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 35,035 complaints for SUBARU
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
Driving North/East on Highway 87 at 1215pm, kind of into the sun (Sun was to the right of us), the car would not maintain cruise control without constantly applying the brakes forcefully. No cars in the immediate vicinity during the event, though there were other cars on the highway at the time. Returning south on the same road, about an hour later, no issues whatsoever.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
Experience judder and stall of vehicle while driving, pulling off and coming from a complete stop. Vehicle will lose power while driving which is unsafe when getting on the freeway or driving in high traffic areas. Vehicle has been taken to the Nissan twice and to other repair shops for related concern and all have stated that the trans needs replacing. There were no lights or warnings before prob... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
Experience judder and stall of vehicle while driving, pulling off and coming from a complete stop. Vehicle will lose power while driving which is unsafe when getting on the freeway or driving in high traffic areas. Vehicle has been taken to the Nissan twice and to other repair shops for related concern and all have stated that the trans needs replacing. There were no lights or warnings before prob... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
driving from Albuquerque NM to Farmington NM, in approximately 1 1/2 hours of driving on hwy 550, 4 lane divided highway, encountered no less than 12 hard shadow breaking events. in all instances there were no vehicles, animals or debris in front of the vehicle. It was a cloudless day, starting around 9am, clear no fog, temperature in the 40's. high risk of being hit if a car was following close... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
Blower motor assembly system problems. Have had multiple times replaced/fixed. Issue is ongoing and per dealer is no longer covered my recall. Blower motor does not work. Burnt control box. And per dealer not covered by previous recall
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle and reversing, the vehicle suddenly overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine cylinders. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and declined to repair the vehicle under the Third-P... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
The headlights are so dim that I have to drive with the high beams on at all times or I can’t see. I even had an Acura dealer try to clean them and it didn’t help. It’s crazy that this is a known issue (according to the Acura dealership) and this hasn’t been recalled. I’m basically driving in the dark or can’t drive at all at night.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
I was reducing my speed as I approached a stoplight, and my vehicle rapidly and aggressively increased in speed. It made a revving sound and lurched forward, causing me to rear-end a truck. There is no possible way that this was human error and it was terrifying. The person who I rear ended mentioned that the impact felt like a double impact, as if I was continuing to accelerate after he was hit. ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
While driving home from work, the vehicle's transmission stopped working, resulting in coasting out of traffic and requiring a tow home at night. My safety and the safety of others were at risk. The next morning, the vehicle was towed to the mechanic shop, which confirmed the transmission failed and needs a complete replacement. There was not any warning lights or clear symptoms. In hindsight, the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
On 11/03/2023 my low oil pressure light came on in my 2018 Ecosport and the motor shut down as I was driving home. There was a car directly behind me that had to hit their brakes as I had no power. Luckily, I was able to coast to the shoulder of the road. My car is currently at the Ford dealership and should be checked on 11/06/2023. I've had to go out of pocket for a rental.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The truck makes a metallic clicking noise when accelerating and letting off accelerator pedal. I have taken the Truck to the dealership and they believe it is some sort of subframe issue. They aren’t sure where it is coming from or what is causing it. Their guess is some sort of manufacturing error when installing subframe.
