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: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera image was distorted or upside down. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not notified of the failure. In addition, the contact also received notification of NHTSA... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2025
My vehicle had no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms before driving that day. Vehicle was well maintained. Driving on a rural straight paved road that is in excellent condition, at approximately 55 miles per hour, smoke suddenly came through the dash top (defroster along windshield) and bottom (underneath the dash - heavier volume of smoke); almost immediately, the horn started soundin... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
My name is [XXX] , and I am filing this safety complaint regarding my 2025 Toyota Sienna, VIN [XXX] , subject to Recall 25TA12. The vehicle has been under recall for a safety issue related to second-row seat rails, and I have been informed by both the dealership and Toyota representatives that they cannot guarantee the vehicle is safe for transporting children. I continue to pay full monthly fina... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
So just recently I was on my way home from my parents house, and I take a highway to get there from my home. It’s a direct shot, fastest way to get to and from. I was merging right to get in the turn lane to the highway I take, and I heard a click, and my steering wheel felt like it locked up. I look at the dash, and see it says “power steering” and then “ESC OFF”. The turn to merge onto... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with tu... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
Several occasions, pulling out into traffic and giving it gas the truck jerks repeatedly and won't go and then we'll kick into normal speed several times driving out of nowhere RPM shoot up truck almost comes to a complete stop in the middle of traffic but no Code is popping up saying there's anything wrong with the vehicle and in order to have Ford looking at it. It's gonna cost $399 since as of ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Backup camera failure. Camera fault detected error message. Possibly caused by water intrusion
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Slide off road while braking. Braking problem due to recall, Manufacturer Recall NumberC4B / NHTSA Recall Number24V-896. Recall was to be fix 1st quarter of 2025, Now 2026 still not repair solution.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Slide off road while braking. Braking problem due to recall, Manufacturer Recall NumberC4B / NHTSA Recall Number24V-896. Recall was to be fix 1st quarter of 2025, Now 2026 still not repair solution.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
I am the single owner of this 2017 Ford Escape with an Eco-boost 2.0L engine. This vehicle has only been serviced by Ford dealerships. at approximately 60K miles I noticed a lag in acceleration between 1200-2200 RPM. At 88K this lag became more violent, and I took the car to a Ford dealership for diagnosis. No warning lights had illuminated. The ford dealership advised me that there was cool... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that on several occasions, while inserting the key into the ignition, the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that during each failure, the key was wiggled in the ignition for approximately 20-30 minutes each time, and the vehicle was able... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
I am reporting a potential safety-related defect involving the high-voltage battery system and associated diagnostic software in a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S AWD. The vehicle has experienced abnormal battery behavior, including accelerated degradation and confirmed system faults affecting battery management, charging, and vehicle communication. An independent EV diagnostic test shows the high-vol... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
Two occurrences where the vehicle stalls when accelerating from a stop, shifts into park, and applies the parking brake. I believe this is the same issue as the PE24018 investigation.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
While driving in Arizona on I 10 at normal speeds, the sunroof glass exploded. No overpasses. No ice. No big trucks close by. The interior cover was closed at the time. Mileage at the time was 6600 approximately. Car was purchased new last summer in Utah. Could not figure out what happened at first until we stopped the car at an exit. Glass was bulged up with the middle missing.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The same issues related to NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE24018. Engine stall while stopped at a red light on, battery warning light on, vehicle voltage gauge extreme low, auto start light came on. It took several tries to get the truck started again. This has happened SEVERAL times since purchasing the vehicle in early 2022. Sometimes the check engine light comes on. Once it took several hours fo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My 2016 jeep wrangler jk will just stop running all power is lost, it's happened on the freeway as well as around town multiple times.. I get no codes. Once I can pull off the hiway it has always started back up after removing key and placing key back in ignition it starts again.. but it's has happened several times.. my wife and kids a to afraid to drive for fear it will happen again.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Less than 10k miles on 2023 the original tire exploded
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
While driving 75MPH, the vehicle shut down with a message to pull over. All acceleration was lost. We had to navigate, without warning, across 3 lanes of traffic to pull over on the right side of the highway. This was EXTREMELY unsafe as we were slowing down and essentially cutting off other vehicles who were honking at us as this was a traffic hazard. All 6 members of my family were in the ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
Lifter collapsed. Car had new gm lifters put in with a new camshaft in august of 2025 they have about 5k miles on them and failed they are the gm high performance lifters
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
While driving during colder weather the car will show HEV (hybrid system) warning and tell you to shut it off. I was in a construction zone with no where to pull over when the car died and lost all propulsion and brakes. This seems to be a common problem on KIA Optima hybrids from 2012-2015.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
Vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of sudden loss of propulsion, including at highway speeds. Engine revs when accelerator is applied but vehicle does not accelerate, as if in neutral. Multiple warning lights illuminate, including “Service Transmission.” I narrowly avoided a rear-end collision. Diagnostic codes recorded include U0402 (invalid data from transmission control module) and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
The DCT transmission causes significant hesitation at slow speeds or starting from a stop. This often leaves the driver and it’s occupants in a vulnerable position if the car hesitates when trying to navigate through traffic. I have taken it to the dealership and they stated that nothing is wrong with it, However, in reviewing online forums, it is obviously a significant concern.
