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: Jul 26, 2022
I have a 2010 Subaru Outback that has significant corrosion on the rear four-way brake joint connector that can lead to a serious accident. There was a campaign that addressed this very issue (NHTSA ID: 14V-311) but it did not include 2010 Outback even though it had the same design. This issue is very serious.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
Windshield crack. With just under 3000 miles on our 2022 Subaru Outback while driving home, my wife noticed a small crack on the windshield near the "Eye sight" cameras which I could not see from the driver side. By the time I could finally pull over and look at this it had grown to over a foot long or longer. Prior to owning this Subaru, we helped our Daughter with the purchase of her first Subar... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
2 separate windshield cracks in 2 days!!
Incident date: Jul 11, 2016
The battery keeps going dead for no obvious reason(s). The battery was tested at an auto repair shop and was determined to be fine but, nonetheless, continues to go dead.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
Hello, Since February, we have replaced our battery 3 times. Eventually we discovered from a mechanic that the car had a parasitic draw that will drain the battery if the car is not driven every day. We put the battery on a trickle charger every night just in case. Two days ago, the car would not start after sitting in a parking lot for two hours. The AAA guy's first question was "is that a 2015 o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
The battery does not hold power and we have been stranded in a remote location more than once. I am nervous about going anywhere on my own, especially at night. The dealer has been totally unresponsive and told us this is normal and we should just buy a portable charger. We do now take a charger everywhere we go but this seems unacceptable for a new (and not inexpensive) car. It seems this is a p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2021
Child locks on both rear doors are stuck. Based on the online forums, this is a common issue that Subaru is charging a $300 repair per door. It is a safety concern now that my children are old enough to not need safety locks.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
Car continues to have ongoing lack of response with acceleration. Car was at dealer for 3 weeks for inspection after I was nearly rear ended due to lack of response in acceleration at a stop light, as well as shifting gears. No lights came on to indicate issue, thus the car was returned to me with no repairs. 2 weeks after car obtained from dealer, car again started having issues with acceler... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
I believe the SUBARU FORESTER 2020 WINDSHIELD is dangerous and is a system failure. In April, 2022 a piece of gravel hit the windshield--smaller than the size of a quarter. Within hours, the windshield had fractured so much that there was no way that I could continue to drive safely as the windshield flowered and split the driver's eye view. I reported the claim to insurance (USAA) and took the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2022
I was driving down the highway & noticed a crack was growing insanely large due to the heat & while I had other cracks on my windshield that were little dings it looked like a grain of sand/very small pebble hit the side of my windshield and nearly cracked in down the middle. I have heard of other people with Subaru foresters complaining about this issue & it makes the safety of the driver at risk... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
Subaru installs terribly delicate windshields on their vehicles. I just bought this car in May of 2022 and already there are chips and cracks in the windshield. I had to replace the windshield on my previous 2019 Forester within months of purchase, too. If the slightest pebble (even at low speeds) hits the windshield, it will crack - currently the crack on my windshield is about six inches long an... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
The hood primary latch frequently releases causing me to rely on the safety catch. Re-dropping the hood sets it again only to notice several days later that the hood is again unlatched.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
Multiple windshield cracks from small rocks on the highway. Crack has spread across the windshield. We have only owned the car 3 months.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2022
I just bought my 2019 Outback less than a month ago in perfect condition. One morning when I was leaving for work I noticed a crack about 6 inches long in the windshield. The crack is rapidly spreading, it tripled in size in less than 3 weeks. I believe my windshield is defective.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
Windshield cracked almost all the way across to other side and then down. This vehicle has the eyesight package. I do not remember date it happened but will state 2 years ago. When it happened it quickly moved across windshield.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
I am about to get my second windshield on this car due to chips and cracks. I currently have 7 with one large spider crack. I have never owned a car that had a windshield that chipped and cracked so much. Our Dodge Caravan which we have owned twice as long and drive in the same roads, highways and conditions, has never chipped.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
Windshield seems pretty fragile after being hit by a little gravel pebble due to construction work at the highway the crack extended in less than 24 hours to 12 inches. This is very concerning since it’s pretty weird to a chip to develop as bad as this one.
