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: May 10, 2023
Instrument cluster returned error "warnings and information not available. Drive with greater care!" While vehicle was in motion. Issue resulted in loss of speedometer and other systeam safety features including blind spot monitoring, lane assist etc. Loss of speedometer while in motion was of the largest concern. The car produces audible alerts for errors such as low tire pressure or low wiper fl... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2023
The Power Steering Assist Fault would occasionally come on and reset itself if I turn the vehicle off then back on. Well, I was with my partner out and about and got in my vehicle, went to start and the message popped up. So I tried restarting the vehicle and it didn't work. I tried multiple times and to no prevail has it reset. Go figure it happened right after I paid the loan off. We had to wait... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2023
URGENT: MY DASH HAS MELTED ON MY-2008 LEXUS ES 350- I CANNOT SEE TO DRIVE, MY VISIBILTY IT TOTALLY OBSTRUCTED w MY 2008 LEXUS ES 350 WITH ACTUAL 35, 000 MILES, THAT I CANNOT DRIVE ((EVER)) IT SITS IN THE GARAGE. BECAUSE TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE MELTING DASH IT TOTALLY BLOCKS MY VIEW OF ANY ROAD, DUE TO SHINING REFLECTION OF MELTING DASH IS ALL YOU CAN SEE IN MY WINDSHIELD WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR TO... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2023
While driving on a relatively straight, 2-lane highway with cruise control set and no autopilot, the car started to brake suddenly and aggressively. This caused the car behind me to almost rear end my car. Luckily I was quick enough to press the accelerator to avoid the accident. This same sudden braking happened a total of 4 times within a 200 mile trip, one of which almost caused an accident.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
The wire Harness in hatch where it meets in the boot wires break from using hatch 2010 to 2020 all models and can cause camera wiper brake lights reverse lights plate lights and tail lamps and unlock and lock button not to work on hatch the wires break from normal use on all models and it can cause a spark and start a fire
Incident date: May 25, 2023
Was driving and my vehicle came up and said I had an issue with the electrical power steering assist system and was going to shut off. I was waiting at a red light the vehicle put itself in park and shut down. I restarted the vehicle and it would not move out of park or any of the windows or radio controls would function. I upon restarting four more times was able to get it back into drive and ret... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2022
While driving on a relatively straight, 2-lane highway with cruise control set and no autopilot, the car started to brake suddenly and aggressively. This caused the car behind me to almost rear end my car. Luckily I was quick enough to press the accelerator to avoid the accident. This same sudden braking happened a total of 4 times within a 200 mile trip, one of which almost caused an accident.
Incident date: May 27, 2023
Driving at 75 mph on highway, tire "exploded". Tire air pressure immediately dropped to zero, resulting in some lack of steering control. Warning message on dash appeared upon tire failure. Drove with caution lights to open gas station. A 4-inch slash was visible in the sidewall of the tire. Car was towed to dealership and tire was replaced at my expense.
Incident date: May 27, 2023
Our car’s battery ran out and left our car blocking both lanes of our traffic. We tried to shift into neutral but weren’t able to. We found an online tutorial about a panel that contains a string to pull which would enable us to shift to neutral. When we opened the panel, we found the string was missing. Upon further research, I found this was a problem with other cars as well. When we brought... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2023
This regards my 2017 Ford Focus. The car is 6 years old, I am still making payments on it, has a little over 50,000 miles on it, has been maintained by Ford every year since I bought it, and the transmission and extended warranty had just expired about 2 months ago. A few weeks ago, I'm driving down the freeway around 1pm Pacific, traveling about 60mph when the engine seemed to 'seize up', the eng... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2023
The paint on the roof right above the windshield is peeling off. I've gone online and seen pictures of other white elantras with paint peeling. I was told by Crestmont Hyundai that my car is not part of any recall. I had the car at Crestmont Hyundai on April 28 for a recall for an anti-rust undercoating and the pictures that were taken do not show any type of damage to the area.
