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: Jan 11, 2023
The passenger roof "A" pillar (lower half) blew off the vehicle at about 70 MPH. The pillar was not damaged prior to the failure and was not vibrating or making noise prior to suddenly blowing off.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Mercury Milan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) and 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
On 1 30-30 2023 my vehicle spun a rod bearing no engine light came on no oil light alert. I have a lifetime warranty & I'm just learning of a recall NHTSA SAFETY ID# 21V331000, to which I did not receive any notifications or recall notices
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Accord. The contact stated that an abnormal, rattling noise was coming from the rear end of the vehicle while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. Over time, the failure worsened with an abnormal, screeching sound coming from the brake pedal. Additionally, there were several brake-re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was intermittently decelerating and was unable to accelerate to exceed 42 MPH, despite depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made awar... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
Left sliding door actuator frozen. Unable to exit car if there is an emergency.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
Was driver the car at 35 mph when the automated emergency breaks activated and made the car into a full stop. No cars or anyone was in front of the car. This happed again two days later doing about 30mph with no one around the car. Car had proximity 3000 miles My heads-up display stopped working on the car twice. First time it stopped the dealer had to order a new one and replace it. Same p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle would not exceed 20 MPH and the gear shift indicator light had failed to indicate the selected gear. Additionally, the vehicle would jerk and downshift unintendedly while driving.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2023
Purchased vehicle as second owner with 20k miles. Vehicle can go on FIRE. UNFIXABLE. Fuel rail leaking gas. Part recalled in 2002. No part in US OR CANADA.CANNOT PASS INSPECTION Electrical system goes crazy, dials hi to low Shifts out of gear UNDERCARRIAGE ROT THROUGH TO BRAKE, BUSHELS AND BARING PROBLEMS. ENGINE LIGHT ALWAYS ON LARGE EVAP LEAK, SM EVAP LEAK- WONT PASS INSPECTION. LEFT AT MECHAN... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure occurred while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling. The contact also stated that the vehicle would also rev up while idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the trunk latch unlatched independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact parked at a nearby parking lot and closed the trunk door. The contact stated that she had experienced the failure twice. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
I'm still having problems with the engine after replacing it. Have had 1 fender bender, which cost me a lot of money. When it was replaced, I don't believe Kia paid for towing or car rental nor fix the other recall with the brakes. I also get a shock nearly every time I get out of the vehicle. Now facing the problem again after the engine replaced will now be the 3rd time my car needs repair due ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
Thermo Control Valve went bad only after 4 years of owning a car. I do mostly highway driving put very little stress on the car. I think thermo Control Valve going bad just within 4 year. I suspect the parts to be faulty and it has some design flaw.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2023
Sudden engine failure at 120, 500 miles no warning signs on 2/7/2023
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
Onstar(R) vcim draining my battery, it’s not my battery or alternator and already replaced connections too. I have a recall sample that was sent out 04/15/2013 Bulletin no 11-08-44-003A
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
Front Passenger side Head Rest broke apart, looks like a plastic piece or lock mechanism broke on the headrest causing it to break apart and I cannot push it back together and re-lock it. This happened while driving down the road with no external factors at play.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owned a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated there was play in the steering wheel while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown repair was completed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made abnormal sounds while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the engine oil. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
This vehicle has 17,000 miles and has developed a very scary vibration that starts at 50mph. The vehicle is very unsafe and cannot be taken down the road. Nobody should be driving it! Local ford was called and really don't care and booked my vehicle 6 weeks out from when I called. I have had many problems with this vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 5, 2023
I experienced the Jeep Death Wobble on 5 occasions. All five happened at 60 mph or above. The car would suddenly shake violently and felt like it was falling apart. I feared i couldn't steer it, which I had a hard time doing, until i calmed down and started braking. When i got to a slower speed it went back to normal. The front track bar was replaced and an alignment was needed again at 12,000 mil... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
Powertrain - The transmission when coming to a stop lurches the vehicle forward. Along with the lurching forward when slowing down it makes a loud clunk noise and makes the car and my person move forward. Propulsion - When turning into traffic the car sometimes has no power and takes about 3 seconds to get power back to the vehicle, almost causing accident.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
One day it just quit working. Along with the lock making a loud noise. Now I can’t get my kids out in the case of an emergency. This needs to be fixed asap.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
On December 16, 2022, the alternator on the vehicle failed, which prevented the battery from charging. Luckily, I had just parked the car when all the electronics shut off - otherwise I would have been driving on a busy street with the potential for an accident. The vehicle was towed that day to White Allen European Auto Group in Dayton and is still there and available for inspection. Today is ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
Rear left sub frame is found to be broken due to corrosion and rust. Right side is near to be broken. Driving under such condition is very dangerous.
