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: Mar 10, 2025
I believe there was an issue with the ABS system that kept me from stopping the vehicle, as speed was increasing while going downhill with the brake pedal pushed hard. I was forced to make the choice to steer the vehicle into a mountainside to stop it before I ended up over the side of the mountain road. The vehicle then tipped over, coming to a stop.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The vehicle has a safety-related defect involving the safety restraint system. A warning message/light appears indicating a malfunction affecting occupant protection. This defect raises concerns regarding proper airbag and restraint operation in the event of a crash. I presented the vehicle for warranty service, but the manufacturer refused to diagnose or repair the safety defect solely because t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Shifter switch has gone out and no longer recognizes the car is in park, causes battery drainage because car cannot fully turn off. Car not recognizing gears can cause car accidents and possible loss of life. This issue can be found online as a known defect in mazda cx-5 that has not been recalled. Vehicle has been inspected and issue has been verified.There were no warning lights, sounds or sympt... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
I was driving the car on the middle lane on Northern State Parkway (Long Island, NY) West bound about 55mph. Near exit 26 suddenly my car was automatically moving towards to the right, steering wheel and brake were not working, car was completely out of control, it crossed the right lane and went out of the highway and suddenly stuck in the bushes and stopped. Luckily, there was no car on the righ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
2020 SantaFe Limited AWD with ~81200 miles. This is the 3rd or 4th time the P07410 code pops up with the Engine Check light. Hyundai said they found no issues and cleared the code, again. There was once when the code came up and it cleared itself after 50 miles. Not sure exactly what the cause is and Hyundai is saying "there is nothing wrong". Most recent occurrence Sept.4.2025.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
On 12/18/2025 at approximately 5:00 pm, during rush hour traffic, while driving 60 mph on the expressway, my car automatically downshifted to drive1, the engine revved up significantly and the car reduced power and had sluggish acceleration. It did not come out of Drive 1 until I was able to get off the expressway and put the car in park. The car is available for inspection upon request. I was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a blank image while in reverse(R). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
I am submitting a safety complaint regarding unexpected and inappropriate automatic braking behavior at low speeds involving the parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, and/or automatic emergency braking system. While performing normal, low-speed maneuvers such as backing out of street parking spaces or parking in tight urban environments, the vehicle abruptly applies the brakes even when no i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),I am submitting this report to express a serious safety concern with my 2015 Buick Verano, which I believe is unsafe for shorter drivers due to poor visibility and design limitations.I received this car as a gift from my father, but the moment I drove it off the lot, I realized I could not safely operate it. I am 4 feet 11 inches tall, an... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),I am submitting this report to express a serious safety concern with my 2015 Buick Verano, which I believe is unsafe for shorter drivers due to poor visibility and design limitations.I received this car as a gift from my father, but the moment I drove it off the lot, I realized I could not safely operate it. I am 4 feet 11 inches tall, an... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
ICCU FAILURE. Car would not drive
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The brake system failed, specifically involving the brake master cylinder and/or electronic brake booster assembly. The vehicle and affected components are currently available for inspection at a Buick dealership. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Driving north on [XXX] on [XXX] the right rear tire on my 2021 Atlas completely failed and ripped apart through the sidewall and on the treads. The tire model was Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/60 R18 105T M+S Radial Tubeless. I have already replaced the tire at Costco in Inglewood, CA. This was a scary incident and endangered my family and others traveling on the highway. I contacted C... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
I started out with a slow coolant leak coming from the middle front of the Jeep, that I was not aware of, until it got worse. Now it’s a steady stream only when the engine is on.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
My vehicle has begun all us sudden flickering headlights from low beams to high beam when driving and also it ay the airbag safety light turn on with the locks also doing a closing and opening while driving.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
My vehicle has begun all us sudden flickering headlights from low beams to high beam when driving and also it ay the airbag safety light turn on with the locks also doing a closing and opening while driving.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
