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: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contacted depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the automatic transmission valve body. The automati... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
My Ioniq 5 has encountered the renowned "ICCU" failure -- 35k miles in, 2.5-3yrs of ownership. I had a loud 'pop' noise behind my driver seat occur and then my vehicle went into limp mode. The ICCU failure is confirmed by the dealer, but the part is on massive backorder nationwide...
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The engine consumes oil at an unsustainable rate without any visible leaks or warning signs, leading to a complete engine failure.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
[XXX] son was driving vehicle outside of city limits. Had come to a 4 way stop sign and proceeded to make a left hand turn towards town. After turning and accelerating vehicle made a loud noise and immediately began coasting to a stop. Son pulled over thinking something with the transmission as the motor is running fine. The car is "free rolling" while in park and will only make a "clunking/knock... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing erratic transmission shifts and was making an abnormal knocking sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the cause of the abnormal knocking sound could not ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
without any announcement, they pushed OTA updates caused my car bricked due to Fault Drive unit Module issue . this is happened second time . this is very scary what happens if they while driving and car bricked on high way . please teat as very critical issue .
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Problems with tranmission o shutters causing vehicle to jump and stale at 25pm and45mph
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
AC not working, Temp Gauge stuck at C, Steering assist reduced Happened a year ago, went away, came back. Would fix short term if battery was disconnected and reconnected or if code was cleared. Found lots of others with this same issue
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the controls on the infotainment center failed to operate as intended. The dealer was cont... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The factory-installed panoramic sunroof mesh air deflector is causing a water drainage issue. Water accumulates in the main channels, saturating the mesh and allowing it to retain moisture for an extended period. This prolonged dampness leads to mold growth, creating a health concern due to the mold odor inside the cabin after any rainstorm.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer Sport. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the A-pillar trim detached from the front windshield. 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 manuf... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving approximately 76-77 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced power. The message "Low Propulsion" was displayed, and the engine revved significantly. The contact moved over to the far-right lane to pull over to the side of the road as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring temporarily. The contact had resea... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Rear axle locked up driving down the interstate at 65mph. Had I been towing, the incident could very well have caused an accident. Truck taken to dealer and was inspected. Gave an error code of P0747. Per the dealer it was caused by a faulty valve body in the transmission. Part is on back order for months to get fixed. Truck is not drivable as it will not go out of 5th gear. Was told that the pro... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Subsequent to Fisker Group's bankruptcy filing, I received NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign TSB30032401, which required the cabin electric water pump (EWP_H) in my 2023 Fisker Ocean to be replaced. The two authorized Fisker repair facilities in my area were not being reimbursed by Fisker for the cost of performing the recall work. I thus paid $150.00 out of pocket to one of those facilities, Premium... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster failed to display the mileage or safety warning information as intended. The local dealer was contacted. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V652000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The vehicle allows the engine to be turned off, key removed, while the vehicle is still in drive with no warning lights or sounds. I have tested and the vehicle can roll away. Complained to the toyota dealership and they said the service tech consulted with toyota headquarters and determined no fix was possible because this is normal function of the the vehicle. However, this is a concerning safet... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
- transmission has a whine sound. - steering while start in to peel off after 25k miles driving
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Voyager. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the electronic throttle control warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and was able to slow the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as ne... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2025
I was driving home and felt steering wheel shake while on curved road, brakes felt like they wanted to lock up, then everything on dash lighted up looked like a shortage. My foot was still on the gas pedal then car just slowed down by itself. I had to steer vehicle to side of road. I did not panic, I was fearful something could’ve happened if I would’ve had other vehicles behind or even oncomi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
1. The Fuel system failed. Ford Dealership removed and replace all Parts. 2. Yes my self end other were at risk of an accident. it happened wild driving to work from riverside to Los Angeles on the [XXX] just inline with the [XXX] . 3.By ford dealership. 4. By ford Dealership. 5. No warning it just turn of in the middle of the HWY. I was able to drive it out of the freeway on to [XXX] . INFORMATI... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
My cam phasers are always burning and consuming a lot of oil it also has a ticking sound coming from the engine which Ford says is normal but I don't think it's normal because it gets louder and it happens as I drive all the time. My transmission will automatically slam into a higher gear while trying to accelerate on the highway. Oil is constantly getting into the spark plug chamber even after re... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
It is a horrible system that makes driving with it on more unsafe. It never knows where the lanes actually are and makes adjustments that take you out of the lane all the time. It's unusable and unsafe
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
I noticed a clicking sound whenever I made a turn, whether it was left or right. I reported the issue to Honda’s service department, and they were able to reproduce the problem. Initially, I was informed that the required parts were on back order. However, I recently received a call informing me that the parts were now available. I brought the vehicle in for the replacement, but when I picked i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
The vehicle has had repeated failures of the oil filter adapter to block gasket. This gasket has been replaced three times in 41,000 miles. There appears to be a failure on the part of the gasket. The vehicle has been repaired for the third time, the gasket remains with the dealership where it was repaired. I do have photos of the gasket. A catastrophic failure would result in radiator fluid ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
Have had two fuel level senders fail in one year of ownership. The dealer/manufacturer has replaced the first one, and a second replacement is pending. The failure shows inaccurate fuel levels including a full tank reading as 1/4 or less full. Subsequent refueling does not change the level reading. If the car thinks it is out of fuel, it may cease to operate (even if there is fuel in the tan... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
