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: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sportage. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confi... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated that the sunroof panel was not working properly and failed to close. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 32,610.
Incident date: May 7, 2024
hi, i was driving on the free way to work hauling a small 10ft. trailer and my engine started knocking Badly! i get off free way start to head home and slowly take off and rpms take off and Boom. engine done.. so spun bearings/boken crank i havnt taken engine out to inspect yet because you cant buy a new engine and used engines are 10-12k. come to find out this engine has broken crank problems. no... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
My new car has severe distortion of the windshield and the tailgate glass which could make driving the car unsafe by distorting the lane markings, cars and streets, and/or by inducing dizziness. I took the car to Tesla service and was told that the issue is within specifications and that all other similar Teslas have the same glass issue and replacing the glass would not help the issue. It seems... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
50 amp cord reel is defective. When plugged into a 50 amp outlet, My electrician found power all the way to the reel, but not to the internal fuse panel. These cord reels are known to have these issues as the fingers behind the power connection tend to arc and or corrode causing only one leg of power to make it to the fuse panel. I've contacted keystone and they refused to do anything about it. I'... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
Rear Passenger door does not open.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
Took vehicle to dealership for warranty repair as dealer confirmed parts available. Did not do repair due to Ford issuing a email to stop all repairs under this recall until further notice. Contacted Ford no reason why recall repairs stopped, no information when they would begin again. Ford recall notice blatant information without explanation. NHTSA site information is not accurate, parts are ava... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
The backup camera fails to load. I get a blue screen or a distorted screen.
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the instrument panel blacked out, disabling all electrical systems. The driving assist, speedometer, A/C and other electrical systems all failed to operate as needed. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway and turned the vehicle off for several minutes. The vehicle was restarted; however, the fail... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2011 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel inadvertently moved to the left at a 30–35-degree angle. Additionally, the rear end of the vehicle swayed while coming to a stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the crossmember was severely corroded and the fron... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bag) 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 had not experien... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2023
Since the purchase of the car (2017), the vehicle has had the issue of excessive oil consumption causing the vehicle to burn up oil at higher unknown fluctuating rates. The vehicle doesn’t have an oil life indicator to begin with, and the only thing that indicates you have no oil in your car is the oil pressure light that will SOMETIMES pop on and off. My car has stalled out multiple times while... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her boyfriend was driving through a construction zone at 55 MPH, an aggressive driver hit the front passenger side of the vehicle and drove off. The air bags did not deploy upon impact and the seat belts did secure the driver as needed. The contact's boyfriend sustained bruises on the neck, lower back, and left arm; the contact's b... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
I have a 2017 Fords Escape Titanium with the 2.0 Ecoboost Motor with 24.394 miles on it since purchased new at our Dealer in Albany, NY. This Car is Driven by an elderly woman (grandmother) to the grocery store and bank in our small down only and once a week to doctors. When driving the 2017 Esape with the 2.0L vehicle started to shake violently and check engine light came on due to what I fou... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
My radio is delaminating. This vehicle is 4 1/2 years old and already delaminating. I noticed a slight delaminating last year now it’s getting worse.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
2019 RAM classic with significant wobble /vibration during highway driving between 40 and 80 at cruising speed. Will do similar shaking during acceleration, but not consistently. We have replaced the rims, all 4 tires (the two rear wheels have been replaced twice), the vehicle has been balanced twice, once high speed and once with all 4 wheels. the tires have been balanced as well. The vehicle ha... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2023
Complete failure of brake system. After the vehicle parked, a significant puddle of brake fluid formed under the rear axle area (mid between rear wheels. It appears that a break line failed. An internet search revealed that Canada has issued a recall regarding corrosion of brake lines on this vehicle. Extremely dangerous situation. Fortunately, the failure happened when driving in a resident... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2023
I bought this Dodge truck in 2018 from a certified Dodge Dealership in California. On March [XXX] this year around [XXX] I was driving on the freeway when experienced an engine stall, had to move the vehicle to the shoulder and almost got hit by a semi-truck. Got the car towed to the nearest Dodge dealership where the car was later inspected by a certified service advisor. He stated that the re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
Front driver door spot welds failed for the restrictor arm. Ability to open drivers door and window affected.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
My 2023 Hyundai Elantra has started alerting me while driving that I was going the wrong way down a road. The alert goes something like: WARNING Entering into wrong way detected. This occurs when I'm driving the correct direction. I've Googled the issue and other Hyundai owners have documented receiving the same message. I believe this is dangerous if one is driving someplace unfamiliar and recei... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
I was traveling at about 60 miles per hour when I attempted to accelerate slightly to stay with traffic. It seemed like the car wouldn't change gears, but the engine decreased in power. It did not seem that the vehicle had any "power". The car would not increase in speed. I noticed the "wrench" warning light, which corresponds to the drive train of the car. I was able to coast into the next smal... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
the integrated trailer brake controller does not perform enought to actually engage the trailer brakes on multiple trailers. this should be a recall issue for ram. we have two ram trucks with the same issue.