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
This is becoming a common occurrence with this vehicle. The power train/ front end collision sensor/ tire sensor/ air bay sensor/ drive train all malfunctioning. Ford refuses to help.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2023
The steering wheel was dysfunctional; the wheel was locked in the middle of the highway, and the car started to change lanes, causing a massive accident. There was a significant accident between my car and a truck; both cars were totaled. My airbags didn't open as well. I got a massive concussion, and I do not know about the condition of the other driver. There was a recall about the steering wh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 21, 2023
The steering wheel was dysfunctional; the wheel was locked in the middle of the highway, and the car started to change lanes, causing a massive accident. There was a significant accident between my car and a truck; both cars were totaled. My airbags didn't open as well. I got a massive concussion, and I do not know about the condition of the other driver. There was a recall about the steering wh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 3, 2022
This has been a safety recall since May 2023, I have returned to the dealer each month since then and have been given the same answer that there is no remedy at the moment. So I asked to get a loaner vehicle until they can fix this and they said they cannot. So I asked them, "to be clear, there is nothing you can do with a known safety recall and if i or my wife get injured its on us?" They contin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Master break cylinder went bad and leaked fluid in side cab on driver floor board. Dealer identified that master break cylinder needed to be replaced.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine made a rattling sound. The contact stated while driving the vehicle and or while the engine was idling, the engine was idling rough and seemed to experience a misfire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and received a repair under an unknown Customer Satisfaction... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. Additionally, the temperature gauge was rising. The contact pulled to the side of the road and waited for the vehicle to cool down before taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was informed that the failure was due to c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The ABS module has failed on my HD FLHTK causing the rear brake to stop working with no warning. The dealer has my bike but said the module is out of stock and is back ordered until April of 2024. Doing an internet search reveals this is a known problem, sometimes causing both front and rear brakes to fail without warning. They said the brake fluid should have been replaced every two years to avoi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact could coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The shift-to-park warning light was illuminated. The contact could pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
My car has a circuit problem and that is causing my engine light go off. Kia is not taking any responsibility os this issue
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
Hello, I'm not sure if this is something that you would handle or not. My husband and I have a Hyundai Santa Fe (husband-2015, Mine - 2013). We both bought the vehicles used and haven't had any major problems until about a year ago when both of our vehicles started drinking motor oil like people drink water. We don't have any signs of a leak anywhere. We had taken it to the Hyundai Dealerships and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
My car suddenly stopped accelerating. No warning lights came on. If I had been on a freeway, it could have been catastrophic. I had car towed to Sunrise Ford who said I needed a new Turbo boost, turbo charge assembly and VCT solenoids. I authorized that repair as cat only has 65,000 miles. After that repair, while the car was being test driven by the service technician from sunrise ford, the car f... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2023
This issue happened immediately after buying the car. When I turn the steering wheel it makes a clicking sound. I brought it into Honda and they replaced a belt but the issue starting again within the hour. When I brought it back in I was told that they were able to find one video in the Honda service center with this issue. It turns out this happened with 2020-2024 Honda Civics which were rec... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
Since may or June of 2023 my car has automatically breaked at random times without coming close to anything. It has happened approximately 5 times, 3 times on the freeway when I was going anywhere from 40/70 miles an hour and twice on side streets going less then 20 miles an hour. It has caused me to think I was getting rear ended due to the brakes slamming for no reason.
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
My vehicle lost power when I was accelerating onto a highway. The car would not go over 35 mph all the way home. There was no warning light until after I attempted to accelerate and was not able to. Ford is saying it’s only 2022 models, but I have a 2023.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the rear window shattered. The contact stated that there was no impact to have caused the window to shatter. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
When the system thinks there might be a collision it initiates a hard braking even when there is enough space to avoid a collision. Multiple times, the car behind me had to do a hard break as well not to hit me from behind. A google search revealed multiple people complaining of similar issue. The system brakes too extremely aggressively (drops speed from 30 MPH to 5 or less MPH almost instantly s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to enter the vehicle however, the front driver's side door was inoperable. The contact stated that the driver's side front door was difficult to open and was also very difficult to close. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed door c... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
1. DRIVING ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, AT ABOUT 65 MPH, USING CRUISE CONTROL. NO VEHICLES AHEAD ON ME IN MY LANE. TRUCK IN ONCOMING LANE CAUSED DASH TO DISPLAY BRAKE WARNING. BRAKE CAME ON MOMENTARILY, WHEEL WAS IN STAIGHT FORWARD POSITION. 2. HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH CRUISE. DRIVING AT 45 MPH IN LEFT LANE, CRUISE ON, CAR AHEAD OF ME MOVES TO LEFT TURN LANE, DASH BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON AN... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
1. DRIVING ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, AT ABOUT 65 MPH, USING CRUISE CONTROL. NO VEHICLES AHEAD ON ME IN MY LANE. TRUCK IN ONCOMING LANE CAUSED DASH TO DISPLAY BRAKE WARNING. BRAKE CAME ON MOMENTARILY, WHEEL WAS IN STAIGHT FORWARD POSITION. 2. HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH CRUISE. DRIVING AT 45 MPH IN LEFT LANE, CRUISE ON, CAR AHEAD OF ME MOVES TO LEFT TURN LANE, DASH BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON AN... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2023
Went to leave today, started my car and the dashboard lights (display) was off. Turned off car and restarted, still didn’t come back on after a restart.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the steering wheel and front end of the vehicle would shake and vibrate after driving over a bump in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 19,000.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the steering wheel and front end of the vehicle would shake and vibrate after driving over a bump in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 19,000.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
The car, (oil pump), stopped pumping oil to the engine. Was driving along, the check oil light came on, then it stopped moving. All the warning lights lit up. There was plenty of oil in the car.
