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: Oct 22, 2024
My car has never had the gas mileage that is advertised; it’s always been about 3-4 mpg less than the 28 mpg city/31 mpg highway. Recently, I had multiple engine system failures with the plug-in check devices at places like AutoZone saying my ignition coils were misfiring, and after bringing it to the dealership twice for about 1.5 months each time for a total of 3 months, they replaced the fuel... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2024
Misfire in the engine I took it into Ford did their inspection and said that it is due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. There are recalls for this vehicle for this problem but this vehicle specific VIN numbers are not included in this recall. Engine started to fail while driving causing multiple cylinder misfires
Incident date: Oct 22, 2024
Engine start to make noise while driving Took my truck to a auto shop Mechanic said that it is a fabric defective engine
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Received Hyundai recall 251 the end of 2023. Car taken to Hyundai dealer in March 2024 and dealer could not make the repairs on the recall. The end of July, the car caught fire (engine fire) when the car was parked for 10 minutes. Car and adjacent structure was destroyed.
Fire
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Bought a new EV9 and experienced steering shaking/vibrating heavily on high way speeds. There is always a subtle vibration on speed around 70mph where the cup holders in the middle of front seats vibrates, the driver seat and steering vibrates and creates a unpleasant and disturbing driving experience which can lead to anything worse. There are so many other complains on the similar issue but the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
Car started to shutter, doing 55 mph and stop pulling..all lights were flashing then shut down, was able to coast into some business parking lot. Had to get towed to shop where was told needed alternator, replaced that and replaced battery…car would start but put in gear and same thing happened shut down and didn’t get but a couple of miles from shop..still no fix. Contacted a Nissan dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal scraping and crunching sound heard. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving on a bumpy road surface and over a pothole. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where the brake calipers, the brake rotors, and... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
On [XXX] on a trip to Florida a light came on my instrument cluster that the forward collision and the side blind spot mirror's were inoperable. [XXX] on the way back from Florida after the car being parked a week I was going up [XXX] and a car swerved in front of me and I almost hit it. This system had been working fine up until this time. After getting back on [XXX] OnStar notified me that my ri... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
On [XXX] on a trip to Florida a light came on my instrument cluster that the forward collision and the side blind spot mirror's were inoperable. [XXX] on the way back from Florida after the car being parked a week I was going up [XXX] and a car swerved in front of me and I almost hit it. This system had been working fine up until this time. After getting back on [XXX] OnStar notified me that my ri... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
my whole entire car smells like gas. I cannot drive this car around because I will pass out and it is a safety hazard. There is a recall for this exact same issue, just not for my Vin number. I would like to get this done for my car, please.
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after the purchase of the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact to schedule an appointment to install the trailer hitch harness. The contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle could tow a capacity of 3,500 lbs. The contact wanted to attach a camper to the trailer hitch. The contact was then informed by the dealer when the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the front and rear passenger’s side doors failed to lock while pressing the interior door lock buttons. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 33,536.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
I purchased my vehicle new from Rivian Automotive in November 2023. My rear tire went flat (to 4 PSI) while driving on the freeway on Dec 11, 2023. There was no warning message on the dash that my tire was even low. The truck kept swerving left and right between the lane markers like the lane assist was malfunctioning. Another driver got my attention to let me know my tire was flat. I had my SUV ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while shifting into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off as needed. The contact stated that the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while shifting into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off as needed. The contact stated that the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
Purchased TRUCK at Gus Machado of Kendal Mia Fl. Informed dealership of downshifting transmission issues, I was told "there's No recall on my vehicle ", its normal that new truck has as breaking in period. AT 10,000 miles- Drove to Gus dealership for TRANSMISSION ISSUES, NO RESOLVE -AT 70,679 miles - 01/11/17 Drove AGAIN to Gus dealership, for severe engine and transmission issues. Dealersh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
My mileage time ometer keeps jumping from 56000 to 68000 time belt. My car is fairly new. This vehicle should not be doing this. The break I use to start the car nearly starts it. The breaks is not connected to the fuel pump correctly.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
I was in a car accident .A woman failed to yield at a stop sign and rammed into the front of my car at a high accelerated speed. I was restrained but the right side of my forehead hit the rearview mirror .causing two huge knots on my head. My eye glasses also smashed into my right eye and I had a cut above my eye .I was thrown to the right passenger seat area , my right hip hit the gear shift an... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
I had a situation where the vehicle brakes were not effective on the freeway and had severe vibration while hitting the pedal, I had to almost pump the brakes to come to a complete stop. the car had no warnings and the dealership was notified, they claimed there is an open recall for the braking system and the remedy is unavailable.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
1.) We were driving to Nashville and once my car got around 70,000 mile my check engine light came on. Then my car started to make a humming noise. We pulled over to check the oil the oil was fine. Once we got back into the car and left the gas station the light started to blink. Yes 2.) We were on the highway, and if the engine could have blown up or we could've got stuck on the way there and ba... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
The ABS, traction control and emergency brake light all turned came up on the dashboard. I believe a past recall May 16, 2018 was of a wiring issue effecting the cruise control. Since all three lights have came on, the cruise control feature is not available for use. This is a concern within the Ram community and needs to be addressed.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Hello, to whom it may concern: My 2012 Toyota Highlander Color Pearl White vin [XXX] ) has a repaint recall before Nov 2024. I was told at the dealer that I have to contact the Toyota dealers until I get the opportunity to get it paint. I was told that I had to contact any Toyota dealer until I get a date of acceptance. Thinking that it was not fair to delegate the responsibility on myself I ma... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Clutch has begun slipping very badly at 40,000 miles, sometimes to the point of not being able to accelerate. It is worse at highway speeds. There is a known service bulletin 22-017 outlining this issue. According to the VIN, this vehicle was assembled in the Alliston, Ontario, Canada plant and further online research has found multiple others having the same issue on vehicles from the same plant.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2024
