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 9,875 complaints for INFINITI
INFINITI
I30
(1998) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
May 22, 2001
Incident date: May 21, 2001
VEHICLE WAS IDLING ROUGHLY, AND ABS BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD. *AK
Incident date: Mar 17, 2000
HEADLAMPS FUNCTION, HOWEVER, THEY ARE AIMED FAR TO LOW. THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE FOR FORWARD VIEWING IS LESS THAN 85 FEET. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE ENOUGH FORWARD VISIBILITY TO REACT TO OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE DRIVING PATH SUCH AS PEDESTRIANS, ROAD DEBRIS, ANIMALS, PAVEMENT CONDITIONS, ETC.
Incident date: May 11, 2001
AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE AUTO-ACCELERATED WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR WAS PLACED INTO THE 'DRIVE' POSITION. TO AVOID A HEAD ON COLLISION (THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO A HIGH RATE OF SPEED) THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TOWARD THE LEFT. THE RESULT WAS THE STRIKING OF THE BUMPER AREA OF THREE PARKED VEHICLES, ONE OF WHICH SUFFERED SOME REAR FENDER DAMAGE. DAMAGE TO MY VEH... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2001
AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE AUTO-ACCELERATED WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR WAS PLACED INTO THE 'DRIVE' POSITION. TO AVOID A HEAD ON COLLISION (THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO A HIGH RATE OF SPEED) THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TOWARD THE LEFT. THE RESULT WAS THE STRIKING OF THE BUMPER AREA OF THREE PARKED VEHICLES, ONE OF WHICH SUFFERED SOME REAR FENDER DAMAGE. DAMAGE TO MY VEH... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2001
DRIVER'S SIDE RESTRAINT DOES NOT RETRACT OUTWARD, LEAVING DRIVER UNRESTRAINED. DEALER IS INSPECTING AND WILL REPAIR VEHICLE.*AK
Incident date: May 4, 2001
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND NOTICED ON DASHBOARD AIRBAG LIGHT WAS BLINKING OFF AND ON. SHE LOOKED AT HER MANUAL. MANUALTOLD HER TO CONTACT HER LOCAL DEALERSHIP. SHE DID, AND MECHANIC TOLD HER IT WOULD COST $1200.00. *AK
Incident date: Apr 30, 2001
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS A BRANCH LOG ON HIGHWAY, AND VEHICLE WENT DOWN AN ENBANKMENT AND HIT A TREE. VEHICLE ROLLED THREE TIMES. DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Apr 21, 2001
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SWITCH UP FROM THE FIRST GEAR. *AK
Incident date: Apr 1, 2001
THIS IS A NEW CAR AND SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER WARRANTY. THE A/C WOULD NOT WORK WHEN TURNED ON THIS YR. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD A ROCK HIT THE CONDENSER AND PUT A HOLE IN IT. WAS TOLD THAT THAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. FIRST OF ALL, IF IT ONLY TAKES A ROCK TO PUT A HOLE IN THE CONDENSER, THAT IS DEFINANTLY A DESIGN FLAW. ROCKS ARE EVERYWHERE ON THE HIWAYS. IF THIS VEHICLE IS THIS BA... Read more
WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS APPLYING THE BRAKE AND PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE SHE HEARD A LOUD CRUNCHING NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AN INSPECTION REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE BOLTS (PART OF THE BOOSTER HOUSING) SHEARED OFF AND THE OTHER BOLT WAS BENT, THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BOOSTER. NLM
Incident date: Jan 2, 2001
CAR SURGES IN DRIVE OR REV ESP WHEN COLD OR HUMID. MANY TIMES CAR STALLS. I KNOW TWO OTHER 96 G20 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM
Incident date: Apr 20, 1998
ENGINE SURGES UP AND DOWN AND STALLS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN STOPPED, HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AT AN INTERSECTION! I QUESTIONED OTHER G20 OWNERS AND FOUND THEY WERE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS
Incident date: Mar 6, 2001
WHEN THE SENSORS FAIL, THE CAR SHUTS OFF! THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS ON A FREEWAY INTERCHANGE IN THE POURING DOWN RAIN, AND I LOST ALL ENGINE POWER. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT ANYONE HITTING ME. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED,IT WAS ON THE 15 OF MARCH, JUST OVER A WEEK LATER. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE NIGHT BEFORE AND I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER, PEYTON CRAMER IN... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2001
