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 7, 2022
Drive to visit family, no rock chips, no accidents; pulled in about 7pm. Next morning Woke up at 0600 to a severe crack in the windshield.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
Battery found dead 2x First time July 2021, replaced battery Second time July 2022, car will not start
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
The car battery will drain completely when the car is not being driven. This has happened to us numerous times while camping leaving us in a remote area with a dead battery and no cell phone service to call for help
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Battery keeps dying. Replaced the battery and it’s already dead again.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2021
Sudden, without any warning, complete engine failure. Luckily I was in the right hand lane while ascending a major mountain pass. We were in the midst of a "atmospheric river" with rain coming from all directions when the engine just stopped. I muscled the car onto a very narrow shoulder and called for help, I knew we were in a very dangerous situation as this was the Saturday after Thanksgivin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
A pebble hit my windshield and now there's a crack from the bottom all the way to the other side
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
On 7/7/2022 I was traveling the Blue Ridge parkway and heard a pop sound and saw about 5 inch windshield crack from edge of my Driver A-post frame traveling horizontally toward the center of the vehicle. I did not see anything hit the windshield. By the time I got to a rest stop the crack continued to travel across toward the center of the vehicle. I saw no evidence of impact at the edge of wi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
I have videos. I have been having major issues with a lot of aspects of the car. However, the most concerning is the obstacle detection going off randomly when there is NOTHING in front of the car, and the other major issue is that the lane assist feature keeps pulling the car out of the lane I am in. Randomly throughout a cruise control drive, the car will pull towards an inner lane. I fight with... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
I have videos. I have been having major issues with a lot of aspects of the car. However, the most concerning is the obstacle detection going off randomly when there is NOTHING in front of the car, and the other major issue is that the lane assist feature keeps pulling the car out of the lane I am in. Randomly throughout a cruise control drive, the car will pull towards an inner lane. I fight with... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
I have videos. I have been having major issues with a lot of aspects of the car. However, the most concerning is the obstacle detection going off randomly when there is NOTHING in front of the car, and the other major issue is that the lane assist feature keeps pulling the car out of the lane I am in. Randomly throughout a cruise control drive, the car will pull towards an inner lane. I fight with... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
The windshield cracked itself.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
Touch screen began to get bubbles underneath factory glass and is causing spontaneous touch-activation and inability to use touch screen.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2022
The windshield cracked itself without being hit by anything. The crack grows visibly once in a while.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
Battery suddenly died. Would not start after being driven a short trip.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2022
On June 8 after waiting for my garage door to rise, my 2018 Subaru Forester suddenly shot through the door, across the garage, through a 7 ft high wooden cupboard, through the back wall, across the basement steps, into the wall that backs up to the kitchen, shoving my stove one and a half feet into the kitchen. I was able to back out because I believe the right front tire ran on the top basement s... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
Battery, electrical system was doing funny things I noticed then a day or two later my wife and daughter got stranded at a gas station and I had to go jump the car to get them home in the middle of the night we called the dealership a few times and they said that all battery's die they just said to go buy a new battery no warning light nothing
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
I purchased my 2019 Forester brand new and have had minimal issues… most are just annoyances. However, this past weekend I got in my car and there was a spontaneous crack through the middle of the windshield. By the second day, it has expanded to halfway or past halfway across. The crack in directly in the line of sight. When looking into replacement, I realized this is a common issue. I ha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
Car stalls when coming to a stop. This is a known problem with an active tsb but Subaru will not support repairs. This is dangerous when engine quits unexpectedly
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
I used my windshield washer fluid to wash my windshield and a crack appeared from the bottom driver side of my windshield. I took the car to a Subaru dealership to have the windshield replaced under the Subaru extended windshield warranty program since there was no impact. My claim was denied because the crack was too far towards the driver side of the car.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2020
Purchased the car used took to dealership for rattle from front end, they diagnosed and recommended replacement of steering rack as it was defective, so it was replaced, a month later same noise, same diagnosis, replaced again, repeated this 7 times and they have reconfirmed it is the rack, the dealership technician states it’s the rack and not as it should be. The manager however is trying to s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stopped in the middle of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact engaged the hazard lights; the police arrived on the scene and helped to move the vehicle safely to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
My car was parked outside on the street and when I went to drive it the next morning the windshield had a foot long crack in it. There is no obvious point of collision--it looks like it just split. I will need to replace the windshield for around $1300 since the crack is so large.
