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: Sep 11, 2023
Transmission went out, under 20k miles. The dealership has had the vehicle for over two months and they are still waiting for parts.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the transmission was shifted into drive(D); and the contact attempted to shift into reverse (R); however, the transmission failed to shift as needed. The contact stated that she attempted to shift the transmission into park (P), but the transmission failed to shift as needed. The contact turned the vehicle of... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
I believe my Kia Rio S falls victim to the recall 2020 Kia Rio models have faced. Brake performance has been severely degraded on my vehicle over the past few weeks despite doing all recommended maintenance. When I first got my 2020 Kia Rio S I could brake with 5% pressure applied to the brakes, now it takes about 25-30% pressure and it seemingly is increasing every day. I have contacted the man... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
Purchased car 8/22/2023 when driving from dealership to home alert came on for daytime driving light error and drivers side door was letting water intrude into the car from the bottom of the door. 8/23/2023 took it to nearest dealer and made first appointment available for repairs. Neither repair could be made by the dealership (invoice 491449) although they tried several times to adjust the door.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
The warning light went on engine oil pressure off. Search manual. Then it wouldn't start. But lights where on so we put a new starter. But it wouldn't turn the engine. So We thought it must be the battery needs a jump start. And then wire from battery to starter caught on fire? I Googled the problem, and found that there had been recalls for that faulty wire before.
Fire
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
SERVICE ELECTRONIC BRAKE SYSTEM NOTIFICATION TURNS ON INTERMITTENTLY, CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
SERVICE ELECTRONIC BRAKE SYSTEM NOTIFICATION TURNS ON INTERMITTENTLY, CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact checked the oil and coolant levels and became aware that the coolant level was very low. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after filling the coolant reservoir the odor went away. The contact stated that... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, drove over the curb, and crashed into bushes. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. There was no police report filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where she infor... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
While driving approximately 35 mph, there was a "thunk". I thought I was hit from behind, but there were no cars or debris around. The dash lit up with multiple warning lights and the car lost all drive power. If this had happened on freeway it could have had a major accident. Car was towed to dealer who said there was an internal battery failure they couldn't work on. Volkswagen then made me p... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
MY NEW 2023 F250 SUPER DUTY HAD APPROXIMATELY 540 MILES WHEN I RECEIVED FOLLOWING MESSAGES: 1) PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE 2) SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC 3) ABC OR ABS NOT WORKING FORD SERVICE DID A DIAGNOSIS AND ORDERED AND PUT IN STEERING CONTROL MODULE. FIXED CODES FOR ABOUT 1000 MILES AND CODES HAVE COME BACK. FORD SERVICE DIAGNOSIS ON TWO MORE SEPARATE OCCASIONS HAS NOT FOUND THE PROBLEM AND ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
Driver's side rear coil spring was broken and both rear spring mounts were corroded. Vehicle did not pass Pennsylvania state inspection. I was not aware of these issue until the inspection - there were no obvious warning signs. Vehicle only has 30,236 miles on it. The vehicle has not been modified, does no towing, does not transport heavy loads, and does not traverse rough terrain or go off-road... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
While driving on the highway the drivers side windshield trim flew off the vehicle, narrowly missing the car behind me. Soon after, the rubber weatherstripping came loose and I had to open my window and pull it inside the vehicle before it, too, flew off and had the potential to hit another vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The instrument cluster goes out. Can't see anything on the dash speed gas or anything while driving or goes out completely. Can not drive car. Not safe to drive don't know if I have gas or how fast I'm going or if I have any warnings on the car.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the interior door handle detached, trapping the contact inside the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic and determined that the failure was with the door handle bracket and switch. The door handle was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
I brought my 2001 Toyota Tundra into my dealer today, and he advised me that the frame of the Toyota is very rusted and cracking and close to completely breaking. He said Toyota issued a recall on this, but it is no longer in effect. I have learned this is a common issue with the 2000-2003 Toyota Tundras. Please advise!
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The 2013 Nissan Rogue Vin no: [XXX] only has ~83,000 miles. The transmission is totally out. No incidents and no accidents caused the transmission failure. It is believed upon seeing similar year, make and models of the Nissan Rogue that this is a significant issue to consumers and buyer protection should be granted through a forced recall by Nissan for transmission replacement. INFORM... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the alarm erroneously activated. The contact clicked on the key fob to disarm the alarm however, the alarm failed to turn off. The contact walked outside to the vehicle and noticed that the rear driver’s side window had shattered without impact. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
ESP CONTROLLER NON FUNCTIONAL
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. Additionally, while driving... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
I was parking my car at a mechanical shop. When I pulled into a parking spot the car failed to stop and went into the neghbors yard going into the wire fence scracthing the the car. I was not going fast but car was scratch up badly. As far as I know the car was not inspected by anyone. The car stayed at the mechanic's garage for about seven weeks until the ABS was replaced.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
I was parking my car at a mechanical shop. When I pulled into a parking spot the car failed to stop and went into the neghbors yard going into the wire fence scracthing the the car. I was not going fast but car was scratch up badly. As far as I know the car was not inspected by anyone. The car stayed at the mechanic's garage for about seven weeks until the ABS was replaced.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
From the first few months we've had this car it will randomly stall out about 10 times over 5 years while driving on busy streets. We've taken it to a Chrysler dealership and were told it was fine, but that we should get more frequent oil changes. We don't drive this car much (5 years and only 24k miles).It is still doing this and I just checked articles on this model/year and there are both fuel... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
There is no incident occurring to me .but I change some parts like head light.& whisper .engine .
