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 11, 2024
Oil consumption issues, engine failure, does not indicate oil low light when oil is low, catalytic converter failure
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Accent. 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 failure. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V267000 (Electrical System, Power Train); however, the failure reoccurred several times. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, after the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle lost motive power. No wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
I experienced multiple warning lights on my dash when disengaging my cruise control on the freeway to pass a slower vehicle in front of me. Attached photo depicts these lights and a loss of dash gauges. I arranged a vehicle inspection from the purchasing dealer the next day, but later the entire dash “blacked out” losing speedometer, tachometer, turn signals, back-up camera etc. Given the unce... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
The info-tainment system (Android Auto/Apple Car Play) is unstable and will come on at any time and change/delete settings and make calls, texts, etc. without any input. It is distracting as the screen shows what it it doing and the driver will need to make it stop. It could cause an accident. It has at times: Changed radio stations Deleted presets and other settings Deleted contacts from my pho... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving at 51 MPH, a drunk driver in the opposite direction nearly caused a head-on collision. The contact's nephew veered to the left, but the other driver's vehicle swiped the rear passenger door and rear quarter panel. The vehicle jerked and flipped three times before landing on its roof in a residential ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the driver's side and the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trims had detached. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated tha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2022
Hyundai's current handling of recall 251 is inadequate, posing significant danger to drivers and passengers. Hyundai's remedy for Recall 251 replaces ABS fuse with a lower amperage fuse. While this may prevent fires caused by brake fluid leaks, it disables the ABS, introducing severe safety hazards: •Without ABS, the risk of wheel lockup during heavy braking increases, leading to skidding and l... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 13, 2024
On 8/22/2022 I had to replace the 2 front tires with MIM-Supreme Tour 18 inch tire 235/55R18. On 8/22/2022 I had 162,323 miles on the 2012 Toyota Sienna XLE 4 months later and 17,252 miles driven - the 2012 Toyota Sienna now has 179,575 miles and on 12/28/2023 the 2 front tires again have to be replaced - Matrix Toyr RS 11 on 18 inch rims. Now its July 2024 - again 6 months and now 6,700 miles... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
Several systems suddenly were disabled, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Front & Rear Park sensors, Tire Monitor system as well as the cruise control that may not be considered safety. The truck only as 11K miles. I have not been able to reset the system and the noted systems are inactive. I will contact the dealership but am bracing for a less than supportive meeting. From what I've read this... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
ACC, LKAS, collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation system, and auto high beam problem warnings all appear on instrument panel. None of these systems work. Have replaced battery and problem not fixed. Warnings continue to appear each time car is turned on. Vehicle has 47783 miles on it. Codes indicate there’s a problem with the camera in the front of the car. The car is onl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
ACC, LKAS, collision mitigation system problem, road departure mitigation system, and auto high beam problem warnings all appear on instrument panel. None of these systems work. Have replaced battery and problem not fixed. Warnings continue to appear each time car is turned on. Vehicle has 47783 miles on it. Codes indicate there’s a problem with the camera in the front of the car. The car is onl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
Loss of power steering and multiple codes light up on dash about an hour prior to loss. Experienced a slow escalation of having difficultly steering of approx 1-2 days where steering did not seem as responsive. Was able to return home, but upon restart i had no power steering steering and multiple diagnostics failure lights coming on [Steering Loss Stop Safety, Service Advance Trac, Hill Start ass... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
I was just driving home from the park with my family and my Wrangler wouldn't accelerate and the motor would stutter with a complete loss of power. It then gave me the error message on the dash of "e-save mode unavailable" and also "electric mode unavailable". I pulled over, turned it off for a few minutes, then turned it back on to drive home and it repeated the same loss of power and error messa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
Steering wheel locked with skid slip lines and red steering wheel and exclamation mark lights on. Steering wheel locked up while driving. The car will no turn and is not drivable because the wheel will not turn.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
Driving on the highway in the fast lane, vehicle suddenly lost all power. A message on the car said “ pull over safely “. No prior warning of anything wrong with the vehicle. I managed to dodge traffic with my hazard lights on and came to a stop on the side of the highway. I inspected the car with no signs of anything wrong. I shut down the car and restarted. Everything came back on and was dr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
