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 14,402 complaints for MITSUBISHI

Incident date: Feb 22, 2004

TURN SIGNAL FAILURE - IT MAKES A LOUD SPARKING SOUND AND FAILED. *LA

Incident date: Nov 10, 2003

I HAVE A 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW AND MY CLUTCH HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 3000 MILES COSTING NEARLY 1500 DOLLARS AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BY MITSUBISHI. IT WAS REPLACED WITH A AFTERMARKET CLUTCH I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH AS OF YET AND IT HAS 17000 MILES ON IT. *LA

Incident date: Mar 6, 2004

I HAD BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW ON JANUARY 10TH, 2004 WITH ABOUT 300 MILES ON THE CAR ALREADY FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT IT FROM FRED BEANS MITSUBISHI. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOT BEEN HARD ON MY CAR AT ALL. BUT ABOUT 2,500 MILES ON THE CAR, MY CLUTCH STARTED TO STICK AND I FELT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I REPORTED IT TO MITSUBISHI AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A NORMAL THING THESE CAR'S DO. ON MARCH 6TH 2004 I W... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2004

2003 MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION CLUTCH DEFECTIVE AT 5500 MILES. ALSO 3RD GEAR SYNCHO IS GONE. VERY WEAK CLUTCH. *LA

Incident date: Apr 23, 2004

WHILE BRAKING THE REAR BRAKE TAIL LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. *NM

Incident date: May 7, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE CAUSE WAS NOT DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

Incident date: Apr 6, 2004

WHEN DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION. *JB A SERVICE TIMING BELT TENSIONER WAS INSTALLED AND THE ENGINE DISPLAYED AN INTERNAL NOISE WHEN STARTED DUE TO A SHORT BLOCK. (OTHER CONTACT NUMBER FOR THE CONSUMER ARE: DAY/510-879-2980 & EVE/707-552-1665) *SC

Incident date: May 23, 2004

WHILE DRIVING 80 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP. THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT,"THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND THREE TIMES BEFORE LANDING INTO A DITCH." THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

1 injured

Incident date: May 24, 2004

HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. BOUGHT NEW BULBS TO REPLACE. BOTH PLUGS TO THE HEADLIGHT BULBS HAD MELTED. TOLD BY DEALER IT WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND WAS NOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *NM

Incident date: May 24, 2004

HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. BOUGHT NEW BULBS TO REPLACE. BOTH PLUGS TO THE HEADLIGHT BULBS HAD MELTED. TOLD BY DEALER IT WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND WAS NOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *NM

Incident date: May 20, 2004

THE CLUTCH FAILED AFTER ONLY 12,000 MILES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE VEHICLE WAS HOT RODDED BUT THE DRIVER STATED THAT SHE WAS AN EXPERIENCED MANUAL TRANSMISSION DRIVER. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *NM

Incident date: May 23, 2004

UPON REVERSING FROM A PARKING SPOT MY GEAR SHIFT BECAME FREE FLOATING. I WAS UNABLE TO PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, OR PARK. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE TRANSMISSION LINKAGE CABLE BROKE. IT TOOK 3 DAYS TO FIX. THEY HAD TO PULL OUT THE DASH. MY CAR ONLY HAD 63,000 MILE ON IT, BUT WAS OVER WARRANTY BY 3,000 MILES. THE COST TO REPAIR WAS OVER $500. *NM

Incident date: Feb 25, 2004

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AND WENT OFF ON THEIR OWN. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *AK THE HEATING CORE WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. *JB

Incident date: Feb 25, 2004

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AND WENT OFF ON THEIR OWN. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *AK THE HEATING CORE WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. *JB

Incident date: May 17, 2004

I HIT A SMALL HOLE IN THE ROAD WHICH CAUSED MY WHEEL TO BEND AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS WILL BE THE 3RD WHEEL I AM REPLACING FOR THE SAME REASON. I WAS NOT DRIVING ERRATICALLY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I FEEL THE CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN THIS ORDINARY ROAD HAZARD. ALSO, THE CAR/STEERING WHEEL VIBRATE AT CERTAIN SPEEDS. I HAVE HAD THE ALIGNMENT DONE, TIRES REPLACED/BALANCED. NOTHING HE... Read more

Incident date: Jun 15, 2003

THE RIGHT SIDE BALL JOINT SEPARATED ALMOST CAUSING CONSUMER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.*MR *LA

Incident date: Jun 15, 2003

THE RIGHT SIDE BALL JOINT SEPARATED ALMOST CAUSING CONSUMER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.*MR *LA

Incident date: May 13, 2004

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING . CONSUMER HAD NO CONTROL OVER VEHICLE. AFTER COMING TO A STOP CONSUMER NOTICED THAT PULLEY FELL OFF. DEALER DETERMINED THAT CRANKSHAFT PULLEY BOLT DETACHED, CAUSING $900.00 DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER STATED THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE CRANK SHAFT PULLEY BOLT RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

