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: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that water was leaking from the bottom of the front driver’s and passenger side doors. Additionally, the seat belt warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not und... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The wiper system when turned to the standard or fast wiping position during any rainfall condition will slowing reduce its speed in less than a minute to the slowest speed for both positions and stay at that speed regardless of rainfall conditions. Even in normal rainfall conditions this has caused serious responses because of the delay with wiper returning to clear water from window. Whether you... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distrib... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I have owned this Subaru since September of 2019 and within the first year of buying it, while on a roadtrip with 3 other passengers who saw it happen, the windshield just split in the lower left side. there were no cars around to kick up rocks or debris so it seemed very odd. over time it spread and we inevitably had to replace it because the crack had gone across the entirety of the windshield. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I am having issues with my touch screen. My screen will go black every other week, for about a day and the the SNYC will update. This time, it’s been over a week, and the screen is still black. I have tried changing fuses to no avail. Also, the rear camera does not work. Along with the blind spot warning or the rear cross traffic warning. How should I proceed? I believe it may be a faulty chip i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Automatic safety notification censoring system for the brakes engaged when a stop was not applicable or necessary causing the car to brake on its own in traffic. Luckily no one else was on the road.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
Went on a 3,000 miles road trip and recorded countless bugs and safety issues. To keep this short and sweet because I’m pretty sure I’ve already broken the world record for DOT reports on a car without any intervention here’s some bullet points. 1. Car is falling extremely short of claimed mileage range. 2. Car refuses to charge or charges slow. 3. GPS is constantly wrong and sending me down... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
Went on a 3,000 miles road trip and recorded countless bugs and safety issues. To keep this short and sweet because I’m pretty sure I’ve already broken the world record for DOT reports on a car without any intervention here’s some bullet points. 1. Car is falling extremely short of claimed mileage range. 2. Car refuses to charge or charges slow. 3. GPS is constantly wrong and sending me down... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
After ota software update, the vehicles braking systems (abs, traction control) and driver assistance systems(lane assistance, adaptive cruise control, one pedal driving mode) no longer functioned normally. The vehicle displayed warning information that read “stop safely, brake failure”; on the instrument cluster. This put my family and others at risk by changing the cars behavior by no ... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
An accident has not occurred yet, but it something I'm concerned deeply about. Awhile back there was a recall on the instrument cluster of the gmc Sierra 1500 (possibly othets on the list, im sure). I did wind up having the cluster replaced, there didn't seem to be any issues at the time. Now...the replacement cluster has gone haywire. I notice no issues with operations at this time. But the clust... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
I bought the car 6/23/21 and since then The electrical power steering system light indicates a malfunction , I had it serviced three times and so far the warning sign still goes on, I called Toyota and they can't help me, I do not want to wait for an accident to happen before it is taken care of.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
Can't use turn signals and can't lower windows to use hand signals, almost got rear ended.
Incident date: May 24, 2023
My 2019 Ram truck has less than 41,900 miles on it.I drove it Thursday morning, but then was stranded.The vehicle wouldn’t unlock, lock, or start. Upon entering using the manual key, the vehicle wouldn’t recognize my key fob. My second key fob would not work either. I called a locksmith to see if he could reset the computer, but he couldn’t. So I called a tow truck. After giving them $100, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
I have had the vehicle for 1 year and 6 months. I have had to put coolant in it 5 times, about once a month. It has been tested 3 times for a leak and there isn’t one. The dealership just keeps telling me it’s a problem with all of them and there is not fix. They won’t even try. No recalls on it, and I just ran out do warranty.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
While driving on autopilot, adaptive cruise control essentially, on a 300 mile trip last week the car had several, I think 5 total, instances of phantom braking. These occurrences happen in random situations, no consistent factors that seem to indicate what triggers it. It is often not only startling, but scary since it is almost always in a high speed situation with traffic. These events have h... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2023
I want to apologize for the lengthy description but I feel this is quite possibly the most critical area to not be vague in. **This problem occurs every time, NOT an intermittent condition.** REAR SEAT/CENTER SEAT BELT RETRACTOR; will not extend out from the retractor. The belt is locked in the fully retracted (unoccupied) position. The vehicle can be on a flat surface, an incline, or a declined... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
The rear glass busted after being inside the carport. Shattered. You could hear the glass sizzling when I found it. I have images of this. My concern is what this would have happened had my kids been in the car and the vehicle in motion.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
On the last week of May, my car started experiencing sputtering and stalling out problems. I made an appointment at Mazda dealership for june 6th.meantime my husband checked all fluids and coolant was low so we topped up. Car was being driven very limited due to safety concerns. Then While driving on the freeway my car displayed a “excessive engine temperature, engine output will be limited” i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
My vehicle has been in 3 accidents. Being rear-ended at 70MPH, again six months later at 60MPH, then the forward vehicle slammed their brakes, and I hit them at around 30MPH. In any of these accidents, NONE of my airbags deployed.
