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 9,743 complaints for INFINITI
Incident date: May 1, 1999
DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED REPAIRS OF EMISSION SYSTEM. PROBLEMS STILL KEEP OCCURRING. ADDITIONALLY, AFTER DEALER ROTATED AND BALANCED WHEELS/TIRES, VEHICLE NOW HAS DISTINCT SHIMMY, BRAKE PROBLEMS, AND RAPPING IN STEERING SHAFT. AN INDEPENDENT CHECK REVEALED AND REPAIRED WHEEL BALANCE AS INCORRECT WEIGHTS WERE ADDED. HOWEVER, INDEPENDENT DEALER THEORIZES THAT BRAKE ROTORS MAY HAVE BEEN WARPED BY CENT... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 1999
TERMINAL TO FUEL MODULATOR SHORTED CAUSING FAILURE OF MODULATOR. THIS OCCURRED TWICE AND RESULTING IN FAILURE OF A SECOND MODULATOR AND FUEL PUMP.
Incident date: Jun 1, 1999
WHEN COMING TO A RED LIGHT CONSUMER SMELLED SOMETHING AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE DASHBOARD. CONSUMER HAD TO PULL OVER. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME OUT AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL WIRES OVERHEATING. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
Fire
WHEN THE CAR IS SHIFTED IN REVERSE AND AS THE CAR MOVES BACKWARD, THE DRIVER SEAT RECLINES INVOLUNTARILY AND WITHOUT WARNING. *AK
WHEN THE CAR IS SHIFTED IN REVERSE AND AS THE CAR MOVES BACKWARD, THE DRIVER SEAT RECLINES INVOLUNTARILY AND WITHOUT WARNING. *AK
Incident date: Apr 15, 1999
THERE WAS A PROBLEM THAT I BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF MY DEALER. THE 4-WD LIGHT CONTINUED TO BLINK ONCE I HAD TRAVELED 20+ MILES. THIS WAS NEVER RECTIFIED. ON THE DATE OF INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT GROOVED HIGHWAY AND THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL AXLE BROKE, AND THE WHEEL CAME OFF, CAUSING ME TO VEER INTO THE CEMENT EMBANKMENT. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Jun 11, 1999
REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH LOW LEVEL IDLE STALLING ON VEHICLE. *AK
Incident date: Jun 11, 1999
REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH LOW LEVEL IDLE STALLINH ON VEHICLE. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING COLLISION, FRONT OF VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED ENOUGH TO GIVE AIRBAG WARNING FOR DEPLOYMENT, HOWEVER THERE WERE MULTIPLE INJURIES. *YC
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Feb 4, 1999
VEHICLE EXPERIENCE SUDDEN ACELATION WHILE BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE OF PARKING LOT; VEHICLE CAUSES DAMAGETO FENCE AND STAIRS LEADING TO BLDG. ALSO CAUSES THE VEHILE TO ROLLOVER. CONSUMER RECEIVES MINOR INJURIES. MFR. NOTIFIED.
Incident date: May 7, 1999
FUEL INJECTOR WAS IN OPEN POSITION, CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK OINTO THE ENGINE, RESULTING IN SMOKE HEAVY SMOKING/JERKING AND STALLING. *AK
WHEN PARKING VEHICLE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Incident date: Jan 23, 1999
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
SUSPENSION FAILURE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO VIBRATE WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. *YC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING GEAR SHIFTING PROBLEMS. *YC
Incident date: Jun 1, 1998
BRAKES REPLACED DUE TO EXPERIENCING A TICKING & SQUEALING NOISE. *YC
ORIGINAL INJECTORS HAVE FAILED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS DURING THE LAST 5 YEARS. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, AND STALLING.
Incident date: Sep 11, 1998
DASH LIGHT THAT INDICATES SEAT BELTS NOT FASTENED MALFUNCTIONS WILL NOT EXTINQUISH WHEN BELTS ARE FASTENED. *YC
Incident date: Sep 11, 1998
PASSENGER AIRBAG FAILED FOR UNSPECIFIED REASON. *YC
Incident date: Dec 18, 1998
TRANSMISSION FAILS AND MAKES GRINDING NOISE AND HEAVY VIBRATION WHEN BEING DRIVEN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Incident date: Jun 20, 1996
THE NHTSA DID A RECALL ON THE BACK SPEAKERS FOR THIS SAME CAR AND THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT SPEAKER AS WELL. *AK
Fire
Incident date: Feb 10, 1999
ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE HAD A SIGNAL INDICATING AIR BAG FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER THREE TIMES IN WHICH ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE REBUILT THE AIRBAGS. I PHONED THE MANUFACTURER TO ASK THEM FOR WARRANTIES THAT FIRST THE AIR BAGS HAVE BEEN REPARIED PROPERLY FOR THE LAST TIME AND THAT IF THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE IN AN ACCIDENT, THAT THE AIR BAGS ... Read more
WHEN USING THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATING LEFT, IT'S EASY TO TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AT THE SAME TIME ACCIDENTLY. IF THE DRIVER'S PALM IS DOWN. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBROAD REMAIN ON, MAKING THE DRIVER UNWARE THAT THE HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
WHEN USING THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATING LEFT, IT'S EASY TO TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AT THE SAME TIME ACCIDENTLY. IF THE DRIVER'S PALM IS DOWN. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBROAD REMAIN ON, MAKING THE DRIVER UNWARE THAT THE HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
Incident date: Jan 17, 1999
A VEHICLE MADE AN ILLEGAL U-TURN IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE AND I STRUCK HIM IN THE LEFT REAR, CAUSING HIM TO DO A COMPLETE 180 DEGREE TURN, THE FORCE WAS IN MY CENTER FRONT. THE AIRBAGS ON NEATHER SIDE OF MY VEHICLE DEPLOYED ,ADDING TO THE INJURIES OF BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER. AT THIS TIME THE COMBINED COST IS IN EXCESS OF 4000 DOLLARS AND CLIMING. IS THERE A HISTORY OF THIS FAILURE? IF SO PLEAS... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 4, 1998
FACTORY BOSE AUDIO SYSTEM - SPEAKER IN THE TRUNK DIRECTLY ABOVE THE GAS TANK BURST INTO FLAMES. SPEAKER PARTS IN FLAMES FELL ON THE GAS TANK. CORRECTION TO REPORT ODI 700148 FOR MAKE AS INFINITI RATHER THAN INFINITY.
