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 17, 2025
Sunroofs suddenly exploding
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact was informed by another driver that the front headlights were not functioning as intended. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the contact inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the front headlights were extremely dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed and determined that the engine was overheating, and the air condition system had f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
The engine light came on so we took it to a mechanic. The diagnostic said "coolant leaking in cylander 1". We were told the engine was allowing coolant to leak into it (because of a design flaw known to Ford) and the only option was to completly replace it. That engine is no longer being manufactured and Ford won't help me in any way. My car has less than 70,000 miles on it and is undriveable. Tot... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The vehicle is stalling. The vehicle has been to the dealership three times and they cannot figure out the issue. The vehicle has only been inspected by dealership. There was no warning lamps or message of this issue. The issues started two weeks after we purchased the vehicle.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
I own a Kia optima LX 4.0 engine when I called I was told that this car has an open recall for engine rod bearing defect my engine locked up on me 2 mts ago and has not ran since I just finalized my payments on this car and received the title...I took very good care of this car and it was well maintained...it only has 104,000 miles on it.i called and was told this open recall could be fixed with n... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V025000 (Suspension), 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention), and 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a bumpy ride. Additionally, the contact stated that the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
I have had to replace all 4 hubcaps as they have flown off while driving, mist recently while in thr highway at 70 mph. The first incident happened in October of 2024. Prompting me to buy replacement hubcaps rim emblems and hubcaps.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The right back up light is defective. This light is in the right rear light housing that sits in the rear bumper. The defective light indicator came on before the 5 year/40k mile warranty had expired. The lamp bulb was changed as I believed this was the cause of the defect error. Took vehicle to Audi dealership where the car was purchased and the service advisor mentioned this happens "all the tim... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
My alternator died 4 weeks ago. My mechanic can't find one anywhere. He was told GM does not make them for this model yet. I only have 50,000 mi and bought this vehicle brand new. I'm extremely disappointed! My three Young kids and I ended up on the side of the road which was more than a little scary
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
All 5 rear seatbelts have cracked plastic around the metal piece that buckles in.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owned a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in front the detached garage, the vehicle caught on fire and the incident was caught on the neighbor's camera at 4:31 AM. The neighbor then informed the contact of the incident. The contact noticed that the vehicle had caught on fire and the fire was mainly coming out of the gas pillar area. The contact stated ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
The lower steering column bearing is coming apart I’ve called numerous dealers for them to tell me it’s not under recall but it’s a known issue and my car has only 130,000 miles
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
Engine failure and metal debris and timing belt slipped time. Loss of power and we parked it flashing engine light. Massey Hyundai said it’s not a recall but when I research there’s a lot of engine failure recalls so I’m not quite understanding what the situation is and we still owe money on the vehicle. They basically told us to junk it. This has been the worst situation I have ever went th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a rattling sound coming from the roof of the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the passenger’s side roof rail cover had become unsecured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
6/22/24-Initial start of dashboard light "miscommunication"-Codes could not be duplicated at Evans Kia dealership 7/11/24-Miscommunication occurs again-Codes pulled for diagnostics 7/22/24-Car brought in for scheduled appointment to dealership to "fix" communication errors: I was told "There was an issue with the system not updating but I should be good to go now" 2/17/25-Communication errors reap... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
