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: Oct 1, 2024
I have repeatedly had to bring my car into the shop (6 times now, only owned it for 5 months) to have the spark plugs and/or fuel injectors replaced multiple times. The car will suddenly start shuddering when trying to accelerate over 2 RPM. It has also stalled twice (while accelerating it slowed down to a stop in the middle of the road) and the engine light will flash. Mechanics have noted misfir... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I have repeatedly had to bring my car into the shop (6 times now, only owned it for 5 months) to have the spark plugs and/or fuel injectors replaced multiple times. The car will suddenly start shuddering when trying to accelerate over 2 RPM. It has also stalled twice (while accelerating it slowed down to a stop in the middle of the road) and the engine light will flash. Mechanics have noted misfir... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
Car had a failed crankshaft causing a rod bearing issue with the motor. The check engine light came on during use and car was taken to a local repair shop. The independent repair shop determined the issue is associated with recall TSB 24-001, and advised it be transported to a Honda dealership for repair. Honda confirmed that although the 2016 is under this recall this specific VIN is not. Car... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The vehicle hit a patch of ice at about 55mph, spun out, and left the road. It rolled onto its right side (a total roll rotation of 90 degrees), and the side airbags deployed at some point during the roll. When the front passenger-side airbag deployed from above the side window, it pinned the passenger's head to the window, causing significant bruising and a possible mild concussion. The real dang... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. Parts distribution disco... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for diagnostic testing, the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that metal shavings were found in the brake booster assembly. The contact stated that the failure started with the engine fault service engine now warning light illuminating. The vehicle was taken to the deale... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
After shutting down the engine and letting the vehicle rest for a while, re-ignition causes a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin. This can lead to light-headedness, headaches, and nausea.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V321000(BACK OVER PREVENTION) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. Parts distribution discon... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Beginning at ~30K miles, I am hearing a "rod-knock" from the bottom of engine. Especially noticeable when starting out from a stop. Easily reproduced by putting foot on brake, truck in drive, and slowly depressing accelerator pedal. All maintenance since day 1 on truck (now has 65k miles) has been done at dealer. Reported issue to dealer and they responded, "cannot duplicate". I fall within t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Passenger seat lumbar inflated out and won't go back down. It has also popped off the back plastic on the seat. This is a known issue as we have found multiple incidents online. It is causing discomfort and pain when sitting. No inspections yet as we fear it could cost thousands to fix with less than 50k miles on the vehicle.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
Dashboard screen display shut off while driving. Did not feel safe. local HYUNDAI dealer has confirmed problem. Unsure if vehicle has been inspected by manufacturer, has been at the local HYUNDAI for service for one week. There where no warnings messages prior to the failure
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the air bag sensor warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger occupant sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
This safety recall has been open for quite some time. I feel unsafe driving with anyone in the passenger seat. When I contacted VW, they simply informed me that a remedy is not yet available. VW says that owners should avoid use of the front passenger seat if possible until the recall repairs have been made.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that the frame and the front bumper were severely rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
While driving with my family in our 2017 Honda pilot On the way to our niece 15th party going about 65MPH all check engine lights turned on and heard a knock on the engine and engine lost power car shut down in the middle of the road almost causing an accident. Attempted to turn car back on but it begin to rattle make all sorts of noises and all the engine lights turned on, at that point I shut th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the passenger’s side front seat was occupied by an 85-pound adult carrying a purse and holding a dog weighing 19 pounds, the air bag warning light was off. The contact stated that the air bag was inoperable. The contact stated that while the passenger’s side front seat was occupied, the air bag warning light was on. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
Sunroof shattered while driving down the interstate.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
The steering became uncontrollable and wobbled so violently I could not keep my hands on the wheel. It will be open for inspection at any time. The safety of all other road users and pedestrians were put in grave danger. Due to the complete loss of steering control. This has happened to other ram owners I have talked with as well. The problem was addressed by my local mechanic. He recommen... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer performed a compression check. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was advised to drive the vehicle until it blew up. In addition, the contac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Experiencing the same sticky steering issue that a number of other customers have also reported. After driving the vehicle on the highway for 15+ minutes you will start to feel the steeling wheel stick at the center position when turning the wheel from the center position to the right. Have not had the vehicle inspected yet. No lights or sensors indicate any issue.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to perform an oil change, the contact became aware that the hood latch was not operating as needed. The contact was unable to unlatch and raise the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the hood latch release cable had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was rep... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
On 9 September, while driving, I got an emergency dashboard notice that stated Throttle System Malfunction contact dealer. It went out and then another immediately flashed that stated Exhaust System Malfunction contact dealer. The vehicle lost power within seconds after the second notice. I coasted to a stop on the side of the road. Once stopped, smoke quickly started coming out of the engine comp... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
I have replaced the vehicle pump 4 times in the last 6 months I’m driving vehicle stutters when going uphill then it just stops mid drive and when we have it checked the pump connector are charred. We replace fuel pump and wires and.within 6 weeks to 2 months I have to replace fuel pump again. It’s a safety issue as my vehicle can get into an accident or it can explode due to it burning the w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
I was traveling on a local street around 35mph and braking for a red light. The braking felt funny in that it didn't slow the car down like normal, but it felt like the car's accelerator was still engaged. I managed to come to a stop, but the car seemed to want to move forward and I had to really stomp on the brake to keep it from moving forward. I put the car into park and the engine started r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
