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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 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 2,245,377 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

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 33,654 complaints for MERCEDES-BENZ

Incident date: Feb 20, 2023

Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am writing to bring to your attention a serious safety issue that I experienced while driving my Tesla Model S 2015 on Freeway 680 in [insert location]. On 2/27/2023], the left rear wheel of my car suddenly dropped, causing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Fortunately, the incident occurred at night with less traffic, o... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System) 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 c... 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,

Incident date: Feb 27, 2023

Access noise in car very distracting...A Bluetooth connection caused a scent of a Bursted battery The causing a gas like affect almost resorting in a car accident. I heard a internal air bag burst and could visually see the gas like connection with the Bluetooth and smart ph. And the brakes went out in mid traffic. And came with no spare tire.

Crash

Incident date: Feb 25, 2023

My car restarted itself and wiped out the entirety of my saved settings. I’m very upset because I had to set up everything all over again. Additionally, the full self driving brakes randomly while driving and causing my body to slam and pushed back from the seat belt. The autopilot feature also failed to recognize yellow lights where it will cross it, which had to be disengaged by the driver in ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 19, 2022

Rear passenger door lock inoperable. Not able to open door from inside or outside. Safety issue, vehicle accommodates two child car seats in the rear. Component failure, should be a recall.Safety issue.

Incident date: Nov 19, 2022

Vehicle brakes suddenly while driving even when there are no cars or obstacles of any kind in front or even in the distance. This has led to several events where I was almost rear-ended because of how strongly and violently the car was breaking on the highway. Last example was on March 5th 2023 at 1:19 p.m. while driving on interstate 90 in Ohio going westbound, there were no cars in front or in t... Read more

Incident date: Nov 19, 2022

Incident date: Feb 13, 2023

I just bought the Toyota I was told that he had brought this Toyota to a dealership and it was sent to har some sealant sprayed on frame to prevent anymore rust. The whole frame and the spare tire holder thing is total rusting out and the motor mounts are even rusting out is there a recall on his veichle if not there should be

Incident date: Mar 3, 2023

Side detection system failures. Repaired side detection systems 2 times ( 2017/2018 and again in 2020) both times GM reimbursed for repairs under technical bulletin. Repairs were supposed to be using “redesigned” parts to prevent issue from reoccurring. Side detection system requires service again in February 2023. That is 3 times this failure has occurred in 8 years of owning this car. I... Read more

Incident date: Sep 15, 2022

Beginning in January 2023 with approximately 20,000 miles our leased 2021 Jeep Wrangler began to shake uncontrollably while driving on the highway at speeds over 60 mph. The shaking was so significant that while trying to safely guide the car off the highway my husband was shaken into the guardrail causing damage to the right front bumper. We are horrified that Jeep has had this problem for so lon... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jan 16, 2023

Nissan driver side air bag, the air bag deployed, could have been deadly.

Crash

Incident date: Jan 16, 2023

Car has some type of black silicone inside oil pan. Inside upper pan as well. Also has clogged a screen that oil passed through. I have seen many people online do this pan drop time and time again and still having big chunks blocking its path to engine. I’m afraid of oil deprivation. This with ultimately destroy the entire motor. This could lead to serious injury or death if the motor suddenly g... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2022

The first instance happened on or about February 27, 2021 at mileage 48,865 I was traveling on an interstate and I completely lost all power to my transmission and my jeep started to smoke heavily as I pulled off to the side of the road. The jeep company refused to pay for the repair even though there was a recall on the clutch. After I posted on social media about the issue, Jeep reached out t... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

My Ford Explorer had a rear suspension toe link Recall, and in December I took my vehicle to the Ford dealership to get it fixed. At that time, they did a full vehicle inspection, fixed the part, and told me everything looked great. Shortly after the service, we had a snow storm, and my SUV would fishtail in Icy/snowy conditions. Every time it'd snow, it made me so scared to drive, because I'd ess... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Mar 3, 2022

Honda has a known issue with its emissions. A warranty extension Service Bulletin 22-002 has been issued to replace fuel injectors up to 10 yrs 150,000 miles but they do not identify other malfunctioning components that also need replacement. My vehicle has the MIL with codes P0420 and P2096 for the past year. I had the fuel injectors replaced and O2 sensor replaced in August of 2022 but the MI... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle dynamic control (VDC) warning light illuminated, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stopped on the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle started operating normally... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2022

The contact owned a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping between gears and making a grinding sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the control module needed to be replaced. The manufactu... Read more

Incident date: Feb 24, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, he attempted to lock the door manually; however, the door failed to lock as needed. The contact stated that the door could only be securely locked by using the key fob. The contact stated that the door failed to lock as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be d... Read more

Incident date: Feb 24, 2023

The car has 107,000 miles on it, and has recently started making a strange noise and it died on 2 separate occasions. I took it to a mechanic, who thought it might need a new engine. I did a little online research and all of these engine problems for Kia Sorento's popped up. I took it to a Kia dealership, to get their view on it. They confirmed it needs a new engine, but that they don't know ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 27, 2023