Crash
Incident date: May 30, 2023
I have been the only driver/owner since May of 2020. Vehicle has not been in any type of accident. 2020 Ford Escape has approximately 18,000 miles. I did purchase (bumper to bumper) warranty. Vehicle is scheduled for service on July 10, 2023. Ford dealerships are understaffed and can only service vehicles on urgency of issue or issues. July date was soonest and was from the 3rd Ford dealership I ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
Hi , My wife and I purchased a 2021 Venture Stratus in December 2020 from Stoltfus RV located at 1335 Wilmington PikeWest Chester, PA 19382. Since our purchase, we have traveled from our home in Wilmington, De. to Cave Creek, Az 3 times (and return),Wilmington, De. to Mebane, N.C. 2 times (and return) and Wilmington , De. to Cincinnati, Ohio once (and return). The total number of miles traveled is... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming one quart of oil per day. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change and the mechanic determined that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, there was as abnormal humming noise detected. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) 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 a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally as if there was a blowout of one of the rear tires. The contact released the accelerator pedal and noticed there was no blowout. The contact then depressed the accelerator pedal and the shaking returned. The Engine Power Reduced message was displayed before the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally as if there was a blowout of one of the rear tires. The contact released the accelerator pedal and noticed there was no blowout. The contact then depressed the accelerator pedal and the shaking returned. The Engine Power Reduced message was displayed before the ... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ural Gear-Up Motorcycle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V507000 (Wheels) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact was informed that the parts were ordered. 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 cont... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
Hello, The ABS and Traction Control lights of my car came on a few weeks ago. I took it to the dealer and they did a diagnostics and they said it is a faulty/bad ABS (VSA) module (computer). Thee car has fairly low mileage and I did not expect the car to have any serious safety issue at around 65000 miles. The dealer told me the part costs about $1500 and the labor is $600. It is too much for me ... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
Hello, The ABS and Traction Control lights of my car came on a few weeks ago. I took it to the dealer and they did a diagnostics and they said it is a faulty/bad ABS (VSA) module (computer). Thee car has fairly low mileage and I did not expect the car to have any serious safety issue at around 65000 miles. The dealer told me the part costs about $1500 and the labor is $600. It is too much for me ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Suddenly Warning lights illuminate- Brake Booster Faulty, Start Error, ABS. Brakes then feel spongy, jerky hard to slow down and stop safely. Vehicle then needs to be towed to dealership for repair - vacum sensor C10A301 replaced. This has happened three times 4/22/21, 8/5/21 and 6/7/23. Dealership claims to need the part for refund from VW for warranty repair. This is a dangerous situation and ne... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
While the phone connects to android auto, the system will treat the music as a phone call and reduces the A/C to account for the possible noise on a phone call from the system. The vehicle is in Arizona, and this is a problem that you want to avoid. The A/C system will only resume when phones are disconnected from the truck. The issue happens when phones are connected via Bluetooth or a cord in th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
Thermo control valve needed replaced. Check engine light and all safety lights turned on. All safety features were disabled when light came on. Subaru has has a recall on 2019 but not 2020 .
