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 30,183 complaints for RAM
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
Transmission failed/malfunctioned. Available for inspection. Safety at risk due to driving on busy road when transmission failed and car wouldn't move. Transmission recall for VIN [XXX] Vehicle component has not been inspected. No warning of any kind prior to failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
While driving at approximately 35 mph on a surface street with my wife and five-year-old son in the vehicle, the electric power steering system failed and steering assist was reduced. The instrument panel simultaneously displayed and cycled through multiple warnings including "Electric Power Steering System Problem — Steering Assist Reduced," "Brake System — Brake Hold System Problem," Vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
While driving at approximately 35 mph on a surface street with my wife and five-year-old son in the vehicle, the electric power steering system failed and steering assist was reduced. The instrument panel simultaneously displayed and cycled through multiple warnings including "Electric Power Steering System Problem — Steering Assist Reduced," "Brake System — Brake Hold System Problem," Vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
The hose connected on the antifreeze leak into the engine compartment
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
Error with the front camera system without damage to the instrument.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The car wont move Fwd Until it suddenly Catches its gear Especially when its hot when the car is running for a long period of time and at a stop , or during a turn. The engine runs fine but the physical power is not reaching the wheels , Car will shut off if its not reaching it power , Cars feels like goes into Natural when it slips and finally catches its gear to move fwd . This has happen all t... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
I purchased this vehicle in April of 2026, 4 days after bringing it home it began displaying a “Shift To Park” message in the dash, essentially making it so the vehicle will not shut off even when the vehicle is in park. Took it to a shop and they diagnosed it as a common issue across the 2021 Malibus and stated the entire shifter assembly needed replaced. Have not had it replaced yet due to n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
Airbags, seats, and headrest all failed. State Farm insurance currently has the vehicle. I do not know if the people has been inspected by anybody. The vehicle had no warning lamps message or other symptoms of problems or failure before the collision. I was traveling in the far left lane when traffic came to abrupt stop and I was able to stop 10 to 15 ft from the vehicle in front of me. Two vehi... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Jun 26, 2026
The truck has done this four times since 01/22/2026. While still moving slowly the truck will do this while going down the highway. One other safety issue was when I merged into traffic on the highway (You have to merge into the fast lane at this location) the truck wouldn't go past 4th gear approximately 40 mph with cars coming up on me at 70. All of these problems correct when I can get the truc... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the navigation screen was glitching and became inoperable. The service message was displayed. There was a red triangle with an exclamation mark displayed. The vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that the failure was caused by a failure with the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
Vehicle: 2024 Land Rover Defender, VIN [XXX] Related recall: NHTSA campaign 26V248 (JLR internal D126 / H575) This complaint concerns the unavailability of a remedy for a defect that can cause complete loss of drive power while the vehicle is in motion. Timeline: - April 17, 2026: Jaguar Land Rover North America filed Part 573 report for campaign 26V248, covering 170,169 mild-hybrid vehicles in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The air conditioning system in my 2024 Hyundai Tucson has never adequately cooled the cabin during high outdoor temperatures, since I purchased the vehicle. The vehicle is parked outdoors in direct sunlight daily, as I have no garage or carport access, and the issue is most severe and consistent during hot weather. This creates a heat exposure risk while driving, particularly on hot days when cab... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The contact's son owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after her son shifted from park(P) to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact's son was able to drive to the residence nearby after several attempts. While at the residence, the failure recurred after shifting to drive(D), and the vehicle made an abnormal grindi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
2025 Camry was dealer serviced at recommended internals. At the 24,000 mile service vehicle there was a "hum" from the front of the vehicle, and returned to the dealership. They confirmed the tires that had been on the back were moved to the front during the regular rotation and confirmed "consistent cupping on all 4" tires. The dealer informed us that all 4 Hankook Model Kinergy required replac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
2017 Hyundai Elantra GT suffered leakage from the hydraulic brake lines located under the driver's seat which can cause sudden and total braking failure. The leakage was caused by severe rust and corrosion trapped by the underbody panels. The fuel line was also severely corroded, with imminent failure. While Transport Canada issued an official safety recall for this exact engineering defect on th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
2017 Hyundai Elantra GT suffered leakage from the hydraulic brake lines located under the driver's seat which can cause sudden and total braking failure. The leakage was caused by severe rust and corrosion trapped by the underbody panels. The fuel line was also severely corroded, with imminent failure. While Transport Canada issued an official safety recall for this exact engineering defect on th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
