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 10, 2024
My passenger occupancy sensor has triggered an airbag off warning light. I took it to a Nissan dealer who told me a part needed to fix it (the module) is back ordered from Japan with an indefinite delivery date. My car as you can tell a 2017 Altima. The 2013-2016 Altimas were recalled for this same problem as well as the 2017 Maximas. I do believe that the occupancy sensor was defective from th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Previous recall in 2017 regarding fuel filter housing cracks and seals has failed. In 2017 it was approved to allow VW to use cellophane sticky tape to cover the fuel filter crack in plastic housing. It has failed. The car has 43,000 miles, the cabin has strong odor smell. The left rear wheel arch has extremely strong gasoline smell. How was VW able to get approval to fix a serious fuel leak with... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
When it gets cold, the odometer/gas gauge intermittently glitches. It might come back on or it might stay blank. If you cannot read your mileage, you can’t get accurate repair service. If you cannot read your gas gauge, you could break down on the highway because you ran out of gas and did not know it. This problem seems to occur across Honda Fits ranging from 2015-2020 and even Honda CR-Vs from... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
My vehicle electronic power steering system failed at 35,000. When driving, it becomes extremely difficult to turn the vehicle. I was told this issue is common among 2017 Honda vehicles, though there are recalls for only 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles, this model Honda Civic.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Excessive oil consumption, and I can’t believe this is not a recall because this is a known problem with Kia and Kia knows this!!! My oil light came on when I literally had no oil in my vehicle, took it to the Kia dealer and i basically got the run around because they want you to jump through hoops to figure out what’s wrong with it even though they really know what’s wrong !!! They have a b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Navigation system is unreliable and unsafe Nissan verified this and a failure and ordered a new unit 2 years ago and has not arrived and they refuse to fix it it the navigation drops out when driving in the middle of navigation causing a safety hazard and goes blank and I have to do a reset the dealer also has done resets and hasnt fixed it nissan has acknowledged the problem as there are many... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
Truck would not start it just clicked. Had to be towed away to a dealership to have the starter replaced.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
Truck would not start or crank over. It had to be towed to a dealership and the starter was replaced.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After in... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
Truck would not start or crank over. It had to be towed to a repair shop and the starter had to be replaced.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
Vehicle would not start or try to turn over. It had to be towed and the starter had to be replaced. The truck is less than a year old and the starter died.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified o... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); 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 time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
Speedometer and infotainment digital display. Speedometer changes from MPH to KPH, Infotainment display/Speedometer shuts down while driving. Not able to tell correct speed or see speed and critical information. Dealer said that there was no problem even after updating computer system. No other inspection has been done. No previous indications of problems, this first started 5-6 months after recei... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
Security Gateway Module has failed 5 times. When it fails there is no backup camera and nothing in the radio console works. Dealer replaces after several weeks and it breaks again
Incident date: May 29, 2024
When coming to a stop the brake pedal went straight to the floor. No warnings were lamps were present. A mechanic checked the brake lines, master cylinder, and calipers and was not able to reproduce the issue. The mechanic deduced that the likely culprit was a faulty ABS control module. Had I been on the interstate or even had another vehicle infront of me, this would have been absolutely disastro... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
Stalling, Oil pollution, electrical issues. The car shut off on me in the middle of the highway!
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The system failing and had problems. Had to take to Honda dealer. They had to replace the system Camera.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The system failing and had problems. Had to take to Honda dealer. They had to replace the system Camera.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
On September 1st 2024 we were faced with a serious problem with our Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T leaving us stranded. The culprate was a defect in the fuel pump on which led to the complete stop of the car during our trip abroad. After driving 900 kilometers without problems, various error messages suddenly appeared on the dashboard, including “Have engine checked”, “Start/stop function not avail... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
I read that there is a recall on 2021/2022 Fords with Eco Boost but not the 2020. I have had my vehicle into the dealership multiple times due to misfires and loss of all power which has almost caused multiple accidents on the interstate. I accelerate to get into the left lane and lose all power and do not get power back until my vehicle decelerates down to around 40 mph/or a lower gear, causing s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
While driving under normal, clear road conditions, my center gauge cluster display went black. I have checked my fuses (both fuses that are assigned to the instrument cluster, both were functioning as designed) and disconnected the negative battery terminal to allow the system to reset with negative results. This puts my vehicle, and others, is an unsafe position because I am unable to tell anythi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the brake pedal became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V708000 (SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was not notifi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the brake pedal became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V708000 (SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was not notifi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, and the transmission was slipping. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the transmission was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crankcase ventilation valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
Drivers side seat belt will not click into latch
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic for a tire rotation, and the contact was informed that the subframe was rusted. In addition, the contact stated that upon further inspection at the same local independent mechanic during another routine tire rotation, it was noticed that the failure had worsened. The local dealer was contacted; however, the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
