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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 67,531 complaints for CHRYSLER

Incident date: Feb 28, 2024

per the tech at the dealership the noise in my engine is coming from the front exhaust pipe near the hanger it is starting to rust and has made a small hole that is causing the excessive engine noise. gm has a special coverage bulletine for the 2021 traverse (n22238550) this is the same exact thing my 2022 travers is doing. This is so unsafe , you can smell fumes in the vehicle and the car is gett... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal ticking sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the intake manifold. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was open... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2024

This has happened about 15 times since I bought my Hyundai Kona EV Ultimate new in February 2021: When a car in front of me slows very quickly, occasionally my car tries to help me too much. I have been in complete control of the situations, but my car beeps it's warning, adds it's efforts and the brakes lock up with tires squealing, and we stop with plenty of space in between myself and the car ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the oil light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact of low oil pressure, replaced the solenoid, and completed an oil change but was unable to increase the oil pressure in the engine. The contact called the local dealer and was informed about NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and... Read more

Incident date: Feb 25, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, there ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 17, 2024

MULTIPLE repetitive ABS/HCU failures starting in 2022. Truck has for the most part been sitting since then due to unavailability of parts, reengineering of parts and now again lack of availability of parts. Should we have encountered an emergency braking situation we would could have experienced, increased stopping distance, loss of steering control and significantly reduced traction. This ABS/HCU... Read more

Incident date: Jan 17, 2024

Incident date: Jan 15, 2024

Unable to see behind the vehicle in the dark. There is no backup camera image at night, screen remains black.

Incident date: Feb 23, 2024

For months now I have noticed a significant increase in the handling of my car to the point it is erratic and almost hard to drive, I have had my alignment looked at and have also seen that the inside of my rear tires is wearing more than the others as told to me in service reports for my car. A recall was put out for my vehicle which seems to be affected by almost every single recall but it says ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 27, 2024

Coolant bypass valve on all newer 2019 and up Rav4 models are known to cause issues or break at early mileage usually before 50k miles. It’s a known problem with Rav4 owners and is backed by many claims on social media websites and internet forums. The cost for diagnostic of “engine maintenance required” message on cars dash can range up to $150 and up for diagnostic fees only at Toyota Deal... Read more

Incident date: Feb 27, 2024

Lost power steering while driving .. caused me to go off road.. no injuries or damage .. steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced

Crash

Incident date: Feb 27, 2024

My ABS control module is defective, no replacement parts are available. Antilock braking and traction control does not work. Warning lights are on, malfunction confirmed by independent repair shop.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

My 2022 Audi Q3 was recalled for a safety recall related to a fuel tank internal vent pipe. I took my car to the dealer for the recall and after inspection I was told that my car did not exhibit the defect stated in the recall and did not need repair. Approximately 15 months later (total mileage 14962) the check engine light came on and after taking to the dealer for inspection I was told that t... Read more

Incident date: Dec 3, 2023

The engine is consuming excessive oil. The car has about 72k miles on it and I’ve owned it for almost 4 years. I called corporate Hyundai to tell them what’s going on after having multiple recalls fixed at the dealership, I was allowed to drive off the lot with no oil in my vehicle. Upon getting an appointment for the engine issue via corporate Hyundai, I was told to they would have to keep m... Read more

Incident date: Dec 3, 2023

We had notifications on our dashboard that rear driver side (left) lights were out while driving car. We thought the light bulbs just had to be replaced. We brought to mechanic to just fix lights & they discovered the light ground wire burned out & caused light holder to be damaged as well where ground wire was. It caused rear driver side tail lights to fail. We had light bulb holder with wires a... Read more

Incident date: Oct 6, 2023

This 2019 Jeep Compass, has mixed the coolant and oil causing a blown head gasket, according to the dealership, it needs a new engine, and something that is too common on the Jeep Compass, as mine is shy over 8k it is not covered under warranty. No warning lights came on, no lights of high temperature in the transmission, oil or coolant. The car did stall in the middle of the road, causing risk f... Read more

