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: Nov 15, 2024
My engine burns oil very bad. Black smoke comes out of my tailpipe and I burn through 5 quarts in less than a thousand miles. I just got my oil changed two weeks again and I just had to add more oil to my car bc it was empty. I’ve had to replace the spark plugs twice due to soot build up. I can’t afford a new car I’m 17 and can barely afford the maintenance let alone a whole new engine. Have... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
Frame on 2004 new body style ford f-150 rusted to the point no longer safe to drive according to 2 licensed repair shops. There is no recall on vin number [XXX] However I have been told there are other recalls on frame rust on this same model from 2004-2008. Please know I bought this truck brand new and only have operated on roadway no off roading. This is my primary vehicle. Please advice wha... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
Diagnostic trouble code P0442. Evaporative emission system leak detected indicated by check engine light on.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
I experienced an inadvertent emergency braking action in my 2019 Insight while cruising at highway speed. I was in the right lane, which had just doubled in width due to an on-ramp joining the highway. This situation will sometimes confuse my car's Lane Keeping Assist System, causing a side-to-side shudder or swerve, but in this case the Automatic Emergency Braking activated, causing me to lose ab... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The front passenger side locking latch is getting stuck when trying to unlock with the key fob. It has to be opened manually from the inside for the door to unlock.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
With the past year, have had 2 dangerous safety issues pop up. 1. April 2024, seat belt malfunctioned causing an error message. From what the VW dealer told me, the seat belt would not lock, therefore requiring a replacement of the entire assembly Had to drive home several hours with this error message. Should a 5 year old car have such issues? 2. January 2025, steering began to feel very slopp... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
Honda accord 2023 touring 11600 miles driven When i was driving, "break system probem please contact the dealer" appears on the screen. The car acceleration stops, Engine light and all the other lights show up. Even when i accelerate, the car doesn't move. I turned off the car, restarted it and then did it twice then it started working again. Car acceleration reduces even when i driving.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
Was driving on highway when the engine started to labor. Without notice the car flipped into neutral. Obviously this was very dangerous going from acceleration to no engine power. I barely made it to the side of the highway by crossing two lanes to get there. When on the side of the road the car went into park and was unable to move to any other modes. Not even neutral. Again very lucky to have go... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
Hi my 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate died in the middle of the road due to a catastrophic engine failure. That put my family and I in danger on the highway.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
Vehicle is tramaling or wandering at 50+ mph speeds. Making it dangerously difficult to keep between the lines without constant steering corrections. I have had car aligned and changed the tires. Still issue persists. There are several post online about this issue with the infiniti Q60 and Q50 models.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
Rear brakes are noisy, they make a grinding noise. Ever since we got the vehicle . Screens turn black while driving , can control infotainment system Water gets into the vehicle when it rains or when getting car washed
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
Rear brakes are noisy, they make a grinding noise. Ever since we got the vehicle . Screens turn black while driving , can control infotainment system Water gets into the vehicle when it rains or when getting car washed
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
Both CV shafts click under load turning
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
I am writing to file a complaint regarding a 2015 Kia Optima I purchased from Synergy Auto Deals LLC (formerly located at 1001 S State Road 7 Hollywood, FL 33023). The dealership failed to disclose a critical open safety recall on the vehicle at the time of sale, which I believe violates consumer safety standards and puts me at significant risk. Details of the Complaint 1. Undisclo... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
