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: Nov 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle briefly jerked before returning to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the camshaft. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V75... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Infiniti JX35. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The ABS system was activated. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH the vehicle independently accelerated to 60 MPH. The vehicle was jerking while the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The contact was able to pull over. The contact called the local dealer b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The low oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was made aware that the vehicle was leaking oil. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure had recurred. The man... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
2015 Nissan Rogue will not accelerate in any gear sporadically. Happens once or twice a day. The motor will run and Rpm's rev up, but the drivetrain seems to disengage, and momentum is lost. Very dangerous situation in traffic, because the car seems to stall out, with no warning to other drivers. We have been to the Nissan dealer several times and they say they cannot find a fix until they can... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
This Vehicle's frame had an extended warranty on it for excessive rust damage in the northern cities. There are holes in the frame, very close to welding points that may break at anytime while driving. And cause an accident.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
I am receiving the secure vehicle against rolling error message. I will be researching how to fix.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The car begins to shake and shutter when I reach 2500rpms
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
5 times on a cross country trip, I experienced the phenomenon of "phantom braking" . As I was driving with Adaptive Cruise on, doing approximately the speed limit, the brakes were automatically applied and the car started to rapidly slow down. Luckily there was no one behind me so I was not rear ended ! I immediately took the car to the local Tesla service center thinking there was a problem with... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
5 dealerships unable to address rear camera recall in a timely manner. No definitive response from 5 dealers to include Rockwall Ford, Planet Ford, Planet Lincoln, Grapevine Lincoln, and David McDavid Lincoln in the Dallas area.
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
5 dealerships unable to address rear camera recall in a timely manner. No definitive response from 5 dealers to include Rockwall Ford, Planet Ford, Planet Lincoln, Grapevine Lincoln, and David McDavid Lincoln in the Dallas area.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the main battery and the auxiliary battery had been replaced on multiple occasions. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the frequent battery failures caused the vehicle to stall while driving at various speeds with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. In addition, ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the main battery and the auxiliary battery had been replaced on multiple occasions. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the frequent battery failures caused the vehicle to stall while driving at various speeds with the battery and check engine warning lights illuminated. In addition, ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
When a person leans on the door and at least 200lbs of pressure is applied to the driver's door, in drive, the door will open and all the locks in the car will release.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
When a person leans on the door and at least 200lbs of pressure is applied to the driver's door, in drive, the door will open and all the locks in the car will release.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN too... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
- Automatic Emergency Brake Malfunction. Was driving when suddenly without warning the vehicle started braking - flashing lights on dashboard. It all happened so fast and brief I did not see what the warning said. - At the time I did not know if it was the vehicle braking or a transmission issue, but after the event everything was back to normal. - My mechanic scanned the vehicle next morning and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
I was traveling northbound on ih35 near exit 329 outside of Waco, Tx travel to Dallas Tx I was in the middle of the highway during rainfall when my jeep completely shut down on me without warning all lights came on radio went black, brake was stiff, steering wheel locked. I had to have my jeep towed $300 later. My vehicle was in park and the vehicle said not in park. Vehicle wouldn’t start up. I... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions, at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated on several occasions. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road for approximately 10 minutes and then restarted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the en... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
The engine threw a rod while driving on a flat stretch of US HWY 285. The vehicle is available for further inspection if needed. The engine has 61,300 miles on it. We were forced to stop on a small 2-lane highway and wait for hours for a tow. This was inspected by the dealership and needs to be replaced for the vehicle to be safe to drive again. This is not covered under warranty as I am the secon... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
My 2021 Ram 1500 has an exhaust leak that has been leaking since June when I took it to the dealership, and they told me about the leak. They told me it would take 17 weeks before they could order my parts. Now my dealership has told me 6 to 8 months for parts. The exhaust is leaking into the vehicle and making my family and I sick and they tell me they can do nothing because there are so many tru... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the electronic brake control became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Ray's Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 385 Bypass Rd., Brandenburg, KY 40108, and was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the electronic brake control became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Ray's Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 385 Bypass Rd., Brandenburg, KY 40108, and was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The most glaring safety issue caused by below is the SUV will try to move forward on its own while stopped and the brakes pressed that can potentially cause a fender bender. Infiniti/Nissan 5.6L engines have a history of failed or failing viscous cooling fan clutches. This goes back over a decade based on the TSG released by NISMO. When the viscous fan begins to fail, the most glaring symptom... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
Our 3rd car (used by our daughter) has started to smell like mold. I then noticed the back seat behind the driver side was wet. All windows were up and fully closed - never left open. I soaked up the water. Days later the water returned. I did some research online and found this is a recurring issues were weld joints breakdown and then leak. In that same forum the post referenced water built up wh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
Our 3rd car (used by our daughter) has started to smell like mold. I then noticed the back seat behind the driver side was wet. All windows were up and fully closed - never left open. I soaked up the water. Days later the water returned. I did some research online and found this is a recurring issues were weld joints breakdown and then leak. In that same forum the post referenced water built up wh... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The windshield of the vehicle is heated. The film that is used causes distortion in the primary field of view. This causes headaches and blurry vision during long drives. I have taken it to the dealership and they informed me that all the ID.4 vehicles that have the heated windshield have the same issue.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the engine was replaced. The contact stated that while driving, the transmission was slipping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the oil was changed. The contact's son noticed that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust and no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2022
Passenger side rear axle bolt, that holds the axle shaft in place, sheared off, which could allow the axle shaft to move inside the axle housing. I'm learning that this is EXTREMELY common on 2021-2023 9.75" 3:73 MAX TOW axle.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
My ABS HCU sensor has failed and is causing my ABS system, traction control, and cruise control to stop working. Due to the high failure rate of this part RAM / Mopar is refusing to release any available parts for repair until February / March 2024. There are currently 4,000 of these parts in stock on the east coast but the company will not release them until 2024. Instead RAM / Mopar is asking me... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V480000 (Steering) 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 had not experienced... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
I purchased a Certified Pre Owned Mercedes 2019 GLE 43 AMG from West Covina Mercedes-Benz Dealership in 2020 with 8,252 miles on it. This year I started to hear a noise upon accerlating which later lead to a rough acceleration. It feels like my car is struggling to get going. I took it to get diagnoised by three different mechanics and they have all mentioned that; Directory Control Valve & harnes... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
my 2017 jeep cherokee (vin [XXX] ) has two recalls that are affecting the vhicle. the first is the shifter and harness recall that causes the vehicle to display "service shifter" messages randomly, and all of the shifter lights turn on. the second is the recall effecting how the vehicle shifts. please send me information on how to get these recalls fixed without having to pay a fortune. [XXX] ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Factory pearl white paint peeling around rear windshield in the rain channels
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
On September 22, 2023, I was parking the car in a parking garage and I had my foot on the brake. I was about to shift to reverse when my car suddenly accelerated on its own into a cement wall. My foot had remained on the brake the entire time. There have been other similar incidents with Audi Q4 eTrons as reported on this page: [XXX] - Unknown what component or system failed or malfunctioned a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
On September 22, 2023, I was parking the car in a parking garage and I had my foot on the brake. I was about to shift to reverse when my car suddenly accelerated on its own into a cement wall. My foot had remained on the brake the entire time. There have been other similar incidents with Audi Q4 eTrons as reported on this page: [XXX] - Unknown what component or system failed or malfunctioned a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
My car would not accelerate over 40 mph randomly after work. Once i noticed and tried to shift to a lower gear the car did not shift gears at all. When these things first happened there was no indicator lights on. The next morning the check engine light came on and the code pulled was P0720. After finding a repair shop to look further into the issue I was advised the car needed a new transmission ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Backseat 60 split / seat was folded down and is locked in position-unable to return to usable seat position . This has happened several times . To fix - you have to take out seat and use special tool to UNLOCK seat belt from base.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Engine overheating and system not keeping engine cool, locks don’t work
Incident date: Jul 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or re... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2023
Recall 49A/NHTSA 23V-338 I cannot park my vehicle in my garage until there is a fix. I received the recall notice Jun 30, 2023 (three months ago) and there is still no fix!!! When will this be remedied???
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
Car started idling rough and losing power at 135000 miles. Then started to overheat. Mechanic noticed coolant was low and added some. Problem continued to get worse and now engine won’t turn over. Mechanic said it was a cracked head leaking coolant into engine and it’s a known problem with the CX-9.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated when the vehicle was shifted into reverse, the back-up camera displayed static and an unavailable notification. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V575000 (Visibility). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while opening or closing the front driver’s and passenger’s side doors, the contact heard an abnormal clicking sound in the front driver’s and passenger’s side doors. The mirrors also clicked erratically and inadvertently moved making it difficult to use while driving. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that whi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
This is a follow-up to a previous complaint. I've had my car into the dealership twice to check for Coolant leaks, as I am losing coolant on a consitent basis. To date the dealership has not been able to sort the leak. I've just learned VW has issued a TSB 2071245/1 for this issue. The text of the TSB includes the language: "Original engine production head gasket design can lead to coolant leaks.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook violently and stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
A Chevy Suburban is a vehicle made to transport large families. You would assume these are made with true utmost safety precautions in mind to protect families. At just over 47K miles on my vehicle, our transmission went out, even though we have regular maintenance completed on our vehicle. The check engine light came on while driving on the highway. Was able to make it to a shop who verified it w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2023
Vehicle engine blew up stopped running. I was driving up Highway 17 leaving Santa Cruz heading towards Sacramento when Engine failed was able to pull off the side of the freeway without being sideswiped had to have CHP come and shut down the number one lane in order to get vehicle towed. Was pulling a travel trailer. Vehicle and trailer were towed to the closest hotel in Scotts Valley the followin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
Vehicle looses power randomly. No engine or warning lights. RPMs will rev but car will not go into gear or drive. I can shut off the vehicle for a couple hours then restart and will drive fine until randomly happens again.