6/22/24-Initial start of dashboard light "miscommunication"-Codes could not be duplicated at Evans Kia dealership 7/11/24-Miscommunication occurs again-Codes pulled for diagnostics 7/22/24-Car brought in for scheduled appointment to dealership to "fix" communication errors: I was told "There was an issue with the system not updating but I should be good to go now" 2/17/25-Communication errors reap... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Unknown or uncertain about needing a recall. Recently my car has been having trouble with acceleration in the sense that either it will lag or stall out and at times will give acceleration even without me trying to depress the gas harder. It sputters like it either cannot get gas or the fuel system is faulty, it keeps throwing codes and the check engine light dings and flashes. Cruise control some... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Unknown or uncertain about needing a recall. Recently my car has been having trouble with acceleration in the sense that either it will lag or stall out and at times will give acceleration even without me trying to depress the gas harder. It sputters like it either cannot get gas or the fuel system is faulty, it keeps throwing codes and the check engine light dings and flashes. Cruise control some... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia C1. The contact stated that his wife was parking in the driveway and upon shifting into the park gear, the vehicle sensor would not register that it was in park, therefore not allowing the engine to be shut off. The contact stated that his wife proceeded to turn the vehicle on and off while continuously shifting the gears until finally placing the shifter into pa... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the driver’s side windshield started to detach. The contact also stated that the B-pillar on both sides of the front doors had started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE) and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's side B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and replaced the B-pillar trim. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F250 SD. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V806000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION, STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. 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. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The car has a very loud sequence of high pitched beeps accompanying a “SOS EMERGENCY CALL FUNCTION MALFUNCTION” warning light that comes on and stays on. It is a major driving distraction when the warning beeps suddenly come on (up to six sustained times in a row). The diagnosis of this was that the antennae needs replacing due to water ingress with an estimate from dealership of $2500. Additi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after arriving to her destination, the contact became aware that the tailgate was unintendedly lowered. While attempting to close the tailgate, the tailgate failed to latch securely. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Windshield Camera overheats causing Crash Sensor Warnings, Lane Departure will not work. Cruise control will also not work.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Manufacturer Recall NumberR10320 NHTSA Recall Number25V282 the recall for "Camera is Temporarily Not Available" was preformed at dealer on Monday 7/14/2025 today the same message appear on the display screen when I went to backup in a parking lot. Software version shows it as unto date in settings 3.7.##
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The trailer license plate mounting is too low to accommodate a license plate. The tag must be mounted off to the side and so it does not have illumination. I was pulled over and given a warning by the police but there is no way to mount the tag without major changes to the trailer. This is on all production trailers from the factory. This results in tags missing from being torn off or low visi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
2013 Volkswagen Passat [XXX] I received a recall notice for the Takata driver airbag inflator in 2016, and as of July 2025, I am still being told by Volkswagen that the repair is “Not Yet Available” and will not be until September 2025. This means I will have waited over 9 years for a critical safety repair. I live in Texas, a region identified by NHTSA as high-risk for airbag explosion due ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
We bought a 2019 F-150 Limited 4x4 last year and we have experienced in the last couple of months we started to experience the truck to skip the shifting on the 10 gear transmission. it skips the gear 2 to 3 and then at 6 to 7, you can experience the pulling on the transmission. it is starting to feel more and more the jerking of the gears and we were advised by a mechanic we called that these tru... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
1. EXCESSIVE FRAME FLEX / FAILURE: Symptoms include: Bowing of walls; Trim coming loose; Cracks in fiberglass wall by slide (occurred a 2nd time after side wall repaired by factory) ; crack in interior wall; crack in roof; Main door opening during transport; Sawdust repeatedly appearing in cabinets; Failure of the attachment point between the frame and walls 2. STRUCTURAL ISSUES: Slide repaired tw... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
VIN: [XXX] Component Failed: Panoramic Sunroof Type of Failure: Spontaneous Explosion/Rupture from the Inside Occurred: Saturday [XXX] at [XXX] Road Conditions: Smooth Road, Clear Day (No Rain or Hail), Temperature mid 80’s degrees Fahrenheit, No Other Cars on Road. Milage on Car: 19640 Initial Event: Driving on the road when passengers hear what sounded like a gunshot (no firearms present in t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
