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 67,120 complaints for CHRYSLER
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2017) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Nov 2, 2023
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVIATED ITSELF AS I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. THIS OCCURED 2XS AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS/MONTHS. YES IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? CAR ABRUBTLY STOPPED CAUSING SEATBELT TO PULL ON ME WHEN DRIVING. I WAS THE ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion Energi. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V440000 (Electrical System) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2019
Fuel Tank Cover /Flange campaign does not include L320 2008 model..... I saw the rusted hole on the Fuel Tank Shield when I got the Oil changed, looked up the part WFN500021 and checked the recalls pending ...I wanted to find out if the same type of Flange was used in earlier models and why they were not included in recall?? Approved one is on August 12, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V635000 -Fu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2019
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the main battery and the auxiliary battery had been replaced on multiple occasions. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the frequent battery failures caused the vehicle to stall while driving at various speeds with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. In addition, ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
I was driving in traffic in a 30mph zone and my car turned off, and I was unable to push down on the brakes. I had to use my emergency brake a could hardly turn my wheel and stop in the center divider of the road. I turned on my hazards and waited 15 minutes and was able to restart the car a drive home. This was very dangerous and could have caused an accident.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
I have taken my car to two separate Mazda dealerships in 2019 and two separate non-dealership mechanics to address the same issue with a vibrating coming from the front driver when driving at lower speeds. It was not a constant noise until recently and saw there was a recall for my vehicle in May 2016. Mazda however says that my VIN does not qualify even though the build date range does show its c... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Service Stabilitrak warning will pop up on my dash. The car loses power. Push on the gas and it sputters. Had it serviced by GMC 2 years ago and now it is happening again. More frequent in colder weather. There are thousands of reddit posts about this same issue from other 2018 Chevy Malibu owners. GMC refuses to acknowledge it is a quality or performance issue on their end.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
Driver left the roadway to the outside of a curve to the left, sideswiping a telephone pole and spinning at least one time back onto and off the roadway again before coming to rest. Impact to the passenger front wheel, and entire passenger side, without impacting front or rear end of the vehicle. C pillars deployed, as well as seatbelt pretensioner. Impact was at 55+ mph. No air bags deployed. Da... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
FUEL LINE LEAKING IN TWO PLACES, IN THE REAR AND IN THE FRONT. COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 60,800 MILES ON IT. TYPE OF CAR IS A 2008 CHEVY HHR LT 2.4. GAS IS LEAKING ON THE GROUND AND A STRONG SMELL OF GAS IS EMITTED FROM THE CAR. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE CAR COULD CATCH FIRE. I DID NOT THINK THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO MY CAR WITH SO FEW MILES ON THE CAR. I DID NOT KNOW THERE... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
THE FRONT DOORS HAS ISSUES SHUTTING AND STAYING LATCHED. I WENT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN THIS AM AND THE PASSENGER DOOR FLEW OPEN. I STOPPED TO SHUT IT AND THEN NEITHER OF THE FRONT DOORS WOULD SHUT AND STAY SHUT. I HELD THE 2 DOORS SHUT WITH A BELT TILL I COULD TURN AROUND AND GET BACK TO THE HOUSE
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) — SEATS
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
When the smart seat function was on we experienced the passenger seat automatically fully reclining up on exiting the car. Our child in the back seat had their legs pressed to the point of pain. The dealer claimed that the passenger must have been holding the button down, but they had fully exited the vehicle and the smart seats were reclining the seats. I have seen other reports of this in online... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
While driving the breaks failed to work. Then when I started pumping the brakes again it took longer than normal to respond and I had to press really hard. I was only going a few miles per hour in a parking lot. Now 5 days later it's happening all the time. It's also making a click noise when I press the pedal.
