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: May 27, 2026
The vehicle is at A&L Motors in Monroeville Pa. The vehicle has suffered a catastrophic, cascading electrical failure caused by a known manufacturing defect in the roof antenna seal. Rainwater entered the vehicle through the defective shark fin antenna seal and flooded the Telematics Control Unit(TCU). Because the TCU communicates directly with the main iDrive head unit via the vehicle's MOST/bus ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
Onstar module stopped working for no reason.
Incident date: May 16, 2026
On two occasions the car stopped while on the highway. Dealer checked it twice. Told me to drive it and when it happens again I should bring it in. The following is the transcription of the voicemail that Alex from the dealership left me Hey, this is Alex over at Peter's Nissan. Just giving me a call back. Uh, I did just received your keys from the technician. You need a couple more road test... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2026
On 2-252026 my wife and I were driving on highway I-15 in California when the car started to accelerate, decelerate and jerk and the engine light came on. It was very scary because we were on a major highway driving around 60 MPH and cars were behind us when the deceleration happened. We could have been hit by cars traveling behind us or either we could have caused a major accident. We had to get... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
UNKNOWN I was driving on an expressway around 2:00 AM June 22nd using my cars adaptive cruise control. There was light rain and my car kept a safe distance from the car in front of me that was going slower than the speed I had set my cruise control to. Suddenly my car accelerated as if the car in front of me was no longer there. I had to quickly apply the brakes to avoid a collision. I have arou... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
My 2019 Ford Expedition (VIN: [XXX]) has been diagnosed by a Ford dealer with a cam phaser defect covered under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 21N03. My vehicle falls within the covered build date range. Ford corporate has acknowledged the issue and offered partial repair coverage, but is asking me to pay approximately $2,600 toward a repair for a known manufacturing defect. The engine has exh... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Aftermarket vehicle equipment (Rough Country Hard Tri-Fold Flip Up Bed Cover, SKU: 49520551A) suffered a catastrophic structural hardware failure while traveling at highway speeds (approx. 70 MPH) on the interstate. Both the primary latching clamps and the factory-installed secondary safety retention straps failed simultaneously under standard operating conditions. The entire cover detached from t... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Aftermarket vehicle equipment (Rough Country Hard Tri-Fold Flip Up Bed Cover, SKU: 49520551A) suffered a catastrophic structural hardware failure while traveling at highway speeds (approx. 70 MPH) on the interstate. Both the primary latching clamps and the factory-installed secondary safety retention straps failed simultaneously under standard operating conditions. The entire cover detached from t... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
The interior driver-side door handle/release mechanism on my 2025 SR5 Toyota Tacoma failed without warning. The vehicle has low mileage and was being used normally. When attempting to open the driver door from the inside using ordinary force, an internal component appears to have detached or broken, leaving the interior handle completely inoperative. The handle simply hangs loose. Vehicle and fail... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH, THE CAR SEEMS TO BE SWAYING LEFT AND RIGHT
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
I am writing to formally report an automobile accident that occurred today and to document a critical safety failure involving my vehicle's airbag system.Incident Description & Safety CompromiseMy car was struck by a large semi-truck and dragged for approximately 15 meters. Despite the severe nature and force of this collision, the airbags failed to deploy fully. This malfunction directly compromi... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
My 2016 Ford Transit experienced a sudden loss of engine power while I was driving on the highway. The vehicle entered limp mode, stalled, and emitted excessive black smoke from the exhaust, creating a hazardous situation for me and surrounding motorists. I was forced to pull off the roadway because the vehicle could no longer operate safely. When a warning first appeared, I promptly took the veh... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2026
There was an intersection, I hit a car head on and no airbags went off
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 18, 2021
Back up camera is inverted. Its been 8 months sinse recall. Nothing from Ford. 2 Computer screen will not update,
Incident date: May 12, 2026
While driving on the highway on three separate occasions the blind spot warning will pop up and show as inoperative, next the active break assist warning flashes as inoperative, and then the entire vehicle shows as inoperative and loses all acceleration and breaks down. This has happened three times. Stayed over night at the dealership they “drove it for 70 miles” it didn’t happen to them. T... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2026
Recall repair did not solve the camera problem. Rear camera and parking assist camera's do not come on. When car is shifted into reverse, camera does not appear. This issue was already reported and I have completed the recall maintenance for this issue and the problem still persists. This is a massive safety liability. I took the car into the dealership and they confirmed the recall maintenance ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
We have owned a 2026 model Y Tesla for one week and have encountered these dangerous behaviors while in full self drive mode, even in “sloth” mode: 1. Tailgating, repeatedly, while at highway speeds. Controls did not allow me to increase trailing distance while in FSD. 2. Dangerous merging, cutting off other cars. 3. Failure to read surface directions and driving wrong way against oncomi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
Unknown why car sparked & ignited. Car was driven to grocery store 5min away then sat for approx. 2hrs before catching fire.
Fire
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
Unknown why car sparked & ignited. Car was driven to grocery store 5min away then sat for approx. 2hrs before catching fire.
Fire
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
Power steering goes in and out while driving which causes the steering wheel to get very stiff and lose the ability to steer the half-ton vehicle. This is a huge flaw in the design and wildly unsafe
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
Vehicle: 2023 Ford Explorer ST VIN: [XXX] I am reporting ongoing safety-related powertrain and drivability defects that continue despite numerous repair attempts, including complete engine and transmission replacement. Since approximately June 2025, my vehicle has experienced delayed acceleration, hesitation, erratic RPM behavior, harsh shifting, loss of power, and intermittent warning lights. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The car gave a "Emissions System Problem" warning while on a roadtrip on June 4, 2026. The code was P219F. Subsequently (a week or so later), every warning on the car came up for every system (too many to list here). My mechanic has gone through the Honda protocol for this code (checking spark plugs, compression tests, etc) and is now at the point of replacing all of the fuel injectors. The ca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); 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 manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Known ford edge issue, coolant intrusion, that occurs due to bad design of the engine block and related cooling issue. Engine nearly locked up while driving without warning or notice on highway, bad stuttering.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into Park while navigating the busy intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immed... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into Park while navigating the busy intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
Air conditioner turns off when bulkhead door (inside vehicle) senses it is closed. I have 30 Rivian vehicles that this update has happened to and I have multiple driver's a day that are being affected by heat related issue with this new update.