Incident date: Feb 15, 2024

ON [XXX] I was driving on [XXX] and my car speed 30-35 MPH . I saw the traffic signal light turning Amber to RED and I tried hard break to stop my car but it could not stop and crashed with the truck . I am having doubt something on brake system did not work and caused that crashed I also called the Hyundai USA and reported this incident to them my call ticket with them is [XXX] on 11/30/2023 .... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 15, 2024

My son was driving our RAV4 LE 2015 and took an exit. While driving, the car shut off, and the dashboard lights blinked. He turned the car on and moved about 40 feet in the exit when the car shut off again, and smoke came from the hood. A few minutes later, the car was on fire. The cause was a battery-induced short circuit. The burned RAV4 LE 2015 is available for inspection. This incident put my ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Sep 20, 2023

Brakes: Every day for past two years, on every startup car states Brake system problem, anti-lock brake problem, and TPMS problem; with it having no actual problem with brake system and message disappearing after a few minutes of driving. SRS: Intermittent display of SRS light while driving reading: airbag system or seat belt tensioners have a problem. Usually appears after Passenger airbag light... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2023

Coolant Intrusion on Cylinder 1, common problem amongst 2.0 Ecoboost Engine. Current Ford fix is replace engine block with a new design. Ford is aware of the design flaw in these cars and refuses to make things right with current owners.

Incident date: Jun 1, 2023

Recall 20V668000 Recall 18V774000

Incident date: Jun 1, 2023

Recall 20V668000 Recall 18V774000

Incident date: Feb 20, 2024

The stock bilstein shocks lost the reservoir for hydraulic fluids causing shock absorber to fail while driving. the canister simply fell off. I didn't hit anything other than normal bumps in the road. The vehicle has never been in an accident or offroad to cause the canister to fall off. Many other owners have complained on different blog sites about this same issue. This causes the vehicle t... Read more

Incident date: Jun 15, 2022

As I was driving, my car started making a loud clicky noise and then stalled in the middle of the road and I had to call a shop to come and get it into neutral so it could be moved. My car has been broken since November because the engine bolts are unavailable. BMW has taken too long to get this easily fixed.

Incident date: Jun 15, 2022

Incident date: Feb 2, 2024

I was t-boned by a f-150, airbags didn’t deploy and my seat belt didn’t lock. With no safety features deploying, I sustained injuries. No one wants to inspect it, due to there being no fatalities or permanent dismemberment. There were no warnings or lights on prior to the accident, the seatbelts still latch and are able to be buckled which they shouldn’t be.

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Feb 21, 2024

strong smell of fuel affraid to drive the igntion get stuck and locks so you cant turn the car on

Incident date: Feb 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned on, whether parked or driving at various speeds, on several occasions, the brake lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ABS sensor control and Hydraulic Control Unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufa... Read more

Incident date: Oct 25, 2021

Water intrusion on Track Light started with small section becoming dim March 2023. Left license plate bulb/housing went out october 2023 with corrosion on plug. February 2024 entire hatch lighting out (track light + both license plate lights).

Incident date: Jan 28, 2024

Electric power steering lost power and failed while driving on drive way. The steering became very difficult to turn and the car became very hard to control if not impossible. If it had failed while on the road with other cars, especially while turning, the car could be in a crash with serious accident that could have injured me and others. The problem was reproduced by the dealer. The dealer exa... Read more

Incident date: Jan 28, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while accelerating up an incline, an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the steering wheel while making right turns. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center where the mechanic informed the contact there was no issue with the vehicle and the noise was normal. The manufacturer was not ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 28, 2024

Please note that back in April 2023 my car was lawfully parked, and other SUV (Mercedes MB) was backing up and touch my front bumper. Because of that impact my front plastic grill got cracked and damaged front camera. The estimate to repair was almost $3000.00. I might assume it was a large impact, but yesterday during carwash when my car was not moving, car in front (another small SUV) suddenly r... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jun 14, 2023

