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, 2025
I have a 2015 Cadillac XTS I am experiencing water in the headlight and condensation I am well aware of there have been many complaints about this issue I would like Cadillac to repair this
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting into reverse(R), the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The contact received notification of NTHSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); 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 am... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface or a pothole, there was an abnormal metallic sound coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a technician informed the contact that the sound was common after 50,000 miles. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface or a pothole, there was an abnormal metallic sound coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a technician informed the contact that the sound was common after 50,000 miles. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
The passenger-side (right) headlight assembly suffered an internal mechanical failure and is stuck aimed too high. It cannot be calibrated or lowered to factory specification. This poses a severe safety risk by blinding oncoming traffic at night. The vehicle was inspected by a manufacturer service center on July 13, 2026. The factory technician confirmed in the official service notes that the righ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
My backup camera often freezes after I shift from reverse to drive. The screen turns blue and at time will have a live video of me driving showing what’s behind my car. Also my engine loses power and doesn’t accelerate as it should. There is a powertrain and censor error that shows due to the Che k engine light being on. I had the issue fixed once at a ford dealer however the issue was not r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
I am constantly having my ability to see interrupted by oncoming cars with 3000+ lumen white light bulbs both on the freeway and highway. I have to hold my hand between me and them to prevent the view of my field from being obscured. I also have to aim my rear view mirrors up or at the ground if an especially bright car is behind me, even if its almost a mile behind me. I do not have bad night ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
COMPONENT: The 10-speed automatic transmission failed on 6/29/26, locking the vehicle completely in neutral. The neutral override could not be disengaged even by dealership technicians. Vehicle is currently at [XXX] Chevrolet, [XXX] and is available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: I have 3 young children who are regular passengers. The failure occurred without warning. Had it happened at highway spee... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. Additionally, while slowing down and driving under 40 MPH, the transmission experienced a rough downshift, causing the passengers inside the vehicle to lunge forward from their seats. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who flushed the transmission, b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer on May 25, 2026, where it remained due to safety concerns. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle. The contact stated that upon verifying the condit... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the rearview camera was inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
I was merging onto the highway and the acceleration stopped working and the vehicle would not go more than 25 mph. Had to restart car in shoulder, isue seemed to self correct but then it happened 10 minutes later stranding me in between the highway and exit ramp. This was a huge safety issue and myself and others lives were at risk. I am bringing the vehicle in for inspection but this seems to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
The contact’s daughter owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera went blank periodically, and after two weeks, the image went completely blank. The contact stated that on several occasions, there were children and people standing in the rear of the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
The back passenger window behind the driver shattered while I was in the vehicle. Window shattered from inside out no previous damage to the window , all of sudden it shattered. May daughter’s car seat is on that side luckily she was not hurt because she wasn’t in the vehicle at the time. But to think that she could have been because I was , I had just parked and the window directly behind me ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a pothole or an object on the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The failure had reoccurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
019 Ram 1500 5.7L eTorque MGU (Motor Generator Unit) failed on 08/29/2025 at 62,105 miles. Vehicle died on road and would not restart, creating a safety hazard. Dealer confirmed battery was severely discharged due to MGU failure — alternator was not putting out voltage necessary to charge battery, resulting in failed MGU. Vehicle was inoperable for 109 consecutive days (08/29/2025 through 12/16/... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V869000 (Hybrid Propulsion System); 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 conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
Frequency when I start car makes a very loud , painful high pitch noise for anywhere from 5-15 seconds
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
The uncharted and its related models (subaru solterra and trailseeker, Toyota bZ, bZ Woodland, and C-HR, and Lexus RZ) have an issue that bricks the car. It drains the 12V battery. Our car needed a jump because the Toyota app/subaru connect app and connected services kept waking the car up, draining the 12V battery and preventing it from turning on. This car appears to have a DCM issue and except... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
We were driving in the middle of nowhere between [XXX] and [XXX] and the fuel system shut down cuz the fuel pump failed with a quarter of a tank left. We are stuck on the side of a narrow highway where the speed limit was 80 mph. Very scary. Every time we tried to start the car it would sputter and fail and the fuel warning came up not for lack of fuel but for a fuel pump issue. Software update wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
My 2023 Equinox RS losses power during quick acceleration for lane changes or passing. It will also lose power during some turns at normal speed. It will also accelerate and deaccelerate at a low speed making it feel like the gears are slipping. Auto stop on occasion will be a hard take off requiring a firm foot on the brake. At time it will also shift hard into 1st gear. My car has been in the de... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
Attached are pics of my failed 7 pole connector. The part number is (Hopkins #XXX). I took the RV to 24/7 Motorcoach and Victoria, Parts Manager, [XXX] Ext #5) filed claim #XXX on XXX. The claim was "Under Review" for almost a month. Now shows Approved Processing. I have a trip planned for tomorrow with my enclosed car trailer and did not have time to wait for the part. I purchased the replacemen... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a leaking evaporator core in my 2021 Kia K5. The evaporator core failed at approximately 59,600 miles, causing the air conditioning system to stop cooling properly. The vehicle was diagnosed by a repair facility, which determined that the evaporator core was leaking refrigerant and required replacement. An evaporator core is a major HVAC component that sho... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
Was driving down the road with zero issues known, no check engine light, and only 114K miles. There was a sudden noise that was quiet so I turned down the radio, and then within 2 seconds or so a loud bang occurred, followed by a lot of smoke. I looked in the side mirrors and noted flames coming from underneath the van. Pulled over and got my family out.
