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: Feb 3, 2023
While driving at highway speed 75mph our truck shut down with no warning. A wrench light came on with no other warnings. No check engine light no warning went from highway speed to limp mode zero power almost got rear-ended trying to make it off highway with no power. The problem is the throttle body has oil intrusion on the dry electrical side shorting out the motor with OIL! FORD could care less... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2021
The contact rented a 2023 Ford Edge. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts after each failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
Questionable manufacturing practices, wiring harness for lighting and brake controls ran through a cut out in a piece of aluminum that had no rubber grommet protecting the insulation of the wires resulting in insulation being cut resulting in possible short. Also, during manufacturing process, front skin of the V front of the trailer was not secured to the frame resulting in possible panel displac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
“Service Trailer Brake System” indicator light and alert continue happening. As of this weekend, my rear driver side taillight has begun going in and out/off and on.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
The contact owned a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the front passenger’s side air bags deployed without warning, causing major damages to the front passenger’s side door. There was no injury sustained. The contact pulled over and became aware that the front passenger’s side air bags and side door air bags had deployed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
Drinks oil like it's going out of business. car does not leak nor can of make it from one change to the other. i know my jeep had a recall for the same kind of issue and they offered to fix the problem free of charge. don't see why hyundai can't find the issue and do the same for there customers. a motor that Drinks that much oil is not a good nor safe thing when driving on the road.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2020
At 200,000 miles I'm beginning to have problems withe electric power steering along with suspension issues as well. i start my vehicle drive for a bit could be turning or coming to a brake an steering gives out cause me to work to turn it
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
When I’m driving the steering wheel gets stuck and the only way to get it unstuck is to pull hard enough to break the jam. It always gets stuck pulling to the left because every time I have to get it unstuck I have to pull to the right to break the jam.It happens every day and it’s really frustrating. Every time this happens is after 15-20 minutes driving. This is a serious safety hazard speci... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2023
I have had to spend over $5,000 in repairs for this vehicle and I’ve had it for over a year. It was listed at $6,999 at a used car dealership so I got it as is and have had issues ever since. There is no recall on my car according to the VIN# however I strongly disagree with that. When I first got it, it drove great for a week and then the problems started to arise. Every time I came to a comple... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
My 2005 F350 Diesel Pick up has suffered from the Ford death wobble on and off for the last 15 years. While navigating a left hand corner at speeds over 40 it begins to shake uncontrollably after hitting a small bump or pot hole until speed is reduced to 30mph or less. I have replaced bearings, uppper & lower ball joints, torque arms and other suspension parts without finding a cure.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Since June 5th, 2023, I have had to have the passenger side windshield pillar mount trim replaced 3 different times due to clips breaking and the trim piece begins to become unattached when driving. It was replaced again yesterday and not even 2 hours after it was replaced, the top clip that is attached to the trim piece and clicks into the body of my car, it already broke off from the trim piece ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
1-ABS PUMP MOTOR CONTROL- GENERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE anti-lock brake code C0020-01 came on at 44185 miles. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they are telling me that The ABS unit needs to be replaced and that it is not covered under the warranty. this repair is going to cost me between $1200 and $2000. 2- At @ 30000 miles the FUEL INDICATOR LEVEL UNIT located inside the fuel tank went bad, sho... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
On June 17, 2023, while during this car suddenly it started losing speed, pressing accelerator did not help. I stopped the car and restarted, it drove for another 400 yards and stopped again. I checked with my obd2 and it gave a code of misfiring third cylinder. Car had a recent replacement of engine under warranty by Parks Hyundai of Gainesville as previous engine had started smoking in 2011. My ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
On June 17, 2023, while during this car suddenly it started losing speed, pressing accelerator did not help. I stopped the car and restarted, it drove for another 400 yards and stopped again. I checked with my obd2 and it gave a code of misfiring third cylinder. Car had a recent replacement of engine under warranty by Parks Hyundai of Gainesville as previous engine had started smoking in 2011. My ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The truck loss power stalling,shuddering, bucking, want pick up speed even when excellerating, slow take off, loss of speed
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
Driving West on I8 from AZ into San Diego my vehicle would lose all ability to accelerate and start decelerating on the upward climbs of the Crestwood Summit highway pass through the Cuyamaca Mountains. Not only it would continue to lose complete driving power and we had to pull over many time to turn the car off and let it sit for 10 minutes. It was not over heated and no lights were on with any ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
Driving West on I8 from AZ into San Diego my vehicle would lose all ability to accelerate and start decelerating on the upward climbs of the Crestwood Summit highway pass through the Cuyamaca Mountains. Not only it would continue to lose complete driving power and we had to pull over many time to turn the car off and let it sit for 10 minutes. It was not over heated and no lights were on with any ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2020
