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: Apr 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the panoramic sunroof shattered without incident. The contact initially thought that the failure was linked to his tires; however, upon inspection of his tires, he found no defect. The contact then discovered that his sunroof had shattered into several pieces. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
The brake light switch assembly failed. The car's brake light will not go off. Other drivers do not know if you are braking. The dealer can not fix it until next week, meanwhile, it is dangerous to drive. This brake switch assembly is under recall for 2014 MKZ and 2015 MKZ. It looks to be the same assembly on the 2016 MKZ. There was no warning. The brake lights come on while parked in the driveway... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
The brake light switch assembly failed. The car's brake light will not go off. Other drivers do not know if you are braking. The dealer can not fix it until next week, meanwhile, it is dangerous to drive. This brake switch assembly is under recall for 2014 MKZ and 2015 MKZ. It looks to be the same assembly on the 2016 MKZ. There was no warning. The brake lights come on while parked in the driveway... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
The brake light switch assembly failed. The car's brake light will not go off. Other drivers do not know if you are braking. The dealer can not fix it until next week, meanwhile, it is dangerous to drive. This brake switch assembly is under recall for 2014 MKZ and 2015 MKZ. It looks to be the same assembly on the 2016 MKZ. There was no warning. The brake lights come on while parked in the driveway... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2022
Rear end started a sudden howell and shaking and grinding and the Abs and traction control light came on and brakes and suspension did not want to function properly while driving in traffic as quick as I could I pulled over and it looked like one tire was sticking out of the axel way far So I just pulled over and called for my AAA to to and got towed home thats it
Incident date: May 3, 2022
Rear end started a sudden howell and shaking and grinding and the Abs and traction control light came on and brakes and suspension did not want to function properly while driving in traffic as quick as I could I pulled over and it looked like one tire was sticking out of the axel way far So I just pulled over and called for my AAA to to and got towed home thats it
Incident date: May 3, 2022
Rear end started a sudden howell and shaking and grinding and the Abs and traction control light came on and brakes and suspension did not want to function properly while driving in traffic as quick as I could I pulled over and it looked like one tire was sticking out of the axel way far So I just pulled over and called for my AAA to to and got towed home thats it
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective transmission pump. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking noise detected and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that water had entered the engine and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
4/19/22 Staten Island NY. As I was getting off of the Hylan Blvd exit from the SI Expressway traveling toward NJ, I made a left turn. While the wheel was turned the power steering failed, locking up the steering wheel. These alerts came on the dashboard: Hill Start Assist Warning, Service Steering, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available. The car was towed to Dana Ford and the technician says ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
4/19/22 Staten Island NY. As I was getting off of the Hylan Blvd exit from the SI Expressway traveling toward NJ, I made a left turn. While the wheel was turned the power steering failed, locking up the steering wheel. These alerts came on the dashboard: Hill Start Assist Warning, Service Steering, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available. The car was towed to Dana Ford and the technician says ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
4/19/22 Staten Island NY. As I was getting off of the Hylan Blvd exit from the SI Expressway traveling toward NJ, I made a left turn. While the wheel was turned the power steering failed, locking up the steering wheel. These alerts came on the dashboard: Hill Start Assist Warning, Service Steering, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available. The car was towed to Dana Ford and the technician says ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
driving at 15mph, steering locked and was very difficult to get out of traffic. power steering assist fault came on AFTER the failing. attempted to restart the car several times , power steering never re-engaged
Incident date: May 1, 2022
driving at 15mph, steering locked and was very difficult to get out of traffic. power steering assist fault came on AFTER the failing. attempted to restart the car several times , power steering never re-engaged
Incident date: Feb 7, 2022
All windows will fog up when the outside air temperature is below 29 degrees Fahrenheit. The dealer says that it is a known condition, but they are not sure how to resolve it.