CONTEMPORANEOUS NOTE 2024 ACURA ZDX – AWD - NHTSA Recall No. 26V306000 Date: XXX Time: 12:25 PM On XXX at approximately 12:25 PM, I contacted Miami Acura Service at [XXX] to schedule the recently issued rear-view camera safety recall 26V306000 for my 2024 Acura ZDX. I was advised by the dealership representative that no appointments were being scheduled for the recall at this time because the re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
I was told by oxmoor dealership I had to talk to toyota corporate before I could get my car touched and that I did not need to talk to a lawyer. I called. Prior to the accident, the vehicle had been exhibiting multiple symptoms: an intermittent airbag warning light had illuminated briefly on the dashboard on a few occasions, and the vehicle had begun requiring noticeably longer physical distance... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
I own a 2022 Ram 1500 Limited 4x4 (5.7L HEMI eTorque, ZF 8-speed automatic), VIN [XXX], approximately 40,000 miles. For roughly two years, the transmission has produced a hard, jarring downshift and lurch during normal low-speed deceleration, consistently when slowing from ~20 mph to a stop. This occurs both when the engine is cold and fully warmed up, ruling out a cold-start explanation. It happ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
Vehicle broke down with a crank no start condition. Verified no fuel pressure. Diagnostics revealed no continuity between tank fuel pump positive lead at fuel pump relay, and ground. Removed fuel tank, disconnected fuel pump wiring harness, and found burned pin at positive terminal of fuel pump and mating harness connector. Harness displayed significant distortion and charring consistent with a po... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that after a routine oil change, while driving back to the residence, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 BMW M 1000 XR. The contact stated that after parking the motorcycle during a trip, the contact became aware that the factory carbon fiber wheels were cracked. The selling dealer and the local dealer were contacted. The motorcycle was towed to the local dealer, where the wheels were inspected, and the failure was confirmed. The wheels were replaced at the owner's expense des... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear glass fractured. The contact inspected the vehicle and determined that there was no impact to the glass to cause the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with similar vehicles. The contact was advised to contact the NHT... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
On June 11, 2026, I took my vehicle to a certified dealership to have safety recall R63 (NHTSA Campaign Number 15V-800) performed. The dealership inspected the vehicle, claimed no oil was found at the break booster, and only replaced the vacuum supply tube, leaving the original vacuum pump in place. Recently, I experienced a sudden and total loss of power brake assist while driving, resulting in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
When I drove my car earlier the car audio was maximum because I was listening to something quiet. Later that day I went to start a video that was much much louder. The sound blasted for a couple of seconds and my ears really hurt. I do not believe at this time that I have permanent damage but it is very painful. Cars should not start with the audio at maximum volume, this is a real safety hazard.
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
Transmission issues that are in line with what seems to be a well known 10R80 issue with a poorly engineered CDF drum. Transmission will randomly shift from a high gear down to first generating a ton of noise and impacting the handling. It has not become a permanant failure yet but is an extremely well known issue that always results in a transmission rebuild with updated/correctly engineered comp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
There was no incident. Ford announced the recall in May with no remedy until August. I had to rent a truck to pull a trailer to [XXX] from [XXX]. They said there was no compensation as there was no "stop driving" notice on the recall but it stated the the vehicle could abruptly slow down /downshift increasing the risk of a crash. Wanted to go on record that compensation should be covered by Ford a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
There was no incident. Ford announced the recall in May with no remedy until August. I had to rent a truck to pull a trailer to [XXX] from [XXX]. They said there was no compensation as there was no "stop driving" notice on the recall but it stated the the vehicle could abruptly slow down /downshift increasing the risk of a crash. Wanted to go on record that compensation should be covered by Ford a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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 ma... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
I was in a collision accident where the front of my vehicle was impacted. The airbag did not deploy.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
While driving on a family road trip, our vehicle check engine light came in and put the vehicle in limp mode. This happened a couple of times but luckily we were close enough to our home we were able to make it home safely. The code received was indicative of a Coolant Control Valve Failure. In discussions with the dealer, there is currently a special coverage out for this component failing but th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there was a glare coming from the dashboard, making it difficult to see out the windshield while driving. The contact stated that the dashboard was sticky to the touch and sunglasses were needed while driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the failure was associated with the recall and a diagnostic troubl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly and the electronic parking brake unintendedly engaged. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was unable to disengage the parking brake, and the vehicle failed to restart immed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly and the electronic parking brake unintendedly engaged. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was unable to disengage the parking brake, and the vehicle failed to restart immed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The electric power steering assembly has failed. I will be driving and my power steering will cut out with no warning, the sensor light is on constantly. Turning it off will sometimes fix it but not for long. It will affect my cruise control at times as well
