Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 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 2,192,899 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 95,662 complaints for NISSAN
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
Steering wheel went unsteady. All warning lights went off. Speedometer failed. Unable to shut off the engine and unable to detect key while having the key in place. My safety and others are at risk each time this happens due to not been able to have control of the vehicle speed while having unsteady steering wheel and not knowing of the possibility of breaks failing while trying to drive to a sa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
Steering wheel went unsteady. All warning lights went off. Speedometer failed. Unable to shut off the engine and unable to detect key while having the key in place. My safety and others are at risk each time this happens due to not been able to have control of the vehicle speed while having unsteady steering wheel and not knowing of the possibility of breaks failing while trying to drive to a sa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
AFTER RECENTLY DOING THE RECALL UPDATE ON THE VEHICLE, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY PERCENTAGE LIGHT INDICATOR NOW SIGNIFICANTLY DROPS ITS PERCENTAGE SOMETIMES UPT TO 15% WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED AND THEN WHEN SLOWING OR COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE BATTERY PERCENTAGE WILL INCREASE BACK ANYWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 PERCENT WHICH LEADS TO DECEIVING THE DRIVER AND MA... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
AFTER RECENTLY DOING THE RECALL UPDATE ON THE VEHICLE, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY PERCENTAGE LIGHT INDICATOR NOW SIGNIFICANTLY DROPS ITS PERCENTAGE SOMETIMES UPT TO 15% WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED AND THEN WHEN SLOWING OR COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE BATTERY PERCENTAGE WILL INCREASE BACK ANYWHERE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 PERCENT WHICH LEADS TO DECEIVING THE DRIVER AND MA... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
1- el motor esta partido 2- foco trasero derecho las conexiones están malas y los cables podridos. 3-el carro dejo de acelerar en carretera perdiendo totalmente el control. 4- lo lleve a un mecanico y el diagnostico fue que el motor esta partido porque al carro nunca le hicieron sus mantenciones ni cambios de aceite y esto deterioro el motor. 5- el banco no y el dealer me dice que todo lo que le ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
1- el motor esta partido 2- foco trasero derecho las conexiones están malas y los cables podridos. 3-el carro dejo de acelerar en carretera perdiendo totalmente el control. 4- lo lleve a un mecanico y el diagnostico fue que el motor esta partido porque al carro nunca le hicieron sus mantenciones ni cambios de aceite y esto deterioro el motor. 5- el banco no y el dealer me dice que todo lo que le ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? My passenger-side rear tire blew out, while I was driving on I-85 in NC. I have a photo of the tire while it was on the rack at the AAA repair shop. The temperature was normal outside, and I did not see any debris in the road. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
I do not know what caused this to happen. There were no warning lights or messages. Prior to this incident the transmission would rev/speed up on its own for a few seconds (I don't know if this is relevant). Salesperson told me about this and said it was nothing to worry about. The vehicle is equipped with a sensor that brakes if you come to close to an object. This sensor has definitely wor... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
I do not know what caused this to happen. There were no warning lights or messages. Prior to this incident the transmission would rev/speed up on its own for a few seconds (I don't know if this is relevant). Salesperson told me about this and said it was nothing to worry about. The vehicle is equipped with a sensor that brakes if you come to close to an object. This sensor has definitely wor... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
I do not know what caused this to happen. There were no warning lights or messages. Prior to this incident the transmission would rev/speed up on its own for a few seconds (I don't know if this is relevant). Salesperson told me about this and said it was nothing to worry about. The vehicle is equipped with a sensor that brakes if you come to close to an object. This sensor has definitely wor... Read more
Crash
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 9, 2023
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