The vehicle leaks water from the top, middle and top right (passenger) of the windshield. Whenever it's raining water drips down the inside of the windshield and falls on the dash. in the mornings, after heavy rains, water can be found on the drivers and passengers seat, as well as in the cupholders this waterfalls all over the central electronic system and navigation, and seems only a matter of t... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2024

Power steering stopped working

Incident date: Jul 31, 2023

Merging onto highway and my car would not get up any speed . Was almost crushed by a tractor trailer. If I hadn’t had a long merge lane I could have been killed . Apparently my transmission failed. This is certainly a safety issue . Your car should not just quit! .called dealer and they said the problem is known but gmc is not doing anything about it! Please help 75,000 $ car should last !

Incident date: Jul 31, 2023

Incident date: Oct 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, prompting the contact to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and cease driving the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump, resulting in damage to the engine. The vehicle was not... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2023

[XXX], I was driving down [XXX] toward Waynesboro GA, when the radio and dashboard lights started flashing. I assumed that maybe the truck system was resetting when all of a sudden the truck turned off, so I coasted into the middle turn lane on a two lane highway and then the truck filled with smoke from the air conditioning vent and underneath the dash so I attempted to exit the vehicle on the d... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Oct 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a service appointment for the auxiliary battery replacement, the contact was informed that water was in the spare wheel storage location. The contact was informed that the water level measured to be a quarter of a foot of water. In addition, the water was also noticed to be in the auxiliar... Read more

Incident date: Oct 23, 2023

After the vehicle has been sitting for some time, it will repeatedly beep and display “travel assist not available” with a warning triangle. It seems to be steering wheel related. It does not do it sitting still, only while moving. This happens every morning for the first few minutes of driving - often for several miles, and is getting worse. Today, it happened over 10 times within a 1 mile dr... Read more

Incident date: Oct 23, 2023

The oil filter housing, which is made of plastic, cracked while the vehicle was running on the highway, leading to sudden loss of the all the coolant and engine overheating.

Incident date: Feb 14, 2024

I'm already aware of the recalls on alot of vehicles including my 2013 KIA SOUL and am aware of a judges ruling on this. How can KIA SOUL play God with peoples lives? I already filed a claim but still not not getting any help until the end of April. I'm a [XXX] woman who is at risk of getting hurt not to mention other people/and or other people close to my vehicle. This is just beyond wrong. I s... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2024

While making a left turn on a city street there was a loud bang noise and a sudden shift of the rear of the car. The bang noise was immediately followed by a loud grinding noise (sounded like metal on metal). There was a sudden loss in power, and I was only able to drive the car a short distance to get to the side of the street. When the car was put in park, the car rolled downhill without resista... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2024

Recently, in the last 30 days multiple critical safety components of my BMW vehicle have malfunctioned without warning, posing significant risks to my safety and that of other road users 1. **Horn System Failure**: The horn system of my BMW has ceased to function across all driving conditions, including park, reverse, drive, and when the vehicle is stationary. This abrupt failure indicates a p... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to exceed 15 MPH. The Power Steering Reduced and Service ESC messages were displayed, and the check engine and low fuel warning lights were illuminated. The engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was cold. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where i... Read more

Incident date: Feb 9, 2024

I first brought my car into a Hyundai certified service center after my car shook violently and my check engine light started flashing at me. I had to pull over on the side of a busy highway which is a safety risk on it's own. the Hyundai service center "fixed" my car and I was on my way. this was In September of 2023. on February 14th 2024 the same thing happened leaving me stranded on the side o... Read more

Incident date: Feb 9, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact h... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. There was smoke detected, and the vehicle burst into flames and exploded. There were no reported injuries, crashes, or air bag deployments. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The DOT was on the scene. Another motorist assisted the occupants wi... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Feb 14, 2024

I don’t feel comfortable driving this car because it is unsafe when I am on autopilot on the highway it would randomly stop the car by breaking instantly out of nowhere when there isn’t any car in front of me?! Please give me another car that is more safe to drive!?

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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