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: Dec 15, 2022

Driving to work this morning approximately 6:40am, it was pretty dark out. Road conditions were fine (dry, no rain or snow, etc.). My CR-V automatically slammed on the brakes without warning for maybe 1/2 of a second and then released them as the screen flashed bright and then immediately kicked to an error about the auto-high beam detection system. Luckily there was no one behind me. There wa... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

On 02/08/23 I had the ZA3 - transmission dipstick, and transmission vent recall completed at Lovegreen Chrysler in Kirksville, MO. Nobody at RAM, or the dealership told me that after completion of the recall the new “dipstick” would be a substandard part, that it isn’t a functional dipstick at all. I am now unable to check the Automatic Transmission Fluid on my $90,000 RAM 2500 Limited truck... Read more

Incident date: Dec 20, 2014

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V633000 (Trailer Hitches) 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. The ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 23, 2022

My transportation business invested in a Commercial Sprinter Van 2500 4x4 2022, that was purchase on November 19th, 2022. We use these cargo van to transport LTL throughout United States and Canada. On December 23rd, 2022 the vehicle was involved in an incident that almost resulted to death of the driver due to a faulty manufactured vehicle recently purchased through Mercedes Benz. After complet... Read more

Incident date: Dec 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over on the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 30 MPH, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinde... Read more

Incident date: Dec 23, 2022

Battery drain

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

Power steering goes in and out

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

There was a smell of gasoline in and outside the car when the car was idling. Also, a smell of gasoline in the garage around the parked car. Also a smell of gasoline after starting the car, that went away after driving. I called the service department. They gave me an appointment one week later. I have no complaints about the service dept. When the car was repaired several hours later, the report ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 6, 2023

the lug nuts are being striped when changing for tire rotation or a flat or new tiers

Incident date: Jan 15, 2022

Honda Pilot, 2019. Loose wiring causing the infotainment center and lane assist to go out while driving, there is a service bulletin out there, but dealership will not repair. Bulletin number 20-058. This is dangerous while driving, and will not recover until the car is turned off and turned back on.

Incident date: Jan 15, 2022

Incident date: Feb 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving in the morning at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal would depress below the gas pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal was soft while attempting to slow down and stop the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to his ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 5, 2023

trying to shift from drive to park, will only go to reverse. Must release shifter and push to park again for it to shift to park

Incident date: Sep 26, 2022

On my morning commute to work, while using ADAS equipment, vehicle swerved harshly to the right from the right lane in an attempt to take an exit off the highway even though I had not signaled an intention to take the exit. Then, while on a straight, clearly marked highway, vehicle “phantom braked” harshly 3x even though there were no obstructions or cause for hard braking. There were no other... Read more

Incident date: Sep 26, 2022

The driver’s seat heat connection appeared to have an electrical failure and appears burned.

Incident date: Jan 20, 2023

The car is not breaking or driving and dangerous at times. Was taken to deer and the abs computer module was the issue. It’s been 4 months every abs module they’ve gotten from the company is programmed wrong. I went through 3. No parts are available nationwide. Hundreds if not thousands of dodge ram truck owners have the same parts issue the abs module stops working and cannot find another. Do... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

Backup camera fails to work. My Lincoln dealer confirmed but cameras are on back order. This camera is used in multiple Ford vechiles and recalls have been issued for some but not my 2016 Ford Taurus.

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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. Parts distributi... Read more

Incident date: Dec 21, 2022

ON 12/30 HAD A TIRE LOSING AIR VISITED DISCOUNT TIRE TO SEE IF TIRE HAD A LEAK THE SHOWED ME 2 CRACKS ON THE ACTUAL WHEEL. Discount tire stated my wheel must be replaced. I HAVE READ ON VARIOUS CORVETTE FORUMS HUNDREDS OF C7 OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE THE WHEELS APPEAR TO DEFECTIVE. I WENT TO DEALER AND PURCHASED NEW WHEEL FOR $1100 FOR ONE WHEEL I CONTACTED GM TO TRY TO GET REIMBURSED AND THEY... Read more

Incident date: Dec 21, 2022

The engine has stalled in middle of the road on several occasions. I have a had an independent service center confirm.

Incident date: Apr 26, 2021

Vehicle Check Engine Light turned on a Vehicle Lost power. Vehicle often hesitates upon acceleration. Convertible Top does not close as well intermittently.

