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: Jul 7, 2021
While driving on the freeway the check engine light came on. I was able to drive the car home the remaining 20 minutes but there was some noticeable difficulty accelerating. When I went to turn on the car later that day the engine would not turn over and there was an audible rattling/chugging sound and the car itself shook. I was unable to get the car to start and the check engine light remained o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2021
While driving on the freeway the check engine light came on. I was able to drive the car home the remaining 20 minutes but there was some noticeable difficulty accelerating. When I went to turn on the car later that day the engine would not turn over and there was an audible rattling/chugging sound and the car itself shook. I was unable to get the car to start and the check engine light remained o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2021
when applying the brakes the steering wheel vibrates and car has reduced stopping power. when I took it to Tesla service center they said the "rotor runout is out of spec" the car has 25k miles and new "performance pads" were installed by Tesla as an upgrade in December 2023. the shaking developed after this. Tesla says the rotors are a wearable part and not covered under warranty.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the lower control arm frame on the driver's side was completely rusted and had detached from the vehicle. There was no warning illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, with the brake pedal was lightly depressed; however, without a foot on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle inadvertently surged forward. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence, almost causing several crashes. No warning l... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
There has been a recall on my vehicle (2017 Toyota Rav 4) since November 2023. It is now August 2024. I have not been able to drive my vehicle this entire time and Toyota had done nothing to help me. There is a safety concern with the battery catching on fire, so I fear that this will happen while driving it, so I decided to pay for a rental car while I wait for a remedy. I have been paying for a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine and engine overheated warning lights illuminated. The vehicle went into low power mode, and the contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was towed to her daughter's residence. The daughter is a mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and was shaking abnormally while attempting to downshift. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the A-pillar applique trim detached. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
I searched online after the Toyota dealership told me that my coolant flow control valve is failing. I became aware that it is a common issue for my 2020 Toyota Rav4. The warranty does not cover it even though it should be part of the powertrain warranty.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the tailgate opened unintendedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V060000 (Latches/Locks/ Linkages) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical 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 contact had not exper... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the roof rail cover detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
I just had to have the vacuum booster pump for the brakes on my truck replaced again. The part number is: BL3Z-2A451D. It is the third time that I have had to replace it in the last four years: 6/26/20, 9/15/22, and 7/21/24. My mechanic, George’s Auto, in Crescent City, CA says that it is a faulty design issue, and has to replace several on other vehicles as well.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
IF CAR IS NOT DRIVEN FOR A FEW DAYS THE BATTERY WILL BE DEAD. CAR HAS NEW BATTERY. DOING MY RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR 2011-2019 HONDA CRV WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE APPARENTLY IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE VSA SYSTEM. IS HONDA PAYING THE NHTSA NOT TO RECALL THIS
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Balmar alternator or regulator fails to work as designed. No charging of batteries when idling or driving. This is a Safety Issue because fires have been reported as a result of these electrical system failures. Lithionics (battery) app confirms no charge reaching the batteries, see attached screenshots. Potential Risk of Fire when not working properly as evidenced by others with Balmar failure... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
Balmar alternator or regulator fails to work as designed. No charging of batteries when idling or driving. This is a Safety Issue because fires have been reported as a result of these electrical system failures. Lithionics (battery) app confirms no charge reaching the batteries, see attached screenshots. Potential Risk of Fire when not working properly as evidenced by others with Balmar failure... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms part... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
On June 13th 2024, and on July 30th 2024, while driving on highway my Cadillac XT4 suddenly jerked forward as if I had been struck from behind by another vehicle. The vehicle seemed to have lost all power and appeared to stall in the lanes of the highway. This created a very dangerous situation, causing vehicles behind me to swerve in order to avoid a collision. Be advised that the vehicle did not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2024
This is in reference to a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The Air Conditioner is not functional. Upon inspection by a mechanic, and $300 of freon wasted, it was determined that the lines that carry the AC to the rear of the vehicle are defective. Freon immediately drains. We have a case open with Toyota. The Toytota Case Manager acknowledged that the lines are a known issue, however at this time there is ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling sound while starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the cam phasers. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle while cold starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective cam phaser. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The screen on my information center is delaminating. Took the vehicle to the dealership for extended warranty service and was told this was not covered under warranty. When this is a known issue not sure why the manufacture is not covering this claim.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
I purchased my vehicle October2023. May 23,2024, at 1:34 pm, my vehicle broke down due to a message on my dashboard stating “Drivetrain malfunction”. I was on the highway with no use of my gas pedal, which resulted in me rolling back all while being 5 months pregnant. June 18,2024, at 3:04pm ,my vehicle broke down again due to the same message that previously popped up “Drivetrain malfuncti... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power. In addition, the contact noticed white smoke coming from under ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
