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 2,690 complaints for PORSCHE
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
Brake line has ruptured and complete failure of brakes. This is due to faulty rubber securing grommet that has become detached from the brake line, allowing the line to rub against the strut tower. Your driver front brake line has ruptured, and your passenger brake line is wearing thin and likely to follow suit and rupture soon.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Macan S. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, he was informed that the oil had leaked and splashed over the engine compartment. There was also oil on the oil pan underneath the engine. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine cover gasket, timing cover gaskets, timing bolts, and other unknown parts n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
I’m filing this complaint because I signed a contract for the purchase of my second vehicle (a Porsche Macan 2018) using my own financing on August 23rd 2022 with a auto dealership (“Ocean Mazda”) and the auto dealership waited 3 months to submit the final required bank “Dealer Funding” document necessary for funding in order to force me to secure dealer financing. In August of 2022 I ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
The steering of the vehicle completely failed while driving. The steering column detached from the steering rack and steering the vehicle was no longer possible. There was no warning and its only by luck that nobody was killed. The defect was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. There is a single bolt that attaches the column to the rack, which if not torqued properly can fall out and lead to t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Porsche Panamera. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 contact stated that the headlamps illumination had started to become dull. The manufacturer was made ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
MY 2020 PORSCHE MACAN FROM DELIVERY NEW ON 10/2/2020 HAS EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF BACK-UP CAMERA SYSTEM (A DOT REQUIRED PIECE OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT). MANY TRIPS TO DEALER, BEING TOLD IT IS SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND I SHOULD JUST WAIT A FEW YEARS FOR A FIX AS PORSCHE HAS NONE AND REFUSES TO SPEND ANYTHING TO MAKE REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. I AM AWARE OF OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES WITH SAME PROBLEM WHEREIN PORSCHE ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
There is a significant smell of gasoline inside the cabin of the vehicle. There was a recall on the same make, model, and year for fuel pump filter flange leaks, which are indicative of a strong smell of gas inside the car. This can potentially cause the car to start on fire. The dealer stated due to the VIN, the vehicle was not covered under the existing recall.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal noise while shifting from first to second gear. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
The steering wheel column anchor pin was found shifting and had play. This caused the steering column to be loose in the vertical axis. This is considered a steering column failure and which could become impaired or unavailable during driving, posing a high risk to driver and others. I brought my car to the dealer for inspection, who confirmed the issue. They adjusted the pin to fix the issue... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Porsche Macan S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 contact called various local dealers who confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
The transfer case on my car has been confirmed by two different mechanics that it needs to be replaced. Porsche no longer makes or sells the original transfer case and components, so the entire transfer case needs to be replaced, at a cost of approximately $5,000. Porsche extended the warranty for the transfer case for up to 10 years, but I was never notified or made aware of this extension. Be... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2022
There is an open recall on my Porsche boxster, the Porsche recall number for this is AMC0. The recall involves reprogramming the car to reduce emissions in sport+ mode. My car has an aftermarket tune on the ECU, and the porsche dealership has told me that the recall is not possible due to this modification. If I want to get the recall done, they want me to pay to replace the ECU/DME. I also consen... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2020
The Cayman S model with V6, 3.4L motor, commonly referenced as a 9A1 motor had been self destructing with increasing amounts of metal slivers/chips found in the drained oil, oil filter and oil filter housing. The in-warranty Porsche dealer "installed oil" was first inspected by my shop at 27,031 mi - alarmingly metal was found, PIC attached. Metal was non magnetic, appearing to be aluminium. Subse... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2018
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting), 19V446000 (Power Train), and 17V576000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the fuel gaug... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2018
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting), 19V446000 (Power Train), and 17V576000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the fuel gaug... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2018
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting), 19V446000 (Power Train), and 17V576000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the fuel gaug... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while refueling the vehicle with the engine running, the vehicle shut off. The vehicle hesitated while restarting. The contact detected fuel leaking from the vehicle. The check engine and oil light warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2022
I own a 2015 Porsche Macan turbo which I purchased new from the Chattanooga Tennessee Porsche dealer. On Tuesday, October 18 2022 while driving at normal highway speeds the engine coolant pipe failed and dumped all of my coolant onto the engine and roadway. Red warning lights came on and I pulled over and stoped the car it had to be towed to the Porsche dealership where I was subsequently charged ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
The 2020 Macan developed extreme shakes with 14,000 miles. I had to replace rear brakes and rotors at 14,000 and fronts brakes and rotors at 21,000 at a cost of $3,000.00. Porsche has denied payment for these defective parts. They should recall and fix this ridiculous brake and rotor failures before someone is killed.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2022
The display is one LED unified panel and it goes dark and loses its ability to function while the car is in motion. It will prompt you to reboot while the car is in motion. In order to reboot the system driver must lean forward toward the passenger seat left portion of the screen and take 1 hand off the wheel to reboot and takes ones eyes away from the view plane of the road for more than 5 second... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Porsche Panamera. The contact received a phone call and was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer notified the contact of the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred him to several dealers for assist... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2022
The vehicle has stalled out repeatedly while driving. When starting from an intersection it will lose all power and a turtle icon shows up on the screen and the car will not move more than 5 MPH. After rolling to a stop, and restarting the car drives okay. Then a few days or a week, month later, it happens again. Also, the PCM repeatedly weekly, fails to boot up and I have no backup camera or ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
When I first purchased my car, it reversed while the car was on auto hold while I was on a steep hill with a stoplight. There was no way to stop the car as the break didn’t work somehow it worked when I slammed the gas. The dealership said it was a software issue so they updated it. A few months later it was worse. I tried to put the car in park and slam the brakes but it didn’t work. I don’... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
