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 153,608 complaints for DODGE
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) 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 check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) 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 check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
Was traveling down the road, had an electrical burning smell coming from my dash and around steering wheel. Low beams then shut off going down road pulled over but still had high beams but no low beams.
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The clutch has been slipping for a while. Over the last week the situation has become worse. Today the slippage resulted in failing to accelerate ended up in a stall while on the on ramp on a highway and narrowly escaped being rear ended by an 18 wheeler which barely managed to stop 2 feet behind. The clutch on this vehicle has been deffective since I bought it (I have driven a manual truck for 20... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
On 2-17-23, the right rear brake hose ruptured. The brake pedal sunk almost to the floor and two different brake warning lights came on. The brake fluid reservoir had no visible fluid in it and I saw fluid on the right rear tire. That day I took the vehicle to a dealership in Beaverton, OR without accident or injury. In September 2020 both front flexible brake hoses were replaced due to Recall... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
Two safety related issues are present on the vehicle, confirmed by dealership, and being actioned via FCA star tickets: 1) Blinkers are blinking at a non-standard speed 2) Side view cameras are intermittently disabling themselves, requiring dealership intervention each time Service records attached
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
I see couple of safety concerns with 2016 Honda Pilot touring. 1) There is no option to disable 'tailgate opening & closing by FOB' in 2016 Honda Pilot touring. Even with an unintentional small press of fob key tailgate button, the tailgate can open & hit anybody (may be the car next in school lane) or anything in the back (may be garage door) 2) There is no option to adjust height of tailgate in ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
Hello we had a complete shut down at 5 pm Friday at an intersection this past weekend. While at the light, the car just 'shut off'. The van did start back up with in 2 minutes. There are no engine, battery, etc. warning lights currently displayed. This has happened twice with in the past 6 month. Main battery and auxiliary are both new. All connections are torqued to spec. Very dangerous sit... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the instrument panel had gone blank. The contact stated that due to the failure, the tachometer, speedometer, tire pressure, and check engine warning light features were made inoperable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the instrument panel had gone blank. The contact stated that due to the failure, the tachometer, speedometer, tire pressure, and check engine warning light features were made inoperable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
While driving down the road on two different occasions the volume on the radio went to full blast and would not turn down or turn off. This caused distracted driving and could potentially cause an accident. Dealer states manufacturer is aware of issue with no resolution at this time. No warning of failure and the first occurrence was February 12, 2023 and the second occurrence happened March 5, 20... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
I own a 2017 Ford Escape eco boost which had 50,000 miles on it when SEVERE ENGINE OVERHEATING, SHUT DOWN ENGINE IMMEDIATELY flashed on my dash screen while I was driving around town. I let the engine cool, added coolant to the dry reservoir and immediately took my car to the mechanic where it was eventually diagnosed with coolant leaking into the engine. The No 2 cylinder was cracked and I woul... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2013) - ENGINE
Mar 5, 2023
Incident date: Jan 25, 2023
When using the remote start feature the cabin smells like exhaust. This smell can be smelled coming through the vents into the car.
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2013) - POWER TRAIN
Mar 5, 2023
Incident date: Jan 25, 2023
I recently purchased this vehicle and I have had the problem from the beginning. When driving and slowing down. Usually around 5th gear or slower, it will shift hard into the lower gear with an obvious noise(thunk) coming from the rear of the vehicle. You can also slightly feel this. I have tried to duplicate the issue without using brakes to rule that out and I have done so. It is definitely not ... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2013) - ENGINE
Mar 5, 2023
Incident date: Jan 25, 2023
My 06 s60 has blown 3 charge air hoses in the EXACT same spot. (The hose behind the radiator.) A golf-ball sized hole blows out in a bend in the hose while driving. The car will idle , but throttle up at all. The dealer says this is a fluke.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
Locked up in 1st gear while driving.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
Locked up in 1st gear while driving.
