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 6,381 complaints for MINI
Incident date: May 1, 2023
After occasional intermittent warnings (lasting 1-2 driving session with several months between warnings), the vehicle developed a persistent malfunction warning within 2-3 minutes of starting the vehicle. This warning indicated a fault with the lane assist camera that also disabled the vehicle's automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, and all adaptive cruise contr... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
After occasional intermittent warnings (lasting 1-2 driving session with several months between warnings), the vehicle developed a persistent malfunction warning within 2-3 minutes of starting the vehicle. This warning indicated a fault with the lane assist camera that also disabled the vehicle's automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, and all adaptive cruise contr... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle briefly sputtered and nearly stalled before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the intake camshaft actuator was stuck in the open positio... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN S
(2008) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 13, 2023
Incident date: Nov 10, 2023
The “steering assist reduced. Drive with care” A/C turns off and fan kicks on high. Transmission temp flatlines. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN S
(2008) - ENGINE
Nov 13, 2023
Incident date: Nov 10, 2023
The “steering assist reduced. Drive with care” A/C turns off and fan kicks on high. Transmission temp flatlines. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Nov 10, 2023
While stopped in preparation to make a left turn across traffic on a 4 lane road, our 2020 Honda Odyssey engine stalled- the engine idle stop function did not restart the engine as designed. We had to restart our car, but the car did not immediately restart, it took us 2-3 attempts. There was no prior warning or indication there was a problem. We could have easily been hit by another car, injur... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2023
When I turn off the LTA switch, it stays on..in other words the steering is affected, and warning beeps sound when I cross into another lane. This is both irritating and dangerous. I brought it in to Orland Toyota for service. The service advisor related that the Technician who worked on it said the computer in the car shows that it’s working properly, and they are going with that. When I prote... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
Vehicle had 14,000 miles and tires were rotated by dealership twice, last one 3 weeks ago. Was driving 55 mph and had a sudden complete deflation and stopped immediately. Tire is completely separated. The outer sidewall is completely separated from the rest of the tire. The tire has never had an injury or other issues. The tire rotation was at Gerry Lane Chevrolet in Baton Rouge, LA. I took the ti... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted to 1st gear. The contact struggled to get the vehicle to accelerate. The contact stated that the engine revved however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and was able to drive 15 MPH in 1st gear to the residence. T... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2010) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Nov 6, 2023
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
I was driving home from work on a two-lane highway when my car suddenly (and without any warning) lost all driving power and shut down while there was still battery left on the vehicle (roughly 10%). I could no longer maneuver the vehicle due to lack of propulsion, so my car died in the middle of the road. It was towed directly to Tesla service center where diagnostics were supposedly run. Their c... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2010) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Nov 6, 2023
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
I was driving home from work on a two-lane highway when my car suddenly (and without any warning) lost all driving power and shut down while there was still battery left on the vehicle (roughly 10%). I could no longer maneuver the vehicle due to lack of propulsion, so my car died in the middle of the road. It was towed directly to Tesla service center where diagnostics were supposedly run. Their c... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
The side view mirrors are positioned in a way that completely blocks visibility on the sides of the car, especially when making a left-hand turn. After owing the vehicle for several weeks, I collided with another car when making a left-hand turn. I couldn't see the car when turning until it was too late. I've been driving for 30+ years and have never had an accident before. I had another close cal... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
Sitting in my car warming it up and the windshield pops and the is a 2 foot crack in the windshield
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Hi, I own a 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 and the door locks do not lock all the time. The concern here is that when I have children in the truck the child safety locks do not lock and to me this is a concern. I had the door lock actuators replaced and that still didnt fix the problem. After doing research, there is a body control module that controls all electrical functions to the interior of the truck. I... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH uphill on a curvy road, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and jerked to the right towards a ditch that was in front of a cliff. The contact used physical strength to steer the vehicle back into the lane. The message "Power Steering Failure" was displayed and the traction control, the Stabili-trak and ot... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