New car was dead on arrival due to electrical system error. Still not able to fixed after 2 months.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
New car was dead on arrival due to electrical system error. Still not able to fixed after 2 months.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2022
My Taycan suddenly lost power while driving on the road on 10/14/2022
Incident date: Oct 6, 2022
The car is notifying me that the drivers airbag is not working. the message that appears is: “Airbag system error, please visit workshop”
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2005 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V576000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the contact stated that while driving, he smelled a fuel odor throughout the vehicle. The contact stated that he started to feel dizzy and pulled the vehicle off the roadway. The contact then stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that fue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Porsche Mobile Charger overheats, rated for 9.6kw but due to safety concerns Porsche adjusted default rate to 4.8kw. Rate can be reset to 9.6 each charge session increasing risk of fire.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
When driving the vehicle, the center console screen (the Porsche Communication Manager), spontaneously went blank/black. The screen appeared to reboot while the car was on and froze with the word "PORSCHE" across the center screen. The screen inoperable while the car was in motion. The navigation, climate control, back-up camera, radio, and many other controls are all utilize through this cente... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The door panels are warping and detaching from the door. I'm sure the airbags should be affected as well. I have contacted Porche America but no one calls except customer service who keeps no records of previous calls.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The door panels are warping and detaching from the door. I'm sure the airbags should be affected as well. I have contacted Porche America but no one calls except customer service who keeps no records of previous calls.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
The car experiences issue, after issue, including but not limited to collision alert warning not functioning, lane change assist failure, and the alarm sounding (disturbing the peace). As Porsche fixes the issues one by one, other matters emerge. The latest is the antania, and communications.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
The car experiences issue, after issue, including but not limited to collision alert warning not functioning, lane change assist failure, and the alarm sounding (disturbing the peace). As Porsche fixes the issues one by one, other matters emerge. The latest is the antania, and communications.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
The car experiences issue, after issue, including but not limited to collision alert warning not functioning, lane change assist failure, and the alarm sounding (disturbing the peace). As Porsche fixes the issues one by one, other matters emerge. The latest is the antania, and communications.
Incident date: Sep 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, the vehicle would unintentionally roll forward without warning. The contact also stated that the gear selector lights would flash during the failure. The contact stated that upon restart of the vehicle, the vehicle would temporarily operate as needed; however, the failure would return. The contact called t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
I fear a possible non-detection of front passenger. The “Airbag warning lamp” or “Passenger Airbag OFF” lamp is activated. I fear the front passenger airbag may not deploy in a type of a crash in which it is designed to deploy. My VIN is not falling under the AMA2 Recall campaign even though I feel it should be.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2022
othe car's tach increase several hundred RPM as the computer tries to match revs when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd gear in Normal Mode and 2nd to 1st gear in Sport Mode.. When that happens, the car lurches forward. owhat seems to be happening is the engine is over-revving while disengaged from a gear on shifts from 3rd to 2nd and even more so on 2nd to 1st causing a lurch forward when the lower g... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
My air conditioner/heater fan does not come on after car has been sitting for a few days in a humid climate. This problem is documented with a temporary fix on the static.nhsta.gov site. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10186302-0001.pdf The problem is it happens to me every week or so. There is no permanent fix. This is a safety issue because without the fan motor the defroster doesn't ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Porsche Taycan. The contact had experienced a failure when he lost power on the road. The vehicle was an electric vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V404000 (Power Train, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
While the vehicle is in both Drive and reverse, the car randomly will shift itself into either neutral or park without warning. The first event occurred while in reverse and actively moving, the car shifted into neutral on its own. No warning lights or messages appeared. The following 2 incidents, while driving on city streets, at a stop sign in one instance and at a stop light in the other, the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
This is the second time this brand of tire has slipped off the wheel while on the Highway at 55 miles an hour or better. It put me as the driver at severe risk and the car has been damaged twice now. The tire size is Continentals Sport Plus 265/35 ZR 18. They were like new with little mileage. This is a collector item car and cost to repair is great, not to mention how it has forever created a fe... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
My 2022 Taycan does not show to be one included in the electrical issue recall, however I am experiencing the center screen going dark while driving. Only had the car a little over a week, and it has happen twice, both times on the freeway. Not going slow or stopping, about 60-70MPH. went off for about 20-30 seconds then came back on.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
Driving at night at ~72 mph on a 65 mph divided highway with no traffic nearby the Collision Warning message appeared on the dash and the car noticeably slowed perhaps 5-10 mph. Then the msg cleared itself and the trip was completed otherwise uneventfully.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
Driving at night at ~72 mph on a 65 mph divided highway with no traffic nearby the Collision Warning message appeared on the dash and the car noticeably slowed perhaps 5-10 mph. Then the msg cleared itself and the trip was completed otherwise uneventfully.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The vehicle lurches forward dangerously when coming to a complete stop. The brakes seem to release as the vehicle lurches forward.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The vehicle lurches forward dangerously when coming to a complete stop. The brakes seem to release as the vehicle lurches forward.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The car shifted from drive to park twice within a 10 minute drive unexpectedly. Both times occurred while driving under 5 mph and stopped at a traffic light. This is a brand new car with less than 2000 mi on it.
PORSCHE
TAYCAN
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:CHARGING:CABLE/CORD:ACCESSORY
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
While charging was in progress using Porsche's app at a charging station of Electrify America, the charging process suddenly stopped, when I switched from the app to an email app. And since the charging station displayed "Please unplug", I was unplugging a charging cable from a Taycan's charging port, then there was an explosion at the port with an ear-splitting bang and a large spark. The car das... Read more