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 29,025 complaints for RAM
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Vehicle randomly shuts off during normal operation. Same as if the Start / Stop button were activated. Vehicle coasts until it self applies the emergency brake at about 3mph causing a sudden, jerky complete stop. Switches itself to Park. Dash indicates “sterp on brake to restart”. Vehicle restarts normally but may randomly shut down again. Safety risk is loss of steering, loss of power brake c... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
there is a problem with the transmission in this truck. it slips out of gear randomly and you lose all power and the RPMs spike.it also slams into gear and sometimes wont shift at all. Apparently, Ford is aware of this problem but refuses to correct it. This is incredibly dangerous especially in traffic or merging. I was almost rearended several times. I've had this truck since it was new and... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle was difficult to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Purchase truck and noticed on test drive steering wheel was off centered to the right by about 10-15 degrees.When Lane Assist was activated truck would drift right only to be alerted by the assist which would over correct steering to the left side of the lane.Lane Assist would just continue this effort to keep truck center.Truck has been aligned twice already and steering is still off centered to ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:24V608000(ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Transmission shutter, not shifting correctly. Had to replace transmission
Incident date: May 5, 2025
Was stopped at a red light behind the car in front of me. I was stopped at a appropriate distance from the car in front of me. I had my right foot on the brake pedal, when the car accelerated on its own. It launched its self into the car ahead of me. I looked down and my foot was still on the brake pedal. None of the air bags inside the car deployed.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 30, 2020
The contact owns a 2025 Honda ADV160 Motorcycle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V195000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
THE ELECTRONIC SCREEN AND COMPUTER FUNCTION IS FAILING. PHONE CALLS ARE DROPPED AND OTHER FUNCTIONALITY IS FAILING INCLUDING THE INFORMATION SCREEN
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Started having issues with steering rack about a year and a half ago. Steering would stick and make creaking noises. Brought it to my local Honda dealership last spring and they diagnosed it as needing steering rack replacement which would cost about $4,000. I reached out to Honda Corporate and they said the best they could do would to reduce the repair by $1,000. I told them I don’t think I s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, was warning message was displayed reading "Brake fault detected. Service now.", prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who had not yet provided a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fai... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The engine stalls, shifts to park and applies the parking brake. Sometimes it is at a stop and others it is under 10mph. It has been happening over the las few months and our dealer can't seem to repair it.
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The padding on the headrest part of the car seat is broken.
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The padding on the headrest part of the car seat is broken.
Incident date: May 3, 2025
Attempting registration renewal on 01/30/2025, and DMV has rejected, but cashed our check for registration renewal. Upon research of FORD Recall Available to Remedy, the SOFTWARE is NOT Available to Remedy since January 1st, 2025. How do we handle not being able to remedy FORD MANUFACTURER RECALL #22E04 ? Please ADVISE at your earliest opportunity? How to complete DMV registration when serious r... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
The cloth cover for the panoramic sun roof came off the tracks. Now when you retract the cover, it all comes down into the cabin seriously blocking drivers visibility to the back. I am unable to get the cloth cover back into the track mechanism.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 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 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 for the recall repair... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. and no warning lights were illuminated. The contact immediately pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the crankshaft was faulty, and that the engine needed to be replaced... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
Rear window frame cracked in two places and checked with dealer and no recall for my VIN. Common issue with other trucks that did have a recall. Not sure why my vehicle does not have a recall.
Incident date: May 4, 2025
The automatic “hill assist” is dangerous in that it makes it easy to stall your car when trying to use your manual transmission. It’s unintuitive and truly frustrating and can cause you to stall your car when you are pulling into traffic. The previous implementation of this on the Mk7 VW GTI’s worked well but VW made this way too intrusive and complicated - and dangerous - on the Mk8 VW... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
05/04/2025 First of all, we love our Avalon. However, for the last 6 months or so, water is getting in the car and ends up soaking the carpet on the left front floorboard carpet. We have checked everything we can think of to find the source of the leak but was uneasily. We had to have some scratches fixed and took the car to a body shop to see if they could find the source of the leak. They spr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
While traveling 80 MPH using cruise control, the vehicle speed suddenly reduced and several warning lights illuminated. The three warnings were Pre-Collision Assist Not Available, Service Engine Soon Warning, and Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power. The accelerator pedal did not work but I was able to coast to the nearest exit. I stopped, turned the vehicle off and back on a few times but the w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
My engine was replaced under the recall at 75,000 miles. One day and less than 100 miles later, the engine lost motive power on the upgrade side of an overpass on the highway at 75 MPH. The vehicle slowed so quickly that if other vehicles would have been near, it undoubtedly would have caused an accident. I had it towed to the shop and they are investigating the problem. I also called Toyota C... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
My lifters collapsed and camshaft got damaged AND my cylinder in the bottom of my engine failed also. I know there is a recall for engine failure on the exact year make and model as my vehicle, the only difference is the liter engine. Mine and my 3 children’s safety were all put at risk when we were left stranded on the side of the road 6 hours from home The problem was inspected by GMC themsel... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Because of well known water intrusion into the cabin from the firewall, over time the seat risers rust away, and then the compromised metal breaks, at which point the front of the seat is no longer bolted into the floor board. The seat swings backward uncommanded, and may is likely to startle driver, and cause crash. While the seat is swung backward, the driver has NO CONTROL OVER HIS POSITION IN ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