Crash Fire 1 injured

Incident date: Apr 26, 2021

I have taken my car to the dealer and had them look at the brakes. Every time I press on the brakes it makes a grinding sound almost as if the car is to heavy for the brakes and skids a little. At Findlay Volkswagen they tell me they are aware of the problem, but Volkswagen has not approved any type of fix. I have also talked to other people with the same car everyone I have spoken with that has t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 26, 2021

Went out our Outback this morning and noticed a crack in the windshield. The crack originates from the drivers side edge of the windshield, at approx. the midpoint of the vertical edge of the windshield. I drove the car yesterday without incident. There was no crack in the windshield when I parked in the driveway yesterday, late afternoon/early evening. There does not appear to be a rock chip or ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the center console was extremely hot, and the driver's side seat electric panel cover had detached. The contact inspected the driver's side seat and noticed there was rust on th... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

My 2020 jeep wrangler becomes hard to control when I'm driving on the highway, it seems when I hit a small.bump in the road my steering wheel shakes to the point its hard to keep my jeep under control and remain safely in the lane I'm driving in. I bought my jeep to the dealer on 02/08/23. The results indicated I need a new stabilizer. The dealer stated no current steering parts are available at ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2019

I was getting a warning sign on my screen in car. Is said safety problem. I tried to tell Mercedes’ but they did not want to see the car . They told me to go to the mechanic who did a small job fixing the car due from a small collision. I did take it back and mechanic said he didn’t touch that. When I was going through all of this I told Mercedes’ financial to hold on my account . I did not ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2019

The contact's mother owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V813000 (Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair; however, the contact was then informed that the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired, and an oil change was completed. The manufacturer was not made... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2019

Very strong fuel smell in car especially after driving seems tank or fuel pump leaking im afraid it can or will catch fire

Incident date: Feb 9, 2023

While entering interstate accelerator was depressed all the way and became stuck on a couple of occasions. I had to use my foot to release it and it popped out. Dealership recommended it was floor mat. I purchased aftermarket ridged floor mats that will not curl up and it is still an issue.

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

Coolant leaking from back of the Engine block on 2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 sedan with 67000 miles..

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

Coolant leaking from back of the Engine block on 2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 sedan with 67000 miles..

Incident date: Feb 7, 2023

The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// This is an extremely dangerous vehicle malfunction and needs to be addressed as soon as possible before someone is killed. /////... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2023

The airbag lights come one and comes off periodically. The Honda Motors refused to address the issue. This car 's current audiometer reading is 51500 miles

Incident date: Jul 1, 2021

Clock spring is defective/broken. This could be very dangerous as the airbag may not deploy in the event of an accident. Hyundai has used this exact part on other vehicles that have had issue and have recalled/extended the warranty to cover. Hyundai however won't fix this very dangerous issue on the Santa Fe and even wanted almost $200 just to look at the car even though the part is very obviously... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2021

Incident date: Nov 23, 2022

The grid heater bolt that is on the bottom side of the grid heater. It fails and the bolt falls off and get sucked into the engine destroying the piston and cylinder causing an over 10,000$ expense.

Incident date: Jan 31, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that she was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after 5 minutes she was able to start the vehicle and to drive to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -Front Driver Seat and the rear subframe. Yes How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -Seat moves around while driving. The subframe is bad, which if it broke could be dangerous. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -No, my husban... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

My engine needed to be replaced after they said it overheated and was beyond repair.

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who noticed that there was an abnormal hissing noise detected when the brake pedal was depressed. While driving, the vehicle was hesitating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The mechanic informed the consumer that the brake booster needed to ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 5, 2023

I took my car to Toyota for multiple issues with my electrical. My headlights go out every 5-10 minutes when trying to drive at dark. The headlights turn off or do not work if I try to use my blinker or windshield wipers. Three times now my car has stalled when I tried to turn on my headlights while driving. And one time it stalled when I went to make a left turn. Toyota ran a diagnostic and said ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, and at other various speeds, the check engine warning light remained constantly illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle had been leaking coolant into the engine block. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had no... Read more

Incident date: Feb 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was significant white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed. The contact pulled into a gas station and verified that the engine oil and coolant level were normal; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 12, 2022

Defective connecting rod bearings that wore out early, which can lead to engine failure and stalling which almost led to a car crash. The connecting-rod bearings in the engine that could wore out prematurely and damage the engine resulting in engine failure. This created abnormal knocking noises from the engine , reduced power and flashing check engine light.

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

Was driver the car at 35 mph when the automated emergency breaks activated and made the car into a full stop. No cars or anyone was in front of the car. This happed again two days later doing about 30mph with no one around the car. Car had proximity 3000 miles My heads-up display stopped working on the car twice. First time it stopped the dealer had to order a new one and replace it. Same p... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approxima... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

There has been a safety recall since June of 2022 out on my car, and the manufacturer has failed to provide a timely remedy for the situation. I have since taken it to have work done for a permanent code (caused by the recall), and spent time and money trying to resolve the safety issue that the manufacturer has failed to. I am concerned that I am driving a car with a safety issue that has not yet... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) 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 contact stated while driving at various speed, there was a rattling sound coming ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2021

In December 2022 the ABS warning light came on in my truck. Dealer confirmed that the ABS Module needed to be replaced. My dealer also said that there were several other like vehicles that they were holding onto for the same reason. Internet search revealed that this is a known issue with Ram. The real problem is that the part is apparently on a long backorder. There are reports of people waiti... Read more

Incident date: Jan 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the windshield was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility) but the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was unable to locate a mechanic to compete the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approxim... Read more

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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

Read more from our blog