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 1,421 complaints for GENESIS
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
Upon startup and without warning, the sound system emitted a very startling ear-piercing noise followed by very loud static which did not stop when radio was turned off. It finally stopped when I turned the car off but static started up again each time it was turned on. An hour later when the car was turned on it did not occur. It was so loud that the car was undrivable not to mention how startlin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
My engine blew on the highway almost killed me! It just stopped at 70 mph! No power nothing I had it towed and had to replace my engine! I heard I can file a complaint because of the problem with the engine! I paid $6187.31 for the replacement and took forever to get the engine due to Covid!
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
I have a 2016 Kia Soul with 1.6L engine. I am the 2nd owner. The previous owner got the knock sensor update but the catalytic converter still failed after the update. Now I have a flashing engine light and P1326 code along with the P40 code for faulty catalytic converter. There is a recall for 2016 Kia Soul engines but when I go to the Kia site and type in my VIN there is no recall showing for my... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Front passenger air bag warning lamp is illuminating signaling that the vehicle is not detecting an occupant in the seat. This is the second time this has occurred. The first time the sensor was replaced, (Pc214) NHTSA13V-069. It was covered under a safety recall in April 2013. I took the vehicle to Bowie Nissan, Bowie, MD and asked to have the sensor replaced at no charge as this is a safety iss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
I was stopped at a stop light with my auto-idle system engaged. When the light turned to green the auto-idle would not disengage leaving me stalled in traffic. When I pressed on the gas I got an error message about the 'anti-collision system' being offline. I had to restart the car to resolve the issue. The dealer/service center states no known issues.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
I was stopped at a stop light with my auto-idle system engaged. When the light turned to green the auto-idle would not disengage leaving me stalled in traffic. When I pressed on the gas I got an error message about the 'anti-collision system' being offline. I had to restart the car to resolve the issue. The dealer/service center states no known issues.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
I have already had to have motor and transmission replaced once under warranty. The replaced transmission was worse than the original problem. The original problem was hard shifting. Now I have intermittent hard shifting, occasional lunging forward, occasional shuddering while pressing accelerator, and feeling like there is hesitation to change gears. I have not taken it back to the dealer ye... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
For the last four months, February 2023, through June, July 2023 the main computer screen will intermittently go black. This illuminates the N vehicle, NAV system, phone system, backup, cameras, Ford cameras, driver, seat, control. This vehicle was covered under a warranty. This vehicle was brought to the dealer and an error code could not be generated. The dealer states that this is the sink... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
For the last four months, February 2023, through June, July 2023 the main computer screen will intermittently go black. This illuminates the N vehicle, NAV system, phone system, backup, cameras, Ford cameras, driver, seat, control. This vehicle was covered under a warranty. This vehicle was brought to the dealer and an error code could not be generated. The dealer states that this is the sink... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
My 2017 Ram 2500 Cummins pick-up truck started displaying symptoms of a bad HCU module several months ago, "Service Electronic Braking System" warning message, ABS dash light indicating loss of ABS, and Traction Control Light indicating loss of traction control, as well as kicking the vehicle out of Cruise Control when this set of condition lights are, albeit intermittently illuminated. There are ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
My 2017 Ram 2500 Cummins pick-up truck started displaying symptoms of a bad HCU module several months ago, "Service Electronic Braking System" warning message, ABS dash light indicating loss of ABS, and Traction Control Light indicating loss of traction control, as well as kicking the vehicle out of Cruise Control when this set of condition lights are, albeit intermittently illuminated. There are ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Transmission issues! Very hard shifting! Feels like someone ran into me from behind. Shutters while crushing at 45-48 mph. Vehicle shakes from transmission issues!! GMC will not do anything about it!
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
We were driving on the highway and our sunroof spontaneously exploded and shattered everywhere. Nothing hit it, it happened out of nowhere. We luckily had the cover closed. If we didn't, my husband, two daughters and I would have been covered in shards of glass everywhere. There was absolutely nothing that caused the explosion, it just Spontaneously happened.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The transmission spontaneously went out and vehicle stopped accelerating on the highway. There were no indicators or warning signs that the transmission was bad or going out. The vehicle only has 90k miles and we need a brand new transmission
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the contact heard a whistling sound, and the roof detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 19,000.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
The contact's finance owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the brake pedal would hardened when depressed without warning. While driving at 15 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle due to the hardened brake pedal. The driver side air bag failed to deploy as needed; the air bag slightly popped out of place but did not deploy. A police report was filed; no injuries were repor... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
I purchased my 2005 Corvette C6 from a used car dealership on 4/30/2023. The car was fine for the first week. The second week I began getting a lot of error codes specifically: Service Active Handling System Service Traction Control Service ABS Shocks Inoperative Service Fuel System. At times it would go into limp mode. I would find a safe place to pull off. I would shut the car off and it would ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
When in cruise control my car experiences phantom or ghost braking seemingly out of nowhere. It violently applies the brakes without any obstacle in sight. This has happened to me many times and always on the freeway in sunny conditions. Tesla needs to address this as it’s a common complaint and has likely led to or will lead to many rear end type accidents. Thank you.