Crash
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
Lincoln customer service has been an ultimate nightmare. Previously spent $2,000 just so the car would stop blasting the heat, blasting the radio, locking and unlocking vehicle. In order to get the car stereo working it’s an additional $4,000. From all my research I’m relieved I’m one of many dealing with this recall Lincoln refuses to take responsibility on screwing loyal customers like me.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
Lincoln customer service has been an ultimate nightmare. Previously spent $2,000 just so the car would stop blasting the heat, blasting the radio, locking and unlocking vehicle. In order to get the car stereo working it’s an additional $4,000. From all my research I’m relieved I’m one of many dealing with this recall Lincoln refuses to take responsibility on screwing loyal customers like me.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
Lincoln customer service has been an ultimate nightmare. Previously spent $2,000 just so the car would stop blasting the heat, blasting the radio, locking and unlocking vehicle. In order to get the car stereo working it’s an additional $4,000. From all my research I’m relieved I’m one of many dealing with this recall Lincoln refuses to take responsibility on screwing loyal customers like me.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
The car speed decelerating. I was driving on Freeway going 75 miles yellow wrench came on car decelerated to 45 miles an 18 wheeler was behind me and couldn’t stop almost hit me thankful the opposite lane was free and he was able to change lanes in time. Once lane decelerates it shut completely down. This could have cost me my life. The vehicle is in the shop took it before and because the light... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
The car speed decelerating. I was driving on Freeway going 75 miles yellow wrench came on car decelerated to 45 miles an 18 wheeler was behind me and couldn’t stop almost hit me thankful the opposite lane was free and he was able to change lanes in time. Once lane decelerates it shut completely down. This could have cost me my life. The vehicle is in the shop took it before and because the light... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
When applying the brake to slow down on an exit ramp, the car unexpectedly accelerated despite the brake pedal being pressed hard. The driver was able to avoid a collision with a stopped vehicle in front by shifting the gear into neutral. The engine revved up for a couple a seconds, but returned to a normal rate of revolution with the gear still in neutral and the car practically stopped.
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Apr 26, 2022
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
I have had multiple CHECK ENGINE LIGHT issues where the description is "MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP - REGULATORY" and the detailed description is a problem with THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION SYSTEM (EVAP). My cell phone app says fuel vapors are being detected. Three separate times, this check engine light has come on. Three separate times I've brought the vehicle to the dealership. My car only has ... Read more
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Apr 26, 2022
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
I have had multiple CHECK ENGINE LIGHT issues where the description is "MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP - REGULATORY" and the detailed description is a problem with THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION SYSTEM (EVAP). My cell phone app says fuel vapors are being detected. Three separate times, this check engine light has come on. Three separate times I've brought the vehicle to the dealership. My car only has ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
Had to replace all 20 lug nuts at one time on my 2015 Lincoln MKC; described as swollen; "ACPZ *1012*H 247886 Nut
Incident date: Jul 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently downshift which would lead to an abrupt slowdown of the vehicle. The contact stated that both the power train and fuel tank warning symbols would appear on the instrument panel after the failure. The contact would then restart the vehicle and resume normal driving sho... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
This was the most recent issue I experienced with my Aviator, the first being electrical after 2 months of owning it. I was driving and the car completely shut off (engine, power steering, breaking) the electrical components went crazy, but I thankfully was not on a highway as I had to guide the truck until it stopped from moving 25mph+. I went into oncoming traffic but no one was there. Then I ha... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
This was the most recent issue I experienced with my Aviator, the first being electrical after 2 months of owning it. I was driving and the car completely shut off (engine, power steering, breaking) the electrical components went crazy, but I thankfully was not on a highway as I had to guide the truck until it stopped from moving 25mph+. I went into oncoming traffic but no one was there. Then I ha... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
This was the most recent issue I experienced with my Aviator, the first being electrical after 2 months of owning it. I was driving and the car completely shut off (engine, power steering, breaking) the electrical components went crazy, but I thankfully was not on a highway as I had to guide the truck until it stopped from moving 25mph+. I went into oncoming traffic but no one was there. Then I ha... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Apr 19, 2022
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
Drivers side rear door wont unlock
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
2105 LINCOLN MKZ. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING BRAKE PEDAL STOP BUMPER SAFETY RECALL. CONSUMER IS REQUESTING TO BE REINBURSED FOR PAYING FOR - RECALL RELATED REPAIR. TS THE CONSUMER STATED PRIOR TO RECEIVING THE RECALL NOTICE, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED BRAKE PEDAL STOP BUMPER FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PICK UP SPEED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. ALSO, THE BRA... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ
(2015) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Apr 18, 2022