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
The electrical component of the car does not turn off when the vehicle is in park and the push button disengaged. Drains battery and leaves me stranded. Can’t lock doors to prevent unwanted entry once this happens as everything is battery powered.
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
“Engine power reduce” error on dash as well as check engine light. Driving on highway at fast speeds when this message displayed and my cars mph dropped to 30mph. I’ve had this issue fixed once already with the dealership and it turned out to be the sensor throttle or something with the pedal. Yet, 5 months later, I am having the SAME problem. This is very unsafe
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
Per high temperature 90 or more degrees windshield got broken. No explanation and rare this is not normal if the quality of front windshield (cristal ) is a good quality. I reported Honda and no response. Manufacturer should investigate as is a safety problem.
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
Infotaiment system goes to a blank screen periodicaly. Sound frm radio works but screen is balnk, no way to reset. Wifi updates are up to date. Whenthis happens it disables the eye sight camera causes a safety concern with automatic branking/collision. When the car sits overnight, then the next day it seems to go back to normal. This has happened 4 times already in the 2 months I have oened this v... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
My windshield wipers just slow and go into intermittent all on there own when it’s still pouring outside. No warning lights come on. Pouring down rain, I turn them on, they work fine for a few minutes then stop to a 3-5 second intermittent speed. I have to keep turning off and on to get them to work. Very scary while driving. Significant reduction in visibility. Needs to be addressed. Happens a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
** NOTE: THIS COMPLAINT HAS BEEN CORRECTED! FORD AND DEALER REPLACED WIPER MOTOR AND ISSUE IS RESOLVED. THIS WAS REPORTED TO NHTSA FOR UPDATE PURPOSES" . . . NHTSA ID Number: 11498595 Incident Date December 22, 2022 Consumer Location ROME, NY Vehicle Identification Number 1FMDE5BH4NL**** Summary of Complaint The wipers will slow down when operating at low, high, or intermittent. Ford claims ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
This issue involves our headlights or lack of lights. Driving the car at night on a dark expressway revealed a frightening issue. Our dim lights were so weak we couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us. We had to use our brights the entire way and took the car to be checked a few days later. We then found out Cadillac had settled a lawsuit regarding faulty lights with SRX models through 2015. They... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
Body: windshield Trim detached last year and flew off at highway speeds. Didn’t cause damage to my own vehicle but could have bounced off someone else’s. Drivetrain: non serviceable (unable to do a fluid change) on my power train unit. Due to this it started leaking at the front seal and others reported failure during driving. The fix would be to add a drain plug and make it a serviceable un... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2023
Driving in traffic, slowed to a stop for red light and dash lights came on. Vehicle would appear to start, but transmission would not engage (gear selector light would blink, instead of being a solid light). If I let off the brakes with the car in drive, the vehicle would roll backwards (as if in neutral). After several minutes of pressing start/stop button, the vehicle eventually started and wen... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Car slows down to a stop when driving on the freeway. With no power to accelerate, it makes it hard to get to the side of the road to be towed. Been to the dealer twice to address the problem, and was told that if I don't pay $200, that there is nothing they can do. Then when I did pay the money for evaluation, they told me the problem could be one of several things that would start the never-endi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that he had to manually hold the high-beam headlights switch with his left hand while driving for the high-beam headlights to operate as needed. The contact stated that the high-beam headlights would deactivate and not operate as needed without the switch being held. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact too... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
I experienced 2 incidences of sudden unexpected acceleration (SUA), the second one led to an explosive collision. Subaru asked that I sign the EDR release but refused to give me (rightful owner) a copy. With significant effort I obtained a copy of the EDR for myself. It is near impossible for the consumer to obtain their rightful copy, significant because it stinks of poor transparency for Subaru ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was hesitating. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated at a slower-than-normal speed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