Incident date: May 24, 2023
April 8th, 2022, we began having concerns with the safety of the vehicle when the vehicle would not turn off after pressing the off button. The speakers were intermittently working (specific zones not working and eventually all sound lost), no back up alert sounds when vehicle in reverse. After multiple attempts, the vehicle turned off. The next day we started the vehicle and it seemed as though e... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated after parking and turning off the vehicle, she saw smoke exiting from the hood. The contact stated she removed her two infants from the vehicle before locating the fire extinguisher she had available in the vehicle. The contact stated the fire extinguisher was broken but was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher that was prov... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: May 11, 2022
When using the most aggressive braking energy recovery mode in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (i-Pedal), the brake lights do not illuminate despite the aggressive nature of the braking provided by this mode. This mode brings the car to a full and complete stop and is very similar to commanded braking via the brake pedal. When using the L1-L3 braking energy recovery modes, the deceleration experienced by the... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Tie rod end snapped/car will stop out of no where
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Tie rod end snapped/car will stop out of no where
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Tie rod end snapped/car will stop out of no where
Incident date: May 13, 2023
I was driving up hill making a curve, suddenly the car went out of control slide all the way to the left. the car ended it up hitting some rocks, I was lucky that nobody got hurt, just my car was damage. I towed my car to a collision center, and I learned that THE REAR STABILIZER BRACKET WAS DAMAGE which was a recall WRD-21. this issue was address and suppostly was fixed by Subaru dealers but O... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 22, 2023
The car had been preconditioned and driven within 45 minutes of my starting a route to the gym, all surface streets/neighborhood. I was in electric mode. I came to a stop at an intersection and when the light turned green, I pulled into the intersection to turn left and the car stalled. No power, no power steering. I put it in park and tried to restart in sport (ICE) mode and nothing happenned... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
The adaptive headrest deployed while I was driving. The clips broke and it is not able to be put back.
Incident date: May 20, 2023
while driving on the highway/freeway system in the Portland Oregon area on several occasions one of which i initiated myself activated the cruise control immediately after initiating the vehicle began to increase its speed to the continuing to speeds well beyond the 100 mile per hour mark I was not able to deactivate the cruise control in the usual ways pressing the brake pedal did not work c... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Genesis GV70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V094000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while utilizing the ADAS features including the Adaptive Cruise Control, the vehicle unexpectedly braked. The contact stated that on another occasion while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. Due to the failure, the vehicle abruptly stopped and caused the contacts wife’s seat belt to retract ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Pacifica 2018 Model. The engine light started coming on. The car started shaking strongly at start but gets normal after some minutes. Took it to dealership. Dealership said same problem you are discussing. Coolant was gone. Head gasket gone. The cylinder 5 misfiring. The engine needs to be replaced. This problem is affecting just too many owners. Request Chrysler to acknowledge that it is a probl... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2023
The 2017 ford focus had a 2nd engine installed by ford dealer in April '21 at 56,000 miles due to engine malfunction and seizing. The same thing happened three weeks ago at only 38,000 miles on the new engine. The car would not accelerate then all of the lights came on and stalled. Can not drive.
Incident date: May 5, 2023
Airbag SRS system warning light. Dealership confirmed airbag inflator on driver side was faulty and airbags would not deploy if driver was in an accident.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the fan switch failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that upon research, he became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
All instrument and waning lights illuminated and the engine shut down while driving. Took to the Subaru dealer repair shop and the vehicle was diagnosed with a head gasket leak that caused oil to mix with the coolant. This is a low mileage vehicle, 67,597 miles, that has been maintained by Subaru certified mechanics.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,400.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2023
All Wheel Drive System - 3/20/23 I was on a County maintained dirt road where adjacent property owner had put fencing, tires, & other trash in the road to stop public use. As I had all wheel drive I went up on a 3' +/- side berm to get around. When the front end was approximately at the top, car started to slip & rear passenger tire "tried" to correct slip & car switched into low without my to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
There are four lights with a warning that shows up and stay on Check Brake, Power Steering, ABS and VBS Systems. These four lights occurs immediately or even occasionally delayed but they appear everytime my vehicle is running. It is the VSA System per service repair shop. This is a known problem for the Honda Civic 2013 and also Honda Accord. My concern is when these lights are present there is a... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2021
