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: Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started to downshift independently and then upshifted abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact pulled over and the power steering and brakes functioned as needed however, the i... Read more
SUBARU
OUTBACK
(2017) - POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Aug 22, 2023
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started to downshift independently and then upshifted abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact pulled over and the power steering and brakes functioned as needed however, the i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The car has an oil consumption problem as noted by dealership when following through with oil consumption test. The car has had several instances of stalling upon starting , car shakes and has no power. Yesterday I was 50 miles from home and car attempted to stall and it was 105 degrees outside. I am becoming afraid of this car. No, thankfully no fatalities at this time or I would not be sending ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Like 4 others on NHTSA, I am reporting intermittent cold start rattle coming from the VTC actuator. I have tried the following: cleaning the intake valves, changing the oil every 3k miles, using a high quality oil filter with a silicone drain back valve, and using Top Tier fuel on every fuel up. 2015-2016 Honda Fits have a TSB regarding this issue, and my 2017 Honda Fit also has this issue. @Hond... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
I currently have a 2023 Nissan Titan Pro-4X 4WD that intermittently when slowing to a stop between the speeds of 0-7mph it will, at times, feel as though the transmission is dropping from 3rd gear to 1st gear without cycling into 2nd gear properly creating almost a bumping effect to where it feels like you are almost being bumped from behind. Like being rear-ended at a very slow speed. There is a... Read more
SUBARU
IMPREZA
(2013) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:THROTTLEBODY/MANIFOLD
Aug 21, 2023
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated before the vehicle stalled. During the failure the message "Check Owner’s Manual" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the throttle body was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
2 days after ownership the vehicle shutdown and went into limp mode with a picture of a turtle and battery icon in middle of road with traffic, apple valley ford replaced the 12v battery and that solved the issue, today 3 days later same issue! Stuck in the road, ev battery charged to 90%
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2013) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 21, 2023
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
Fuel tank fill up only 9-10gal wherein published rating to 14gal tank. There should be a recall on changing fuel pump but my VIN does not show any recall
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
My alternator pulley broke off alternator. The belt melted onto the pulley and somehow caused the pulley to snap off. car overheated and broke down on the road.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
Very bad transmission slip during acceleration from stop and at highway speed
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
I was driving on the highway today and my driver side active headrest popped open for no reason forcing my head into a very awkward position. I had to immediately exit to a gas station to adjust my seat because I felt very unsafe.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
unknown but I have submitted a previous complaint.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 40 mph, she heard a loud abnormal noise and began to feel pressure on her chest due to the seat belt. The driver stated the air bag warning light was illuminated for a couple of days before the incident. The driver continued driving to her destination and after parking the vehicle she noticed the front driver... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
Subject: Urgent Complaint: Airbag Defect and Lack of Resolution Dear NHTSA, I am writing to file a complaint regarding the airbag defect in my 2015 Buick Enclave. As a concerned father of four, I'm troubled by the lack of progress in addressing this issue despite contacting GM multiple times. The recent letter from GM states that the airbag inflators are defective, posing a severe safety risk. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
while driving on a highway the engine lock up, and I was fortunate to get to the side of the road. Vary scary
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
Steering randomly stopped working upon cranking up. Dealership says codes lead to replacing rack/pinion for $4000. There is no seen damage & nothing leading up to this problem, so I wanted to make you aware since this topic is being investigated.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the vehicle failed to stop immediately while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure but indicated that an intermittent fai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
My vehicle keeps throwing up a service ABS and service electronic braking system intermittently and the braking system is greatly diminished. Vehicle has been inspected and the replacement parts for the breaking system are on national back order without a recall open.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic signal, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repair... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
While towing trailers the right directional works but the right brake light does not on the trailer. The trailer light work fine with other vehicles. It appears to be a problem with the trailer brake control module. Also while towing will get trailer light fault alerts even though the lights are working properly. Right after disconnecting the trailer you still get the trailer light fault alerts... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
8/17/23 I left my vehicle on with the air conditioning running. Left on because my dogs were in the car. Came out of restaurant after 40 minutes & car was on fire inside the vehicle. Opened back door on drivers side & back seat was on fire. Black smoke coming out of the car. Car was put out by fire department. It could have blown up. Car is total loss. FD & PD investigated. No foul play. Unknown r... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
When driving my car it is switching from drive to neutral on the rd
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
8/10/2023 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 had a collision with a deer on driver side front bumper and grille near Piedmont KS in the country. Airbags did NOT deploy although the airbag light DID come on at time of incident. On-Start contacted husband, driver, to make sure he was ok since it was a front end collision. Truck is currently at Gerber Auto Collision 10760 W Kellogg Wichita KS being ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
Car is showing symptoms of crankshaft failure. Car is shaking when accelerating, low gas performance, and accelerating is sometimes unresponsive. Other 2016 Jeeps of the same year, make and model have been given a recall for the same problem but this vehicle has not been included in the recall even though it has the same problems.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
Car is showing symptoms of crankshaft failure. Car is shaking when accelerating, low gas performance, and accelerating is sometimes unresponsive. Other 2016 Jeeps of the same year, make and model have been given a recall for the same problem but this vehicle has not been included in the recall even though it has the same problems.