This vehicle was maintained exceptionally well! But yet cylinder # 1 went out. No compression.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2023
The rearview mirror detached from the windshield due to heat. When this happened, the metal button removed a chunk of glass from the windshield, so the surface is not able to be cleaned to reaffix the button that holds the mirror. The rearview mirror is currently dangling by the electrical cord. Note that nothing was hanging from the rearview mirror prior to this incident, so additional weight is ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Complete rust through of frame of my 2006 HUMMER H3.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
On June 28th at approximately 1130pm, my son was involved in a single vehicle accident. Upon impact with the tree the car immediately burst into flames
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
My auto started out with a Check Engine Light. I noticed the engine smelled of overheated radiator and coolant smell. Parts were replaced for fix (Hose)...but check engine light continued as well as the overheated coolant smell. The auto was placed for checking on machine for codes for check engine light, but none of codes made sense to Mechanic. Told to bring back for further testing/looks. Broug... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Vehicle had a engine failure at 64,000 miles, vehicle was very well maintained by dealer, on time, I went in for a oil change drove in to the dealer, got vehicle back and 400 miles down the road had loud knock in the engine, dealer told me they saw metal shavings, possibly a spun bearing from oil dilution, they refuse to repair it as it’s passed the 60,000 warranty mark leaving me with a $6000 b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
AC component: Condenser and Evaporator (issue is systematic as it's creating issues to Freon) Current RECALL is only for Condenser but it's systematic to Evaporator (faulty part that has failed); I believe Honda is circumventing the cost to repair and is revealing only condenser part failure vs taking ownership on full AC component (if one fail the other will too). Reading blog, reddit, and man... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
We purchased the car in May 2021, within a week, the check engine light, EPC and oil lamp became illuminated. Contacted dealership who "inspected" it and said "nothing was wrong and reset the lights." A few weeks go by and the same thing. We noticed the car was "stuttering" during acceleration. We attempted to bring it to the dealership they couldn't inspect our vehicle because they didn't hav... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
We purchased the car in May 2021, within a week, the check engine light, EPC and oil lamp became illuminated. Contacted dealership who "inspected" it and said "nothing was wrong and reset the lights." A few weeks go by and the same thing. We noticed the car was "stuttering" during acceleration. We attempted to bring it to the dealership they couldn't inspect our vehicle because they didn't hav... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
Transmission went out on the Freeway and from 75 miles per hour went to 15 miles per hour,scary situation and thank God we made to the shoop, and the mechanic charge me 6,000dlls for the replacement of my transmission,no fear .
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel locked, causing him to momentarily lose control of the vehicle. Upon attempting to bring the vehicle to a stop, the contact stated that the brake pedal was stuck in its resting position, prompting him to pull the parking brake, which also failed to bring the vehicle to a stop. A... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
There is a delayed acceleration issues on my brand new car, which have become progressively worse and worse. You press on the gas pedal and it stutters to the point of stalling out. I took it into the dealership to have it evaluated and they told me this is a computer software update that they have no control over. I contacted VW corporate and they told me there is no problem and the customer serv... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
I was pulling out of a parking lot going about 3 mph. There were no other vehicles around and the windshield cracked right in front of me. I called my insurance and explained to them the strange event that just took place, and they said that it would be a deductable of $500.00 or around $1000.00. Reasearch has proven that quote. The next day I went out to the car to start it up so the kids wouldn'... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
I was pulling out of a parking lot going about 3 mph. There were no other vehicles around and the windshield cracked right in front of me. I called my insurance and explained to them the strange event that just took place, and they said that it would be a deductable of $500.00 or around $1000.00. Reasearch has proven that quote. The next day I went out to the car to start it up so the kids wouldn'... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
- Unsure what is failing. With increasing frequency, 22 Jeep Compass Sport repeatedly stalls (1+ time every few months since OCT ’22) when trying to accelerate after stopping, always (except for one time) engaging auto ebrake, and always requiring a shift to park and engine restart. Engine shuts off, but malfunction is likely related to auto start, as it hasn’t occurred when auto start is alre... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
I have the Insignia 4 burner stove model NS-RNG24SS9. It is in an Alpine RV by Keystone. I used the oven for the first time ever June 24. The pilot light lit as advertised and baked the biscuits without problems. When I went to shut off the oven, the knob would not turn lower than 250 deg. THE OVEN COULD NOT BE SHUT OFF! I shut off the propane at the bottle and the oven of course turned off. Now... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating violently, causing the entire vehicle to shake. Upon reducing the speed to 10 MPH, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was able to duplicate the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
My 2018 Forte LX air conditioner is not cooling properly. Has anyone reporteded the same problem?