Fire
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
The vehicle jerks while changing from 1st to 2nd shaking the engine. I have had 2 transmission flushes which help for a moment then it behave the same way jerking while shifting gears. The vehicle asks like it does not want accelerate at times while shifting gears as well
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
On my 2015 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (VIN: [XXX]), the driver's side halogen headlight suddenly stopped working. When I attempted to replace the bulb, I discovered that the headlight connector/pig tail had melted on one side, one of the electrical wires had burned completely through, and there was a strong odor coming from the rear of the headlight assembly. This was not simply a burned-out bulb... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The infotainment system which controls the radio,backup camera, onstart,and other safety components stopped working i took it to a gm certified dealership and it has just been all bad from there. gm has horrible customer service and so does the gm certified shop in michigan city i took my truck in that I only had for 11 months because the infotainment center went of paid for two diagnostic tests t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The infotainment system which controls the radio,backup camera, onstart,and other safety components stopped working i took it to a gm certified dealership and it has just been all bad from there. gm has horrible customer service and so does the gm certified shop in michigan city i took my truck in that I only had for 11 months because the infotainment center went of paid for two diagnostic tests t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
When it is hot out and car is idiling car cuts off. When reverse car stalls. Auto stop/start is off and car request to be restarted manually.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
A loss of power while driving on the freeway created a dangerous situation and nearly caused an accident. The issue was diagnosed by the Honda dealer as a misfire of the 3rd cylinder due to a head gasket failure and a fuel injector issue. No other symptoms were detected as this appeared suddenly at the worst possible time.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
car was driving fine, went up a hill then check engine light came on with warning that stated "reduced engine power." drove it approx 8 min to home. parked in garage. Next morning, took to Firestone Complete Autocare as that was the first place available. Just got a call that the whole turbo assembly needs to be replace costing almost $2000 and will be without a car for about a week. 5 year wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
When stopped in heavy traffic, the auto idle engaged. I got a "System problem detected. Shift to Park." warning. When I shifted to park the vehicle experienced a total electrical blackout, including a loss of hazard lights. It took several minutes for the modules to reboot. This happened 3 times in 20 minutes as I attempted to find a safe place to pull over. My life was put in danger because i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Had cruise control on set on 64 up and down hills and around curves it just started going faster & faster I had to stomp the brakes 3 times to get it to quit afterwards the power train is now not shifting right it still was at times going to shop staying at 27 to 35 rpm’s, made it to shop
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Had cruise control on set on 64 up and down hills and around curves it just started going faster & faster I had to stomp the brakes 3 times to get it to quit afterwards the power train is now not shifting right it still was at times going to shop staying at 27 to 35 rpm’s, made it to shop
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Had cruise control on set on 64 up and down hills and around curves it just started going faster & faster I had to stomp the brakes 3 times to get it to quit afterwards the power train is now not shifting right it still was at times going to shop staying at 27 to 35 rpm’s, made it to shop
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
My son had an accident where he re-ended another car that caused damage to the front of his car. The AirBags did not deploy in his car; and I beleive they should have with the amount of damage that the car sustained.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure from occurring. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood unlatched and opened independently. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
truck dash light would fade/blacken at which time none of safety features would work. This is an intermittent problem but seem like it has happened many times with the Santa Cruz's in general, so Hyundai was aware of problem. They don't seem to fix problems. This is a critical safety failure. No warning just happens. Had it happen to my truck about 7 times. When screen blackens, I have no safety ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
The rear windshield imploded upon itself.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
WHEN I USED ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, MY CAR TENDS TO LEAN SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT. IT VEERS OVER A BIT AND THEN JERKS TO THE LEFT. ALL IN ALL, I CAN'T USE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ON THE FREEWAY WITHOUT PAYING ATTENTION. IT IS GENUINELY DANGEROUS IF VEHICLES ARE DRIVING ALONGSIDE OR BEHIND ME. OTHER THING, WHEN I USED ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FOR ALMOST ONE HOUR, THEN IT SUDDENLY BECOMES INACTIVE. IF ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
I purchased my vehicle brand new on June 6, 2026, with only 13 miles on the odometer. After driving home (about 44 miles) and another 10 miles the following day, the vehicle sat for just two days. When I tried to start it, the 12-volt battery was completely dead. The dashboard displayed a Parking Brake Malfunction message, multiple warning lights flashed, and then everything went black. I contact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
On five separate occasions, while turning onto a high-speed roadway and attempting to accelerate to the flow of traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost the ability to accelerate. Despite pressing the accelerator, the vehicle would not exceed approximately 35 mph and then began to decelerate. During both incidents, a "Check Hybrid System" warning appeared, and I was forced to quickly pull over to the si... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
I purchased my 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor in October 2017. On December 27, 2019, at 27,775 miles, the cam phasers were replaced under warranty using Ford part numbers beginning with HL3Z. In June 2026, at 74,665 miles — fewer than 47,000 miles after that repair — I began experiencing the same cam phaser symptoms (rattle/knock at cold start and idle) that led to the original repair. At no point was... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V128000 (Seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
Error ui_a020 "steering assist reduced" appears without any noticeable steering changes at the moment, but with a warning that steering may become increasingly harder and harder. There were recent recalls on other models of Tesla.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the trunk independently unlatched. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, requiring the trunk to be tied down to prevent reopening. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with water damage in the fuse box. The contact was informed that the trunk under the garnish ar... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the front windshield rattled and shook. No warning lights illuminated. The contact received recall notification letters for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure). A local dealer was contacted and placed the contact on a waiting list. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Driving down XXX going back home was driving normal when suv shut off on freeway with no warning what so ever i was 12 hours away from home almost crashed into bridge side wall was stranded on side of freeway with my whole family n my new born baby in the heat motor locked up per dealer 74k miles had to pay tow truck n a rental to get back home INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 MPH while making a turn, the vehicle stalled. Several warning lights illuminated but turned off after the vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that several independent mechanics were notified of the failure; however, an appointment was den... Read more