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: Dec 21, 2021
Got 2 codes on secondary air system p2440,p0410. Witch restricted me from passing safety inspection and have a check engine light. It seems to be an on going common problem.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2019
When leaving a gas station with a slight dip in the pavement, I inched my vehicle forward as slowly as I could as to not “bottom out.” This 2015 Impreza model has an overall design flaw; it sits too low to the ground therefore compromising the entire structure of the body. The Impreza in fact bottomed out and my entire front end cracked and fell off as well as the side panel on the front of th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
I have had a crack develop in my windshield . This is distracting while driving.I have not reported this . It will be inspected by glass repair shop. There were no warning lights or lamps associated with this .
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Windshield cracked for no good reason!
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
My husband, son, and I got into our parked 2018 Subaru Outback and closed our doors. My husband started the car and we immediately heard a loud “pop” and saw a crack spread in several directions from the driver’s side edge of the windshield across the driver’s line of vision. Upon closer inspection, we were able to see 3 tiny chips in the glass, one of which was incorporated into the crack... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2022
I purchased a used 2019 Forester in the summer of 2020. By September 2021, I was having electrical issues - the car wouldn't start and the battery died. I had the car taken to a dealership, they replaced the battery and the alternator (they told me that the alternator was defective and broke the battery). I got the car back in October 2021. In December 2021, I had just driven for 2 hours and sto... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
This is the latest time in a series of incidents where the SUV would not start due to a problem with the main battery. New batteries drain very quickly after a series of electrical problems. So far, we have noticed keyless entry FOB says battery in the FOB is low and stops connecting (but then connects if we remove the key from it without us holding it to the button that turns the car on and off),... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
This is the latest time in a series of incidents where the SUV would not start due to a problem with the main battery. New batteries drain very quickly after a series of electrical problems. So far, we have noticed keyless entry FOB says battery in the FOB is low and stops connecting (but then connects if we remove the key from it without us holding it to the button that turns the car on and off),... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
There was a small rock kicked up by another car, and there immediately was a 6 inch curved crack in the windshield from the bottom-most part of the windshield. It quickly spread to 10+ inches and is still growing. The car is only at 9.8k miles
Incident date: Mar 16, 2022
a tiny rock hit my window within the first 2,000 milesand created a 8in crack, with in 6 hours it head spread to over a foot long. Subaru is known for having windshield issues.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Have had two instances of damaged windshields in a total of eight months of ownership. First incident was a cracked windshield that occurred overnight and required a full replacement that cost over $1000. The second was a minor rock hit that required repair at $155, and is still very visible post-repair by Safelite, most likely require replacement.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2021
Front windshield cracked and there was no apparent ding from rock. Crack came from side and spread quickly. I had it replaced by Subaru and 4 months later it happened again. The crack again came from the side with no reason. Two replacements out of my own pocket. My 2020 Legacy windshield must be defective
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Due to an improper program, the CVT chain may slip, resulting in breakage of the chain guide. If the chain guide breaks, fragments of the guide could inhibit the shift select mechanism. If the vehicle continues operation with the drive chain slipping, over time the CVT drive chain could break. No remedy offered/available by manufacturer.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2022
While parking car in garage, car suddenly surged forward although my foot was off gas and nearly hit end of garage. Engine Temp was relatively cold as it had just been started. This has happened several times before. Reported to dealer service the first time it happened and they did not fix.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Head unit shuts off while driving with no warning, and no clear cause. All safety features shut off including Eyesight and rear brake assist (shows as off in instrumental panel). It has happened multiple times in the past several months ( at least seven times) Head unit then appears to restart while underway, as if I had just entered and started the vehicle. Contacted dealer who said “the radio... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Head unit shuts off while driving with no warning, and no clear cause. All safety features shut off including Eyesight and rear brake assist (shows as off in instrumental panel). It has happened multiple times in the past several months ( at least seven times) Head unit then appears to restart while underway, as if I had just entered and started the vehicle. Contacted dealer who said “the radio... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Head unit shuts off while driving with no warning, and no clear cause. All safety features shut off including Eyesight and rear brake assist (shows as off in instrumental panel). It has happened multiple times in the past several months ( at least seven times) Head unit then appears to restart while underway, as if I had just entered and started the vehicle. Contacted dealer who said “the radio... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-30 MPH on a smooth residential road, the windshield started cracking. The contact stated that there was no external cause for the failure. The contact stated that the horizontal crack was located at the base of the windshield and was 7-inches long starting on the driver’s side. The contact stated that the cr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 50 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to park and noticed a crack on the passenger side windshield going horizontal to the roofline. The contact did not notify the dealer or manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
Front windshield had to be replaced the same day it was driven off the lot. 2 weeks after replacement the windshield cracked again. Dealership and safe lite both claim it’s not their problem. Insurance stated if I continue getting the windshield replaced after every break then they are going to keep raise my rates because of frequently claiming issues. I paid almost $50,000 for this vehicle whi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
Purchased a 2022 Subaru Outback in late October 2021. Have been driving regularly and noticed a crack in the windshield extending from the passenger side windshield edge to the center of the windshield. No impact chip is visible, or by touch. No known rock or debris impact while driving. Have been very careful with my new car and am extremely disappointed.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2021
Windshield crack from a rock chip expanded across entire windshield. Another rock chip 5 months later caused another 8” crack.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
The windshield cracked for no reason. I was driving around 50mph and didn’t notice anything hitting it.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
