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: Dec 25, 2021
There have been numerous problems associated with battery drain and improper function of the vehicle's automatic lift gate. Starting with the first dead battery situation on 12/25/21, there have been a total of 6 dead battery situations with this relatively new, certified pre-owned vehicle. Two new batteries have been provided through a AAA membership, but neither new battery has addressed the s... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2022
I’m on my third battery. Since date of purchase the car has a battery drain issue that cannot be resolved. Minimal electoral use while the car is not running causes the car to not turn over. It is a safety issue because this car could leave me stranded.
Incident date: May 17, 2022
Seems the Windshield on the Subaru Wilderness Outback cracks with the slightest rock hit. Inquiry on an online Subaru Wilderness forum, it seems the cracking of these windshields occur quite frequently. Thought Subaru resolved in the class action around their 2015-2016 models. Apparently not.
Incident date: May 17, 2022
Have had this car since late 2019 around November and it is now 2022 and I'm at 25k miles in my battery is already failing I have had it tested and the cold cranking amps are why below where they should be causing the car not be able to start at time . I've had other car batteries that lasted long than 2 and a half years.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
Windshield glass cracks very easily from rocks. In the last year I’ve had 7 cracks form. I’ve never had this trouble with any other vehicle including a 2012 Subaru that I own and drive just as much. This impairs my vision and decreases the windshield integrity. I have claimed all windshield through my insurance and it has been very expensive. The only glass I can replace the windshields with i... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2022
A small rock hit the top driver’s corner of the windshield and led to 2 continuous cracks which extended to the middle of the windshield.
Incident date: May 20, 2022
Windshield Replacement due to rock chips: Within 3 months of purchasing my Crosstrek, my windshield received 3 rock chips: I will say, I don't drive OFF ROAD. I drive on the highways or paved city streets. When this first occurred in 2018 (purchased in Oct2018), I was shocked. I've owned cars all my life (I'm over 50y - drove Nissans) & NEVER had a rock chip incident. Anyway, dealer told me I shou... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2022
2005 SUBARU BAJA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE RECALL NOTICES RECEIVED WERE FRAUDULENT.
Incident date: May 20, 2022
2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED BRAKING. THE CONSUMER PURCHASED A 1UP BIKE RACK FOR THE VEHICLE, BUT IT INTERFERED WITH THE REAR SONAR SENSORS. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER AND BIKE RACK MANUFACTURER WORK TOGETHER TO DETERMINE A FIX.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield had fractured on the passenger’s side bottom. The crack was approximately 16-inches from the passenger’s side A-pillar. The fracture migrated towards the driver’s side and extended into a starburst design, obstructing the driver’s visibility. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Parked car windshield cracked for no reason
Incident date: May 20, 2022
Windshield suddenly cracked for no apparent reason. Vehicle was parked and crack extends almost halfway across the windshield on the driver side. No signs of damage being caused by an object hitting the windshield. This will interfere with the safety and emergency braking system cameras located at the top of the windshield.
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Purchased vehicle new Dec 2016. Battery being drained on more than one occasion requiring jump to start. Had to call tow truck for jump until purchased charger to have in vehicle. Also corrosion accumulates on battery. Took to dealer first time and had checked out but no problem was identified. Happened again yesterday (05/19/2022). When this occurs there is a clicking sound from the fuse box unde... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
The windshield cracked without any known trauma. The car was parked in a lot and when I came out the windshield had a large crack in it. The dealer where the car is serviced refused to see it stating they do not replace windshields.