Incident date: May 13, 2004

Incident date: Apr 1, 2004

+BRAKE PADS MUST BE CHANGED BECAUSE OF PREMATURE WEAR. MILEAGE: 17,000.IF THE TRUCK IS STOPPED, AND YOU PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, YOU FEEL LIKE IT WOULD STALL, BUT IT KEEPS GOING.*AK

Incident date: Apr 1, 2004

+BRAKE PADS MUST BE CHANGED BECAUSE OF PREMATURE WEAR. MILEAGE: 17,000.IF THE TRUCK IS STOPPED, AND YOU PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, YOU FEEL LIKE IT WOULD STALL, BUT IT KEEPS GOING.*AK

PREMATURE WEAR OF THE LOWER LATERAL ARM AND BALL JOINTS. *MR THE VEHICLE MADE NOISES AND THE STEERING WAS OFF. THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOUND THAT THE TROUBLED AREA WAS ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE. (THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE WEAR OF THE BALL JOINTS) THE PROBLEM OCCURRED LESS THAN A MONTH BEFORE RECEIVING RECALL#00V421001. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT. *SC ... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2004

A FRONT END COLLISION WITH A TRUCK GOING 40 MPH IN AN INTERSECTION. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY RESULTING IN HEAD, CHEST, NECK, AND BACK INJURY. *AK

Crash 1 injured

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A STEERING PROBLEM. THE STEERING IS PULLING TO THE RIGHT. *AK

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR A WHEEL ALIGNMENT ON THREE OCCASSIONS, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

Incident date: Mar 14, 2004

OCTOBER 20, 2003 I PURCHASED A 1997 ECLIPSE GST FROM CITY LIMIT AUTO IN JOHNSTON, RI. MARCH 14, 2004 I WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN A SMALL CLICK FORMED IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR AFTER REACHING 3,500 RPMS. WITH-IN MINUTES THE CLICK DEVELOPED INTO WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A SMALL HOLE IN THE EXHAUST, PROBABLY THE CAT. NOT WANTING TO RISK IT I PULLED OFF THE NEXT EXIT TO BRING THE CAR TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE AND HAVE IT T... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2004

I HAVE A NEW 2003 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE, WHICH IVE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES NOW WITH THE SAME TWO ISSUES: THE FRONT BREAKS MAKE NOISE AND MY STEARING WHEEL VIBRATES WHEN I BRAKE AND THE CHECK ENGINE SERVICE SOON LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON.*AK ONE OF THE DEALERS EMPLOYEES TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKES ISSUES WAS VERY COMMON AS SOMETIMES THE CARS SIT FOR A LONG TIME IN A LOT BEFORE THEY ARE SOLD... Read more

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A BLOWOUT. *AK

Incident date: May 18, 2004

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WANDERED OFF ON ITS OWN. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE DRIVER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THE PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *JB

Incident date: May 13, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH CONSUMER PUT THE VEHICLE IN CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED VEHICLE REVVED, AND PICKED UP SPEED. CONSUMER CHECKED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL VACUUM PUMP HOSE WAS THE PROBLEM. DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION.*AK

Incident date: Mar 10, 2004

I OWN A 1992 300GT WITH 51,000 MILES. THE CAR IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEAR ON MY TRANSMISION. THE CAR COULD NOT GET INTO GEAR SMOOTHLY. THE GEARS WOULD CONSTANTLY GRIND. I TRIED RECOMMENDING TRANSMSSION FLUIDS FROM MITSUBISHI BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY MITSUBISHI WITH A CERTIFIED FACTORY REBUILT (YOU CAN NO LONGER PURCHASE A NEW ONE).... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2004

STRUT TOWERS (JUST UNDERNEATH THE HOOD) ARE RUSTING. IT'S AS IF THE VEHICLE IS RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. VEHICLE WILL NO LONGER PASS INSPECTION. THE REST OF THE VEHICLE IS ABSOLUTELY FINE.*AK

Incident date: Nov 20, 2002

COMPLAINT: REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH FRONT BRAKES. ROTORS HAVE NEEDED TO BE RESURFACED SEVERAL TIMES AND NOW ARE UNABLE TO BE RESURFACED AGAIN AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. CONTINUOUS VIBRATION OF BRAKE PEDAL AND IN STEERING WHEEL WHILE BRAKING. AT TIMES, ENTIRE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS SHAKING (PASSENGERS NOTICE THE VIBRATIONS THROUGH THEIR FEET ON THE FLOORBOARD). WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN NOVEMBE... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Sep 5, 2002

