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 29,895 complaints for MAZDA
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2021
Broken front springs. Yes, it is available for inspection. Possible front tire failure, due to rupture of tire by broken spring. Yes, confirmed by Nissan of Stratham NH. No, not at this time. No warning at all. Found broken spring on July 1, 2024. Inspected by Nissan of Stratham on July 8 2024.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
I was driving and it was a loud noise. My son flew up with seat belt on hit his head on roof , gas tank blew up / or swelled up and my back seat is sitting about 10-12 inches above then normal. Very scary and worried
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
Hyundai's current handling of recall 251 is inadequate, posing significant danger to drivers and passengers. Hyundai's remedy for Recall 251 replaces ABS fuse with a lower amperage fuse. While this may prevent fires caused by brake fluid leaks, it disables the ABS, introducing severe safety hazards: •Without ABS, the risk of wheel lockup during heavy braking increases, leading to skidding and l... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) 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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
I have a 2019 Ford ranger that was built June 24th 2019 the internet states that any Ford ranger 2019 XLT built before July 30th 2019 has a recall for the HVAC system in the blower motor well my truck did not make the recall list but yet it has every single issue that they recall every time I call all they say is my vehicle VIN number is not on the recall but what is the chances that my blower mot... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2023
I was sitting in the back seat adjusting my seat belt. The person sitting in the front seat ahead of me was adjusting their seat position. When they did this, the steel seat mechanism came down on the big toe of my left foot. It crushed the toe so hard that I was not able to remove it from the lowering seat mechanism. This was extremely painful and required medical attention at urgent care and ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 30, 2023
7/14/24 This scenario has happened previously. The first time the engine light, steering light, tire light have come on and remained on. Driving around 65 mph the car judders, loses power, & engine light flashes. Thankfully, there was a shoulder to pull over onto because the ability to maintain speed is lost. Also, the highway I was on has extremely busy portions without any shoulder, so the situa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
It is hard to explain to people and some people might not fully understand what they are even feeling if they are not in tune to how the steering system works normally vs with some type of assist. I don't use the lane keeping assist (button on steering wheel) because it is not comfortable for me where the truck wants to be in relation to the lane. But even with lane keep assist off i could feel di... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
For 4 years the car intermittently would turn on all warning lights, shake, become hard to steer and steer in unintended directions. We paid $1500 for the dealer to fix it and we still had the problem. Today, the car will drive less then a mile and die. When we start the car all warning lights come on, the vehicle vibrates and struggles to keep speed of 5 mph or so then will die.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
Intermittent and sudden "Changed Steering Effort" warning on dash every 2-3 vehicle starts. Steering effort is very noticeably increased. This is a known issue among all BMW iX owners, easily inspected, and BMW has swept this problem under the rug for too long and quietly replaced all the steering racks when the warning pops up. Fortunately for many, they're under the factory warranty. Unfortu... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
jeep just shut down while heading down interstate 81 about 70 mph in far 3fd left lane not much time to exit the highway had to sit on the left side of the highway and put in Park and restart it did start up after the complete shutdown
Incident date: May 30, 2024
jeep just shut down while heading down interstate 81 about 70 mph in far 3fd left lane not much time to exit the highway had to sit on the left side of the highway and put in Park and restart it did start up after the complete shutdown
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
All #'s/times are approx. At 2:15p, sun to back, and 30-35mph going into a curve, bike went off road. No brake lights, New tire, 406 miles on it, 6.6 miles fr: dealership, 3rd time there for random electrical issues, radio, starting, etc. Less than 1 mile tested in parking lot. Battery replaced. Drove thousands of miles since the 1970s. Trike maintained on schedule by dealer. Searched this on the ... Read more
Crash
1 deaths
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
All #'s/times are approx. At 2:15p, sun to back, and 30-35mph going into a curve, bike went off road. No brake lights, New tire, 406 miles on it, 6.6 miles fr: dealership, 3rd time there for random electrical issues, radio, starting, etc. Less than 1 mile tested in parking lot. Battery replaced. Drove thousands of miles since the 1970s. Trike maintained on schedule by dealer. Searched this on the ... Read more
Crash
1 deaths
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
All #'s/times are approx. At 2:15p, sun to back, and 30-35mph going into a curve, bike went off road. No brake lights, New tire, 406 miles on it, 6.6 miles fr: dealership, 3rd time there for random electrical issues, radio, starting, etc. Less than 1 mile tested in parking lot. Battery replaced. Drove thousands of miles since the 1970s. Trike maintained on schedule by dealer. Searched this on the ... Read more
Crash
1 deaths
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
One of my daytime running lights is out at 50k miles, thinking it was a simple solution I reached out to dealership and have been informed that the entire headlight needs to be replaced at a cost of $2k. Sound unreasonable considering this car is not old, and the way it has been built in makes it impossible to DIY. More than anything from research online it sounds like it is a common issue in Atla... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
After going very slow, mostly stopped, in stop-and-go traffic for 2 hours, my Chevy Equinox suddenly started to shake and would not respond. The car/engine was on and in Drive but the gas petal would not propel the car forward. My steering wheel locked and I could not turn it in any way. The Engine Light came on and a message came on the dash that said "Push Brake to Start Engine" but pushing the... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, white smoke was coming from the base of the driver's seat belt clip. The contact stated that the air bags warning light illuminated with a message that the driver's side door was opened; however, the door was not open. The contact's son was able to safely pull the vehicle to the side of t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the doors locked independently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The contact stated that on the last occasion, the doors locked independently while her daughter was inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S600. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the active body control warning light illuminated, after which the front suspension lowered to the ground, preventing the vehicle from being driven. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the hydro-pneumatic suspension pump and high-pressure hose. The vehicle was not repaired. After inve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 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 contact stated while driving from a complete stop at 5-10 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and failed to restart. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminate... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
Odometer/fuel gauge goes black and shows nothing on it. Has caused risk because I can not see how much gas I have and have to wait till the gas light turns on. It does it when it gets below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I am unable to see my mileage, the temperature, level of gas I have, the time, etc. It will go back on when it is warmer out but will not when it gets cooler.
