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: Dec 31, 1969
It is actually the rearview camera on the vehicle has been going in and out sporadically for at least a year or so. Now more often than not it does not even work
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Right after I bought this car used, it rides down the road like it's going to fall apart! It's horrible, the slightest little bump in the road you can feel every single one heaven forbid if it's a big bump in the road or a pothole it's priced the car hasn't fallen apart yet
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); 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 contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed an inverted, distorted, or ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera screen was black with the message "Contact Dealer" displayed. The contact stated that the home screen on the rear-view camera failed to turn on. The contact stated that on three occasi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2026
The dash skin covering is deboning and lifting and it’s very concerning that the airbags might be compromised from inflating in an accident.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
The “fix” for the rear camera has not resolved the issue. My rear camera worked for a short time after the fix was downloaded, but then stopped working. I don’t know what to do to fix it.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
The “fix” for the rear camera has not resolved the issue. My rear camera worked for a short time after the fix was downloaded, but then stopped working. I don’t know what to do to fix it.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
The “fix” for the rear camera has not resolved the issue. My rear camera worked for a short time after the fix was downloaded, but then stopped working. I don’t know what to do to fix it.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
While operating the vehicle, a loud clunk occurred, followed by a grinding noise. I stopped the vehicle immediately. Upon exiting, I observed the rear driver‑side tire positioned at an abnormal angle. Inspection underneath the vehicle revealed a fractured rear control arm. This failure is consistent with recall 23S55, which applies to Ford Explorers manufactured between 6/25/21 and 7/6/22. My ve... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2016) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The reverse rear view camera is intermittantly not working. The electrical system will often say "camera not available". There has been a recall notice for almost a year, and we are still waiting for a fix from Ford.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park. I took my seatbelt off after so I seen it. It was fast with the gear sh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park. I took my seatbelt off after so I seen it. It was fast with the gear sh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
I had my car in drive in a parking spot. I was ready to go, put the car in drive, DID NOT MOVE but needed to put it in park fast to assist to a child in the back seat. I put it in park pretty fast. Took my seatbelt off and assisted child. It must have not engaged. Car rolled into my office metal mailbox. I 100% put it in park. I took my seatbelt off after so I seen it. It was fast with the gear sh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
I WAS DRIVING 75MPH DOWN I-10 AT 11:30PM AND MY FOCUS SUNDDENLY DIED, I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. INFORMATION FLASHED NOT IN PARK AND STARTED GHOSTLY TRYING TO START ON ITS OWN, I BELIEVE THE TCM FAILED. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
I WAS DRIVING 75MPH DOWN I-10 AT 11:30PM AND MY FOCUS SUNDDENLY DIED, I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. INFORMATION FLASHED NOT IN PARK AND STARTED GHOSTLY TRYING TO START ON ITS OWN, I BELIEVE THE TCM FAILED. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
I was required to complete the recall 24E12 on my 2018 ford F 150 2.7L eco boost XLT. Upon completion the check engine light comes on. I looked into this and this is an ongoing problem with the emissions recall . I scanned for a code and P0430 is coming up. (Catalyst System). I contacted the dealership and ford corporate and they will not help assist in resolving this issue. I explained my vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
I was required to complete the recall 24E12 on my 2018 ford F 150 2.7L eco boost XLT. Upon completion the check engine light comes on. I looked into this and this is an ongoing problem with the emissions recall . I scanned for a code and P0430 is coming up. (Catalyst System). I contacted the dealership and ford corporate and they will not help assist in resolving this issue. I explained my vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
Backup camera malfunction recall. Parts still not available after almost a year. Repair is taking too long. I need my backup camera.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to activate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - SEAT BELTS
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the front driver's side seat belt retractor pretensioner independently deployed. The contact stated that there was no crash or any impact to the vehicle to cause the inadvertent deployment. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the road and then d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
While driving at speed, my vehicle experienced a severe safety hazard: the transmission jerked violently and the engine completely stalled on the road, causing an immediate loss of power. The dealership diagnosed the truck and stated that tree debris had plugged the cowl drains at the base of the windshield. Because the drains plugged, rainwater backed up and overflowed directly into the passenger... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
While driving at speed, my vehicle experienced a severe safety hazard: the transmission jerked violently and the engine completely stalled on the road, causing an immediate loss of power. The dealership diagnosed the truck and stated that tree debris had plugged the cowl drains at the base of the windshield. Because the drains plugged, rainwater backed up and overflowed directly into the passenger... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
While driving at speed, my vehicle experienced a severe safety hazard: the transmission jerked violently and the engine completely stalled on the road, causing an immediate loss of power. The dealership diagnosed the truck and stated that tree debris had plugged the cowl drains at the base of the windshield. Because the drains plugged, rainwater backed up and overflowed directly into the passenger... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that whenever the transmission shifted into sixth gear, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the vehicle was shaking erratically. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
I have a 2014 F150 manufactured in 5/2026 and recently had my electronic power assist steering fail. Ford issued recall 14S09 / NHTSA 14V-316. The recall was for F150's made between 5/26/2014 and 6/19/2026 that covered a steering gear motor position sensor magnet that was installed incorrectly. The result of this problem was a failure of the electronic power assist steering. Ford just diagnosed my... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to register the vehicle, he discovered a mileage discrepancy on the title of the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale through Facebook Marketplace. The contact reported the issue to the local Police Department. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 96,105, and at the tim... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
UNKNOWN The rear camera (when available) is UPSIDE DOWN! At night, the image also has wide lines running through it. Sometime, the camera just shows a message that it is unavailable. So FRUSTRATING!