18 SPLINE OUTPUT SHAFT ON MY 92 3000GT VR4 SNAPPED REPLACED TRANSMISSION AND AT A COST OF 5000 US DOLLARS. OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED THIS IS A FAULTY DEVICE. *AK

Incident date: Jan 15, 2004

TWO OF MY WHEELS ON MY 2000 MITUSBISHI ECLIPSE HAVE SIGNIFICANT BENDS ON THEM FROM NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT OF THE WHEELS BEING BENT IT CREATED UNEVEN WARE IN MY TIRES AND BRAKE ROTORS. I HAVE HAD THE TWO WHEELS STRAIGHTENED BY A WHEEL SHOP ON TWO OCCASIONS AND PAID $75 FOR EACH ONE.

Incident date: May 12, 2004

ENGINE MOTOR MOUNTING WORE OUT PREMATURELY, CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO JUMP WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

Incident date: May 12, 2004

ENGINE MOTOR MOUNTING WORE OUT PREMATURELY, CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO JUMP WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

Incident date: May 12, 2004

NO EVENT LEADING TO FAILURE. SEVERAL ELECTRICAL ITMES IN THE CAR STOPPED WORKING- RADIO, DISPLAY, DEALER ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO LOCATE PROBLEM, THEY BELIEVE A GROUND WIRE IS LOOSE.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2004

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE RIM DENTED EASILY. AS A RESULT, CONSUMER WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE PART BECAUSE OF A CONCERN FOR A POSSIBLE TIRE BLOWOUT. *AK

Incident date: May 11, 2004

WHILE SHIFTING VEHICLE JERKED AND SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE SITTING AT AN INTERSECTION VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED OUT INTO TRAFFIC. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Incident date: May 10, 2004

THE REAR DEFROSTER FELL OFF INTO THE VEHICLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND REAR WINDOW EXPLODED, SENDING GLASS INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.*AK

Incident date: Oct 16, 2001

INCIDENT: REPACEMENT OF 4 DIFFERETNIALS IN 30.000 MILES/HAVE ALL DOCUMENTATION, RETURNED VEHICLE 3 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE FOR REPAIR. REPAIRED EVERY 8000 MILES AND SEEKING REPAIR AS OF TODAYS DATE MAY 11 2004 FAILURE: 4 DIFFERENTIALS FAILED, STILL FAILING AS OF MAY 10, 2004 HAVE CONSUMER PROTECTION/FRAUD CASE WORKER & 2 LETTERS FROM DEPARTMENT OF JJUSTICE ASKING FOR DEALERSHIP TO COMPLY. CONSEQUE... Read more

CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A ROUTINE CHECK UP, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THA DRIVER'S REAR WHEEL BROKE, AND REPLACED IT. *AK

Incident date: Feb 17, 2004

REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS DONE PRIOR TO RECEIVING RECALL NOTICE. *PH THE VEHICLE'S BALL JOINTS FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTIFICATION (00V421001). THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT AND INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND IN NOW REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT. *NM

Incident date: May 7, 2004

THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT HAS CAME ON FOR THE FOURTH TIME ON 5.7.04 AFTER IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN FIXED AFTER THE THIRD TIME IT WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR ON 4.26.04. *AK

Incident date: May 6, 2001

I PURCHASED MY CAR NEW FROM MODESTO MITSUBISHI. AT THE TIME IT WAS NOTED THAT THE SUNFROOF MOLDING WAS NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY AND WAS TO BE REPLACED. I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING, ELECTRICAL MALFUNTIONS, MIRRORS, CLOCK, CASETTE DOOR DEFECT, ALSO SUNROOF OPENED ONLY WHILE GETTING ON HIGHWAY. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND ENDED UP HAVING TO RENT A CAR FOR ABOUT 3 1/2 WEEKS WHILE ... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2001

Incident date: Aug 20, 2003

DROVE OVER POTHOLE IN ROAD. THIS DENTED AND CREATED CRACK IN RIM, WHICH LED TO A SLOW LEAK FROM WHEEL. NEED A NEW WHEEL RIM FOR REPLACEMENT. A RIM SHOULD NOT CRACK THIS EASILY. A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DURABILITY SHOULD BE EXPECTED FROM PARTS OF THE CAR AND THIS IS PLAINLY NOT ACCEPTABLE. *AK

Incident date: Apr 14, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH IN THE RAIN A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. CONSUMER SWERVED TO AVOID THE DEER AND WENT INTO A DITCH. FRONT OF THE VEHICLE STRUCK A METAL POLE IN A DRIVEWAY AND FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. SEAT BELTS WERE WORN AT THE TIME OF THE COLLISION, BUT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

Crash

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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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