Driving on the highway in the fast lane, vehicle suddenly lost all power. A message on the car said “ pull over safely “. No prior warning of anything wrong with the vehicle. I managed to dodge traffic with my hazard lights on and came to a stop on the side of the highway. I inspected the car with no signs of anything wrong. I shut down the car and restarted. Everything came back on and was dr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
The recall was not communicated to me as consumer, when i saw online I was notified and then when called dealer i purchased car i was told ‘we only sell call not part of manufacture process call corporate” and after calling lexus corporate i was told i could get loaner car since i dont feel safe but the dealer on the call with corporate said “if not front air bag its not big deal” for a sa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
For 4 years the car intermittently would turn on all warning lights, shake, become hard to steer and steer in unintended directions. We paid $1500 for the dealer to fix it and we still had the problem. Today, the car will drive less then a mile and die. When we start the car all warning lights come on, the vehicle vibrates and struggles to keep speed of 5 mph or so then will die.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The engine stalls without warning. The car is available for inspection upon request. There are no warning lamp messages or other symptoms before the engine stalls.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The front IPMA camera is faulty, not working. The dealership was able to diagnose it properly. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The camera fault means that the vehicle safety features for front collision assistance and anything else that uses the front camera will NOT work. ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
On June 30, 2024 and again July 13, 2024, the BRAKE dash light and sound alarm engaged on clear sunny days (~ 11 am (6/30) and 1pm (7/13). The brake did not engage and so I was able to maintain control of the car, but in both cases I was on a major highway at 50-60 mph. I have previously reported an incident about a year ago (NHSTA issue number: 11530134 reported 7/3/2023). Weather conditions wer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while reversing the back over prevention camera failed to display an image, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
I took my new car through the car wash I notice water go in the car some how and I could hear this gargling I thought it was coming from the A pilar. I also notice this when it rainned would do the same thing. I took it in to the dealership and they told that it was the drain lines from the moon roof. two week later it rained again and took my car and could hear that same noise that water was in t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
For the last few months, I’ve noticed that my vehicle’s brake mechanism hasn’t been stable, also audible /noises coming from brakes at time, vehicle has an EVAP leak, causing vehicle not to start after refilling with gas. Yesterday, 6/11, while traveling, there was a notice that said engine was overheated and to stop vehicle safely. I was on a restricted highway on a very slim shoulder, ver... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerat... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
Issues with shifting out of park. Random acceleration, stalling, lagging, & jerking while on the road & in full speed traffic. When took car to dealership was told issues with my PCM. PCM had been recalled & fixed with previous owner in 2017. Now the second time having a PCM issue, couldn't do anything with the already fixed recall so i was forced to pay almost 2,000. Now still leaving me with the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After having the vehicle towed home, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illumin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
At approximately 6:15am while driving at approx 45MPH on a surface street on the right lane, I noticed an alert on the dashboard regarding the PSI of the rear driver side tire had 0 PSI of pressure and simultaneously heard the thudding sounds of a flat tire. I neither heard, nor felt any impact and there were no potholes in that section of road. I pulled over and called for roadside assistance to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
At approximately 6:15am while driving at approx 45MPH on a surface street on the right lane, I noticed an alert on the dashboard regarding the PSI of the rear driver side tire had 0 PSI of pressure and simultaneously heard the thudding sounds of a flat tire. I neither heard, nor felt any impact and there were no potholes in that section of road. I pulled over and called for roadside assistance to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
At approximately 6:15am while driving at approx 45MPH on a surface street on the right lane, I noticed an alert on the dashboard regarding the PSI of the rear driver side tire had 0 PSI of pressure and simultaneously heard the thudding sounds of a flat tire. I neither heard, nor felt any impact and there were no potholes in that section of road. I pulled over and called for roadside assistance to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
My Jeep has the pentastar 3.6l engine and has recently developed what is known as the “pentastar tick”. This is caused by a design flaw with the valvetrain, specifically the lifters/rocker arms that causes excessive wear which leads to the tick, which may then lead to engine failure and loss of control. This is a very common problem with the 3.6 engine and FCA should be held responsible for th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
Failure to start. Engine cranks but will not start. Remote start fails. Door locks sometimes do not work, Radio failures, engine stalls unexpectedly, TPM failure, SERV 4WD warning light is displayed sporadically. This was a recall on 2011 and 2012 Chrysler vehicles except the RAM. The RAM also has the same issues as the other recalled vehicles. Why was the Ram excluded from the recall?
