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.

2,215,138 Total Complaints

138,663 Reported Crashes

56,255 Reported Fires

8,561 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 33,200 complaints for MERCEDES-BENZ

Incident date: Jan 17, 2023

In 3 different occasions in this same particular order my car would start to slowly loose acceleration of only letting me drive to 10mph before lights on dash would come on such as ps,abs,traction control ect. Then my radio would shut off followed by my whole dashboard before completely the whole vehicle would completely shutdown on me and I could not start up again. I replaced the battery and pu... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2023

i was driving in the highway 50 mph and i was braking and my car slipped in the other line of the highway and almost had and accident !!!! and cars switched off when driving almost had incident!!!! i saw that many people have the say problem like me about rusted component please do something because people are losing their lifes.

Incident date: Mar 2, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The RPM was fluctuating, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Incident date: Mar 2, 2023

Engine oil cooler failure, had to be replaced. Known issue per 3 techs. Leaks oil onto engine and exhaust. No warning, just the smoke and smell of burning oil. Occurred at 73,200 miles more or less.

Incident date: Feb 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic to replace the water pump, the mechanic determined that the rear axle was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the previous owner had the vehicle serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V385000 ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2023

My vehicle is giving me a warning saying "Front left safety restraint fault - Service is required". This is a 2018 Tesla Model 3 that Tesla says is a repair and not a recall. But if my seatbelts don't work, this seems like it should be a safety recall.

Incident date: Jan 5, 2023

When windshield wipers are on high speed during a storm they will slow down after 30 seconds to a speed of wiping the window maybe every 5 seconds causing a significant reduction in visibility.

Incident date: Feb 2, 2023

3/13/2023, The last two times I drove the 2016 Nissan, the AWD Error was on the display. I’m not sure what would cause this. I also noticed that the ABS indicator flashes for a while and then stays on when I first start the vehicle. As I look back, A few times I remember a hesitation after descending a steep street and making a sharp left turn onto an intersecting street. It felt as if there was... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2022

the steering gear box became disassemble, steering wheel when to twelve o'clock, gears in steering gear box jump gear insurance inspector said a bolt back out,there was 439 recall for steering box recall in 2019 the part number changed several times with multiple bullets for same part.

Incident date: Feb 2, 2022

Bought the truck July 2022 and since then its been problems with stalling. The vehicle cuts off driving down the road. It can happen once a day or 5 times and restart. It was harder and harder to restart and finally it down not restart at all. Everytime it has a different fuel code. Started with the gas cap, then fuel pressure sensor, then driver module, and fuel pump codes. All parts as well as h... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH on a straight roadway, the power steering warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact drove the vehicle back to his residence and turned the vehicle off. When the contact restarted the vehicle, the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

BOUGHT CAR IN 2021 AND A FEW MONTHS LATER CAR STARTED TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON..REPLACED SENSORS AND ALL WAS GOOD. FAST FORWARD TO A WEEK AGO...SCHEDULED AN OIL CHANGE LIKE I ALWAYS DO...CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE STARTED RATTLING. STOPPED DRIVING IMMEDIATELY. CHECKED OIL AND THERE WAS NONE. ADDED 3 QUARTS. TOOK TO GARAGE TO HAVE THEM TAKE A LOOK AT IT. HE ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the coolant level was low, and the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was misfiring. The contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 3, 2023

I am writing in regards to my 2014 ML 350 Suv. The check engine light came on and upon taking it to the mercedes dealership, I was told the issue is that the camshaft adjusters have failed and need to be replaced. The cost quoted is over $11,000 to repair. Upon further investigation I found reports on multiple lawsuits for the Mercedes C series for the same year (2012-2014) that resulted also i... Read more

Incident date: Mar 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted by phone and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer... Read more

Incident date: Mar 3, 2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -- Steering will stick after about 20 minutes of driving. This usually occurs and and is most noticeable at freeway speeds. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -- When it really starts sticking and you have to apply extra force to make minor corrections a small adjustment can tu... Read more

Incident date: Mar 13, 2023

Vehicle headlights work intermittently. Either will go out unexpectedly. Car has been to dealership. Problem not solved. Relays have been replaced, etc. There is a lengthy forum on this topic with this Jeep model; many others have this issue. This is a profound safety issue. When lights do not work, my daughter has been forced to pull off of road, exacerbating the safety issue. Please urge a re... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2023

All airbags are no longer working due to a chip malfunction.

