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 6, 2023
Bought it new in July 2023. Have done 4300 miles. Urban roads. CV Joint front is leaking. I understand 2019/2020 had the same issues. Reporting it for your records. Will now have to go to the Audi dealers if they will cover it
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
When driving at interstate speeds, the transmission locked into 7th gear and refused to change gears with changes in speed. This was especially dangerous when I exited the interstate and had to drive in traffic at city speeds. Starting from a stop in 7th gear was extremely dangerous and made me a hazard to myself and other cars around me.
Incident date: May 28, 2024
Tailgate misalignment and faulty security issue. Tailgate opened unreasonably ant least 3 times: while parked, while driving and caused damage.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
I was driving home from work and all the sudden it went into limp mode, I could barely get her home. Then I found yellow pieces of plastic in my floorboard. My brake light would not go off so I had to unplug the battery. Very scary to have that happen on the interstate, luckily I got off on an exit.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
We recently bought the uppababy Mesa Max in November of 2023 in the color way “Jake” for our daughter. About two weeks ago I reached out to uppababys customer service because I noticed the black foam near the headrest was cracking. Customer service sent out a replacement seat. At the time, they were out of the Jake color way that we had so they offered to send us the Greyson color way instead.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
Secure vehicle against rolling Secure vehicle with parking brake when stop.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
I noticed my paint peeling bad around the edges of my windshield, I have not done anything to it to make this happen and upon reading further into the forums there is a large amount of escape owners who have the same issue, it is flaking away so bad I can clearly see metal, I would like to make a formal report
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Horn failed to sound. It sounds when hitting the lock button three times, but doesn’t when the steering wheel is pressed. This was identified during a near miss accident when we tried to alert another driving that was weaving into our lane and couldn’t.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The ICCU failed. The car won't charge on a level 1, 2, or 3 charger. The failure happened in the middle of a charging session. Since failing when trying to charge the car says "charging unsuccessful". The dealer has had the car for 28 days and won't tell me when it will be fixed. How was your safety... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
I have made a prior complaint about the same issue when I had the truck for only a day and 111 miles on it that the entire truck lost power as I was making a left hand turn. It has again happened that the entire truck lost power as I was driving. I now have 15,039 miles on it. I was driving stop and go leading up to a stop sign when the truck stalled and lost power and turned on the emergency b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
ALL OF THE VEHICLE SAFETY ALERTS ARE NOT WORKING. HMFUSA HAS CHANGED THE VIN NUMBER ON THIS VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SAYS THE VEHICLE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
ALL OF THE VEHICLE SAFETY ALERTS ARE NOT WORKING. HMFUSA HAS CHANGED THE VIN NUMBER ON THIS VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SAYS THE VEHICLE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
I recently took my truck to the dealer because I have been experiencing a clicking and rattling noise that I believe is coming from the drivetrain. The service adviser stated to me , "According to Ford , this is a normal condition and there is nothing to be fixed." The same problem/condition that I am experiencing is described in NHSTA Campaign ID 23V896000 which appears to be Ford Recall # 23S65... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the temperature gauge increased to hot. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved DTC Code: P0302 and informed the contact that the ignition coils and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not y... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil pump pressure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the failure was linked with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
Transmission went to nurteal because it went out at 139k tow to repair shop who stated this the same transmission as escape called ford cs was told there a customer extended warranty placed on my transmission but covered it to 120k I was never notified of this ford said tuff but if it’s the same transmission as escaped they should warranty it
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
Shortly after purchasing the vehicle in February of this year, we started to notice that oil was burning off quickly. We took it to be looked at and was notified that there was no signs of a leak. After that incident all of the warning lights came on on the dashboard. We took it again to be seen where we were told that it was burning oil again and that the oil was low. We had the oil refilled and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I was getting on a freeway, via an on ramp, I was the first vehicle from the light, so there were no vehicles ahead of me. As I was about to merge onto the right lane of the freeway, my vehicle slams to a stop. The BRAKE icon appeared on the control panel, and worried about the vehicle behind me maybe hitting me, I attempt to pull to the right to get off the road. Luckily there were no vehicles ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
Vehicle shut down without enough notice IN TRAFFIC and could not be started for several minutes, causing a safety hazard for me and backing traffic up. Once I was able to restart, check engine light was illuminated. This was a rental and on the way to their location, the vehicle failed as described at least 5 more times.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
Truck stalls and immediately goes into park and throwing trucks parking brake on. While driving on the road and in traffic.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The contact was adding synthetic oil every 3,000 miles driven and the oil would be depleted soon after. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was rattling after attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The contact was adding synthetic oil every 3,000 miles driven and the oil would be depleted soon after. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was rattling after attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
In May 2023 I took my 2016 GLE 450 AMG into "Park Place Motor Cars Mercedes" (Dallas) for the (MBUSA 2023010002 and 2023010003) "Water that could Leak into the Spare Tire area, Impacting the Fuel Pump" recall. Park Place stated that they didn't locate any signs of water in the trunk area and would place a water drain plug in the spare tire area to drain water, incase water entered the area. In Ja... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
