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: Sep 28, 2025
Excessive oil burning even after replacing the motor once before.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the driver’s side exterior A-pillar trim detached from the windshield and flew off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
My 2021 GMC Yukon Denali is affected by NHTSA Recall #25V-274. The recall notice states that defects in the engine’s connecting rod and/or crankshaft can cause engine damage and failure, resulting in sudden loss of propulsion and increasing crash risk. The recall status for my vehicle is currently listed as “Incomplete – Remedy Not Available.” My dealership confirmed that no repair is ava... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that he received the recall notice related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle was slow to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that parts... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
No prior issues with vehicle when all of a sudden/out of the blue the check engine light started flashing and felt decreased power. Pulled over, had it towed to dealership. After it was diagnosed they advised of a rod bearing failure, crankshaft failure and metal shavings in the oil which went through the engine. There is a recall for 2016 Acura MDX for this EXACT issue, however for some reason my... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 147,209. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was unknown. The contact paid for a full vehicle report, and he discovered that the mileage was 250,000. on September 6,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
I was on my way home from work and the car just cut off .it wont move forward or backwords..the lights,radio all was on the car just wouldnt move ..i turned the key off and tried to start it up..it did nothing ..waited bout 10 minutes it started back up ..i looked up the recalls .SC176 sounds like what happen to it
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle rolled over a bump in the highway, and the message to "Slow Down" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact heard an abnormal metal-on-metal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the su... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle rolled over a bump in the highway, and the message to "Slow Down" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact heard an abnormal metal-on-metal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the su... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
Dashboard Error message: "Engine Malfunction Power Reduced Service Now" And will suddenly stop in the middle of the road or Freeway
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Charger. The contact purchased the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken for the Emissions Test; however, the vehicle failed the Emissions Test. The contact notified the dealer and was informed that some unknown sensors had been replaced, and to allow for a week for the vehicle to adjust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Charger. The contact purchased the vehicle, and the vehicle was taken for the Emissions Test; however, the vehicle failed the Emissions Test. The contact notified the dealer and was informed that some unknown sensors had been replaced, and to allow for a week for the vehicle to adjust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
My car has been having a problem with traction control/service stabilitrak and losing power to the engine since I purchased it. The problem was only occasionally, now it does it EVERYTIME I drive. First it pops up with traction control off message, once that happens it starts to lose power to the engine making the car(heavy car) shudder so bad I cannot drive. The transmission lags on acceleration ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
While engaged, Super Cruise failed to detect lines on road on a bend and launched the vehicle in the opposite lane without warning. This has occurred two separate times. First time was in late June 2025 on the PA Turnpike. Traveling at 70 mph. It was a left hand bend in the road where it failed to detect lines on road and thrust vehicle into the right hand lane. Happened so fast there was no... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Puerto Rico State Government vehicle (Policia de Puerto Rico). Front panel lights show a Warning/safety panel light related to Air Bags. Same as Dodge Charger that have an urgent safety recall by Dodge.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Complete engine failure at 62,000 miles. This has been an ongoing problem with Toyota tundras with a V6 twin turbo. I was told that the dealership that the 2024 models were not affected by the known manufacturing defect. There’s been a complete recall of the 2022 and the 2023 models. This could be a safety issue if I was driving on the highway and had the engine failure. The dealer confirmed t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
As I was coming down thew mounts (44 miles of 7-9% grade) as I slightly hit the brakes the truck shook so badly is was vibrating me off the road. The only way to avoid to to put strain on my engine as to manually shift it down to 3rd gear to forcibly slow the truck to a speed where this could be controlled. Causing overall traffic issues.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
I had the recall for the transmission bushing shifter cable fixed at Greenway Dodge. Clearly still a defective piece. It broke again… they’re trying to charge me $850+ to fix it again. I can’t afford that for this car that’s been nothing but a lemon. Why should i have to pay for a repeatedly defective part? It’s wrong.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
We were driving on a local road and saw the car ahead parked at the traffic light. We began to brake from a safe distance. The car began slowing but instead of coming to a full stop, the brake resisted, the car made an odd sound, and instead the car accelerated into the car in front of us. The Tesla in front captured the odd behavior of the vehicle on camera. BMW will perform diagnostics.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
ABS pump and module have failed according to my mechanic. ABS lights and traction control lights are on all the time. If I were to drive this car on the road, and I would have to make an emergency stop, my brakes would lock up and I would slide. This is an extreme safety hazard.