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
Active Emergency Stop Assist Currently Unavailable and Active Blind Spot Assist Inoperative.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
While on highway service brake system warning light came on,brake became hard to apply almost causing an accident. Vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop(dealer).after paying over $1600 the problem was not resolved and found there are numerous complaints about issues with the terrain and no recall issued.are they waiting til someone dies before a recall?
2 injured
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
While on highway service brake system warning light came on,brake became hard to apply almost causing an accident. Vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop(dealer).after paying over $1600 the problem was not resolved and found there are numerous complaints about issues with the terrain and no recall issued.are they waiting til someone dies before a recall?
2 injured
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
While I was driving my car earlier today, my Tesla Model Y experienced an unexpected steering freeze right in the middle of the freeway. This incident occurred while I was accompanied by my 2-year-old son. Initially, I was quite alarmed and attempted to exert force to guide the car towards the slower lane, but unfortunately, the steering remained unresponsive. After trying the brakes a few times a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
Loss of power while accelerating. Engine overheat notification. High oil temperature.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the "Electric Emergency Brake Unavailable - See Dealer" message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and lost power steering and braking functionality. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle was able to be re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
Driving on the highway, my car will suddenly lose power momentarily and the speed drop 3-5 mph. My accelerator is unresponsive. Then the car will accelerate quickly with a jerk to accelerate to the set speed. May occur on level ground but often occurs at the bottom of a hill. I have no control during this loss of power.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
#1. I replaced the battery in June of 2022 after all the dash warning lights came on. My eyesight safety feature was rendered in operative. After the battery was replaced, all the warning lights eventually went out. In July of 2023 the same scenario happened again. I returned to Advance Auto retailer and the store manager checked the battery. She replaced the battery with a new one of greate... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
Front window just cracked like a flaw in the manufacture process nothing struck it. Axles are really close together like one maybe put on backwards. I have photos but won’t let me upload
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
Front window just cracked like a flaw in the manufacture process nothing struck it. Axles are really close together like one maybe put on backwards. I have photos but won’t let me upload
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
My car shakes and after awhile of braking , it cuts off and when I get gas it doesn’t want to start.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Vehicle will not idle at the correct rpms. Replaced battery and alternator had everything checks by a certified mechanic. The battery light will come on while driving and the car will begin to stall out while driving. Cannot run ac or any electric component in the car. Really scary when you have kids in the car driving down the road and it begins to shut down but still going the same rate of speed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
The front collision warning/assistance system on this vehicle does not appear to be working. The dealer claims that it is working. It seems that the protocol for testing for proper function is flawed and no one is tacking ownership of this issue. They are saying that in order to test the system a near collision must be imminent and to simulate this puts the technician at risk of injury (understand... Read more
SUBARU
LEGACY
(2010) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
Aug 16, 2023
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the diagnostic test retrieved code: P052E, and it was determined that the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
No warning light or nothing just out the blue started knocking and shaking violently lost power almost got hit by a tractortrailer. It has been confirmed from independent shop #4 rod bearing spun and paper thin this happened on interstate 81 near UVA medical center the date was 8-2-2023
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
When vehicle is put into park, you can hear the transmission slam into place as well as feel the car jolt. When vehicle is in park and moved to reverse, the car will delay and then throw into gear moving backwards causing a jolt and increased speed.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2023
On July 31,2023, approximately 8PM, I was driving my 2017 Subaru slowly as I made the 90degree turn into my driveway. Midway up the driveway, the car suddenly —on its own—spontaneously accelerated , burst through the half open garage door, across the garage, and crashed through the garage wall into my family room—bulldozing through two sheets of plywood and large pieces of firewood in t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 30, 2023
On July 31,2023, approximately 8PM, I was driving my 2017 Subaru slowly as I made the 90degree turn into my driveway. Midway up the driveway, the car suddenly —on its own—spontaneously accelerated , burst through the half open garage door, across the garage, and crashed through the garage wall into my family room—bulldozing through two sheets of plywood and large pieces of firewood in t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 5, 2023
The vehicle headlights intermittently turn off while driving the vehicle.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
Question answers in order: INCIDENT DATE/LOCATION: July 28, 2023 Glastonbury, CT 1. UNKNOWN which component or system failed/malfunctioned. Fire began under hood of vehicle. Vehicle is a total loss. Vehicle has been released to Copart in New Britain, CT. 2. The car caught on fire while I was inside. Escaped without injury. Burned in close proximity to other vehicles before they were moved. Glas... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
“Transmission Malfunction/no reverse gear. Okay to continue driving” comes on constantly the past 2 years now. I’ve only had this vehicle 3 years. Yes , it is available for inspection. This puts my safety and the safety of my other passengers at risk because my vehicle will abruptly slow down in fast flowing traffic and it will uncontrollably accelerate when it’s time to come to complete s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
“Transmission Malfunction/no reverse gear. Okay to continue driving” comes on constantly the past 2 years now. I’ve only had this vehicle 3 years. Yes , it is available for inspection. This puts my safety and the safety of my other passengers at risk because my vehicle will abruptly slow down in fast flowing traffic and it will uncontrollably accelerate when it’s time to come to complete s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contract received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms par... Read more