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 384,293 complaints for FORD
Incident date: May 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 RAM 1500 The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, occupied with her husband in the vehicle they could hear a knocking and shatter noise coming from the engine. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure, and they informed her... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The failed/malfunctioning components involve the rear backup camera system and related electronic driver assistance/safety systems in this 2016 Ford Flex, including the blind spot warning system and parking collision warning features. The condition is intermittent but ongoing and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The backup camera intermittently goes blank, freezes, displays im... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The failed/malfunctioning components involve the rear backup camera system and related electronic driver assistance/safety systems in this 2016 Ford Flex, including the blind spot warning system and parking collision warning features. The condition is intermittent but ongoing and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The backup camera intermittently goes blank, freezes, displays im... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 FORD F-350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he had a loss of motive power and check engine warning light was illuminated when driving, almost causing an accident due to not being able to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed to have metal shavings in the combustion system. The contact received notification of NHTSA Ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Accord. The stated that the vehicle was taken for the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number 25V422000 (Power Train). The contact stated that after the recall repair was completed, the vehicle was not apart of the recall. The dealer advised the the when alignment was not apart of the recall repair and would be at the owners expense. The manufacturer was notified o... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
We were crossing under the light to go to the gas station and we believe the car that hit us ran a red light. It caused right rear damage and side airbags to deploy. There's a metal piece in the tire and its undriveable.
Crash
Incident date: May 4, 2026
We were crossing under the light to go to the gas station and we believe the car that hit us ran a red light. It caused right rear damage and side airbags to deploy. There's a metal piece in the tire and its undriveable.
Crash
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The service engine warning light illuminated and the engine spuddered. The engine seized. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle did not start. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic; however, the mechanic could not diagnose the failure due to the lack of a warning; they have also tried to duplicate the failure but was unsuccessful. The dealer was also notified of the failure and the con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Driving SB on I-35 in Texas, going 70 MPH, no trucks or other cars passing, or following behind and the sunroof glass exploded. Nothing hit it. The screen was closed, so no glass fell down into the vehicle interior.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 291,000 and at the time of inspection, it was discovered that the odometer was tampered with, and without disclosure of these modifications.
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
May 21, 2026
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
I am the only owner of this vehicle and it has 114,000 miles At 90,000 miles i had to replace the transmission and now, its at the dealer due to turbo leaking oil internally and externally AND coolant intrusion. These issues are commonly known and the coolant intrusion is from a design flaw. Why is this engine not included with the recall for the very same issue on other ford ecoboost engines
Incident date: May 13, 2026
THE PASSENGER DOOR DOES NOT ALERT WHEN OPENING OR CLOSE . THE TBM MODULE DOES NOT UPDATE CAUSING A FEE OF $198.95
Incident date: May 13, 2026
THE PASSENGER DOOR DOES NOT ALERT WHEN OPENING OR CLOSE . THE TBM MODULE DOES NOT UPDATE CAUSING A FEE OF $198.95
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Adaptive cruise control not working....,Intermitently shutting off. This is coinciding with numerous engine, oil and gas warning lights going off in the Audi MMI system. Lead tech at Audi dealership in Norwell MA is telling me that this is a well known issue with the 2025 Audi Q5 needing a software update that will not be available until sometime in the 3rd quarter
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side B-Pillar Applique Trim detached and flew off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact was considering purchasing a 2018 Nissan NV. The contact the vehicle's odometer reading indicated 65,666. After obtaining the Carfax, the mileage listed was 208,000. .
Incident date: May 17, 2026
I was driving on the highway at 70 mph approximately with my young daughter in the backseat. All of a sudden, the front display on my Hyundai Ioniq 9 went completely black and said "no signal." I lost all dashboard information about my speed, gas gauge, horsepower etc. The only thing I could do was see how fast I was going because I was on google maps and my audiovisual screen in the center was s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2026
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado HD Crew. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked outside of the residence, unoccupied, the vehicle engine block heater was plugged in, the vehicle caught of fire under the hood on the passenger side. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire however the vehicle along with another vehicle in the driveway was deemed a total l... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 21, 2026
We brought the car to the dealer yesterday (where we bought it in Jan 2021), to have the air conditioning fixed. They told us they found rust on the frame and that it would not pass inspection again. It had been inspected there in February, 2026. At that time, we told them about a vibration and they said it was ice build up. But yesterday, they told us the linkage in the driveshaft needs to be r... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY REASON WHITE GOING AT 35 MILES/HOUR FROM FRONT TO BACK OF THE TRUNCK
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
I received a recall notice on 3/19/2026 which stated my 2023 Palisade failed to meet safety standards due to "ejection mitigation." I called Hyundai directly for information after the dealership I purchased the car from had no information for me. Hyundai's customer service representative told me the third row was not safe for occupants and that I should not use it because in a roll over it could ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
Vehicle experiences repeated harsh shifting, hesitation, sudden downshifts, hard downshifts with engine redlining, and loss of acceleration during normal driving. Transmission intermittently jerks violently between gears and hesitates when pulling into traffic or merging onto the highway, creating a serious safety concern. I have experienced multiple near collisions due to the vehicle hesitating o... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - ENGINE
May 21, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
I take my car for updates (Recall) and now i am being told that the head gasket is blown and damaged the injectors The powertrain might pay for the blown head gasket but not the injectors (which were damaged due to the head gasket blowing) no coolant but the car never ran hot. Honda is trying to stick to me to pay out almost $7000.00 which is wrong when it went to them for a recall
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - SEATS
May 21, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
I notice the driver seat had a clip that popped off unto my carpet, when inspected it came off the seat rail. While moving my seat back using the electronic seat lever a white clip with two metal bearings was sticking out, I notice the ball bearings were not in place and had came off the white clip. Yes, it is available for inspection. This pose a safety concern as the seat rails will not function... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to release from low gear while at a stop. The transmission was backed up. The engine light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who confirmed there were no recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 213,766.
