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: Aug 1, 2022
The sunroof exploded in 75 degree weather. My safety was put at risk by the sunroof exploding and others were put at risk that were following on highway from flying glass. The problem was confirmed by safelite. Toyota refuses to take any responsibility. The sunroof was inspected and repaired by safelite. There was no warning that the sunroof was going to explode. The vehicle maintenance is at the... 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: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with brake system failure. The contact was informed that the braki... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Transmission failure, chugging while driving on the road then slowed down in middle of the intersection, won’t accelerate which is a unsafe situation. It says “check engine”, “break, “eyesight disabled”, “at oil temp” and “transmission”. The speed was stuck to 20mph and engine eas loud. Smelled like something was burning too
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
My 2017 Sorento has been having issues with the headlights for the past 6 months. I keep them on auto mode and half of the time they don't turn on until I click them to "on" and switch them back to auto. There have also been a handful of times where my headlights turn off while driving. This is absolutely unacceptable and extremely unsafe. This needs to become a recall before someone is seriously ... 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: Jul 17, 2024
Car shuts off while stopped at light. This has happened 3 times. I have taken it to Subaru service provider and keep being told nothing is wrong. Car must be put into park and restarted to work. It is unsafe. There are multiple reports online ([XXX] and [XXX] ) of people reporting the same issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
This is the second Hyundai Tucson that I have owned and the same thing has happened wih both of them. My daughter also bought her Hyundai Tucson the same day as I got mine in June, 2020, and the same thing is happening to her. It starts with the engine warning light coming on, and then finding that the engine oil is low in between oil changes. There is no visible sign of the oil leak (no drops ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
On 6 separate occasions (2 in 2018, 4 in July 2024) my automatic braking system has kicked in when there is no apparent obstruction, vehicle, etc. in front of me. I have not taken the car to the dealer or filed any inspection as no accident occurred and I saw an article online about this happening to the same model and year car and thought I should add my examples to the list.
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
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
I checked on KBB.com and my car came up as having a recall for the drive shaft. The NHTSA Campaign ID - 23V754000 and when I called my dealership about it, I am being told that there is no recall. This is a serious issue and I am seriously concerned.,
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
This vehicle is equipped with blue tooth which should allow me to drive hands free, focusing on the road and cars around me while GPS provides directions from my car speakers. Every day my phone looses connection to the blue tooth which stops GPS from going through my speakers which cause me to take my eyes off the road to see what the problem is. I have seen numerous websites which document thi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
Driving car normally and car randomly put itself in 3rd gear and slammed down hard almost making me cause a crash and injury to me. Went to dealership they told me I need a new transmission due to valve body that they don’t sell by itself. This is the second time a replacement was done and it happened
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
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2017) - SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 60 MPH with the cruise control feature activated, the ABS and traction control warning lights started flashing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,327.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2017) - STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the chassis frame underneath the vehicle was fractured and had started to crack. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
I have been unable to get the safety belt part for the recall. Additionally, it keeps saying I need to replace the gas cap and even the dealership cant help me.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
On July 2, vehicle would not start. When pressing start button it continuously would try to crank but would not start. Check engine light, auto start on/off light, and ETC light came on. After 30-40 minute wait time, car started. Called dealer the following day but after multiple starts the lights/codes on dash went away. Dealer had no way to read the codes. On August 12, car started with the afo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
On July 2, vehicle would not start. When pressing start button it continuously would try to crank but would not start. Check engine light, auto start on/off light, and ETC light came on. After 30-40 minute wait time, car started. Called dealer the following day but after multiple starts the lights/codes on dash went away. Dealer had no way to read the codes. On August 12, car started with the afo... 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
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2020) - AIR BAGS
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
I demand that the airbags in my car be fixed immediately. It has been a year since I paid for them and they are still not working. This is a serious safety issue, and I cannot afford to wait any longer.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2020) - WHEELS
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) - 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
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The car is approximately 3.5 years old (2020) and the engine failed. The symptoms of the engine failure are the exact failures of all of the other Hyundai engines that failed over the last 10 years which were recalled. There needs to be further investigation in all of the engines Hyundai is putting out to protect people. Hyundai offered to pay 50% of this because they know they are wrong, but they... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2024
Over last several weeks, I noticed a pungent smell in the cabin on my 2023 Tesla Model Y. The smell is intermittent but has me concerned. I left voice messages at the local Tesla service center but they have not reached back out to me. The Tesla app complaint directed me to the Tesla service center. I would like to get a response back from the manufacturer as they have long wait times on the phone... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
I got my oil changed 98,161 March 1 2024 at mechanic shop Mechanic shop checked oil March 29 2024 at 98,867 a total of 706 miles driven since last oil change. They added 2.5 quarts of oil. So i did my own research online found out the Hyundai 2018 Santa Fe Sport Turbo 2.5 Theta engines has excessive oil consumption problems that will cause Engine to seize/lock up, catch on fire, and other mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
I got my oil changed 98,161 March 1 2024 at mechanic shop Mechanic shop checked oil March 29 2024 at 98,867 a total of 706 miles driven since last oil change. They added 2.5 quarts of oil. So i did my own research online found out the Hyundai 2018 Santa Fe Sport Turbo 2.5 Theta engines has excessive oil consumption problems that will cause Engine to seize/lock up, catch on fire, and other mechanic... 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.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Engine error message showed up after extended warranty expired by 600 miles. To fix the error message Toyota charge $871 total combined diagnostic, part and labor. The problem was coolant by pass valve shorted.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that fuel was leaking underneath the vehicle from the fuel tank. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