1st dealer visit: at low speeds car acted like it was in neutral and then surged when trying to accelerate. Dealer said they corrected the issue. they did not. 2nd dealer visit: car was still doing the same as number 1. While on the highway with cruise control set at 75 mph, I lost power and smoke started billowing from under the car. transmission was shifting erratically, went into limp mode an... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and while idling, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The dashboard was shaking, and the glove box was rattling. While shifting from park to drive or reverse, the vehicle vibrated. Additionally, the vehicle was hesitating and misfiring during acceleration. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was n... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2023

Car begin smoking out of the back took car to dealership car oil was low. Car dealership refilled oil and told me to come back after driving 1000 miles. Car began smoking again like it was going to catch on fire took car in was told the turbo boost failed. Dealership mention that the turbo boost was previously repaired and under warranty so they repaired it. Car started smoking again I took car to... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2023

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

Transmission doesn’t have 3rd or 4th gear. Vehicle was smoking under hood. Found out after buying it it has flood damage. Mechanic said there was water in the transmission when inspected. Vehicle needs catylic converter sensor and vehicle has bad ground wire. Seller didn’t inform me of any of these issues and he said it was in good shape and very reliable.

Incident date: Feb 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered inadvertently, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 21V00D000 (Back Over Prevention) and 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for t... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the ABS and electronic braking system (EBS) warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the ABS pump motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 37,000.

Incident date: Feb 13, 2023

Two miles from home all sorts of electrical malfunction warning ⚠️ lights appear. Too many to list here. Then car completely stops and all electricals shut down. This happened in the middle of a very busy three lane 45mph main artery. Stuck in gear, unable to push off side of road. After ten minutes or so of cars zooming around us, it started enough to get off road to safe place. Waited 4 hour... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

I was using the vehicle's traffic aware cruise control, but not autopilot and the vehicle experiences sudden braking without warning or reason. I had no other vehicles near me, on a straight, flat road with no bridges, signs or other things to cast shadows. The weather was sunny, but the sun was not shining on the front of the vehicle. The most extreme instance starting braking the vehicle from 84... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2020

I have had to replace both the driver side and passenger side headlight assemblies in this vehicle. This a defect with Acura RDX and should be recalled. The Acura dealership confirmed the headlights were dimmer than the daytime running lights and would not pass inspection. I replaced the left headlight in 2018 and the right one in 2022. Even after costly replacement, the lighting is still very dim... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The message "Do Not Drive" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V017000 (Air... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

The issue is with the driving lights asembly since 2 years ago my driving lights are not providing enough light to drive the vehicle i am forced to have the high beams on. I have changed numerous bulbs to no avail. At this point i am driving and cannot see infrond of me. This is dangerous to my family and pedestrians that cannot see my car or me see them.

Incident date: Feb 6, 2023

2022 FOREST RIVER IBEX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO CO LEAK.

Incident date: Feb 28, 2020

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V142000 (Visibility) 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 experienced ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2020

The windshield is weak and cracks at a small piece of gravel going less than 40mph. I have had this 2022 crosstrek for less than a year and it has received a crack. My 2019 crosstrek received 4 windshield replacements due to cracking windshields. As a driver, I feel that Subaru has a weak windshield that cannot sustain any amount of trauma which feels unsafe. If one pebble can crack my windshield ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2022

CONSTITUENT WRITES REGARDING FORD ENGINE MOTOR RECALL AND ISSUES CONCERNING IT.

Incident date: Jun 1, 2022

Leased new 2021 Audi Q5 from Audi of Coral Springs , FL on Aug 17, 2021. We had the vehicle serviced on 12-24-2022 and where notifed that during the inspection that all 4 tires needed to be replaced and where shocked because our Audi only had about 13,000 miles on the odometer. We asked how to get coverage under our NEW car warranty and where once again shocked when the service rep informed us tha... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2022

Incident date: Jan 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact attempted to deactivate the cruise control feature however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle slowed down and the contact was able to pull over to the side of the roadway and turned of... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

Exhaust-Piece that holds exhaust together has come loose twice now. Dealership confirmed the cause was due to a poor manufacture weld. The dealership has replaced the exhaust once, and this time the manufacturer is only agreeing to pay a portion of the cost. It was replaced less than two years ago and the car is driven less than 12,000 mi a year. Safety issue- because the piece that holds t... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2023

Vehicle suddenly vibrates when driving between 38 and 40 Miles per hour.

Incident date: Feb 23, 2023

Calipers lock up, even going 10 mph. This is after 1 month of replacing part of the brake line and the caliper. The brake system sensor seems to be faulty as the car never tells you that you have an issue.

Incident date: Feb 23, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle rolled backwards. The contact applied the parking brake. There was an abnormal scraping noise detected while starting the vehicle. The roll back warning light was illuminated. There was a message stating “Transmission, Not Secure” was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle... Read more

Incident date: Feb 23, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was informed by the dealer that a coolant sensor would be placed inside the vehicle to remedy the recall. Since the recall, the coolant warning light would frequently appear on the instrument panel. The contact was then informed by the dealer to freque... Read more

Incident date: Nov 4, 2022

Staring at 40ish MPH, steering becomes sticky and slight corrections become difficult, at higher cruising speeds of 65+ this issue gets worse. Staying in lane can be difficult especially on lanes going from straight to curved. Sticky steering also fights lane assist which causes wheel to overcompensate automatically. The car is basically brand new at >5000 miles. However it is now unsafe to drive ... 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