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 18,739 complaints for LINCOLN
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
I bought the vehicle and February of 2020 and didn’t even have it for 6 months before it needed major repairs. In any other state, lemon laws would have applied and I wouldn’t be driving a dangerous vehicle. This model should not be on the market anymore, period. There have been countless failures: the transmission has been changed 3 times in less than 3 years, the purge valve has been changed... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2024
The car stalls and turns off when operating at a slow speed, both in forward or reverse. This is a serious and potentially deadly problem. With my two young children in the car, I was turning left across three lanes of oncoming traffic. When I began to accelerate, my car stalled in the middle of the first lane. I had to figure out what happened, put it in park, restart the car and finish my turn b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after shifting into drive(D) however, the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, while the transmission was in park(P) or neutral(N), the engine continued to rev high. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure but indicated that the transmission was faulty. The manufacturer and local... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
I purchased this vehicle Nov. 2021 with 46,000 miles and still having warranty on it. After driving less than 3000 miles began to see large/heavy amounts of blue smoke coming from the exhaust when starting the vehicle along with random loud noise at certain times when starting. Checked the oil and it was almost 2 quarts low and oil life said only 33% left. Complained that I thought it was burning ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
While driving at 60 mph the lower front bumper assembly came off and detached from the vehicle and lodged under the car causing an emergency stop in the middle of the highway. When Lithia toyota was asked to repair the damage they have refused stating that it must go thru my insurance since it was an accident
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The vehicle began making a low tapping noise in the front passenger side approximately 2 months ago, which has gradually become louder. It is much more apparent when driving at slower speeds. More recently the tapping noise has been accompanied by a squeaking noise when the wheel is turned, when driving over bumps, when removing the foot from the brake at a red light, when putting the vehicle int... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
I was driving along 55mph on a 2 lane road when suddenly the car shut off. I was fortunate that it died at the top of a hill and I was able to coast to the safety of a side street. I was in a remote part of michigan and 20 miles from any service stations with my 3 children. The car would not restart. I was able to contact a tow truck who took it to my mechanic who said the engine had failed and I ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ve... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The airbag system in my 2017 Nissan Rogue malfunctioned. The airbag warning light turned on, indicating a potential failure in the system. The vehicle and its components are available for inspection if needed. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The malfunctioning airbag system ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
Transmission has failed.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
This car was purchased at FAJARDO FORD IN PUERTO RICO. The car remains in PUERTO RICO where I am working temporarily. I gave FLA address for mailing address. This vehicle shut down while driving [XXX] taken in they did a recall. The car stopped [XXX] with witness. The car shut down on [XXX] at Fajardo Ford by parts dept, [XXX] car shut down again. I called Ford about the issue and they did the r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
I purchased this vehicle new in Jan 2022. I have had multiple issues with sensors needing to be replaced, auto start/stop not working properly, coolant light flashing on and off intermittently Feb 2023 recall - owner manual insert April 2023 recall - software update Oct 2023 check engine light coming on - needed N80 valve Dec 2023 auto start not working - dealer states no fault codes Dec 28, 202... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2024
My 2007 Lincoln MKX was in Drive with the brake depressed waiting to back up into a traffic lane from an angled parking space in front of a small shop in our historic downtown area. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated forward at a high rate of speed jumping the shallow curb and slamming into the cement foundation of the store. Continuing to depress the brakes made no difference in stopping the jar... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 11, 2024
When looking under the vehicle we noticed that Ford came up with a poor design when it comes to road debris and Snow/Ice conditions in regards to sealing up the main battery connections/terminals. With normal driving on freezing days there is nothing to keep water/snow from building up on top of the "Skid plate" for the front of the battery compartment. This might be the worst attempt at covering ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2024
POWER STEERING BRAKES BATTERY ADAS
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
“Service Trailer Brake System” warning on DIC. Vehicle undriveable, INOP, Safety Issue! Start truck, the above warning will flash off and on, Code C1117 DTC.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
While driving through town the braking system malfunctioned and the car came to a stop in the middle of the road with messages on dash saying the smart city braking support was malfunctioning as well as brake assist. Engine light came on as well as traction control light right after the car coming to a sudden hard braking stop. Drove straight to shop to check engine code which was p0882. I am so a... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
While driving through town the braking system malfunctioned and the car came to a stop in the middle of the road with messages on dash saying the smart city braking support was malfunctioning as well as brake assist. Engine light came on as well as traction control light right after the car coming to a sudden hard braking stop. Drove straight to shop to check engine code which was p0882. I am so a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
Not working air vents. This will affect the windshield defroster.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
When putting my car in park and shutting off. My traverse says warning shift to park when I am clearly in park. I cannot lock my doors and horn beeps. It continues to ding with warning!
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
When putting my car in park and shutting off. My traverse says warning shift to park when I am clearly in park. I cannot lock my doors and horn beeps. It continues to ding with warning!