Engine turns off unexpectedly when driving. all power steering and brakes stop working when engine itself off. entire engine, drive train, and vehicle shakes while driving. Transmission is a replacement as first one failed after 90 days of purchase. paid labor for replacement and waited over 6 weeks without a vehicle. Now replaced oem transmission slips out of gear. making vehicle difficult to dri... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
Bushing related to steering wheel was a safety issue that causes steering wheel play and possible loss of control. I was never informed of the issue and Kia said it would not repair it since the warranty expired.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
the 2000 Buick Lesabre is a wonderful car basically a tank with the 3800 SERIES II you cant go wrong but the tiny little plastic part holding the throttle cable will dryrot even with a garage kept car under 150k miles please get them replaced I was driving and then the part came off and it got wrapped around the bracket and it took off I melted the breaks I wasn't stopping due to constant gas so I... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
The hybrid version of the Toyota Tundra uses the same base V35A-derived engine architecture, block casting, bearing design, and oiling system as the recalled non-hybrid vehicles. Toyota has not demonstrated that hybrid engines were manufactured differently or are immune to the defect that prompted the recall. In towing conditions, an internal combustion engine failure creates an immediate safety h... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
All the specific details are unknown, but I had a mechanic work on my car and the problem that he had to fix. He stated that it should’ve been detected, but it was something wrong with my car, letting me know that I had the problem and also I have to keep replacing my camshaft timing Solenoid my car keeps giving me error codes P0011 and P0128
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
There is a throttle lag when I depress the acceleration pedal, the vehicle doesnt not move for a period of time ranging from 0.5 seconds to 3 seconds. This is more prominent when performing a creeping start where the vehicle has not fully stopped.
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
Dear NHTSA Team, I am writing to formally report and follow up on a safety-related issue regarding my 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV, VIN: [XXX] . The vehicle has experienced repeated defects affecting critical safety systems, including: Engine overheating and cooling system failures Repeated engine malfunction warnings EVAP/emissions-related system faults These issues have persisted despite multiple... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
I purchased a vehicle August 2, 2024 from Kingdom auto sales. The car was inspected July 2024 in which it passed shortly after the car wouldn’t go over 40 mph. It would say it’s an over speed. The car runs hot and the parking assist light won’t go off May 25, 2025 I was driving on the highway in the car lost power and the speed was reduced after getting off the highway lost control of the st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
I purchased a vehicle August 2, 2024 from Kingdom auto sales. The car was inspected July 2024 in which it passed shortly after the car wouldn’t go over 40 mph. It would say it’s an over speed. The car runs hot and the parking assist light won’t go off May 25, 2025 I was driving on the highway in the car lost power and the speed was reduced after getting off the highway lost control of the st... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2020
The vehicle has been showing a “shift to park” message error upon shutdown even though the vehicle is fully in park and door automatically unlock when parked. This has left the accessories on and drained the battery
Incident date: Jun 11, 2020
85,000 miles bought new. Was having hesitation and power issues, experienced increased fatigue the longer I drove. Took it in for service at 85,000 miles and the turbo PVC valve was bad as well as the catalytic converter. I’ve never had a catalytic converter go bad on any vehicle in my 42 years of driving. Cost = $2,000 for just the catalytic converter and extended warranty covered. Advised at t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
When pushing the driver side seat belt into the buckle, it instantly unlatched buckles. Yea it can be inspected. If in a car accident the driver could be seriously injured or fatally injured. I contacted Germain Westerville, Ohio who informed me it’s not under warranty and it would be $500 - $600 dollars. Contacted corporate who said it’s out of warranty but will have a supervisor call my on... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
I filed and submitted my paragraph yesterday and have not heard a word. My son was in the back seat when it happened and he is extremely traumatized in getting back into a vehicle. My car was purchased in 2023 and it is a 2024 and is non drivable due to the engine explosion while driving in 14 degree weather on a two lane high way with my 6 and 7 year old in the back seat. My engine exploded and I... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
I filed and submitted my paragraph yesterday and have not heard a word. My son was in the back seat when it happened and he is extremely traumatized in getting back into a vehicle. My car was purchased in 2023 and it is a 2024 and is non drivable due to the engine explosion while driving in 14 degree weather on a two lane high way with my 6 and 7 year old in the back seat. My engine exploded and I... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
