulty, when an individual is in the car, the module doesn't sense the passenger. So there is no airbag and I was told that it's possible in an accident that the airbag would not go off. I paid $600 to get a diagnostic, from Marvin K and Brown dealership. They reported back to me that the module was at fault. My vehicle is out of warranty. The service airbag notifica... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2019
My passenger air bag module is faulty, when an individual is in the car, the module doesn't sense the passenger. So there is no airbag and I was told that it's possible in an accident that the airbag would not go off. I paid $600 to get a diagnostic, from Marvin K and Brown dealership. They reported back to me that the module was at fault. My vehicle is out of warranty. The service airbag notifica... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Buick Verano. The contact stated that the driver’s and passenger’s side air bag warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the cause of the failure might be related to crimped wiring inside the vehicle. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
Vacuum Pump blew up forcing cam shaft sensor to blew out of engine and caused my brakes to fail. This happened at a stop sign. I proceed through the stop in front of a semi-tractor. Fortunately it was in front of the police station in(30mph) town zone and he was able to brake before killing me. My vehicle stopped before going through the front door of an auto shop, My Timing Cam is damaged and She... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
Vacuum Pump blew up forcing cam shaft sensor to blew out of engine and caused my brakes to fail. This happened at a stop sign. I proceed through the stop in front of a semi-tractor. Fortunately it was in front of the police station in(30mph) town zone and he was able to brake before killing me. My vehicle stopped before going through the front door of an auto shop, My Timing Cam is damaged and She... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
Vacuum Pump blew up forcing cam shaft sensor to blew out of engine and caused my brakes to fail. This happened at a stop sign. I proceed through the stop in front of a semi-tractor. Fortunately it was in front of the police station in(30mph) town zone and he was able to brake before killing me. My vehicle stopped before going through the front door of an auto shop, My Timing Cam is damaged and She... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: May 29, 2022
I had to have the power steering unit replaced under warranty and now it needs to be replaced again at less than 80000 miles.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The check engine light is always on and has not been diagnosed (as of yet) by Circle Buick - Highland, IN. There is an auto-engine-shutoff feature when the vehicle stops at traffic lights, and when you resume driving there can be a lengthy delay and/or an engine & transmission jolt after the brake pedal is released. The vehicle must be retested every two years for emissions compliance for IN, bu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The check engine light is always on and has not been diagnosed (as of yet) by Circle Buick - Highland, IN. There is an auto-engine-shutoff feature when the vehicle stops at traffic lights, and when you resume driving there can be a lengthy delay and/or an engine & transmission jolt after the brake pedal is released. The vehicle must be retested every two years for emissions compliance for IN, bu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The check engine light is always on and has not been diagnosed (as of yet) by Circle Buick - Highland, IN. There is an auto-engine-shutoff feature when the vehicle stops at traffic lights, and when you resume driving there can be a lengthy delay and/or an engine & transmission jolt after the brake pedal is released. The vehicle must be retested every two years for emissions compliance for IN, bu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
Engine revving, would not shift even after taking my foot off the accelerator. Had to pull over and shut the car off. After restart, it was very hard shifting but the engine wasn't revving, Engine light stayed on. Engine revved between 3,500-4,500 rpms without shifting. The car can be very jerky when accelerating from a stop and shifting the first time or two.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
Engine revving, would not shift even after taking my foot off the accelerator. Had to pull over and shut the car off. After restart, it was very hard shifting but the engine wasn't revving, Engine light stayed on. Engine revved between 3,500-4,500 rpms without shifting. The car can be very jerky when accelerating from a stop and shifting the first time or two.
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
I was driving on a back road when my car started smoking and blazed up on passenger side headlights an I see were people have been saying this was seriously fire issue now I'm out of work no car and I was only owner fa 5 months
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
I was driving on a back road when my car started smoking and blazed up on passenger side headlights an I see were people have been saying this was seriously fire issue now I'm out of work no car and I was only owner fa 5 months
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
My light is on for airbag and I can’t seem to figure out maybe it’s seatbelt because it’s wrong it’s twisted and airbag says it’s off on passenger so I have a salvage title. Ty had a 2020 VW and a careless driver a young girl driving fast went airborne and left me without my brand new car and cars went off the top expensive it is not my fault this happened and I ended having to buy a use... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
My light is on for airbag and I can’t seem to figure out maybe it’s seatbelt because it’s wrong it’s twisted and airbag says it’s off on passenger so I have a salvage title. Ty had a 2020 VW and a careless driver a young girl driving fast went airborne and left me without my brand new car and cars went off the top expensive it is not my fault this happened and I ended having to buy a use... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
My light is on for airbag and I can’t seem to figure out maybe it’s seatbelt because it’s wrong it’s twisted and airbag says it’s off on passenger so I have a salvage title. Ty had a 2020 VW and a careless driver a young girl driving fast went airborne and left me without my brand new car and cars went off the top expensive it is not my fault this happened and I ended having to buy a use... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2021
passenger air bags are not working
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
Vogue Custom Built Radial VIII Tire size: 235/50/18 While driving on the Highway, I experienced a Tire blowout on my front passenger side of the vehicle that also led to vehicle damage. I have pictures of the tire post blowout with a gaping hole in the middle of the tire and the tread completely fallen off. This Incident put my life and others at risk as I was forced to pull my vehicle to the ... Read more