The windshield wipers do not remove water and always leave a film. This film will not go away with defrost, extra cleaning, washer fluid. I replaced the blades and still the reflective film remains. It is extremely hazardous to drive because all light reflects off the film and horribly impairs vision. Honda refuses responsibility. Also, the washer fluid does not clean windows either. Dust also b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the headlights were dim. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced both headlight bulbs; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to the headlight weather seals eroding prematurely, allowing moisture to enter the headlight housing. The vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving at 35 MPH, smoke was coming from under the hood and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving downhill, however, the vehicle was coasted to the local fire department, which was on the same street. The fire department extinguished the fire. The c... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
my engine blew while driving on the highway April 2023. my connecting rod snapped. no check engine light or oil warning light ever came on prior to this happening. I had maintained oil changes every 2000 miles since purchase. oil levels were within normal range when this incident occurred. the car showed no symptoms of this happening prior to it happening. Kia has engine recalls but my vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
My 2019 Ram 1500 is experiencing the exact same issues listed in recall 75B but my VIN number is not part of the recall. The symptoms that it is having are the exact ones listed in your recall from 9/11/24 concerning the ABS and stability control issues. It is very disheartening that there wasn’t a better investigation done on this issue either on your end or on Ram’s end. I’m sure there are... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Upon applying the rear brake to stop for an intersection, the ABS light started flashing and the speedometer registered zero, even when moving. The Honda dealership diagnosed a broken speed sensor. India has already recalled this defective part on the same make, model, and year of motorcycle: [XXX] The diagnosed part is Honda part 38510-K0A-EB1, which has a 200+ day lead time with no stock avail... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
We contacted Kia US after taking the Kia Telluride to a Kia service station for an oil change.The service tech told us that they were not going to do an oil change because,”the Telluride was a ticking time bomb.” This was said in front of the Kia service Mgr.We were very nervous driving the vehicle because no one explained what that meant.Shortly after the service appointment, the Telluride’... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
coolant getting into engine causing misfiring, hesitating check engine light came on. this started in May 2024. Had spark plugs replaced then air filter coolant was low had to add to it had a gas cleaner put into gas tank. This was all done by a licensed mechanic. in 3 appointments. This was an on and off problem the last time i had it to the mechanic he saw the coolant was low and again the engin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
My first two years of ownership of the Juicebox 40 were pretty uneventful. However, over the last few months my Juicebox 40 became very unpredictable. Sometimes it would charge outside of the Time of Use (TOU) settings I had defined in the Enel X way app. Sometimes it wouldn't charge during the times it was supposed to be charging. There were a lot of random error messages. My hypothesis was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
Body control module (footwell module) controls the windows and blinkers. Recall was issued May 12, 2023 have filed with NHTSA several weeks ago with no response. This part has stopped working can't put windows down or use blinkers.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
Vehicle smells like gas/fuel sometimes. I brought it to the dealership and was advised that they cannot duplicate my concerns since they can't smell anything when I dropped it off.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
Transmission fluid was serviced at Bill page Toyota, Falls Church, VA 22042 (102,468 miles on 11/2/2023) Transmission failed to operate at 104,771 miles. Car failed to go reverse, noise from transmission gear. Car was inspected at Toyota Ourishman, Fairfax, VA and concluded transmission problem failed.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
I was driving on an interstate at about 70MPH and I hit a bump that sent my front end into a terrible wobble. I could not regain control and literally had to slow down by braking and pulling off the road. I am lucky I was in the right lane, or I would have been in trouble as it would not stop shaking until I got down to about 20MPH. I could not steer the vehicle until it was at the lower speed lim... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2022
Purchased this vehicle (2019 Chevy Malibu) in September 2024. Put the vehicle in park and the display keeps saying "shift to park" when it's already in park.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Maverick. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V293000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System), and the software update was completed. After receiving the update, the contact stated that the instrument panel failed to display the starting messages and displayed the vehicles in many different systems. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who had c... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Transmission pump failure. Same issue as previously recalled models from 2013-2017. Transmission failed while driving. Vehicle will no longer shift. Vehicle is maintained properly and up to date on all other repairs/maintenance. Code pulled at mechanic is P1790. No response from Dodge. Any interaction is either ended by their representative disconnecting or rerouting me to a department that has no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
the ABS light will come on while I am driving along with traction control turning off with a ding. While the warning comes on, the cruise control will turn off. It will turn on and off several time during a drive and will ding when it comes on. Very distracting and annoying and distracting. the dealer will charge me to look at it to find a reason. Truck has 37,000
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond immediately. The "Service Brake Assist" message was displayed. The contact firmly depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle was able to stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
4wd indicator light is on - PTU MOTOR OR SYSTEM BLOCKED, FOLLOWED TROUBLESHOOTING PER WSM, TRACED TO FAULTY ELECTRONICS IN POWER TAKE OFF UNIT, NEED TO REPLACE
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
I had an single vehicle accident while visiting Oregon that I have not been able to explain. I have a 2023 Ram Eco Diesel that has a newly issued recall for the Electronic Stability Control failing. My vehicle left the road way and down an embankment after braking for some Wildlife crossing. When I applied the brakes my vehicle went off the left side of the road. The brakes never locked up. After ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
Loss of power on acceleration, rpms going up and down, hesitation in acceleration, going into limp mode won't accelerate over 25-40mph pulled code P084A shop believes it needs a complete replacement based on their computer systems repair procedures guidelines. Car has just over 107k miles on it and is a pre-owned. No information was given regarding this issue having happened or if it was ever re... Read more