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2015) - ENGINE
May 19, 2022
Incident date: May 19, 2022
The car has the temp light come on intermittently and then it never came on again. I opened the hood and a hose from the radiator to the overflow tank was not connected. I brought the car to a Subaru dealer. The technician found oil in the radiator of the car. I was told this could be a head gasket and the engine may need to be replaced. The car has around 75,000 miles on it.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2020
The contact owned a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that as attempted to park her vehicle at 5 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning and drove onto a boulder. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Three of the contact’s front teeth were knocked out as a result of the failure. The police were called to her property; however, a police report was not filed since th... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 9, 2022
Driving in traffic stop and go and about at 25mph a very small stone smaller then a pea hit the lower passenger side windshield. it cracked immediately from the very bottom up about 5 inches and then towards the driver side about 8 inches. the next two days it cracked about 6 more inches. Safelite fixed it but cost me $200. 1-800-subaru-3 started a claim and told me to go to dealer. dealer lo... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
My windshield cracked in February 2022 while parked and was replaced with a new Subaru windshield under warranty in February 2022. After having the windshield replaced, it cracked again in May 2022, with the crack propagating from the same spot at the base of the wiper blade on the driver's side windshield. The windshield glass failed. It was available for inspection at Safelite and Subaru upon... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V955000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not expe... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2022
I am on second battery for my 2020 Outback and it now won't hold a charge. It drains overnight / without use. I can assure you that I am not leaving any lights on.
Incident date: May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, a horizontal crack developed on the middle edge of the passenger’s side windshield. The contact stated that the crack formed without impact and slowly spread towards the middle of the windshield. The contact stated that the crack obstructed her vision while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 18, 2022
Incident date: May 18, 2022
Battery drains excessively and frequently. Will not hold a charge. Frequently replacing battery only to have it fail. The personal safety issue here is being stranded with a dead battery in an unsafe environment with no way to escape, or needing the vehicle for an immediate personal health emergency and having the vehicle not start. I don't know if there is a safety related issue with operatin... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to immediately depress the brake pedal to abruptly stop the vehicle. After the failure, the vehicle operated as normal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Drove the car to my place of work. There were no rocks , chips or other hitting the windshield. Came out to the car in the parking lot at lunch and the was a crack that stretched from the lower passenger side to the middle of the windshield. The local Subaru dealer played "dumb" and acted like they had never seen this problem and then blamed it on a rock chip after learning we knew of the thousan... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
On May 12, 2022, when I got in my vehicle and closed the driver's side door, I heard a crackling sound. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see a gaping hole in the rear windshield and glass falling everywhere. I got out of the vehicle to inspect it. The rear windshield had not been impacted by anything; it just spontaneously cracked. I house the vehicle in my garage, and that's where th... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
On May 12, 2022, when I got in my vehicle and closed the driver's side door, I heard a crackling sound. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see a gaping hole in the rear windshield and glass falling everywhere. I got out of the vehicle to inspect it. The rear windshield had not been impacted by anything; it just spontaneously cracked. I house the vehicle in my garage, and that's where th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he noticed a horizontal crack on the lower driver’s side windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact on the windshield to cause the crack. The contact had the vehicle repaired through his insurance company by an independent mechanic. Recently, the same failure occurred in the same spot as before... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2021
Windshield accumulated a small crack in the lower passenger side, about 6in long and a quarter up from the bottom of windshield. It's now continued to grow and is now half of the windshield.
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she heard an error alert with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2022
Battery drains quickly. Car will not start when it has been unused for as little as a day.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2021
Since we have owned the car since Feb 2020, we have had many dead batteries and the Subaru dealership 100+ miles away has replaced our battery at least 4 times. We live in rural Wyoming and need a reliable car for driving in the winter months when it can get below zero. We have jumped the battery numerous times but sometime the electronics don't work correctly like cruise control, dash warnings,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2021
Since we have owned the car since Feb 2020, we have had many dead batteries and the Subaru dealership 100+ miles away has replaced our battery at least 4 times. We live in rural Wyoming and need a reliable car for driving in the winter months when it can get below zero. We have jumped the battery numerous times but sometime the electronics don't work correctly like cruise control, dash warnings,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2021
Crack in windshield, line of sight of driver.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
When driving at night, there are two black dots that appear in my headlights on the road. They move with the steering and become an extreme nuisance. Its all your eye can focus on and are right in the field of view from the lights. They move and create blind spots.