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
While driving the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was pressed but the vehicle failed to respond and did not accelerate, it simply rolled slowly as the engine continued to idle. The driver increased throttle input in an attempt to get the vehicle to accelerate. The vehicle continued to show no response to the additional throttle. After a delay, the vehicle suddenly resumed normal operation while th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
While driving the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was pressed but the vehicle failed to respond and did not accelerate, it simply rolled slowly as the engine continued to idle. The driver increased throttle input in an attempt to get the vehicle to accelerate. The vehicle continued to show no response to the additional throttle. After a delay, the vehicle suddenly resumed normal operation while th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
Was traveling home and started losing power going up a hill on XXX. The truck was surging, the check engine light came on and an audible warning of no (low?) oil pressure. The truck shut off on a busy interstate highway and barely got onto the shoulder. The tow truck driver had to lay on the ground with part of his body in the lane of travel to place "skids" under the rear tires because there is n... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim detached. Two dealers, including Bozard Ford (540 Outlet Mall Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32084), were... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
Unintended acceleration and brake failure. While in the parking lot at [XXX]. The check brake warning light came on and prior to this when pressing the gas pedal the car was not responding or going very slow. I stopped looking for a place to park and when I took my foot of the brake pedal the car surged ahead at full speed. I slammed on the brakes but there was no response. Steering the car throug... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
The high-voltage battery system (this is a plug-in hybrid) began intermittently displaying a "battery not properly charging" warning approximately 6 months ago; the issue would resolve after plugging in and charging. On July 14, 2026, while driving, the vehicle displayed a "critical battery failure - pull over immediately and drive slowly" warning. The driver pulled over and shut off the vehicle; ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2026
My 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV with the 6.2L L87 engine received the remedy for Safety Recall 25V-274 (GM recall number N252494001) on July 30, 2025. The dealer inspected the engine, passed it, and performed the higher viscosity oil remedy. The engine was not repaired or replaced. On [DATE], while driving, the vehicle hesitated and lost power under acceleration. Engine noise then increased progres... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
Hood latch release cable broke after using under normal circumstances.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
The vehicle randomly has seatbelt alerts for seats that are unoccupied and does not have anything on the seat.
Incident date: May 15, 2026
Randomly, the sound from the infotainment system stops working. This impacts the turn signal sound inside the car, the cross traffic alert sound, blind spot warning sounds, etc. This can be fixed by restarting the infotainment center, but this is not safe to do while driving. Being unable to hear the turn signal increases the chance of forgetting to turn it off, causing confusion for other drive... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
Randomly, the sound from the infotainment system stops working. This impacts the turn signal sound inside the car, the cross traffic alert sound, blind spot warning sounds, etc. This can be fixed by restarting the infotainment center, but this is not safe to do while driving. Being unable to hear the turn signal increases the chance of forgetting to turn it off, causing confusion for other drive... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Suspension geometry is wrong causing rapid tire wear and heat. Dealership says it’s normal wear for this car with air ride suspension and engine power. I’ve had the alignment checked multiple times and told it is correct. This is causing excessive wear of the tires and causes a bad vibration like a tire belt is broken. I have researched the internet and found that there has been several com... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
The car has started with an auto high beam, lane assist, lane departure, crash mitigation, adaptive cruise lights coming on one after the other noting there are issues with the systems and they are disabled. Code is U3000 using a scanner noting Multipurpose Camera Unit Internal Electronic Failure. Sometimes the code will clear, and sometimes not. If it clears an entire drive cycle may be comple... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
While returning the Tesla during a demo drive, the car suddenly braked extremely hard in the middle of the road for no reason. It was bright and sunny, and we were coming up to a green light. It caused me to slam my head back into the seat. There was seemingly no reason for the emergency braking, and if someone were behind me, it would have caused a collision.
1 injured