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 1,850 complaints for FISKER
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
I received a notification for a recall for the water pump many months ago. To this day, the water pump has not been replaced. No one has reached out to me to set up the recall repair. I have tried to find local car repair shops, but they won't do it as it is part of a national recall. Also, the ADAS system is constantly malfunctioning, giving errors like collision warning not working, lane assis... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Pulled out of our driveway and received a message that "AWD Temporarily Unavailable". This message did not indicate that this fault disables one-pedal driving. Upon reaching the end of my street at the stop sign, I gently let my foot off the accelerator expecting the car to slow down as it should when using one-pedal driving. Instead the car continued to move forward and I almost went through a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Pulled out of our driveway and received a message that "AWD Temporarily Unavailable". This message did not indicate that this fault disables one-pedal driving. Upon reaching the end of my street at the stop sign, I gently let my foot off the accelerator expecting the car to slow down as it should when using one-pedal driving. Instead the car continued to move forward and I almost went through a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
NHTSA recall campaign numbers for the software recalls are 24V865000 and 24V623000, or others can be found in this link for 2023 Fisker Oceans [XXX] . I have had 1 failed OTA attempt. So far OTA updates have not been completed on my car and when I've asked around at shops, they have said that my car may be undrivable. I only have this one and need it and can't afford to have it in the shop or pay... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
Burns excessive oil/excessive oil consumption
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
While driving my 2024 Hyundai Tucson at highway speeds on a clear day with no surrounding traffic, I was startled by an extremely loud bang that sounded like an explosion. Pieces of shattered glass rained down inside the passenger cabin, creating a potentially hazardous situation. This incident was a traumatic experience. The sudden and unexpected event had the potential to cause serious injury to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
I am writing to express concerns regarding the ongoing issues that are being seen with the NHTSA recall campaign numbers 24V865000 and 24V623000. Specifically, the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) in my vehicle has become increasingly distracting and, frankly, dangerous due to an incomplete or failed 2.2 Over-The-Air (OTA) update. As a responsible driver, I value the safety of not only m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
I was driving and my MIL came on. When I parked, I could smell strong exhaust fumes. I went to get an OBD2 scan and it came back with P0420: Catalyst System Efficiency below Threshold (Bank 1) reading. I was told to replace the O2 sensor. After getting it replaced, this did not fix the issue. After some research, I discovered there is a TSB out recommending CATALYTIC CONVERTER inspection and/or re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
I was driving and my MIL came on. When I parked, I could smell strong exhaust fumes. I went to get an OBD2 scan and it came back with P0420: Catalyst System Efficiency below Threshold (Bank 1) reading. I was told to replace the O2 sensor. After getting it replaced, this did not fix the issue. After some research, I discovered there is a TSB out recommending CATALYTIC CONVERTER inspection and/or re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
I was merging onto I-91 when the steering went out in my Escape. The ramp was at a right angle and this is when I felt the tightness. There was no alert activated on the dashboard and I was not sure what happened. I drove for about 2 miles toward work and exited the highway. It was scary because I was afraid I would not be able to make the turn off to avoid the left side barrier of the bridge on m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the engine seized, and the vehicle stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be repla... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The vehicle has begun to vibrate/shake badly but manageable. When a code reader was connected to the vehicle both codes 7E9 and 7E8 showed up. Upon researching, information has been found that these specific vehicles have been known for recalls due to fuel hose issues. If I continue to drive this vehicle without the issues being resolved which is not my fault, I jeopardize my son and I’s lives a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
2018 Buick Encore has large area of peeled paint on hood. There is also bubbling unde driver side door handle. I was told the hood issue was to to defective paint and primer. I was also told the repair would be well over one thousand dollars. The car has never been in an accident or had any modification done.