Incident date: May 11, 2022
was loosening the shoulder strap to get my child out of the seat and one of the straps came completely off of the seat. the strap hadn't broken, just had come unattached from the seat. now only one strap is usable. sent pictures to cybex and because it was 2 months out of the 2 year warranty, they couldn't replace it.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2022
I received my Subaru legacy from the dealer after an unrelated repair. My wife got in the car and very slowly drove through the lot to exit the dealership. She was going 5-6 mph at most and luckily after putting the car into gear she had her hand resting on the center console literally right above the hand brake. As she approached the stop sign to exit the dealership, she put her foot on the br... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
At about 35,000 miles the car would not start. Had the battery checked and was told it was fine. Subaru garage could not find a parasitic drain. Replaced the battery and the car still would not start reliably. Took the car back to the Subaru garage and they had it for 5 days and at first said the DCM needed to be replaced then they back tracked and said the car was fine and they could not find any... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
At about 35,000 miles the car would not start. Had the battery checked and was told it was fine. Subaru garage could not find a parasitic drain. Replaced the battery and the car still would not start reliably. Took the car back to the Subaru garage and they had it for 5 days and at first said the DCM needed to be replaced then they back tracked and said the car was fine and they could not find any... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
There is a defect in the windshield. I’ve replaced the windshield twice. The first time a rock hit it and it caused the entire windshield to crack. I got the windshield replaced and a week later it cracked again. I replaced it again and 30 minutes later it happened again. My father in law has an Outback as well with the same issue. I also have a colleague with the same exact model vehicle with t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2022
There is a defect in the windshield. I’ve replaced the windshield twice. The first time a rock hit it and it caused the entire windshield to crack. I got the windshield replaced and a week later it cracked again. I replaced it again and 30 minutes later it happened again. My father in law has an Outback as well with the same issue. I also have a colleague with the same exact model vehicle with t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
This is my fourth cracked windshield in less than 2 years! I’ve never cracked a windshield in ANY other car I’ve owned in the last 20 years! The windshields do not seem to be strong enough to accommodate the flex of the frame of the vehicle. I hear the car flex over rough roads or speed bumps. I’m assuming the torsion of the vehicle is weakening the glass, and any minor impact will cause the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
Windshied spontaneously cracked
Incident date: Jul 16, 2022
While driving eastbound on I-90 at the top of Snoqualmie pass, the sunroof completely shattered causing small pieces of glass to cover the small children in the back and driver and front seat passenger. At the time there were no vehicles in front of us and there was a cargo carrier on the roof racks. This caused small pieces of glass to go everywhere causing small lacerations to 2 of the occupan... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
My power steering one day lost all fluid out of no where. I have this awful sound and go buy new power steering fluid. It’s continuing to leak. I joined a Subaru Wrx/STi group on Facebook and found that this is a reoccurring problem for many Subaru sti owners around the year I have. It sounds faulty and defective and sucks that the customer is stuck paying for these issues instead of Subaru fixi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
They have not have remedy for a long time!
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
They have not have remedy for a long time!
