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 19,021 complaints for LINCOLN
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
I had a reputable after market brake system installed on my 2021 Ford Explorer ST at Holman Ford in Turnersville,NJ a couple years back. Since this time I have taken back the vehicle for my brakes being too spongy. I explained to the dealership that the brakes needed to be bleed again. The technician did not and adjusted the actuator on the brakes. Last year around the same time I had almost... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly lunged forward and jerked. Additionally, the instrument panel was black. The rearview camera and the front view camera malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a software update was performed; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the jerk... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Jun 26, 2023
Incident date: Oct 11, 2022
I received the notification of faulty airbags from my insurance company. GM has yet to inform me of this recall. I have contacted multiple dealerships about this problem. They would not even do an inspection. I also contacted GM about this recall since it could result in death and I travel about a rental or a push to get the airbags replaced since they know the driver airbag modular has to be repl... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Jun 26, 2023
Incident date: Oct 11, 2022
While driving on interstate 75 north in Florida, the forward collision warning came on indicating something in the road. The system brought the vehicle to a dead stop on the highway and there was nothing in the road. This happened 4 times! We figured out how to disable eyesight and the forward collision system. The weather was clear and sunny. We drove in and out of shaded road. We were able to ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
"Shift to park Warning light" comes on when turning off vehicle when vehicle is in park.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
My 2016 Mazda CX-9 2.5l Touring has approx 67,500 miles. I noticed the "sweet" smell of coolant after driving. The temp gauge was not showing signs of overheating. I checked under the hood and coolant level in radiator and reserve tank were normal. I also did not see any coolant leak/patches under the car. Few days later the car temperature gauge shot past the 1/2 mark. i stopped the care let ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2023
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to downshift into 2nd gear. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking while shifting gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly was the incorrect size, and the cl... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - SUSPENSION
Jun 23, 2023
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact placed the gear shifter in the park and the restart message was displayed. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. While making a turn, the vehicle was difficult to steer. Additionally, the key fob was inoperable. There was an abnormal rattling sound detecte... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact’s wife owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating after driving 20-25 miles. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders, causing the vehicle to overheat. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact’s wife owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating after driving 20-25 miles. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders, causing the vehicle to overheat. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The outstanding recalls have not be addressed despite one of them being over a year old at this time. The V46 High Pressure Fuel Pump issue is particularly worrying as not only does this pump failure result in a dangerous situation on the road but can also cause tens of thousands of dollars in engine damage as a result. The recall was issued more than one year ago and no remedy yet exists. This... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
When trying to accelerate, the car will not accelerate. It will start to jerk back and forth and I had cut it off completely in the middle of the road at a stop light.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
On 6/12/23, I was driving on a highway in New York State when I heard a bump under my car and I thought it was a rock. Nothing flashed on my dash to warn me that something serious had happened. Another driver pulled next to me and shouted out of the window, "YOUR CAR IS SPILLING GAS OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CAR, PULL OVER OR YOUR CAR MAY CATCH FIRE." As I was near an exit, I got off the highwa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The power sliding rear door on the driver side is stuck in a locked position for 4-5 days now. This has happened previously to our power sliding rear door on the passenger side as well (before the current extended warranty) and we corrected that issue on our own by replacing the door actuator. Now that it has happened again and there is a warranty on it, I took it to the dealership and they are ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The vehicle completely lost power and there was 207 miles left to the charge. The message displayed on the driver's screen read "12V battery voltage low. Stop safely" I had no other choice than to stop since the car suddenly had zero power. The car was towed to Hyundai dealership on 2/15/23 and I have yet to have the vehicle repaired. Hyundai keeps informing me that the part is on order and delay... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The vehicle completely lost power and there was 207 miles left to the charge. The message displayed on the driver's screen read "12V battery voltage low. Stop safely" I had no other choice than to stop since the car suddenly had zero power. The car was towed to Hyundai dealership on 2/15/23 and I have yet to have the vehicle repaired. Hyundai keeps informing me that the part is on order and delay... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