Incident date: Mar 12, 2023

Same as 2013 recall, my transmission "locked" & had to replace the "lead frame assembly" at my expense. I've been told that the 2014 models are having the exact same problem as the earlier (recalled) model years. Please investigate Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Incident date: Mar 11, 2023

PIRELLI Scorpion Zero AllSeason Elect 255/40 R20. Rear passenger tire developed a bulge in the sidewall due to manufacturer defect that led to a blowout while driving at highway speeds. Tire was less than two months old (as was the vehicle) with just over 2,000 miles on it. Never had any curb rash, never caught a corner of a pothole, or any other damage. In doing some research perusing Volv... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2023

Incident date: Mar 12, 2023

Original Abs module has failed, brakes are inoperable. I’m a retired technician and performed the fluid exchange with new fluid myself. The system still failed and left me without brakes. I donor trust the bike anymore but feel that the public is wanting to purchase the bike at an extreme discount.

Incident date: Mar 11, 2023

I bought my car Toyota Corolla coss has three months with 3,700 miles on it. and has had two times problems. The first time, on February 28 2023 at 8 a.m., I was at a traffic light stop my car about 15 seconds later when I heard a warning beep. The message read "low steering power," low battery, and then steering lock. I tried to turn off the engine button, but there was no response. I pressed it ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2023

The rear liner had water indications, with an odor of mildew in the car. I couldn't drive around with mildew in my car. I notuved shortly after i purchased yhe vehicle that the brake light was cracked. I didmt think much of it, thought it was just a cosmetic thing. It was taken to my dealership and they confirmed the water was getting in through the cracked brake light. I did a little research and... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V387000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 that the check engine warning light... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

Intermittent low oil pressure light (at low RPM) TSB issued for Korean customers, not for US Customers.

Incident date: Oct 10, 2022

Unintended acceleration from a stop when pushing accelerator. Has happened 2 times in the last 2 days. I touched the throttle from a stop 2 time and it took off like I put the accelerator to full throttle (which I didn’t). Very dangerous situation in parking lots or around pedestrians. I have scheduled an apt with my local dealer.

Incident date: Oct 20, 2021

many things had to be fixed like the camshift senor, tps, new battery after 2 months. the car will only crack and crack it will not fire. have took it everywhere and never get the answer as to what is wrong with it. the key fob will work hit and miss will show no key

Incident date: Oct 27, 2022

I am concerned about the recall notice I have received. It states that "An unexpected engine shut down resulting in a loss of motive power can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning." I was told the fix will be a software update that provides 30-90 seconds to get off the road before the engine shuts down. I drive in remote parts of the mountains where the roads are twisty and narrow, it ge... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The steering column does not operate properly. The column no longer adjusts positions and more importantly, the turn signals work ad-hoc. When you start the vehicle, the turn signals tend to operate properly; however, after driving for approximately 15 minutes, the turn signals operate sporadically. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN as it's impossible to know when the turn signal will operate correctly ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

I bought this car as a certified pre-owned, picked it up on January 18, 2023. This is our family car and we took it on a 350 mile each way road trip on Jan 27. Upon arrival to our destination, driving around the city I noticed a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust. I checked the oil and there wasn't oil registering on the dipstick, so I added 5 quarts of oil to the car to get us home on Sun... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

Incident date: Mar 9, 2023

When I go to start the car the car does not start....a warning comes on saying "vehicle key not being detected" see owners manual The key is sitting on the console when I start it. It took me 3 times before it started . I left a gym in the morning hours and it wouldn't start when I came out ...same warning came on.. This has happened 4 times in a 3 month period. Has been in service 4 time... Read more

