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: Jun 4, 2024
The air conditioning in my Tiguan failed while I was driving from Michigan to Florida through Tennessee. I could hear the system running, but no air was coming out at all.The outside temperature was 94F and I had to drive with no AC with new (year and a half old)Tiguan !!!!!!
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
ABS light came on, sometimes when braking/slowing down at freeway speeds, the brakes won't catch and it feels like I'm going to ram into the cars ahead, I've replaced the rotors, the calipers, the brakes, the wheel bearings, ABS light won't go away, I've looked into it on the bullitt community forums, and this is a common problem that most just decide to live with, cause no solution has been foun... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2016) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jun 15, 2024
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
When the car is parked under the Sun on hot days. The car will lose the power and we get message on Dashboard "Check Starter System" When this happens and car is running, it will lose power, No AC, No Lights, No Brake Lights, No Hazard Lights, Speedometer will not work but Engine is running and you can drive the car. It is extremely dangerous to drive it that way. Some folks reported that repla... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - TIRES:SIDEWALL
Jun 15, 2024
Incident date: Nov 11, 2023
245/35/R21, tire specifically made for Lucid. Small bump in road caused large bubble in sidewall. Lucid forums full of complaints about this. No replacement tires available in the US and no alternate available due to load rating. No promised time for more to be available. I had to borrow a loaner tire from lucid. I learned that Perilli is redesigning this tire with thicker sidewalls because of all... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The digital cluster went out I see that the 2024 model has been recalled for the same issue Why isn’t the 2020 models also included just had the car in the Hutch Chevy service department and was quoted $665.00 to replace, I am unable to see the speed I am going or any menu items because the digital readout isn’t showing.
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2022) - VISIBILITY/WIPER
Jun 15, 2024
Incident date: Apr 30, 2022
The driver side mirror vibrates at highway speed and impacts visibility.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
I was getting on a freeway, via an on ramp, I was the first vehicle from the light, so there were no vehicles ahead of me. As I was about to merge onto the right lane of the freeway, my vehicle slams to a stop. The BRAKE icon appeared on the control panel, and worried about the vehicle behind me maybe hitting me, I attempt to pull to the right to get off the road. Luckily there were no vehicles ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
I was getting on a freeway, via an on ramp, I was the first vehicle from the light, so there were no vehicles ahead of me. As I was about to merge onto the right lane of the freeway, my vehicle slams to a stop. The BRAKE icon appeared on the control panel, and worried about the vehicle behind me maybe hitting me, I attempt to pull to the right to get off the road. Luckily there were no vehicles ... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2015) - ENGINE
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The car very suddenly went into a reduced engine power mode, with check engine light and was immediately parked. Figuring I could turn the car off and turn it back on, however it sputtered turning off and shook violently before I was able to turn it off. It would then not turn back over, so I left it off and had a tow truck drive it to a GMC mechanic. The GMC mechanic was unable to diagnose an iss... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2015) - ENGINE
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70–75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle failed to restart. The oil pressure warning light illuminated and blinked. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed a... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70–75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle failed to restart. The oil pressure warning light illuminated and blinked. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
My driver side door hinge has a broken spot weld and has come unattached from the door and it goes inside and blocks the power window from coming down when the door is closed. Ford has had these breaking hinge problems since 2019. I took it to the Ford dealership for them to look at the problem and they want me to pay for it. I have attached pictures. As of October 2023, the National Highway Traf... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
On highway, emergency braking enacted. I pulled to side the of the road to turn engine off and restart car. When I did, I could not put the car in gear. I have had other similar incidents happen with this vehicle. After about an hour of waiting for roadside assistance and having NYS troopers come help, the car dash lit up and I was then able to put car in Drive. When I talked to dealership and sai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
On highway, emergency braking enacted. I pulled to side the of the road to turn engine off and restart car. When I did, I could not put the car in gear. I have had other similar incidents happen with this vehicle. After about an hour of waiting for roadside assistance and having NYS troopers come help, the car dash lit up and I was then able to put car in Drive. When I talked to dealership and sai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
On highway, emergency braking enacted. I pulled to side the of the road to turn engine off and restart car. When I did, I could not put the car in gear. I have had other similar incidents happen with this vehicle. After about an hour of waiting for roadside assistance and having NYS troopers come help, the car dash lit up and I was then able to put car in Drive. When I talked to dealership and sai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that after opening the sunroof and then attempting to close the sunroof, the sunroof failed to fully close. The contact had to open and close the sunroof several times before the sunroof closed. Additionally, the contact stated that there was water entering the vehicle from the sunroof which caused electrical failures. The contact stat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
increased steering effort and “sticky steering” while driving especially on highways.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic, the mechanic discovered that all four rims were pitted and peeled which had caused all four tires to not hold air. The contact was informed that due to the rim defect, all four rims needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but contested that the failure wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
Passenger side air bag inoperable,have been told it was sensor in seat
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact veered off the roadway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle malfunction message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact veered off the roadway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle malfunction message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The projector housing in my headlights has been determined to be defective and Nissan was sued because of this. However I have dim headlights on my vehicle which will cost me $1200 to replace and Nissan has told me that I am no longer eligible for a one time replacement. This is unfair in that I was never notified by Nissan about defective headlights which have deteriorated to a point where they a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became very stiff, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to maneuver the steering wheel using excessive force. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The ABS, brakes, stability control, and air bags warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
There are issues with the steering. While driving on highways the steering becomes a little sticky and jerks the vehicle. This also happens on city streets just not as bad.
