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 1,278 complaints for GENESIS
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
For the last few months, my audio system has been making static and crackling noises. It is intermittent. I would estimate the noise to occur around 25% of the time I am driving. At times, it is extremely loud and nerve wracking. When that noise amplifies, hearing surrounding traffic or other community sounds, sirens, train horns, etc is not possible. This occurs with the audio system turned eith... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Discovery. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that both the front driver side seat belt pretensioner and door latch were defective, which caused the warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The fai... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Discovery. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that both the front driver side seat belt pretensioner and door latch were defective, which caused the warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The fai... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Oil consumption issues. Presented at oil change with very little oil, no warning light, followed by a loss of a quart every month following. Contacted Hyundai for oil consumption test. Dealer said I would have to replace the oil pan gasket ($600)before they would start the test from Hyundai. Loss of power or engine seizing could be dangerous. I feel Hyundai shoud replace the engine and reimburse m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Vehicles will slams on brakes as if it is trying to avoid something in front of the vehicle. This has randomly happened several times at different driving speeds. This has been reported to dealership with no resolution because they cannot duplicate. In addition, I have had the same serious recall involving the Tie Rod for my vehicle and there is no resolution. The dealership will tell you how seri... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
The vehicle started smoking and stalled out Aug 18,2023. The vehicle starting shaking then I parked it for about two (2) hours. When I tried to crank vehicle again it wouldn’t crank. I attempted to complete diagnostic test but the vehicle wouldn’t remain on. I contacted dealership I purchased it from. They order a tow to be brought in. The dealership repair shop for about 3 weeks didn’t know... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
Engine check light came on and after running a test it seemed as though the thermo control valve thermostat was not working properly which means the valve that lets coolant into the engine doesn't know what the temp is and when to release coolant. That ended up being the issue and we were barely under the 60k mile warranty for the powertrain so it was covered but I've been reading that it is a com... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
Random no starts, engine turns on at random, won’t charge, car jerks, hesitation while driving, hard to climb mountain roads, Battery Energy Control Module Lost Communication With Hybrid/EV Battery Interface Control Module 1-12
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
When reversing there is the absolute worst extremely loud embarrassing metallic screeching sound, considerable to a ships horn. Once you press brake fully and come to a complete stop the sounds ceases, let go of the brake it come right back. You can put it in drive and then back to reversing, same thing. Dealership was informed in 2022, said they fixed it. Spring/Summer of 2023 after complain... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The contact’s husband owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle failed to stop. The contact’s husband applied pressure to the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the check engine malfunction and Electronic Stability Control system malfunction warning lights illuminated. The contact was inadvertently locked out of the vehicle and was unable to open the tailgate. The contact disconnected the battery to cancel the warning lights; however, the tailgate still failed to open. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
Vehicle with no warning or signs displayed a transmission fault while in cruise control on flat straight road and began to rev. Pulled off of main road into parking lot and attempted to back into space but vehicle would not reverse. There was no issue backing up 15 minutes prior and of course it happens shortly after the 100,000 mile mark.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
This is a 2012 sonata hybrid. The vehicle popped under the hood when my wife was driving to visit her father. My son opened the hood and fire started shooting out from next to the exhaust manifold. The car was just into Gurnee Hyundai for service. They had the car for a month and a half. I still don't think that they did anything when they had it. Anyway, the car burnt completely to the ground in ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
Check engine light is on and the heater control valve needs to be replaced. This part is on back order because so many vehicles need to have this replaced and it turns off all the safety features of the vehicle. This is unsafe, faulty and putting loyal Subaru drivers in a vulnerable position. This part needs to be a manufacturing recall as to replace out of pocket is close to $2,000 and only effec... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Car wouldn't stop or slow down until I put all my pressure on the pedal. No previous warning about brake issues. No lights or sounds regarding brake problems.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Suddenly getting harder to turn the steering wheel to either direction. The problem happens randomly and also looses the power steering, needing to forcibly bring the steering back and making the driving difficult. When this happens many alerts pop on the dash including traction alert, break alert, and line alert.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