I had gone out to do errands in the morning. My errands were in a nearby military base, approximately 4 miles from my home. When I returned, I parked in my driveway. When I went back to my vehicle to retrieve something, there was a large (approximately 2 foot) crack on my windshield. It was not there on my morning errand run and there was no other way the windshield would have cracked. This is a 2... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
Car started rough and engine light came on. Coolant low. Took car to Ford dealer service department and was told the problem was coolant intrusion. Was told not to drive it as eventually the car would overheat and engine block would crack. Only fix is to get a new engine.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment screen went blank without warning. Occasionally the vehicle would inadvertently shut off once the screen went blank. The contact stated that the adaptive driving system feature would independently active, causing the vehicle to jerk out of the driving lane, and the contact would temporaril... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear driver's side wheel made an abnormal grinding sound. The vehicle was taken an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake shoes were loosened and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2023
DURING INSPECTION, TECHNICIAN NOTED COOLANT RESERVOIR VERY LOW. TECHNICIAN TRACED COOLANT LEAK TO VALLEY SEAL. RECOMMEND TO REPLACE NOTICED BEFORE PERFORMING COOLANT REPLACEMENT FOUND THE RESERVOIR WAS NEAR EMPTY INDICATING A LEAK IN THE SYSTEM. INSPECTED RADIATOR ASSEMBLY AND FOUND NO OBVIOUS LEAKS. INSPECTED COOLANT VALLEY FROM UNDER THE CAR AND FOUND LARGE AMOUNTS OF DRY COOLANT AROUND T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The component for bulletin # N192268181 had failed. Releasing carbon monoxide into vehicle and left me with no warning to address the problem. My 02 sensors were sending my control module wrong readings . My car should be listed in this recall. I have been having problems with this since I purchased it and didn't know there was a silent recall for these parts. The only warnings I got was a ba... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Grand Design Imagine. The contact stated that while having the RV serviced, the contact was informed that the wires to the front axle brake on the trailer was never connected. No warning light was illuminated. The RV had been diagnosed. The RV was repaired by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mile... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
MOTOR CRANKS BUT DOES NOT TURN OVER. TRY MULTIPLE TIMES FINALLY IT WILL START. JUMPED THE FUEL PUMP FUSE IN TIPM TO EMPTY SLOT AND IT STARTS NORMAL 50% OF THE TIME. READ MANY COMPLAINTS OF SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM AND HISTORY OF RECALL FOR OTHER VEHICLES BUT NOT THIS MODEL. UNACCEPTABLE. SLEW OF OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE: RADIO CHANGING STATIONS AND SAVING CURRENT STATION TO MUL... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
mild crash! my Ram 1500 pickup trucks can lose power-steering with no warning. I could NOT turn!
Crash
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - POWER TRAIN
Oct 16, 2023
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Cylinder 2 had a stored code for misfire and oil and coolant mixture leaking from block. With the F150 raised up on the lift I removed the lower splash shields and continued inspection. Oil was found predominantly on passenger side with a mixture of oil and coolant leaking out drivers side. Using my lab scope I was able to locate the damage in the block. A large crack split down in a Y pattern. Th... Read more
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2012) - ENGINE
Oct 16, 2023
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Cylinder 2 had a stored code for misfire and oil and coolant mixture leaking from block. With the F150 raised up on the lift I removed the lower splash shields and continued inspection. Oil was found predominantly on passenger side with a mixture of oil and coolant leaking out drivers side. Using my lab scope I was able to locate the damage in the block. A large crack split down in a Y pattern. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
RAV4 53,000 miles on and engine maintenance required prompt came on. No other warning lights on dash. Took it to dealership and it was a coolant bypass valve. Read up on it and it’s been happening to many more people. Was originally charged $900 but got a discount ended up being $825
Incident date: Aug 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, requiring an engine replacement. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine); 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 ex... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Driving on Highway 46 in California at a speeds ranging from 65 to 75 mph in both adaptive cruise control and autopilot when the car suddenly braked abruptly for no reason. There wasno traffic or obstruction. This occurred several different times on this highway in both directions and on different days during daylight hours with both light and moderate traffic.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Toyota dealer where it was purchased. The Toyota dealer diagnosed that engine oil was leaking from the valve cover gasket. The dealer replaced the valve cover gasket, the coolant hoses, and the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Toyota dealer where it was purchased. The Toyota dealer diagnosed that engine oil was leaking from the valve cover gasket. The dealer replaced the valve cover gasket, the coolant hoses, and the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