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an electrical wiring failure. The contact was informed that the electrical wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
airbag recall , trying for 2 years to fix, dealer says no remedy yet, car is unsafe to drive. What do we do to get it fixed ?
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
Power steering stopped working while making a left hand turn. Pulled to the side of the road, turned off engine. Looked in Owners Manual, no mention of electric power steering, or where to put steering fluid. Restarted engine and steering worked. Went online and found possible chassis/frame ground issue. Ground cable on RH side behind front tire was corroded badly. Went to the dealer for a new gro... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Ani-Lock Brake System Unable to get an appointment to get the part repaired Have been trying for over a month to bring the car in & was told that there was a worldwide glitch & the dealership was unable to get the parts to fix the problem
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Fuse #3 shorts out every time the engine changes from electric power to gas. We have been told this can be dangerous because this fuse controls several important systems in the car.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 74 MPH, the EGR valve de-energized seizing the turbo, causing the vehicle do decelerate to 30 MPH in less than a quarter mile. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and waited approximately 15 minutes before restarting the vehicle and c... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
My vehicle while I am driving completely stalls on me and I have to wait at least 45 minutes to turn my vehicle on. In 2001 Jeep was forced to do a recall however the situation is still the same with the jeeps stalling. This is a situation that can be life threatening when on a highway if an accident occurs.
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2024
My vehicle while I am driving completely stalls on me and I have to wait at least 45 minutes to turn my vehicle on. In 2001 Jeep was forced to do a recall however the situation is still the same with the jeeps stalling. This is a situation that can be life threatening when on a highway if an accident occurs.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The car would not start. It would power on but would not turn over. We had it checked out by a mechanic who tested it and found that the fuel pump module was not operable. When he went to replace it, he found that the one he was removing was aftermarket so this issue had happened before, apparently, before we bought it. We bought it with only 24k miles so it needing to be replaced that early is co... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Transmission experienced rough shifting from reverse to drive immediately followed by the inability to access gears 1-5. The transmission was within normal operating temperatures per the onboard temp readings. Going into park or neutral did not fix the issue. Stopping and restarting the engine allowed access to lower gears briefly, but once the vehicle shifted up, it could no longer access the low... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Right now there is a recall for an incorrectly working airbag for my volkswagon and i have a lease that is up next month. They will not buy back my vehicle because of the recall and the fact that they have no fix. I have a family of 5 and need all 5 seats and now cannot drive my car with everyone without a giant safety risk. This is happening in concert with a faulty air conditioning unit in the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
I took my vehicle in to have the flash system updated to pass the emissions test for Louisiana. Ford charged me over $200 for a failure on that system from purchase, and no dealership would get back to me until I took my vehicle across town to have the system reset. Hollingsworth Ford told me that this wouldn't be covered under their system because I took this in out of warranty, but this is a pro... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
At 37,775 miles on Aug 23, 23; 1st check engine light. The cause was unclear, possibly an intermittent purge valve, which was replaced. The second check engine light was at 46,919 miles on Jul 03, 24; and that's when it was noted the coolant level had dropped a little bit. Excessive carbon was also seen in the #1 cylinder and the shop suspected a coolant leak. A pressure test was performed but t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
This has been under a recall for more than a year, and yet there is no remedy time in the near future. Calls to GM simply state that they do not know when they will be able to repair the vehicle. It seems that if GM is continuing to produce cars with airbags that they could at least replace those that are under the recall, rather than inserting them into new cars. Instead, they choose to profi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
My truck is currently experiencing a Front Camera Fault that is resulting the pre-collision warning/assist, adaptive/normal cruise control, and lane keeping warning/assist from operating as designed. Upon dealer inspection on 7/11/24 it is noted that TSB 23-2146 was issued to correct the issue by replacing cables and ultimately the image control camera and module resulting in thousands of dollars ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
For our 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4Xe: Vehicle failed to accelerate. The engine would kind of rev but no forward motion. This occurred after driving approximately 2 miles from my house. i had just made a right turn at a busy intersection and driven approximately 100 yards when the car would not accelerate. This occurred on a very busy street. Luckily, I was able to coast to the side of the roa... Read more