While approaching a traffic light, the jeep just stalled. After trying to restart, the vehicle had no success proceeded to use key for automatic start and system rebooted and was able to start. This was the second time it happened within a month the first time was also at a traffic light, the car just shut off there were no lights indicating there was any issue. Had taken it to an auto mechanic to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 (SEL, AWD) has bad ICCU (intergrated charging control unit). Will only charge at DC chargers reliably, level 2 or level 1 chargers will only work intermittently. Has been in the shop 2 weeks with no estimated repair date as the ICCU is on backorder. This issue is affecting a lot of Hyundai/KIA/Genesis customers who's vehicles share the same platform. The dealer won't even ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 (SEL, AWD) has bad ICCU (intergrated charging control unit). Will only charge at DC chargers reliably, level 2 or level 1 chargers will only work intermittently. Has been in the shop 2 weeks with no estimated repair date as the ICCU is on backorder. This issue is affecting a lot of Hyundai/KIA/Genesis customers who's vehicles share the same platform. The dealer won't even ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
2021 Kia Telluride. Driving home from work 6/8/23. Small crack developed in the windshield on passenger side lower corner. Has spread quickly across windshield. Left message with service department of local KIA dealership in Murfreesboro Tennessee inquiring about Kia "Customer Satisfaction Initiative" concerning windshield cracking. No call back after 8 days. Left email on KIA Corporate Customer S... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, she smelled a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle and the vehicle experienced abnormal clutch engagement while shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster was randomly flickering off and on and sometimes became inoperable. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. During the failure, the fuel gauge and engine temperature gauge could not be viewed by the driver. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplica... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
While turning steering wheelat low speeds. The steering wheel will jerk out of your hand and lose power. All the electrical power on the dash will go out for a few seconds and return the steering will return. Also, this is happening over three times in the past week and almost causing me to crash into other parts cars. There is a recall for other vehicles in the 2015 model with the same problem, C... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
There is a lot of interior chrome, something I have complained to GMC about before. Today it caused me to be temporarily blinded by the reflection of the sun at multiple angles preventing me from seeing other vehicles. I had my 3 year old daughter in the car with me as I was nearly killed because I could not [XXX] see. If my daughter had been hurt I would have lost my [XXX] mind because I TOLD GMC... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering and braking functionality were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
A few days ago while driving (45mph), my 22' 4BW dash lit up like hell and I lost power steering, brakes, went into limp mode. Restarted the vehicle, all was well. I did almost take out the Mini Cooper in front of me, with a 'Baby on Board' sticker. Don't even want to think about that. I have a service appointment scheduled for next week and I'm not driving the vehicle until then. Please review t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
After ota software update, the vehicles braking systems (abs, traction control) and driver assistance systems(lane assistance, adaptive cruise control, one pedal driving mode) no longer functioned normally. The vehicle displayed warning information that read “stop safely, brake failure”; on the instrument cluster. This put my family and others at risk by changing the cars behavior by no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
After ota software update, the vehicles braking systems (abs, traction control) and driver assistance systems(lane assistance, adaptive cruise control, one pedal driving mode) no longer functioned normally. The vehicle displayed warning information that read “stop safely, brake failure”; on the instrument cluster. This put my family and others at risk by changing the cars behavior by no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The pneumatic manual liftgate rear door holders by HANI PRECISION CO are defective. From one day to the other, these stopped working for absolutely no reason. I am extremely concerned about having my skull crushed if the temporary stick I am using to hold it comes down when door is in use. I can no longer open the rear lift hatch door because these two pneumatic holders no longer work. My family h... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
While driving on autopilot, adaptive cruise control essentially, on a 300 mile trip last week the car had several, I think 5 total, instances of phantom braking. These occurrences happen in random situations, no consistent factors that seem to indicate what triggers it. It is often not only startling, but scary since it is almost always in a high speed situation with traffic. These events have h... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
Although this vehicle is 10 years old it has only logged less than 17k miles (near new condition). A few months back it was noted that the backlighting on the console, steering wheel, interior door panels and overhead console were inoperative under non-daylight conditions. At night, it's driving blind from an instrumentation perspective. Controls cannot be located as they cannot be seen. This back... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Can-Am Spyder RT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V175000 (Exterior Lighting) 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. Parts distribut... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
The breaking system doesn’t take effect in speed and turn and when you leave the acceleration and the speed increase and loose control . Also the electrical system is damage not with seven month of brand new highlander hybrid . The rear cross traffic control and blind spot warning are coming . These is a serious electrical problem under 11,000 miles brand new vechile
Incident date: May 22, 2023
E brake will not disengage.