purchased a 2014 toyota tundra on Facebook Marketplace from an individual on 4/27/2025 The seller represented the mileage as 88,461 miles, but after reviewing the vehicle history through Carfax/AutoCheck, I discovered that the actual mileage is significantly higher. The odometer appears to have been rolled back. I have filed a police report regarding this fraud and am submitting this complaint to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
Dear. My name is [XXX] . Phone # [XXX] . My email: [XXX] On [XXX] my Tahoe suddenly shut off while I was driving over 70 mph on the highway. It was towed to the South pointe chevrolet dealership in tulsa. I was told a fuse had failed and paid nearly $400. On April 17, 2025 they returned my Tahoe and said it fixed. [XXX] When i tried to start engine, then it acted like something almost can't s... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while at a red light, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact shifted to neutral to keep the vehicle running. While in reverse, the vehicle started to shake abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission was hot and was welded to an unst... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim clips were missing. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 ( Structure); 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... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Braking Malfunction #1 - Location: [XXX] /right hand turn to [XXX] . On [XXX], Our family was headed from Fieldstone Assisted Living in Olympia to Alderbrook Resort in Union Washington for Thanksgiving dinner. When slowing down to make a right hand turn off of [XXX], Truck's front brakes completely seized up, making a bucking type motion and the back brakes failed (tires were accelerating w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Alternator over heated and stalled the vehicle without warning.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
While driving 75 on the highway the vehicle shut off completely, shifted to neutral and a message flashed on the dashboard to "press start again". This has happened previously when my 16 y/o was driving but we chalked it up to user error. Scheduled appointment with dealership. There were no warning lamps, no lights illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle just cut off and I have not been able to ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, and the message "Warning - Do not Attempt to Restart" was displayed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure of the engine... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2023
Engine/Transmission 'whining' noise upon acceleration. We cannot drive it, three places said we shouldn't - it will only get worse, and eventually fail. No one knows when. My wife was driving on interstate when it firsts occurred, she couldn't get to the side fast enough. My wife feels unsafe driving it alone and with our young son. We are receiving very high quotes - despite the fact that they do... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2023
The back up camera stops working for awhile. Sensors work but no rear camera pops up when in Reverse.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. While the contact’s father was driving at highway speeds, the check engine and throttle body warning lights illuminated and the vehicle started losing motive power; however, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local parts supply store who diagnosed that the throttle body had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
When driving down the street, I got a warning light and my Power Steering went out. This is a car with 18,000 miles on it and it should'nt have failed so quickly. When I researched the issue, GM has recall #N182182760 that states this is a known issue for the Camaro but for some reason my VIN is not included. This is a $3,000 repair I am being asked to pay for a known issue, can someone help? ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
Every time it rains our Rav 4 gets water in the back doors. It sloshes around and you have to manually pull the seal back to drain. It happens every time. my understanding is this is a known issue.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
2020 ford escape in 2023 transmission started slipping amd stuttering around 60,000 miles on it. Ford service said nothing wrong. Problem persisted and now at 103,000 miles they admit need a whole new transmission. Service bulletin released in 2022 did not fix the issue and now that warranty is out they want the customer to replace it. The car is unsafe as you can't count on acceleration as the tr... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the "Pre-Collision System Failure” warning light and icon were illuminated. Additionally, the message "See Dealer" was displayed. The contact also stated that the rear passenger’s side wheel locked up intermittently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
Truck is down shifting to 1st gear while on freeway at high speed. Causing no control and back wheels to lock up. Almost died. Ford says it’s not covered under recal
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
First GMC had my car 6 weeks for a problem with the coolant control valve which failed making the truck underivable. They couldn't fix it due to not being able to get the part with a national backorder. After a few weeks having the truck back I started having erratic bucking and shifting problems and once again the engine light came on and then truck went into limp mode. Felt like the truck got s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
First GMC had my car 6 weeks for a problem with the coolant control valve which failed making the truck underivable. They couldn't fix it due to not being able to get the part with a national backorder. After a few weeks having the truck back I started having erratic bucking and shifting problems and once again the engine light came on and then truck went into limp mode. Felt like the truck got s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The vehicle has now been towed three times, completely shut down while driving three times, with the latest incident being especially dangerous-the car shut off while in drive, the brakes failed, and the steering wheel locked. My [XXX] child was in the car with me, and we were nearly hit by a semi-truck. It was a terrifying experience that could have been fatal. Not to mention when I was able to ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
All of the safety and warning lights appear on my car upon starting. Collision mitigation Electric Parking Brake Brake System Problem Electric Power System Problem Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Tire Pressure Monitoring problem System morning light comes on in my car and I’m afraid My car may shut down at any time Due to all of the system, seemingly failing. It started doing it rand... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped, and was shifted into park but failed to restart. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump control module and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the Collision Mitigation Braking system warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was unable to move. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA24002 (Forward Coll... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
Went to my car during lunch at work, turned on but Car won’t crank up. screen says service steering column lock, front collision unavailable
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 25V048000 (Back Over, Prevention); 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 repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware o... Read more