Back window spontaneously cracked. Much of the back roof is this glass, thus I am concerned that in an accident will that tempered glass hold up
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
10 speed power train down shifts when trying to increase in speed. throw me almost into windshield. The Purvis ford would not even take it in to fix it. had to take it in a transmission shop at cost 8K for new power train. they claim they seen hundreds of the 10 speed in for repair.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
Our Honda Civic is white. On the right rear quarter panel where the rear window glass meets the quarter panel. The paint is bubbling, flaking and pealing off.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
My 2020 Honda CRV’s crankshaft front oil seal failed. Typically not a problem you see in five year old cars.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The motor quit while traveling on the highway. There were no warning signs. No noises, lights, smoke, smell, etc. It just quit. I was able to steer closer to the side of the road while it coasted to a stop, but it was difficult. After the vehicle coasted to a stop and it would not restart. The electronics appeared to work (radio, signals, lights) but found that they would not turn off. It has... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
THOUSAND OAKS MERCEDES DEALERSHIP TOOK INSURANCE PAYMENT FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS FOR A STOLEN KEY - THEY WRONGFULLY NO CONSENT CHANGED THE IGNITION MESSED WITH RADIO AND SECURITY SYSTEM DURING ILLEGAL FORMS OF WIRELESS CAR TESTING THEY WIRED UP NON STANDARD EQUIPMENT WITHOUT CONSENT AND MADE 8 ILLEGAL KEYS TO VANDALIZE THE CAR INSIDE AND OUT - THEN WEAPON ATTACKED ME IN THE CAR AS A FORM OF HOSTAGE ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
Related to the known HCU failure on these vehicles. My first submitted complaint was on Oct 22, 2022 and this issue is still not resolved. I received a letter in mail on January 21st of this year stating that a recall was finally underway. Now it's late March and everyone's standard response is "No Remedy Yet". The remedy is actually installing HCU part number 68143491AB which replaces the corrupt... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
Related to the known HCU failure on these vehicles. My first submitted complaint was on Oct 22, 2022 and this issue is still not resolved. I received a letter in mail on January 21st of this year stating that a recall was finally underway. Now it's late March and everyone's standard response is "No Remedy Yet". The remedy is actually installing HCU part number 68143491AB which replaces the corrupt... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the gear shifter indicator failed to display the correct gear that the gear shifter was shifted into. The contact stated that there was a message for a transmission issue; however, the contact was unsure what the message indicated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of N... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2020
My 2024 Nissan Versa S goes into a "limp mode" almost any time I stall and then turn the engine back on. In this limp mode, acceleration is dangerously slow. Often acceleration is so weak that if I drive up a hill in this limp mode, the car will lose speed even while I'm pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor. This can easily be reproduced and inspected by purposely stalling the car in a ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2020
My 2024 Nissan Versa S goes into a "limp mode" almost any time I stall and then turn the engine back on. In this limp mode, acceleration is dangerously slow. Often acceleration is so weak that if I drive up a hill in this limp mode, the car will lose speed even while I'm pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor. This can easily be reproduced and inspected by purposely stalling the car in a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
I have had my car taken to Honda dealerships with an issue of all my warning lights would come on. No one has been able to fix the issue. The spark plugs, battery, air filters, have been replaced and diagnostic tests were done. The warning lights would stop for a couple of months and then start again. The last time all the warning lights came on my car began to stall and not got over 8 - 10 mph wh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
On January 25, 2025 I took my 2016 Honda Pilot Touring in for a knocking sound at Holman Honda in Colorado. After looking at my car the technician gave the following diagnosis below that found metal shavings when the engine oil had been drained. That diagnosis is pasted below for reference. The repair my car car needed was a new engine and we were advised not to drive the vehicle. The knock had ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
I was driving at around 45mph and my truck suddenly downshifted automatically and almost brought me to a complete stop. It finally shifted back up and I was able to return to the proper speed. If this would have happened at higher speeds I could have been in an accident. Event at 45mph, had I not had my seatbelt on it would have thrown me into the steering wheel.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
Passenger air bag not working light of airbag system stays on
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
My tailgate started opening randomly for 2 consecutive days now. This happens while the vehicle is in park with the keys out of the ignition and also while driving down the road exposing items in the bed to possibly fall out and cause potential injury or death from accidents.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
My tailgate started opening randomly for 2 consecutive days now. This happens while the vehicle is in park with the keys out of the ignition and also while driving down the road exposing items in the bed to possibly fall out and cause potential injury or death from accidents.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
Dealing with sudden excessive oil consumption at 130,000 miles. Had an oil change about 2,000 miles ago and oil sensor has been going off after 1,500-2,000 miles driven. Mechanic put 3 more quarts in and a week and a half later oil sensor is going off again indicating low oil. Mechanic confined this has been a frequent problem with this engine and insists piston rings are faulty & will eventually ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
Due to a recall Hyundai promised a lifetime extended warranty on the engine of my 2014 Hyundai Sonata concerning a defect in the engine manufacturing. We're as metal shavings can cause rod bearings to wear out causing what is known as engine knocking noise. Well my engine is knocking, and I was told by a license certified mechanic that it's my rod bearings & that the engine is fixing to throw a ro... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Wipers come on for now reason, no rain and not activated by driver. Interior screen goes black sometimes when backing up. After stopping for a traffic light then taking off, the transmission shifts to neutral. The only way to reengage the transmission is to come to a complete stop, put it in park and then back into drive. I have been to the dealer many times and they say unless it happens whil... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 contact stated that the A-Pillar trim had started to detach on the driver's side of the vehicle. The dealer wa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
On 3/21/2025 while in the middle lane of highway 290 my 2022 Yukon Denali xl started immediately decreasing in speed. The car went into neutral and I had no control of the acceleration or braking. Then the engine shut off. I wasn’t not able to get my car off of the freeway and had to wait over 1.5 hours to have it towed by GM. This is the second engine that has seized in the car. The car is stil... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle w... Read more