WHEN THE SENSORS FAIL, THE CAR SHUTS OFF! THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS ON A FREEWAY INTERCHANGE IN THE POURING DOWN RAIN, AND I LOST ALL ENGINE POWER. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT ANYONE HITTING ME. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED,IT WAS ON THE 15 OF MARCH, JUST OVER A WEEK LATER. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE NIGHT BEFORE AND I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER, PEYTON CRAMER IN... Read more
INFINITI
G20
(2001) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Mar 15, 2001
Incident date: Jan 6, 2001
BRAKES FAILED, LOCKED, CAR SKID, HIT THE POST WITH THE SPEED OF 50 MILES AN HOUR, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, I BELIEVE THIS IS A FAULTY PRODUCT.*AK
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 6, 2001
BRAKES FAILED, LOCKED, CAR SKID, HIT THE POST WITH THE SPEED OF 50 MILES AN HOUR, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, I BELIEVE THIS IS A FAULTY PRODUCT.*AK
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 12, 2000
LEFT FRONT ALUMINUM WHEEL BROKE IN CENTER WHILE TRAVELING AT 25 MPH, ALMOST CAUSEING A VEHICLE CRASH. DEALER/ MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
INFINITI
QX4
(1998) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Mar 9, 2001
WHENEVER ABS BRAKES WERE APPLIED, WOULD MAKE A CLUNKING SOUND. PROBLEM INTERMITTENT. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM COULD NOT BE LOCATED. OWNER FELT IT SOUNDED LIKE "U" JOINT WENT OUT.*AK
WHENEVER ABS BRAKES WERE APPLIED, WOULD MAKE A CLUNKING SOUND. PROBLEM INTERMITTENT. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM COULD NOT BE LOCATED. OWNER FELT IT SOUNDED LIKE "U" JOINT WENT OUT.*AK
Incident date: Feb 17, 2001
AIR BAG LIGHT ON PANEL CONTINUALLY FLASHING. *AK
SPEEDODOMETER DOES NOT READ CORRECT SPEED WHEN DRIVING. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
FRONT TURN SIGNALS ARE NOT ABLE TO BE SEEN FROM SIDE OF VEHICLE. DEALER HAS SEEN, AND SAID IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. *AK *SLC
LOOSE WELD IN FRAME WHERE A-PILLAR MEETS PASSENGER'S SIDE FENDER BY WINDSHIELD. DEALER WELDED IT, WHICH MAY EFFECT OR WILL NOT REACT CORRECTLY IN A VEHICLE CRASH. *AK
Incident date: Dec 14, 2000
THE FOOT BRAKE DID NOT WORK WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP, CONSUMER HAD NO CONTROL AND SKIDDED ABOUT 80-85 FEET UNTIL THE VEHICLE STOPPED ONE FOOT FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. NLM
Incident date: Jun 1, 2000
FUEL INJECTORS WERE BAD, THEY LEAKED QUITE A BIT OF FUEL.CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER SAID IT SHOULD JUST BE FLUSHED. BUT, WHEN TAKEN TO A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC,MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT IT WAS BAD. ON RAINING DAYS IT WOULD GET WORSE. FROM TIME TO TIME VEHICLE WILL NOT TURN ON. *AK
Incident date: Jan 1, 2001
TRANSMISSION FAILED AT SPEED OF 60-65 MPH. AFTER BEING SERVICED, KICKED INTO 3RD GEAR, THEN WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND, 1ST GEAR OR REVERSE.*AK
INFINITI
I30
(1997) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Jan 18, 2001
Incident date: Sep 15, 2000
BRAKES FAILED AND CAR ROLLED INTO MIDDLE OF INTERSECTION. *AK
Incident date: Sep 12, 2000
CAR AT FIRST WAS DIFFICULT TO START... ULTIMATELY AFTER SOME FOUR TO FIVE INCIDEENTS IT FAILED TO START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A REPAIR SITE.. EMISSION SYSTEM AND STARTING HAVE BEECOME CONSTANT PROBLEMS. *AK
Incident date: Sep 12, 2000
CAR AT FIRST WAS DIFFICULT TO START... ULTIMATELY AFTER SOME FOUR TO FIVE INCIDEENTS IT FAILED TO START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A REPAIR SITE.. EMISSION SYSTEM AND STARTING HAVE BEECOME CONSTANT PROBLEMS. *AK
Incident date: Dec 26, 2000
CONSUMER WAS INSIDE OF GARAGE AND VEHICLE WAS PARKED. HE WENT TO TURN ON VEHICLE, AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT FLIPPED UP, CAUSING CONSUMER TO BE TRAPPED UNTIL HIS WIFE CAME OUT TO RELEASE HIM. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, MECHANIC TOLD HER THAT SEAT MODULAR MEMORY WAS ERASED FROM MEMORY BANK.*AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT ERASING OF SEAT MODULAR MEMORY COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCI... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2000
WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH VEHICLE WAS BROADSIDED, AND NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Dec 17, 2000
