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: Nov 6, 2003

WHILE TURNING 5 MPH, THE FRONT BALL JOINT AND AXLE SNAPPED. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE GEARS TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED. CAUSE HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *PH

Incident date: Aug 18, 2003

I HAVE A 2003 ECIPSE THAT I HAVE HAD IN THE SHPO TWICE BECAUSE MY CAR IS LEAKING OIL. I HAVE HAD CONTINOUS RUN AROUND AT THE GARAGE WAITING FOR PARTS ETC. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE FACT THAT MY GARAGF FLOOR CONTINUES TO HAVE WET OIL ON IT.I ALSO AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE THAT I AM PAYING FOR.MY CAR HAS BEEN RETURNED ON THREE OCCASSIONS TO GURLEY-LEEP, WHERE IT CURRENTLY IS,FOR THE SAAME PROBLEM O... Read more

Incident date: Nov 10, 2003

THE BRAKES SQUEALED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. DEALER AND INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACED THE BRAKES PADS AND ROTORS TWICE, HOWEVER, THE NOISE STILL OCCURS. *AK

Incident date: Nov 10, 2003

THE BRAKES SQUEALED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. DEALER AND INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACED THE BRAKES PADS AND ROTORS TWICE, HOWEVER, THE NOISE STILL OCCURS. *AK

Incident date: Sep 9, 2003

CAR WAS PARKED WITH KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS AND STRUCK TREE.

Crash

Incident date: Nov 4, 2003

INTERMITTENTLY THE STEERING COLUMN COLLAPSED INTO DRIVER'S LAP WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. DEALER STATED THIS WAS UNUSUAL, WE NEVER HEARD A CASE LIKE THIS PROBLEM.*AK

Incident date: Oct 23, 2003

POWER TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CAR STOPPED MOVING THE SPEED WAS LESS THAN 30 MILES PER HOUR. THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE IN REVERSE BUT NOT FORWARD. *AK

Incident date: Sep 12, 2003

WHEN DRIVING FOR OVER AN HOUR VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. DRIVER PULLED OFF THE ROAD. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT PROBLEM STILL RECURRED.*AK

Incident date: Sep 20, 2003

WHEN MY MITSUBISHI EVOLUTION VIII HAD 3,600 MILES ON IT, THE CLUTCH BEGAN SLIPPING -- THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 45 MILES PER HOUR IN TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO DEALER. THE DEALER SAID THE CLUTCH WAS A "WEAR ITEM," AND REFUSED TO REPLACE IT. *LA

Incident date: Oct 27, 2003

LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60-70 MPH IN THE RAIN, HIT A GUARDRAIL SEVERAL TIMES AND AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. FRONT OF VEHICLE WAS SO DAMAGED THAT CAR COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. *LA

Crash

Incident date: Oct 29, 2003

WHEN DRIVING STEERING WHEEL FELT REAL LOOSE. DEALER STATED LOWER BALL JOINTS FAILED.*AK

Incident date: Oct 27, 2003

REAR WINDOW SHATTERED WHILE PARKED IN COVERED PARKING. UNKNOWN CAUSE AND NO INDENTATION (POINT OF IMPACT). *AK

CRANKSHAFT BOLT IS LOOSENING ON VEHICLE CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING.*MR CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WASN'T RECOGNIZED TO BE WITHIN THE RECALL. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE DEFECT AND HAD TO PAY $1355.56 FOR REPAIRS AND $130.00 FOR TOWING. CONSUMER FEELS MITSUBISHI SHOULD COVER COSTS OF REPAIRS AND TOWING DUE TO THE RECALL THAT WAS CREATED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. *PH

Incident date: Oct 27, 2003

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER RIGHT AWAY. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN 89$ CHARGE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. LATER THAT DAY I WAS CALLED TO BE TOLD THAT IT WOULD NOW COST ME 192$ BECAUSE THEY HAD TO DOWNLOAD INFORMATION TO THE COMPUTOR. THIS DEFINATLY SOUNDS LIKE A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AND THEY ARE CHARGING THERE CUSTOMERS TO FIX IT. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MITSUBI... Read more

Incident date: Oct 18, 2003

2003/MITSUBISHI/DIAMANTE VR-X ON OCT 18 2003 I GOT MY NEW CAR AND IT HAS BEEN SHAKING AT ALL TIMES IT WAS IN ON MONDAY 20 TUESDAY 21 WEDNESDAY 22 FROM 22 OF OCT TO 27 I AM STILL NOT DRIVING MY CAR I HAV NO SEEN IT AND MY SHAKING IT STILL NOT FIXED.*AK

