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
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
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
I own a 2012 Porsche Cayenne. Transfer case broke at 33,000 miles and was replaced by the dealer, and now it broke again at 55,000 miles. Repair cost is $6,340 plus tax. It broke under the warranty period but Porsche gave me the runaround and told me they wouldn't check it until after some body damage was complete (more details below). Honestly feel like I'm getting gouged with faulty parts. Many... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
I own a 2012 Porsche Cayenne. Transfer case broke at 33,000 miles and was replaced by the dealer, and now it broke again at 55,000 miles. Repair cost is $6,340 plus tax. It broke under the warranty period but Porsche gave me the runaround and told me they wouldn't check it until after some body damage was complete (more details below). Honestly feel like I'm getting gouged with faulty parts. Many... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
When the car was in Drive (D) mode but stationary at a red light, it abruptly went in to park (P) without any user intervention. Had to reengage the drive mode to move forward. Problem has occurred at least twice before (months apart) without any reproducibility. I did bring it to the dealer once but they did not find any abnormal logs. Latest occurrence on 7/6/2022 at approximately 6:15 PM Los... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
When the car was in Drive (D) mode but stationary at a red light, it abruptly went in to park (P) without any user intervention. Had to reengage the drive mode to move forward. Problem has occurred at least twice before (months apart) without any reproducibility. I did bring it to the dealer once but they did not find any abnormal logs. Latest occurrence on 7/6/2022 at approximately 6:15 PM Los... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
November 27,2021 Electrical System Failure . Car was parked in a parking lot . RED system failure error . After 30 minutes the car started and I drove it to Town Motors Porsche , Englewood NJ (purchase dealer). They had car for ~ 3 weeks and "everything is fine." July 6th 2022: Identical Electrical Systems failure . Again while car was parked in my garage . Car started on its own several hours la... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
November 27,2021 Electrical System Failure . Car was parked in a parking lot . RED system failure error . After 30 minutes the car started and I drove it to Town Motors Porsche , Englewood NJ (purchase dealer). They had car for ~ 3 weeks and "everything is fine." July 6th 2022: Identical Electrical Systems failure . Again while car was parked in my garage . Car started on its own several hours la... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
It appears that the vehicle 12volt system battery has failed and I am unable to move the vehicle . I have tried to charge the 12volt battery but the car remains undrivable. I had the car towed to the dealership and they have said that the car needs a new 12Volt battery but it is on backorder and that they continue to work with the factory to resolve the issue.
PORSCHE
718 BOXSTER
(2021) — BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Jun 30, 2022
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
There is an intermittent problem where the backup camera fails to display an image when the gear selector is in Reverse. Backup camera reveals hazards that are not visible from the driver’s seat. Dealer has so far had three opportunities to diagnose the problem (and failed). Dealer was provided video of engaging reverse while the display failed to show an image. No other inspections were done... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
In the center of the lane on a straight highway, vehicle will suddenly brake without warning. There are no vehicles ahead. A warning light comes on the dash and says “Driver Control Required,” yet both my hands are on the steering wheel. The feeling is that of a brake check performed by the electronic sensors of the car, and not at the driver’s command. Had there been a car following behi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
In the center of the lane on a straight highway, vehicle will suddenly brake without warning. There are no vehicles ahead. A warning light comes on the dash and says “Driver Control Required,” yet both my hands are on the steering wheel. The feeling is that of a brake check performed by the electronic sensors of the car, and not at the driver’s command. Had there been a car following behi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
Windshield washer hose has snapped at the hood hinge which is preventing clearing of the windsheild of debris and obscuring forward visibility. This part was replaced by the dealer in 2016 during the first annual service for reasons unknown to me and has now failed.