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and then decelerated. The contact also stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable and displayed a black screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that she had previously experienced the failure with the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
I took my car to the mechanic for a “once over” before driving from New Jersey to North Carolina. This car has only 41,000 original miles on it as we bought it new in 2005. Upon inspection, the mechanic came back with certain repairs that are needed due to age; but he was extremely concerned about a severe safety issue that the subframe had rotted out and needed to be replaced. This is a know... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C320. The contact stated that there was rust on the bottom of the driver’s side and passenger’s side door panels. The contact stated that the water ran down, enter the door, and then failed to properly drain. The contact stated there were no drain plugs or holes for the water to drain from the door. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who took photo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
While driving up on the leveling blocks, 9 of them shattered. Hard plastic pieces of the blocks became shrapnel that flew across the driveway. Had I been standing where I normally do, I would have been hit by the shrapnel and suffered injury. When I tried to contact Amazon for a refund, I noticed numerous photos of broken blocks in many of their reviews. I contacted the company in July, August, a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the red "EPS" and "EST" warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electric power steering assist had failed, and that the EPS module needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
I own a 2019 Subaru Forester. Approximately 5 months ago, I experienced a failure in the auto start-stop feature. My car intermittently shuts down when stopped at traffic lights or in the middle of an intersection. Subaru conducted a diagnostic assessment to address the issue, but they couldn't identify any problems. This has happened about six times within the last five months. They claim to have... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and then decelerated. The contact also stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable and displayed a black screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that she had previously experienced the failure with the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the auto START/STOP feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the engine turned off, but failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. The message "Engine Disabled" was displayed. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pressed the Push to Start button and was able to continue driving.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
The camber on the right rear wheel is out of specification at -1.8 degrees. This causes the vehicle to constantly dart and sway on the highway and worsens at higher speeds >40mph. This erratic motion makes driving unstable. It is worse on grooved pavement. The manufacturer has measured the camber and showed the result as being out of specification but no fix was provided. Further they are saying ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
The dashboard (=all the gauges behind the wheel) turned off while I was traveling in highway. While I was looking a safe place to park, in about 10-15 seconds, dash come back on again and started showing all possible warnings. After parking on the shoulder, the car put itself in so called limp mode. The dealership took a look at it and stated that the components had been disconnected with the das... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35-70 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the steering wheel was vibrating while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the RPMs were high, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where DTC code:... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
Sticky steering causing resistance when straightening the wheel from a slight turn. I live in the North GA mountains and my daily travel consists of many curves. When slightly turning the wheel left or right, then when trying to straighten the wheel back into place it feels as though the wheel catches/sticks. The resistance when trying to straighten the wheel causes me to apply more pressure and ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2023
Vehicle brakes come on spontaneously while driving, during acceleration in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. Seems to be a part of the ABS/VSA system faulty engagement (Anti-Lock Brakes System/Vehicle Stability Assist) since the VSA warning light come on during the fault. Causes vehicle to brake, jerk and buck in middle of road. Almost got rear-ended on several occasions. Car stalls in middle of roadway. D... Read more