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 97,402 complaints for NISSAN
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The recall was for the PCM, which is the powertrain control module. Dodge reprogrammed it, but now my mechanic is telling me it actually needs to be replaced—and I’m being charged for that. I don’t believe the recall resolved the core issue, and I’m concerned the repair wasn’t thorough enough. I’d like to request that my case be escalated or reviewed for possible goodwill assistance o... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling ) and 25V126000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repairs were unavailable. 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... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
My breaks locked up on me pulling out of my driveway. The break pedal was hard to press down and I had to step on the braks really hard to stop .
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
When driving at highway speeds, a slight turn to left causes to steering wheel to get "stuck" where it takes more than normal force to get it back to center. It's hard to keep car going straight. Reported to Honda and they say there is a steering recall to some 10th Gen Civics but not mine. It's 3300 to fix and this issue has been happening since 50k miles. Plus turning steering wheel to left "cli... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
Headlights have grown dim. The bulbs have been replaced multiple times to find a bright enough bulb, to no avail. Approximate visual distance at night in unlit areas is less than 25'. This is a safety hazard because this does not allow enough time to avoid impacts.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
Dear NHTSA, My 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (VIN: [XXX] , 2.0L Theta II, 64,000 miles) suffered engine failure with knocking and power loss, matching NHTSA Recall #20V-746 (Hyundai #198). This defect risks stalling or fire, threatening my safety and others’. Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai of Tacoma (Tacoma, WA) refused repair, citing the rebuilt title, despite the factory defect. Recall #20V-7... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
Every so often the vehicle’s AEB, FCW, LDW system malfunctions and causes the CEL( Check Engine Light ) to come on. The car also looses Traction Control and begins to sound like the tires are grinding on the pavement. This then puts the motor in a limp mode/ Safe Mode. During this time the vehicle DOES NOT Have power and reduces speed to 50MPH, the vehicle then revs at 2.5-5.5RPM trying to catch... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
When driving the electronic steering is sticky. To make slight adjustments it feels like you have to break it free and it results in an over correction of the steering. This has not been confirmed because the problem is not always present.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
Once I parked my car and turned on the A/C a couple mins later I received a warning message on my car screen saying “ Engine Maintenance Required Visit Your Dealer”. After having my car for 4 years I’ve never received this message till now (04/22/25). I thought it was because I needed an oil change but I was wrong because my oil is good. I checked my car and saw that the issue is the “cool... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
On April 2, 2025, while driving on Interstate 25, my 2021 Audi Q8 Premium Plus experienced a catastrophic engine and electrical failure. This included the generator system failing, which resulted in a complete loss of power, disabling all active safety systems (including electronic stability control, braking assist, and lane monitoring), as well as basic driving capabilities such as acceleration a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLB250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. There was no warning light ill... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Manufacturer has yet to remedy recall. No timeframe for a solution
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
While my husband was driving on the NJ Turnpike at 65 mph, his truck just shut off!! . This was very dangerous, he had to try to get over from the left lane, all the way to the shoulder and park the truck. How has this not been taken care of yet? This needs to be looked into, he could have been in an accident. GMC is aware of this problem but has not recalled these trucks. Please make this known ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 22, 2025
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact stated the message that "Engine Overheating" was displayed with an audible chime coming from the vehicle. The vehicle stalled and the contact pulled off the roadway. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle restarted with the same messag... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The engine failure warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned the vehicle off, exited the vehicle, and added oil to the engine. The vehicle was towed to dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a hard shift in the transmission when accelerating and decelerating. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally while being started. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a hard shift in the transmission when accelerating and decelerating. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally while being started. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 90% of the time, the rearview camera image is blank or has a distorted image.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, dramatically reducing speed of the vehicle before returning to normal functionality. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an indep... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Took in my vehicle to Rock Honda in Fontana at 125,000 miles for a second fuel pump recall. Two years ago my car stalled on me as I was driving on the freeway, it immediately decelerated from 65 MPH to 40 MPH, this happened before I had the first fuel pump recall fixed. Did the second fuel pump recall, and days later my car again began to decelerate from 50 MPH to 5 MPH. Brought it into the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
I've had issues with this jeep grand cherokee 4xe randomly shutting down on the highway at speeds between 65-75 mph. The service engine and transmission lights come on and the vehicle itself dies out and will power on but will not start for about 10-15 minutes afterwards. This is the fourth time I've had the issue and the dealership can not pin point a reason/fix for the car suddenly stopping. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
Fast fraud lease agreement during initial payment part removed void out 10 min window no re-entry
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I was stopped at a stop sign and then proceeded to press the gas and turn into the far lane. A quarter to halfway through the turn the engine shut off and I got the message “ Auto StartStop Shift to P, then Restart Engine”. Had to put the vehicle in park in the middle of the road and restart the engine. Luckily no one was coming but if there had been I could have been hit.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I was stopped at a stop sign and then proceeded to press the gas and turn into the far lane. A quarter to halfway through the turn the engine shut off and I got the message “ Auto StartStop Shift to P, then Restart Engine”. Had to put the vehicle in park in the middle of the road and restart the engine. Luckily no one was coming but if there had been I could have been hit.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
The idling on this car has had a slight knocking sound but it goes off when engine is warm and i have never got a check engine light. i noticed recently when driving the car had a slight jerk but still no check engine light. until traveling on day it came on and i scanned the codes and replaced all applicable parts - the electrical system is pointing to a bypass hose which was changed as well as a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
The idling on this car has had a slight knocking sound but it goes off when engine is warm and i have never got a check engine light. i noticed recently when driving the car had a slight jerk but still no check engine light. until traveling on day it came on and i scanned the codes and replaced all applicable parts - the electrical system is pointing to a bypass hose which was changed as well as a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
I received a recall notice SC332 several weeks ago. In February I visited ALM Kia in Perry, GA. The sercice advisor ordered parts, I have checked with ALM Kia several times and they keep telling me the parts have not arrived. This is a serious safety issue and I need your help. Thank You, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
I received a recall notice SC332 several weeks ago. In February I visited ALM Kia in Perry, GA. The sercice advisor ordered parts, I have checked with ALM Kia several times and they keep telling me the parts have not arrived. This is a serious safety issue and I need your help. Thank You, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
I received an alert to service the sideview sensors. Also, the sideview alert keeps flashing in the side mirrors even when there's no vehicle present.