Incident date: May 22, 2023
As I was driving, the brakes got all Smashy the pedal locked and the brakes started grinding. I couldn’t stop the truck anymore. I couldn’t do absolutely anything I had to stop and hit a divider from a parking structure to be able to stop my truck. My truck is a 2015 Chevy Silverado, I do maintenance all the time I almost took out four cars and injured. These people along with myself. This is ... Read more
Crash
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2011) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to turn on the headlight and became aware that the headlights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust system with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that cylinder #3 was faulty, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to accelerate or move forward. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that during the failure, the message "Power Train Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) — VISIBILITY/WIPER
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
Recall still has no fix over a year later
Incident date: Jan 22, 2022
This car is putting my life in danger! It feels like the gears are slipping in the transmission. When I accelerate, there is a metal grinding noise and the car has no power. Most recently, I was doing 70 mph on the highway when I went to pass someone and I lost power to the transmission. I heard an awful metal grinding noise. I could smell the metal grinding. The vehicle didn’t engage the gear a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2022
When hitting bumps on the highway, my Jeep gets what is referred to as the “death wobble”. The steering wheel (and wheels themselves) shake violently. This is such a well known occurance that it actually had the term “death wobble” assigned to it. It is very hard to maintain control of the vehicle when this happens, creating a hazard for me and others in vehicles around me. Many times ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions, while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel failed to respond as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that an unknown part needed to be replaced due to the power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The passenger side headlight is retaining moisture. Upon further inspection the retaining clips have pulled away and cracked. This causes the headlight to flicker from the moisture inside. Brought the vehicle into Clearwater Toyota in Clearwater, FL and warranty repair was refused with the service manager stating that I was in an accident. I wasn't. Was not repaired by dealer. Opened a claim with ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2023
I was driving and the vehicle car stalled it said gear box defect and switched from reverse to drive to neutral but would not move. I think this is dangerous since my car was already in drive and suddenly stalling could've caused an accident. Luckily there was no car behind me or it would have rear ended me.
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) — AIR BAGS
Oct 20, 2023
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owned a 2022 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH he drove into a heavy rainstorm. The contact stated that all the air bags deployed as soon as the vehicle had entered the storm. The contact lost control of the vehicle, hit the highway barrier, and crashed into the barrier head-on. The contact stated that the emergency phone called and a person asked the ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES
Oct 20, 2023
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
I purchased my Ford from a used car lot and only 3 months later without any alerts my brake pedal goes to the floor. It makes a hissing sound like air being released. My brakes and fluid are fine? Why are their recalls on my same year vehicle, but not mine. I understand replacing brake booster, master cylinder will NOT help. Now I am broke from purchasing my Ford, I can't afford to dump more... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oct 20, 2023
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
On a hot day, I noticed an oily bluish fluid leak underneath my pedals. I brought it to the dealership to diagnose the issue twice already but they found nothing was wrong. I posted the photos of the leak on a facebook group that owns the same model of my car and found out that some owners have the same issue. I just wanna make sure that this is not a defect on the same model of my car because tha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
The steering is slightly sticky and makes some noises at times. It doesn’t return to place normally and will stay in place where it was last turned to.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
I bought a new Premium Plus CX-5 in April of this year. Since I bought the car, occasionally I hear a sharp click or snap from the dashboard, particularly when it's warm outside and I have the AC on. I have video footage of the sound multiple times, but Mazda says they cannot replicate it. It sounds like a rock hitting the windshield type sound, but it's electronic and inside the car. Multiple Ma... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2023
the vehicle has been inspected by an independent engineer from Bosch, supplied by FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), it indicates that an expert assessment has been conducted. In this case, the following answers can be provided based on that information: 1. Components or systems that failed or malfunctioned: - Half shaft axle front left - Wheel assembly - Brake rotor disc - Suspension ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
The steering wheel shakes violently at speeds of 50-55 mph. The vehicle drives without any issues then without any warning or warning lights the vehicle starts shaking to the point you lose steering control and must immediately slow down until the shaking stops. This vehicle is available for inspection if needed. The safety of myself as well as others is due to the loss of steering at higher s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Sticky steering and it makes micro adjustments at highway speeds dangerous. Hard to keep in my chosen driving line safely. Not as noticeable at slower speeds. Theres plenty of complaints mentioned in forums. Glad im not the only person its happening to. Some dealers are replacing steering racks supposedly. I havent taken mine in yet because i need my vehicle for work. Not sure what i should do ho... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
