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 1,850 complaints for FISKER
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
Oil filter housing; sensors; gasket; coolant temp sensor . Wheel sensor set too low and NOT what is recommended for wheel safety.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Oil filter housing; sensors; gasket; coolant temp sensor . Wheel sensor set too low and NOT what is recommended for wheel safety.
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: 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: Nov 15, 2024
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
Urgent Safety Recall Complaint – Lack of Updates & Service Access Dear NHTSA, I am writing to express my serious concerns about the ongoing safety recall process for my vehicle, including NHTSA Recall Campaign Numbers 24V865000 and 24V623000. There are currently six active recalls, and I have not received the 2.2 OTA update to address braking system failures, persistent ADAS warnings, and the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
Urgent Safety Recall Complaint – Lack of Updates & Service Access Dear NHTSA, I am writing to express my serious concerns about the ongoing safety recall process for my vehicle, including NHTSA Recall Campaign Numbers 24V865000 and 24V623000. There are currently six active recalls, and I have not received the 2.2 OTA update to address braking system failures, persistent ADAS warnings, and the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The cable that holds the seat belt to the frame of the car severed in half. We are ordering a new cable and fixing it, but I have never heard of this before. I will attach a photo below. We have had the car for a really long time.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
My jeep has just started this problem going lower speeds and hitting a bump in the road. All of the sudden my jeep will start to shake violently and will not stop until I slow way down almost to a stop. It is happening approx. 8 to 15 times every day now. I no longer can go even one day without this happening. I believe it is called the death wobble. the shaking is so bad that it has steered me in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
Racetrack Tail light burned out and can effect driving safety issues, water got in there and the automaker know about this problem and they won’t fix it , I have to pay out of pocket.
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
Backup camera will not work or send image inverted
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to her son's residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The mechanic determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The local dealer ... 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: 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: Jan 25, 2025
Check engine code p052e - PCV valve replacement (Crankcase Ventilation valve) - common issue on car and known recall for other models
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
My car is at 89K total miles and last week I had three warning lights pop up on my dash (Traction control, brake, ABS) which indicates something wrong with the automatic break system. My car is under 100K miles and I purchased it used in 2016, under ten years ago, and this problem is way too early to happen in my make an model. I got a code read on the issue (C1391) which indicates that my ABS A... 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: Dec 1, 2024
Driving in traffic on two lane, busy state highway at 55MPH the engine stalled without warning. I started pulling over to the shoulder of the road while trying to process what happened. To restart the engine required me to place the automatic transmission in neutral and press the keyless stop/start button. Someone driving the vehicle besides myself may panic and place the gear selector in the w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The fuse block became defective, thereby the brake lights, horn, tail lights, and blinkers stopped working.
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
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: 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: 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’m having trouble with my start stop. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes my motor goes into limp mode for no reason.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The transmission is currently at dealership having transmission replaced at only 54,000 miles. The truck started experiencing rough shift, sometimes taking a few seconds to actually go into gears 4-6. While on the highway, I had to use extra caution merging on or off the interstate because of the delay in changing gears. The dealership shop has told me the CDF drum is damaged internally and they a... 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: 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: 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
Have had the car to dealer numerous times for brake noise issues. Now front and rear brakes make a growling and squealing noise especially when they are cold . Squealing and growling sounds are severe especially when backing up and the brakes are cold. All four brakes make squealing noise Noticeable scraping sound to rear brakes when brakes are not being applied. Rear brakes replaced twice. Car ha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL 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 of the issue. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact's employer owns a 2014 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the panoramic roof panel detached on the passenger’s side but remained attached to the driver's side. The detached panoramic roof panel struck the driver's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who determined that the panoramic roof panel was not adequately bonded to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
1) System Failure: Back window shade. It is available for inspection at any time. 2) Safety of me and others put at risk: When the shade is down I can not see out the back window posing a significant risk to those behind me particularly pedestrians 3) Has problem been reproduced: Yes 4) Has the component been inspected: No the motor operating the shade has not been inspected 5) Warnings prior to s... 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: Dec 27, 2024
I experienced a safety issue with my Tesla vehicle where the automatic window and locking system malfunctioned. While the car was stationary, my baby was looking out of the window, and suddenly, the car locked itself and the window began closing automatically. Despite the presence of my baby near the window, the obstacle detection system did not respond, and the window continued to close. It seem... 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
On the Saturday (12/21) before Christmas, my hatch door wouldn’t open with the key fob, push button in the vehicle or push button on the door. And the foot under the bumper opener has never worked for me. Anyways, because I couldn’t get my door to open, I ended up loading my groceries in the back seat. When I got home, it still wouldn’t work with the key fob or other buttons. One family memb... Read more
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: 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: 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
Stopping at a stop light, after coming to a complete stop, vehicle will want to slowly creep forward and you need to press a little harder on the brake pedal. If you don't pay attention, you will creep into the vehicle in front of you. I am in the transmission TSB range.
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
Error code for right front side marker light faulty. Light seems to be working. I've had two mechanics look at the car. They can't figure out what's wrong. Error message appears randomly. Brakes are very squeaky. I took the car to Audi and they said it was normal and I should brake more aggressively.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
Error code for right front side marker light faulty. Light seems to be working. I've had two mechanics look at the car. They can't figure out what's wrong. Error message appears randomly. Brakes are very squeaky. I took the car to Audi and they said it was normal and I should brake more aggressively.
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: Nov 26, 2024
Power windows stop working, car cuts off, heated seats stop working intermittently
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
Vehicle started making a repetitive "rubbing" noise and I smelled something burning, but unlike burnt rubber, it was a burning smell I've never encountered before. I was going about 35mph at the time this began. Within about 500ft, I slowed down as I approached an intersection and the vehicle stalled just as I was entering the intersection. There were no warning lights. I put it in park and attemp... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
vehicle does not always respond when the gas pedal is pushed. the engine revs and rpms increase, but gears don't catch. merging onto highways, or making turns into traffic are terrifying as i'm not sure if the car will go.