THE HEADREST DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. IT HURT MY NECK REALLY BAD. LUCKILY I WAS AT A RED LIGHT OR IM MIGHT HAVE CRASHED
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
Back Over Prevention ( backup camera), started acting up in Feb 2023, shows black screen, flips image, does not come on, (radio is displayed) when it does come on its granny and has black vertical lines, warning beeps stop working when this happens or don't sound off untill your on top of the person or object behing you. Contacted 2 Ford dealerships and they tell me other Escapes are on recall... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
the parking brake has engaged several times at low speeds in parking lots, comes on when turn the vehicle on, and when placed into park. not sure if it will do it during high speeds, at the shop now. it happened during the Power Transfer Unit failed and should be looked at as a part affected by that. We had no issues until the PTU failed, and the parking brake started coming on when we put the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) 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 not experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
While driving on Louisiana’s poorly maintained I20 at @70 mph, we hit a bump & our 2015 F350 began violently shaking. We almost lost control, but managed to shift from left lane to shoulder in heavy traffic. Inspected tires & saw nothing amiss. Continued on trip back to TX & it occurred 2 more times whenever we hit a bump. Freaked us out & we were terrified each time we hit a bump, but drove und... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
this car involve accident AIR BAG none deploy , right side , rear side, left side were damage serious but AIR BAG none deploy , and now the light AIRBAG to be open on the screen I petition into OFFICE to request for our car to be recall AIRBAG , this is car run was 92K Mile this Air Bag none open any chair or It can open any time itself
Crash
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
bought as certified pre-owned from a very large dealership in Clearwater. Driving off the lot there was a bad wobble and shake from corner to corner of vehichle. Took in day 2 of ownership to dealer to have them reinspect it and they let me drive away home too come back the next day after service manager started the car was completely safe to drive because there was no loaner car for me the day th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
Volkswagen Passat 2012 Passat key won't go into ignition - Trying to fit my key into ignition will not go in and or Turn [XXX] [XXX] Removing the plastic steering wheel shroud, (T25 x3) then remove VW ignition switch, Black plastic piece under spring pressure needs to come out, this piece is the piece that pushes the white plastic piece infront of the key. When this is removed, re-assemble. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
I bought my 2021 GV80 used with 15,500 miles. After driving not even 100 miles, we experienced the vehicle stalling and having no power. Giving it gas, the RPM's would not rise and the engine then shut off. The engine light briefly turned on but did not stay on. After the car shut down and turned back on, we kept driving. We took the vehicle immediately to the dealer where they proceeded to tel... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
On July 21,2023 while driving at highway speeds the engine started to sputter. Multiple engine failure lights came on. The engine died and I had 1-2 seconds to get the vehicle out of the highway onto the shoulder. I was told the by the dealer that part of the fuel injector may have come loose and damaged the cylinder. The vehicle had only 562 miles on it. I do not have any paperwork on it because ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
On July 21,2023 while driving at highway speeds the engine started to sputter. Multiple engine failure lights came on. The engine died and I had 1-2 seconds to get the vehicle out of the highway onto the shoulder. I was told the by the dealer that part of the fuel injector may have come loose and damaged the cylinder. The vehicle had only 562 miles on it. I do not have any paperwork on it because ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that the transmission had malfunctioned, and the transmission sensor was reprogrammed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure reoccur... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
Car abruptly stopped accellerating on the highway, check engine light started blinking, I got over to the side of the road and the car shut down. It had to be towed to a Ford Dealership and they need to replace the entire engine.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
While driving vehicle, engine began to rev and became unresponsive to gas pedal. After slowing to a stop, vehicle began to respond to gas pedal and transmission began shuttering violently. Took to local mechanic and he won’t work on it because he said it is a “pattern problem “. $250.00 to diagnose the obvious. Someone could be killed when the transmission suddenly stops working like that in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
I purchased the vehicle on March 30, 2023, & my Check engine light has been on eleven times since June 2023. I was involved in a car accident on August 25, 2023, where the car appeared to have no gas. However, gas was in the vehicle, and the brakes were not operating correctly as I had to continue pumping the brakes to stop the vehicle. Furthermore, there is over $15k in damages and counting. I ha... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
Passenger Presence Module is deactivating Passenger airbags intermittently.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
Failure of driver side exterior mirror. 3 years after purchase of vehicle the mirror would no longer move in and out. Dealer replaced with OEM quality mirror July 2021. 2 years later (August 2023)mirror now has the exact same malfunction/defect. Mitsubishi is unable to tell me why the failure happened in the first place or why it has again happened. Mitsubishi refuses to take any action to fully r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
