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 125,830 complaints for HONDA
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Catastrophic engine failure, no oil, over 3 qts low, oil light did not come on, 4 Cylinder had no compression. In summary: On [XXX] oil light came on, how? I just had oil change on 7/28/25. Stopped to check oil, it was dry. Bought 5Qts at WalMart, put 3 Qts in. Checked oil every day, started keeping 5Qt jug oil in car. 9/1/25 took in to have checked for oil leak/oil change, No leak detected. Cont... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The rear subframe and suspension parts are rusted so bad that the car is not safe to drive. Looked up recalls and found out the front subframe had a recall and was taken care of before I bought the car. Also found recall for my model of car that were registered in state that use salt on there roads which is one of the state i live in. Was told my Mazda corporation the only certain 2012 mazda vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
Every month I am receiving a check engine light for abs / traction control / failure. Dealer states HPU unit is bad, however I noticed all the fuses in the fuse box were loose. I pushed them in to reseat and the error cleared. This happens monthly. This last time happened during a snow storm and disabled abs.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The AC compressor needs replaced and I see a lot of complaints on-line about this specific model- 2018 Forester so I am reporting in case it may help with a recall. Cost to repair is $2,000+. Right now it may only be covered under warranty or through a TSB goodwill. I will need to pursue with Subaru but wanted to report this in case it's helpful as there seems to be a lot of reports on this spe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Hi. I noticed my vehicle was randomly making a clunking noise in the rear end. Also, on the highway, it would drift and was difficult to steer. I took it to dealership to be examined because it was still under warranty. They showed me that the driver's side rear trailing arm was disconnected. The bolt was not even there. They stated that it was caused by outside influence, possibly from hitting so... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
While the car seat was properly installed and being used under normal conditions, the top tether strap pulled free from the anchor point. This caused the car seat to no longer be safely secured. The top tether is a critical safety component intended to limit forward movement of the car seat. Once the tether pulled free, the child’s safety was put at risk due to loss of proper restraint performan... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The digital display (including speedometer, fuel gauge, warning systems, odometer, and speedometer) remains blank for extended periods of time, at least once greater than 30min, while driving. Manufacturer recall in effect for greater then 4 months with no fix identified.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The digital display (including speedometer, fuel gauge, warning systems, odometer, and speedometer) remains blank for extended periods of time, at least once greater than 30min, while driving. Manufacturer recall in effect for greater then 4 months with no fix identified.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Engine began to have an odd stutter and trouble accelerating which was initially believed to be spark plugs after a full tune up did not fix the issue took to my local mechanic. Diagnosed the issue as bad fuel injectors likely due to the fuel pump recall. Code popped up as cylinder misfire initially which didn't make much sense considering a full tune up was completed less than a month prior. Afte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Engine began to have an odd stutter and trouble accelerating which was initially believed to be spark plugs after a full tune up did not fix the issue took to my local mechanic. Diagnosed the issue as bad fuel injectors likely due to the fuel pump recall. Code popped up as cylinder misfire initially which didn't make much sense considering a full tune up was completed less than a month prior. Afte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
INCIDENT SUMMARY In February 2025, while driving on the freeway, my vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of power. The battery rapidly depleted without warning, causing the vehicle to decelerate dangerously in moving traffic. A Stabilitrak warning appeared on the display. I was fortunate to reach the shoulder safely, but this failure created an extremely hazardous situation that could ha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
INCIDENT SUMMARY In February 2025, while driving on the freeway, my vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of power. The battery rapidly depleted without warning, causing the vehicle to decelerate dangerously in moving traffic. A Stabilitrak warning appeared on the display. I was fortunate to reach the shoulder safely, but this failure created an extremely hazardous situation that could ha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Two issues that I want to make known. First is a classic jeep issue with the death wobble. I currently have the jeep back in the shop for the current recall and having them fix the wobbling again. This would be the second time that it has happened. worried because the warranty is about to expire. Next is a problem that I almost forgot about until recently because I started driving a rental jeep ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
I experienced the brakes squeaking on and off for a few weeks this past summer. When at the dealership for an oil change, I was told the brakes pads were still good and the squeaking is common, especially during hot humid weather. Since then, I have lost the brakes twice. Both times, the pedal went all the way to the floor without resistance and after a few seconds, they came back like nothing hap... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the driver's side and passenger's side A-pillar trims rattled loudly. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was confirmed that the A-pillar trim... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The infotainment system, which also allows for use of backup cameras and safety alerts went black and has ceased working. Despite a technician diagnosing it to see if it was a simple fix. It looks like a complete malfunction of the unit.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