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
I own a 2018 Ram 2500 equipped with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine that I purchased brand new in Iowa. For approximately the last four to five years, my vehicle has displayed persistent warnings including “Service Electronic Braking System,” ABS warning light, and traction control warnings, accompanied by constant audible alerts. As a result, multiple braking safety systems are disabled, inclu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
I own a 2018 Ram 2500 equipped with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine that I purchased brand new in Iowa. For approximately the last four to five years, my vehicle has displayed persistent warnings including “Service Electronic Braking System,” ABS warning light, and traction control warnings, accompanied by constant audible alerts. As a result, multiple braking safety systems are disabled, inclu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
Vehicle was stolen within 15 minutes due to a weak door lock cylinder on the driver's door. Once the robber was inside they used a scanner yo bypass the weak security system and erased all key fobs
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
Rear window spontaneous shattered. While parked at work I have called and spoke to dealership who has stated this isnt thw first time somone has called about window but they do not have a warranty or recall available for windows. My car now has to sit in the weather.(snowing) with a bag over broken window for 3 days until it can be fixed. Then will need to go in for a detailing because glass in i... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
10R80 ten speed automatic transmission first exhibited indications of failure 9/16/2020, Ford's response being reprogram PCM. Transmission has progressively declined in reliability complete with harsh shifts, jerking, erratic up and downshifts, suddenly reverting into neutral at highway speeds. Safety of self, wife and other family members imperiled due to the vehicle suddenly lurching, jerking,... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen displayed a pixelated image. In addition, the contact stated that occasionally the rear-view camera screen displayed a white screen. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased for redesigning into an RV for traveling purposes. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? While driving all of the lights in the car went off. Everything internal, and atleast the head lights externally. This lasted for a second or 2 before everything came back on. The screen said something about loss of something, but I don't remember what exactly. This has only happened once. Yes it can... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
I noticed the vehicle had intermittent hesitation while accelerating to merge onto a freeway on the previous evening. We drove straight home from there and the next morning as we prepared to go somewhere the vehicle lost power in our driveway and now will not start. Trouble code P129F Fault code is being thrown. This seems to be related to the GM issued TSB PIP5964 and the also GM Recall N252516... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
The contact owned a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced transmission failures, including the transmission slipping, the vehicle stalling, and the check engine warning light being illuminated. Additionally, after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond after shifting to the reverse or drive. The vehicle was towed to the residence and examined by an indep... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally and was sluggish. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
This complaint is in reference to my vehicle which is involved with Federal Class Action Lawsuits and the fact that my engine was defective from the day it was built. My engine was consuming oil at a rate of 1 quart every 361.1 miles driven. I was advised to not put oil in it and drive it until it blows up. This would have put myself, my family, friends, or any other passengers or bystanders at ri... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The engine has been making rattling noises when you start the vehicle from a long rest, mostly over night, since it has about 24k miles on it, when I purchased it used. I noticed it some time after I purchased it. Took it to Honda dealer in Hickory, NC, but they couldn't hear it. Later also took it to Acura dealer in Charlotte, NC. They couldn't hear it either. I recorded the sound and played... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The vehicle decelerated in the highway, from about 70mph to 40mhp with no warning, no check engine light, and no previous symptoms, sounds or other indicators. The vehicle was brought to the dealer who advised the high pressure fuel pump went bad as well as the solenoid and OCV harness, causing oil to be forced through the harness. KIA refused to cover the repairs at 74k miles and it was fixed at ... Read more
RAM
3500
(2025) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:CONNECTORS/PLUGS:ACCESORY POWER OUTLET/JACK/PORT/USB/SAE/CIGARETTE LIGHTER
Jan 9, 2026
