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: May 7, 2024
An error 'Front passenger safety restraint system fault' came up that seems to be a very common issue with someone people paying $1500 to nothing to fix.
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The dashboard on this vehicle get gooey and melts when exposed to sunshine. The intense glare on the windshield makes the car dangerous to drive because visibility is greatly impaired.
Incident date: May 9, 2024
I am writing about a recall notice that was issued last fall (2023) and has not yet been repaired by KIA, this vehicle's manufacturer. The HECU unit has a bad fuse that can cause a fire while driving or when parked. The relevant data is: Manufacturer Recall NumberSC284SL NHTSA Recall Number23V652 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available This waiting period has been excessive. KIA ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
roof front panel coating peeling off - there has been a recall for this issue on most mercedes benz of my year - not just my model- seems to consistently be an issue for the front panel between windshield and sunroof- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2021/RCMN-21V197-6244.pdf my specific VIN wasnt included in the recall but i am having the exact same issue- Mercedes told me to reach out to NHTSA ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
A new 4Runner over a year old has an OEM windshield safety concern. The dealership has been polite with my concerns. With normal use, the windshield has been compromised by what appears to have been the slightest road debris. I’m up to 7 repairs. All repairs at dealership except 1. I love this vehicle out of my many vehicles since 1988, even the Toyotas (i.e. Tundra, Camry, CHR, and FJ cruiser... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
Greetings I have a concern I bought a Mitsubishi Mirage G-4 when I applied the brake brakes and then the brake finch goes down I already took it to dealer 3 times and I designed it is not a defect and my life. Thanks a lot
Incident date: May 11, 2024
The engine failed, and it is past the 100,000 mile warranty. Due to the fact that there were no warning lights at any moment prior to the engine failing, my safety and others were put at risk. The 2012 Kia Optima suddenly stopped in the middle of a major road, which could have easily caused a collision had another vehicle been any closer to me. The component was inspected by a mechanic, and there ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
No incidents but dealers have been unable to fix the recall problem.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 BMW 740I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes). The contact stated that when the vehicle was turned on, he observed a series of unknown warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal remained on... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
Panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Genesis G80. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V107000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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. The contact had not e... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2024
my ESL (electronic steering lock. ) has went out when I did research this something that always happened please fix
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The rear shock is leaking/bad. My car only has 30K miles. It caused my wheels to wear unevenly, which could have led me and my family to have a car accident if a wheel popped while driving. An independent service center has confirmed this when the vehicle failed inspection. No warning of the issue.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
These systems fail sporadically and unpredictably.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Imthe original owner and purchased the car new 4 years ago. At 89,000 miles, the check engine light came on indicating codes for emission controls not working efficiently. Later additional codes indicated problems with the fuel evaporator. The car started having problems every time I filled up the gas tank it would stall, hesitate and have problems starting shortly after the fill up. Problem also ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Imthe original owner and purchased the car new 4 years ago. At 89,000 miles, the check engine light came on indicating codes for emission controls not working efficiently. Later additional codes indicated problems with the fuel evaporator. The car started having problems every time I filled up the gas tank it would stall, hesitate and have problems starting shortly after the fill up. Problem also ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The infotayment system goes completely dark while driving and reboots by itself after a few minutes. This has happened while I'm driving on the highway at 65MPH and on the roads at 40MPH, happens at any speeds. It happens randomly without a warning. Everything simply shuts down. I have videos of two different occasions that it happened. The dealership ran a diagnostic and said nothing came up. It ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and con... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to function properly. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle to the residence, but the failure persisted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with vacu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The front sensor is too sensitive. If there is another car using a turn lane, the Civic will try to brake and will not pass the car. If another car is ahead on a curve, the automatic braking kicks in. This tends to only happen when using cruise control. It is dangerous on the freeway. The sudden braking could cause me to be rearended. I've been lucky, so far, and have only received dirty looks fro... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The front sensor is too sensitive. If there is another car using a turn lane, the Civic will try to brake and will not pass the car. If another car is ahead on a curve, the automatic braking kicks in. This tends to only happen when using cruise control. It is dangerous on the freeway. The sudden braking could cause me to be rearended. I've been lucky, so far, and have only received dirty looks fro... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The message "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed and was leaking. The mechanic informed the contact that the water pump was built into the engine, which required the engine to be ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
Intermittent “service ABS system” light on dash resulting in loss of ABS, cruise control, park-sense, and 4x4. No amount of troubleshooting from a reputable diesel mechanic has been able to fix this. From what I have read online this is a very common issue and the truck likely needs an HCU/ABS module
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
My Tesla sets off false front collision warnings multiple times a month, resulting in distraction, but more importantly, it increases my auto insurance rate through Tesla Insurance. I am not sure if Tesla is working on this "bug" or if it is intentional to keep driver safety scores below a certain threshold. I have video proof from the car itself indicating that there was no imminent collision th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
I’ve experienced my jeep compass when auto start is turned off and the car is at a red light and shuts off as soon as I let go of pedal the car seems to have trouble “turning on” it shakes and the lights flash. I have to just put ny car in park at the light and turn my engine off and on to get my car to work.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
When driving down the road doing about 35 mph with no car close in front of me my forward collision sensor went off without warning and initiated sharp braking which almost caused the car behind me to run into me. My car jolted like I’d been hit (I hadn’t) and the red warning light lit up the dashboard. The person behind me was able to brake in time and didn’t hit me. I don’t think my b... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2024
The steering wheel will "lock up" and need to be pushed in order to gain full control of the vehicle. This happens most often in turns where the steering wheel will not respond to normal pressure and require excessive force to be used to straighten move the wheel back and forth.