On Thursday, January 8, 2026, I was operating my vehicle when an oncoming single vehicle traveling in the opposite direction entered a curve at an excessive speed, lost control, and crossed into my lane. I attempted to steer away to avoid the collision; however, the oncoming vehicle struck my vehicle along the driver’s side. The collision caused significant damage to the driver's side and result... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The vehicle is subject to an open safety recall, Jeep recall 01C / NHTSA 25V-011, involving loss of motive power due to a power transfer unit defect. There is currently no available remedy or repair procedure. This vehicle has experienced loss of power while driving at freeway speeds on three separate occasions, creating an immediate safety risk. Because the recall has no fix, the vehicle is uns... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
On [XXX] I discovered water in my car. ~2.5 inch front passenger and back driver and passenger side. Condensation on the sunroof. My sunroof was not opened/completely shut. I called VW service was advised my car was not covered under the class action or warranty and advised to report to my insurance. I did not want to report and risk my insurance rate increasing. I have never filed a claim in the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
At power-on, the car's diagnostics alerted with DTC code P1A9096, indicating a failure of the Low voltage DC-DC converter / ICCU. Vehicle was parked at home at the time, but there is the distinct possibility of being stranted at an outstation or outside cellular / tow coverage. Vehicle was towed to an authorized service center for warranty repairs (the car is ~5 months from date of purchase)
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
I parked my Tesla vehicle in a friend’s driveway. When I returned and opened the driver’s door, I entered the vehicle and attempted to put it into Drive. At that point, the vehicle display went completely blank and the vehicle became inoperable. I then attempted to open the door from inside the vehicle, but the door would not open and I was unable to exit the car. I was effectively locked ins... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
My vehicle had no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms before driving that day. Vehicle was well maintained. Driving on a rural straight paved road that is in excellent condition, at approximately 55 miles per hour, smoke suddenly came through the dash top (defroster along windshield) and bottom (underneath the dash - heavier volume of smoke); almost immediately, the horn started soundin... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
My vehicle had no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms before driving that day. Vehicle was well maintained. Driving on a rural straight paved road that is in excellent condition, at approximately 55 miles per hour, smoke suddenly came through the dash top (defroster along windshield) and bottom (underneath the dash - heavier volume of smoke); almost immediately, the horn started soundin... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
My vehicle had no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms before driving that day. Vehicle was well maintained. Driving on a rural straight paved road that is in excellent condition, at approximately 55 miles per hour, smoke suddenly came through the dash top (defroster along windshield) and bottom (underneath the dash - heavier volume of smoke); almost immediately, the horn started soundin... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS and the electronic braking system warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle made a dinging sound continuously. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the ABS malfunction light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed the repair status. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the recall status. The failure mileage was appro... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
So just recently I was on my way home from my parents house, and I take a highway to get there from my home. It’s a direct shot, fastest way to get to and from. I was merging right to get in the turn lane to the highway I take, and I heard a click, and my steering wheel felt like it locked up. I look at the dash, and see it says “power steering” and then “ESC OFF”. The turn to merge onto... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
So just recently I was on my way home from my parents house, and I take a highway to get there from my home. It’s a direct shot, fastest way to get to and from. I was merging right to get in the turn lane to the highway I take, and I heard a click, and my steering wheel felt like it locked up. I look at the dash, and see it says “power steering” and then “ESC OFF”. The turn to merge onto... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with tu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
I am reporting serious and repeated safety defects involving loss of vehicle control in my 2025 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of uncommanded braking (“phantom braking”) while driving at approximately 45 mph with no driver input and no obstacles present. The vehicle has also slammed on the brakes while reversing into a parking space, then beca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
I am reporting serious and repeated safety defects involving loss of vehicle control in my 2025 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of uncommanded braking (“phantom braking”) while driving at approximately 45 mph with no driver input and no obstacles present. The vehicle has also slammed on the brakes while reversing into a parking space, then beca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