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Fleetwood Southwind RV built on a 2017 Ford F53 chassis. The contact stated that the front driver's and passenger's side windows delaminated with white spots, preventing the driver from seeing the side mirrors while attempting to change lanes while driving. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the RV was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made awa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Gas line leaking under left rear tire
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion Energi. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V440000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted 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 manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Steering wheel suddenly became stiff, gives resistance to regain control of wheel.. this happens when driving with computer aids on & off.. When driving straight with very minimal movement of the wheel the steering becomes locked in that position and will force car to drift out of lane. This problem occurred in highway and city travel.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The variable fan speed control for the cabin air melted. The dial could no longer be moved and the assembly, once removed, had parts that were melted. Subaru was not interested. Cost me $1200 to get it fixed. Unfortunately, I cannot locate any pictures.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2020
Drivers side passenger door stuck shut(locked) and buzzing sound when lock button is used.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
Vehicle parked and had just been started. Went to put on dvr seatbelt and a loud explosion happened to my left and the seatbelt shoulder strap was pulled out of my fingers. The driver seatbelt pretensioner activated without a collision and the cab filled with smoke. Vehicle has never been in a collision, ever had a restraint malfunction, is the original OEM safety component, and hasn’t been ser... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V867000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted 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 manufacturer was m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
I ordered the car in July and it arrived on 8/3/23. On 8/31/23, I got in the car while in my garage, attempted to start it as usual, and a loud sound occurred when I shifted from park to reverse. Lights began flashing. I turned off the car, got out and walked around to make sure I hadn’t hit anything. After verifying clearance all around, I checked my phone. The Toyota Corolla Cross XLE had ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2023
Started smelling gas then check engine light came on took it to mercedes they did diagnostic which said low boost and that I needed to replace the turbocharger at a cost of over $7000
Incident date: May 18, 2023
I nearly died this time. The crankshaft sensor was replaced like advised and the engine stalled turning left in an intersection. Official Complaint #2. Thankfully no one was behind me. See previous complaint for more details.
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
Center hatch led strip light leak causing led to go out and back up camera to stop working. Causes hazardous conditions for backing up with camera not working and hazardous conditions while driving because don’t know if the short in few of led lights will cause all tail light/brake lights to short out also.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Drivers side door brake spot welds have broken causing the door to be unstable, unable to open or close, or to not stay open or closed.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
I purchased a 2015 Hyundai Sonata from Carmax on 12/6/22 in Tinley Park, IL. The motor on the car went out on 8/30/23. I took my car to family mechanic to find out that the motor has a hole in the back of it. I had it towed to Happy Hyundai on 9/1/23 in Oak Lawn. I was by Happy Hyundai that they will not be able to look at my car for for 4-6 weeks. Carmax claimed to have did an all point inspecti... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
On 8/28/23, I turned my car on and all the warning lights were flashing on the dashboard. Two days later, just before bringing the car in for diagnostics, they stopped flashing. Then today, started again. This happened before in April, of this year, but the lights stopped flashing until now. In May, my car slammed on the brakes while I was driving down a side road. The diagnostics showed nothing... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
My engine has been losing oil with no leak. 1st shut down was 02sensors crank shaft , check engine light still on took it fixed it not sure how. Brought it in for upgrade in security took it out and a week later didn't start. Now entire exhaust is gone it's still burning oil I called ciorperate because he would not acknowledge the burning oil. So we will start this every 1000 kile test x3 so it ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
Without warning, the rear brakes started making unusual scraping sound with slight loss of braking power. Within a week of the issue took car to dealer who informed me that rear brake pads were completely worn out with calipers scraping and damaging the rotors. VW refused to fix the issue via warranty. By the end of the week, the scraping escalated and significant loss of braking power occurre... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
Premature internal damage to the front half shafts causes the front end to shudder during acceleration between 0-50 mph. This shuddering is distracting and can be felt through the steering column creating a safety risk to the driver and others in the vehicle. I have had Telsa service "repair" this issue under warranty 3 times. AUG 31, 2021 went into Service Center for the Service Bulletin to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle message of “50 Miles until Derate Speed Limitation” was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by a dealer as a failure with the DEF system and a failed NOX module. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not un... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
Dealership says there is no recall tied to this vehicle. But hyundai recall website, says yes my vin/vehicle has an incomplete recall.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
About five weeks ago my car started not wanting to auto correct after a turn or curve. The steering seemed to be resistive to turning the steering wheel in either direction except for a small part in the center. The not correcting is worse when turning right. It does occur to a lesser extent turning left. On right turns I sometimes have to really push the steering wheel to get the car to go st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
The shifter of the car will NOT go into park! It takes forever. Have to shut it off, start it back up, and keep trying to get it to work. It's insane! This has to be recalled. Literally thousands of people are having this exact same problem. It's all over the internet. And I wouldn't mind if it were a simple $50 repair, but this is a $500 to $600 thing to fix and it's just not right. The gear shif... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
I was driving on the freeway and my car suddenly jolted, smoked started pouring from the hood, and then immediately caught fire once I pulled off the road within minutes. There were no warnings, no engine lights, nothing that pointed to an issue until this happened. I was at risk of getting hit by others in the freeway — I luckily was able to get to the side of the road and immediately called ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
I was driving on the freeway and my car suddenly jolted, smoked started pouring from the hood, and then immediately caught fire once I pulled off the road within minutes. There were no warnings, no engine lights, nothing that pointed to an issue until this happened. I was at risk of getting hit by others in the freeway — I luckily was able to get to the side of the road and immediately called ... Read more
Fire