Incident date: May 2, 2024
I WAS PULLING MY 5TH WHEEL TRAILER DOWN THE INTERSTATE, AND MY ENGINE FAN CAME ON "HI". THE SUCTION FROM THE FAN CAUSED THE RUBBER FAN SHROUD TO BECOME SUCKED INTO MY FAN AND IT CUT IT INTO LARGE PIECES. THOSE PIECES WERE THEN VIOLENTLY THROWN INTO THE RADIATOR AND PUNCTURED IT RESULTING IN LOSS OF ALL ENGINE COOLANT. THIS IS A KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED MANUFACTURER DEFECT RANGING FROM 2014 TO 2018.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
This was December2023Clicking noise when turning. "Rear swaybar bushing replaced (have gap in them when loaded)" also replaced 2 front Axle/CV Boots. Said they were worn. Additionally today, 5/3/2024 got in my car and there is a crack in my windshield that occurred overnight. Crack comes from bottom corning on drivers side up about 12 inches.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The DEF header failed on this truck and it causes the vehicle to be disabled. The DEF header is an emissions part. PART NUMBER 04-31354-004 HEADER-SSI,CONC,6 BOLT,CMNS
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle did not accelerate as intended. In addition, the RPMs were elevated extremely high. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, the contact was inf... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
I have a 2021 Chevy Blazer which has had to have two radiators replaced with less than 50,000 miles on the vehicle. The first time was in March of 2023. I took my vehicle in for an oil change and the technician told me the radiator was cracked and all of the coolant was drained from the vehicle. It must have just run out because I regularly check my fluids and the vehicle was not overheating prior... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
Owned this vehicle for 4 years without any issues. Driving home on a friday, made a stop at a friends dance studio, and as I pulled into the parking lot my car just randomly died. I was able to restart the vehicle without any problems and there were no error messages on my car to indicate an issue. I drove the car home for it to die on me again as I was pulling onto my road. At first we thought ma... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 had no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The following article describes eyeglasses that are not made of polycarbonate material may cause irreparable eye injury as a result of vehicle airbag deployment with eyeglasses sunglasses composed of this material shattering into fragments https://www.11alive.com/article/money/consumer/sunglasses-safety-in-crash/85-7a8eebdc-3478-42e5-a9e5-465dac28425b This should be a warning in the owners manua... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
Check engine light Power train light (wrench)/reduced power Brake light pre-collision light/pre-collision unavailable Hill assist message The above warning lights appeared out of no wear when pulling up to a stop light.. The parking break was automatically engaged and the above warning lights appeared. When I tried to accelerate to make a turn, the truck would not accelerate with me using the... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 6500 Commercial Vehicle. The contact stated that the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V266000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) was previously performed on the vehicle. The contact stated while the driver was driving 55-60 MPH uphill, he noticed smoke coming from underneath the driver's side of the hood. The contact stated that the driver depressed th... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 2, 2024
My brakes stop working anytime I drive over lose gravel and brake or over speed bumps. It will vibrate. And skid. I have taken it in 5 times and they said it’s normal I owned 5 cars and none of them are like this.
Incident date: May 2, 2024
My brakes stop working anytime I drive over lose gravel and brake or over speed bumps. It will vibrate. And skid. I have taken it in 5 times and they said it’s normal I owned 5 cars and none of them are like this.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side seat belt failed to enter the locking mechanism. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed but not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2024
While driving, ABS system warning lights illuminated accompanied by intermittent alarm. ABS System Failure confirmed by selling dealer, further confirmed via Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) TSB notice "C0020-01-ABS PUMP MOTOR CONTROL - GENERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE." This TSB particularly confirms/advises both the HCU and the ABS be serviced / replaced. The original pump motor is no longer available... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2024
While driving, ABS system warning lights illuminated accompanied by intermittent alarm. ABS System Failure confirmed by selling dealer, further confirmed via Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) TSB notice "C0020-01-ABS PUMP MOTOR CONTROL - GENERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE." This TSB particularly confirms/advises both the HCU and the ABS be serviced / replaced. The original pump motor is no longer available... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that a message indicating that the front passenger's side seat belt was not buckled and that the front passenger's side air bag was enabled was displayed, even though the front passenger's side seat was not occupied. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
I am reaching out on behalf of my wife who met with accident on 3/24/2024.She was driving Tesla Y model and this accident occurred due to System failure of Vehicle , brakes and Steering wheel get locked and she was not able to do anything and car hit the couple of trees on other side of parking lot . She was not using Autopilot feature and it vehicle didn't stop after applying the brake instead o... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
I am reaching out on behalf of my wife who met with accident on 3/24/2024.She was driving Tesla Y model and this accident occurred due to System failure of Vehicle , brakes and Steering wheel get locked and she was not able to do anything and car hit the couple of trees on other side of parking lot . She was not using Autopilot feature and it vehicle didn't stop after applying the brake instead o... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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. The contact had not experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle was jerking, and the electronic stability control warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred intermittently. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
My vehicle is 2 years old and had 17,000 miles on it when the steering wheel began to peel and chip. Toyota says that it was "caused by the user". There are reports all over the internet about this same problem on this same vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
The sensors aren’t reliable. Some days, the sensors work and some days they don’t. While I still utilize the skills from driving without these sensors, there will be a time where the sensor may turn off without me knowing and cause an accident because I can’t safely rely on them
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
The sensors aren’t reliable. Some days, the sensors work and some days they don’t. While I still utilize the skills from driving without these sensors, there will be a time where the sensor may turn off without me knowing and cause an accident because I can’t safely rely on them