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
I was using cruise control on the highway. My RPMs started going up and down and my speed slowed. I took it off cruise control and the speed was irregular. The car responded slowly to my pressing the accelerator. My car started squealing and I pulled over on the turnpike. I tried to press the accelerator after I stopped but the car would not move. I was unsafe because my car was on the shoulder of... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
My 2018 Honda Civic is presenting with issues related to another safety recall, but my Vin doesn't come up for that recall. I got diagnostics done for this issue at a Honda certified dealership, the wanted over $5600 to repair the safety recall issue because my Vin doesn't come up for that specific recall- only one of the safety recalls, which they do not have parts for. I got a second opinion w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Solar panel on RV roof detached and was hanging by connector only when flagged by other motorist.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Mazda Mazda3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V487000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera image failed to display. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The forward collision system randomly turns off while driving. Even in clear conditions (I understand that rain or snow may block the sensor)
Incident date: Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V720000 (Structure) and 23V865000 (Air Bags); 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 stated while driving 65 M... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
This car it was in the garage. I almost never use it only sometimes to go in the store and this cannot happen. The car who passed just 46,000. Steering Rack: Power steering rack and electronic power steering fluid - Power steering is very notchy. Upon inspection of vehicle found power steering rack leaking from the passenger side seal. Recommend replacing rack and bleeding power steering system. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the vehicle started shaking and then stalled. The vehicle was restarted each time. Additionally, a quart of oil needed to be added weekly due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced or repa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
Started about a couple weeks ago. Just bought my car and my battery drained 3 nights in a row. Had to jump start it Found out some fan run, when car is off, hours after it has been parked.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
I was driving to work with the heated seat on. I began to feel my lower back getting extremely hot. I leaned forward and when I did I could smell something burning and my back began to burn. I quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car as quickly as possibly to see that my seat had physical flame coming from it. I contacted Jeep about the situation and was ultimately told it was somehow not a m... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
I was driving to work with the heated seat on. I began to feel my lower back getting extremely hot. I leaned forward and when I did I could smell something burning and my back began to burn. I quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car as quickly as possibly to see that my seat had physical flame coming from it. I contacted Jeep about the situation and was ultimately told it was somehow not a m... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
Sent the car to fix recalls and they said it has another problem and want to charge to fix the steering recall N140772 problem. They said is not free.... Do not know if the other recalls were repaired.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
On Tuesday August 6th 2024 car was put in the shop for an automatic DTC notification/check engine light. Our car is less than a year old with less than 10,000 miles on it. Our car was in the shop for a full 5 days and was given to us on the evening of Monday August 12th with assurances that it was safe to drive. While in the shop, our car grounding pump and numerous fuses were replaced. On Friday ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine had overheated. While inspecting under the hood the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine coolant had leaked into cylinders #1 and #4, causing severe damage to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
Tires wear less than 1k miles. Deflate, side wall wear, separation, tread wear etc. Have purchased around 8 tires from January 2022 - Present FRONT - 265/35/ZR21 101Y Extra Load REAR - 295/30/ZR21 102Y Extra Load Michelin honored tire failure for side wall separation then denied all other claims. And this is the only tire Tesla has on hand since there is no spare.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Brake actuator going bad. Safety is put at risk as brakes are slow to work and sometimes don't work at all for a couple of seconds, making sudden stops impossible. Has not been confirmed by dealer. Has not been inspected. ABS and TPMS light would briefly pop up for a couple of seconds on car startup before shutting off.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
While driving I received an error on the screen stating “front passenger safety restraint fail -service needed”. This would go on and off randomly. It took over a month to get into Tesla. By the time I got into service the error was gone but Tesla replaced a sensor and airbag to be complaint with the sensor costing over $1300. I have seen a lot of posts of other Tesla owners experiencing the s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the EVAP ejector and the purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,800.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Car is 7 years old and only 65,900 miles (purchased new and oil changed every 4000 mi) when timing chain noise started - approx April 2024. Chevy dealer in area and independent mechanic could not find the issue and diagnosed as exhaust sound though Chevy has known issues like this with 4 cylinder engines). Car was traded Aug 2024 (has since been sent to auction due to unknown engine damage) and di... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
I am getting repeated flats in this car after hitting small bumps in the car. Whether I am on the freeway or driving around town. I have hit bumps that will blow out the tire. Here are more complaints from consumers : [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
When at a stopped position, the brake pedal gets stiff and starts pushing back … and then the car starts creeping forward. I’ve almost hit countless cars in drive-through, and my car tries to creep through red lights. It’s also very hard to brake. I went to one shop and they said it was the brake booster and vacuum hose , and that a lot of people were complaining about this issue in the Pac... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V214000 (Power Train) and 24V407000 (Seats); however, the 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 after parking the vehicle, the vehicle started rolling backw... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
Employee was driving on a state road in the right hand lane going about 45 mph. Short of a red light and a right hand turn lane, the engine began to rumble and promptly shut off. Employee attempted to restart the vehicle, but to no avail. Traffic began piling up and the employee could not remove the vehicle from the road. This was an incredibly dangerous and life threatening situation. Vehicle end... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
A dangerous stall of the engine happens when accelerating,
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
While driving with the cruise control set, at times the care must sense that there is an issue ahead and slams the brakes on. This has happened on numerous occasions. This had led to cars following to do the same (hard braking). Although this has not caused an accident for me, I don't trust the system. I'm waiting for a rear end collision when this happens.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
While driving with the cruise control set, at times the care must sense that there is an issue ahead and slams the brakes on. This has happened on numerous occasions. This had led to cars following to do the same (hard braking). Although this has not caused an accident for me, I don't trust the system. I'm waiting for a rear end collision when this happens.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
subframe bolt was broken off without external impact, caused loud noise when driving, and potential safety concern. I suspect the bolt has proper quality control. One year ago, the front suspension(fucas) has to be replaced due to strange noise at low speed.