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
On Sunday June 5, 2022, I had to remove my 2019 Porsche Macan S right rear tire because it had a screw in it. I ahd to do it that day because its leaking had increased and it went totally flat, while I had been waiting many days for my purchased tire and road hazard service. I removed the tire and put in a temporary plug so it could be taken to the servicing dealer, Porsche Silver Spring, MD, o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Coolant warning light on - seeing leak Coolant warning light for coolant level comes on. Seeing a leak at a hose. Leaking at coolant bypass hose under intake. Coolant pipes in thermostat housing are coming loose at the epoxy joint. Chassis system failure, The car will stop abruptly on roads. And if here's that these problems that are reoccurring have been recalls before, That have not been... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Coolant warning light on - seeing leak Coolant warning light for coolant level comes on. Seeing a leak at a hose. Leaking at coolant bypass hose under intake. Coolant pipes in thermostat housing are coming loose at the epoxy joint. Chassis system failure, The car will stop abruptly on roads. And if here's that these problems that are reoccurring have been recalls before, That have not been... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Coolant warning light on - seeing leak Coolant warning light for coolant level comes on. Seeing a leak at a hose. Leaking at coolant bypass hose under intake. Coolant pipes in thermostat housing are coming loose at the epoxy joint. Chassis system failure, The car will stop abruptly on roads. And if here's that these problems that are reoccurring have been recalls before, That have not been... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2022
2013 PORSCHE BOXTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 21V-679. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER STATING THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE, BUT THE DEALER DENIED HAVING THE PARTS.
Incident date: May 27, 2022
The engine oil started leaking on the timing case over bolts. The current mileage is 20500. This happened right after the regular 40,000 mile maintenance. The dealership said it's out of warranty but on a bit of research the aluminum bolts seem to break easily with a lot of similar cases.
Incident date: May 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the transmission failed to shift as designed. The contact stated that the transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2022
The vehicle shuts down when stopped in traffic, have to try and re-start it. Has happened 3 different times.
Incident date: May 29, 2022
The vehicle shuts down when stopped in traffic, have to try and re-start it. Has happened 3 different times.
PORSCHE
MACAN TURBO
(2016) — AIR BAGS
May 27, 2022
Incident date: May 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Porsche Macan Turbo. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign ... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2022
After the most recent recalls were repaired (all software) on my vehicle the brakes in the car were terrible. Soft /dead pedal feel. I almost rear ended other cars multiple times wen braking at slow speeds. Occasionally the pedal would go all the way to the floor when slowing to 3-5mph - This was consistent over multiple days after I got the car back from recall updates. Also , the first in... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2022
the vehicle is hard to steer, which includes an intermittent manual to power feel in the steering so that pulling hard on the steering causes the vehicle to veer in direction of the steer. While pulling hard, the steering will suddenly feel "powered" but then immediately return to feeling manual. This puts anyone at risk in the vehicle, as it is dangerous to make turns. An appointment for diagnosi... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
Car would go in to P or N during slow moving situations. Could of been rear ended or stuck in the middle of a intersection. Many Taycan owners have had the same issue. First time I was in stop and go traffic, as I let off the brake the car went into N. Second time after a few lights, car was in hold. Noticed the car did not go when light turned green when giving power. It was at P.
Incident date: May 7, 2022
Car went from drive to neutral without any input from the driver. Occurred at a stop light when the car was static.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2022
Multiple times, after coming to a full stop, the car has silently shifted from D to N or P. I often only notice once I want to drive off again, and am unable to. It happened the first time after only around 100 miles, now with over 3500 miles on the car it still happens from time to time.
Incident date: May 16, 2022
Car shifted into park unexpectedly mutiple times. First was pulling into a parking spot, going about 2mph and car jolted to a halt, noticed it was in park. Second time I was already stopped, waiting at a red light. Car shifted into park. Both times I was able to put car into drive and resume my driving.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
At low speeds the vehicle removed itself from drive D and shifted into neutral N. The vehicle started jerking forward and back while still moving. Once I put it back in drive it went away. No one was behind me so no accident resulted.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Porsche Cayman. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the rear housing axle carriers repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V679000 (Power Train). However, upon picking up the vehicle, the rear suspension was unstable and drifted all over the road while driving. The contact was able to drive to his residence. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
Over the past 5 months, approx 6-7 episodes of car putting itself into park or neutral or 'hold' while stopped at traffic light. No loss of power while accelerator engaged.