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
Passenger seat when empty will at times indicate person is sitting in seat without buckling seat belt and sound alert
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
Passenger seat when empty will at times indicate person is sitting in seat without buckling seat belt and sound alert
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, no fault codes were retrieved. The vehicle returned to operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
My horn does not works when wheels are straight. If I turn the steering wheel to either side horn works. No fuse or solenoid problem; I replaced both.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2022
My battery has been replaced three times by the dealer. Initially days after buying the vehicle and twice since then. After letting the vehicle sit for 3-7 days the battery is not able to start the vehicle. Each time I have taken it to the dealer for repair. The first time in 2020 it was just a battery replacement. Then in 2021 it was a relay and battery replacement. In 2022 it was a module and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
Our 2020 Outback dashboard display randomly goes black and hard resets. It also appears that the eye sight cameras, collision detection, and other features disable at the same time. This has occurred about a dozen times since purchase.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
We left the outback wilderness out Overnight under no trees or anything that may cause damage like that. Come outside in the morning, and bam, a 13 inch crack in a semi S shape with no visible chip from a rock. There is absolutely no reason there should be a crack, even if there was a small chip in the glass. That's the cause of poor craftsmanship and this deserves a lawsuit alone. Has Subaru of A... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely and restart the vehicle. The failure reoccurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
There appears to be a parasitic battery drain in the vehicle when it is stopped and all electrical systems are off (lights, heated seats, chargers etc) but the key is in the ignition. The most recent event was 7/20/2022 when the car was stopped for fueling and the key left in the ignition for no more than 10 minutes. Battery discharged sufficiently in that time that the car would not start requi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
My Subaru Outback, at roughly 110,000 miles, displayed a dash indicator suggesting low brake fluid. After investigating, I found a brake line junction under the car, below the rear passenger seat. This 4-line junction is hidden behind a plastic cover that does have a removable inspection window. The junction's 4-lines are all corroded and at least one is leaking. After finding the issue and resea... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
I own a 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium. The vehicle has approximately 161k miles. Recently, I have noticed the car beginning to stutter when approaching an abrupt stop. There have since been several instances where the car will stall when coming to a quick stop. This happened to me in the middle of traffic one day and I had my family in the car with me. In my opinion, this issue jeopardized the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2022
Head gasket leak with 87,000 miles. All recommended service with the dealer except for routine oil changes. This is a safety issue due to the rapid overheating. Luckily for me it happened a few blocks from the dealership, but this could be deadly if I was driving in the desert.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
My windshield now has three cracks d/t small rocks hitting the windshield at far distances from other vehicles. When I originally purchased this vehicle, the windshield was cracked requiring a replacement before purchase. This is a new windshield 2 years old from that initial replacement. The dealer has not confirmed an issue with their windshields. No warnings were provided to watch out for this ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The entire electrical system stopped working while parked in garage probably because the battery completely drained. Since the car was parked, there should have been no mechanical or electrical activity. Because this car depends so much on electronic control almost nothing can be operated. Locked doors cannot be opened (the car automatically locks all doors while in motion except the driver door),... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2022
Upon application of the brakes approaching a stoplight, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right, entering the right lane from the left and was rendered unsafe to operate due to this condition. Had a vehicle been present at this time in the right lane, a collision would have likely occurred. Upon inspection by the mechanic, the front engine frame had broken on the right side. The broken area has ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2022
Upon application of the brakes approaching a stoplight, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right, entering the right lane from the left and was rendered unsafe to operate due to this condition. Had a vehicle been present at this time in the right lane, a collision would have likely occurred. Upon inspection by the mechanic, the front engine frame had broken on the right side. The broken area has ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2022
Upon application of the brakes approaching a stoplight, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right, entering the right lane from the left and was rendered unsafe to operate due to this condition. Had a vehicle been present at this time in the right lane, a collision would have likely occurred. Upon inspection by the mechanic, the front engine frame had broken on the right side. The broken area has ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
I started noticing grid lines on my computer screen and am unable to read the screen. I took the car to Suburu and was told they were always there but I have owned the car for six years and they just appeared this March. I asked them to replace the screen as I cannot read it and was told they wouldn’t replace it until it shows gridlines in the dark which doesn’t do me any good as I don’t d... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
My car started on fire while parked and turned off. The fire was electrical and appeared to be caused by issues in the main wiring harness under the console between the driver and passenger seats.
Fire
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Very tiny rock hit the windshield without much force but still caused a ding in the windshield. Glass appears to be excessively fragile.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
SafeLite is Unable to calibrate vehicle EyeSight after non-OEM windshield replacement. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There have been two attempts to calibrate the vehicle EyeSight by SafeLite. The dealer says the EyeSight with a non-OEM windshield can not be properly cal... Read more