Incident date: May 21, 2024
Recall 91VH causes some cars to break carnet modules and other modules. If you google the issues, you will find that Recall 91VH (5.4.3) causes multiple cars to break. We should not have to appeal and plead with VW on a 2 year old vehicle to get it fixed. This puts saftey at risk as it causes multiple malfunctions and warning lamps to appear. The dealer says to replace the module, but VW denies th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
The vehicle began showing serious safety related symptoms before the engine failed. These included engine knocking, repeated sensor failures, the speedometer and odometer blacking out while driving, the navigation screen going dark, and the entire instrument cluster malfunctioning. These issues caused loss of speed information, loss of vehicle status, and loss of navigation visibility, creating un... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
I was driving at highway speeds when my vehicle suddenly lost power and began rapidly decelerating. The vehicle eventually stalled in the middle of the roadway, creating a serious safety hazard for me and other drivers and significantly increasing the risk of a crash. This vehicle had previously undergone the GM safety recall inspection under Recall N252494000 for the L87 6.2L engine loss of prop... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
The head gasket was blown on highway even though the car was functioning perfectly fine and was well maintained.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
ABS module has internal failure rendering the ABS inop. This is known issue across JK body style Jeep Wranglers.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
ABS module has internal failure rendering the ABS inop. This is known issue across JK body style Jeep Wranglers.
Incident date: May 19, 2026
need this case escalated immediately as a serious safety incident. [XXX] around While driving my 2026 Cadillac Vistiq on [XXX] around [XXX]pm doing approximately 45 MPH. The vehicle suddenly and violently activated automatic emergency braking with no vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or obstacle anywhere near me. The dash displayed a warning similar to:“Front Collision detected Brake now” The... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 8, 2026
Premature engine fail. Excessive oil consumption due to piston ring failure. Maintenance has been done on car on regular basis. No check engine light. Carson was services at dealership 4 months ago.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2026
*The mechanic diagnosed internal engine failure (May 14, 2026). The vehicle is at the second mechanic's shop. *The car stalled twice. The first time, over 20 miles, the air conditioning stopped, followed by the radio, and then acceleration. I pulled over and the acceleration returned but only for a minute. The second time, a clacking noise got louder and faster, and three miles later the engine s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
Rattling noise while driving in traffic
Incident date: May 20, 2026
The Contact owns a 2023 NISSAN Rogue. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed he stated he lost a motive of power, causing the vehicle to be towed due to not having power. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed to have an issue with the fuel system. The contact stated the vehicle had been to a dealer on multiple occasions. The contact referenced that ... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
The engine died while in use. We were130 miles from home when the engine started making weird noises and a tapping sound.all the lights on the dash lit up and truck would hardly run.l had a independent car hauler haul the vehicle back home to a local garage. The vehicle has been repaired for $10,919 and paid $800.00 to have it transported.
Incident date: May 20, 2026
May 15,2025 Manufacturer Recall Number25TB06 NHTSA Recall Number25V322 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Toyota nor my local Dealer has not contacted me to remedy this recall.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
While driving in my neighborhood at 25 MPH, my Mercedes GLC300 suddenly lost power and the check engine light illuminated. My car would no longer exceed 25-30 MPH, but I drove it straight to the dealership and they said it was a faulty cylinder head and will cost $10,000 to fix! After intense negotiations, they agreed to fix it for $4,205.58, which was better, but still, that’s a lot to pay for ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Had new vehicle for 1 week and it broke down in a parking lot and would not start on 5/10/26. It was towed and dealership, found it to be a faulty feel injector system that was replaced. Picked it up from the dealership on 5/13/26 and I lost the ability to accelerate while on the interstate. It was towed back to the dealership who had to reach out to V. W headquarters to determine the problem. It ... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
When steady idle at 65 on the freeway the blind spot and check transmission light goes on flashes and stays on but when I shut off the vehicle and start it back up the light goes away.
Incident date: May 20, 2026
On [XXX] ~[XXX] PM, at highway speed on [XXX] eastbound near Frisco, CO (a mountain interstate), returning to Denver from Salt Lake City, my 2021 Subaru Crosstrek suddenly and without warning dropped into reduced-power limp mode and began lurching and shaking while the engine kept running. I lost the ability to accelerate or maintain speed. At the same moment the check engine light came on and mul... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image would intermittently appear blank and at other times would display upside down. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts required to complete the rec... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
THE ENGINE HAS EXCESSIVE BLOW BY FROM THE OIL FILLER CAP. HAVING A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER NUMBER 1 AND IDLING ROUGH. THERE ARE SEVERAL THREADS ONLINE CONCERNING THIS ISSUE BEING CAUSED BY WORN PISTONS AND PISTON RINGS.
Incident date: May 13, 2026
On Sunday evening [XXX] at [XXX] I was returning from Long Beach on the [XXX] home to Los Angeles, when I went under an overpass and my emergency braking system activated with an alarm and red arrow pointing to the left. There was no warning before this event. Then my lane assist stopped me from going over the line into traffic. A few minutes later the same thing happened again. INFORMATION REDA... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the dealer reprogrammed the engine control module (ECM) software and test drove the vehicle and found no failures. Despite the dealer's claims that they test drove the vehicle, the contact sta... Read more