Incident date: May 9, 2022
Rear camera view is distorted when backing up. Unable to safely see behind you when driving.
Incident date: May 9, 2022
Rear camera view is distorted when backing up. Unable to safely see behind you when driving.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -THE TRUNK How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ON, THE KEY WAS ON TEH VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION THE TRUNK POPPED OPEN ON IT'S OWN. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -NO Has the vehicle or... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 11, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -THE TRUNK How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ON, THE KEY WAS ON TEH VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION THE TRUNK POPPED OPEN ON IT'S OWN. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -NO Has the vehicle or... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. On one occasion while driving, the failure occurred and nearly cause the vehicle to be rear ended by a vehicle speeding from behind. The vehicle was taken to the local... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2022
Vehicle erratically switches to Park unintentionally. This is an intermittent issue but does occur several times during a drive, pretty much daily. Porsche service couldn't find source of issue, said it was a known issue, but had no fix for it.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2022
My car got stuck and then it caught fire and now is fully demolished
Fire
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
THERE'S AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE (it is an E-Hybrid) with ERROR MESSAGES THAT RUN IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP (ACC NOT AVAILABLE, PAS RESTRICTED, DRIVING LIGHT CONTROL ERROR, HIGH BEAM ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE, LANE KEEP ASSIST RESTRICTED). THE LOCAL DEALER HAS NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR A MONTH. WE WERE CALLED TWO TIMES TO PICK UP A "F... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
THERE'S AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE (it is an E-Hybrid) with ERROR MESSAGES THAT RUN IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP (ACC NOT AVAILABLE, PAS RESTRICTED, DRIVING LIGHT CONTROL ERROR, HIGH BEAM ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE, LANE KEEP ASSIST RESTRICTED). THE LOCAL DEALER HAS NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR A MONTH. WE WERE CALLED TWO TIMES TO PICK UP A "F... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
THERE'S AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE (it is an E-Hybrid) with ERROR MESSAGES THAT RUN IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP (ACC NOT AVAILABLE, PAS RESTRICTED, DRIVING LIGHT CONTROL ERROR, HIGH BEAM ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE, LANE KEEP ASSIST RESTRICTED). THE LOCAL DEALER HAS NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR A MONTH. WE WERE CALLED TWO TIMES TO PICK UP A "F... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2022
I got an “Electrical System Error. Park vehicle in a safe place” while I was on the freeway. I had to exit the freeway and shut down the vehicle and the error went away. I am hesitant to drive the vehicle, I am in the process of having the vehicle flat bedded to my dealer.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Porsche Macan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V131000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconne... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The air-conditioning system quit after 2000 miles of a brand new Macan-s. It starts blowing Hot air as soon as the A/C is turned on.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The air-conditioning system quit after 2000 miles of a brand new Macan-s. It starts blowing Hot air as soon as the A/C is turned on.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The air-conditioning system quit after 2000 miles of a brand new Macan-s. It starts blowing Hot air as soon as the A/C is turned on.
PORSCHE
BOXSTER (987)
(2009) — TIRES:TREAD/BELT
Apr 20, 2022
Incident date: Apr 20, 2022
TIRES ARE 235/40 R18 REAR TIRES. This is the second set of these tires that have worn out after about 3500 city/highway road miles. No racing, no drifting, no tire spinning on launch. Porsche dealer replaced both sets as part of CPO process; now I need a third set. Current mileage on the car is 63590; I purchased it in Sept of 2021 with 57K miles. Tire wear is even across the tread; no alignme... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
Suddenly my vehicle showed "electrical system error", then it can't move, no matter forward or reverse, luckily it was parked in my garage, I can't image if it was on highway when your vehicle suddenly lost power. I don't remember how many times my Taycan was recalled in past 1 year, but it looks Porsche still haven't figure it out, maybe it's still a prototype.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
I call to your attention the potential safety issues resulting from manufactories furnishing only one key. the single key fob won't start traveling with no dealer access lost or stolen key fob battery dies etc., etc. Duplicate key fobs are essential Porsche Cars USA is negligent