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: Apr 21, 2022
Low beam light is dim.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
A very long menu with text is shown in the cluster instrument and is not limited to less text while driving. This menu is in the settings and about function and it lists 30-40 pages of legal and policy terms that can be read while driving and can distract the driver. This menu should show limited text while driving to avoid driver distraction. I brought this up with the manufacturer and got the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
power steering stopped working, making the steering wheel too hard to turn.
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
The contact’s daughter owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally while turning to the left or the right. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while making a left or a right turn, the steering wheel seized and required an aggressive turn of the steering wheel in the opposite direction to keep the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
At around 85k miles the vehicle began developing a loud tick. It appears every vehicle with this motor or similar motor with the same internal Valve Rocker Arms have this problem. This Jeep problem is so bad that the parts are on a 2 month back order and every dealer admits they have a problem. The repair isn't cheap and entails the entire top of the motor to be exposed and virtually rebuilt. For ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
I just bought the vehicle in the summer of 2022 and the truck started to shudder so I took it to see if the tired were out of balance and they told me it sounded like a transmission issue. I took it to Lynchburg Transmission and they said after they ran their diagnostics test the transmission is shot and I need a new one. The vehicle only has 103,000 miles and should not need a new transmission on... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
1. Initial Symptom: Strong fuel smell in passenger compartment and trunk. Investigation by Maserati specialist: fuel leaking from top plastic component of fuel pump, fuel stains down side of metal fuel tank, accumulation of fuel in trunk spare tire compartment below fuel tank. 2. Temporary Repair: Plastic fuel pump component was re-bonded using Locktite 406 as recommended by Locktite corporat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where the warning light was reset; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the reductant heater had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact became aware that the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
It was time to replace my original equipment tires after approximately 30,000 miles (41,622 car miles, remainder 11,622 on separate snow tires). The car rode smoothly. I purchased four YOKOHAMA AVID Ascend LX SIZE 195/65R15 tires. The tires were balanced professionally at VIP Tires in Watertown, MA. Since the original tires had a little bit of uneven wear, I also had the car aligned at the same ti... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
AFTER 2 RECALLS AND POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE UPDATES, THE SUDDEN DOWNSHIFT PROBLEMS PERSIST. I QUESTION THAT A SOFTWARE UPDATE CAN BE A FULL REPAIR IF THE SOURCE IS THE SPEED SENSOR IN THE TRANSMISSION (THIS HAS BEEN LABELED AS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BY FORD). THE NTHSA HAS SAID THEY ARE SATISFIED WITH THE REPAIR, IS THIS BECAUSE THE "REPAIR" PREVENTS CRASHES AND INJURY EVEN THOUGH IT DOES NOT... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The contact owned a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, he depressed the brake pedal to make a right turn when the vehicle failed to respond. The contact applied pressure to the brake pedal and pumped the brake pedal several times to slow the vehicle with no success. As a result, the vehicle skipped a bridge and then crashed into a building. The air bag... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving at night she was unable to see the roadway due to the headlights not providing adequate illumination. The contact stated the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she used the high-beam headlights to continue driving. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that no failure was fou... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2023
I was traveling on I 95 at around 55 to 60 mph when all of a sudden, the plastic trim on the side of the windshield the passenger side flew off cracked and started dangling over my passenger side window and mirror. The piece blocked my view of my mirror while I was traveling in the left lane approaching a left exit. I had to pull to the left shoulder because I was blinded by the piece on my right ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
The V6 version is under recall. However, this vehicle should be as well. The car fails to accelerate. My car was at the Honda Dealership for over ten days. I came in because my car was unexpectedly unable to accelerate. Honda advised me there wasn't a code but I needed a new battery and other maintenance. I picked up my car, and within 1 mile, I could not accelerate when exiting and was nearly in ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
I own a 2009 Toyota Camry with VIN [XXX]. The dashboard is hazardous i.e. sticky and shiny which makes it hard for me to see through the windshield going toward sunset or the sun is over the dashboard. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident date: May 1, 2020
Driving home the car said 26 miles to E. while in gear going down the road it popped engine system malfunction and the whole car shut off and wouldn't start. Didn't drive the vehicle for 2 days- filled the gas tank and it drove fine for 5 days. Day 6- 4/8/2023, fine driving down the highway 45 minutes. Go down about a mile and it still doesn't seem right, I move lanes and the thermostat light star... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
ABS system lights flashing, and other alarms show up. Have been told by the dealer the ABS system will not work when lights are flashing, but standard braking will work. This affects the cruise control system and trailer brakes will not work when the system is flashing. Can not use this vehicle to pull my trailer. This is a true safety issue and is causing a loss of revenue. To just tell the publi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Both passenger and driver doors leak water onto floor while using the car wash. The dealership has replaced the door moldings but it still leaks.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
I was driving 40 mph, when warnings appeared on my dash. "Service Stabalizor control", "Traction control turned off", "power is reduced", and the check engine light came on. I lost power as if engine quit, no acceration, but then came back intermittent. If I had been on a highway going 65 mph, in heavy traffic, there may have been an accident. Power steering remained on. I took to an auto service ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
Not necessarily a failure or malfunction. When making right/left turns vehicle will accelerate for apparently no reason. Each time entering a parking lot or making a standard right/left turn. Each time this has happened during this acceleration it has almost caused a vehicle crash with another car in front or in another incident almost hit pedestrian. Found that the Rocker switch for Cruise co... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the seat belt alarm for the front driver’s and front passenger’s side seat belts failed to notify the driver whenever the seats were occupied but the seat belts were not buckled. The symbol showing that the seat belts needed to be buckled was displayed; however, the warning chime failed to sound as designed. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving 63 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that no failure was found. The dealer suggested that the power steering control module software be updated. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