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
On 8/10/2023, around 9:25 AM, at the parking lot of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, I was pulling into a parking spot, moving very slowly. I was about to stop when the car suddenly took off in full speed, went over the concrete barrier toward hilly area covered with shrubs. That impact stopped the car, but half of my car was in the shrubs. It happened so fast that I... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
On 8/10/2023, around 9:25 AM, at the parking lot of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, I was pulling into a parking spot, moving very slowly. I was about to stop when the car suddenly took off in full speed, went over the concrete barrier toward hilly area covered with shrubs. That impact stopped the car, but half of my car was in the shrubs. It happened so fast that I... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 9, 2023
I have taken my car to mechanic and they have told me that my car is leaking gasoline. They recommended that I go to the dealer. When I called the dealer they told me that I would have to pay for the diagnosis. This is obviously concerning as gasoline fumes are toxic. There has been no warning lamps turned on this whole time but can definitely smell it when I finish my ride.
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
Twice the vehicle has gone into limp mode (15 mph max) on busy highway in last month. Diesel particulate filter clogged both times. Currently has been in Chevy dealer shop for over two weeks. Emission system failure and dealer cannot figure out cause. They are currently replacing many parts and cannot assure us this problem will not reoccur. 47,000 miles. Maintenance has been better than recommend... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the passenger’s side air bags indicator warning alarm sounded as if there was a passenger seated in the seat. The passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not cont... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
The car stalls in traffic and is slow to accelerate. The service department attributes the cause from a problem with a contaminated fuel system. However, the car has had a series of problems with the electrical system where I was told the "radio is draining the battery". The car would be parked without the keys in the ignition and it failed to start and the cause being the radio draining the batte... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The right back and front windows on this car does not work. There are times when all 4 windows do not work and all 4 doors will lock up and cannot be open from inside nor outside. This is a huge safety hazard. I took the car back to the dealer a total of 6 times. They worked on the car 4 of those six times trying to fix the issue which still exist. They finally told me there is nothing more they... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Two weeks ago, the audio in my 2021 Pilot became very distorted also as if the car was losing power. On my way to work this morning, I reached a red light, came to a complete stop, and the vehicle went into idle mode as normal. However, while in idle mode the vehicle turned completely off just as I was about to release the brakes to start driving again. The battery indicator on the gauge clustor f... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, it would vibrate and shake. The starter would fail to successfully start the vehicle intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that coolant leaking into the engine causing the engine to fail. The engine needed replacement. The failure was related to Service Bulletin NHTSA ID Number: 1021... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
All of the buttons on my steering wheel including the horn stopped working. I hear a clicking noise when i turn the steering wheel and the passenger air bag light randomly goes on and off. This leads me to believe the clock spring is broken. If the clock spring is the problem, this could create an airbag malfunction causing it to not deploy when needed or randomly deploy while i’m driving.