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The touch-screen display, sometimes called the infotainment center, is blank and does not turn on. This prevents me from using any of the cars cameras to monitor for collision purposes. Dealership has no idea what the problem is.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
After driving this vehicle for 50,000 miles, the car began to stop in the middle of the road, causing a hazard to the driver and the other people driving on the road. Trying to get it started again took some time and the driver was in the way of moving vehicles, but unable to get the car started. When I took it in to the dealership I bought it from, they said the issue was oil consumption and that... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2023
Engine keeps failing and dings while driving non-stop. Causes the vehicle to think there is another vehicle near me and activates the emergency braking in the middle of the highway almost causing me to crash. I have taken the vehicle to dealer and told it is fixed about 8 times now
Crash
5 injured
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
While in the process of slowing down, especially through roundabouts, the car braking systems seem to fail for a few seconds and actually surge/accelerate forward. It is sporadic but has happened to me more than 10 times in the last 6 month but I worry that it will jet forward into another car. I have notified my Dealer Ed Martin of Noblesville and they have stated this is the hybrid braking ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
Back March 2023 making a stop traffic the truck engine started stalling and lost power then suddenly accelerated. The same exact thing happens on 6/5/23. This vehicle has a recall for fuel starvation but nothing isn’t fixed - no remedy is offered- I don understand why a safety recall is issued my life is in danger along with any occupant passengers . If vehicle has a safety recall is for a r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2022
The Honda 2023 CRV Hybrid Sport experiences significant hood flexing / movement at high speeds, giving the indicator that the hood may suddenly open while driving (should the latch break). This happens ALWAYS at speeds of 60mph+ or during high wind circumstances and the movement gets far worse the higher in speed or the higher the wind conditions. The hood is confirmed closed each time before it... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
All electrical systems proceeded to malfunction with the check engine and driver safety system warnings blaring. Vehicle proceeded to accelerate from 10-40 mph on its own for approximately 400 meters on the freeway. Vehicle brake and acceleration system did not respond to any driver input for approximately the entire length. Vehicle then proceeded to respond normally temporarily allowing us to pul... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he depressed the accelerator pedal while shifted into reverse to exit his driveway and the steering wheel seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact stated that the “electric power steering assist failure” message was displayed. The contact then stated that he inspected underneath the hood of t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while at a stop light, she attempted to drive however, the vehicle failed to exceed 25 MPH. The HC battery, ECU, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle displayed DTC code: P3190 (Engine Failure). The vehicle was towed to the local deal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The active headrest on the driver seat, sprang open with a loud pop, hitting me in the back of the head while I was driving. I have heard of many other drivers having the same problem. There was no accident. There was no collision. Or was no warning. I have not taken this in to get fixed yet. People online are saying it costs up to $750 to get fixed. It is uncomfortable to drive the car with the h... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
Frame of my vehicle is rotting away causing to fail inspection. Just finding out that Toyota did a recall on one of there pick up models replacing their frame due rotting frames that may be a safety factor if it gets into an accident. Does Chevy Colorado have a recall as such? Just had my frame recently welded on a piece of heavy metal to reinforce my frame in order to pass a safety inspection
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
There seems to be an oil issue. I can’t find where it’s leaking but it is dropping off the bottom of the oil pump housing.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
MCU1 FSD beta still not working and nothing has been addressed from Tesla. Tesla states we will MCU1 will be supported for fsd.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
Steering. The steering would go out. Turning was very hard to do. Had the problem fixed at Ford deelership There was no warning to when this would happen. My car had under27,000 miles on it. This should not have happened with this few miles on my car.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
There have been four incidences (11/21, 10/22 (2x), 5/23) where my vehicle has completely stopped running while I am driving. The dash lights come on, it says to service ESC, it will say to put vehicle in park (even if I have done so already), it says I have low fuel (even with a full tank) and I lose power steering. This has happened when driving on city roads and at high speed on the freeway (... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
I have been experiencing intermittent Hard shifting and lurching forward while my vehicle shifts.upshifting and downshifting are both a problem while vehicle is cold and also when warmed up. Other times it feels like it goes into neutral right before shifting and then all of a sudden slams into gear. These problems began since I bought the vehicle brand new on March 14, 2023. I have been to the de... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
A severe rain down pour started, I turned on my front windshield wipers, and they swiped about twice, than stopped completely, in a vertical position. I could not see, and had to try to get to the side of the road, to pull over to safety. This was extremely dangerous, and from what I am reading, happens frequently to GMC Terrains. Apparently, there was a recall for 2013-2015, seems the 2016 ne... Read more