I went through a recent DDoS attack by a neighbor where they used signal boosting to spoof my key fob. From there, they were able to access the Intelligent Drive System, GPS and audio. On June 25th, the same criminals tracked me down through the GPS outside of Marshall TX and attmpted to hijack the vehicle. I had to call 911 and run for safety, it was terrifying. The entire day I could hear interf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
Was driving at about 40 mph with cruise control on, when my passenger and I noticed extreme vibrations and noises with. Began slowing to turn into a gas station just ahead when the clunking became so violent the front of the vehicle was bouncing. As I turned into the gas station, there was a loud bang, smoke billowed from the hood, and the engine stalled leaving me with no power steering. I turne... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
Was driving at about 40 mph with cruise control on, when my passenger and I noticed extreme vibrations and noises with. Began slowing to turn into a gas station just ahead when the clunking became so violent the front of the vehicle was bouncing. As I turned into the gas station, there was a loud bang, smoke billowed from the hood, and the engine stalled leaving me with no power steering. I turne... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
Hood latch will not release. Suspect the latch or components under the hood, similar to other Nissan Altima's that were recalled for same issue, failed similarly and now repairs and or quick access to engine bay in the event of an emergency is impossible without first repairing the latch and components involved. Called Nissan dealership they said some Nissan Altima's had been recalled for the same... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
I was driving home from work and my car braked really hard without me touching the brake. The dash board light flashed a warning that was red and white and an alarm went off. This is available upon request. My safety was put at risk because this happened as I was accelerating through a green traffic light. There were people behind me who could have slammed into me, endangering me and them. This ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
I was driving home from work and my car braked really hard without me touching the brake. The dash board light flashed a warning that was red and white and an alarm went off. This is available upon request. My safety was put at risk because this happened as I was accelerating through a green traffic light. There were people behind me who could have slammed into me, endangering me and them. This ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
Crankshaft snapped in half, without warning while 70mph. Nissan refusing to repair, truck only has 73k miles. Regular maintenance performed.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
I purchased this vehicle new and started having issues with it at 3,000 miles. The screen freezes or just stops working, the HVAC system blows out 2 totally different temps even though it's "Synced" on the same temp. My blind spot warning is malfunctioning, the rear camera has stopped working and the rear tailgate fills with water, I was told I would need a whole new tailgate to fix that, I suppo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
I purchased this vehicle new and started having issues with it at 3,000 miles. The screen freezes or just stops working, the HVAC system blows out 2 totally different temps even though it's "Synced" on the same temp. My blind spot warning is malfunctioning, the rear camera has stopped working and the rear tailgate fills with water, I was told I would need a whole new tailgate to fix that, I suppo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
I purchased this vehicle new and started having issues with it at 3,000 miles. The screen freezes or just stops working, the HVAC system blows out 2 totally different temps even though it's "Synced" on the same temp. My blind spot warning is malfunctioning, the rear camera has stopped working and the rear tailgate fills with water, I was told I would need a whole new tailgate to fix that, I suppo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
I was driving forward and following another vehicle. It slammed on the brakes suddenly causing me to hit the back of the vehicle in front of me. I am supposed to have forward collision detection and automatic braking and neither one ever engaged to avoid the crash.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
I was driving forward and following another vehicle. It slammed on the brakes suddenly causing me to hit the back of the vehicle in front of me. I am supposed to have forward collision detection and automatic braking and neither one ever engaged to avoid the crash.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
I was driving forward and following another vehicle. It slammed on the brakes suddenly causing me to hit the back of the vehicle in front of me. I am supposed to have forward collision detection and automatic braking and neither one ever engaged to avoid the crash.