Incident date: May 1, 2024
ABS system - flashes on and off dash, ABS has been inspected by dealership. Dealership said, could replace ABS but it could very likely have the same issue due to part malfunction. This malfunction causes- no cruise control, no traction control, sounding and lighting up on dash constantly.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experie... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
Car will stall and then completely shut down. And takes awhile to restart. This last time I was on the highway and cars were going so fast. Almost had a panic attack!!
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
Passenger side active headrest deployed without accident while sitting in driveway no one in or around vehicle and also not running.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
Passenger side active headrest deployed without accident while sitting in driveway no one in or around vehicle and also not running.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
June 29th I was driving home and car suddenly went into limp mode. Had this car less than 2 yrs. I'm the second owner so I don't have 100,000 engine warranty. Its at 91 000 miles. Gets maintained regularly. But the cart consumes a lot of oil and after I google and read all about P1326, i find out there is a campaign by kia fixing these engines. Unfortunately my make and model, even tho same engin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
We have had a recall on our vehicle for over a year now. The finance and car dealership we are leasing our vehicle from is completely useless and has had zero interest in returning my phone call or assisting me in repairing our vehicle. I need emergency assistance ASAP as mine and my families life depend on it.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
We have had a recall on our vehicle for over a year now. The finance and car dealership we are leasing our vehicle from is completely useless and has had zero interest in returning my phone call or assisting me in repairing our vehicle. I need emergency assistance ASAP as mine and my families life depend on it.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
Engine oil cooler line blew apart at factory crimp.
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
My Nissan Altima would not accelerate properly. I was told that to drive the car could put me at risk as the car might totally stop. The dealer diagnosed that the CVT transmission failed. It cost over $5,000 to replace the transmission. 1. Is there any recourse as a consumer? 2. I understand that Nissan has been involved in several class action lawsuits, but I don't know what happened. Is ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
Driving on hwy car states oil pressure low. Car decelerated from 70m to 40m instantly. Made a clanking noise pulled over to check and would not restart.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
engine head crack causing antifreeze leak. caught problem at 65980 miles. Defect confirmed by dealer. I had no indication of problem, only a terrible smell/odor. Dealer indicated a $6000+ cost of repair.(out of warranty). Thank goodness for extended warranty I purchased. I feel Mazda should be held accountable.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving with the cruise control activated and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, after overtaking the other vehicle, the vehicle independently started braking and slowed down to the preset cruising speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not dia... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
Car dash lights flashed and car shut down
Incident date: Jun 29, 2024
The seat tracks/rails (what the seats go forward and backwards on) are extremely hot. It burnt my daughter’s foot as she stepped down. My husband and I felt with our hand and it was uncomfortable hot for the both of us. This is a major concern and safety issue.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2024
Engine has failed. Mechanic at home has found aluminum shavings in the cam shaft area. This model doesn’t have a recall, but should for engine failure. I have 70,000 miles and it’s on year 10. Should be lasting longer with no engine issues. Never had prior warnings for the engine, just engine failure randomly and shavings built up. Available for inspection. Car stalled and could have resulted... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
When Stopping/Coming To A Stop. The Auto Start Feature Kicks In And Causes My Locks To Unlock And Lock Back And The Car To Stall For A Second Or So
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
When Stopping/Coming To A Stop. The Auto Start Feature Kicks In And Causes My Locks To Unlock And Lock Back And The Car To Stall For A Second Or So
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
When Stopping/Coming To A Stop. The Auto Start Feature Kicks In And Causes My Locks To Unlock And Lock Back And The Car To Stall For A Second Or So
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
Why a farm tractor have a full glass cab so the driver can see all around, no blind spot beside the frontal engine while a big truck, the cab is metal all around which makes impossible to see? Tire makers, the design of the sole makes the tire capable of grabbing a rock and throw it at high speed to other vehicles, breaking windshields, denting metal body.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
Harsh and erratic shifting including going into neutral when accelerating. I almost got T-boned by on coming traffic. Now people honk at me cause I’m scared to turn on yellow light.
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
Last year, I purchased a new 2023 Kia Niro Hybrid and had a 24-month lease contract on it. After 9 months (5,700 miles), my car started having problems (Forward Collision Warning, random loss of power steering). My car had to be towed twice to a KIA dealership, where I was told nothing was wrong with my car. They finally agreed to run a scan on the electric syste, where they found a few communic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
215/55-17 Driving a brand new 2024 Toyota Camry with the OEM Bridgestone Tires on a smooth road at normal speed. Tire exploded and went flat. My safety and others were at risk but fortunately I was able to keep control of the car. Bridgestone is unwilling to honor the warranty
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
215/55-17 Driving a brand new 2024 Toyota Camry with the OEM Bridgestone Tires on a smooth road at normal speed. Tire exploded and went flat. My safety and others were at risk but fortunately I was able to keep control of the car. Bridgestone is unwilling to honor the warranty
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
Subject vehicle was parked outside in the driveway of my home for ~1 week and wasn't driven. During that time daily temperatures reached into the low-to-mid 90s with plenty of sun. With no impact damage whatsoever the windshield developed a crack starting on the driver's side outer edge and propagating inward approximately 18" toward the center of the vehicle. Vertically, the crack is located a... Read more