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Transmission shifts very hard in lower gears and is very sluggish at times.
Incident date: May 22, 2023
About 3 months ago, I started experiencing the shift to park problem where my car would turn off completely and would be still and solid but the car wouldn't register being in park.
Incident date: May 18, 2023
My GTI currently needs a new steering wheel per my dealership. However VW is unable to provide any new steering wheels or get me into a safe car. My car started having an issue around 2 months ago where I will get random cruise control, emergency braking and other safety related system errors. When this happens, it dings, disables anll buttons on the steering wheel and abruptly shuts off all safet... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2023
My GTI currently needs a new steering wheel per my dealership. However VW is unable to provide any new steering wheels or get me into a safe car. My car started having an issue around 2 months ago where I will get random cruise control, emergency braking and other safety related system errors. When this happens, it dings, disables anll buttons on the steering wheel and abruptly shuts off all safet... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2023
My GTI currently needs a new steering wheel per my dealership. However VW is unable to provide any new steering wheels or get me into a safe car. My car started having an issue around 2 months ago where I will get random cruise control, emergency braking and other safety related system errors. When this happens, it dings, disables anll buttons on the steering wheel and abruptly shuts off all safet... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
This car has popular aftermarket Spiegler brake lines on it, braided stainless lines, these are the brakes and lines: https://www.essexparts.com/ap-racing-by-essex-road-brake-kit-front-9562380mm-porsche-911 Yesterday, on startup with the brake pedal depressed, the front right line burst. See uploaded pictures. The lines have been on the car since April 2021, and the car is regularly service and ... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2017) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 8, 2023
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
My 2016 Ford Escape was in park and when I tried to put it in drive it went backwards almost into the car behind me. Luckily they saw something happening and backed up or I would of hit them. It wouldn't shift into gear. I put it in sport mode to get it to move forward then moved it into a safe location and shut it off. It was a hot day so I thought maybe it was overheating. It started fine an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2020
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel started drifting to the left and the right independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and had an alignment completed. The contact continued to experience the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
- Back left axle went loose with the back left wheel while driving, causing the car to rotate 45 degrees, scratching the ground. Once the car drifted back horizontally, I used the brakes to stop the car. Multiple pictures show the defect. Back left lights where the axle went off and the wheel is not broken, showing no collision. Liquid escaped from the bottom. Available for inspection and photos a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
When driving at any speed, vehicle (2022 Jeep Renegade Altitude with 10,000 miles); intermittently jerks about 4-5" to the left or right on the road-like someone is jerking the steering wheel . Complained to dealer and they checked it over and said the vehicle is ok- Its NOT ok- HELP! HAPENDS ALL THE TIME!
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
There is an extended recall regarding the driver and passenger seatbelts in 2014-2015 Dodge Durangos and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, number D-21-04. My driver seatbelt retracts very slowly and the passenger seatbelt does not retract at all without manual manipulation. Because of this safety issue I brought my Jeep Grand Cherokee into a dealership in January 2023. At the time I was told parts... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
•Driver headrest deployed while driving for no reason. Vehicle is available for inspection. •When headrest deployed, it strike me on the back of my head causing uncertainty of what hit me. •The problem has not been reproduce. •The component has not been inspected by the manufacture, police, insurance representative, or anybody else. • There was no warning, lamps, messages, or any other ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Under 50,000 miles all 4 wheel bearings needed to be replaced. Under 50,000 miles all 4 struts needed to be replaced. The door key would not work , the dealer had to fix the mechanism. The passenger window stops working suddenly, the dealer has to reset it all the time. The car braked in the middle of highway two time, I was lucky that no one hit me in the back. Under 65,000 miles control arm brok... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving downhill at 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to slow or come to a complete stop. The contact stated she was able to pull over onto a grassy area, avoiding a collision, and the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights w... Read more