Crash
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting into reverse, he became aware that the back-up camera was not functioning. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rear camera wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
I was driving my vehicle on the freeway at a speed of 60 mph when all of a sudden the sun roof part of my panoramic roof shattered all over my interior of my car and myself. It blew up all over me and was quite disturbing let alone could of caused an accident or glass could of cut my eyes. I was quite shaken up. I contacted my insurance and working a claim to have it replaced. Then I find ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
Driving to work and the car started acting like there was a flat tire and was difficult to steer properly. Pulled over to find that the back left wheel is crooked. Looked underneath and the arm to the wheel is completely broke. Looks to have rusted out and broke completely.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she exited the vehicle, walked toward her home, and noticed the vehicle was running. The contact went back to turn the vehicle off, and while reaching into the vehicle and pressing the start-to-stop button, the vehicle reversed, rolled back, and ran her over. The vehicle continued to roll and crashed ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she exited the vehicle, walked toward her home, and noticed the vehicle was running. The contact went back to turn the vehicle off, and while reaching into the vehicle and pressing the start-to-stop button, the vehicle reversed, rolled back, and ran her over. The vehicle continued to roll and crashed ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
Too long for this space, I have attached a PDF with all the information Also attached "work order" picture of vehicle being towed, then pictures of the alerts these were from Sunday but were the same from Saturday through Monday. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS I BELIEVE IT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT A BRAND NEW CAR HAS 2 ENGINE FAILURES IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAYS! I AM HIGHLY CONCERNED IT MAY BE ANOTHER... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
Too long for this space, I have attached a PDF with all the information Also attached "work order" picture of vehicle being towed, then pictures of the alerts these were from Sunday but were the same from Saturday through Monday. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS I BELIEVE IT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT A BRAND NEW CAR HAS 2 ENGINE FAILURES IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAYS! I AM HIGHLY CONCERNED IT MAY BE ANOTHER... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) — ENGINE
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
Too long for this space, I have attached a PDF with all the information Also attached "work order" picture of vehicle being towed, then pictures of the alerts these were from Sunday but were the same from Saturday through Monday. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS I BELIEVE IT IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT A BRAND NEW CAR HAS 2 ENGINE FAILURES IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAYS! I AM HIGHLY CONCERNED IT MAY BE ANOTHER... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
Was driving and heard a knocking sound similar to taps coming from the engine. Pulled over turned car off and turned it back on and knocking sound stopped. Drive about another mile and black smoke came out the vents. Pulled over and got out of vehicle. By the time I was out of the vehicle the car was on fire. By the time the fire department arrived car was completely engulfed. No check engine ligh... Read more
Fire
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2017) — POWER TRAIN
Nov 7, 2023
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
Was at a light making a left hand turn, the truck went forward and stopped in the middle of the traffic on a major highway. Passengers include myself and my 6 year old daughter. No check engine light on any lights came over the truck gave no physical warning that this was about to happen. The problem was confirmed by the Nissan dealership.
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle later failed to start and was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the variable valve timing (VVT) solenoids. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 6, 2023
Incident date: May 3, 2023
Experience judder and stall of vehicle while driving, pulling off and coming from a complete stop. Vehicle will lose power while driving which is unsafe when getting on the freeway or driving in high traffic areas. Vehicle has been taken to the Nissan twice and to other repair shops for related concern and all have stated that the trans needs replacing. There were no lights or warnings before prob... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 6, 2023
Incident date: May 3, 2023
Experience judder and stall of vehicle while driving, pulling off and coming from a complete stop. Vehicle will lose power while driving which is unsafe when getting on the freeway or driving in high traffic areas. Vehicle has been taken to the Nissan twice and to other repair shops for related concern and all have stated that the trans needs replacing. There were no lights or warnings before prob... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) — POWER TRAIN
Nov 6, 2023
Incident date: May 3, 2023
Experience judder and stall of vehicle while driving, pulling off and coming from a complete stop. Vehicle will lose power while driving which is unsafe when getting on the freeway or driving in high traffic areas. Vehicle has been taken to the Nissan twice and to other repair shops for related concern and all have stated that the trans needs replacing. There were no lights or warnings before prob... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