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SIDEWALL BLOW OUT WHILE TRAVELING AT 40 MPH WITH DRIVER ONLY IN A 2000, HONDA, ODYSSEY; TIRE SIZE P215/65R15, DOT# VN2HAAA1900. NO INJURY OR DAMAGES REPORTED. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND TIRE AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE STALLS OUT WHEN DECELERATING AND THE POWER STEERING DISENGAGES. THIS HAS CAUSED ALMOST SERVERAL MISSED CRASHES. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN # FC0008624 HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THIS SITUATION. (LETTER WRITTEN BY FATHER FOR DAUGHTER) *CJ
THE VEHICLE HAS CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCED SEVERE VIBRATION IN THE FRONT END SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING 40 TO 60 MPH, THE TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED DUE TO UNEVEN SEVERE WEAR OF THE INSIDE OF TIRES (NO MAKE/MODEL OF TIRE PROVIDED), ONE TIRE BLEW OUT DUE TO VIBRATION PROBLEMS. CONSUMER REPLACED TWO SETS OF TIRES IN 39000 MILES. *MJS
Incident date: Nov 29, 2000
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, HEARD POPPING SOUNDS FROM REAR, SMELLED SMOKE AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. VEHICLE FILLED WITH SMOKE BY TIME STOPPED VEHICLE. ELECTRICAL FIRE BURNED AREA BETWEEN TRUNK AND BACK SEAT, AROUND GAS TANK ON PASSENGER SIDE.*AK
Fire
Incident date: Nov 29, 2000
ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STICKING WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. TOOK EXTREME PRESSURE TO RELEASE STICKAGE AND VEHICLE WOULD LUNGE FORWARD DUE TO PRESSURE ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL. IN TRAFFIC CREATED A HAZARD TO VEHICLES IN FRONT. *AK
Incident date: Aug 1, 2000
ALL PASSENGERS COMPLAIN OF CO2 RELATED PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS. *AK
4 injured
Incident date: Dec 8, 2000
THE FUEL INJECTORS JUST KEEP GOING BAD, EVEN DOING ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENCE WORK ON TIME AND USING ONLY THE INSTRUCTED PREMIUM FUEL FROM EITHER AMOCO OR MOBILE. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. *AK
VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 15 MPH, AND FROTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Nov 1, 2000
MOTOR MOUNTS THAT FAIL AT UNDER 60,000 MILES ARE DEFINITELY A HAZARD, AND MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
Incident date: Nov 19, 2000
WHILE BRAKING QUICKLEY CONSUMER ON PASSENGER SIDE LEG BANGED UP AGAINST DASHBOARD AND SOMETHING SHARP RIPPED THE SKIN OPEN ON CONSUMERS LEG. *AK
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2000
REAR SUSPENSION SEEMS TO BOTTOM OUT AT FRW SPEEDS AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A UNUSAL AMOUNT OF INTERIOR ROAD NOISE. *AK (DOT NUMBER: 0 TIRESIZE: 0)
Incident date: Aug 19, 2000
WHILE TURNING ON IGINITION SWITCH REAR WINDOW BLEW OUT FOR UNKNOWN REASON. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE PROBLEM. ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK THE REAR WINDSHIELD BROKE WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE. *YH
MANUFACTURER ISSUED A RECALL REGARDING THE FILTRATION AND COOLING PERFORMANCE FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, RECALL STATES THAT AN EXTERNAL FILTER AND COOLER WOULD BE INSTALLED AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE INSPECTED, VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS AND CONSUMER IS BEING REFUSED RECALL. *SLC
SUNVISORS HIT DRIVER OR PASSENGER ON HEAD WHEN GOING AROUND TURNS. SUNVISORS ARE NOT ADJUSTABLE AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED BY DEALER.*AK
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 26, 2000
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD, CRASHING INTO A BUILDING AND CAUSING SERIOUS DAMAGE. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS REGARDING THIS COMPLIANT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
Crash
Incident date: Aug 1, 2000
BOTH TENSION ARMS ARE LEAKING THICK FLUID AT FRAME MOUNT LOCATION. APPEARS THAT LOSS OF FLUID COULD CAUSE LOSS OF STABILITY AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. UNIT IS NOT SERVICABLE.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2000
CAR BACKFIRED WHEN GOING AROUND A CURB AND CAUSED ME TO GO OFF THE ROAD INTO A DITCH. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Sep 3, 2000
THE IMPACT OF THIS ACCIDENT SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AIRBAG, HOWEVER DID NOT. *AK (DOT NUMBER: 085UPTO299 TIRESIZE: 215/65R15)
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 18, 2000
BOTH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND ANTI-THEFT ALARM HAVE FAILED REPEATEDLY DUE TO POOR DESIGN. TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT REQUIRES TRANSMISSION, TORQUE CONVERTER, AND RADIATOR TO BE REPLACED @ $3500. ALRAM ACTIVATES SPURIOUSLY AND FREQUENTLY AND IS DIFFICULT TO SILENCE WHEN SPURIOUS ACTIVATION OCCURS.