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 2,780 complaints for PORSCHE
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
A knocking noise from the engine that increases in frequency as the engine rpm increases. Reduced power and/or hesitation and vibration. Illumination of the “check engine” light in the instrument cluster. Illumination of the “engine oil pressure” warning lamp. My car will drive up to maybe 37mph and then the engine will seize up and go into safety mode and it becomes inoperable. THIS is a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
Rear lift gate doesn't operate or operates erratically . Rear lift gate will not open traping occupants in the vehicle. Particularly any occupant seated in the third row seats. Yes. Took it to the dealer and they failed to address the problem First began February 2023. The dash board button will work some times and not others. Same for the key FOB and rear lift gate located on the the exter... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
my 2013 hyundai sonata has 121,000 miles. The car is making a knocking sound and it's coming from under the hood (engine). While I was driving the car, the car tried to stall and loss power suddenly and almost cause an accident. Hyundai does have an lawsuit against this, but will they fix my car without warranty?
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 Subject: Anti-Theft Upgrade Request and Complaint Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing this letter as an Autochthon American woman exercising my rights to conduct commerce and practice freedom of religion, seeking assistance and resolution for a distressing incident related to the theft of my conveyance. I belie... Read more
PORSCHE
PANAMERA S E-HYBRID
(2015) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 18, 2023
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The car (2022 Ioniq 5, an EV) lost power while driving. There was warning at the same time stating that the car is losing power and need to stop for safety. Minutes later the car completely lost power and can not be turned on. The car has to be towed to Hyundai dealer. It has been 2 months and 2 weeks and the car is till in Hyundai dealer's lot without being repaired. We were told by the dealer a ... Read more
PORSCHE
PANAMERA S E-HYBRID
(2015) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jul 18, 2023
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The car (2022 Ioniq 5, an EV) lost power while driving. There was warning at the same time stating that the car is losing power and need to stop for safety. Minutes later the car completely lost power and can not be turned on. The car has to be towed to Hyundai dealer. It has been 2 months and 2 weeks and the car is till in Hyundai dealer's lot without being repaired. We were told by the dealer a ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The engine failed in our 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe earlier this year (March). They replaced our engine after finding out it was part of the rod bearing engine failure recall. The check engine light came back on as soon as we got it back (April) and the car has not worked properly since. Shaking badly, it also died after I started it. After them telling us for two months, they were too busy for us to b... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
At a red light in traffic, it suddenly shut off the engine, emergency brakes went on, multiple warning lights were on (Low Bat, Low fuel {full of fuel}, lower passenger window, etc..), totally immobilized itself by not being able to start the car or push it with the brakes on! 81 year old female driving and if the car did this at highway speed it could have been a catastrophe! It appeared eve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
245/50/20 tire size Tire sidewall separation. Tire is available for inspection. An independent service center has confirmed this to be a manufacturer issue. No prior warnings.
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
the inverter refill coolant light keeps coming on. Check the fluid levels with the car running and off and the are full. Contact Hyundai and they have no idea what this is. Seeing this all over the forums for the 2022 Hybrid.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The front end of the vehicle and wheels start to violently oscillate at speeds between 50-60 mph. Sometimes it occurs after hitting a small bump and often occurs over smooth roads. This has been described as the "death wobble". I have to slow down below 25 mph for the wobbling to stop. This has put me in numerous dangerous situations on the street amd highway.