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
The infotainment system has failed. It is the 12.5 screen-based system that enables the control of numerous features including air conditioning/heating, audio (all radio and satellite radio) and map/gps display. This system is the focus of a recall on this model car (newer versions) but the issue is the same for this year. Not having this display make navigation difficult, control of the cabin env... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
The infotainment system has failed. It is the 12.5 screen-based system that enables the control of numerous features including air conditioning/heating, audio (all radio and satellite radio) and map/gps display. This system is the focus of a recall on this model car (newer versions) but the issue is the same for this year. Not having this display make navigation difficult, control of the cabin env... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
The indoor cloth paneling is peeling off due to cheap adhesive materials used by Jeep manufacturers. The filament inside the cloth paneling is falling out and getting in the air I am breathing in the car. I looked online and it seems this is a problem with many 2015-2017 Jeep Renegades and is said to be a design/material defect. This should be a recall. The head lights and right side parking ligh... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the failure occurred while exiting a parking space. The contact stated that the images on the screen displayed a wider distance between the two vehicles. The contact stated that because of the failure, the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
Oil leaking from pistons in engine just like the recalled engines
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
abs light on no communication with abs module cause speedometer not fonctionning abs light on epc light on
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
The auto stop start function of this car is very unsafe. It sometimes does not start back immediately and rolls back. It’s just very unsafe.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
Oil pan plug damage when changing oil
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
IT WAS RECENTLY BEGAN TO LEAK FUEL FROM THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CLOSE TO THE WINDSHIELD. THEN THE WHOLE CABIN SPECIALLY IN THE FRONT WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO HAVE BAD VIBRATION DURING REVERSED, AND IDLE, ALSO WHEN THE AC IS ON. THEN THERES THE AIRBAG FOR THE PASSENGER, THE LIGHT IS ON, IT USED TO SAY '"OFF" THEN WHEN THE SEAT IS USED IT WILL SHUT OFF. NOW IT JUST STAYS ON. LAST IS THE AC CO... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
We have the Arctic Snow white color on our Kia. The paint began peeling shortly after our purchase in 2016. It has continued to peel throughout the entire time we have owned the vehicle.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
While gently slowing/braking on warm and dry pavement, the vehicle proceeded over bumpy railroad tracks which seemingly activated the Anti-lock brake system and prohibited the vehicle from stopping effectively. I had to turn the vehicle away from the vehicle stopped ahead of me because my vehicle was not stopping in time and I narrowly avoiding an accident due to this situation. Due to this inappr... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
Trunk open alone. Also trunk open when driver door open.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
I was driving and my car stopped running took it to the dealership find out. It has a recall never got a recall letter because I wasn’t the first owner and now they refuse to fix my car.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The tire got only 20000 miles the first tire got bubble the other 3 tire after 5000 miles got bubble to on the sidewall. The date on the tire is 0324 . The tire look brand new. But the problem with the side wall looks like air got between the layers of the tire.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The electrical system of this vehicle is causing several issues putting the safety of me, my passengers and drivers around me at risk. Starting at 6,300 miles the vehicle had a temporary loss of power steering. After parking for a day the power steering returned, leading me to believe it was caused by an electrical/software code issue. There was a safety recall for the battery pack starting on f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
When I am braking on a road with bad condition (bumpy, uneven, some minor potholes, etc.) the car starts to skid causing the wheel to shake, I lose control of the vehicle, and my stopping distance increases. It's like the ABS is overly sensitive and kicks in whenever the road has any of the problems stated above. This has almost led me to rear-end another car who is in front of me several times. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
When starting the car and letting it warm up for 2 minutes. The vehicle shifts hard or takes it time to shift into next gear, and while idling for less than 5 minutes, the car warms up 32 degrees. Which I do not believe the fan motor is working properly. Also took car to dealership blown trans and engine mounts.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
There is a loss of power in the moment the propulsion changes from electric to gas followed by an error message to "service hybrid electrical system". Dealer inspected an found there is currently no remedy. Seems to be a known issue by now.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
There is a loss of power in the moment the propulsion changes from electric to gas followed by an error message to "service hybrid electrical system". Dealer inspected an found there is currently no remedy. Seems to be a known issue by now.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted regarding the failure and the mechanic acknowledged that several other similar vehicles had experienced the same failure with the transmission. Neither the dealer nor... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
Engine misfiring and rough idle with occasional flashing engine light. Dealer said no codes to know what to look for despite replicating issue. Eventually it threw a Cylinder 5 misfire and thus GM dealer was able to look further. They found metal in oil pan and concluded a bearing issue and would need to replace engine.
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The contact's Employer owns a 2024 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment system failed to display pertinent vehicle information. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the system required a software update. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred and had since become a regular failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
FORWARD ATTENTION WARNING When driving, the vehicle randomly and repeatedly warns the driver to pay attention to the road even when the driver is facing forward and paying attention to the road. The system will also randomly and repeatedly alarm, disable cruise control and apply the brakes even when the driver has both hands on the wheel and is facing forward. This has nearly caused crashes. Hy... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while idling at a red traffic light, the vehicle lurched forward twice and struck the rear end of another vehicle twice. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A Police report was not filed. Both the contact and her husband were able to drive away from t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
The problem originates from a single faulty passenger seat airbag sensor, but Hyundai requires replacement of the entire seat cushion module, quoted at approximately $3,200 for the part alone and around $4,000 total repair cost. This creates the impression that a single failed sensor affects the entire airbag system. I was not provided with a definitive answer as to whether this fault impacts the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
On 9/25/25, while exiting the freeway with no cars in front of mine for as far as I could see, the "BRAKE” indicator light flashed once and. the car came to a jolting stop. As soon as I pressed on the accelerator the car engaged and I was able to drive normally. A new light was on my dashboard with two white lines beneath the “ACC” and “LKAS” lights. A similar incident occurred to whi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
1- Passenger Restraint System Malfunction error codes- related to wiring or front passenger seat- long timeframe and expense to diagnose 2- Engine mounts broken Oct 2023 and again Aug 2025- known issue by BMW service- high repair cost & repeat failure 3- Front crash assist will brake for shadows caused by trees or adjacent trucks and has nearly caused accidents
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
Windshield wipers stop mid wipe. This seems to be a common issue with this car. It poses a serious hazard when driving in inclement weather.