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 11, 1999
REAR BRAKE LAMP SOCKET OVERHEATS CAUSING SHORT IN SYSTEM RESULTING IN FAILURE OF ALL BRAKE LAMPS.
Incident date: Jan 12, 1999
SHORT OR SPARK BEHIND RADIO RESULTED IN VEHICLE FIRE.
Fire
Incident date: Feb 12, 1999
RECALL REPAIR OF THE REAR SPEAKER/AMPLIFIERS COMPLETED, FRONT SPEAKERS ARE EXPERIENCING SAME DEFECT HOWEVER ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL REPAIR.
Incident date: Mar 28, 1997
CONSUMER UNPLUGGED THE SPEAKER FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AFTER HE HAD EXPERIENCED FUMED/ODORS FROM THAT AREA. CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE REAR SPEAKER FIRES--I RECALL 9V-284. *AK
Incident date: Nov 1, 1998
WHEN THE SWITCH WAS IN ANY POSITION, INCLUDING OFF, THE FAN WOULD CONTINUE TO BLOW AT ONLY ONE SPEED. DEALER CONTACTED AND HAD VEHICLE FOR INSPECTION, THE PROBLEM IS A FIRE HAZARD AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. NOTHING DONE TO REMEDY PROBLEM. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
DURING EXIT OF HIGHWAY LEFT FRONT TIRE SIDEWALL BLEW OUT RESULTING IN HITING ROPE GUARDRAIL CAUSING $5800 DAMAGE TO CAR. ONLY 30K MILES ON TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 195/60RL4 )
Incident date: May 31, 1997
SUN ROOF CRACKED INTO HUNDREDS OF TINY BLEMISHES THE BLEW OUT OF THE TOP OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING.
Incident date: Dec 28, 1998
THE PLASTIC GUIDE ON THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED, TEHREFORE, TIMONG CHAIN DID NOT OPERATE PROPERLY, WHICH CAUSED ENGINE TO CRACK.REPLACED ENTIRE ENGINE. *AK
Incident date: Jul 7, 1998
CONSUMER EXPERIENCING VEHICLE SHUTDOWN FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN/OUT OF THE DEALER SHOP ON NUMEROUS TIMES AND CONDITION CANNOT BE CORRECTED. CONSUMER FEELS THIS MATTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS VEHICLE WHEN BEING USED. *AK
Incident date: Nov 15, 1998
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
Fire
Incident date: Jan 12, 1999
DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER IS CAUSING A VIBRATION EFFECT WHEN GAS IS PRESSED AND SPEEDODMETER READS 40-55 MPH. DEALER CONTACTED, AND ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH OTHER MODELS, BUT NOT ON THIS MODEL. HOWEVER, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Incident date: Dec 1, 1998
STRONG GAS SMELL FROM LEAKING FUEL LINES UNDER AIR PLENUM
Incident date: Apr 1, 1998
CD PLAYER AND REAR SPEAKERS FAILED.
Incident date: Apr 1, 1998
SUNROOF IMPACTED WITH DEBRIS.
Incident date: Jan 19, 1998
TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.
Incident date: Jan 19, 1998
TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.
Incident date: Jan 19, 1998
TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.
DEFECTIVE FUEL FILLER TUBE/FUEL VENT TUBE. *AK
Incident date: Jan 16, 1999
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD. ALSO, ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO RUN INTO A GARAGE. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Jan 16, 1999
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD. ALSO, ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO RUN INTO A GARAGE. *AK
Crash
Incident date: Dec 20, 1998
NHTSA HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND SERVICE BULLITENS (ACCORDING TO NHTSA RECORDS ACCESSABLE ON THE WEB) REGARDING THE FAULTY DESIGN AND FREQUENT FAILURE OF THIS DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION. WHY HAS THE NHTSA NOT INVESTIGATED THIS TRANSMISSION AND RECALLED IT?
Incident date: Dec 28, 1998
THE 1992 INFINITI HAS A TIMING CHAIN THAT IS KEEP IN PLACE WITH PLASTIC GUIDES. THE GUIDES ON MY CAR FAILED AND THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER SAYS THAT THE PLASTIC GUIDES ARE NOT A DEFECT. YET, THEY CHANGED TO METAL GUIDES STARTING IN 1993. ANOTHER INIFINTI DEALER (NOT MY DEALER) SAID THAT THEY ADVISE THEIR CUSTOMERS TO REPLACE THE PLASTIC GUIDES AS A PREVENTATIVE MEASU... Read more