Incident date: May 5, 2023
Driver’s side door handle/mechanism/latch failure results in issues with opening and closing door representing a potentially major safety issue. Door could open on its own at highway speeds resulting in mass injury and/or death resultant from driver falling out of uncontrolled vehicle. Multiple owners of same year/make/model have reported malfunction of the same driver’s side handle as demon... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2023
Driver’s side door handle/mechanism/latch failure results in issues with opening and closing door representing a potentially major safety issue. Door could open on its own at highway speeds resulting in mass injury and/or death resultant from driver falling out of uncontrolled vehicle. Multiple owners of same year/make/model have reported malfunction of the same driver’s side handle as demon... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
The car lost power and would not go over 40 MPH. This made for a dangerous situation on the road. P2615-00 A Crankshaft Position Sensor code was thrown, but when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the problem. I have video documentation of the problem I can provide. Since I posted my video, several other people have come forward with the same issue. It seems as if when the manua... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
The car lost power and would not go over 40 MPH. This made for a dangerous situation on the road. P2615-00 A Crankshaft Position Sensor code was thrown, but when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the problem. I have video documentation of the problem I can provide. Since I posted my video, several other people have come forward with the same issue. It seems as if when the manua... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2017
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the alternator was overcharging and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred 3 months later. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechani... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
I had a very dangerous phantom breaking event while driving on the interstate. The car slammed on the brakes for no reason and I nearly had a rear end collision. There was nobody in front of me, sun was not a factor, road was flat and straight, weather was clear. Car was on cruise control only. I was driving Interstate speed, about 70 mph, and without warning the Tesla Model Y slammed on the bra... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
I had a very dangerous phantom breaking event while driving on the interstate. The car slammed on the brakes for no reason and I nearly had a rear end collision. There was nobody in front of me, sun was not a factor, road was flat and straight, weather was clear. Car was on cruise control only. I was driving Interstate speed, about 70 mph, and without warning the Tesla Model Y slammed on the bra... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
The airbag light turned on and will stay on. The car was taken into the dealership for inspection and diagnose the problem. The vehicle has only 36,000 miles and it has not been involved in an accident. The dealership advised that the front driver side airbag module needs to be replaced. The price quoted for this is over $3k. The service advisor advised that even with replacing the part that we ma... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
In 2016, I purchased a new Ford Edge. In June 2023, I'm informed by Ford Certified Personnel that the engine has a "Coolant Inclusion" issue requiring replacement with a new engine. This problem caused by a design flaw in the engine that Ford was aware of in 2009 and continued to install without repair or recall. Research information shows it can cause overheating and possible vehicle fire. My s... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
My electric steering on my truck keeps jerking me into on coming traffic when I make a hard left or right turn.I have been working at a dealership for about 3.5 years now and have a two year degree in automotive service technology I can tell you that it is my rack and pinion. Intermittent only when turning. Please resolve this issue before some one wrecks and die.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
A few months ago, car started alarming randomly. Upon entering vehicle all lights on dashboard were going on and off, screen was going through each system followed by "problem" and repeated clicking heard in steering column and captured on video for 1 minute. This continued for several days but car drove okay. Alarming bouts came and went for a few days. I researched and found that it was probabl... Read more
PORSCHE
PANAMERA S
(2010) - LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Jun 20, 2023
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
I have a 2016 MDX v6 88k miles and I purchased the car as a Certified Pre Owned (CPO). I recently had two lights come on 1) Blind Spot Info System Problem and 2) Transmission System Problem. The car has been driving fine and has been well maintained. Since the lights came on, I've put about 8000 miles on it over the last 6 months and no change to the way it drives (transmission seems to work fine)... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
While driving on the highway, the vehicle's transmission completely disconnected and I had to drift to the side of the road. The check engine light came on. I took the vehicle back to the dealeership where a warranty fix was performed. The following day, while driving on the highway at 60mph, the vehicle threw an error and said "stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon" and threw an MIL and a tu... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2022
Entered vehicle and started my truck, and Immediately after a stop safely now along with full accessory power flash continuously. Along with the warnings I was unable to move my shifter as it was stuck on park the whole time. I turned off and restarted the vehicle 8-10 times over the course of 10-15 minutes which in the last try the messages went away and was finally able to put into drive and dri... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 experienced a failure. Parts di... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that the dashboard on the passenger’s side of the vehicle was melted, causing a glare on the windshield which obstructed the view of the contact while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
The contact rented a 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, the contact struck the key fob and the vehicle shut off inadvertently. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V093000 (Electrical System). The vehicle was returned to Hertz, and the contact was unaware if the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The center console power supply is faulty, does not charge or hold usb port. The white paint on my car began to chip in large amounts.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
I received a recall notice for my Saturn Sky's airbag system in the mail. There was no service light on in my car, and I did not have any known problems, however, to be safe I took my car in. Now the service airbag light is on in my car and I am told that the part that was supposed to be fixed needs to be replaced. If it had been properly repaired or the part replaced when I took it in for the rec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
On March 29, 2023 around 6:30PM on my way home from work, my car stopped me in the middle of I-78. The engine just kept revving when i push the accelerator but won't move forward. I was able to safely pull over to the side. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem noted prior to the failure. The following day (March 30, 2023), I dropped off my car to Planet Honda at 2285 US-22, ... Read more
PORSCHE
718 BOXSTER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Jun 2, 2023
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The suv shown safety message, it was diagnosed with airbag not deployed. This is very important specially for the rear backseat. GMC doesn’t want to be responsible and makes customer pay.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
On May 15, 2023 I got in my car, proceeded to drive off when I noticed that the airbag light was still illuminated on the instrument panel. I notified the dealership the next day and dropped my car off on May 17, 2023. On May 19 a diagnostics test was run and revealed that I had a faulty seat belt buckle. I declined service on the car. This was shocking to me since I took my car to them less than ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
Several times, the vehicle will brake without an obstacle in the road. It is extremely scary - at one time, it forced me to react unexpectedly and almost got into an accident. This is scary.