uConnect system (stereo/radio) is ghost touching and is impairing my driving as it’ll automatically blast my A/C or heat , or worse calls people in my contacts list who I wouldn’t call.. causing me to worry more about my stereo/phone more than driving. It turns my heat up on high as well as my heated seat in the 100 degree weather. Changes my radio stations at a rapid rate and removes my backu... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
Sometimes my passenger side door will slam shut if I am parked on the hill and the sliding door lock is on, I have noticed that it only slams shut if that lock is on. If the lock is not on, it closes on its own without pressing the door close button on the door, on the driver side, or on the key fob.It will close quickly and not normal.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact rec... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Vehicle is unable to move apparently because of a design flaw that allows water to travel down cables into the EIS as described here [XXX] and here [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
On 8/10/2024 our sleeper berth hvac fans abruptly quit working. After checking fuses we noticed the fan control switch was hot. After removing the panel that the switch is held in we noticed the HVAC Fan Control switch (Part# 599-5000) was charred, upon removing the switch from the plug we observed the actual plug is melted, and one of the wires on the wire harness has charring of the plastic insu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
Purchased new in Feb 2024. On June 26, 2024, at 1,207 miles all safety features became inoperable while driving and all failure lights on dash ignited. I took the car to the dealer, and they said the ECM controlling the ADAS systems failed and needed to be replaced, this required replacement of the Rack and Pinion because they are integrated. I got the car back and immediately noted a difference ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
Purchased new in Feb 2024. On June 26, 2024, at 1,207 miles all safety features became inoperable while driving and all failure lights on dash ignited. I took the car to the dealer, and they said the ECM controlling the ADAS systems failed and needed to be replaced, this required replacement of the Rack and Pinion because they are integrated. I got the car back and immediately noted a difference ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
I was traveling at the posted speed limit of 80 mph on [XXX] in South Dakota at [XXX] and the GMC Acadia was working without any issue when all of a sudden various warnings flashed on the dashboard with one of them being power saver mode engaged. Within about 3 minutes various other warnings flashed and the vehicle motor turned off along with all of the electrical systems. Luckily, I was able t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
I was traveling at the posted speed limit of 80 mph on [XXX] in South Dakota at [XXX] and the GMC Acadia was working without any issue when all of a sudden various warnings flashed on the dashboard with one of them being power saver mode engaged. Within about 3 minutes various other warnings flashed and the vehicle motor turned off along with all of the electrical systems. Luckily, I was able t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
Engine nearly stalls at low speeds in either toward or reverse - such as in parking lots or when backing up a driveway. The car will also surge at moderate speeds (30-40 mph). Car hasn't actually stalled yet but feels like it's about to until I press on the brake. The problem occurs randomly and would be very difficult to reproduce. The transmission will also shift violently randomly during the 30... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
Engine nearly stalls at low speeds in either toward or reverse - such as in parking lots or when backing up a driveway. The car will also surge at moderate speeds (30-40 mph). Car hasn't actually stalled yet but feels like it's about to until I press on the brake. The problem occurs randomly and would be very difficult to reproduce. The transmission will also shift violently randomly during the 30... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
I purchased this car on 7/15/24 and had no problems until 8/8/24 after I took my car through an automatic touchless car wash. Upon exiting the car wash, I noticed that the tailgate was now down even though I never unlocked it. I parked the car and closed the tailgate and began driving home. Halfway home, the tailgate opened again on its on. The bed was empty so I continued driving home and then cl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
235/55 R-17 99T This is one of a set of two tires I purchased in Oct. 2021. The passenger side front tire had the same issue discovered a few weeks earlier. The steering wheel started to shake while driving. I took the vehicle to the shop who informed me the tread was separating like the passenger tire was separating a few weeks earlier. Again the tire was more worn on the inside versus the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
Safety issue: Got a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" (code RCM_a056) out of a sudden. Apparently, the passenger's occupied-seat sensor is not communicating with the system, leading to potential hazard in airbag deployment scenario. Upon reaching out to the Tesla Service Center, got a quote for $1600, which includes a replacement not only of the passenger's seat sensor, but there's ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The system that is problematic for this vehicle is the Pre Collision System (PCS). This system is way too sensitive even on the lowest sensitivity setting, and I have experienced the car braking in error on multiple occasions when driving up or down a windy road. When I approach a bend in the road and there is a car parked on the side of the street, my Corolla will think that I am about to collide... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The system that is problematic for this vehicle is the Pre Collision System (PCS). This system is way too sensitive even on the lowest sensitivity setting, and I have experienced the car braking in error on multiple occasions when driving up or down a windy road. When I approach a bend in the road and there is a car parked on the side of the street, my Corolla will think that I am about to collide... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The vehicle stopped to work without any warning or apparent reason. Now the gear shift is stuck at Park position and the vehicle will not start asking the driver to move the gear selector to Park position. It will not also take any charge (it's Lightning, an EV). It's a safety hazard if the vehicle stop while driving and may leave the driver and passengers stranded away from home.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
I bought this car brand new and I’m the only driver. I have my oil changed every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Boiling Springs Tire is the place I get it changed but I have had it changed a few times at Hyundai in Spartanburg. About a year or so ago my oil light came on and I was shocked because it hadn’t been long since I had oil changed. I checked it and it was almost out. I put oil in it and t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
When traveling on hwy at hwy speeds with cruise control on set for 70 mph and car in front is traveling 60 mph as am I. The road curves the car no longer identifies a car in front of me and accelerates to 70 mph, when the road becomes straight again and I am getting close the system slams on the brakes. When I'm going 70 mph and approach a car going 60 mph the car slows to keep a safe distance. ... Read more