Subject: Concern Regarding Toyota Camry 2011 LXE Dashboard Issue - VIN: [XXX] Dear NHTSA, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my concerns regarding a significant safety issue with the dashboard of my Toyota Camry 2011 LXE, VIN: [XXX] . We purchased this vehicle brand new and have maintained it diligently over the years. However, we have never received any recall notices co... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not av... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
my daughter was driving her car when it started shacking and then shut off on her in the middle of the road. some people helped her push the care out of the road onto the side. the car was towed to the repair shop and they told us that the oil pump had failed and the engine needed to be replaced.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The gas taps on my truck rusted out cause the gas tank to drop almost touching the highway. Re-call on 2014 and older trucks but none on 2015 and new with the same problem.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
I have had this issue since I got my Ford Maverick. The brakes are very abrupt and grabby at slow speeds and it makes the vehicle extremely difficult and unsafe to operate in pick up lanes, parking lots, stop and go traffic and many more situations. I had a service appointment where ford updated modules in the truck however, still have the problem where trying to use the brakes on this truck,... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
I am having electrical issues with my 2016 Hyundai Sonata plus the other recalls. It started as issues with the lights on the driver side. I have replaced several bulbs and the entire light even and still have issues with the lights working properly. Now the issue is the battery, alternator or the starter. The starter had to be replaced as I was advised by Hyundai dealership when my engine had to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
I am having electrical issues with my 2016 Hyundai Sonata plus the other recalls. It started as issues with the lights on the driver side. I have replaced several bulbs and the entire light even and still have issues with the lights working properly. Now the issue is the battery, alternator or the starter. The starter had to be replaced as I was advised by Hyundai dealership when my engine had to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
TRANSMISSION ISSUES , STALLING, RPM REVVING.
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
2021 Jeep Gladiator High Altitude with 29000 miles and in stock configuration. Experienced the "Death Wobble" after hitting slight depression in roadway at 65mph. Jeep front end would not stop vibrating until at complete Stop. This appears to be a design flaw. Reporting the occurance to the dealer for resolution.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Chrysler recall 03A is installed on my pacifica hybrid. Since then, the past two times the van has been driven at highway speed, it has suddenly notified me that vehicle shutdown is imminenent and put the vehicle into limp mode. In both cases, turning the car off and on again allowed normal operation, with the check engine light locked in. The first time the code was P0A43, to be determined what t... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2002) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE
Oct 16, 2023
Incident date: Oct 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated. The check engine warning light illuminated, and a message displayed on the infotainment screen indicating “Engine System Emergency, Take Vehicle to the Nearest Dealer”. The contact was able to veer the vehicle into a parking lot where it wa... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2012) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 16, 2023
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The headlights failed to provide enough light to see the road at night. This, of course, is dangerous when driving on the highway or country roads as we are unable to maintain the speed required on the highway in order to safely navigate the turns in the road, which could also cause a disruption in the traffic flow, possibly causing an accident if other cars were not expecting a slower vehicle on ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V817000 (Service Brakes, Air, Forward Collision Avoidance) 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 driving at various speeds, the Axiomatic Br... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2023
Water Pump failure; check engine light came in while the car was not moving.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
I bought my car used. Only had it for 3years and already had to replace the battery twice. Once I was stopped at light turning left, yield to oncoming traffic, since my foot was on brakes battery just dyed in middle of light, police had to come made sure I didn't get hit. 2nd time car cut off at McDonald's drive thru and battery went dead again. Something is wrong with batteries that make them go ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
The seatbelt plastic tensioner guide cracked and now the seatbelt won’t retract
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
Car has been stalling during deceleration, braking and at stops. The issue was fixed only in one model when multiple years of this make and model was doing the same thing. The issue started in 2011 and was supposed to be addressed in 2012 but the actual recall to fix it was actually only for 2015 but I almost got into an accident by stalling. I bought the car & it started some days later in which ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
Steering assist stopped working and EPS fault warning light, front crash collision detection fault, and front crash collision detect turned off, and traction control indicators appeared. After 3 cycles of the ignition and driving for 10 minutes to a safe location the warning lights went off and steering assist was restored.
Incident date: Sep 11, 2023
Ticking sound when i turn off vehicle. Usually did it for about 5 seconds, Now it just keeps on ticking and sounds like it is coming from behind glove box area passenger side. Found a lot of same complaints for this year Ranger and they mention the "Blend Door". If so many complaints shouldn't it be a recall?