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) - ENGINE
Apr 19, 2025
Incident date: Apr 13, 2025
We experienced catastrophic failure while driving the vehicle on the highway. It stopped working with no warning leaving our family stranded in the lane with heavy traffic all around us. The steering wheel would not move the car would not go in neutral and there was a burning smell coming from the hood. My kids were terrified. We had to wait for state police and a tow truck while praying that the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2025
This is not a safety issue. But the paint on the car seems to be of poor quality that is easily chipped or stained by bird droppings. The hood of the car has a multiple chips in the paint. The car has been well taken care of and normal driving conditions. For only 18000 miles on the car, the paint seems very thin and poor durability to hold up to normal driving conditions.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2025
Crackling sounds coming from the front of the car similar to the original recall in 2020 and the front digital panel is not functioning and shutting down endangering the drive by not displaying information. My recall was cleared but the malfunction seems to have returned.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2025
There is a defect in the headlights. As you can see from the attached picture, the right side projects light further up the road than the left side. The left side has a large triangular black-out region which blocks my view of the next lane. I took the vehicle to Phil Long Hyundai in Colorado Springs Colorado for warranty repair. They refused to drive the car at night because that was outside of t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2020
Transmission failure due to faulty PTU while vehicle was moving at approximately 70 mph. My car rapidly decreased speed and drive power while in middle lanes of highway. The car is at a service center and available for inspection. The problem was diagnosed by an authorized service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by other parties. There were no warnings, indicators, or symptoms prior t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2017
The motor blew up Safety I was going approximately 70 mph on interstate 80 could have been bad The vehicle is at a Chevy dealer The dealership has looked at it but has no idea when a new motor will arrive About a week before the ck oil light came on maybe a month prior to that when sitting at a stoplight, the motor started to shake
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
The electric power steering has slowly become sluggish. At first I noticed the steering wheel was not returning to center after a turn and I would have to assist steering the truck back straight. This started maybe a month ago and being mechanically inclined I thought maybe it was an alignment issue (not enough caster possibly). Then as I left home this morning, out of the blue, the steering was v... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 76 MPH with his wife in the front passenger seat, the vehicle shuddered uncontrollably and stalled. The contact and his wife were concerned for their safety. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed ... Read more
NISSAN
ALTIMA
(2016) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Apr 18, 2025
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
I am a R&D/Design/Manufacturing Engineer with Automotive Engineering and commercial parts buying experience and 40 + years experience working on motor vehicles. A Brake Hose Assembly, sold by Summit Racing online, under the US-GM-Delco brand 78-36761, apparently from "QINGDAO CARFLEX AUTO PARTS CO., LTD" , NHTSA ID 7142, (no other data in the FMVSS Database,) IS in VIOLATION of FOUR FMVSS regula... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehic... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2024
Ive had the truck for 3 months and airbag light came on. Had it diagnosed to find it has a bad sensor in the seatbelt pretensioner that is stopping the passenger airbag from deploying and the seatbelt from locking. This is a major problem and should be a recall as I had it fixed and paid almost $600 to have replaced. I've called Stelantis and they offer no help as if it becomes a recall in the fut... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2015) - ENGINE
Apr 18, 2025
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Intermittently, my vehicle will hesitate to accelerate or will move only marginally (disproportionately to the depressing of the gas pedal) from a complete stop. When it occurs, it often does so for a number of seconds. This has been incredibly dangerous given I live off a busy street and I cannot trust that when I press the gas pedal to accelerate to turn onto the street, that my vehicle will b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
Each time I place my Cell Phone ( iPhone 12) it overheats to the point the safety device in phone shows a excessive heat warning.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Verano. The contact stated that after his daughter started the vehicle and attempted to shift into drive, the gear selector briefly failed to move into drive. Upon shifting into drive, the contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Verano. The contact stated that after his daughter started the vehicle and attempted to shift into drive, the gear selector briefly failed to move into drive. Upon shifting into drive, the contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
blank instrument panel while [XXX] is driving. This is not safe for my son. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, 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... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
Low beam headlights are very dim, making it difficult to see at night. I believe this puts me, as well as other drivers at serious risk of injury. I see many other reported issues with the low beam headlights being too dim, but evidently Honda/Acura has not recalled my car (yet).