ABS module has stopped working. OEM parts are not available. Only used or repaired parts are available and they are 3 to 5 times what they should normally cost. This affects antilock brakes and traction control.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
ABS module has stopped working. OEM parts are not available. Only used or repaired parts are available and they are 3 to 5 times what they should normally cost. This affects antilock brakes and traction control.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 BMW 330i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while attempting to use the Auto-Start and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to start up as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the Auto-Start button failed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that on several occasions, while inserting the key into the ignition, the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that during each failure, the key was wiggled in the ignition for approximately 20-30 minutes each time, and the vehicle was able... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for service, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, on October 18, 2025, the mileage was 113,000; however, a dealer later informed the contact that the vehicle was last serviced in 2024, at 204,000 miles.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. While driving 70 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound like a gunshot coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact became aware that the sunroof glass had exploded. The vehicle was immediately driven to the residence. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the glass from the sunroof had exploded outward ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V657000 (Back Over Prevention), 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting), and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that whi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failur... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. While the contact's wife was driving 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while a tractor-trailer was driving closely behind the vehicle. The contact stated that an error code indicated a failure with the fuel pump drive module. In addition, the ch... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Ford model was built with a faulty fuel injector that could crack and leak fuel onto engine.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
While traveling at low speeds in parking lots and in the operation of parking, my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a hard brake pedal that goes to the floor but I have no brakes. I almost hit a person in a local grocery store parking lot, at the bank driving up to the ATM, and I almost lost my truck over a bank because the brakes failed. This has happened multiple times at low speeds but it is getting m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
With approximately 5,200 miles on my new vehicle, received an error message on the dash while driving on 1/8/2026 that read “Reduced acceleration; Drive with care”. I immediately took the vehicle to a local GM dealership and was informed on 1/9/2026 that due to a faulty thrust bearing (covered under the non-mandatory technical service bulletin 25-NA-307), the entire engine sustained a catastro... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH and approaching a stop, the vehicle stalled. The battery, check engine, and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V810000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was prov... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH and approaching a stop, the vehicle stalled. The battery, check engine, and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V810000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was prov... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
What happened: In mid-December 2025, my 2020 Silverado 1500 (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered a catastrophic failure of the DEF Tank Assembly (P/N 84914535) at 29,354 miles—less than 30% of its warranted life. This is a latent design defect involving undersized terminal pins that suffer thermal degradation and melt the connector during high-amperage heater operation in arctic conditions (Ref: GM TSB 21-NA-... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
What happened: In mid-December 2025, my 2020 Silverado 1500 (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered a catastrophic failure of the DEF Tank Assembly (P/N 84914535) at 29,354 miles—less than 30% of its warranted life. This is a latent design defect involving undersized terminal pins that suffer thermal degradation and melt the connector during high-amperage heater operation in arctic conditions (Ref: GM TSB 21-NA-... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
What happened: In mid-December 2025, my 2020 Silverado 1500 (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered a catastrophic failure of the DEF Tank Assembly (P/N 84914535) at 29,354 miles—less than 30% of its warranted life. This is a latent design defect involving undersized terminal pins that suffer thermal degradation and melt the connector during high-amperage heater operation in arctic conditions (Ref: GM TSB 21-NA-... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While operating in negative (-41°F) degree winter conditions, the "Service Emission System" entered an EPA-mandated speed limitation in LIMP Mode messages were displayed. Dealer diagnostics confirmed DTC: P20B9 (Heater Control Circuit Open) and P20C1. The failure was identified as the melting of the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) tank electrical conne... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The steering wheel is very sticky/notchy at highway speeds. Makes steering difficult especially with minor adjustments. Very unsafe as it can stick and cause you to drift if you’re not on top of the steering or even overcompensate