Collision warning system has malfunctioned more than 3 times and has been brought into the dealer. My vehicle is equipped with collision warning and active braking. Typically when the collision warning occurs if I do not manually hit the brakes immediately it will brake the car for me. The first 2 times it occurred in a residential area at low speeds with nothing in front of me. The system flashed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering column was stiff to turn and had seized. The Lane Keep and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering column was stiff to turn and had seized. The Lane Keep and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The seatbelt on the second row driver side captain chair no longer works. It started not retracting about a year ago and now it won’t retract or pull out so it is stuck and cannot be used. The $85k Yukon is only five years old, seat belts should last longer than that. GMC wants us to pay $500 to fix a safety concern seat belt. I would understand if the vehicle was 10+ years old but we are still ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while the vehicle was moving through the car wash, the bumper hitch cover had separated from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 900.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
Vehicle ran out of fuel while still showing that it had fuel in it. Fuel gauge did show low, but it still showed that it had 23 miles left until empty. Ran out of gas and shut off going 75MPH on 5 lane highway.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
About a month ago my car started acting like it didn't want to restart at traffic lights when the auto idle kicked in. One time to completely did not restart on a major highway and I had to completely turn the car off then back on again. Then last week I tried to get into my car and multiple components had stopped working: my keyless entry, blind spot sensor, parking sensor, entertainment system... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
The rails in the middle row where the seats connect to, get extremely hot to the point where it is very hot to touch. This is a safety issue that could potentially cause a fire and/or burn my children’s’ feet. It doesn’t matter if the car has been driven for a short period of time or on a long trip, regardless the rails get very hot
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
Hyundai Ioniq5 acquired new in September 2023 - mileage at the time of incident 10,800 miles - Michelin Primacy AS 235/55 R19 - OEM tires installed by the manufacturer. Front tire started to go off balance causing steering wheel vibrations and shaking that increased with speed - car was not drivable above 55MPH due to excessive shaking and vibrations of steering wheel - this presents safety concer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
Hyundai Ioniq5 acquired new in September 2023 - mileage at the time of incident 10,800 miles - Michelin Primacy AS 235/55 R19 - OEM tires installed by the manufacturer. Front tire started to go off balance causing steering wheel vibrations and shaking that increased with speed - car was not drivable above 55MPH due to excessive shaking and vibrations of steering wheel - this presents safety concer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The left rear side window rolled down and won’t roll back up and made clicking sound causing both safety issue driving my kids in a stormy day. I tried to open the door and it opens only 10 percent . I had to go from the other door to get my kid out the car. I owned the car 4 years now and I’m the only owner . I took it to the dealer and they opened the door replaced the window regulator and m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 15 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed due to parts not being available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was leaking coolant. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact added additional coolant as necessary. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the water pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer, who stated there was n... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The steering wheel is very “sticky” and “jerky”. The steering wheel will momentarily get stuck in its place until enough pressure is applied to unstick it, resulting in the car jerking constantly. It is especially noticeable at high speeds which is more dangerous. Online I see a lot of owners experiencing this exact same issue. I believe there needs to be a recall or extended warranty for ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
Faulty ignition switch. Vehicle attempts to start on its own. Could be a very serious issue with car parked in a garage.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
This was an alarming situation. I was taking my wife for a cancer treatment in our 2023 KIA Sorrento with 2600 miles on it. The instrument panel showed a A with a circle around it, blinking continuously. I was going up a grade in a town and the car would not accelerate. All of a sudden the engine SURGED the brakes would not stop the car, I put it into neutral and went into a parking lot. If t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the traction control, steering, and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then took the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
Odometer display doesn't work. It comes on only after driving a long distance. Doesn't help to know how much fuel is remaining or when I take it for emission test where they need to see odometer reading. I have seen many user complaints on the same topic. I took it to two dealers - Honda of Chantilly and Tysons and they said it's not something they can fix and asked me to find a local mechanic.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle started shaking; excessive force was needed to depress the brake pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake pads and rotors had failed and needed to be replaced. The rotors were resurfaced; however,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the gasoline motor failed to activate. The contact stated that the vehicle remained in EV mode and was not gaining forward momentum. The contact observed that the battery gauge needle was on the low end of the battery charge. The contact stated that th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated the vehicle was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The Nissan Frontier (and perhaps other Nissan vehicles employing the same system) equipped with the 'Intelligent Cruise Control' (ICC) exhibits dangerous behavior when a followed vehicle comes to a complete stop with ICC enabled. When this occurs, the Nissan will come to a complete stop, then a warning chime will sound and the vehicle will immediately start moving quickly forward. Since the ICC ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that there was a clicking sound coming from the engine compartment while in neutral. The contact stated that while idling and then attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not inc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
[XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] Julio 30, 2024 Volkswagen Customer Care Volkswagen Group of America 3800 Hamlin Road Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Dear Volkswagen Customer Care, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent recall notice I received for my Volkswagen vehicle, VIN [XXX] 2023 VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 Due to the severe safety issues outlined in the recall, I have been unable to use t... Read more