Oil consumption, car seizes,loses power and stalls when at 65 to 70 mph on highway,almost caused two accidents in which i was able to avoid, both times my children were in the vehicle.spoke with kia as well and they stated they were unable to help with this issue and only suggested us to go to a dealership.We have taken the car to the dealership and to auto shop 3 times in the past 6 months no res... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
On [XXX], I was driving my truck on [XXX] through Phoenix, AZ. It was 5 days after I had purchased the vehicle and only had 250 miles on the odometer. I was in the left lane was traveling at approximately 75mph. Within the span of about 20 seconds, several lights on the dash annunciated and several messages including a message about a brake failure and steering assist failure and then the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
Driver door hinges are loose. Door makes loud cracking noise when opening and closing. It’s very hard to close. My window will not go down either.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The morning my transmission failed... I started the truck and put it in R, at which point the entire truck shuddered for several seconds. At this point many, many warning messages appeared on the instrument cluster screen as well as the infotainment screen - and the truck would not move in Reverse. After moving the shifter into P and back to R, the truck backed out of the driveway. When the truck ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
THE VAN HAS A ELECTRICAL ISSUE . ALL THE VAN DOORS UNLOCK AND LOCK.. WHEN I AM DRIVING THE VAN THE LOCKS UNLOCK AND LOCK 5 TIMES IN 2 BLOCKS. WHEN THE VAN IS PARKED AND ENGINE IS OFF AND NO KEY IN THE IGNITION THE LOCKS STILL UNLOCK AND LOCK. I TOOK IT TO MY CHEVY DEALER 3 DAYS AGO TO HAVE THE ELECTRICAL ISSUE DIAGNOSED AND FIXED. MY VAN IS STILL SITTING AT MY CHEVY DEALERSHIP FOR 3 DAYS TODAY JA... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to Worrall Carburation & Machine, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
When backing out, software doesn’t emergency brake or scream/beep/siren etc (no audible sound) when car is coming, just shows a red light on the screen. Every other manufacturer has this audible and emergency feature. My relative had hit their Tesla with another car since there was no beep or emergency braking with another car behind them. I have talked to many other people and they have said th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Fault code in the Automatic Braking System C24020 C17410 White body paint bubbling and peeling off the car for no reason. Passenger door roof frame and trunk. Hood previously repaired
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
Found standing water in spare tire well. Back seat constantly wet, growing mold. The whole back area is moldy, mold under driver seat. My back passenger door seal has mold and water. Seat belts in back, MOLD. I had to wear a mask just to drive to the store. The mold turning black the day I took it to a shop for a water test. It's been two days and I still haven't heard anything about the water tes... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
Around 8-19-24 I started noticing liquid on my garage floor. It had a slight oil consistency to it. I brought it in to a local auto shop who inspected it and confirmed the radiator was leaking randomly. There was no visible damage to it and no reason it should have started leaking when only 3.5 years old and only had 53k miles on it. No indicators of any kind prior to the leaking starting either. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
On more than several occasions the car has slammed on the breaks for no apparent reason. This has happened multiple times and thr dealer can’t fix the issue because the computer is showing no error. This is a serious concern for me as the last time it occurred a child hit her face on the back of the passenger seat causing her lip to bleed.
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
Front camera fault. Pre collision systems don’t work without it. Large online community with the same issues but ford refuses to acknowledge it’s an issue. They won’t help even if errors start happening before warranty is over. And once warranty is over they charge large amounts to fix. There is a TSB out for the issue and it seems like a pinched coaxial cable. Our safety is at stake and t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "Hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
6L80 transmission complete failure while driving. Vehicle started shacking then check engine light came on .
