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: Mar 17, 2022
My Taycan 4S has now on two occasions, while I’m driving, on the freeway, during the daytime, had all the instrument cluster displays go blank for 20-30 sec then reboot… Very disconcerting at best... dealer tells me this is NORMAL!, hard to believe its normal.... for me it's a safety issue.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2022
Yesterday as I was driving in freeway, my friend was following me from behind, he noticed smoke and coolant leaking making his car's windshield dirty. So we stopped at gas station and noticed good amount of coolant leakage from underneath which make the back of the car and tires big mess. I noticed, before my friend's call, the handling and grip of the car was little off, I didn't know why but the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2022
Spoiler lift spring brackets on both sides are broken allowing the springs to get in the way of the normal performance of the spoiler. This could impede the deployment of the spoiler or the successful retraction of the spoiler, creating a reduction in downforce (grip) or creating a safety hazard of a non-fully retracted spoiler. This was identified by a third-party repair shop during maintenance... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2022
Spoiler lift spring brackets on both sides are broken allowing the springs to get in the way of the normal performance of the spoiler. This could impede the deployment of the spoiler or the successful retraction of the spoiler, creating a reduction in downforce (grip) or creating a safety hazard of a non-fully retracted spoiler. This was identified by a third-party repair shop during maintenance... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
On November 26, 2021 I brought the vehicle in for service due to an airbag warning light. The dealer informed me that the front seat passenger occupancy sensor mat was faulty and must be replaced. The dealer disconnected the seat sensor, thus removing the air bag safety protection system for front seat passenger as the instrument panel shows no occupant in front passenger seat. I have repeated cal... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
car failed on the street noting "electrical system error". it was not able to shift into drive or reverse and immovable rendering it inoperable and left me stranded on the street. I had the car towed to the dealer the next day.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2022
Car went into park once and neutral twice while stopped at approximately 1300 and 1700 miles. I took the car to Porsche dealer and was told they would investigate. After two weeks I requested car be returned. They had investigated but couldn't reproduce however car was only driven about 80 miles. They offered to investigate further on my car as they had installed diagnostic software and devices. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2022
2013 PORSCHE BOXTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUE WITH CONTROL ARM MOUNTS ON REAR SUSPENSION. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED RECALL 21V-679. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PARTS NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
the driver receives a warning light in the instrument panel left tail light is defective, and then right tail light defective. Some times tail light works and does not when car is in cold weather Was told that both tail lights were defective and would have to be replaced at a cost of $3400.00 . Found an after sale Porsche publication saying that it affected 2015-2018 Porsche Cayenne. Dealer to... Read more
PORSCHE
718 CAYMAN
(2017) - SEAT BELTS
Mar 4, 2022
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
seat belt will not retracted back it stays completly loose.
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
Drive mode for my 2022 Porsche Taycan 4S has been abruptly changing from Drive to either Neutral or Park on its own. Noticed within first week or so of ownership. Primarily has occurred during low to no speed situations (e.g., turning into a parking spot and car switches to Neutral abruptly or stopped at a red light and switches to Park). However, there has been one instance where drive mode swi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
Technology change from 3g to 5g. This discontinues the safety notifications including crash /location alerts. Porsche offered a free replacement, and after dealers had difficulty in installing, Porsche offers a minimum compensation, instead of fixing problem. this will affect all Porsche from 2018 and prior that were set up for 3g network connection . Thank you
Incident date: Dec 8, 2021
The car while coasting around 50 mph shifted from drive to neutral spontaneously. Then later shifted from drive to park spontaneously at a stoplight twice.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2021
The car while coasting around 50 mph shifted from drive to neutral spontaneously. Then later shifted from drive to park spontaneously at a stoplight twice.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the steering wheel felt loose. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the tie rod bolt, track bolt, and hexagon head bolt needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
Electrical system error message appeared when I turned on the car. I exited and locked the car in an attempt to reset the system. I tried this several times with no success so I attempted to call for a tow. After waiting 20 minutes I tried again to exit the car and lock it. This time when I reentered the car it started and I drove home.