Incident date: Mar 9, 2023

The rear view camera in our Model 3 stopped working in April 2022. This is a known problem related to NHTSA Recall Number 21V-00D, which was issued in December 2021. It has been over a year & Tesla is still waiting for parts to become available to perform the repairs for this recall. Although our car is still drivable, it is very difficult to use Tesla’s Superchargers since they require the car ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 8, 2023

Driving down the freeway, the vehicle lost response to the throttle and transmission resulting in no ability to safely move off the road and needing to coast to the shoulder. A wrench icon on the dash appeared along with an engine light which stayed illuminated and was reading a p0720 error code (Output shaft speed sensor). This occurred twice while going freeway speeds, and once at city street ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2023

After just 250 miles on the car and just after one month of the purchase, my wife along with my 4 years old daughter was driving to get my 7 years old son from the school when it suddenly stopped on the road with displaying errors on the screen as follows, the car battery was sufficiently charged, later from the inspecting what it appeared that the "rear drive unit" of the car got screwed up. War... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that water had intruded into the connector and the fuel pump control unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, after the vehicle was retri... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2022

While driving the vehicle the car shut off while driving on the Highway in traffic.When the vehicle came to a complete stop after thankfully not being in a collision the vehicle would start but wouldn't go into drive.It was later Determined that the Transmission suffered a catastrophic failure for the second time.The Transmission has less than 17K on it and the first Transmission failed at 41K Nis... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2022

While driving on the interstate I was using Autopilot (cruise control). I started into a slight curve when the vehicle suddenly emergency braked. The roadway was clear and thankfully no vehicle was following close behind me. Also there was no warning alarms, just a sudden, aggressive braking. This has happened several times before but the first time with no alarms beforehand.

Incident date: Mar 7, 2023

I purchased a new 2022 Subaru BRZ. Shortly after the purchase, the wheel bolts loosened which caused catastrophic damage to the wheel, and all brake components. Upon further research, we believe this may be an inherent vehicle defect. This problem is subject to a recall involving hub bolts which can loosen to the point where the wheel can detach from the vehicle damaging the brake components ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2019

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while attempting to drive from a complete stop. The contact stated that the vehicle would respond as needed after shifting into a lower gear. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving approximately 45 MPH. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The check engine warn... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2022

My wife and myself were on a little road trip and the vehicle lost power while on the freeway. It wouldn't go over 60 mph which was concerning as we were in the middle of freeway traffic. I managed to get to an exit and shut off the vehicle. I restarted it and it seemed to be fine. We continued to where we were going and on the way home, the same thing happened, again at freeway speeds. I was... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

My operating my Model 3 in autopilot mode, there is one particular location that my car "phantom brakes" every time I pass. I travel this location an average of 4 times per week. I have been reporting the phantom braking to Tesla for almost two (2) years and they still have not fixed the problem. They claim the car is doing what it is supposed to do. The phantom braking occurs on a divided h... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the rec... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

Hyundai denied engine replacement after providing them with complete and full oil change history.

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

Vehicle stalled and shut completely off then back on. Vehicle shut down during an attempted left turn almost causing deadly collision with oncoming traffic. Vehicle completely a hard break, shut off then back on in the middle of a left turn.

Incident date: Feb 20, 2023

Since taking ownership of vehicle in summer 2022, have experienced multiple incidents of vehicle emergency braking for no apparent reason while using cruise control. In a few instances when I have attempted to use cruise control again after initial phantom braking incident, there is a 2nd incident of emergency like braking for no apparent reason in the same trip. Have never attempted to reuse crui... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V835000 (Power Train); 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experie... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2023

Abs cruse control forward collision lane departure lane keeping none of these features work dealer can not fix it very unhappy with ford,

Incident date: Mar 6, 2023

Abs cruse control forward collision lane departure lane keeping none of these features work dealer can not fix it very unhappy with ford,

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Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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