Incident date: Aug 2, 2021
The hood ltah keeps sticking when we close the hood, it has been greased and still does not work properly. the hood almost flew open on the expressway.
Incident date: May 29, 2023
Car needs to rewired because my break lights keep blowing out & will no longer work. They are burned from the inside. Also when turning on lights to my car the car stalls.
Incident date: May 29, 2023
The passenger occupancy sensor and airbag failed and needed to be replaced. The system alerted me to the failure. Tesla does not cover this as a manufacturing issue. $1300 for repairs on parts that are designed for safety Tesla is not responsible for the quality of parts used to assemble the vehicle. Per Tesla safety related issues are only covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. There must be a high... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
12V battery does not seem to be charging. After 2 days of not being driven, 12v battery status is too low to start the car. Jump starting works but same think occurs after couple of days of not driven.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The headrest on the front passenger seat deployed when there was no accident. The car has been stopped and was still running. My son was driving and it hit me in the back of the head. If this had happened to the driver's side headrest while driving, it could have easily caused an accident by distracting the driver.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Battery has died three times within 1.5 years…
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Battery has died three times within 1.5 years…
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Battery has died three times within 1.5 years…
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
My car engine blew and I contacted kia to get the engine replaced under the recall and the refused to do it.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Forgot case number with Porsche it is 800053607 Porsche says car is unsafe to drive. My case number with NHTSA is 11522971
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Forgot case number with Porsche it is 800053607 Porsche says car is unsafe to drive. My case number with NHTSA is 11522971
Incident date: May 1, 2023
My Ford Fusion hybrid is no longer safe to drive. I keep it parked in front of my work. I’ve had 2 Mechanics I know personally look at it and they both say the break line is cracked and is spraying out break fluid. I was driving in a stormy day and all of the sudden the break light, traction control light, slippery roads light, abs light, and advance service tech appeared. All at once I knew to ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
My vehicle was involved in a collision in which it hit the back of a 18 wheeler causing major frame damage. None of the airbags deployed.
Crash
Incident date: Dec 8, 2013
Mossy Nissan El Cajon, didn't report an accident that the car was involved in prior to the sale of the car to me. This car sustained front end damage. Resulting in a repair to the frame/sway bar. Thus effecting the steering and suspension of the car. This car was repaired and paid for by an insurance company. However, Nissan didn't disclose this information, so that the end result was the sale of ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 mph, there was an abnormal exhaust odor entering the vehicle. When the accelerator pedal was released, the odor dissipated. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The driver and passenger sustained a headache due to the odor but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
The engine was misfiring causing issues when trying to reach the posted speed limit. This was/is especially dangerous when having to get on the interstate where vehicles are going up to 80 mph. The engine light did come on. Took the vehicle to a certified KIA dealer where the confirmed the problem and said a new engine was needed. New engine was ordered and replaced (took 4 months to get new engin... Read more