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
On [XXX], I was in a busy parking garage holding my [XXX] child on my hip and pushing the stroller, with my [XXX] safely procured inside, as I approached my Kia Carnival 2025 to load the children and depart. To avoid active traffic while allowing enough room for the automatic doors to open safely, I moved as close to the Kia Carnival as possible with my [XXX] and infant in the stroller, engagin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Good afternoon, I am filing another complaint per Jayson Winick's recommendation. Fisker had a number of recalls. When I tried to contact Fisker upon first receiving the notices, the company's e-mail and phone numbers became disconnected. Now, the company is bankrupt and there is no one at Fisker to fulfill the recalls that need to be completed on my vehicle. I'm most concerned about the recall... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Technician detected a leak on the power steering cable on my Sprinter [XXX] that a previous recall for the same model year as mine but the VIN is not currently associated with the recall. The defect is apparently the same, however, I am required to pay the maintenance to fix it for $657 How can I get this to be covered or reimbursed by the recall? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The message "System Overheating - Restarting Engine Possible After Cooling" was displayed. The contact called AAA, who attempted to start the vehicle and shift to neutral(N), but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was towed to the residence with a special tow truck. The vehicle was able to be jum... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Sun roof glass exploded without cause, coving the inside of the vehicle in glass. Vehicle was not struck by anything as it was parked at the time under a carport. Sunroof exploding covered the occupants of the Vehicle in shattered glass.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Fisker Ocean. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V499000 (Electrical System), 24V405000(Electrical System), 24V404000(Electrical System), 24V623000 (Service Brakes, Electric), 24V865000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Auto Hold Brake System/Brake Hold) and 24V466000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant, but there was no indication of a coolant leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was cool air coming from the heater vents. The contact called an independent mechanic for orange coolant, who informed the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed exhaust Y-pipe. The contact was informed that the exhaust Y-pipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The battery wasn't being charged which caused some problems. However, it was the alternator that was bad. Since the battery wasn't being charged and the alternator was failing, there were problems with steering and engine power which almost caused a collision at highway speeds.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Abs pulsing brakes on dry brake malfunction warning constant forward collision disabled warnings
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Opened front driver side door and closed door. At that time, rear window shattered with no warning or reason.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Stabilitrak light comes on that also causes the engine light to come on. The vehicle self-accelerate while in park and did again when in drive. Can not tell you how fast the Rpm accelerated due to panic that the vehicle was self-accelerating but it didn’t last long. Really quick and it went back to normal idling. Vehicle is scheduled for inspection today 1/20/25 at Classic Cadillac Atlanta. No... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
I was driving on a local road at night with no vehicles in front of me. Suddenly, The Forward Collision Warning light came on and the Automatic Emergency Brake was triggered. I had to let go off the gas temporarily, and the vehicle was operable again. on several occasions the Forward Collision Warning light would come on for a second then disappear with nothing in front of me. These seem to have o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
I bought my 2022 Yukon XL on [XXX]. On Friday [XXX], only a few weeks after having my car in the shop (at the dealer) for running rough, it started to make an odd high-pitched noise and running very rough at higher speeds. I immediately called the dealer and asked how quickly I could bring the car in to be checked. They said they had no availability for over 10 days, and offered me an appointment ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
I was scheduled to receive the 2.2 software update November 12 and noticed a low voltage battery warning some time earlier in the day, November 11 - this is not the main battery, as it was charged around 70%. Was this related to the download maybe? From reading threads, the best way to charge is to drive, so I went for a drive through local parks for about 30 minutes. Fast forward to later that ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
On Oct. 7th, 2024, our Audi Q7 2017 needed software update because the front data screen (MMI system) was rebooting frequently while driving, causing the screen to go up and down to reset itself. The Mission Viejo, CA Audi dealership updated the software. We picked up our car on Oct 24th, 2024. By the evening of Oct 24th, 2024, an error message for ‘front right-side marker light defective... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
I did not have an incident(accident), I noticed issues with my car, that seem to be prevalent with other Nissan Vehicles. This report is mostly proactive. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and repair however was unable to come to a conclusion due to multiple inspection charges done by dealer but no fixes. Issue 1. Airbag Fault Warning Light on the dash. Turns on when I start the car... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
CAR SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING. THEN GOT IT FIXED @FORD DEALER. DROVE FOR A WHILE THEN CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AGAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER. BACK IN THE SHOP. SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THEN THE ISSUE WAS IT NOT STARTING AT ALL WHEN I GO TO GET IN THE CAR. THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS HAPPENED 4 TIMES SINCE JULY AND THEY KEEP REPLACING PARTS BUT NOT RESOLVING THE ISSUE! I AM TIRED OF SPENDING MY MONEY FOR NO RESOLU... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