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 4, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
When making a left hand turn, at any speed over 35mph, the rear of the bike wobbles, and the front tires, at least one if not both begin to automatically brake. I’ve looked into it, it appears to be related to a SAS/VSS issue with the suspension and stability having too much play. I’ve researched and found that so many people reported it to NHTSA that you have an article, 137209. They will n... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
in my 2022 ford bronco, while driving in the rain, I turned wipers on at the highest speed. However, within a short time, the wipers started slowing down and then eventually worked only interminently. I turned them off and then back on to the highest speed and this happened again. they just do not stay at the highest speed. This greatly affects the visibility while driving.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
While driving down the highway, I heard a ding and the service trailer brake message appeared. Several minutes later, while driving about 30 mph and coming to a stop, I heard the ding again, the service trailer brake message appeared again, then all electric components died. I had no lights or gauges working, the radio turned off, the a/c turned off, I loss all steering capabilities as my steering... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
On 27 Feb 2023 the vehicle started as usual. After parking and letting the engine idle while I assisted my elderly mother into the car, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped running. Several attempts were made to restart the car, but it only sputtered for a few seconds as if it were out of fuel. I then called GM roadside assistance and the vehicle was towed to Sandy Sansing Southern Chevrolet in Fole... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2018) - WHEELS
Mar 3, 2023
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
My vehicle went in for oil change, tire rotation and tailgate recall. Now I was told by the dealer that lug nuts had swelled because manufacturer put caps on the nuts which causes overheating. According to my dealership I have 12 lug nuts to replace. Is this reasonable to replace these items on a 4 year old vehicle? My dealership told me they don't make vehicles like they used to.
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2018) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Mar 3, 2023
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
I am writing to formally file a complaint against Hyundai USA regarding the engine damage, defect caused by connecting rod bearing failure that I am experiencing with my 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Hyundai is fully aware that countless owners have experience the same issues and have sent letters detailing the problems. I have always choose a Hyundai affiliated dealership to have all my services and rep... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2018) - ENGINE
Mar 3, 2023
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
I am writing to formally file a complaint against Hyundai USA regarding the engine damage, defect caused by connecting rod bearing failure that I am experiencing with my 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Hyundai is fully aware that countless owners have experience the same issues and have sent letters detailing the problems. I have always choose a Hyundai affiliated dealership to have all my services and rep... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) - VISIBILITY/WIPER
Mar 2, 2023
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
There is no rear windshield wiper and the design of the car causes much dirt/gunk to build up HEAVILY obscuring visibility There are times where I'm driving at night (esp. when it's raining) where I can barely make out the cars/objects behind me. It is very dangerous
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Mar 2, 2023
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
My X5 was accelerating on its own. I was able to control the speed with the brakes but once I took my foot off the brake the vehicle would accelerate again. It went as fast as 50 MPH. I did shut off the vehicle at a stop light to disengage any possible system. The car continued to accelerate once I let off the brake. Once home, my garage smelled horribly of burnt rubber from riding the brake pad... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
After my test, here's what I found: If the cruise control is Off and you press and hold the cruise control button for more than 2 seconds, the speed limit function activates as indicated by the "Limit" indicator on the multi-function display. In this mode, if the vehicle speed exceeds the limit speed and you press on the gas, the power is immediately cut off, and you can't accelerate. If the ve... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2018) - VISIBILITY/WIPER
Mar 1, 2023
Incident date: Oct 29, 2022
This is a structural issue. The panel on the side between the windshield and the front door windows are too wide. It causes a blindspot. If pedestrians are standing a just the right position of where this panel blocks the pedestrians can not be seen. Every time before turning I have to physically lean forward to lean back to see if someone is in the blindspot. On 3 occasions, I came very close to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
Blower in front of Expedition worked intermittently - recall issued for Blower Motor to be replaced because it could "cause damage to surrounding components". Called on 2/20/23 to schedule recall work to be done. 2/22/23 We started to smell a burning smell right before recall was performed (Scheduled for 2/28/23) so called the dealer and asked if we needed to bring it right in or if it would be o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
The headlights are so dim that the Cadillac SRX is unsafe to drive at night. The dealer says that it is a known defect but will only give a small discount to replace the headlight assemblies. These cars are unsafe at any speed ! This car has been garage kept and is very low mileage. Please respond to this. Thanks !