Incident date: May 14, 2022
I was driving at approximately 5 mph, on a road with several steep speed bumps, with no cars around and no overhanging trees, and suddenly a 24-inch hairline crack popped across the driver's side of my windshield. There's no evidence of any impact at all on the windshield--the crack is entirely in between the laminate. Entire windshield now needs to be replaced and I assume the EyeSight recalibrat... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2022
I picked up my vehicle that was made to order from the factory on 2/18/22. I drove the car for 12 days and found the steering to be over sensitive. The steering wheel felt disconnected from the car. I returned the car to the dealer from which it was purchased. The service advisor test drove the car and documented on the invoice that the car felt like” it wanders”. He also verbally stated on ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
Battery drains quickly and car dies, even after replacing with a brand new battery.
Incident date: May 2, 2022
Windshield - Randomly cracked while parked in garage (no rock or road damage). Windshield crack started at bottom middle passenger side, spread across entire windshield. Second time windshield cracked in same location with no evidence of rock or road damage. Windshield was replaced with OEM windshield when the crack happened again.
Incident date: May 9, 2022
There have been three cracks in the front windshield in 18 months with little to no provocation. These have required replacement of the front windshield and re-calibration of eyesight. With each crack, there was little to no cause. On one occasion, there was a tiny piece of gravel that resulted in a crack that extended across 50% of the front windshield. My concern is for my personal safety shoul... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2022
Windshield cracked while driving.
Incident date: May 10, 2022
1. The electrical system/battery failed after only 392 miles. Car could not be jumped. When the cables were put on the battery, the tech said they got real hot (which leads us to believe it was shorting out.) Even though Subaru blamed the battery, the dashboard lights, the horn, and the headlights were all flickering and flashing like a Christmas tree. The car had also just been driven 45 minut... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2022
1. The electrical system/battery failed after only 392 miles. Car could not be jumped. When the cables were put on the battery, the tech said they got real hot (which leads us to believe it was shorting out.) Even though Subaru blamed the battery, the dashboard lights, the horn, and the headlights were all flickering and flashing like a Christmas tree. The car had also just been driven 45 minut... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence underneath the carport, she noticed there was a crack on the front driver’s side windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer replaced the windshield. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Incident date: May 5, 2022
vehicle about 14 months old, I purchased new Tried to start vehicle battery dead, no lights or other acc. had been left on. two weeks later battery would not start car, I jump started car according to directions in owners manual. After jump start several check engine lights came on, cruise control did not work. lane control and "EYESIGHT" failure warning light was on. Subaru dealer replaced bat... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2022
In my many years of driving quite a number of different cars, I've never had a car's windshield perform so poorly. In only 10k miles of just daily commuting my windshield has accumulated 8 chips. Luckily the windshield hasn't cracked yet, but I fear its only a matter of time. It seems just the smallest impact WILL chip the windshield if not crack it. This seems to be an ongoing problem with the Ca... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2022
Three times for no apparent reason the battery has drained completely after car was sitting fir a day. Subaru replaced the battery after 2nd time but now it is happening again with new battery.
Incident date: May 15, 2022
Spontaneous crack of the windshield
Incident date: May 15, 2022
I bought a 2022 Subaru Outback and have had it for 3 months. It wav very hot yesterday and I took it through a car wash. When it came out of the car wash the windshield was cracked. It has several spider cracks coming down from the roof. Each of the 3 cracks were about 4 inches long. By the time i drove home the cracks are now 12 inches. This is very disheartening.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 mph my car suddenly stalled …. I was able to get to apron of road , but my steering locked and I had no brakes.. I could put car into neutral but had to “jam” it into park , trying to get it to stop rolling . It would not restart . I had it towed to an auto repair center as there was no Subaru dealer in the area. Because I had kept try... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 mph my car suddenly stalled …. I was able to get to apron of road , but my steering locked and I had no brakes.. I could put car into neutral but had to “jam” it into park , trying to get it to stop rolling . It would not restart . I had it towed to an auto repair center as there was no Subaru dealer in the area. Because I had kept try... Read more