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.
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
Showing 96,425 complaints for NISSAN
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side windshield trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a detached windshield trim. The contact was informed that the windshield trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact paid out of pocke... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
I bought the car on 06/27/2024, it had 3974 miles used by the dealer, and on July 30, 024 I returned it to the dealer, it has a problem with the steering, while driving it constantly goes to the left if I increase the speed on I-20, when you shift the lever from park to drive it feels like the transmission jumps, it bumps under the car and the power on the clock screen turns off while I was drivin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated the owner had brought the vehicle in complaining about a metal sound coming from underneath the vehicle as if metal was dragging. The sound was most prominent when turning the vehicle to the left or right. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the sound was comin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The f... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
CVT error displaying on dashboard as well as check engine light vehicle would not start up initially. After 20 minutes it started with a loud grinding noise occurring.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure persisted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions where the contact was informed that the engine solenoid needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The air bags aren't working properly. They initially fixed a prior issue with my air bags long ago. However this issue has persisted. I think these cars have major issues with our air bags.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the contact exited the vehicle to remove her three-year-old from of the driver's rear seat; however, all four doors inadvertently locked. The contact stated that the State Police were called, and the contact allowed the State Police to break the driver's side rear glass to enter the vehicle. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
A couple of months ago, I began to notice that the steering wheel would "click" as I turned left or right at an intersection. This began as a subtle jerk that was easy to overlook, or think to have been imagined. I travel significantly for work on the highway and began to notice that the steering wheel would slip and catch, even on long, gentle curves. When the frequency of these instances began t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
I stopped to get diesel and pulled onto the interstate. Within 2 miles of being on the interstate, the engine felt as though it downshifted, lost power, and stalled in a construction one lane zone with no way to get out of traffic. The engine would no longer turn over and the truck would not start. This was a danger, not only to me, but to other drivers on the interstate. Had taken 90 miles away ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
I bought my car in June 2023 and I’ve been having problems with my steering wheel. The dealership's goal was to fix that issue. They said they fixed it, but I’ve been having the same issue since I bought the car. They had me pay a $500 deductible to fix the same issue since I bought it. Today is August 15, and they haven’t offered to fix it. I believe they are taking advantage of the fact th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
My catalytic converter of my 2021 expedition is going out. We had a 2019 Ford Expedition Texas Edition and I had the same issue. We purchased our current expedition in April of 2023. This spring the converter was signaled with the check engine light and since then my vehicle has had issues with acceleration, it consumes gas at an extremely high rate and my engine works harder over time. My concern... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owned a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact stated that she reversed the vehicle into her driveway and exited. After five minutes, an abnormal odor of smoke was detected. There were sparks detected in the engine compartment, and the vehicle caught fire. The fire consumed the engine area up to the dashboard. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries, air bag ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
Engine Coolant Bypass Valve
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
Rear brake lines rusted and replaced. Had taken to dealer to replace rusted rear subframe for which Mercedes had covered under an extended warranty. During this repair dealer noted that the brake lines were rusted and should be replaced. This was not covered by Mercedes.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
I am a US military member stationed in Germany. I bought my Toyota Prius V used, in 2020, knowing I'd be stationed in Europe and expressly because of Toyotas reliability and Prius's great mileage. This was our family's third Prius and a sixth Toyota vehicle. It's been almost exactly 2 years since my family moved to Germany, when one day I was driving through a small town, below the speed limit of... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her son was driving 15 MPH and turning out of a parking lot, the power steering warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost power steering functionality, nearly causing a crash. The contact's son depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The contact's son was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assist... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The drivers seat is loose, rocking back and forth significantly to the point it very noticeable while driving. The dealer states that this is due to the bottom seat frame being worn out. There are only 41,000 miles on the car, about 37,000 when I first noticed the information. This should not fail so early the car’s life. The dealer is replacing the bottom seat frame at a cost of $1310.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
I found where there was a recall on 2019 Buick and mine was not listed. It is doing what I have read about the recall. The transmission is shuttering at low speeds.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
The car started lurching and then the power went off. When turned back on and put in gear, the gas pedal did nothing. Then a few minutes later, it would kick back on. I finally got a letter from BMW about a recall. The symptoms matched. However, for the last 10 months, they offered no help. I understand there was no remedy until recently. However, we were out of a car since November 2023 and put ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
When the vehicle is shifted into park the indicator on the dashboard and the on the console next to the shifter display 'P' but when ignition is turned off a warning on the dash shows shift into park. It is on the web with multiple complaints. This problem appears on other GM platforms.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
So I just bought this car from a dealer about a year now and I was driving down the fwy. Heading to work And suddenly my car turned off and my steering wheel got really hard to make any turns there was no way I could’ve stopped in the middle of the fwy. To stop and start the engine. luckily I was able to pull over and check the car I was full on gas and I looked up common issues that could turn ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Driving down a 2-lane highway doing less than 60 mph, the wind from the oncoming semi-truck shattered the sunroof glass. This caused us to have to drive hundreds of miles home with water, wind and broken glass in our car with 3 children who were 6 years old and younger. I contact Kia Corporate compliants directly while the car was in the shop for several weeks and they said because it was already... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel seized and then released independently, allowing the contact to regain proper control of the vehicle. The failure occurred while turning the steering wheel towards the right or left; however, the failure was more pronounced while turning left. There were no warning lights illuminated. The con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Car often sputters then shows front collision warning light then stalls. Mass airflow sensor has been changed and problem persists. Radio volume changes on its own. Software is up-to-date.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
Recall on air bag throwing metal