Large slide will come out from wall of coach four to six inches while parked and driving. National safety problem issued by manufacturer. Repair was done, lasted five months then reoccurred. Trying to get fixed again. Out of service total of six months and counting. Dealer and manufacturer know no recourse will be taken. Filed CAP RV told not eligible due to being second owner. Problem was not di... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
The vehicle constantly shuts off when idle or at times when in motion. The automatic emergency braking (AEB) system warning light turns on as well as the slip indicator. When it finally turns back on after placing it in park and stepping on the brake, the engine barely accelerates. The RPMs drop and then surges to compensate about every 30 seconds. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer on sever... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Within 1 mile of having windshield replaced the mirror broke free falling down completely distracted the driver, tried to grab mirror did not see the car ahead applied his brakes the forward collision warning and the automatic emergency braking did not warn of the danger or avoid it . the driver applied the brakes but not soon to avoid the accident
Crash
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that the electrical system failed intermittently. The contact stated that the failure caused the HVAC system to fail, causing the defroster to become inoperable. Additionally, the lights on the instrument panel failed to illuminate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not m... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
I am writing to file a complaint against Lexus Corporation regarding a significant safety issue with my vehicle. Despite NHTSA’s recall notice for defective engine valve springs installed in certain 2008 GS350 vehicles with a specified range of VIN numbers that includes my vehicle’s, Lexus still persevered my car is not applicable for the recall and refused to cover the necessary repair costs ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
After a full service of the truck in July 2022 with approximately 90,000 miles (including oil change, tire rotation, transfer case fluid exchange, front and rear differential service, coolant system flush and refill, front and rear brake pads and resurface of rotors, and transmission fluid flush and refill), the truck began jerking and stuttering (like rolling over rumble strips) in October 2022. ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
Fuel saving start/stop feature induced function. Oct 2022-- Vehicle stopped on slightly upward slope. Engine turned off automatically (start/stop). Driver removed foot from brake and placed on accelerator. Accelerator push resulted in engine stall out. Car had to be cycled through multiple shut downs and gear shifts before being able to move. This was in a neighborhood fortunately. Vehicle submitt... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
Fuel saving start/stop feature induced function. Oct 2022-- Vehicle stopped on slightly upward slope. Engine turned off automatically (start/stop). Driver removed foot from brake and placed on accelerator. Accelerator push resulted in engine stall out. Car had to be cycled through multiple shut downs and gear shifts before being able to move. This was in a neighborhood fortunately. Vehicle submitt... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
Vehicle would not go in park only drive and neutral.
Incident date: May 20, 2023
MY CAR HAS 16500 MILES AND THE PANAROMIC ROOF DRAINS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND WATER LEAKED INTO THE BACK OF CAR. I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS WATER IN THE CAR UNTIL I LOOKED INTO THE SPARE TIRE COMPARTMENT WHICH HAD QUITE A BIT OF WATER IN IT. THEN I SAW THAT THE HEADLINER WAS STAINED IN THE REAR OF THE CAR. THIS IS A HAZZARD BECAUSE THERE ARE WIRES IN THE WELL FOR THE STEREO SYSTEM AND COUL... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2023
Head gasket issue with coolant getting in the engine. Recommendation from Ford is to basically replace the engine/block, etc estimating $7900 is repairs. Service bulletin 22-2229 exists but Ford will not provide any financial assistance as the vehicle is at 91k miles with a 60K warranty.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
On my way to drop my child off at school, I stopped to refuel my Audi Q7. Upon inserting the nozzle to refuel the car, gasoline immediately began jetting out of the fuel door before the auto-shutoff kicked in, covering myself as well as my vehicle. Thankfully, the hot exhaust did not ignite the liquid or fuel vapor potentially causing a deadly fire. Despite having no fuel remaining, I was able t... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated the vehicle needed to be taken to an authorized... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2023
The car's engine oil indicator does not turn on. I noticed a drag in the engine while driving, checked the oil and it was really low. I got an oil change. I noticed it again and this time there was no oil left in the engine. No light had gone on at all. It has been only less than 3 months since the oil was changed, I added oil and called hyundai. It has been nearly impossible to get my car looked ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 21, 2023
The steering wheel sticks around the center point when left still for a few seconds. This leads to resistance in the steering when trying to make adjustments after driving straight. I am open to having the issue inspected. The main issue this leads to is oversteering, which is a serious safety concern especially when I am driving at higher speeds on the road. Greater force is needed to make adju... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2023
We were on a drive back from Nashville like normal. My mom had picked me up from work at around 07:15. The car started making strange sounds as we were driving down the highway. It started yelling at us to pull over to a safe spot and slowing down. All of the lights had come on flashing at this time. It didn’t even make it to the shoulder; We made a stop on the triangle area for when cars come i... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 14, 2023
Rear view camera is no longer functioning properly.