I believe the OEM 12v battery that is used in the Ford Maverick hybrid is underpowered and has issues that seem to plague the vehicle. I’ve owned the truck for almost two years now and started getting “battery saver” alerts when the truck would sit for a few days over the week or during a vacation. But recently I’ve been getting the warning far more frequently and not even siting for more ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
Water pump design failure caused a leak of coolant into vacuum lines preventing coolant from cooling engine and causing immediate overheating. Known issue previous class action lawsuit.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where DTC: P17F1 (Internal CVT failure was retrieved). The contact was informed that the CVT transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a fuel-like odor coming from the driver’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the sealed seam had failed and the fuel tank needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
I was traveling along the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge on a normal commute day when the brakes started sticking early on after that point, by the time I reached the Caldecott tunnel after the incident on the Bay Bridge, the brakes locked up completely, forcing me to coast without using any brakes and subsequently the brakes started smoking. I had to exit the nearest exit to stop the car and tu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
I had Hold feature engaged during a I-70 construction traffic stop. after 7 or 8 minutes auto rolled forward by it's self and something like eps turned on. I was floored at this hazzard and it could have killed someone, if they were infront of my auto.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
Driving and something came from underneath the vehicle and cause me to swerve in all the airbags deployed
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Rainer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel jerked independently without warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the brake pedal while depressing the brake pedal. The contact had taken the vehicle to two independent mechani... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
My 2022 Ram 1500 TRX has recurring safety-related failures of the infotainment system affecting Uconnect 5. These issues are widespread in 2021–2024 Ram TRX and Ram 1500 models and began or worsened after forced over-the-air updates. These issues have been ongoing for over a year now without correction and Ram has no answer on when there will be a fix. The primary defect is black-screen fail... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
My vehicle shut down as I was in drive. Engine was shut off and it engaged the emergency parking brake.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The backup camera on my 2021 Polestar 2 has never functioned reliably. It frequently fails to activate when the vehicle is placed in reverse and instead displays an error message. This is a manufacturer defect. Although the vehicle was recalled for this defect and I had the recall repair performed, the issue persists. The repair did not fully resolve the problem, and the backup camera continues to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Buick Cascada. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle lost motive power. In addition, the transmission and engine failure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E070000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that he lived near a School Zone and was concerned that the failure could occur, causing the vehicle to strike and injure children on the road. The local dealer was not contacted. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The "Service Airbag - Passenger" warning light suddenly appeared on the console of my 2014 Buick Enclave. Once I arrived home, I Googled what the light indicated and I also sorted through mail I had recently received from Buick that notified me of a recall. Convinced that I needed to resolve the issue promptly, I contacted the dealership we purchased the vehicle from and they informed me to come ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The "Service Airbag - Passenger" warning light suddenly appeared on the console of my 2014 Buick Enclave. Once I arrived home, I Googled what the light indicated and I also sorted through mail I had recently received from Buick that notified me of a recall. Convinced that I needed to resolve the issue promptly, I contacted the dealership we purchased the vehicle from and they informed me to come ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
4 weeks ago, I noted the front of the vehicle sitting lower than the rear. When it was started, a warning message indicated air suspension failure, then an attempt to correct. The front raised itself and the warning stopped. I took it to the dealer for a charging recall the next day and told them about it, but nothing was found. A month later, yesterday, the same thing occurred, and I took it to t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
1.The component that failed is the load index rating and both inner and outer sidewalls of the tire. Yes, the tires are available for inspection, they are off the car and stored in my garage. 2. I believe the safety of others and my self were at risk, I went for a tire rotation and saw the damage and asked the shop if tires were good and they said its good. Later my father points out this will ki... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
I have had my vehicle to a GM dealer on a few occasions with the EMC code stored in the vehicle and an active check engine light on. While I’m driving - now during 70 percent or more of my trips - my vehicle loses power very suddenly and lunges me forward. I’m unable to stop and go on hills of any noticeable grade and have narrowly missed being in an accident many times. The dealer’s service... Read more