the abs module and the hydraulic pump have a issue that turns on the abs and light and turns off the cruise control and reverts to non abs braking due to faulty module and pump assembly that was changed already and now the wont cover this under any warrenty known faulty part
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2013) - ENGINE
Oct 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
Cracked cylinder head with oil leaking. There were no warning from my car prior to a diagnostic test. The car has a very strong rubber burning smell and white smoke comes out from the engine part before I took my car back to the Mazda Dealer. From a quick search, the cracked cylinder problem seems widespread with the 2018-2021's Mazda Cx-5. Took the car back to the dealer and dealer replaced the h... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
Sudden feel of a misfire putting truck into reverse, definitely caught my attention as vehicle has under 140k miles! Just had new Ford spark plugs and lifetime warrantied coil packs in the last 20 to 25k! it's had at least two if not three oil changes in the last 20k to 30k miles! Put vehicle into drive same felling of a misfire and doesn't take long it flashes the check engine light at me so I tu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel made an abnormal clicking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the failure was related to the steering wheel. There was no further information... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
Oil Consumption to Rod Bearings; yes can be inspected but have to pay $280 just for inspection. While driving on the freeway my car abruptly slammed in speed from 65mph to 20 causing a lot of near miss rear ending and me to pull off the freeway! No, I don't trust my local dealer due to the money making scheme they have! A mechanic I know had discovered that my vehicle has been eating the oil too q... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
We are having downshifting issues and the speed is randomly changing. The truck came to a stop while still driving. The speedometer doesn’t reflect accurate to the truck speed.
MINI
COOPER ROADSTER
(2013) - SERVICE BRAKES
Oct 2, 2023
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Rear brakes became extremely worn very quickly. Had to replace rear brakes in September of 2023. Purchased the car with 0 miles in February of 2022.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
I purchased this vehicle in July of 2023 and put 3000 miles on it and then found out when parked and sits…when started blue smoke comes out of exhaust. Made an appointment at a Ford dealer, it was there 10 days without being looked at and I needed to return the rental car, which I told the service advisor that it had to be checked out in order for my warranty company to pay my rental fees, kept ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
When activating gas pedal, there is a rattling and grinding when in motion and then it subsides. When stopped at light or intersection, when giving gas again, the rattling and grinding resumes. Car seemed to be running a little louder than it's ever been since purchasing a few years ago. At no time has there been any dashboard lights or warnings prompting any problems with engine, low oil or any... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2023
While driving on the freeway at about 75 mph, the rear passenger tire exploded causing our driver to almost lose control of the vehicle before coming to a stop on the side of the road. No lamps or warnings were given. No inspections have been completed but I have retained the tire if needed.
Incident date: Sep 21, 2023
While driving on the freeway at about 75 mph, the rear passenger tire exploded causing our driver to almost lose control of the vehicle before coming to a stop on the side of the road. No lamps or warnings were given. No inspections have been completed but I have retained the tire if needed.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
The instrument panel cluster has failed. You can not see how fast you are going, none of the dash is lit up. You are unable to determine if there are any issues going on with the vehicle. The adaptive cruise control and emergency braking system is not working properly. The battery will also not hold a charge. Our safety is at risk as we don't know what is going on with the fuctions of the truck or... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
Passenger headrest spontaneously deployed at a VERY violent force. Will not go back in.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V413000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2011) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
Sep 25, 2023
Incident date: May 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the contact heard an abnormal squeal coming from the front brakes. The contact stated he had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become more frequent, with the squeal being heard while driving... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated violently. The low tire air pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front driver’s side tire. The contact was informed that bubbles had developed on the tire side wall, requiring a replacement. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
The brakes instantly became soft and unresponsive with a warning chime and message to service the vehicle. The brake fluid reservoir was empty with no apparent leaks on the vehicle. I refilled the brake reservoir only to watch it disappear over a short time. I researched and found there is a recall 16S24 impacting Ford F150 ecoboost vehicles with this exact symptom. My vehicle does not show up on ... Read more