Incident date: Nov 4, 2022
I was driving on a highway at around 75 mph when I suddenly lost power. I could hear the engine running but there was no power in the wheel. I could feel that the vehicle was decelerating so in panic I activated the emergency light and immediately stopped the vehicle on the side of the road. Even when the vehicle was idle for some time, I could hear the engine running but there was no power on th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
7/19/23 - Dash warning to pull over because car was going to turn off (from recall software update). (Image attached) Unclear how long I had and upcoming road was more dangerous, so I pulled over in an area with highway speed traffic and only half a shoulder. Car did not reset on first attempt to restart and stuck in "turtle mode" (<10 mph). When I called the dealership, they originally offered me... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
7/19/23 - Dash warning to pull over because car was going to turn off (from recall software update). (Image attached) Unclear how long I had and upcoming road was more dangerous, so I pulled over in an area with highway speed traffic and only half a shoulder. Car did not reset on first attempt to restart and stuck in "turtle mode" (<10 mph). When I called the dealership, they originally offered me... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
The vehicle has just completely died on me at least twice while driving it, the power steering keeps cutting out, and the headlights will dim significantly upon pressing the brake pedal or using turn signals. This has been going on intermittently for months. Upon an internet search, this does not appear to be an uncommon issue.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair were not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
Driving vehicle and AWD became disabled, received a major power train fault, and pre collision system disabled as well as other safety issues. Took to ford dealer and they said it was the AWD control module that caused the faults but this was not covered under powertrain warranty. There was a customer service program for this for 2020 escapes but my vin was not covered. It is identified as a power... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2023
My wife was driving her 2019 Subaru Forester (purchased new) and the Eyesight disabled and the check engine light came on. The car was still running, but not as it normally would. It had less power but would still maintain the speed limit. At home the car idled differently, like it was running too rich or too lean. The exhaust also smelled funny.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
Horn stopped working. Can not honk or alert others around. Problem confirmed at dealer currently for repair. No warning lamps or messages
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
We are having an issue with our vehicle leaking fuel on left side fuel tank. The vehicle is constant smell of gas on that left side. It has been a safety concern for us and the dealer wants us to pay at least $1200 just for diagnostic alone. There was a Special Coverage Adjustment for this issue but we were never notified. The notice is Special Coverage Adjustment 15682. I spoke with GM/Chevrole... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
Small rock flipped up by car in front of me, hitting the windshield. Windshield immediately cracked about 21". Have owned many cars with rock chipped windshields, but none have ever cracked immediately, or as badly, as this car! This pebble should have left maybe a small chip. Looked online, and other Venza owners are reporting the same thing. Glass or design is a problem.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
This car seat has never been in an accident and the Crotch buckle has a crack in it. It also unlatches by itself. Warranty has expired so I don’t know what to do
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
This car seat has never been in an accident and the Crotch buckle has a crack in it. It also unlatches by itself. Warranty has expired so I don’t know what to do
Incident date: Jul 22, 2023
ABS / Traction Control turns on and off intermittently without warning when this happens the cruise control turns off creating sudden loss of speed control
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shut off with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The “Hybrid System Failure - Park Safely” message was displayed. The contact maneuvered the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic test s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
Power steering system malfunction. My safety and passenger safety were at risk. The problem has not been confirmed by a Dealer or independent service center. No inspections. There were two others incidents when the power steering system did not engage. The warning light came on displaying "power steering assist fault" message. I read the owners manual and did as instructed. Basically, turn off the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
Sudden unexplained Phantom Braking. Travelling on The Chisholm Trail Parkway tool road and while approaching an underpass the car suddenly applied brakes with no cars near me in front or to my sides. Fortunately there were no vehicles behind me. This similar situation also happened to me in my 2022 Model 3, so it is apparent that Tesla has not been able to resolve this long standing potentially se... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
The bearing wore out at only 62,839 miles causing sudden and complete engine failure on the highway in the desert near Barstow California. We lost power and the car was shaking and spewing blue smoke from the tailpipes. We easily could have been rear ended at 70 mph but somehow managed to get off to the side of the road and at 2 mph make it up an exit ramp. We had to have the car towed 2 hours ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The new Tundra most of the features are controlled by the 14-inch Infotainment screen. The screen has gone completely dark and irresponsive to touch, power on/off, and hard reset by the dealership. Given that so many of the truck's safety features are controlled in this system, the vehicle is unsafe to operate. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership for service and beyond the hard reset (dis... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
Drove thru multiple states in spring and Tesla autopilot would come to abrupt sudden slow down without warning. Bad enough that I would disable the system and drive manually. This problem occurs regardless of one lane or two lane roads. With or without cars in front or behind me. Sunny or cloudy skies. Hot or cold. Straight or windy roads. With autopilot or even adaptive cruise control. I have no ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
Drove thru multiple states in spring and Tesla autopilot would come to abrupt sudden slow down without warning. Bad enough that I would disable the system and drive manually. This problem occurs regardless of one lane or two lane roads. With or without cars in front or behind me. Sunny or cloudy skies. Hot or cold. Straight or windy roads. With autopilot or even adaptive cruise control. I have no ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
I keep having electrical problems with my my radio UConnect and my powertrain. I take great care of my car only let the dealership handle my issues. I've read online that there was a recall for dodge chargers powertrain, but I've never been notified.