Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 34,453 complaints for SUBARU
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
Snow/Ice build up inside tire rim's, causing improper tire balance. And also brake to freeze up when vehicle is parked, during driving in winter snow conditions. When driving on interstate roads at speed limit, the vehicle start's to shake a lot , like a flat tire. I talked to a Chevy dealer service manager about it and he said that their wasn't any safety massage out on that problem. I've nev... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
This car is currently stolen out of bishopville south Carolina.
Crash
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
This car is currently stolen out of bishopville south Carolina.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
All vehicle safety sensors going off at once. Speedometer indicated car is going 0mph while car is clearly being driven
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
Vehicle has sudden violent forward Jerking motion at stops, delayed performance when accelerating ,hard shifting when changing gears, clunking noise when shifting into low gear
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
Rapid intermittent ABS warning light due to a diagnosed faulty ABS module. Module has been replace previously and now experienced second failure. Ram has no replacement parts available and now I am forced to drive with inoperable anti-lock brake system and a continuous warning chime.
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
The fuel in the tank is splashing around and makes bump sound when you come to a stop and is worse when the fuel take is full and goes away the lower the tank gets. GMC has a service bulletin out PIT5161J stating this is a normal condition. This is not normal, I have never had any vehicle I have owned have a fuel tank noise let alone have felt a bump that you can feel in the seat. There is obvious... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
When at the dealer for an oil change and tire rotation I was informed the dealer could not rotate tires because the lugnuts were bad and needed replacing. I stated our 2011 Ford Edge had the same issue. The manager said that ford has an issue with the lugnuts for several years. It cost me $172.80 for the new lugnuts AND I had to make another appointment because they did' nt have any in stock.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
I revered my truck up a slight incline in reverse in 4 wheel drive. After I stopped in reverse I removed my vehicle out of 4 wheel drive back into 2 wheel drive. I put the transmission in park and removed my key. I unloaded items from the back of the truck. During this period the truck began to move forward down the incline building up speed as it went. It struck a tree stump and came to rest ther... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
THE DASH CLUSTER WILL RANDOMLY MAKE A HUMMING NOISE FOR A LITTLE WHILE THEN STOPS. THE PHONE OPTION ON THE RADIO IS GONE ALSO THE BLUETOOTH MENU TO ACCESS ANY BLUETOOTH OR RESET THE SYSTEM IS ALSO GONE. THE USB PORT STOPPED WORKING.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2016 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. 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. T... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
While driving at highway speed, the battery light and oil light came on and the throttle became unresponsive. The driver pulled over safely. The vehicle had to be restarted before the throttle became responsive again. The vehicle was taken to Maguire Kia Service (Ithaca, NY), where the engine was subsequently replaced.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving over 45 mph there was a scrubbing noise originating from the driver front wheel. The contact stated that smoke was occasionally witnessed coming from the front driver side wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on numerous occasions and at various speeds, the brake was inadvertently... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
When driving, especially highway, the steering wheel tends to “stick” and a bit of extra pressure is needed to maintain the car straight. It is almost continuous on the highway, not as noticeable, but still present, at slower speeds
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact's mother owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt warning light failed to illuminate and alert the passenger to fasten the seat belt. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side seat and sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaire... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2002 Workhorse W22 Chassis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. Additionally, the ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V110000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had the rack and pinion replaced on two separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The con... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
Contacted Dealer to schedule Recall 22V859. I was informed parts on back order. I can smell raw fuel, at times while driving. Although this recall does not address the core problem (cracked fuel injectors), Ford should have had the parts available for the temporary fix, prior to sending out the letter to customers.
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
Vehicle began showing the below warning messages, followed by loss of power steering and abnormal braking behavior (brakes did not work properly). This is a recurrence of an issue that previously resulted in the vehicle being towed to Tesla, but whom were unable to diagnose the problem. -Automatic Emergency braking disabled -Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable -Traction control disabled... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
Parking Brake does not release caliper. Fault is in the caliper. The arm that the parking brake cable pulls does not return to the free position. I have replace 3 calipers on each side of the vehicle for the same issue. My wife had a 2015 Dodge Dart GT, I replaced 2 on hers before we sold it.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
Steering wheel gives resistance to movement, both left and right. This creates a safety hazard from oversteering. The contact stated that the date the failure was first noticed was Oct 1st.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
At this point no accident has happened. The steering wheel becomes stuck or unable to move at times when making small adjustments while trying to maintain control of the vehicle. It also becomes stuck more so when turning at about a sustained 45 degree turn. The wheel becomes rigid and does not respond to drive input and has caused a reaction with over steering as a result when trying adjust to co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I purchased a new 2023 Subaru Outback in December 2022. The two displays on my 2023 Subaru Outback (both the main entertainment one and the tiny dash one) randomly restart without notice and/or freeze and are unresponsive. This disables adaptive cruise control, EyeSight warnings, lane departure warnings, front collision warnings, rear back up camera, navigation, Apple Car Play, phone capabilities,... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the transmission seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,809.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Is available upon request. Transmission chugging, quite often. Pulsing after turning a corner trying to resume speed. Difficulty shifting when cold. Noticed this happening occasionally, but this problem is definitely getting worse, happening daily. I only have 27,000 miles on this truck. I stopped by the dealership and was told to change the transmission fluid myself since the warranty was up. Ver... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The headlights on low beam do not put out enough light to see what is in front of the car and I still have them. It is unsafe to drive a care with inadequate low beam lighting. Yes, dealer confirmed it but said 4/25/2022 was the last date to report the problem to have it replaced as part of the settlement. The dealerships are well aware of this problem. No warning, the lights just gradually go... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
