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.

2,215,138 Total Complaints

138,663 Reported Crashes

56,255 Reported Fires

8,561 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 4,189 complaints for HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Incident date: Aug 24, 1997

FAILURE OF IGNITION SWITCH ELECTRICAL CONTACTS, CAUSING MOTORCYCLE TO STALL AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *AK

RECALL 98V158000; NO PARTS AVAILABLE SINCE THE RECALL CAME OUT. CONSUMER BEEN ON 4 DIFFERENT DEALERS WAITING LIST. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED WHICH MAY CAUSE STALLING AND AN ACCIDENT. *AK

Incident date: Aug 1, 1998

MFR 091;VEHICLE RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED, AND THE DEALER STATED PARTS WOULD BE SHIPPED WITHIN A MONTH. CONSUMER STATES IT HAS BEEN FOUR MONTHS, AND DEALER DOES NOT HAVE THE PARTS, PROBLEMS STILL EXISTS. *AK

Incident date: Dec 26, 1996

IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE.

Incident date: Jul 29, 1998

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH DEALER NOT HONORING MFR. RECALL NOTICE CONCERNING IGNITION SWITCH/CIRCUIT BREAKER. *AK

Incident date: Jul 22, 1998

RECALL 98V158000/091; THE MANUFACTURER'S RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO, THE CONSUMER CANNOT GET THROUGH TO THE MANUFACTURER TO GET ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL LETTER IN JULY 1998. CONTACTED DEALER, NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. DEALER HAS NOT YET RECEIVED PARTS FROM THE MANUFACTURER. RECALL NUMBER 98V158000. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

CONSUMER HAS RECEIVED RECALL #0091 FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH IN JULY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. LAST TIME THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED WAS ON NOVEMBER 10,1998. DEALER INDICATED THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART AVAILABLE YET. CONSUMER STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT GO ON AFTER TURNING THE SWITCH. *AK *TT

CARBURETOR FAILURE RESULTING IN STALLING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.

STEERING PROBLEMS WHILE TURNING RESULTING IN SWAYING.

IGNITION SWITCH FAILED TWICE PRIOR TO RECALL, TRIED TO HAVE RECALL WORK DONE RECALL KIT OUT OF STOCK AWAITING DELIVERY.

Incident date: May 1, 1998

SPEEDOMETER FAILED, UNABLE TO GET REPLACEMENT PARTS DUE TO BACK ORDER.

Incident date: Dec 1, 1996

FUEL VALVE (DIAPHRAM) FAILED.

CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER IN REFERENCE TO RECALL NUMBER 96V204000. DEALER STATED PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. *AK

Incident date: Aug 8, 1998

THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH IGNTION SWITCH. IGNITION SWITCH FAILED WHEN THE STARTED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. THIS COMPLYS WITH RECALL NUMBER 98V158000. *AK

Incident date: Oct 26, 1998

RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN MAIL 98V158000 & CONTACTED DEALER. INFORMED NO PARTS AVAILABLE AS OF YET. WOULD PUT OWNER ON WAITING LIST. SO FAR NO PARTS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR REPAIRS.*AK

Incident date: Dec 1, 1996

RECALL # 98V158000, HARLEY DAVIDSON/IGNITION SWITCH; DEALER DOES NOT HAVE PARTS TO CORRECT RECALL. OWNER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN LATE JULY. DEALER DOES NOT KNOW WHEN PARTS WILLL BECOME AVAILABLE. *AK STILL WAITING FOR SWITCH. *SLC

Incident date: Oct 1, 1998

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY TIME THE VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. WHEN TURNING THE SWITCH SOMETIMES EVEYTHING WILL LOCK UP AND MAKE A LOUD NOISE. *AK

Incident date: Oct 1, 1998

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY TIME THE VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. WHEN TURNING THE SWITCH SOMETIMES EVEYTHING WILL LOCK UP AND MAKE A LOUD NOISE. *AK

Incident date: Sep 19, 1997

THE TRANSMISSION DOOR ON THE 4-SPEED HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER EVOLUTION MODEL (PRODUCED FROM 1984-1991) HAS A BEARING THAT SUPPORTS THE TRANSMISSION MAINSHAFT. THE BEARING GETS WORN TO THE POINT WHERE THE MAGNETS ON THE INSIDE OF THE CLUTCH BASKET AT THE END OF THE MAINSHAFT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE STATOR MOUNTED OVER THE TRANSMISSION DOOR. THE RESULT IS THAT THE CLUTCH BASKET MAGNETS BREAK UP... Read more

Incident date: Oct 26, 1998

RECALL # 98V158000 HARLEY DAVIDSON IGNITION SWITCH; CONTACTED TWO DEALERSHIPS NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE AUGUST 1, 1998. DEALER NEVER HAS PARTS AVAILABLE AND DOES NOT KNOW WHEN PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. *AK

Incident date: Jul 22, 1998

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER STATED THAT THEY NEEDED A PART FOR THEIR IGNITION SWITCH. HOWEVER THE PARTS HAVE NOT BEEN AVAILABLE SINCE RECEIVING THE LETTER , WHICH WAS ON JULY 22ND. THE RECALL NO. IS 98V158000. *AK

Incident date: Jul 22, 1998

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FOR IGNITION SWITCH ON JULY 22ND. SINCE THAT DATE, THE PARTS HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE. THE RECALL NUMBER IS 98V158000. *AK

