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: Sep 9, 2022
I purchased the car new in January 2021. During the first several months there were no issues. After that, the "Infotainment" system which controls the sound, nav, hvac, etc. systems would suddenly go black and those functions would stop working. It would seem to reboot as a computer does when you restart it. That was distracting but mostly just annoying, lasting less than 30 seconds. I will ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2021
Battery failed in first 6 months of owning the car. Battery was replaced at Gilman Subaru Selma Texas. Battery and relay at North Park Body shop during the repair for hail damage. The car was at this shop from April 20th 2022 until the middle of July 2022. The day the car was picked up the electronic door locks did not work. The car was taken to North Park Subaru to diagnosis and repair a fault... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
Battery repeatedly drains with short drives or if car is parked for 72 hours such that the vehicle will not start.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
BATTERY DRAINED WITHOUT REASON
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
Battery failure ( would not charge or hold a charge)
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
The infotainment system when a phone is hooked up to it via a usb cord it will turn of and begin a repowering process that turns off the rear camera that is part of that system. this does not give you the safety of being able to back up without the rear camera. i have taken my car in to Subaru four time and they have replaced the infotainment system three times in total. i continue to have the sam... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Battery died a month after purchasing the car used. Now the new Subaru OEM battery, that replaced the original, is also failing on a regular basis. I have to charge the battery about every other time I try to start the car.
Incident date: Feb 9, 2021
I purchased an Subaru Outback touring edition, with a turbo 4 cylinder engine, on February 8, 2020. My battery failed in 3/20, on 4/15/20 Diablo Subaru of Walnut Creek replaced the dead battery. In March of 2022 my battery died again. I was told the rear cargo light had been left on and that drained the battery. They recharged the battery and said the battery was good. After this event I bought a ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
The front window was hit by chips seal pebbles from the car in front of us and chipped the window, twice. It was repaired with standard window chip repair.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormally loud sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer performed an oil consumption test and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to Te... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I was driving to work and my car started stalling. So i pulled into a parking spot and when I got out I noticed a trail of oil behind the car. I closed the door and the car started smoking and within seconds it was in flames. I bought it on 7/25 and on 8/3 it was gone. It only had 78 miles on it, 100% driven on city streets. I have several pictures and videos of the event but this site doesn't sup... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I was driving to work and my car started stalling. So i pulled into a parking spot and when I got out I noticed a trail of oil behind the car. I closed the door and the car started smoking and within seconds it was in flames. I bought it on 7/25 and on 8/3 it was gone. It only had 78 miles on it, 100% driven on city streets. I have several pictures and videos of the event but this site doesn't sup... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I was driving to work and my car started stalling. So i pulled into a parking spot and when I got out I noticed a trail of oil behind the car. I closed the door and the car started smoking and within seconds it was in flames. I bought it on 7/25 and on 8/3 it was gone. It only had 78 miles on it, 100% driven on city streets. I have several pictures and videos of the event but this site doesn't sup... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
Plastic trim on my front driver side door is falling off. The plastic that is clipped and taped at the bottom of the door.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
The windshield cracked without any noticeable impact. I noticed a crack 12-15 inches when I got into the vehicle the next day. The day prior I had not noticed the crack, not noticed any impact sound, no incident happened. I’d not been driving on the highway and I maintained more than 3 car lengths of following distance. I was driving under 40mph the day prior to noticing the crack. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
Cracked windshield from no impact
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
The rear brakes on the above referenced vehicle failed due to environmental corrosion. This is aligned with recall WQK47-2 which was open for the effected vehicle. The vehicle was transported to Suburban Subaru of Vernon CT for recall resolution. The dealership service department was not willing to complete the repair for different reasons. The vehicle was returned to me, with the rear brakes inop... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
On August 30, 2022 a small road chip hit my windshield as I was driving around 30 mph. I was surprised to discover that the windshield cracked at the site of the impact on the passenger side of the vehicle. The crack was approximately 12 inches long. Upon inspection the impact crater is very small, less than 1/16" by 1/32" and shallow, although the road chip was so small and vehicle speed so slow,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
I been having issues with my brake When I’m driving out of know where my whole brake goes all the way down and it takes a minute to actually brake. As well when that happens my eyesight goes off. This is a big risk I’m taking when im driving. I took my car to the Subaru dealership and they couldn’t find the reason why my car is doing it.