I took my vehicle into the dealership 11/30/2022 due to the rearview camera initially malfunctioning and becoming blurry, or completely cutting out, when putting my vehicle in reverse. I informed them I did receive a email thru my carfax notification and by mail regarding a recall. The dealership kept my vehicle for several weeks for repair and stated it was covered under the recall. The issue pe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
On 6/27/22 we were driving roughly 35 mph and all of the sudden the warning light Engine Malfunction Power reduced Service now warning light came on and the car immediately slowed to 20 mph with no warning. It was a Sunday so we couldn’t take it to the dealership that day. We turned the car off and in about 20 minutes turned it back on and the warning light had cleared. We took it to the dealers... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2002 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. Additionally, the contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt and the rear middle seat belt buckles w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
Ford is unable to correct the safety recall for the windshield wiper motor. Ford has sent out notice of recall with instructions to call them to correct on four + occasions. I have made four (4) attempts since the recall and two (2) dealerships in my area both have turned me away stating they would not be able to repair due to parts not being available, etc... The ability for the wipers to deacti... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
As I was driving, my vehicle completely stopped in traffic. All vehicle functions became disabled. Even when putting the car in neutral, it would not budge. Had it not been for construction workers helping me, I could have been killed due to the heavy traffic flow.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the seat belt and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness located in the second-row seat had failed. The wiring harness was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the seat belt and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness located in the second-row seat had failed. The wiring harness was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
Since August of 2022 , every time I go over road imperfection my steering shakes badly , even though it is intermittent , every time I bring it in to the dealer they cannot seem to replicate it, it is getting worse to the point that I know when it is going to happen . I do not think the dealer is road testing the car , they just plug it in a diognastic machine , my car does not need a technician ,... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-28 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a misfire in cylinder #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-28 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a misfire in cylinder #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
When coming to a stop, the car RMP's fluctuate up and down, jerk/jolt, and stall while still in drive. The only way to restart the vehicle is to put it into park and then hit start. Sometimes, vehicle status indicates a start/stop error, but no check engine light would come on. I have a huge safety concern about this because the vehicle is in motion when it stalls, and the only way to restart is t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
When coming to a stop, the car RMP's fluctuate up and down, jerk/jolt, and stall while still in drive. The only way to restart the vehicle is to put it into park and then hit start. Sometimes, vehicle status indicates a start/stop error, but no check engine light would come on. I have a huge safety concern about this because the vehicle is in motion when it stalls, and the only way to restart is t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
I purchased a set of 4 Cooper Ultra Touring (235/45R18) Tires in 05/2022. Within 40,000 miles of purchasing the Tires, I was traveling on I-10 WB at approximately 70 MPH when the Vehicle started to shake violently. I pulled into the Right Lane and slowed down significantly and was able to make it to my residence safely. The very next day, I took the Vehicle to a local Goodyear Franchise and had... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Since purchasing this truck brand new in 2018 we have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. Dodge Ram failed us every time. They failed to work with the dealer and ignored every attempt to find solutions. It started with vehicle loosing power on very dangerous locations a specially freeway located in curves in the middle of nowhere. It took years to fix that problem. Multiple times we dr... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
Cam phasers gone bad even after doing a ‘reprogram’ that Ford listed as a recall. Ford then sent out a Customer Satisfaction Extension to replace the cam phasers (that we never received) but we missed the expiration date so now they are refusing to cover any of the service or parts. This is a known issue for the 3.5 engine, yet consumers are paying thousands out of pocket for a known issue.
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
All the warning lights on dashboard light up engine losses power then stop, after setting for two hours the engine restarts, the engine light is only light on. Drive for one or two days light goes off like nothings wrong. Then two or three day’s latter it will do it again. This has been going on for about five months and dealer can not fix it.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
The SVC 4WD light has come on. I cannot switch to any of the 4wd modes. I do not have the locking differential or anything, just the standard PTU that comes with the Jeep Limited. When I press the brakes when switching from park to drive or reverse, there is a clicking noise in the shifter as well. I am not sure about the safety of myself or others at the moment, as this just happened. The proble... Read more