Passenger side rear brake line rupture causing loss of braking during normal driving. No warning lamps or indication of failure prior to loss of braking. Defective part is available for inspection as of 7/16/25. No one needs to confirm issue as it was necessary to repair in order to safely drive vehicle. I purchased replacement brake line and performed necessary repairs. No one has inspected r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shifted into park independently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to restart for approximately 90-seconds, and then operated as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where was it diagnosed, and the dealer determi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shifted into park independently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to restart for approximately 90-seconds, and then operated as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where was it diagnosed, and the dealer determi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle shifted into park independently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to restart for approximately 90-seconds, and then operated as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where was it diagnosed, and the dealer determi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The park button does not always engage the park setting. Instead it takes 2-3 presses for park to engage. It happens several times a week when I am driving the vehicle multiple times per day. I come to a complete stop, press the park button, wait for my dash to show I’m in park, if it doesn’t, I press it until it does. This has resulted in the vehicle rolling forward several times while passen... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The vehicle’s windshield was hit by road debri/gravel while driving on a paved freeway. The impact caused the windshield to shatter at the impact site and crack about 1/2 of the way across the windshield. I had the windshield replaced with an original Kia windshield at Safelite AutoGlass. Three months later another tiny piece of road debri/gravel hit the new windshield while driving on the paved... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
I bought this Jeep new in 2023 and it started making this noise when it had 7000 miles on it. If was normal operational noise, why didn't it have it when it was new? Many owners on Jeep forums (JeepGarage, WLJeepForum, JeepForum, WranglerForum) report: Rattle starts light and worsens with heat soak. The company often states it is a “normal operational noise. ”Some report replacement of the en... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
I am getting a U129D-00 code, my vehicle isn't passing 50mph. Says lane keep assist problem, vehicle stability problem, precision steering problem, i am experiencing all the characteristics of specific service bulletin 15-050. What are my options
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Transmission jerking, clinking sounds,hard up or down shifting. When starting first time in the morning, feels like the transmission is engaging, gives alittle jerk.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
Ford knows about the problems with the dual clutch and they are refusing to fix them. I have been giving the run around om trying to get my car fixed. I am a disabled veteran and all I get is they can't help. I just found out about these cars have this problem and ford has know about his problem for years.. they need to fix this. They again to be held according selling bad products to the public... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2025
We purchased a Forest River fifth wheel trailer that arrived with serious manufacturing defects across multiple systems. The electrical wiring system was dangerously faulty—exhibiting loose connections, voltage irregularities, and safety risks confirmed by technicians. The furnace system has remained nonfunctional since delivery, making the unit uninhabitable in colder temperatures. Additional i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2025
We purchased a Forest River fifth wheel trailer that arrived with serious manufacturing defects across multiple systems. The electrical wiring system was dangerously faulty—exhibiting loose connections, voltage irregularities, and safety risks confirmed by technicians. The furnace system has remained nonfunctional since delivery, making the unit uninhabitable in colder temperatures. Additional i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Tailgate falls while driving or will not catch with several attempts to close. Rear camera flickers with no picture sometimes.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating abnormally, and the engine became overheated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine head gasket was blown and recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the taillight bulbs failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the taillight bulbs overheated and burned out quickly. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with taillight wiring harness failure. The contact was informed that the taill... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
Within days after completing the 95b recall (24v-720) on my Grand Cherokee 4xe PHEV , the vehicle would periodically flash an error message saying ”service hybrid system” or something to that effect. It would illuminate for just a few seconds. On May 21, I took the vehicle back to the dealership (Brigham-Gill, Natick, MA). They read several codes and after conferring with Jeep, said the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
Within days after completing the 95b recall (24v-720) on my Grand Cherokee 4xe PHEV , the vehicle would periodically flash an error message saying ”service hybrid system” or something to that effect. It would illuminate for just a few seconds. On May 21, I took the vehicle back to the dealership (Brigham-Gill, Natick, MA). They read several codes and after conferring with Jeep, said the veh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
When parked and level at a campsite the windshield cracked from the bottom up. You can not feel the crack on the inside or outside of the glass and nothing hit it. The RV had been parked and leveled in the same exact spot for 9 days, when we woke up on day 10 the crack was there.