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked for approximately 5 minutes, she attempted to open the vehicle using the key fob, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact used the key and was able to open the door. The contact stated upon turning the key in the ignition switch, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle remained at the parking lot. The dea... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
2023 02 28, 36410 miles - Engine oil burning smell entering the cabin of the car, oil leaking from engine. No warning lights. Diagnosed by Mazda dealer as a cracked cylinder head, will be repaired under warranty. Discovered Service Alert #SA-013/22 that applies to this defect. 2023 02 23, 36,389 miles - Car in for an oil change under extended service program at Mazda dealer. Dealer discovered the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
The van will randomly shut off while driving. it may happen out of the blue while on the highway, hitting a bump, or even driving at slow speeds. The instrument panel remains on, I can put the van in neutral while still moving and restart the van. Sometimes it happens multiple times a week, sometimes it happens only a few months. There are no check engine light on or anything else.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2023
My wife pulled out of a parking lot and was driving down the road at approximately 30mph when the brakes stopped working entirely. There was no response when she pushed on the brake pedal. The car displayed 3 warnings on the driver display: BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE 62 MPH TOP SPEED SERVICE STABILITRAK SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM My wife was able to coast into the next parking lot and go uphill t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
No compression in cylinder 3 due to oil drainage in spark plug panel caused Loss of motive power and Almost a wreck so to vehicle shutting down on the interstate . As I look I see that this is in investigation already and needs to be took into consideration as soon as possible if our lives really matter to Kia as your customers . So very sad how the engines and fuel systems are on kias
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
No compression in cylinder 3 due to oil drainage in spark plug panel caused Loss of motive power and Almost a wreck so to vehicle shutting down on the interstate . As I look I see that this is in investigation already and needs to be took into consideration as soon as possible if our lives really matter to Kia as your customers . So very sad how the engines and fuel systems are on kias
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
No compression in cylinder 3 due to oil drainage in spark plug panel caused Loss of motive power and Almost a wreck so to vehicle shutting down on the interstate . As I look I see that this is in investigation already and needs to be took into consideration as soon as possible if our lives really matter to Kia as your customers . So very sad how the engines and fuel systems are on kias
Incident date: Feb 28, 2022
The coolant system is plugged somewhere causing it to not drain properly into all components and me having to fill my coolant tank every other week.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was inadvertently pulling to the left. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormally loud sounds, and unknown parts detached from the vehicle while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the control arm, ball joint, and axle driveshaft needed to be replaced. A... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
I was notified of recall ZB7 affecting my 2021 JEEP Wrangler 4xE by phone on February 3, 2023. During this call I made an appointment with JEEP for the issue to be fixed on February 24, 2023. On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, two days before my scheduled appointment, the engine of my Jeep failed ~6PM while I was driving on highway 495S near Merrimac, MA (mile 114.8). I was in the far left lane t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated and a message indicating that the vehicle was in Reduced Power Engine mode was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that he disconnected and reconnected the battery a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
On 02/25/2023 our car abruptly stalled on us while driving without any warning in a remote area out of state over 3 hours away from our residence at night with temperatures below freezing with a minor in the car. We were lucky it happened on a back road and not on highway with hi velocity just an hour earlier because this would have killed us. The car came to a complete stall in the middle of the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) 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 made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
DRIVING HOME FROM DINNER WITH A FRIEND, WE PROCEED ON TO INTERSECTION. WE HEAR A LOUD SOUND, WE FIND OUT ONCE CAR HAS STOPPED WE NOTICE THAT THERE NO LONGER ANY OIL IN ENGINE. CALL FOR A TOW, AND FIND OUT THAT OUR ENGINE HAD BLOWN A ROD. NOTICED THAT ARE OTHER OWNERS WITH SAME ISSUE. CAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOWED FROM MY MECHANIC TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2020
When driving on the highway the suv would not change gears. It felt like it was stuck in 1st gear, reving very high. Was unable to move the suv to the side of the road. Came to a stop with heavy traffic blowing there horns. Put the suv into park, switched it over to sport mode and was able to get going. This is the third time the suv has lost power. Also have noticed the transmission has been taki... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2020
When driving on the highway the suv would not change gears. It felt like it was stuck in 1st gear, reving very high. Was unable to move the suv to the side of the road. Came to a stop with heavy traffic blowing there horns. Put the suv into park, switched it over to sport mode and was able to get going. This is the third time the suv has lost power. Also have noticed the transmission has been taki... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
I was getting off the freeway making a slight left turn yield and from the no where the steering wheel by itself turned to the right side almost making me loose control of my truck, I was driving about 45 mph when the incident happened. Then a second time happened about two-three weeks later when I was making a left turn to stop by a gas station, I was making the turn driving about 5-10 mph. This ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
On the incident date listed, we were driving in Denison, Texas, going southbound on US Hwy 75. Traveling at 70mph, the vehicle started to have a loss of power and the vehicle started to shake, as if we were traveling on uneven pavement. Thankfully, we were able to pull to the side of the road to avoid being struck by traffic following behind us. Approximately 7 miles ahead, road construction is be... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2018) - STEERING
Feb 27, 2023
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
We were merging into traffic on the freeway, going approx 50 when the front-end went into a death wobble. We were forced to slow way down and pull away from traffic. This was extremely stressful and dangerous. From what we have found online, this is a known safety issue with our year superduty truck that FORD is not properly addressing. We do not feel we should have to be paying to fix the parts o... Read more