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Started the vehicle on 7/3. Multiple warning lights show on my dashboard: 1. ACC problem 2. Collision Mitigation Problem 3. LKA Problem 4. Auto High Beam Problem I took it to Purrfect Auto (as I had just had work done). They claim it is a software issue (per Honda) and did a reset of the dashboard (I was not charged for this). Problem was fixed. Later that day when I started the car, the warn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
This is a complaint regarding a malfunction of the Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, which resulted in damage to my vehicle and may potentially pose a significant safety risk to public. On 07/02/2024, my newly purchased Tesla [Model-Y 2024] was parked next to a pillar in a parking garage. After ensuring that the Full Self-Driving sign was on, I activated the FSD feature. However, as soon as ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
This is a complaint regarding a malfunction of the Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, which resulted in damage to my vehicle and may potentially pose a significant safety risk to public. On 07/02/2024, my newly purchased Tesla [Model-Y 2024] was parked next to a pillar in a parking garage. After ensuring that the Full Self-Driving sign was on, I activated the FSD feature. However, as soon as ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
After car is in park and idle for 20+ minutes the car begins to smell like fumes. Caused bad migraines and nausea - having to exit the car and leave the doors open for 30 minutes to remove the smell.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
ABS and Electronic Braking control modules have not been working for 13+ months. Originally diagnosed by dealership July 2023. Been trying to get RAM / Stellantis to fix it. Been told parts are back ordered or not available due to re-engineering. Have heard there are hundreds of trucks impacted at each dealership. Why hasn’t there been a recall and why is RAM not helping me to get it resolve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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 experi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
While driving home from work, the Nissan went from 50mph, suddenly down to 4mph. (literally 4mph) Pressing the gas down all the way would not allow the car to move any faster. It would occasionally get up to 15mph, but wouldn't stay. I was LUCKY beyond belief that a car or semi didn't hit me at highway speed before I could move over in rush hour traffic. Both the local dealership and Nissan USA... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2020) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
Battery randomly died in the car overnight
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
There has been a recall of this part for over a year now, and they still have not fixed it. This could lead to injury and death, and this is ridiculous that it has not been taken care of yet. They have to have airbags available or they would not be able to make new vehicles and sell them. Someone needs to do something about this before more people are killed. I, for one, cannot afford to go o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
The electronic power steering (EPS) system failed while driving down the road. Lost the ability to steer the vechical and came close to having a accident head on.we had to cost down the road way until we reached the shoulder. The truck has 80,000 miles . Yes the warning lamp lit up once the system stopped operating properly not before we lost the ability to steer, the warning was a steering whee... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
While driving the vehicle locked up and I was not able to accelerate, during mid rush traffic , had to pull over and vehicle was leaking trans fluid the area where is first locked up. Having towed to Hugh White Honda in Columbus Ohio Georgesville Road
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2017) — AIR BAGS
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
Error code B1620 is registering on my 2017 KIA Forte. The current recall for this issue only covers some 2017 KIA Forte vehicles.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2017) — ENGINE
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
Cam shaft lobe rounded off, causing sudden loss of power and misfire on cylinder 7. The first time this happened there was no warning or signs of trouble. I was traveling at highway speeds and the vehicle violently shook and speed unexpectedly dropped. Had to limp the truck off the highway with choppy acceleration while the steering wheel shook. This could of easily caused a serious accident at ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle was making abnormal sounds and was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the engine hot message was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were flickering on and off. The contact was informed that the water pump and thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Coolant leak caused engine failure while I was driving. Engine warning came on and alerted me the Engine was overheating and to pull over as soon as it was safe to do so. I did immediately and had the car towed to Ford dealer garage
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Coolant leak caused engine failure while I was driving. Engine warning came on and alerted me the Engine was overheating and to pull over as soon as it was safe to do so. I did immediately and had the car towed to Ford dealer garage
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
My 2024 Nissan Versa has acceleration problems. In less than 24 hours of having the car, when driving and without warning, the power of the vehicle began to decline while I was driving in traffic. It didn't matter how hard I pressed the acceleration the car would continue to power down. This caused cars to honk and swerve to avoid crashing in the back of me. It took many pumps to the accelerator t... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2020) — SUSPENSION
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
The power steering system is currently non-functional, resulting in significant difficulty in maneuvering the vehicle, particularly at low speeds. This poses a substantial safety risk not only to myself and my loved ones but also to other motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and their pets. I am deeply concerned about the well-being of all individuals involved. The vehicle is available for inspection... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2020) — STEERING
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
The power steering system is currently non-functional, resulting in significant difficulty in maneuvering the vehicle, particularly at low speeds. This poses a substantial safety risk not only to myself and my loved ones but also to other motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and their pets. I am deeply concerned about the well-being of all individuals involved. The vehicle is available for inspection... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2020) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
On Saturday [XXX] while driving on [XXX] while in cruise control mode and set approx. 71 mph I know that my right knee made minimal contact with keyfob and the engine seemed to shut down and the vehicle decelerated immediately, I had no desire to brake due to my seeing my speed was near 30 mph. Traffic was not directly behind and all I was trying to locate was the 4 way hazard to engage which hav... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
While driving on a 4-lane highway, I received a message on the dashboard "Vehicle will shut off soon". I had just a few seconds before power to the vehicle was limited. The engine stopped working and another message was displayed: "Battery Conditioning Leave Ignition in Run." After that the car would no longer move and I was in the middle of the right lane. Luckily I could get my children out safe... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2024
The engine fan fell off, broke off, sheered off at the bolt that attaches it to the engine. The van is brand new this happened with less then 3000 miles on it. We realized an issued when the van gave a warning to stop immediately and turn off engine. This warning came on 3-4 times as we tried to ascend the pass. We had not place to go on this road. We pulled off several times waiting and hour to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
1st incident was 6/29/24 my driver seat airbag deployed. 2nd incident happened 8/3/24 when the airbag on the driver side deployed the whole side from the front to the back of the trunk.