Incident date: Oct 27, 2003

AFTER TURNING ON THE TURN SIGNAL, IT CAME ON AND OFF ON ITS OWN. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ANALYSIS. *AK

Incident date: Oct 26, 2003

EASILY BENT RIMS ON THE 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT, ALL MY 4 RIMS HAVE SOME SORE OF DAMAGE WITH A NORMAL DRIVING HABITS, MY CAR SHAKES AND FEELS UNSAFE ABOVE 60MPH. *LA

Incident date: Oct 24, 2003

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE ALLOY RIM ON MY 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT WAS BENT AND CRACKED FROM SIMPLY HITTING A POTHOLE IN THE ROAD. THIS CAUSED MY TIRE TO RAPIDLY DEFLATE AND THE RIM UNABLE TO BE USED. *LA

Incident date: Aug 5, 2003

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AT FIRST GEAR ON 2003 LANCER ES. THIS CAR IS ONLY A YEAR OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 6,000 MILES ON IT. I SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *LA

Incident date: Feb 20, 2002

I PURCHASED A 2002 MITSUBISHI GALANT ES FROM DUNPHY MITSUBISHI IN HAVERTOWN, PA FEBRUARY 18, 2002. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER MY BRAKES STARTED TO SQUEAK, I CALLED DUNPHY MITSUBISHI AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE. AFTER THE SERVICE CENTER SPRAYED MY BRAKES DAYS LATER THEY BEGAN TO SQUEAK AGAIN, I PLACED ANOTHER CALL AND WAS TOLD BY DUNPHY SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THEIR WILL BE A REMEDY TO S... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2003

MOLD HAD DEVELOPED AROUND THE DOORS AND WINDOWS OF THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED A HORRENDOUS SMELL. THE MOLD SPORES CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO BECOME SICK FOR FOUR MONTHS. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *JB *NM

1 injured

Incident date: May 4, 2003

WHILE DRIVING, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE MANUAL STATED TO PULL OVER AND WAIT UNTIL THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE LIGHT GOES OFF AND TO PROCEED DRIVING. THE CONSUMER STARTED DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER AGAIN. *JB THE ENGINE STARTED TO SMOKE AND TH... Read more

WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL CAME COMPLETELY OFF THE RIM. *JB

Incident date: Oct 22, 2003

I WAS TRAVELING RUSH TRAFFIC GOING OVER A HILL WHEN THE CAR STOP AND STARTED TO REVERSE, WHILE IN DRIVE. I BRAKED AND PUT CAR IN PARK STOP THE ENGINE AND RESTART THE VEHICLE AND TRIED MOVING FORWARD BUT THE CAR STILL PRECEDED BACKWARD DOWN THE HILL. I TRIED ALL GEARS INCLUDED REVERSE AND NONE WORKED EXCEPT PARK AND CAR ENGINE WAS KEPT ON RUNNING FINE ALL THAT TIME. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS SMOKE CAME FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE. INITIALLY THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY A DEALER THAT THE REAR TRANS AXLE SHOULD BE REPLACED. CONSUMER WENT TO ANOTHER DEALER TO GET A SECOND OPINION. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT VEHICLE WAS COVERED UNDER RECALL 98V168000 CONCERNING TRANSFER CASE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER, WHO REFUSED TO HONOR THE RECAL... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2003

SELECTING THE SECOND GEAR OF MY CAR OFTEN CAUSES UNDESIRABLE "GRINDING" AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN THAT GEAR BY USED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE POWER ON DEMAND AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF THE GEAR DOES NOT GO IN PROPERLY. *LA

Incident date: Dec 28, 2002

THE PAINT JOB ON MY 2003 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES IS VERY POOR. A VERY LIGHT CONTACT MAKES A SCRATCH ON THE PAINT. I HAVE THIS CAR FOR ABOUT AN YEAR NOW BUT AFTER THE DEALER WASHED MY CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, I CAN SEE THE SCRATCHES ON THE HOOD. THE DEALER IS NOT ACCEPTING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. I WOULD SAY THE CAR OF THIS PRICE SHOULD HAVE MUCH BETTER PAINT AND SHOULDN'T SCRATCH THAT EASILY. *L... Read more

Incident date: Oct 20, 2003

CONSUMER HAD FRONT/REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED THREE DIFFERENT TIMESDUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR AFTER 1,200 MILES. *AK