On March 26,2023 my house was total loss due to the 2010 BMW X6 was caught on fire inside the garage. The vehicle has 79xxx mileage and all recall has been check. My two dogs save my life but I did not save them. The dogs was barking while I was in the master bedroom talking to my daughter. As soon I walk to the kitchen I hear crackling, popping noises, and smoke coming from living room. I open t... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
I was driving 40 mph, when warnings appeared on my dash. "Service Stabalizor control", "Traction control turned off", "power is reduced", and the check engine light came on. I lost power as if engine quit, no acceration, but then came back intermittent. If I had been on a highway going 65 mph, in heavy traffic, there may have been an accident. Power steering remained on. I took to an auto service ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the windshield wipers operated independently and continuously. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with an unknown part needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer notified the contact that the vehicle was not included in an open recall. The failure mileage was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
It appears that BMW may be hiding a fact from customers and victims and refuses to issue a class action or address concerns for cars older than 2015. BMW NA’s negligence has caused too many hardships for many people and today is the day they need to stop; this company needs to be held responsible for its actions and stop blaming the consumer. As a result, you have been impacted by this issue w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Engine shut off and wouldn’t start up again
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (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. The contact had not experienced... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
This appears to be a known problem in these but my vehicle was built AFTER the period Chrysler acknowledged a problem for. My van was built in June 2017 whereas the settlement states vehicles built until January of 2017. I paid $400 to have the dealer replace the lock actuator in the passenger sliding door in July 2021. The door would not lock or unlock without manually moving the switch. Since ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
This appears to be a known problem in these but my vehicle was built AFTER the period Chrysler acknowledged a problem for. My van was built in June 2017 whereas the settlement states vehicles built until January of 2017. I paid $400 to have the dealer replace the lock actuator in the passenger sliding door in July 2021. The door would not lock or unlock without manually moving the switch. Since ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2022
There was not an incident. But the vehicle is not so safe. The driver needs to move eyes from the road for many normal functions like wipers, horn, high beam. In addition, using the phone is dangerous because all the information is displayed on the main screen and requires the driver to look away an select options. This should be displayed in the dash board behind the steering wheel (like it w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
rear control arm rusted , broke off
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
My wife and I own a 2013 Ford Escape SE that developed a "Steering Assist Failure" error message on the dashboard. This failure causes the power steering to drop and the steering wheel has to be manually turned. When she drove it, she didn''t know what to do, so she drove it a few blocks to our house and told me about what happened. When I drove it and that happened to me, I put the vehicle back i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Condensation build up in tail lights in which causes other drivers not to visibly see when braking during the day.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
1. Rear passenger door not locking 2. While driving (5mph) car engine turned off
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 16, 2023
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The virtual cockpit (dashboard) went completely black except for an exclamation point. Speed, warning symbols, engine temp etc were not visible. Dealers has confirmed the issue and is currently trying to remedy the situation. The danger was not knowing how fast I was traveling.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2020
Highway driving assistant will bias vehicle to the right side even when passing on left on multi lane freeway. Creates a close encounter with vehicles in right lane as there is no distance between mirrors and results in side collision with no alert. Lane keep will erratically pull the steering wheel from your hands when lines on right or left disappear e.g. ramps on freeways. Can result in a crash... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
I bought my 2012 chevy equinox Lt 2.4L because I owed one just like it but a deer totaled it at only 10 mph! It been nothing but issues since I purchased it drove it off the lot the check engine light comes on and then I go to get it checked and it states that I have a permanent catylic converter code that no one can fix except gmc! When I idle at a stop for longer than 1 min it starts stuttering ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
Car cuts off when idling. I took it to the mechanic several times and they produced the issue once but could not diagnose and would give it back to me at no charge. When it cuts off the RPMs will sometimes stay at 0 even when I start the car again. Sometimes the check engine light will come on along with the traction light. Mechanic said it shows catalytic codes but said nothing is wrong with cata... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Drivers seat back rest air bag randomly deployed when I was in park, in my driveway taking my seat belt. Bruised my arm/ side of body pretty good. I had no idea how that could happen however, I connected my scanner tool to the car and come to find out I had 7 air bag/srs codes. After that happened all of my seat belts locked up, and per the scanner, it says a few other air bags have deployed but ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Front suspension steering damper defect
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
When in park and I shift the transmission into Reverse, the force engaging the gear bangs and shakes the vehicle. The transmission is not regulating the power. The vehicle is available for inspection. I took the vehicle in to the dealer service and they were able to reproduce it. They claim that there is a bulletin from GM motors and this is considered normal. The bang is hard and shakes the veh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
Pillar Trim piece next to windshield on the passenger side flew off my car while driving the speed limit of 70 MPH on I-95 in Florida. The part flew off and hit the trailer of a tractor trailer in the neighboring lane. No one was hurt, but it's ridiculous that a trim piece that displayed no signs of damage would just fly off of the vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
While stopped at a traffic light, the drivers side front headrest exploded forward hitting my wife in the back of the head. Upon inspection, I noticed part of the plastic hinge inside the headrest had broken or sheared off. Although it did not appear to have caused her personal injury, had this occurred while driving it very well could have caused an accident, due to the impact and loud noise.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the age of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
While going over speed bump, left Rear trailing arm broke off. Large amount of rust was noted to frame. Our CRV had to be towed to our local Honda dealer. There is a current recall for this same issue on vehicle years 2007-2011 but none to cover our 2012 CRV.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
Extremely loud popping and then static noise from speakers. Loud enough to cause ear pain. Has happened twice to date.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
Extremely loud popping and then static noise from speakers. Loud enough to cause ear pain. Has happened twice to date.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
The sensors will go off for a collision when no cars are around. The automatic emergency break will break when not close to any cars.