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
It's been a year that this situation is still under a recall and there is no remedy. Keep receiving constant notices and every time I call its something new and yet they still don't have a remedy. I was told last year not to have anyone sit in my passenger seat until a remedy is found. I feel unsafe and have been financing my Toyota RAV4 since August 2020. My recent call they wont have a remedy Ju... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormally loud rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under Ford Campaign Number: 21N03 because the campaign had expired. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The instrument cluster failed resulting in the batteries being drained. This resulted in the vehicle being unable to operate, start and inability to shift. This cause me to be stuck in the middle of traffic.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated while the independent mechanic was performing an oil change on the vehicle, the mechanic informed the contact of a coolant leak. The vehicle was not diagnosed of repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The car has now on three separate occasions lost power while driving. As I slow down coming to stop or reducing speed car will completely lose power and then struggle to restart. Both occasions were on busy roads. Additionally, when you put fuel in the car it does not turn on right away it smells like fuel is burning and fumes enter into the cabin. When you push start after fueling it struggles to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The car has now on three separate occasions lost power while driving. As I slow down coming to stop or reducing speed car will completely lose power and then struggle to restart. Both occasions were on busy roads. Additionally, when you put fuel in the car it does not turn on right away it smells like fuel is burning and fumes enter into the cabin. When you push start after fueling it struggles to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
Dear NHTSA Recall Division, I am writing to bring to your attention a safety and performance issue related to a potential defect in the EVAP canister purge valve of my 2017 ford focus, which may be linked to the previously issued recall for this component. The EVAP canister purge valve in my vehicle has become stuck in the open position, resulting in the engine burning an excessive amount of fue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
Service transmission message showed up on dash. Dealer stated after performance test found P17A5 code for shift control. The dealer stated that the gear shift assembly needed to be replaced and if not, that the car could get stuck in gear which I feel is a safety risk. My vehicle only has 37,111 miles on it and I am pretty much the only driver.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
Power steering completely went out, without warning, while driving 55 mph. No prior warning - all of a sudden a red light came on with exclamation point saying the power steering must be serviced. Incredibly difficult to steer / drive it to a certified Dodge dealership. A quick inspection found the problem to be: Electric power steering gear unit must be replaced. Estimated price quote for MOP... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
The transmission failed. Causing me to almost be rear ended because when I hit the brakes there was a hard down sift between gears. Then I could not accelerate resulting in me being stranded on the side of the road. We have had the car inspected by two separate shops and they both confirmed it was a failed transmission. We were not able to take it to the manufacturer dealership for two weeks. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
Firestone trans force Ht. 275/70R18 These tires came from factory on my Dodge Ram. The truck is around two years old and only with 13,500 miles on it. All four tires are failing and cracking on the side walls. I know earlier models of the same exact tire was recalled for the same issue.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
[XXX] my 2019 ford f350 extended cab 4x4 6.7 diesel engine caught fire while i was driving on [XXX] i was pulling a small gooseneck horse trailer with 2 live horses inside. I was traveling at 60mph. no modifications to the truck, everything stock. a car pulled along side me pointing to the front of the truck yelling your on fire. immediately got off on an exit ramp, the truck engine died and i ... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
Hello. I have a 20/20 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. This morning I had a total brake failure for lack of a better term. The E-Pedal system, which I always use, suddenly failed while I was driving, showing a warning on screen that said E-Pedal system malfunction... Please use pedal to break. When I went to use the pedal to break nothing happened except for this horrible sound and feel in the pedal. It barel... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Side compartments opening while towing unit on highway…items in compartment flying out …hatches won’t closed properly to much gap…big gap also on top cap where it connects to wall in front..unit taken to lazdays Tampa for frame flex recall…inspection revealed major cracks in frame everywhere as a result causing major frame flex…lots of welding is being done…by grand design mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
I had a recall for “computer module programming done by Ford on my 2022 Bronco sport 38k miles on [XXX]. The next day my car shut off while at a light not auto/start on off. But sputtered and lost power. The next day it would not start right away. On [XXX] I parked at my children’s school in a temporary spot. Went to back up and my car was stuck trying to turn in and off for a solid 10 minutes... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
The temp warning light came on our 2017 escape - temp gauge always remained on normal - had it towed to the Ford dealer in Texas. Service writer said it is the head gasket since there is no external leak but, coolant was low. Engine will have to be replaced at the expense of $12,000. I mention the recall and he said he would take another look to see if he can verified the damage in detail. this ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Instrument cluster failure and turn signal malfunction while highway driving. No interior sounds, including no lane change warning or near collision warning signals, and no audible confirmation of signal; no exterior blinker activated despite use by driver. Instrument cluster went blank. Safety at risk and accident occurred: approaching car from rear passenger side hit front right side of our car ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Instrument cluster failure and turn signal malfunction while highway driving. No interior sounds, including no lane change warning or near collision warning signals, and no audible confirmation of signal; no exterior blinker activated despite use by driver. Instrument cluster went blank. Safety at risk and accident occurred: approaching car from rear passenger side hit front right side of our car ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to activate the defroster, the defroster failed to active to defrost the windshield. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the heated steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The contact also stated that the front driver’s side and front passenger’s side heated seats were inoperable. There was no warning ... Read more