Incident date: Feb 13, 1998

CARBURETION SYSTEM HAS HAD REPEATED FAILURES. INITALLY THE GAS-AIR MIXTURE WAS SO LEAN THAT THE UNIT SPUTTERED REPEATEDLY. THIS CAN BE A FATAL EVENT ON A SLOW CURVE WHEN A MOTORCYCLE IS AT ITS MAXIMUM LEAN ANGLE AND THE ENGINE SPUTTER CAN IN FACT BECOME A SPONTANEOUS ENGINE SHUT-DOWN. THE UNIT WAS RE-JETTED SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN A NEW OEM CARBURETOR WAS INSTALLED REJETTED WITH A LARGE SIZE SL... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 1998

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH DEALER HONORING MANUFACTURER'S RECALL FOR A HARLEY DAVIDSON /IGNITION SWITCH; DEALER WAS CONTACTED ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND EACH TIME DEALER INFORED CONSUMER OF VARIOUS REASON FOR INABILITY TO DO THE REPAIRS. NHSA RECALL # 98V-158. *AK

Incident date: Nov 20, 1997

A RECALL LETTER WAS RECEIVED IN THE EARLY PART OF AUGUST, STATING THAT BY OCTOBER THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER AND THEY SAID THE PARTS WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE. FAILURE OF THE LIGHTS CAUSED LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND CRASH INCIDENT (RECALL COMPONENT RELATED). *AK

Crash 1 injured

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL LETTER CONCERNING THE IGNITION SWITCH. NOTIFIED THE DEALER, DEALER STATED NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. RECALL 98V158000. *AK

Incident date: Oct 1, 1997

RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED ABOUT THE IGNITION SWITCH. CONTACTED A DEALER, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE THE REPLACEMENT PARTS TO REMEDY THE VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT HAVE AN 800 NUMBER TO CONTACT. PARTS HAVE BEEN ON ORDERED FOR OVER 60 DAYS AND PROBABLY LONGER. STATES THEY ONLY RECEIVE TWO PARTS PER MONTH. *AK *ML

"LONG CANNONS" EXHAUST SYSTEM INSTALLED ON MOTORCYCLE CONTAINS TAIL PIPES THAT DO NOT FIT PROPERLY (TOO LONG) WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF CONTROL WHEN PIPES HIT GROUND WHEN TURNING.

Incident date: Jul 26, 1998

CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER REGARDING RECALL NOTICE 98V158000, MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 091. DEALER STATES PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS IN WHICH THE DEALER STATED PARTS WERE NOT IN.*AK CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER MOTOR CYCLE FIXED.*ET

Incident date: Jul 30, 1998

THE AMOUNT OF REPAIR KITS FOR IGNITION SWITCH THAT ARE BEING SHIPPED FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO THE DEALERS ARE GREATLY INSUFFICIENT. THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED SEVEN TIMES, AND CANNOT OBTAIN THE KITS AND CANNOT DETERMINE WHEN THEY WILL BE IN. *AK

Incident date: Oct 24, 1997

SPEEDOMETER STICKS AT 33 MPH WHEN WEATHER IS COOL (75 DEGRESS OF LOWER).

Incident date: May 1, 1997

CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION CAUSED BY FAULTY SPEEDOMETER.

Incident date: Jun 11, 1998

IGNITION SWITCH RECALL WORK DENIED.

MOTORCYCLE CONTINUES TO LEAK OIL EXCESSIVELY.

DEFECTIVE RELIEF PORT ON THE MASTER CYLINDER CAUSING BRAKES TO LOCK UP AND OVERHEAT.

Incident date: Nov 10, 1996

CONSUMER HAD DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING RECALL WORK ON THE FUEL SUPPLY VALVE DUE TO LACK OF PARTS.

RECALL NOTICE STATES THAT PARTS WILL BE IN ON AUGUST 3, 1998. NO PARTS ARE STILL IN. *A

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE ON 07-98 FOR RECALL # 98V158000 HARLEY DAVIDSON/IGNITION SWITCH. HAS TRIED TO GET RECALL FIXED, BUT THERE ARE NO PARTS AVAILABLE.CONSUMER HAS CALLED DEALER ON A WEEKLY BASIS. *AK *ML

CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR PARTS FOR OVER MONTH. DEALER CLAIMS NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RECALL. *AK

Incident date: Oct 6, 1998

RECALL 98V158000, IGNITION SWITCH. CONSUMER STATES THE DEALER STILL DOES NOT HAVE ANY PARTS TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER HAS NO OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION UNTIL IGNITION SWITCH IS REPAIRED. MODEL # FLHPCUI. *AK

CURVED WINDSHIELD DISTORTS VISION, ALSO MOTORCYCLE REFLECTS IN WINDSHIELD. QCAW

Incident date: Jul 1, 1996

IGNITION SWITCH HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES.

IGNITION SWITCH EXPERIENCES INTERMITTENT FAILURE, RECALL NOTICE SENT HOWEVER UNABLE TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS.

Incident date: Jun 5, 1998

ENGINE NOCKS AND PINGS CONTINUALLY.

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL LETTER. CONTACTED DEALER NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. RECALL NUMBER 98V15800. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

Incident date: May 1, 1996

ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE REGULATOR FAILED. QCAW

Incident date: Sep 10, 1998

RECALL # 98V15800 HARLEY DAVIDSON/IGNITION SWITCH; NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO CORRECT RECALL. DEALER NOT CERTAIN WHEN PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALERSHIP AROUND THE FIRST OF AUGUST OF 1998. *AK

Incident date: Aug 2, 1998

FRONT BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR BLOCK, WHICH CONTROLS THE FLOW OF FLUID TO THE BRAKES, FAILED. WHEN DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE FRONT BRAKES HELD FOR A SECOND AND THEN FAILED.

Incident date: Aug 27, 1998

CONSUMER HAS RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH FOR MOTORCYCLE. OWNER HAS CONTATCED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER ON 03-AUG-98 . RECALL HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog