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 15,319 complaints for LEXUS
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
While driving on [XXX] in South Carolina (we are from Ohio and were on a vacation to celebrate [XXX]) we started our turn into the left lane to pass a vehicle when the steering wheel suddenly sharply turned on its own and shot us towards the medium and oncoming traffic. As my husband was able regain control and hard steer to the right before we hit oncoming traffic we were, as you can imagine, t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact received an unknown recall notice for piston rings and engine rod bearing failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
1) First and most annoying is the start button displays code on the screen "keyless start system problem ". Its done it for about two three now. There is no recall for my VIN. 2) Back wheels brakes make very loud kicking noise when car put in reverse and moves in reverse. It started 4 years ago. I took it to dealership and they said breaks are fine and they don't know why its kicking. In cold wea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
1) First and most annoying is the start button displays code on the screen "keyless start system problem ". Its done it for about two three now. There is no recall for my VIN. 2) Back wheels brakes make very loud kicking noise when car put in reverse and moves in reverse. It started 4 years ago. I took it to dealership and they said breaks are fine and they don't know why its kicking. In cold wea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
1) First and most annoying is the start button displays code on the screen "keyless start system problem ". Its done it for about two three now. There is no recall for my VIN. 2) Back wheels brakes make very loud kicking noise when car put in reverse and moves in reverse. It started 4 years ago. I took it to dealership and they said breaks are fine and they don't know why its kicking. In cold wea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
seat belt and air bag warning light on, had dealer check stated problem in the passenger seat cushion and notofied factory but no satisfaction.
Incident date: Mar 6, 2007
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no assistance was provided. While driving, several instrument cluster warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The v... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel was making an abnormal grinding sound. The ABS, air bags, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the parts were not available to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2024
The High Voltage Service Panel is part the battery which is part of the manufacturer warranty and drivetrain. A lot of Tesla cars had this problem and they are being charged $1800 to $2000 to “fix” this common failure. The problem is that the battery stop receiving the full amperage to charge the battery appropriately. In my case, I started charging more frequently on Superchargers duri... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light had been illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed there was no warranty or recall coverage on the vehicle. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
On 2/21/24 as we were exiting a Hospital Parking Garage and I slowed down to stop at exit where road is, the engine suddenly had an uncontrolled acceleration. Difficult to stop but I pressed hard on brakes (which alone did not stop vehicle)and immediately put gearbox in Neutral, stopping vehicle before it made it on the street. After that, no more incidents on 2/21 or 2/22.. Should be noted I had ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
The passenger door hinge made a large noise and was unable to close without extreme force. It was a safety issue as the car function and hinge mechanism failed. The dealer turned me away as they do not "weld" and referred me to a body shop. Yes, my independent auto service stated that the Door Stay and Mounting Bracket three small welds broke off. They were unable to re attach door properly as ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop sign, the middle rear sliding window suddenly exploded causing shards of glass to enter the rear cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that shards of glass struck his two granddaughters seated in the rear seats. The contact stated that glass shards were removed from his grandchildren's hair. No injuries w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2024
The vehicle's primary Autopilot processor randomly and completely failed while in active use on February 10th, causing the vehicle to immediately change course towards a highway barrier at high speed. Since that moment, every time the Autopilot DAS computer is reset, the primary processor refuses to transition from the INIT state to the NOMINAL state and instead transitions to CRITICAL state. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2024
The vehicle's primary Autopilot processor randomly and completely failed while in active use on February 10th, causing the vehicle to immediately change course towards a highway barrier at high speed. Since that moment, every time the Autopilot DAS computer is reset, the primary processor refuses to transition from the INIT state to the NOMINAL state and instead transitions to CRITICAL state. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2024
When I purchased my car in July of 2020 there was a 6 month warranty on it and my RPM gage started bouncing while I was driving and having issues switching gears seeming like a transmission problem in October of 2020, I brought my car up to the dealership on November 3 of 2020 specifically even saying that I thought something was wrong with my transmission and they said nothing was wrong and I hav... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 BraunAbility Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and using the power chair with hand controls, the drivability was terrible. While driving at various speeds, it was difficult to stay in the intended lane. The Lane Sensing feature was loose and failed to the vehicle failed to steer correctly. While driving at various speeds, the steerin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 BraunAbility Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and using the power chair with hand controls, the drivability was terrible. While driving at various speeds, it was difficult to stay in the intended lane. The Lane Sensing feature was loose and failed to the vehicle failed to steer correctly. While driving at various speeds, the steerin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
My steering wheel pops and feels like it locks at 45 mph and up
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the ABS inadvertently activated while making a turn. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the ABS pump was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who determined that the electronic module needed to be replaced, but... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owned a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving with the autopilot feature enabled, the vehicle slid across the road and crashed into a concrete barrier. The contact stated that it was raining at the failure occurred. No Police or Fire reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss. The contact stated af... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
I have a 2014 GMC Terrain with less than 70k miles on the vehicle. I took the truck to the mechanic and was advised the power belts were no good. Why is this? The truck has no mileage on it basically for a 2014, I have a 2011 Chevy with more miles than this truck and its power belts are fine. The Mechanic also advised me within the last 3 years, his shop in Cecil County MD has changed over 12... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
When driving the car abruptly slows down. This also happened on the freeway. I get an error message that says “power limited” and a turtle symbol. This is the second time this issue has happened. Tesla service center has not been able to confidently diagnose this issue. They say it’s resolved and once I leave the service center and the problem comes back.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
I was driving my car and then the engine light started blinking then my car made a funny noise I came home and put the scanner on it and code P1327 came up and freeze frame came up
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
My transmission is slipping, my neighbor who's a mechanic looked at it and luckily this vehicle has a transmission dipstick, fluid level was still good but we checked the Trans filter and we saw metal bits. We did a transmission fluid change and filter. It's not doing as bad but still will need to get transmission and converter replaced. Talked to a few places and they all say that this transmi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2022
The ABS, VSA, EPS, and the parking brake systems began to appear on my dashboard. After diagnostics, it appeared that the VSA modulator was failing to provide all these components that are needed for safety in all driving conditions. After doing some research, I came to know that the modulator failure is very common in the Honda Accord models from year 2010 and above. Yet, Honda has yet to recall ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
On [XXX] while driving and in the process of changing lanes, as I accelerated on the brakes, my Vehicle gave a sudden jerk, at first I figured it was due to the road being wet, but on [XXX] while driving to NYC on [XXX] as we all know we all have to keep up the speed, once again during accelerating my vehicle repeated the same sudden jerk and continue for most of my ride, I brought into KIA on [XX... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
Car has a steering problem. After driving for a while at highway speeds, the steering "catches" or is "sticky" where it takes extra effort to make even minor adjustments. The car has been doing this for approximately 10K miles (one year) and is making us nervous about taking any long road trips at highway speeds. The car is out of warranty and the dealer is indicating the electric power steerin... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
The check engine light came on, then when I started driving it was a little sticky/ rough. I continued to drive it home and the rpm started going up when not needed. I had a code read done and came back as a P07A3, transmission friction element A stuck on.
Incident date: May 12, 2022
I have noticed this issue sporadically when traveling at speeds usually below 50 mph. I've mostly only noticed this when traveling straight. Sometimes it will occur in small turns though. When the steering wheel is in the same position for some time (usually when traveling straight) and small corrections are needed to stay centered in the lane, I notice the steering wheel itself have a "sticking" ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
Vehicle has 6k miles. Upon starting for the evening commute, dashboard is blank screen - will not give speedometer, odometer readings or fuel levels. Other lights on gearshifter not working. GPS not reading correctly. Blind spot detection not functioning. Can get the screen to display the brightness indicator, but that refuses to leave the display, even when car turned off - assumedly a drain on t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
Steering tends to "stick" when driving, most noticeably at highway speed. You can feel the steering wheel catch when you move the wheel, even slightly. Although the sensation is similar to when lane departure engages, it happens when the feature is off and when I am dead center in a lane. Seems to increase over the time and distance driven. I bought the car new and drove for some time before i... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
In touch with 2 local dealers, one so far does not have the replacement part to resolve the recall on the hydraulic electronic control unit, one has yet to call me back to schedule for service. I am experiencing a burning/melting smell through my vents when the vehicle is not in motion.
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
I bought this car 6 months ago and on December 13 While my daughter driving the car suddenli Low oil engine pressure popped on and strange noise came from the car. She stopped the car and towed the car to the dealership. They informed us to pay $1025 to open the engine for the diagnose and we had to agreed they told us once they pulled down the engine oil pan they found plastic and metal pieces. t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Driver's door hinge welds failed (broke loose). This safety hazard may occur while operating vehicle. The hinge was attached to the door with 3 spot welds. The 3 spot welds all failed. The drivers door may open while driving and do not close once the welds have failed.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
This vehicle has faulty or defective ABS braking system. The warning lights and warning chimes have been constantly going off for approx. 2 years. The Dodge/Ram dealerships admits that this is an industry wide defect with 2017 and 2018 Ram 2500 trucks, but say they have no parts to correct the problem. Their suggestion to me was to buy a new truck which is not acceptable or affordable. This was id... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
Multiple codes came on right after I had gotten my thermostat and my water pump fixed. However it ended up being that there was more leaks throughout the rest of the car. The car has currently cost me $3400 to fix and it’s still not fixed because nobody can figure out where the actual leak is coming from. The coolant is leaking and nobody can figure out where, it’s been having jerking issues s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
Background Info : On November 28th, 2023 I filed a case with Hyundai Consumer Affairs due to smoke and sparks coming from my 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA engine. I was assigned to a Case Coordinator Carla who did not provide her last name at telephone 714-694-4963. She was my contact person for the repair. I signed a tow authorization on November 28th , 2023 authorizing HMA to tow the vehicle to the neares... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
Vehicle completely had multiple warning lamps come on while I was driving and it was apparent the computer was failing. Car would not turn off when I moved to turn off the ignition knob. When restarted, car would not shift. Car had to be taken to dealership by tow truck. Dealership notes that water leaked through sunroof over time and accumulated under seats of car, entering into electrical system... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
I noticed that my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek battery keeps draining when the car sits for several days (something that typically has not happened in the past until my son recently went off to college). I called AAA and they checked out the battery and indicated that the battery was good still, but was borderline. Would likely need to be replaced soon. Since it was the original battery and it would n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Vehicle receives an error regarding the battery and unexpectedly shuts down.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Volvo VNL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 10 MPH, after which the low coolant warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low on coolant. After refilling th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
It won't catch up speed it slips on the freeway. Once I pass 60 miles per hour it excelerates very high and rpm get stuck after I hit 50 miles per hour. There's a knocking noise coming from the engine and burns oil fast.
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
I have a 2018 Honda Odyssey Touring. On December 8th exactly one week after I had my van serviced at the local Honda Dealership I broke down on the interstate. My van started making strange noises and the check engine light started blinking. I lost all power and had to merge over to the emergency lane almost causing an accident. I contacted the service manager at the local Honda dealership. I expl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
I received a recall in July 2023 recall (23v378). It has now been six months of parking my car outdoors. I have contacted the dealership 3 times to no avail about the repair. Last contact was on 1/24/2024 no returned phone call.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
This has happened several times since I have bought the car in October 2023. Every time I am driving in the rain, stopped at a red light, with the windshield wipers engaged my car completely shuts off (no it is not the auto-start/stop feature). I receive the message stating “engine stopped, press brake firmly to restart. Power steering low.” Everytime I have been at a red light and in order to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Frame and suspension is rotted away badly was recall on frame In 2005
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
While driving vehicle it would start shuttering. Took it to dealer who stated the transmission was bad. Vehicle had 91000 miles on it. I asked why the transmission was not serviceable and was told it was a sealed unit. The repair cost $8900.00 for new transmission. Took 3 weeks to get it repaired. Asked several times when in for oil change to service the transmission, each time I was told it was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The steering wheel of my 23 Honda Civic EX sticks. It feel like teeth in the steering wheel. At lower speeds it's very simple to do a slight turn of the steering wheel and feel it "click". At higher rates of speed, the steering wheel sticks and I can literally take my hand off the steering wheel and the car will continue its turn as the steering wheel looks into place. This has caused me to fight ... Read more