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
Electrical system error message appeared when I turned on the car. I exited and locked the car in an attempt to reset the system. I tried this several times with no success so I attempted to call for a tow. After waiting 20 minutes I tried again to exit the car and lock it. This time when I reentered the car it started and I drove home.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
While coming to a stop the vehicle lurches around 1200 rpms as the rpms are falling. The vehicle appears to already be in 1st gear when this happens. This can be replicated in all driving modes. observation: when braking or even when coasting to a stop the vehicle will slow down rapidly, as if the brakes are being tapped hard (the brake pressure is constant and occurs even when not braking) for a ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
While coming to a stop the vehicle lurches around 1200 rpms as the rpms are falling. The vehicle appears to already be in 1st gear when this happens. This can be replicated in all driving modes. observation: when braking or even when coasting to a stop the vehicle will slow down rapidly, as if the brakes are being tapped hard (the brake pressure is constant and occurs even when not braking) for a ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2022
Without warning the car flashed an "Electrical Failure" warning and then lost all power and coasted to a stop while "bucking" slightly. This stranded us on the side of a narrow 2-lane road (NV28) with limited visibility. The high-voltage battery in the car apparently failed. This has been verified by the dealer. Our safety was put at risk by being stopped in a dangerous location on a narrow 2-... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2022
Without warning the car flashed an "Electrical Failure" warning and then lost all power and coasted to a stop while "bucking" slightly. This stranded us on the side of a narrow 2-lane road (NV28) with limited visibility. The high-voltage battery in the car apparently failed. This has been verified by the dealer. Our safety was put at risk by being stopped in a dangerous location on a narrow 2-... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
Catastrophic coolant loss due to failure of a known issue by manufacturer. The coolant loss resulted due to failure of the epoxy that held the hose to the manifold. The epoxy failure affected 3 of the hoses. This was part of a DOT bulletin affecting this model year. Failure on my vehicle came later after warranty had expired due to low mileage. Also in 2021 the rear lid spoiler failed (anothe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
Catastrophic coolant loss due to failure of a known issue by manufacturer. The coolant loss resulted due to failure of the epoxy that held the hose to the manifold. The epoxy failure affected 3 of the hoses. This was part of a DOT bulletin affecting this model year. Failure on my vehicle came later after warranty had expired due to low mileage. Also in 2021 the rear lid spoiler failed (anothe... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
After going through the car wash, I lost my rear brake lights and rear running lights. Still have the third brake light. From reading on many Porsche form sites, this is a common issue. The vehicle does not have adequate drains, in return, water leaks into multiple areas of the vehicle causing electrical shortages. You do not get any warning bells, or signs on the dash that you do not have rear ta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2022
I need to replace or dismiss this so i can list my car on turo.
Incident date: Feb 18, 2022
I need to replace or dismiss this so i can list my car on turo.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
I was involved in an accident October 12, 2021 in which the passenger side of my car was hit. The damage was from the front passenger door to the rear bumper. The total damage to date 02/18/2022 is approximately $25K. In the incident - not one single air bag deployed. I suffered a concussion as I hit my head upon impact. I reported the incident directly to Porsche within 2 weeks of the accident. I... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that others had also informed him that the vehicle had a strong gasoline odor. The contact stated that the gasoline odor was coming from the rear passenger's side and rear driver's side seats. The dealer was notified of the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Porsche Macan. The contact became aware that her VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V131000 (Air Bags) however, the local dealer and several other unknown dealers informed her that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notifie... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
The headlights aren’t sealed correctly so water has leaked in and caused them to malfunction. Porsche is making me get them repaired at a cost of $4100
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the blind spot monitoring system was inoperable and the message "blind spot monitoring not available" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to several different dealers who confirmed the failure was present but indicated that the failure could not be fixed. No further information was available. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2020
TRW Automotive Inc. Airbag Control Unit (Part No. 218737-124 RI; Serial No. 11050089RI; Produced: April 20, 2015) was equipped in 2016 Porsche Cayman VIN [XXX] by Porsche (Vehicle Production Date: June 29, 2015). In 2019, TRW recalled the aforementioned ACU in NHTSA 19E-043. In 2019, in response to the TRW recall, Porsche recalled 2016 Porsche Caymans in NHTSA 19V-533 but Porsche & the NHTSA fai... Read more
PORSCHE
718 CAYMAN
(2017) - SEAT BELTS
Feb 9, 2022
Incident date: Oct 16, 2020
I have a Porsche 718 Cayman [XXX] I purchase this vehicle October 16, 2020 with only 1,500 miles on the odometer from Porsche of Tucson 4690 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711. Purchase Porsche extended platinum warranty for 96/100,000 miles. My passenger side 3- point seatbelt will not retract back properly. This is definitely a safety issue for the passenger. I set up an appointment to have it fix with... Read more
PORSCHE
718 CAYMAN
(2017) - SEATS
Feb 9, 2022
Incident date: Oct 16, 2020