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
I've purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra SV on 06/06/2023 from Empire Hyundai in Fall River Ma. I received the vehicle on 06/09/2023. Shortly after leaving the dealership, malfunction lights appeared with a continuous beeping sound. It would disappear when the car was turned off, and reappear after restarting the vehicle and driving for a few minutes. I had a bumper to bumper inspection conducted at F... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
Engine Recall from Hyundai, I brought it to Hyundai Route 1, South Brunswick, NJ, they claimed Hyundai needed to have it done, the recall mail I received was from Hyundai itself, their engines are catching fire, their engine oil levels are going dangerously low in a really short time, please help me get to a resolution to this issue or give Hyundai a citation for their irresponsible actions.
Incident date: May 10, 2023
Hi, I bought my car from Honda of Concord in June 2020 and they’re the only ones that have serviced my car. I had my last oil change on 03/24/23 and had 40 days to get my oil changed again. No light or anything came on until my car broke all the way down. When I checked the oil level there was NO oil in the car whatsoever, so I bought some and put it in there and towed it to the dealership the n... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
When using traffic aware cruise control the car frequently brakes for no reason. The braking put the car in danger of being rear ended. The road was straight, clear weather, no change in speed limits or excessive speed.
Incident date: May 10, 2023
bought a 2017 ford edge 3 months later (2.0 engine) my car starts to overheat, white smoke. I Have it taken in to be looked at to get a bill for 8500 if i want it fixed. The car was also not safteyed. Ford has known issues with this just trying to bring awarness so many people having to go without a car for trusting ford and they are not fixing this issue with there 2.0 eco engines
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE DISINTERGRATED CAUSING VEHICLE TO CATCH FIRE AND BURN COMPLETELY TO THE GROUND.. WHEN CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE FAILED, ENGINE SHUT OFF, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP IN AN UNPOPULATED AREA... NO WARNING LAMPS CAME ON UNTIL THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, MESSAGE SIMPLY SAID "CLUTCH"...
Fire
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed and released. The contact then depressed the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately, and the transmission failed to shift into neutral (N). The vehicle coasted to the side of the roadway and was able to come to a complete stop. The ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
Instrument cluster is stuck in day time mode. There is no way to dim it at night which makes it hard to drive and see during night travel.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
MY 2013 SUBARU CROSSTREK stalled on the highway in March 2023 while I was driving home from work. I brought it to Hassett Subaru in Wantagh because a friend told me that there was a recall on the spring valve (from 5 years ago, which I was never notified of). Vlad Oriol wanted to charge me a few thousand dollars to breakdown the engine, even though that was a requirement of the recall. I checked t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
Backup camera stopped working.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 m... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
I have a 2018 Mazda 3 hatchback 2.5l with a faulty fuel pump. I bought the car 1 year old with 2k mikes on it in 2019 from Jake Sweeney Mazda in Cincinnati ohio. They tell me the issue with power loss and stalling I need a new fuel pump it's failing cost is $1600 to repair. Then I learn a few days later on my own 121,000 2018-2109 Mazda 3 and others were recalled due to a faulty fuel pump with th... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being started, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment for several seconds. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Iost steering function while driving.
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the headlamps failed to properly illuminate the sides of the road on the driver’s and passenger’s side of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had spoken with the dealer to discuss trading the vehicle; however, the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer w... Read more