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: Apr 5, 2025
Lugnuts are swollen and a flat had occurred and I couldn't remove the wheel was almost hit by on coming traffic finally gave up replenished air into tire and drove Home . Took car into Ford dealership they said all of the Lugnuts swell on newer models not just mine I asked for a replacement quote it's 300 for new Lugnuts and then labor too and hopefully they won't break a wheel removing them I sai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
Transmission failed. Low mileage on car.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
The headlights are dim. I have replaced them with brighter H11 bulbs but I still cannot see. Others who have driven my car have indicated that the headlights are noticeably dimmer than normal. I literally cannot see the roadway. Also, I started having problems with the CVT shortly before 60,000miles. The problem was diagnosed as rudder codes. I was not financially able to replace the CVT at... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The instrument panel cluster assembly (screen behind steering wheel) needed to be replaced because it would intermittently stop working and I had no idea of how fast I was going, what gear I was in, how much fuel I had or whether the lane assist and other safety features were working. Without knowing speed, I may have followed cars too closely to safely stop or I could have run out of gas and lef... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
There is a current recall from January of last year that is affecting surround view cameras not currently working. My vehicle is experiencing the same issue but is not showing listed in the recall. Due to cameras not working it puts my safety and other at risk as I am not able to see when backing up or the surrounding areas especially when towing. A dealership may be looking into it soon as this i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn a causing the driver to crash into a field fence with barbed wire at a 90-degree angle, where it came to a stop. No injuries were reported, and no police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, who was unable to... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
Mechanic said there was a fault in the hi pressure fuel injectors that’s causing the engine to run rich
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light and upon taking her foot off of the brake pedal, a message appeared on the instrument panel that stated "shift to park or neutral plus brake plus select a gear". No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was forced to restart the vehicle in order to continue driving. The local dealer was not contacted... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that while driving in the parking lot and attempting to park, a sudden unintended acceleration occurred. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed the contact about the release of the EDR data. The failure mileage w... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to vibrate excessively. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
We noticed our van having issues getting stuck in gear and then jerking to get out of the gear. After doing further research it seems to be a common issue in 2021 Pacifica vans. The next issue is electrical. Our van rear door opens if we are too close to it with the keys and now the sliding door will not open. They just fixed a recall regarding the entertainment system and back up camera. The ent... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
Fuel injectors have failed on this car 2x before it has hit 120k miles. First was at 50k ish. Honda will not acknowledge this as an issue, even though it is an extremely common issue with all of the 1.5L engines on civics, accords and their other cars in this engine type. My mechanic has checked the service records and the most common issue with these cars, and this is a super common issue, alwa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
I was entering 4-lane highway from a side street. While accelerating, the engine suddenly stopped. The dashboard went black, except for a red outline of the car. In the second or two that I was looking for a place to get off the highway, the car restarted, and all indicators returned to normal on the dash. I completed my errands without incident. Since the original incident on Monday, [XXX], I ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2025
Windshield side beveled trim driver’s side snapped and flew off on the highway into oncoming traffic and the passenger side is also loss and almost coming off.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Alternator is on back order with 3200 orders waiting with none in production
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac CT6. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V148000 (POWER TRAIN); 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 parts ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with a fuel pressure low warning message displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (En... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
While driving down a curving mountain highway above 70 mph, the gauge cluster displayed “shift to park” or “shift to drive” I don’t recall exactly. The transmission then downshifted dramatically, perhaps into 3rd gear, then the motor shut off.Thankfully, I successfully merged through heavy traffic to the narrow shoulder but the truck would not restart. After over 30 minutes of attempt... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
Was stopped at traffic light. Start Stop system was engaged. Engine turned off as normal. When I took my foot off the brake the engine did not engage and the Eyesight warning light came on that the Eyesight system was not functioning. Put the car in park and engaged the ignition button and the engine started. Turned off the Start Stop system and the car functioned normally after that. Have read po... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
Was stopped at traffic light. Start Stop system was engaged. Engine turned off as normal. When I took my foot off the brake the engine did not engage and the Eyesight warning light came on that the Eyesight system was not functioning. Put the car in park and engaged the ignition button and the engine started. Turned off the Start Stop system and the car functioned normally after that. Have read po... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
Car suddenly stopped while traveling. Shut down. Took to dealership and they said it’s a catastrophic engine failure.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
We had our winter tires swapped for summer tires at the Discount Tire on 361 S Grady Way, Renton, WA. After driving on them for over a week—including high-speed highway driving—our car suddenly started feeling like it had a flat tire. However, the tire pressure was completely normal. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the rear passenger-side tire was sitting at an angle. When I removed the hu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The 48V Belt Starter Generator failed on my 2020 Ram 1500 with the 5.7L eTorque system. It caused my truck to stall in the middle of a busy intersection at a red light. The battery drained fast, and I couldn’t move the truck out of the way. I was stuck in a dangerous spot cars were coming around a turn at 45–55 mph, and since my hazard lights started dying too, I had to get out in the rain and... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
Trunk lift gate opens on its own and continually opens and closes; removing the battery does not stop the automatic open/close and it will continue to do so for some time. It does it randomly, but more so after the car has gotten wet from a wash or rain. While sitting stationary the trunk opened on its own while locked and alarmed.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