I have a Porsche 718 Cayman [XXX] I purchase this vehicle October 16, 2020 with only 1,500 miles on the odometer from Porsche of Tucson 4690 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711. Purchase Porsche extended platinum warranty for 96/100,000 miles. My passenger side 3- point seatbelt will not retract back properly. This is definitely a safety issue for the passenger. I set up an appointment to have it fix with... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
HV battery failure. No warning. Vehicle could not be put in gear or moved. Vehicle has been at Porsche Conshohocken since 12/23/2021. No resolution as of 02/04/2022. Vehicle has been out of service 47 days.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2022
The car showed the error from start. It did not show any signs of trouble before this incident. It seems to have happened to plenty others and for some, restarting the vehicle clears the faults. For me it has not cleared after 3 attempts over 6hrs. - The systems which showed malfunction were: 1. ParkAssist: sensors around the car which are used to emit series of beeping sounds when the vehicle a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2022
The car showed the error from start. It did not show any signs of trouble before this incident. It seems to have happened to plenty others and for some, restarting the vehicle clears the faults. For me it has not cleared after 3 attempts over 6hrs. - The systems which showed malfunction were: 1. ParkAssist: sensors around the car which are used to emit series of beeping sounds when the vehicle a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Carrera. The contact stated while driving at 50MPH when the contact attempted to turn off their headlight switch on the vehicle but instead accidentally hit the ignition switch which caused the engine to shut off and the vehicle to coast on its own. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road and restart the vehicle and continue to drive to their residence.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2022
I applied the gas pedal & the pedal seemed to stick . The vehicle kept accelerating after I took my foot off that pedal to apply brake . Car would slow when brake applied but immediately accelerated and kept increasing (speed was well over 90 mph & climbing ) when brake was released . This happened 3 times before the “stuck”pedal released. Another driver (retired mechanic) had driven the car ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2022
I applied the gas pedal & the pedal seemed to stick . The vehicle kept accelerating after I took my foot off that pedal to apply brake . Car would slow when brake applied but immediately accelerated and kept increasing (speed was well over 90 mph & climbing ) when brake was released . This happened 3 times before the “stuck”pedal released. Another driver (retired mechanic) had driven the car ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2022 Porsche Taycan. The contact stated that the vehicle was fully charged however, after three days of inactivity the battery drained. The contact contacted the dealer who had not officially diagnosed the vehicle. The dealer stated that the battery needed to be recharged to transport the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Both driver and passenger side door panels are failing causing them to raise due to failed seal and/or glue used in production. This has been inspected by the Porsche dealer and has been deemed a failure from the factory. This issue has caused for not only visibility issues and accessibility to door locks and windows, but could potentially impact the functionality and safety of the overall side ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
My door panels are delaminating around where the side curtain airbags are located. It has me concerned about driving the vehicle if I was involved in an accident.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Porsche Macan S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V131000 (Air Bags) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
I received notice last year of a recall concerning the passenger air bag and contacted the dealer Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota immediately to schedule service. As of November they did not have parts but expected them in soon and said they would call to schedule. On January 15th I called to confirm that we were still expecting the parts at which time I was told that Porsche is no longer fixing the ... Read more
PORSCHE
PANAMERA 4S
(2011) - ENGINE
Jan 12, 2022
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Porsche Panamera 4S. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle shut off as an unknown brake warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the contact was informed that a bolt had fallen out of the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact was given an estimate for repair. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Porsche Macan S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V131000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer where an appointment was scheduled twice however, the contact was then informed that parts were not yet available. The appointments were then canceled. The contact stated that the man... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2021
A SAFETY RECALL NHTSA ID 21V-131 WAS ISSUED FOR OUR VEHICLE IN OCTOBER 2021 INVOLVING AIRBAG SENSORS FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO HAVE THE DEALER ADDRESS THIS RECALL HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AS THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE LAST COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEALERSHIP INDICATES PORSCHE HAS PUT A HOLD ON THE REMEDY. WE ARE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THOSE ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2021
Every time I drive the vehicle for any distance or speed when I park I can smell fuel. The odor is very strong when I park in the garage. The Odor will last a few hours then go away. But if I have not drove the vehicle that day no odor will be present. It Is smelled back by the gas cap leading me to believe it’s ether the fuel hose receiver or the fuel pump that after investigation have found ou... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Porsche Macan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V131000 (Air Bags). The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the parts were unavailable despite having received a letter stating otherwise. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a... Read more