10 injured
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist, the speedometer was inoperable, and the transmission failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who inspected the brakes and reset the check engine warning light, ... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2024
In April 2026 the recall on this truck was done to correct a fault for the Trailer Disconnect. I hooked up my travel trailer for the 1st time here in June and the false warning still came on 5 times during my trip. The software update that was done is not solving the problem. Warning light comes on, says trailer disconnected while the trailer is still connected and all connections are plugged in.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The digital instrument cluster and center infotainment display screen went completely black and blank while the vehicle was in motion. This immediate failure blinded the driver to critical safety telemetry, including the current vehicle speed, gear positioning, and active safety warning telltales, creating an immediate, severe crash hazard on the roadway.This symptom is identical to the failure co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The digital instrument cluster and center infotainment display screen went completely black and blank while the vehicle was in motion. This immediate failure blinded the driver to critical safety telemetry, including the current vehicle speed, gear positioning, and active safety warning telltales, creating an immediate, severe crash hazard on the roadway.This symptom is identical to the failure co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The digital instrument cluster and center infotainment display screen went completely black and blank while the vehicle was in motion. This immediate failure blinded the driver to critical safety telemetry, including the current vehicle speed, gear positioning, and active safety warning telltales, creating an immediate, severe crash hazard on the roadway.This symptom is identical to the failure co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor and a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The issue persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was later returned to the dealer to be repaired un... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
I bought this car from a dealer .that buys buy back cars from Gm .when i bought the car the dealer stated all service have been done . well i took to get oil changed and chevy told me they had no record of this service.the 2024 corvette gets a free oil and trans service from chevy.it has got to be done before 7500 miles .well the dealer have they car at there shop and i called and asked them why t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Brake caliphers went bad 2 days after I purchased, now a heavy humming sound that I literally feel vibration in my seat, loud weird noise when making sharp turns, turning the wheel while in park grinding noise, loud rumbling when air conditioner is on, jerking forward when press on gas. This car is horrible
Incident date: May 15, 2026
For past nine months vehicle power steering intermittently stops working while operating vehicle. Inquired with dealer about NHTSA recall VB8 ... NHTSA 19V757000. Dealer indicates my vehicle VIN is not included in this recall. However, this is a manufacturing issue that has been identified in other 2019 RAM 1500. This problem is a serious safety risk--especially, not knowing the moment when th... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from the sunroof glass before the glass shattered. There was no impact on the sunroof glass to cause the failure. Small glass fragments fell into the second and third row seats. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2026
The AFM caused piston flapping and other major engine problems such as abnormal wear. The problem with the engine could have caused a catastrophic failure along the side of a highway. The problem has been diagnosed and the engine has been replaced at my expense. The repairs were made at a local mechanic shop. The engine would start make a loud ticking noise at 2000 RPM or above. The mechanic sh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
The auto Start/Stop feature doesn't work as needed. It will randomly lurch, turn the car off make me put it in park and then have me restart it. Sometimes the car does not start right away and I am stuck on the road until it decided when and if it will restart. Myself and my family of 5 are not stuck in the road scared of getting smashed into by other drivers unaware that we are stopped or antic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
The contact owned a 2009 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that several years ago, the vehicle was stolen, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was involved in a crash and that the air bags should have deployed; however, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact was unaware of several details associated with the crash, including the speed at the time of the crash. The vehicle was towed a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and pulling into a parking lot, the sun gear and the drive shaft fractured. The vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was pushed to a safe place. The check engine warning light illuminated after the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V172000 (Power Train). The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
While driving home, I engaged the self-driving feature. The vehicle immediately speeded up, and aggressively veered to the left, causing it to exit the roadway onto the grassy median, where it struck several of the metal rails and plastic pylons. This malfunction resulted in a dangerous loss of control that could have resulted in a far more severe collision. Please note the following details rega... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera failed to operate. The image displayed previously was inverted. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available for the recall repair... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Windshield seal failure. Water intrusion into the electrical system. The horn does not work and intermittent starting problems. Water intrusion caused mold in numerous components. Truck was checked over at local Ford dealer. Waiting for parts to make repairs. Repair quote available if needed.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
2019 Infiniti QX50 with engine bearing failure defect matching NHTSA Recall #25V-437. Vehicle was sold to me on 12/24/2025 by a dealer, MORE THAN FIVE MONTHS after the recall was issued on 07/14/2025. The dealer NEVER disclosed the active, unrepaired safety recall. Two months after purchase, the engine developed loss of power and unusual noises - exact symptoms described in the recall. An indepen... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
Safety Complaint Regarding Coolant Leak – Same Defect as Recall N785 Vehicle: 2019 Range Rover Sport | VIN: [XXX] Description of Problem: My vehicle is experiencing a persistent and significant coolant loss. Upon inspection by my mechanic/dealer, the failure was diagnosed as a leaking coolant pipe/elbow connected to the turbocharger system. This is the exact component and failure mode describ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V789000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair was an inconvenience because the battery could only be charged to 80-percent. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption, and 3 quarts of oil were added every 1,000 miles. The Check Engine and Low Oil Pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption. The mechanic determined that the valves in the engine or ... Read more