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Battery draining. Car won't start
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
18" crack in the windshield was noted originating from passenger side pillar extending toward the middle of window. Crack occurred while car was parked in an insulated and locked garage. No crack when parked and large crack the following morning. No known trauma or known rocks striking the windshield. On close inspection there was no star pattern, bubble pattern or palpable concave defect that... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, the battery had been replaced three times. On each occasion, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer had been notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Something drained my battery completely dead (to less than 1V) overnight. The car was locked and the key fob wasn't near the car. In fact I keep it in a Faraday bag. The battery is less than one year old.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Corrupted Driver Assist Software. Dashboard icons for hands on steering wheel, dynamic vehicle control, lane change control were flashing that systems were off, controls were turned off randomly. Vehicle was not tracking appropriately in its lane, steering was not acting correctly. Car at times acted as if it were being blown by a strong crosswind. Steering between lanes was not consistent. I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Corrupted Driver Assist Software. Dashboard icons for hands on steering wheel, dynamic vehicle control, lane change control were flashing that systems were off, controls were turned off randomly. Vehicle was not tracking appropriately in its lane, steering was not acting correctly. Car at times acted as if it were being blown by a strong crosswind. Steering between lanes was not consistent. I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Corrupted Driver Assist Software. Dashboard icons for hands on steering wheel, dynamic vehicle control, lane change control were flashing that systems were off, controls were turned off randomly. Vehicle was not tracking appropriately in its lane, steering was not acting correctly. Car at times acted as if it were being blown by a strong crosswind. Steering between lanes was not consistent. I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Windshield keeps cracking as if unable to withstand regular road conditions that other vehicles/windshields for vehicles with the same capabilities and from the same brand (but different models) can. Windshield for my vehicle has been replaced once but will need to be replaced again, each time with an oem part
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
1st battery failure within 3 years of purchase of vehicle. Jumped 3 times in 2 mths. Purchased new battery (interstate)10/7/2020 Today 09/12/2022 same issue began. Car shows no issues with battery failure. Drove on Sun. to church and around for a little drive, no issues. Left home Monday afternoon, gone couple of hours, not stop and go traffic. Turned off ignition. After about 30 min went to st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that the battery would be drained overnight and the vehicle had to be jumpstarted. The failure was intermittent at first but had since become constant. The contact stated that when the vehicle was first purchased, the dealer installed a new battery. The contact stated the battery level warning light was illuminated whenever the battery was ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Bought this car 1 year ago at East Hills Subaru. Among other problems such as water leaking inside vehicle due to clogged drains, most recent issue is the steering column not locking firmly. This is causing the steering wheel to shift up or down while driving, even though locking mechanism under steering wheel column is engaged. The car has under 40k miles. The safety of the driver is at risk he... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Bought this car 1 year ago at East Hills Subaru. Among other problems such as water leaking inside vehicle due to clogged drains, most recent issue is the steering column not locking firmly. This is causing the steering wheel to shift up or down while driving, even though locking mechanism under steering wheel column is engaged. The car has under 40k miles. The safety of the driver is at risk he... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
The windshield cracked during normal operation of the car. This is the 4th windshield since purchasing the 2022 Subaru OBW. The first crack, with no visible impact to the windshield, occurred at 13K, the second, with no visible impact, occurred at 20K, and this third occurred at 41K. They have occurred in different areas of the windshield (from each side and the bottom). Each replacement has b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked. Date of crack 9-13-2022 All the electronic safety features rely on an intact windshield to work properly. This crack occurred for no reason. No impact to windshield. Parked in an open parking lot. Not reproduced that I know of. Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by dealer. 9-14-2022
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked. Date of crack 9-13-2022 All the electronic safety features rely on an intact windshield to work properly. This crack occurred for no reason. No impact to windshield. Parked in an open parking lot. Not reproduced that I know of. Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by dealer. 9-14-2022
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked. Date of crack 9-13-2022 All the electronic safety features rely on an intact windshield to work properly. This crack occurred for no reason. No impact to windshield. Parked in an open parking lot. Not reproduced that I know of. Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by dealer. 9-14-2022
Incident date: May 23, 2022
In May, returning from VA, we noticed an odd noise coming from the right front side of the car. Then the noise stopped. Driving a week later, at about 40 mph, I again heard the noise and as I approached a yellow light and began to slow to a stop, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I was able to regain control, drove slowly home, called our repair shop and brought it in for evaluation. The fr... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
In May, returning from VA, we noticed an odd noise coming from the right front side of the car. Then the noise stopped. Driving a week later, at about 40 mph, I again heard the noise and as I approached a yellow light and began to slow to a stop, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I was able to regain control, drove slowly home, called our repair shop and brought it in for evaluation. The fr... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
In May, returning from VA, we noticed an odd noise coming from the right front side of the car. Then the noise stopped. Driving a week later, at about 40 mph, I again heard the noise and as I approached a yellow light and began to slow to a stop, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I was able to regain control, drove slowly home, called our repair shop and brought it in for evaluation. The fr... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, a small rock struck the passenger’s side windshield causing a crack. On another occasion, the contact stated that she heard a pop and saw a small crack on the driver’s side windshield. The contact was unsure what caused the second crack. The dealer was contacted and referred her to a third-party wi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
Had intermittent total loss of power for about 1/2 of a mile.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Passenger air bag light displays intermittently on and off (mostly off) regardless of whether there is a passenger in the seat. It has not yet been inspected by any dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, insurance, or others.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Passenger air bag light displays intermittently on and off (mostly off) regardless of whether there is a passenger in the seat. It has not yet been inspected by any dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, insurance, or others.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
Battery drains completely when not driven for2 to 3 days
Incident date: Mar 12, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a crack on the front passenger’s side bottom corner of the windshield. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was taken to a glass repair shop where the windshield was replaced. The contact stated that the failure occurred o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts. The contact had the vehicle jumpstarted and the engine resumed normal operation. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where she was informed that the failure was caused due to the vehicle not being driven enough. The manufacturer was not notified... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
The windshield cracked without anything hitting the windshield. This is the fourth (4th) time this has happened to this vehicle. 3/6/21, 7/13/21, 12/6/21. And now, today, 9/12/22. The dealer has all the records. We need the support of your organization to help us deal with this. We can't fight this by ourselves. Please help us!