While driving home from work, the vehicle's transmission stopped working, resulting in coasting out of traffic and requiring a tow home at night. My safety and the safety of others were at risk. The next morning, the vehicle was towed to the mechanic shop, which confirmed the transmission failed and needs a complete replacement. There was not any warning lights or clear symptoms. In hindsight, the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
While driving home from work, the vehicle's transmission stopped working, resulting in coasting out of traffic and requiring a tow home at night. My safety and the safety of others were at risk. The next morning, the vehicle was towed to the mechanic shop, which confirmed the transmission failed and needs a complete replacement. There was not any warning lights or clear symptoms. In hindsight, the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2021
Back up camera failed intermittently. Could not see directly behind vehicle. Pedestrian and collision hazard. Dealer confirmed it’s a common problem. I Ordered and paid for a replacement camera through the dealer. No warning lamps or messages.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
I bought this Nissan Murano after the owner of Suncoast Quality Cars gives me the NADA - Consumers Report, which states the car was scored as an 82, in "Good Condition" with major repairs needed. After picking the Murano up 1-week after I made the purchase, when driven more than a couple of miles, you could feel the transmission slipping. While the owner of Suncoast said that his mechanic had done... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
I bought this Nissan Murano after the owner of Suncoast Quality Cars gives me the NADA - Consumers Report, which states the car was scored as an 82, in "Good Condition" with major repairs needed. After picking the Murano up 1-week after I made the purchase, when driven more than a couple of miles, you could feel the transmission slipping. While the owner of Suncoast said that his mechanic had done... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
I bought this Nissan Murano after the owner of Suncoast Quality Cars gives me the NADA - Consumers Report, which states the car was scored as an 82, in "Good Condition" with major repairs needed. After picking the Murano up 1-week after I made the purchase, when driven more than a couple of miles, you could feel the transmission slipping. While the owner of Suncoast said that his mechanic had done... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2019) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Nov 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
Driving through an intersection that was empty. One car was 1,000 feet away in the other lane. The ABS warning and triangle displayed on dashboard. Simultaneously the brakes engaged coming close to a full stop. No car near by. Then the brakes disengaged and we were able to drive with no further issues.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2022
I have had my car in the service center 5 times for the same reason they tell me it is fixed but the problem keeps happening. I have tried to be cooperative . the car has been in the shop on and off since the 18 of July at one point they had it almost a month. This last time they gave it back to me said it was fixed. This is why i'm writing to you I had the car a week and I was driving on interst... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2022
I have had my car in the service center 5 times for the same reason they tell me it is fixed but the problem keeps happening. I have tried to be cooperative . the car has been in the shop on and off since the 18 of July at one point they had it almost a month. This last time they gave it back to me said it was fixed. This is why i'm writing to you I had the car a week and I was driving on interst... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
I was driving on the freeway and my hood popped and shattered my windshield. Why would you guys even allow a car on the roads with a defect as such? This is extremely dangerous! Now I am pretty much w/o transportation. I'm even more upset that I had to find out about the defect the hard way, to see that this is a known issue. What's next? looks like a few people have complained about this issue, e... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Code P0101 came on, service Bulletin from NHTSA.gov was done. Car came back worst. Engine stalled in the middle of the street. It wouldn’t turn on, we had to push it to get it out of the street. Car will accelerate on its own when turn on. Sometimes car will accelerate when put on Reverse on its own….. RPMs will be at 7 and 8 when going 45MPH. I notice this has been an issue for Nissan Sentras... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Code P0101 came on, service Bulletin from NHTSA.gov was done. Car came back worst. Engine stalled in the middle of the street. It wouldn’t turn on, we had to push it to get it out of the street. Car will accelerate on its own when turn on. Sometimes car will accelerate when put on Reverse on its own….. RPMs will be at 7 and 8 when going 45MPH. I notice this has been an issue for Nissan Sentras... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Code P0101 came on, service Bulletin from NHTSA.gov was done. Car came back worst. Engine stalled in the middle of the street. It wouldn’t turn on, we had to push it to get it out of the street. Car will accelerate on its own when turn on. Sometimes car will accelerate when put on Reverse on its own….. RPMs will be at 7 and 8 when going 45MPH. I notice this has been an issue for Nissan Sentras... Read more