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: Mar 15, 2023
Engine rattle on deceleration is a known issue on 5.0 V8. Vehicle was brought in to a dealer in May of 2022 who was able to replicate the issue. Ford has a "remedy" in form of TSB 18-2354 which was performed by a dealer. Rattle noise was still present immediately afterwards and noted by tech performing the work but was deemed normal operation. A year later now in April 2023 I brought the truck bac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Engine rattle on deceleration is a known issue on 5.0 V8. Vehicle was brought in to a dealer in May of 2022 who was able to replicate the issue. Ford has a "remedy" in form of TSB 18-2354 which was performed by a dealer. Rattle noise was still present immediately afterwards and noted by tech performing the work but was deemed normal operation. A year later now in April 2023 I brought the truck bac... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2023
My 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco 2LT has 120,000 miles on it. I purchased the vehicle at 68,000 miles from the only owner of the car. I have had the car 6 years and kept up on all maintenance. While I was driving in a 45mph zone my vehicle’ s interior lighting started flashing. My dash flashed then said service stability track, car went blank then back on said service power steering flashed again and sa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2023
Failed Component(s): Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Module P/N 68347098 Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) P/N 68143491 Since I bought the truck new back in July 2017, I've had the ABS Module & HCU Fail on (3) separate occasions, each time it failed unexpectedly in wet conditions. The failure causes the ABS and traction control systems to not function correctly. The 1st time it failed was approximatel... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2023
There are two concerns-first the phantom breaking using cruise control and the other is poor functionality of using the windshield wipers. I have experienced the phantom braking since shortly after ownership to as recent as 2 weeks ago. This has caused me to no longer use the cruise control. It is very difficult to engaged the windshield wipers. During nighttime driving and sudden heavy rain I... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2023
Paint defects. Kia admitted about 5-6 years ago that the Snow White Pearl paint on some of their models had issues. Since then they have painted parts of our vehicle 4 or more times. Current issues started in December 2022
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
I purchased a rear pickup cover. I used it without problems. I took the top off and stored it in my garage. When I put it back on, I noticed nothing wrong. When I went to open the cover to put garbage bags in the rear bed, I found the first part of the tri-top did not open correctly. I took it to 2 dealers when I was told the cover could not be repaired and there were no replacement parts. I ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
I purchased a rear pickup cover. I used it without problems. I took the top off and stored it in my garage. When I put it back on, I noticed nothing wrong. When I went to open the cover to put garbage bags in the rear bed, I found the first part of the tri-top did not open correctly. I took it to 2 dealers when I was told the cover could not be repaired and there were no replacement parts. I ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
Both rear springs shattered in three paces withing 6 weeks of each other. One occurred while driving on highway beginning of March 2023. The first time there was no immediate issue because of the way the spring collapsed on itself. I replaced the spring. The second spring shattered and collapsed (end of April 2023) onto the shock causing loud banging sounds. Luckily it collapsed while on city s... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
The recall 00S57 was not done. This was my husbands vehicle and he has since passed away and when I went to get renewal plates for Kentucky since I have moved I saw the recalls and called Ford dealer. They can fix the 05S28 speed control system modification recall which I have scheduled, however they advised parts for repair are no longer available from Ford. I have not had an issue as yet, how... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the dealer determined that 20 lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The lug nuts were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,299.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2023
Upon starting the van (brand new, less than 300 mi driven) everything functions normally in P, however as soon as I shift into D, there is no power and the gas pedal is completely unresponsive (Can push pedal to the floor and still 0 RPM). This issue happens randomly, though the common factor that myself and many others have experienced is being at altitude >5000ft (quite common in western US). Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2023
Upon starting the van (brand new, less than 300 mi driven) everything functions normally in P, however as soon as I shift into D, there is no power and the gas pedal is completely unresponsive (Can push pedal to the floor and still 0 RPM). This issue happens randomly, though the common factor that myself and many others have experienced is being at altitude >5000ft (quite common in western US). Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle sputtered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the cylinders were misfiring. The mechanic replaced the sparks plugs; however, the failure reoccurred. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where it ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
When car is wet, windshield wipers turn on an go crazy an will not stop. Even when car is off they continue to wipe at crazy speeds. Car stay parked in wet weather. Fuse had to be pulled to shut off
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the Autonomous Self Driving or Adaptive Cruise Control feature activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions without any other vehicles or objects nearby. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after a jumpstart and stated that she was unable to shift into reverse(R). No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) and 18V167000, however, the parts to complete the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to recall the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln LS. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH the contact heard an abnormal noise. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and the contact noticed the front passenger side tire had separated from the joint. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the vehicle was experiencing a similar failure as NHTSA Campaign Nu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