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
Passenger restraint system malfunction
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The seat belt failed due to a short. I am not sure if my safety was really at risk but the car said it was. There was warning on startup on the large display in the middle of the car and a constant warning in the gauge cluster. The fault has been confirmed at the dealership. The seat belt was inspected at the dealership and they are suggesting a replacement for $662.74. The warning did not cause a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Sticky steering at highway speeds. Have to manually correct steering causing unsafe control of vehicle.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Rear differential has failed/malfunctioned. The vehicle is available upon request. It is a road safety issue as it will stall/ hesitate when accelerating and has a jerking effect. It has been confirmed by an independent service center. It had not been inspected by anyone, other than an independent service center mechanic. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2019) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
After oil change, i noticed oil spots on driveway. Took it back to place that did oil change. They told me I had a crack in my oil pan and that it was caused by some sort of engine defect that causes engine oil pressure fluctuations that eventually cause the pan to crack. I believe NHTSA has opened an investigation into this issue.
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2019) - ENGINE
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
After oil change, i noticed oil spots on driveway. Took it back to place that did oil change. They told me I had a crack in my oil pan and that it was caused by some sort of engine defect that causes engine oil pressure fluctuations that eventually cause the pan to crack. I believe NHTSA has opened an investigation into this issue.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light returned on the drive back to the residence from the mechanic. After the check engine warning light appeared, the vehicle began to hesitate upon the depression of th... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light returned on the drive back to the residence from the mechanic. After the check engine warning light appeared, the vehicle began to hesitate upon the depression of th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
Moon roof detached while driving on the highway
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2013) - ENGINE
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and would not accelerate above 3 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fai... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
When pressing gas pedal from a stop position the car hesitates for a couple seconds and then goes all while the gas is pushed down
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ENGINE
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
When pressing gas pedal from a stop position the car hesitates for a couple seconds and then goes all while the gas is pushed down
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Fit. 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 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. The contact had not ... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
While driving the vehicle the brakes became hard to depress and a hissing came from my steering column, the car would not stop or respond to stop. I had to downshift to Neutral to get the speed slow enough to stop - and had passed through an intersection while in failure. I had also had symptoms I did not know at the time may be related which was at a stop at dunkins or a drive through at a sto... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was vibrating and driving rough. The contact pulled off the roadway and drove to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a d... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2006) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
I was approaching a red traffic light. I merged into the turn lane, hit a bump in the road and the car lunged forward on its own and accelerated. I was able to apply the brake and not hit the car in front of me. This was terrifying and put me and the cars ahead of me at risk. The car has not been inspected because Fisker Service no longer answers the phone to help customers with safety or mechanic... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was getting a State Inspection, the inspector observed that the parking brake cable had seized and failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the parking brake cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. Th... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2022
Entire electrical and safety systems, every light on dashboard was lit up, all kinds of safety warning light were on! Because manufacturer uses plant-based materials to wrap wiring, it caused an infestation of rodents that had a snack on my wiring! I could have been in real safety danger had I been on the highway!
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel became stiff while turning in either direction. Additionally, the steering wheel was jerking while turning in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering gearbox was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
went to Kia as car was approaching high 80's in mileage-significant power loss. Asked if my problem had to do with the class action suit--was told no. No diagnostic test was recommended. Approaching 100, miles mechanic told me I had no oil in my car. Called Kia, told them my car was suffering from power loss (and also burning excess oil) They told me "oh sounds like transmission. full tune up done... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2024
I received notice late April from Nissan about this recall. I promptly scheduled an appointment to bring my vehicle in for repair. I was told parts were back ordered and would arrive early June. I have contacted the dealership (Vision Nissan of Greece, NY) and Nissan HQ to inquire and was told parts were on back order. I asked when parts would be available and was given no time estimate. I ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
Prior to leaving for a weekend trip, we filled our 2015 Ford Fusion with engine coolant, as it was low. After returning from the trip, we started the care and noticed some white smoke coming from the tail pipe. While traveling around 20mph, the check engine light on the dash began to flash, and the car began to shake violently. We pulled over, and identified that the engine coolant was empty. We s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
I was driving coming to a stop for a red light and it turns green. As I go to press on the gas my dashboard lights up with error codes stating a 4WD System error of some kind. As I go to press on the gas the truck loses power and acceleration and starts making a horrible clunking noise. I took it to the dealer because it seems like a transmission issue. This is a 2022 Ram 3500 with 9300 miles at t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to lose motive... Read more