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
While driving, the right front brake hose ruptured, releasing a large amount of brake fluid, dropping the brake pedal to the floor and causing a sudden loss of braking power. I have the faulty hose in my possession. I was not able to brake while driving out of the mountains in Tennessee. My wife and I consider ourselves lucky to be alive. Had it happened minutes earlier, we would not be here to te... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Driving this vehicle in snow and ice collects in my wheel wells because of the material used in them. It is felt like heavily textured that the snow and ice sticks to like glue. So, in lots of snow and slush on the road it quickly collects to its limit of area between tire and wheel well and then makes turning or steering the car difficult. It does NOT slide off easily even when going to the ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal became firm and difficult to depress. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the failure to be brake booster and brake master cylinder failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approxim... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
Apr 14, 2022
Incident date: Apr 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while having the vehicle serviced, the lug nuts were unable to be removed from the wheels due to swelling. The vehicle was diagnosed by a local tire dealer with failure of the lug nuts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving at night at approximately 35 MPH, the low beam light's visibility was blinding and made the vehicle unsafe to drive. The vehicle was diagnosed at a local dealer with a headlight failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,300.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving approximately 3 MPH, the brakes locked up. The ABS warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 21,000.
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 13, 2022
Incident date: Dec 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH on an entrance ramp onto the highway, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The warning message "Stop Safely Now" and "Full Accessory Power Mode" were displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road for a moment. The contact then continued to drive. The contact stated that the... Read more
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) - ENGINE
Apr 12, 2022
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
CONSTITUENT WRITES REGARDING VEHICLE STALLING ON THEIR 2022 LINCOLN AVIATOR. This is brand new vehicle with 3,000+ miles on it. The first day owned it, around 12-21, the vehicle would not go into drive. A warning message appeared that said 'high-voltage battery warning", "The hybrid powertrain system has detected a fault". It would also flash "Full Accessory Power Active". After some internet sea... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Lincoln MKX. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the driver’s and passenger’s side airbag warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer had been n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated she continued to pump on the brake pedal until the vehicle began to decelerate. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the Hyd... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKX. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of ti... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2022
I called ford dealerships to fix the problems back in 2019 but the two recalls have not been fixed yet. Recently, my car was almost failing to stop while I was breaking down.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2022
I called ford dealerships to fix the problems back in 2019 but the two recalls have not been fixed yet. Recently, my car was almost failing to stop while I was breaking down.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2021
The middle rear seat belt became stuck around my child and could not be removed. It progressively became tighter and tighter as we tried to unbuckle it. Ultimately the seatbelt needed to be cut off
Incident date: Apr 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while her fiancé was making a left turn, the “Service Power Steering Now” warning light was illuminated and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was not drivable but was close to her residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist fault warning message was displayed and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact restarted the vehicle while attempting to correct the failure however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
the main "Sync" dashboard screen, 3 different times within 2 weeks, after warm engine was re-started, the screen was looking like video was completely out of "sync" of "vertical hold", mostly vertical, in sections, making the screen unuseable: the vertical image was rolling in the vertical axis. After several to many minutes of driving & re-starting the secreen went back to "normal".
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
When in park, vehicle fails to stay parked in some instances. For example, SUV has rolled forward (while in park): when parking on an incline or while unloading items from trunk, resting against bumper caused it to roll ahead and hit closed garage door in the garage, or when leaning on the SUV body outside vehicle it can disengage from park and start moving while shifter stays in P position. Eme... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
When in park, vehicle fails to stay parked in some instances. For example, SUV has rolled forward (while in park): when parking on an incline or while unloading items from trunk, resting against bumper caused it to roll ahead and hit closed garage door in the garage, or when leaning on the SUV body outside vehicle it can disengage from park and start moving while shifter stays in P position. Eme... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
When in park, vehicle fails to stay parked in some instances. For example, SUV has rolled forward (while in park): when parking on an incline or while unloading items from trunk, resting against bumper caused it to roll ahead and hit closed garage door in the garage, or when leaning on the SUV body outside vehicle it can disengage from park and start moving while shifter stays in P position. Eme... Read more