As part of the Tacoma Frame Replacement program (ZH6 and H0F), I brought my Tacoma to my Toyota dealer. They deemed my frame to NOT qualify for the replacement and lazily applied corrosion resistant spray to the rust on the frame that quickly flaked off. As soon as the program ended, the frame deteriorated quickly. There are 3 spots on the frame where my hand can slide through near the front of th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became very firm. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence and turned the vehicle off and on. The power steering functionality did not return. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
I bought a new Tesla Model 3 in December of 2022. In mid March 2023 we had our first road trip in this vehicle. I had at least 4 major phantom braking incidences while traveling an average of 75 mph on I-80 with the cruise control on. Two were experienced while traveling eastbound in Nebraska and two were while traveling westbound a week later in Wyoming. Each experiece was separated in time b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
Disk brake backing plates rusted through, flaking. Could lodge in brake pads.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2021
I was sitting at a stop light and the car just SHUT OFF and would not re-start. It was very dangerous. The start/ stop system was enabled as it always is - since it defaults to this feature when you start the vehicle. The electronics starting glitching when the car shut off. This is not the 1st time the car would not start, it has happened 3x over the course of 3 weeks. When we try to jump st... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2021
I was sitting at a stop light and the car just SHUT OFF and would not re-start. It was very dangerous. The start/ stop system was enabled as it always is - since it defaults to this feature when you start the vehicle. The electronics starting glitching when the car shut off. This is not the 1st time the car would not start, it has happened 3x over the course of 3 weeks. When we try to jump st... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2023
Left headlight not working
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, there was fuel leaking onto the floor under the fuel filler neck. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank and fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
We are having to replace tires every two years and we don’t put a lot of mileage on car maybe 10000 a year this car does something to tire and no one can explain it I have aligned my vehicle do rotate them and still it’s like they eat any type of tire
Incident date: Feb 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle lost electrical power, causing the brakes and the steering wheel to lock. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the contact stated... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Ford has installed a "Smart Windshield" function on 2021-23 Broncos. It is intended to protect the wipers from overheating. The issue is that it does not work. Every time I use my wipers in low or high mode after about :30 seconds they reduce speed. When driving on the highway in the rain this is extremely dangerous and the driver has to keep switching modes over and over to get the wipers to work... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
Auto stop/start in vehicle activated at red light, vehicle engine turned off and would not restart. Vehicle kept saying shift to Park to turn on engine, vehicle was in park. Waited a few minutes at the intersection, engine finally turned over and car started. An issue had occurred multiple times before stopping at a red light, but usually it just turns off my radio or digital dash board when aut... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
Auto stop/start in vehicle activated at red light, vehicle engine turned off and would not restart. Vehicle kept saying shift to Park to turn on engine, vehicle was in park. Waited a few minutes at the intersection, engine finally turned over and car started. An issue had occurred multiple times before stopping at a red light, but usually it just turns off my radio or digital dash board when aut... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
My vehicle has a check engine light. The code indicates the issue is the fuel neck filler (part number 17660-S3VA02) which has been confirmed by my mechanic. This is a safety item due to some type of fuel leak in the filler neck area for gasoline which causes the check engine light. The part is on backorder and from my conversations with multiple dealerships, there is no estimated date of delive... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a clock spring failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
I have had the same issue 3 separate times related to the coolant system. The first time happened January 2021. I was driving on the highway and I noticed that when the car switched from electric to fuel a large plume of white smoke came out of the exhaust and then the engine overheating message started. I checked the coolant tank and it was completely empty. I managed to get some coolant in the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
I took my car in for a recall, Kia let me leave with an unsafe vehicle. Everything in the recall is happening to my car and it is extremely unsafe. These things were happening before I went in for the recall and after I left from having the recall checked. "Abnormal knocking noise from engine," "illumination of oil pressure warning light." The HEV warning light comes on and tells me to turn off m... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
On multiple occassions the speaker system has had a deafening blast of static noise that actually made my ears hurt. luckily my daughter wasn't in the car on either occassion but the sound was so loud that I actually had ringing in my ears after I figured out how to make it stop. I told ford about it but they said there's no fix and they don't know when one will be coming out. I have dash cam vide... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
On Saturday, February 4, 2023. At approximately 7am. I entered the vehicle to warm the car. (It was a cold day). I tried to exit the vehicle, but I could not exit the driver's side door. It was not opening. I tried many times via the door handle and the key fob. Neither worked. I then tried the passenger side door and that would not work as well. I tried each door several times. It looked like the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
As I depressed the start button to engage my car’s engine, the right rear passenger window spontaneously shattered. The car was parked at the time and there was no motion or contact to the window when the window shattered into multiple fragments. There was no evidence of damage to the window prior to this occurrence.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2013
Took car to dealership for a safety recall. After picking up the car the engine light was on, I immediately called them and was told to take car back. after two weeks of checking my car , they call and tell me that it's the catalyctic converter was faulty. this same dealership had fixed that catalyctic converter recall previously. now they want me to pay to have it fixed.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2013
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V093000 (Electrical System); 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 con... Read more