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: Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with rear differential failure, all-wheel drive failure, and clutch unit failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while her daughter was occupying the second-row passenger's side seat, the seat inadvertently folded. The contact stated that the failure recurred on the second-row driver’s side seat while the seat was vacant. Additionally, the contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The contact stated that she was concerned for her safety and the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
all body frame has rust.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
Vehicle was sitting, not driven and parked for a couple days, got into the car and the saw the front passenger headrest airbag had deployed. Vehicle has not been in an accident or been damaged.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
The front strut springs are breaking while driving and while the vehicle is parked. The spring material is defective because of the many fractured parts. This is on a vehicle with less than 65000 miles on it.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2023
Trunk door opens by itself. This has happened after exiting vehicle at least 3 times when vehicle is parked. Has not happened while moving
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The 2018 Accords have a system called "Brake Hold" which is intended to engage the braking system while a vehicle is stopped at, say, a stop-light. The intent seems to be to allow the driver to have their foot on the gas, instead of the brake pedal. The Brake Hold system frequently has an issue where it allows the vehicle to creep. This, generally, seems to happen in colder temperatures. Another, ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
On multiple occasions, I have had phantom braking issues with the car. Most notably, I have experienced this on Highway 80 between Fernley, NV, and Winnemucca. Originally, I was using the car's autopilot feature and I had multiple phantom braking events. I had the speed set for the speed limit of 80 MPH and the car randomly slammed on the brakes. By the time I was able to hit the gas pedal, I slow... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
The foam on the shell of the car seat is completely cracked/broken off on one side and beginning to break on the other side. This seat is a spare and has had minimal use/movement so it should not be having this issue less than a year after being made. Looking into it, this is a common problem and one I feel needs to be recalled/addressed for future safety.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while making a right turn into a parking lot, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact steered the vehicle to the right and ran over two road barriers before he crashed into a parked vehicle. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact was temporarily trapped in the vehicle due to the driver’s side door f... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the engine revved, and the vehicle began to lose motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that he shifted from drive (D) to park (P) and from park to neutral (N) and then drive (D) several times until the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
I have a 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, If this model year runs out of gas or stalls in traffic with the engine inoperative the vehicle cannot be moved out of the lane of traffic. It has an electronic transmission therefore the vehicle has to stay in the lane of traffic until towed. All wheel vehicle would be very criticle. Three dealers have verbally confirmed there is no remedy at this time.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
Piston Rings leaked excessive oil which led to engine damage and engine failure. Engine could have caught fire or failed during driving. No warning lights came on to warn of the problem. The incident occurred 480 miles from home. It is a serious safety concern to the drivers and others on the road at time of failure.
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Additionally, the transmission failed to shift gear while the RPM was revving. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power before stalling. The contact was able to safely coast to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality. The service battery system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
The Back up camera and 360 camera fail frequently. The rear camera video will interminably go blank when backing. It will also sometimes change to the front view camera view which almost caused an accident in heavy freeway traffic because I thought I lost my trailer. I have had to replace 3 camera in 3 years and both Newmar and the camera manufacture Riverpark/Xicte have no solutions. Now the la... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
The service ABS braking system warning flashes on with a chime frequently when driving. This started 3 weeks ago. According to the Ram Forums this is a common problem with 2018 trucks. My truck is a 2018 with 352623 miles on it and according to the Dick Hannah dealership a part that is out of warranty. There is no replacement part since the original inventory was all pulled back from the dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
The service ABS braking system warning flashes on with a chime frequently when driving. This started 3 weeks ago. According to the Ram Forums this is a common problem with 2018 trucks. My truck is a 2018 with 352623 miles on it and according to the Dick Hannah dealership a part that is out of warranty. There is no replacement part since the original inventory was all pulled back from the dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
Honda Auto-Idle Start/Stop system does not restart. Auto-Idle system will engage and sometimes not restart. This happens while at intersections (red lights/stop signs) and in traffic. Vehicle cuts off and can take several minutes to get the vehicle to turn back on. When it happens, it puts my safety at risk, along with any passengers, and any other vehicles nearby that might not notice my vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 1 MPH, the front driver’s tie rod fractured and put a whole in the aluminum wheel. The contact who works as an independent mechanic completed the repair. The contact stated that a recall repair for the driver’s side outer tie rod had been completed in July 2019. The manufacturer was not made aware of the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
Death wobble. I took it to Vallery Ford in Waverly Ohio. They told Ford recommended that the steering linkage be replaced. They did that and told me the truck was repaired and ready to pick up. I picked it up and as soon as I got over 45mph and ran over a seam in the road the death wobble was the same. I turned around and took it back. They acted like they didn't believe me. I waited about 1 1/2 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The vehicle experiences un expected shutdowns while in motion on the freeway, posing a significant safety hazard to both myself, my passengers, and other commuters sharing the road.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
MY DEALER ALLEDGELY FIXED THE RECALL IN 2021 ALONG WITH 2 OTHER RECALLS. AT THAT TIME I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING. NOW 2 YEARS LATER MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN IN A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION AND HASN'T WORKED SINCE. THE DEALER WOULD NOT FIX BECAUSE THEY SAID MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. HYUNDAI USA ALSO REVIEWED AND DENIED ME. ON THEIR WEBPAGE, IT DOES NOT SAY ANYTH... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The Dealer at Selma Hyundai (2505 Highland Ave. Selma, Ca. 93662) was unable to complete the the recall. Dealer stated “unable to complete PODS update attempted multiple times. Current Scan tool does not support hook-up to cables and option is to update no present. Air bag light due to PODS (passenger occupant ECU) fault with loss of calibration. Scan tool will not communicate with passenger sea... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