Incident date: Oct 20, 2003

CONSUMER HAD FRONT/REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED THREE DIFFERENT TIMESDUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR AFTER 1,200 MILES. *AK

Incident date: Oct 20, 2003

CONSUMER HAD FRONT/REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED THREE DIFFERENT TIMESDUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR AFTER 1,200 MILES. *AK

Incident date: Oct 20, 2003

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH LEFT FRONT WHEEL WOULD LOCK. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC INDICATED THAT ROTORS/PADS P AND CALIPERS NEEDED REPLACING. HAD PADS/CALIPERS AND ROTOR REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED.*AK

Incident date: Oct 20, 2003

Incident date: Aug 12, 2000

MY 2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE IS RUSTING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AT EVERY SEAM WHERE TWO PIECES OF METAL ARE WELDED TOGETHER. IT IS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE IS RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE. MITSUBISHI DENIES ANY WARRANTY CLAIM AND BLAMED ME FOR HAVING SAND AND SALT IN MY ENGINE. A BASIC SEARCH OF THE INTERNET SHOWS SEVERAL OTHER MITSUBISHI... Read more

Incident date: Sep 12, 2003

WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY CONSUMER MADE AN ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER HEARD SEVERAL CLICKS COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER TWO UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO START, IT STARTED ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT. BEFORE THE VEHICLE COULD BE PUT IN GEAR CONSUMER SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE PASSENGERS FROM VEHICLE BEFORE THE ENTIRE ENGINE COMPAR... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Oct 17, 2003

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT THE VEHICLE ALWAYS SWAYED TO THE RIGHT. THE DEALER REPLACED MANY PARTS BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. *AK THE VEHICLE ALSO MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS AND WHILE MAKING TURNS. WHILE DRIVING THE FRONT PASSENGER AXLE AND WHEEL HUB BROKE. THE 4X4 HI LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SHIF... Read more

Incident date: Oct 17, 2003

Incident date: Sep 6, 2003

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FOUR CAR PILE UP. DURING THE COLLISION, VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM THE REAR AND FRONT, AND AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. REAR SEAT PASSENGER HIT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT, CAUSING IT TO BREAK. FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUSTAINED MASSIVE BRAIN DAMAGE AND BLOOD CLOTS. THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT SUSTAINED A COMPOUND FRACTURE TO THE RIGHT ARM. *AK

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Sep 6, 2003

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Oct 15, 2003

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 00-V-311-001 NOTICE FROM MANUFACTURER. IT HAD BEEN OVER 2 MONTHS, AND NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. *AK

Incident date: Dec 1, 2002

THE BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. THE PART WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED EXISTS. *AK THE VEHICLE LEFT BLACK OIL SPOTS ON THE GARAGE GROUND NEAR ALL FOUR TIRES THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD IT WAS FROM EXCESS FACTORY OVER COATING. THE BRAKES SQUEALED CONTINUOUSLY, THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WORE OUT PREMATURELY AND A NAIL WAS IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE REAR TIRE AND COULDN'T BE REPAIRED... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2002

INTERMITTENT BRAKE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

INTERMITTENT BRAKE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP CANNOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

Incident date: Oct 15, 2003

WHILE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE VEHICLE BEHIND HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, AND CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT, CAUSING A CHAIN REACTION. DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES. HE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL THE NEXT DAY. *AK

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Oct 12, 2003

OIL LEAK FROM ENGINE AT ONLY 2K MILES, DEALER IS MAKING REPAIR. CAUSE CRACKED OIL PUMP HOUSING. *LA

Incident date: Oct 14, 2003

WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT PROPERLY FROM THE FIRST GEAR TO THE SECOND GEAR, WON'T SHIFT, AND MAKES NOISE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

Incident date: Oct 14, 2003

1997 MITSUBISHI GT 3000 - DEFECTIVE CHROME WHEELS FLAKE, PEEL AND WEAR INSIDE SO THAT A SEAL CANNOT BE MAINTAINED. CONSTANTLY, INFLATE TIRES WHERE OF A HORRIFIC SAFETY HAZARD. STRANDED WITH FLATS. EXPENSIVE CHROME WHEELS CAME STANDARD WITH THIS VEHICLE. MITSUBISHI HAS SO FAR ELECTED TO REPLACE ONLY ONE OF 4 WHEELS THAT HAVE SEVERE WEAR AND AFFECT RELIABILITY AND DRIVABLE OF THE CAR. *LA

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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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