My 2023 Ford F-150 3.5 eco boost with 35,000 approx. started having issues about 2000 miles ago with the transmission. It tends to slip gears between 3-4, 4-5 and 9-10. Sometimes it isn’t bad but other times it feels like the transmission is going to drop out from the truck. I also have an issue where the truck shifts into neutral while driving but still displays it is in drive. This doesn’t h... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while pulling into the driveway at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The following day, while attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the transmission failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with valve body failure. The vehicle was scheduled to hav... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
Twice while coasting at between 5 & 10 mph, the engine shuts down, a warning shows auto disabled, and applies emergency brake before one can even get the transmission into park. Our concern is that this sudden stop could cause us to be hit from behind. We brought it to a Ram dealership in Hartsville, SC and they could not reproduce problem and have no idea what caused it.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I was hit from the rear while my vehicle was at a stop. The vehicle was going estimated 50mph and moved my vehicle about 12 feet colliding with the vehicle in from of me. I would think the impact of the front collision should have been enough to have the airbags deploy. The camry was totaled.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The steering wheel has a difficult time making small adjustments. The adjustments feel like the steering wheel is stuck and requires additional effort to make small adjustments.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
ABS INTERMITTENTLY ALARMS VERY FREQUENTLY AND CAUSES THE CRUISE CONTROL TO DROP OUT. I ASSUME THE ABS IS USELESS AND THIS TAKING PLACE. I’M TOLD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with low anti-freeze, several cracked cylinder gaskets, coolant intrusion, and in need of an engine replacement due to cylinder #3 misfire.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with low anti-freeze, several cracked cylinder gaskets, coolant intrusion, and in need of an engine replacement due to cylinder #3 misfire.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown error message was displayed on the instrument panel. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and failed to restart. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact pushed the vehicle over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
I leased this vehicle approximately three weeks ago, yesterday as I was adjusting the dashboard lighting, the service high voltage battery warning came on. Now the vehicle wont take a charge, the vehicle has changed the charge setting to 40%, and I cannot increase it. I 've reserved an appointment for 4/11/2025 for the vehicle to be serviced, and was told that I wont be given a loaner vehicle. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
ASB warning light is on Emergency brake light is on Check engine light is on Fuel cap light is on Backup camera doesn't work well Brakes are sluggish. ABS doesn't seem to be working. Hard to stop to avoid collision. 2 close calls. Dealer says no part available to fix. It has been over a year.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
The car randomly shut off, i started it back up and it has a knock in the engine. Oil is super clean, and changed every 3k miles. I contacted Toyota and they had a Valve Spring Recall that leads to this very problem but somehow my vehicle isnt covered.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
Front exhaust pipe broken causing check engine light and vehicle to sound rough. It is an emissions issue. This has been confirmed with a dealership. The issue started around middle of March 2025 when check engine light came on.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
Transmission failure, hard shifting, slipping and loss of power also severe shuddering. Very dangerous driving. I had to have the transmission replaced after taking the vehicle to a dealership and upon verification from same dealership reproducing the transmission failure. Massive financial loss, dealership stated these transmissions are known to fail. Manufacturer has been notified by numerous co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Weld at clutch pedal assembly broke, causing the clutch pedal to bind. This binding prevents the clutch pedal from fully depressing.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Accelerating at a normal rate to get on the highway and the check engine light starts flashing out of nowhere and car goes into limp mode. Made it to local shop and they informed me it was a P1326 code and that a knock sensor would have to be replaced, but that Kia has recalled the older models for this same reason.
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
According to Special Service Message (SSM) 51346, Ford has acknowledged that certain 2022-2023 Expedition models may exhibit this issue due to the roof and spoiler components contacting each other. You can find more details on this concern on Ford's official website and in the SSM documentation. My vehicle has experienced this issue
Incident date: Mar 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds up to approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle was shaking with the transmission shifting hard. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 25V... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
I've previously reported the CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System) and RDMS (Road Departure Mitigation System) warning messages that have been appearing too frequently. Today is the day it finally happened, my wife was driving on the highway when auto cruise control with lane keep assist set at 66 on the passing lane, with a truck to the right. Halfway passing the truck on auto cruise control... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Pressing the horn button on the steering wheel does not sound the horn. However, pushing the “lock” or “panic” button on the key fob still makes the horn beep. So the horn itself works, but pressing on the steering wheel does absolutely nothing. Other buttons on the steering column still work (cruise control, radio controls, etc). Only pressing the horn button doesn’t work thus making me... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
My ABS module is bad. I have no traction control, or cruise control. My truck shows service trailer brake system, service electronic braking system, and service antilock brake system. I took it to my mechanic in October 2024 and he said there is no part available from Dodge. I took it to a Dodge dealer April 6, 2025 and they were going to send the ABS module off to be rebuilt, said it would take 3... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
I have been having a number of things happen; 1- my car will lurch forward at times when I release the brake and hit the gas pedal. 2- the forward collision warning keeps coming on. 3- My heating and oil cooler hoses leaking as well as metal lines, all started to leak at the same time.
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
I have been having a number of things happen; 1- my car will lurch forward at times when I release the brake and hit the gas pedal. 2- the forward collision warning keeps coming on. 3- My heating and oil cooler hoses leaking as well as metal lines, all started to leak at the same time.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The car engine was sputtering and the check engine light came on. I was notified by a repair shop that the problem may relate to an engine recall. I called Hyundai about the recall and they advised me to take the vehicle to Cardinale Hyundai in Corona. I did take it there. Testing showed that the issue was, in fact, the same issue that was part of the recall (I believe it is called the interna... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
DRIVERS SEAT BELT DOES NOT RECOIL, FRAYED WHERE USED DEALER WILL NOT REAIR UNDER WARRENTY