Incident date: May 3, 2024
Computer intermittently fails to acknowledge that the transmission is in Park. The vehicle is physically in Park (will not move as if it were in gear), but the computer warns that the "Transmission is Not in Park" even though it is. This is leading to battery drain due to computer incorrect error notifications. I have to wait, sometimes several minutes, for the computer to acknowledge that the tra... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving the vehicle failed to accelerate above 12 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The manufacturer referred ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
Intermittent “service ABS system” light on dash resulting in loss of ABS, cruise control, park-sense, and 4x4. No amount of troubleshooting from a reputable diesel mechanic has been able to fix this. From what I have read online this is a very common issue and the truck likely needs an HCU/ABS module
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
exhaust manifold studs cannot support the weight of the manifold and turbo and end up breaking, ultimately causing exhaust leaks into the passenger cabin creating a toxic air quality inside the vehicle. Ford has redesigned the part to have an additional bolt as this is a common problem. There should be a forced recall with Ford to repair vehicles effected by this and install the upgraded part. I'v... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle did not accelerate as intended. Additionally, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently however, the failure had become persistent. The contact stated that se... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
ABS system went out in my truck, according to the internet you have getting LOTS of complaints about this issue, anything happening?
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The transmission has failed several times during driving with no check engine light or maintenance required light appearing. I get monthly reports saying that the engine does not have any problems. My safety and others safety were put at risk because any time during driving the engine can lose power and you will no longer be able to accelerate. This could be dangerous on roads and especially highw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The VIN was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
upper control arm is creaking, extremely common problem, we need to demand a recall
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the braking system abruptly stopped working properly. The contact stated that the brake pedal was abnormally stiff. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive a short distance to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the independent mechanic inspected the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2018
There are two major mechanical problems: 1. The backup camera is unreliable and dangerous. It flickers horribly while in use, often blacking out for multiple seconds at a time. 2. The automatic braking feature is overly sensitive and occasionally slams the brakes when you're trying to park, making you think you've hit something. I've asked Polestar to fix both of these issues, or to at least disab... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
Steering feels stiff. A times feels sticky.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
Service ABS SYSTEM warning light came on dash - July 2023. ABS is not functional. Traction /stability control is not functional. Scanned codes - OBDII code C0020. Took to RAM dealer 7/2023- RAM dealer stated and confirmed ABS module required replacement but the part was not available and unknown when it would become available. I have called several times every few months for updates- no parts a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
Almost every single time I back up my brakes make an awful noise. I've had the brakes looked at and nothing is wrong with them, I have read numerous articles about other people having this same issue with their 2021 Ford Escapes. Others have brought this to Ford's attention, and they always get told "that's normal". I should not have to hear my brakes screaming for no reason at 7am when leaving wo... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
For the second time, my truck is repeatedly having "Service electronic braking system" message appear and disappear constantly while driving. This is mixed with "Service ABS system" message that also repeatedly pops up with a audible ding. The warning lights for traction control and ABS repeatedly turn on and off as well. This happens over and over the entire time while driving. We were on a famil... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2024
THE DRIVER DOOR LATCH ASSEMBLY WON'T ENGAGE WHEN YOU SHUT THE DOOR THE DOORV AJAR LIGHT STAYS ON AND YOU HAVE TO OPEN AND SHUT THE DOOR SEVERAL TIMES SLAMMING IT REAL HARD TO GET IT TO GO OUT YOU HAVE TO SPRAY WD-40 IN THE LATCH AND WORK IT TO GET THE DOOR TO LATCH.
Incident date: Apr 27, 2024
I filed a complaint yesterday 5/4/24. The complaint number is #11586924. Yesterday I gave you the details of what happened with my transmission and when it happened. Today I want to give you the Manufacturer Comm. Number. From Ford Motor Co. the service number is SSM46069. It states that Ford knew there could be a problem with some 2015/2016 vehicles equipped with 6F50/6F55 transmissions built on ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
We purchased a brand new car and we have driven just 778 miles. Below are the things happened suddenly while driving on highway on our long planned trip and it screwed up entire journey. 1. Instrument cluster suddenly shown the error “service charging system” in the middle of highway when I was driving in 70 mph speed and the vehicle started applying heavy breaks automatically and speed droppe... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
Unknown Overall something within while driving my truck i had starting hearing a grinding sound while turning and then the steering started to lock up, very unsafe and while my children were going to school had me in panic mode in which i never experience out of all the vehicle ive had and paid off.
Incident date: May 3, 2024
Magnetic tone wheel. Driving on the interstate and the truck stalled and would not restart. Had to get it towed.
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The reverse camera functions intermittently, and frequently flickers or does not display an image.
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The Resin front lower bumper cover assembly, connected with mounting tabs detached from my 2022 Toyota Highlander on (July 9, 2023). I received a Recall letter from Toyota on February 9, 2024 (7 months) after the incident & promptly contact Toyota Brand Engagement Center. I have mailed all the required information that Toyota stated on the Recall correspondence & as of today, May 5, 2024 I have no... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
Back up camera no longer works, all black when in reverse.
Incident date: May 4, 2024
Occasionally after driving 15-30 minutes my dash gives me a quick "auto park brake disengaged" notification and my speedometer goes to 0 while I'm driving, then everything goes back to normal. (Event happens approximately every 3rd to 5th time I drive the vehicle) An additional event has occurred after driving a while my entire dash and screen will blackout as well. I've researched the internet an... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The car's rear camera freezes up for a few second and then blacks out intermittently. An error code even appears, "Camera is temporarily unavailable." I am terrified that one of my kids (or someone else) is going to run behind the car and I won't realize it because the camera is frozen. I know other owners are experiencing this, too, and it's only a matter of time until it kills someone.
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The car's rear camera freezes up for a few second and then blacks out intermittently. An error code even appears, "Camera is temporarily unavailable." I am terrified that one of my kids (or someone else) is going to run behind the car and I won't realize it because the camera is frozen. I know other owners are experiencing this, too, and it's only a matter of time until it kills someone.