This is a driver distraction report about Apple CarPlay which likely occurs in the same way in every other vehicle with Apple CarPlay. (Since CarPlay and Android Auto become more and more common a special category should probably be created to enable customers to report safety critical topics) Since iOS14 Apple has switched off the simple map scrolling and zooming functions and made it a big effo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
This is a driver distraction report about Apple CarPlay which likely occurs in the same way in every other vehicle with Apple CarPlay. (Since CarPlay and Android Auto become more and more common a special category should probably be created to enable customers to report safety critical topics) Since iOS14 Apple has switched off the simple map scrolling and zooming functions and made it a big effo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
The dashboard screen and main screen have been stuck in night mode for months. This makes driving during daytime hours extremely difficult because the dashboard screen cannot be seen. This screen includes, but is not limited to, speed, tire pressure, lame departure warning, and temperature. The vehicle has been to the dealer multiple times and the manufacturer has been contacted. The problem has b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, extra brake travel time was needed to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was purchased, and he was informed that the failure was caused by the new brake pads placed on the vehicle. The contact eventuall... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
The rear brake lights get stuck on causing the traction control and the stabilitrak to turn off and flash the warning on the dash. This vehicle has been to two different dealerships to fix the issues and nothing has worked. The brake pedal sensor has been replaced a couple times. The brake pedal assembly has been replaced. This is a safety concern due to other drivers thinking my brake lights are ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Continuous Alerts across dashboard for Service Airbag System” like every 10-20 seconds. Even if car is not in motion and just on.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel drifted to the left while depressing the brake pedal, and excessive force was needed to maneuver the steering wheel. The air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer on numerous occasions, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
I brought my vehicle to the dealership for its PA inspection and to address a recall that I had specifically listed in my appointment request and also discussed with the staff in person. However, upon checking the nhtsa.org website, I discovered that the recall is still outstanding.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
I bought this car through carvana. They mentioned it had no issues, after 6 months of driving I noticed the car is literally flooded inside and the electrical does not work well at all. I spent alot of money trying to fix the electrical including the wipers and AC yet both keep getting destroyed. Sometimes my traction system will go off and on and it's just so annoying how the water damage is eati... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
None of the issues with this vehicle have ever been addressed by the manufacturer. We have had a STAR case opened and shut with no resolution. The infotainment system glitches, completely goes black, radio doesn't work and the back-up camera will fail on occasion. The blind spot warning is inconsistent and is therefore never relied on while driving. The heated seats have a Technical service bullet... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2023
A very common problem with mercedes. PCV ventilation valve. Fault code P052E
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
Engine failed while driving on busy highway at high speeds. Engine suddenly stopped, forcing us to coast to a stop on a narrow shoulder. Safety was impacted by the risk of impact by oncoming vehicles. Check engine lamp illuminated shortly before failure, giving little warning of a problem. Upon inspection of the engine, engine oil could be seen sprayed out from the front of the engine under the in... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Jul 19, 2019
There was not an incident. But the vehicle is not so safe. The driver needs to move eyes from the road for many normal functions like wipers, horn, high beam. In addition, using the phone is dangerous because all the information is displayed on the main screen and requires the driver to look away an select options. This should be displayed in the dash board behind the steering wheel (like it w... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) - ENGINE
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
Due to cold weather the PCV froze which caused pressure to build up in the vehicle’s crankcase which caused the rear main engine seal to pop out. Results in losing all engine oil without and warning driving down the highway. I was lucky enough to get off the highway but currently without a vehicle due to possible engine damage
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 13, 2023
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and became firm. Additionally, the service electrical braking system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with an ABS hydraulic control unit electrical failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The part to do t... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2020) - BACK OVER PREVENTION
Apr 12, 2023
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while reversing into the parking space, the rear-view camera image turned dark, and the rear tailgate erroneously unlatched, causing the tailgate to open and struck a pole. During the failure, the rear tailgate was damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was inform... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2020
The map light on the front passenger side would intermittently turn on while driving. This was concerning at night as it was quite distracting. It required driver intervention when operating the vehicle alone and limited visibility in the cabin at night while driving.