Incident date: Dec 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 a failure. Parts distribution disco... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
Without anything noticeable hitting the windshield, it was fine on July 2nd 2022 and when I went to get in to drive the next morning there was a crack in the windshield.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
I am currently replacing my 3rd front windshield in 11 months on my 2019 Subaru Ascent (First 8.19.21, Second: 4.15.22; Third was replaced 7.5.22) from a simple rock chip. Within minutes of occurring the chip leads to significant cracking and the inability to navigate safely. It is my understanding that a class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Subaru Ascent owners due to this very issu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disco... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2003 Subaru Baja. The contact stated that upon inspection the vehicle, the contact discovered severe corrosion to the rear subframe. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to a specialist. The contact was yet to receive a call back from the specialist. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that other model vehicles had experienced a si... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
My 2016 Subaru Outback has some kind of an electrical malfunction such that the battery drains rapidly. I have had to replace the battery in my car four times since purchase in 2016. I am now on my fifth battery in six years of ownership. Most recently, my battery died today 7/5/22, and required replacement.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The windshield spontaneously cracked while driving at 60 mph. The crack is from the lower passenger side and extends approximately 8 inches. Did not notice a rock or object hitting the glass.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2022
Starlink Infotainment System has malfunctioned. I took the car to Bert Smith Subaru in St. Petersburg, FL and the assessment notes the screen has started to delaminate rendering the touchscreen and system inoperable. The dealer estimate to replace the unit was $2862.79. My 2019 Outback 2.5 Limited is equipped with the Harman Gen. 3.0 Audio and Navigation head unit. This is the same unit that was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Windshield started cracking. Affects EyeSight safety system.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
Three issues with the headlights. First, major shadowing. From the bumper to 6 feet out there is a dark spot. Second issue. Vehicle is two weeks old. We drive twisty windy roads. Headlights are almost a foot and a half low at 25ft. You can not see more than 50 feet on roads that are hilly due to the headlights being low and the auto level not correcting fast enough. I do not understand at all ho... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a rock struck the bottom middle of the windshield glass. The rock became imbedded inside the windshield glass which caused water to leak inside the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and insisted that the windshield glass be replaced with the same type of glass and not an aftermarket glass. The c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a rock struck the bottom middle of the windshield glass. The rock became imbedded inside the windshield glass which caused water to leak inside the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and insisted that the windshield glass be replaced with the same type of glass and not an aftermarket glass. The c... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2022
Windshield has needed constant repair due to either small debris or even in one instance, self-cracking. On-board unit is constantly turning off.
Incident date: May 8, 2022
Windshield has needed constant repair due to either small debris or even in one instance, self-cracking. On-board unit is constantly turning off.
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
Windshield cracked without any obvious impact. Passenger side, lower half of glass. Crack came from the edge of the glass.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Purchased a 2022 Subaru Outback in late August 2021. We been driving regularly and on Friday July the 1st, we were leaving home going to dinner, got in the car to a crack in the windshield extending from the top center edge of the windshield to the center of the windshield. No impact chip is visible, or by touch. No known rock or debris impact while I was driving. We have been very careful with my... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Vehicle horn has failed to function.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Vehicle horn has failed to function.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
The sun roof exploded. There was not prior damage (at least not visible to the naked eye). When it happened there was a very loud popping noise, which could be jarring enough to cause an accident. My sunroof cover was closed when the glass broke, but if it was open I could have been covered in shards of glass. I’m not sure if the sunroof has been inspected by the manufacturer. I have seen that o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
The battery has a parasitic drain, and if left off for more than 8 hours, is completely dead on attempt at restart. This has also killed my passenger side forward window which can no longer go up or down.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
Multiple episodes of car not starting, most similar to dead battery scenario. These incidents have occurred after car was parked in my driveway for 24-48hours. However, AAA responded on three separate occasions and tested battery which always was “green” or “good” and alternator was also “fine, not a problem”. On fourth occasion, I went ahead and replaced battery as recent Subaru sched... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
This is for a 2017 Subaru Forester. The passenger airbag sensor in the seat keeps turning off the airbag when a passenger is in the seat. The problem is intermittent. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem and it wasn't repaired. I believe this car had a recall about this, but the problem keeps happening. This car has had the issue dozens of times and the problem needs to be investigated. There... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
Windshield started cracking for no reason from bottom left, spreading to about 22inches across to the driver side
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
I went outside to get my Sunday newspaper and noticed a large somewhat S-shaped crack on my windshield. It has been parked in the driveway Friday night and all day Saturday July 1-3. I have also had 2 small (nickel-sized) dings which I had SafeLite fix and neither of these have run. I’ve never owned a vehicle in my 60 some odd years with this many windshield issues. Subaru needs to pay for the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2022
Vehicle will jerk and shudder when accelerating and de-accelerating. Mostly between 15mph and 30mph. I’ve taken the vehicle back to the dealership and they didn’t find the issue. This prompted me to do some research online and found in one of many. There is a class action lawsuit for 2018-2019 Ascents. The 2020-2021 and 2022 models will follow suit as they have identical issues. I’m concerne... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
245/50 A20. Side wall ruptured at 55 mph . A pop and tire was flat. No sensor warning. Correct tire pressure. Immediately checked electronic psi reading. All tires ok but red 0 for tire that blew out. I have pictures. Not confirmed by any one yet. That may happen Thursday when I replace all 4 tires. Had 7780 miles on tires. Even tread wear.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2022
I was informed of the recall of my 2020 Ascent and my Subaru dealership gave me a 2021 Ascent loaner car. but it is going on 2 months and no information when my car will be fixed. At this point time I don't want my car anymore if they CAN'T FIX IT.