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that the AC outlet in the cargo area had an open ground. The contact became aware of the AC outlet failure while on a road trip, when the heated mat for the dog's crate failed to heat after being plugged into the AC outlet. The contact tested the AC outlet with a continuity tester, which showed an open ground fault. The contact was concern... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Canyon equipped with Goodyear Tires, Tire Line: Wrangler Territory, Tire Size: 265/65/R18, DOT number: 1M6C8JT1R. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the TPMS indicated a low tire pressure. The driver pulled over and noticed that the passenger’s side rear tire was low. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop, and it was determin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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 contact stated that the ABS and Traction Control warning lights were illuminated. While attempting ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
I was driving my 2021 Hyundai Sonata at approximately 3:00 AM when the vehicle suddenly began shaking and vibrating. While stopped at a traffic light, the check engine light illuminated, and the engine was shaking severely. I immediately pulled over and shut off the engine. After waiting approximately one hour, I restarted the vehicle, but it was only able to drive very slowly. The following day... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
Without any warning my steering wheel locked up and started jerking resulting in lack of steering and drivability. I was backing out of my driveway and started to turn onto the street when this happened. This could have been very dangerous if I had been driving on regular roads. The van is currently parked on the street and available for inspection as I was able to gently maneuver it to a safe spo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
Without any warning my steering wheel locked up and started jerking resulting in lack of steering and drivability. I was backing out of my driveway and started to turn onto the street when this happened. This could have been very dangerous if I had been driving on regular roads. The van is currently parked on the street and available for inspection as I was able to gently maneuver it to a safe spo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
On my way home from work one evening, the car started making a loud knocking noise, then the car started losing power, the rpms jumping up and down and the dashboard lit up with warnings of all kinds. The traffic was somewhat heavy and and cars were speeding pass me, brakes screeching, horns blowing and my car steadily losing power. I was afraid, I didn't know what to do. I was trying to find a sa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The contact’s friend owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. While the friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the transmission sounded clunky while shifting. The vehicle lost functionality. Additionally, while driving at 30 MPH, ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front driver’s side interior door latch detached. The contact had to reach through the front driver’s side window to open the front driver's side door using the exterior door handle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle remained at the residence. A dealer was contacted and informed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
When my truck is put into Neutral gear position and my foot is taken off the brake the trucks message center shows "Press Brake and TURN shifter to desired gear". Unfortunately, this is impossible to do as these trucks are only equipped with Column shifter handles and not dash mounted rotary knobs. It is literally impossible to follow this direction as given. I have to imagine giving a customer a ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Vehicle experienced engine failure previously and received a Hyundai-installed replacement engine in February 2025. Replacement engine is now setting DTC P000A00 – Intake Camshaft Position Slow Response (Bank 1). Hyundai dealership master technician confirmed excessive variance between commanded and actual cam timing, indicating a VVT / cam timing failure controlled by oil and actuators. Hyundai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Passenger rear tire blew out the side wall all around the tire. The dealer that installed the tire has it for warranty. It was an large noise and I was able to pull to the side of the road immediately without loosing control. Yes the problem was reported to the dealer that put the new Falken tires on my car in September of 2025. The tires only had about 2,000 miles. My tire has tire press... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
A loud squeaky noise come from the brakes. When I took it to Volkswagen. They said there’s an issue with the brakes that was installed by the manufacturer however, they will not fix it because there is no recall. They said that the brakes that’s the factory installed has something has copper in it and that’s causing the issue. I have another friend with the same make and model of the car an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). While parked in the snow, the contact attempted to engage the 4WD, but the 4WD feature failed to activate. The “Service 4WD” message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet availab... Read more