My 2020 toyota corolla's warning light which stated "engine maintenance required visit your dealer" came on. When I called the dealership they stated I would need to come in and hook it up to diagnose the problem which would cose me $185 + taxes and fees. Then once diagnosed they would be able to fix the problem. I checked with O'Reilly's autopart store and Autozone which both of their scanners fo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Rear backup camera stopped working. Currently there is an active recall for 2018 Odysseys on all trim levels vin specific but somehow our vin number isn’t covered under the recall. I followed service bulletin 20-060 and it fixed the problem.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2024
Mach e standard edition shows multiple signs of a failing High Voltage Battery Junction Box (HVBJB). The vehicle was bought certified pre owned with only 12k miles on the vehicle. At 16k miles (2 months of ownership) the vehicle showed a high voltage battery warning and power train malfunction warning. Three warning lights were displayed on the dash which were: a yellow turtle, wrench, and car ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
Transmission issues :hard shifts, shift delays , hesitation upon acceleration, trouble on reverse gear. Engine issues: grinding noises , ticking noises ,check engine light turning on, loss of power engine Vibrating in steering wheel when braking.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
The 22 inch rims on my vehicle are cast aluminum I'm assuming. I have had several cracks causing me to rapidly loose air on the tires while driving at highway speeds. I have had three cracks in different rims within the last week and have had the rims repaired twice. The vehicle has 75k miles on it. This is a major concern and safety issue. I've never seen that many cracks happen at once. Some say... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
3 of my window motors do not work and my windows now will not roll up or down.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
There is a carbon build-up in the engine causing for a misfire in the engine cylinders.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
Stop/start stalling and shutting down at intersection. When lifting foot off the brake, vehicle may start up again just briefly but then stalls out. The vehicle has been stuck in traffic, at high risk for an accident. I have been successful in restarting the vehicle thus far to resume driving. Behavior can occur multiple times a day or once a week but it has been present for >2 yrs. Problem has ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
[XXX] my engine started stopped working even several times of trying the SUV didn’t star I took it to BMW Braman Miami center to fix the problem I was charged $3,997.18 since it wasn’t a recap of the engine starter yet I called my advisor Nasser Darwich for the recall reimburse after I get the letter from BMW USA & he told me it was no reimbursement INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
ABS Module has failed and brake, ABS and traction control lights remain on; causing braking issue. This component has failed in many vehicles of this type per mechanic and should be recalled. There is very little mileage on the vehicle around 50K. A safety recall is apparent as if injury occurs Honda is liable, as an elderly person owns the vehicle. Vehicle does not stop as it should and will ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
A few months back my car started to loose its ability to accelerate on the highway. I stopped to get my oil changed to see if that would help but the acceleration was still very limited. Now a month ago, my car started pouring smoke out of the exhaust. It was brought to a mechanic who said it was a turbo and or engine issue. I took it to a Hyundai near me for a clear diagnoses and they diagnosed i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
The windshield wipers do not work. When the wipers are turned on, the spray comes on and does not turn off. You are unable to see as the spray keeps spraying the entire time the wipers are on. I took the dealer twice and they have been unable to repair. They now say are waiting for parts. I can't be the only one. This is very concerning. Luckily I live in Las Vegas and we have little rain. What ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V646000 (Air Bags) 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 manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
I was on the road and I hit a bump on the freeway only going between 55 and 65 mph and the Truck immediately started to whobble out of control I almost hit the car next to me because I could not control it . It was a life and death experience I could never shake off . I spoke to the dealer and they claimed they had never heard of such thing and acted like they didn’t believe me. What ever is wro... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that when the driver's door was opened the tailgate opened inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V060000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,364.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
The tire tech at Walmart was attempting to remove the tire when the side wall just blew out on my Yokohama 245 /40 20 tire.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
The tire tech at Walmart was attempting to remove the tire when the side wall just blew out on my Yokohama 245 /40 20 tire.
Incident date: Oct 17, 2024
The vehicle started giving red overheating signals to the dash. I put in coolant. A week later it happened again and the car would only go 5 MPH. I called a mechanic and was told that this EcoBoost 2.0L was defective and that is was very common for the head gaskets to fail and poor coolant into the block. I had the vehicle towed to this mechanic and he confirmed the engine needed to be replaced. H... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
My Airbag Readiness Light started blinking. I took vehicle to dealer for service. No trouble codes were found. Issue was found with Passenger Presence Module. Dealer advised that this is part of the seat that has been discontinued and that no repairs are available for the vehicle. I found a GM Engineering Information bulletin on your website that states the exact conditions that I am seeing with m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, there was an abnormal clicking noise coming from the vehicle. The contact mentioned the failure would be present when making a left turn when driving at any speed. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer on several occasions where the failure was not determined due to being unable... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle hesitated to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter had failed and needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to partially cover ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V720000(Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
I have had to get 3 new keys made for this car due to the security light coming on, sometimes it will not crank or start, so I have replaced the starter twice, have replaced relays and fuses, and the security light will come on while drive down the road and all gauges drop to zero, even the gas light says empty and every light on the dash comes on. But the car will still drive. But once you turn i... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 BMW X7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 BMW X7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
1. Autosteer/Lane assist failure, yes its available for inspection upon request with Tesla 2. Due to above failure met with a crash which led to severe medical issues 3. The car has been totalled and the car is not functional, waiting on Tesla to inspect and confirm 4. Police has filed a crash report but manufacturer, insurance yet to inspect the vehicle or component 5. Absolutely NO WARNING lamp... Read more
Crash
1 injured