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - STRUCTURE
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V402000 (Power Train), 24V099000 (Seat Belts), 26V344000 (Seat Belts), and 26V368000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact was mostly concerned about NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train) recall. The dealer was contacted. The conta... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - SEAT BELTS
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V402000 (Power Train), 24V099000 (Seat Belts), 26V344000 (Seat Belts), and 26V368000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact was mostly concerned about NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train) recall. The dealer was contacted. The conta... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V402000 (Power Train), 24V099000 (Seat Belts), 26V344000 (Seat Belts), and 26V368000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact was mostly concerned about NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train) recall. The dealer was contacted. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
Failure in the adhesion of the dash cover and is available for inspection. My safety is at risk due to vision impairment from the white padding reflecting on the inside of the car window. I have not taken my vehicle to a dealer yet. No inspection has happened. The first bit of white in my vision I thought was a reflection of the hood of my car because my car is white. And I thought why as of recen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); 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 manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: May 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light was persistently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the brake booster and brake master cylinder assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
I am filing a formal complaint for a Safety issue regarding Brakes. When turning, the "Brake Fluid Low" light would flash on for 2 seconds. It did not stay on. Brake pedal seemed normal. When inspected, there was no fluid in the Master Cylinder. No leak was detected. Fluid was in the Brake Booster. They indicated both would need to be replaced. There are 28,000 miles on the 2018 Ford Edge. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
Vehicle Information 2021 Ford F-150 XL Supercrew approximately 35,000 miles. While traveling southbound on [XXX] near [XXX], Ok, I was operating my 2021 Ford F-150 XL at approximately 75 mph with the cruise control engaged. As I approached slower traffic ahead, I attempted to disengage the cruise control by pressing the cruise control cancel/off button on the steering wheel. Despite pressing th... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
I am experiencing severe drivetrain binding and violent shuddering/chatter from the Rear Drive Unit (RDU) during low-speed turns in both directions. The vehicle hesitates and can stop violently on its own while turning. When the vehicle is parked and shut off, it also violently jerks backward, indicating the RDU is binding and storing mechanical tension. This is a significant safety hazard. The sy... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle was shuddering, jerking, and vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was cautiously driven to the local dealer, and it was determined that the failures were associated with the transmission and torque converter, which included a 24-man-hour repair. No further information was available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from fourth to first gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and waited before restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that two days prior to the failure, a message was displayed indicating that an over-the-air software update... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed an inverted, blank, or blue image. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the ... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2016) - BACK OVER PREVENTION
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall rep... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while parked, the windshield molding trim next to the pillar and windshield became raised. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the driver’s and passenger’s side windshield trim was flopping and was loose, and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. However, the rear-view camera later displayed a blank image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the par... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
Safety recall 26S28/26V237 was unable to be installed on my 2015 Ford F150. After receiving a "Check Engine Light" and a "Wrench Symbol Light", I took my truck to 3 different dealerships and all three could not perform the safety recall. At the first 2 dealerships, no solutions were tried. They called me to pick up the truck because they could not install recall. I took the vehicle to a 3rd de... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); 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 contact stated that while in reverse, the back over prevention camera displayed a black or blue scree... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.
Crash
1 injured
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - STEERING
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.
Crash
1 injured
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.
Crash
1 injured
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - STEERING
Aug 25, 2026
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image or a blank image. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
2.01 block features a narrow cooling slot machined into the block surface right between the cylinder bores. Under high boost pressure and thermal stress, the narrow metal section around this slot distorts or cracks. This erodes the head gasket clamping force and allows pressurized coolant to bypass the seal, leaking heavily into the combustion chamber. An engine replacement is required to repair.