The transmission in the car is not functioning properly. Shifting is not happening correctly and there is slippage. The shift between gears is significantly impacting the car while in motion. The lurch between gears skips the car ahead. Further, Ford Dealers are so backlogged with transmission issues that they are refusing to diagnose and service vehicles due to lack of technicians and parts.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving in stop-and-go traffic, the clutch plate overheated. The clutch hot, fully release clutch and reduce clutch use message was displayed. There was a strong burning odor detected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a clutch replacement was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
FRONT WHEEL BEARING DRIVER SIDE STARTED FAILING (BUT I DID NOT KNOW IT) SHORTLY AFTER 5OK MILES. HAD IT REPLACED WHEN NOISE BECAME VERY PRONOUNCED AT 56K MILES. DEALER HAS NOT CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER DEALER’S PARTS MAN RECOGNIZED THE PART NUMBER BY SITE, AND HINTED THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT UNCOMMON, ALTHOUGH USUALLY AT HIGHER MILEAGE. DEALER WAS (AND STILL IS) UNABLE TO OBTAIN THE REP... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
My vehicle shakes during shifts or has extremely hard shifts regardless of acceleration demands. I have also had the vehicle completely drop out of gear during both acceleration and with the cruse control set. I have had the vehicle either lock into to high of a gear or refuse to engage into gear while stopped and stop signs and red lights. I have had both the ECU and TCU reflashed multiple times ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V635000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
STEERING WHEEL TURNS AUTOMATICLLY TO THE RIGHT WHEN STARING VEHICLE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HORNE FORD OF NOGALES THEY FOLLOWED SERVICE PROCEDURE AS PER WORKSHOP MANUAL FOUND AND DETERMINED ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN (FAILED) THEY RECOMMENDED REPAIRS: ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY. I HAVE A REPAIR ESTIMATE A COST OF 2,827.00
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
When driving a faster speeds if I hit a bump my car starts shaking rapidly feeling like my tires are gonna fall off and doesn’t stop until I pull over, took it to the dealer while under warranty and they told me there was nothing they could do about it or find the issue
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
When driving a faster speeds if I hit a bump my car starts shaking rapidly feeling like my tires are gonna fall off and doesn’t stop until I pull over, took it to the dealer while under warranty and they told me there was nothing they could do about it or find the issue
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
I was driving to a job sight from Houston to Corpus Christi. About 10 min from the job sight I here a loud pop on top of my roof. I opened up my sunroof viser to see what had happened. The glass broke. Nothing hit the glass. It just broke! Luckly I had the roof viser closed when it happened.There are thousands of forums stating the same exact thing. For reference, https://www.subaruxvforum.com/
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
mechatronic unit failed incident : random jerking when driving had to pull the car over car lost power "gear box malfunction" code on my dashboard. after replacing the mechatornic unit had to pay 5127 dollars out of pocket to get fixed
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
While driving approx 65 mph on a freeway the vehicle placed itself into neutral and decelerrated as multiple warnings flashed across dashboard. . . “Emissions System Problem”, “Transmission System Problem”, “Electric Parking Brake Problem”. I was able to pull off to the side of an exit ramp but once I put the car in PARK I could not shift into Drive. I could not safely drive/manuever m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The car was attempting to correct itself even when I was in the middle of the lane. Switching lanes often caused this as well. On multiple occasions it attempted to over correct me into other drivers and at high speeds this could have killed me if I was not paying attention. Upon informing the dealership they asked “what do you want us to do”. Upon informing Honda corporate they said they woul... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) - SUSPENSION
Feb 2, 2023
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The Frame which connect the Main Beams of Frame to the Axle had the welds brake and frame twist not allowing the suspension to connect to the frame. Talked with manufacturer and in their words "You are not the only one dealing with this issue on this model"
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) - POWER TRAIN
Feb 2, 2023
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or after driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that there was hesitation while shifting between gears. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not y... Read more