Mercedes Benz has a recall on several models including E-Class (E 200, E 220, E 280, E 350) experiencing timing chain problems. The timing chain is an important component of the engine, as it helps to coordinate the timing of the engine’s various parts. I am currently having the same issue, but my model is an (E400) which has not been included in the recall. It appears that my timing chain fai... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
There is a known recall on this car for engine/starter. It is a hazard and should be repaired. On 10/23 we scheduled and took the car to BMW of NW Arkansas. They refused to complete the recall on the starter without us paying $189.00 for a vehicle diagnostic and I am sure that would have resulted in more fees. A recall should be completed free of charge as it directly relates to a safety issue... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
There is a known recall on this car for engine/starter. It is a hazard and should be repaired. On 10/23 we scheduled and took the car to BMW of NW Arkansas. They refused to complete the recall on the starter without us paying $189.00 for a vehicle diagnostic and I am sure that would have resulted in more fees. A recall should be completed free of charge as it directly relates to a safety issue... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
My vehicle has been nearly underivable since purchased. Several times I have taken the car in for things like: No power. The car will drive, but slowly and with no "get up and go". It takes quite a bit of time to get to legal driving speed. This has happened on a highway at least once, and multiple times on regular roads. My electrical system has failed, and all components, including my battery,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
My vehicle has been nearly underivable since purchased. Several times I have taken the car in for things like: No power. The car will drive, but slowly and with no "get up and go". It takes quite a bit of time to get to legal driving speed. This has happened on a highway at least once, and multiple times on regular roads. My electrical system has failed, and all components, including my battery,... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
back up camera went black while backing up.This caused me to hit a vehicle.Will be taking to dealer for inspection.No warning. The wipers quite while going down road in rain storrm.I had todrive to a wide spot to get off road and wait for the rain to stop.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
Rear window shattered while driving on a Highway. It seems this happens often with Honda vehicles. Dealer said to have it inspected by the window repair service. Still getting estimates.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
2016 Infiniti QX60 93,000 miles The battery light was on. I have noticed that my CVT transmission goes into limp mode. This has happened several times with no help from infiniti. I can only go 10MPH and it revs only 1000 RPM, then it'll be fine after I turn off and on again. Had battery and alternator checked and they're 100% good. This is very dangerous when it happenes in traffic and infin... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Vehicle began to shake when approaching 40mph or greater. Mechanic at dealership stated bolt from driveshaft to rear coupler was missing with two other bolts loose. Missing bolt threads were rusted as if bolt was never installed from factory as vehicle only has 12,000 miles. No warning messages displayed, only symptom was vibrations when approaching 40mph or greater.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
Driving during heavy rain in Texas, vehicle lost power intermittently, causing engine failure, loss of steering, loss of braking, loss of control. This event was apparently due to BCM failure due to moisture getting to the BCM. Upon inspection by a certified Mechanic , BCM and wiring was wet. BCM also had apparent corrosion.11
Incident date: Nov 8, 2024
RECALL NEVER COMPLETED FOR MY CAR. WAS FROM 2021. WORRIED THAT REAR CAMERA MAY FAIL AND CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The engine failed at a little over 73,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the warranty company refused to cover the engine. The engine had burned through the oil and that was why the engine failed. There was carbon build up inside the engine, causing it to fail. The oil had just been changed 1000 miles before it failed. There were no warning lamps before the engine failed... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Slow coolant leak that can’t be located
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
I was driving on the highway. All of a sudden abs light, brake light and traction control light came up on my screen. Car lost braking efficiency and I almost crashed into the vehicle in front of me. It was within inches from crash. Found out it was the brake booster and the brake booster pump. Both these parts had been under extended warranty by Toyota unbeknownst to me. Never received any ... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
I just bought 2025 kia seltos EX for 5 days. oil cooler already leaking oil, car running fine no lights on. And another issue is when I moved steering to left or right, even on slow speed make any turn, I heard 'dot dot dot' mental sounds under passage wheel, can't believe it happened in new car.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
I just bought 2025 kia seltos EX for 5 days. oil cooler already leaking oil, car running fine no lights on. And another issue is when I moved steering to left or right, even on slow speed make any turn, I heard 'dot dot dot' mental sounds under passage wheel, can't believe it happened in new car.
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
There is a severe glare on the windshield caused by the dashboard. It make it very hard to see. I happens even at night but is most pronounced when the sun is at a lower angle.
Incident date: Nov 8, 2024
Daytime running lights have partially gone out. I am concerned that others may not see me as well without these lights. If the manufacturer felt they were important enough to put on the truck, then I feel it's important to for them to keep working. This happened without warning and seems to be an issue with a lot of these trucks. So many failures indicates a manufacturing issue which has now ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
ABS brakes
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
While driving down interstate, the panoramic sunroof panel above the driver and front seat passenger spontaneously exploded and shattered. This occurred on a clear sunny morning and there were no other vehicles on the road in the area at the time.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
Timing cover gasket failed. I notice leak at 70k but the gasket may have failed earlier. I believe this to be a manufacture defect as this is a common issue.
Incident date: Nov 9, 2024
Ok , so 4 weeks ago I was driving down Jefferson Avenue here in st. Louis mo. The road is completely redone , no bumps, pothole etc. I was traveling about 35mph when car stared this possible wobble.. got out and notice my drivers side tie rod had snapped in half. Mind you my car only has 44k on it and I take immaculate care of it. I searched all over trying to find a tie rod for it. No one could ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
Odometer flickers on and off and at times does not even turn on when car is started and moving. When the odometer flicks on it does not register mileage or fuel levels. This is a major safety issue don’t being able to see this vital information.