While rotating tires two wheel studs sheared off. The lug nuts are always started by hand, tightened (and removed) without an impact tool, and torqued to spec. Took it to a shop for repair. While removing the wheels two more studs sheared off in the shop. Mechanic stated this is a very common problem with Subarus. Google searches verify this. A popular Subaru community website has a thread with 16... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2022
The forester's windshield cracked over 2 feet. We brought it to the dealer for a warranty claim, and the dealer rejected it. They said the windshield was hit by something and caused the crack. I am not sure how big of an object has to hit the windshield to cause such a crack. Subaru is not taking any responsibility for their product's quality. This is a common problem for Subaru owners and should ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while reversing she depressed the accelerator pedal, the engine revved and the vehicle accelerated in reverse crashing into the rear of the garage. None the air bags deployed. The contact attempted to depress the brakes however the brakes failed. The contact attempted to drive forward when the vehicle revved up again and accelerated i... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
A spontaneous crack began at the bottom, center of my windshield about a week ago and began inching up and over. It is continuing to grow while I try to figure out where and when to have it replaced. I live in the mountains and this is not an easy trip to the dealer. While searching for a dealer to replace the windshield, I found the problem with spontaneous cracks in other Outbacks.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
A spontaneous crack began at the bottom, center of my windshield about a week ago and began inching up and over. It is continuing to grow while I try to figure out where and when to have it replaced. I live in the mountains and this is not an easy trip to the dealer. While searching for a dealer to replace the windshield, I found the problem with spontaneous cracks in other Outbacks.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery would drain with the engine off. The contact had to jump start the vehicle to resume normal operation. The contact also stated that the tailgate would independently open while driving due to a defective latch. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they could not determine the cause of the battery failure; how... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery would drain with the engine off. The contact had to jump start the vehicle to resume normal operation. The contact also stated that the tailgate would independently open while driving due to a defective latch. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they could not determine the cause of the battery failure; how... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that whenever the weather was below 15 degrees, the vehicle would fail to start up as needed. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that an unknown sensor needed to be replaced however, the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
Sudden accelerations.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
Sudden accelerations.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2021
I bought a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek in August 2021 and noticed that the hood has been very difficult to get open and closed. I brought it to the dealership and they did not do a thing about it. When I would try to pop the hood it wouldn't pop up at all and when I would get on the road it would come undone on it's own. It never came flying up over the windshield impairing my vision so the secondary sa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
My windshield cracked for no reason. There is no point of impact. The vehicle is just over 2 years old and has been driven approx 7000 miles. I don't drive a lot, and live in a pretty rural area where there is little traffic. When I picked up my son from daycare the day before there was no crack. The next morning when I got in the car to go drop him off, there was a substantial crack. This seems t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Bracket to the sway bar bushing fell off
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Bracket to the sway bar bushing fell off
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Bracket to the sway bar bushing fell off
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
While driving on a smooth city street the windshield cracked out of nowhere. No bumps or pot holes were hit or run over when it happened and nothing landed on the windshield.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2022
When put key in ignition, the car doesn’t start. The key can not be taken out of ignition. Numerous jiggles. Put foot on the brake, take foot off the brake. Eventually starts. Fear will be unable to take key out of ignition.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
The battery is constantly dying and the car needs to be jumped often. The battery has been replaced and the connections have been cleaned multiple times. The battery can still be completely drained even if it is started every day.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Windshield cracked from no apparent damage. I was driving and a hairline fracture spread from the top driver side of the Windshield to the middle.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Cracked windshield causing visibility issues. Does not appear related to damage.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
Windshield has cracked for no reason. Heard a small cracking noise driving on the road. No accidents or anything, see a ding on the windshield and a crack growing after two days of parking in the garage.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
The vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R, was being pulled into the garage at the owner’s home. With brakes applied, and while putting vehicle into park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward making contact with a suspended shelf attached to the back wall of the garage. The force of the vehicle was such that the shelf and back wall of the garage were completely separated from the home... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
The vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R, was being pulled into the garage at the owner’s home. With brakes applied, and while putting vehicle into park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward making contact with a suspended shelf attached to the back wall of the garage. The force of the vehicle was such that the shelf and back wall of the garage were completely separated from the home... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
The vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R, was being pulled into the garage at the owner’s home. With brakes applied, and while putting vehicle into park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward making contact with a suspended shelf attached to the back wall of the garage. The force of the vehicle was such that the shelf and back wall of the garage were completely separated from the home... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Crack appeared starting from below the passenger windshield wiper on the windshield out of the blue, while sitting in driveway.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2022
Within approximately 1 month of purchasing my windshield cracked for no apparent reason. Nothing that I am aware of hit it. It was parked in an area with no tree's or rocks for less than 20 minutes and when I went back to it I saw the crack. The crack starts from the bottom of the windshield (deicer) and goes up to almost half the windshield.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
I took our 2018 Subaru Forester through a car wash. The usual washing procedure went just fine with me in the car idling in neutral as it went through. When it came to the end of the wash cycle, I coasted out and then shifted into drive. Instantly the car surged forward at an alarming speed and I could not stop it. The car crossed a busy street. I fortunately did not collide with cars. The car co... Read more
Crash