I have been receiving an error for my electronic braking systems and ABS since July of 2023. I have been to various dealerships to have it fixed and have been told it is on a "galactic back order" - words from Dodge to the service advisors. I have attempted several times to contact Customer Care at Dodge over many months. My cases have been closed without resolution and with false promises of m... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
I was driving it, it went into a limp mode. I could not accelerate. My dash light up flashing all different warning signs. Then put me at a complete stop and in permanent park with 6 or 7 dash lights on for my breaking system. When I was able to get it serviced they found I had complete transmission failure.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X6. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V44000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another local dealer, BMW of Dayton (7124 Poe Ave., Suite 3, Dayton, OH 45414). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The con... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering and failed to start. The battery charge was low. The HEV warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that a field expert would be determining the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
I purchased my 2017 escape almost a year ago. It only has 73000 miles on it. Check engine light turned on. I took it into the mechanic and was told that my coolant was leaking and that I needed a new engine. From what I have read this can lead to the engine catching on fire or engine failure while driving. I was told by the mechanic that I can drive the vehicle because the light was not flashing b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
On June 8th my husband was driving the car for the first time and when he was coming to a stoplight the regen braking was active, he hit a bump a grinding noise was made, and it lurched us forward and put the car in park. My husband was confused and asked me how often the car does that, and it does it every time I drive it that I have just had to learn to try and compensate for it so that I do not... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the purge valve was faulty and needed to be replaced. The purge valve was replaced but the failure persisted. The EVAP message and the check engine warning light were displayed, and the vehicle was taken to t... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
There is an outstanding recall on my vehicle and Audi are not able to complete the recall for over 30 days. I am currently only able to charge the car to 70% for concern that the vehicle will catch fire. As a result the range of the vehicle has been reduced. I have contacted AudiUSA, who said it is not their issue but rather a problem with my dealer. My car's range has been reduced to 120 miles.
Incident date: May 6, 2024
This vehicle is owned by the City of Fort Lauderdale Police Department. We are submitting complaints for multiple Tahoe's that have stopped during operation causing extreme danger to our staff and other drivers in the city. The cause is always bad fuel pumps and our units have had to have the pumps replaced in some cases multiple times. unit had to be towed in to repairer twice in 4 days. Bot... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
Nobody has inspected my vehicle. However my rear passenger airbag on the driver's side has malfunctioned and blown out the rear interior panel and the service airbag light is on this just happened 4 days ago and there was no accident to cause it.. my transmission is not functioning properly as of yesterday it has a jolt like jerk when shifting into another gear and doesn't want to go all the wa... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
Vehicles spontaneously losses power while driving. During this time power steering is disabled. Fisker technicians reported it was a known issue that would be corrected via a software update. The company is now bankrupt and no longer providing software updates.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The frame of the car seat was broken when it arrived. The metal bar that the seat clips into was bent and broken off on both sides
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The transmission seems to be confused on which gear to select and hesitates to get the truck moving. It's happened to me at an intersection a few times and my car will inch forward but lags to accelerate, and vehicles behind me have been close to rear ending me. This is very reproducible in the mornings, it's very apparent or when the truck has been sitting off for a long period of time. After dri... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The transmission seems to be confused on which gear to select and hesitates to get the truck moving. It's happened to me at an intersection a few times and my car will inch forward but lags to accelerate, and vehicles behind me have been close to rear ending me. This is very reproducible in the mornings, it's very apparent or when the truck has been sitting off for a long period of time. After dri... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
Purchased vehicle new. ABS and TC lights presented on dash intermittent. Cruise control inoperative when lights on. Had issue under warranty and had components replaced to resolve issue and now happening again. Afraid to have family in vehicle with inoperative safety systems.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
There was no incident yet light came on dash 2 days ago and I got a letter in mail for a recall
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
service electronic braking system, and ABS message goes on and off while driving.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
EGR valve fails causing vehicle to become disabled in traffic or stranded on a remote section of the highway. Also fails emissions testing. Chevrolet has NO REPLACEMENT parts available.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
ABS and traction control module goes out every two years that leaves me driving unsafe vehicle. Need a recall on this 2017 . Please help!
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The brakes become extremely stiff, making it difficult to start the vehicle. Once the vehicle is running, the brakes leak air when pressed, and stopping distance has been noticeably increased.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated, and the temperature gauge became elevated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
In January 2023, my 2014 Ram 1500 sport truck got an anti-lock , braking system and Brake light flashing warning ABS lights. I went to the dealer and he said my ABS electronic module was bad and that it was problem with most Ram trucks. I asked when could I get a new module and he said June of 2024. So I went in June and no module. So here I am, driving an unsafe vehicle, and waiting for a part wh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 while driving at 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the ... Read more