We have signs of excessive frame flex in a Grand Design Reflection RV. We have allowed them 2x to inspect and they have botched both inspections. We keep being told there is no TSB or frame flex in reflections, which is not accurate as there are owners who have had cracked welds and major frame failure in reflections units. Grand Design needs to step up and support all customers not just momentum ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side headrest deployed inadvertently and struck the head of the front seat passenger. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under an undisclosed recall; however, the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and to Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine, oil pressure, and the low tire pressure warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
There has been no OTA software updates issued to this date for my vehicle. I'm currently on 2.0 awaiting 2.2 update. Because of this I still have issues with braking, rolling while in park, and random and unexpected shutdowns of the vehicle while driving. Complete car system failure, recently when my car locked out the technician came out and replaced the 12v battery and clean out electrical conn... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
Started hesitating and did it at random times. I had a tune up done and it continued. I thought it was the transmission and took it to the transmission shop and they didn’t find anything wrong with the transmission. Started losing power and hesitation became worse while in traffic. Now it’s hesitating while stopped at the traffic light and not accelerating when taking off from a complete stop ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
Started hesitating and did it at random times. I had a tune up done and it continued. I thought it was the transmission and took it to the transmission shop and they didn’t find anything wrong with the transmission. Started losing power and hesitation became worse while in traffic. Now it’s hesitating while stopped at the traffic light and not accelerating when taking off from a complete stop ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2024
Multiple occasions the start/stop malfunction has turned on. The brakes grind and screech horribly and I’ll get breaking malfunction warning. It has been checked by vw and they state that the brakes are fine and they’ve had several come in with same issue but there’s no recall that has been issued. They stated it is the material that was used to manufacture brake parts that cause this proble... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2024
Multiple occasions the start/stop malfunction has turned on. The brakes grind and screech horribly and I’ll get breaking malfunction warning. It has been checked by vw and they state that the brakes are fine and they’ve had several come in with same issue but there’s no recall that has been issued. They stated it is the material that was used to manufacture brake parts that cause this proble... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
Vehicle was on software version 2.0 which solely contributed to this problem. I had a front passenger tire have a catastrophic failure and blow out on me while driving, this causes the car to pull hard to the right, into a concrete wall. Compounding this problem was I let off the throttle and the regen braking never kicked in to slow the car down. Software version 2.0 was known to be flawed and ca... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The vehicle's steering wheel became very loose at ~50k miles making it wobbly and potential to fall off which could cause danger while driving and possibility of airbag deployment. As seen in the attached pictures, there was no thread locker on the bolt that tightens the steering wheel down. I was able to remove it simply with my hands upon a few twist.
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
This car does not seem fuel efficient it goes through gas like candy. The gas is not filling up correctly - no matter which gas station I use. The AC lets out puddles of water. The suspension is slightly off it acts like an row boat on waves so like an S in certain rain situations like it has a loose slippery power steering suspension. My tires are not the issue because they are brand new from w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
On several occasions, the car has locked the breaks, causing the car behind me to almost rear end me. The forward collision camera thinks it sees an object or another's vehicle in front when there is nothing on the road and activates the breaks for no reason. This has happened approximately 6 times while traveling anywhere between 20mph to 55mph on the freeway. I called chevy dealer and said th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
There has been no OTA updates issued to this date for my vehicle. I'm currently on 2.0 awaiting 2.2 update. Because of this I still have issues with braking, rolling while in park, and random and unexpected shutdowns of the vehicle while driving. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP!
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
After braking hard, skidding or going over a hard bump, brakes go to the floor and do not recover. This has ongoing since I purchased the car in 2012.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
After braking hard, skidding or going over a hard bump, brakes go to the floor and do not recover. This has ongoing since I purchased the car in 2012.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
1. The HOLD hill feature for the brakes is now not working. After the first software update it started to work but now since the second recent software update, the "hold" feature stopped working and the car slides backwards causing me to slam on the brakes creating extreme safety concerns for myself (the driver and my daughter who I don't allow in the car anymore). There were no warning lights f... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
Torque converter failed and destroyed my transmission. There is metal shavings in my transmission fluid. My truck will not shift right, the torque converter wants to lock up. It causes my truck to have a jerking type feeling.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
Failing coolant control valve causing reduced acceleration warning and engine overheating. Replacement parts unavailable from GM. Vehicle has been at dealership for a month and showing symptoms sporadically since the first few thousand miles getting increasingly worse over time. Reduced acceleration caus d many unsafe incidences when on the highway.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
Visual and audible warning messages occur randomly for these systems. I do not know if any, all or none of the messages I get should be acted on or ignored. This is distracting while driving. Also, the text for these messages is so small it’s hard to read.