While driving several warnings lights illuminate: traction control, ABS, air bad, service 4 wd, and brake. When this happens power steering is lost making it extremely hard to steer the car. The brakes are automatically engaged and occasionally the windshield wiper turns on. This causes a risk not only to myself and passengers but anyone driving near me as I can no longer steer with ease and t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Honda pilot with start stop system will shut off the engine when possible. In some cases the car will shut off and. Or restart and flash various warnings on the dashboard. Only way to fix is wait some time and shut off car and restart. This is dangerous as this happens randomly when highways and local roads. And it takes time to get the car restarted and the engine restarted in those cases. I went... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
We purchased a 2017 Ford Escape near the end of May 2023. By 7/3/23, the engine failed with coolant leaking into the cylinder due to a crack in the engine block P0303 code. The car was at 101,801 miles and required a replacement of the long block engine costing us $8045 performed at a Ford dealership. We would totally expect Ford to reimburse for this cost as this is a known defect.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
My vehicle appeared to restart itself (dashboard lights turned off and immediately turned back on as if the car had been started up) as I was a approaching a red stop light toward the end of a 1 hour/60 mile commute. This is the 3rd time since I've had my vehicle (purchased in October of 2020) that I've had an event like this occur while driving. Currently waiting service appointment, 2 weeks away... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
Driver door - one day, without prior warning, when opening or closing the door, it makes a popping sound as if a hing of some sort is broken. The door does not remain in an open position when getting in our out. Consequently, the drive window only opens about 2 inches.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
On April 05, 2022 I was struck head-on by a negligent driver who rounded a blind turn at a rate of speed of above sixty miles per hour. His vehicle drifted across the double yellow lines into my lane and hit three quarters of my front bumper. He was driving a four door sedan and I was driving a 2019 Kia Soul. My vehicle was lifted off of the ground, slid across his hood and roof, landed on its sid... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 5, 2023
When applying the brakes the vehicle doesn’t seem to want to stop and almost feels as if it’s trying to accelerate before finally catching and stopping. Typically it’s a pretty fast occurrence but now it’s taking longer to stop. It is available for inspection. It caused me to run a stop sign today and go into a persons yard before the van finally came to a stop. No service dept has looked ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2023
There was a recall on the front subframe due to rust. The rear subframe has the same safety issue but there is no recall for that and there should be
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
On 2 occasions the automatic braking system has kicked on for no apparent reason. First time my husband was driving at 55 mph on route 33, passing the exit to route 42. It kicked on twice. Second time I was driving at 50 mph on route 203, a country setting, no cars in front either coming at me or driving towards me. No animals around. It kicked on for no apparent reason and slowed the car way... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
I went in after my vehicle displayed a check engine code after my recent visit to the dealer which included a regular oil change plus multi point inspection. At 51k miles the check engine went on and said immediately to go to the dealer. After paying for the dealer inspection, which was extra money, the issue was the engine coolant bypass valve for my vehicle that failed and leaked. I asked if thi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2021
While driving, the car suddenly slowed to nearly stopping and a "Brake Boost Faulty" red warning light displayed on the dashboard. I was not breaking at the time. The brake pedal felt soft and the car would not regain acceleration. I had to stop the car, turn off ignition, restart for the car to drive normally. This occurred twice once while driving over 40 miles per hour and again at approxim... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
I have had to replace 2 steering dampers in my 2020 Jeep Wrangler that has only 24,000 miles. Whenever the vehicle reaches speeds over 50 mph the steering becomes very loose, needing to constantly steer left and right. If there is any change to the road surface such as a bridge, uneven pavement or bump in road, vehicle loses control in steering making the need for you to come to a stop to regain c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
Abs module failed. Abs pump failed. Wheels locked on highway almost lost control.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Driving on the freeway towing an empty trailer, when without any incident the check engine light came on. As I was exiting the freeway, I had what felt like no forward drive. I was able to coast off the exit and pull over. I found that I had reverse but forward was very weak. I was able to pull the truck and trailer a couple hundred feet ahead to safety in a large parking lot, then called the tow ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while attempting to park her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated into a tree without warning. The air bags did not deploy upon impact; the contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer body shop where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the f... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg. The contact stated that the driver’s side seat belt unintendedly unlatched while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact stated that the clockspring was defective, causing several failures with the vehicle. The contact stated while tilting the steering wheel, the vehicle drifted away from the intended direction and the windshield wipers wo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by a dealer and confirmed that the failure was with the power take off unit internal failure and was leaking fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact was able to turn off and restart the vehicle. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed a fuel pump failure. The contact was informed that t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2023
My 2017 Elantra experienced complete power steering loss which nearly caused a serious accident. I was traveling approximately 25 MPH as I went around a bend, and lost all power steering. I was able to get my car home with no power steering. When I restarted the ignition and turned the steering wheel there was partial power steering, but wheel made a clunking noise as I turned the wheel. I resear... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 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. An undisclosed 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 manufac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 5500. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, with the 4-WD unavailable message displayed. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was file... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering column became inoperable; however, the contact's son was able to safely drive the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximatel... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
Afraid of Potential "Black Mold" health exposure due to faulty construction/design/product allowing water to leak into the cab soaking and staining headliner, seats and rugs. The water is absorbed into the insulation and fabrics. Research has confirmed this issue has been reported for more than 15 years. 2020 Ram 1500 Bighorn. Had truck at dealer for issue. A few hundred mile out of warranty, an... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the transmission failed to shift gear properly and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle into a parking lot. The dealer was contact and stated there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not dia... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle inadvertently activated the Forward Collision Avoidance feature and briefly applied the brakes hard enough for the ABS to be activated. The contact stated that there were no objects near or around the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality but had sin... Read more