Incident date: Feb 14, 2020
Flat tire. Right rear. Outside sidewall separated. Hankook tire,185/65R15 88H, DOT 1T&DF 1B HO 4222, H436 19477.
Incident date: Feb 14, 2020
Flat tire. Right rear. Outside sidewall separated. Hankook tire,185/65R15 88H, DOT 1T&DF 1B HO 4222, H436 19477.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Vehicle failed to start while parked at a retail store. Vehicle was towed to a Chevrolet Dealer. Diagnosis revealed a fault fuel pump control module. Dealer declared the part not under warranty. Owner paid $566 for repair. GM Bulletin PIP5719A shows Identical failures being reported on a variety of models with a variety of engines. The problem appears to have been corrected with the 2021 mod... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Loose the power of the vehicle. Can't shift the transmission manually.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
Check engine light on with transmission codes. Transmission is slipping and car won't start intermittently. Also loses power intermittently. Car lost power up hill when driving with my daughter. My 18 year old son, who is an inexperienced driver also drives this car. Will be getting the car diagnosed as Ford dealership on Friday.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
Transmission jerk and stalling
LINCOLN
CORSAIR PHEV
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Apr 10, 2023
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
Spacer between U-Bolt and Leaf spring which binds front suspension system with steering axle has sifted towards front side I have two units with same problem on both of those in brought in 2022 march . Same alike unit bought by one of my friend gets same problem attaching some pictures of both unit to get more specific. Thanks
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
Water pump melted and needed to be replaced, car won't start, airbag light is on and clock spring needed to be replaced, heated seat gets extremely hot on driver's side when turned on.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Accord. The contact stated while entering a parking lot the vehicle accelerated on its own. The contact stated he noticed several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact desperately pressed on the brake pedal, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The front driver-side air bag deployed without any warning obstructive the contact's view and causing him to cr... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
While driving in normal conditions most, if not all, of the van's dash warning lights lit up, the van came to a stop on its own (without input from driver) in the middle of the street, put itself in park and would not shift into drive again. This happened in the middle of the street and before it could be moved onto the shoulder. The battery had to be disconnected to allow the computer/electrica... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
While driving in normal conditions most, if not all, of the van's dash warning lights lit up, the van came to a stop on its own (without input from driver) in the middle of the street, put itself in park and would not shift into drive again. This happened in the middle of the street and before it could be moved onto the shoulder. The battery had to be disconnected to allow the computer/electrica... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
While driving in normal conditions most, if not all, of the van's dash warning lights lit up, the van came to a stop on its own (without input from driver) in the middle of the street, put itself in park and would not shift into drive again. This happened in the middle of the street and before it could be moved onto the shoulder. The battery had to be disconnected to allow the computer/electrica... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - POWER TRAIN
Apr 6, 2023
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
Mileage is 19,300 On 4/5/23 i was entering the gated community where i live stoped pressed remote to open gate then with clutch engaged shifted my wrx into first and the entire steel shaft broke at base where pin secures shaft to linkage this is a wrx sti short throw shifter pn C1010VA001 445 dollar option the Subaru of Ontario repair department indicated that they have never seen such an issue ... Read more