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: Feb 24, 2022
I turn my vehicle on while am waiting to car to get warm i turn on the heat the windshield crack by it self
Incident date: Feb 24, 2022
I turn my vehicle on while am waiting to car to get warm i turn on the heat the windshield crack by it self
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked overnight and while approaching the vehicle the next day, he noticed that the windshield had a 6-8-inch-long crack on the driver's side. The contact stated that the crack originated at the outer left edge of the windshield and was horizontal. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to Saf... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2022
The car randomly breaks when it’s in motion in reverse. This has happened multiple times.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2022
The car randomly breaks when it’s in motion in reverse. This has happened multiple times.
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
Windshield was hit by two rocks leaving dime sized stars at the base of the windshield. They were low and not in sightline. Have had many cars with same damage on windshield with no issues and driven for years without any change in the glass. When I got home I parked car in garage. The next afternoon when I looked at the windshield, the small stars had cracked in 4 different directions, to a s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
Windshield was hit by two rocks leaving dime sized stars at the base of the windshield. They were low and not in sightline. Have had many cars with same damage on windshield with no issues and driven for years without any change in the glass. When I got home I parked car in garage. The next afternoon when I looked at the windshield, the small stars had cracked in 4 different directions, to a s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
The exhaust pipe assembly for our 2017 non-turbo Subaru Forester has failed. Two other similar complaints for this model and year vehicle have been submitted to NHTSA (ID#’s 11429564 and 11395158). Exhaust fumes spread within the vehicle cabin and presents a significant safety and health issue for occupants. A similar problem has been reported for turbo charge vehicles for which Subaru issued... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2022
1st windshield crack at 13603 miles 2nd windshield crack less than one month later. THE CONSUMER STATED FORD ESCAPE VEHICLES BETWEN MODEL YEARS 2016-2019 HAVENT COOLANT LEAK ISSUES. THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2018 FORD ESCAPE WITH 80,000 MILES. THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil every 3,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the oil was changed. The contact stated that the oil light illuminated whenever the oil level was extremely low. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
The windshield cracked for no apparent reason. Because my wife works from home the car sat in the driveway for over a week and when she went out to use the car she noticed the windshield was cracked.
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Outback. The contact stated she starting the vehicle and there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. The contact stated while reserving, she was depressing on the brake pedal but failed to stop the vehicle, causing her to rear into 2 vehicles. The contact was not aware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The contact stated she continued to depress t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 23, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms pa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Recall ID 21V-955 affecting the drive chain. Vehicle is showing signs of this (vibrations while driving). My families safety, two toddlers ages 2 and 4 are at risk. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle and it is my only car. Dealership cannot do anything as there are no parts to fix it. I need an immediate fix which is not happening.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Recall ID 21V-955 affecting the drive chain. Vehicle is showing signs of this (vibrations while driving). My families safety, two toddlers ages 2 and 4 are at risk. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle and it is my only car. Dealership cannot do anything as there are no parts to fix it. I need an immediate fix which is not happening.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Recall ID 21V-955 affecting the drive chain. Vehicle is showing signs of this (vibrations while driving). My families safety, two toddlers ages 2 and 4 are at risk. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle and it is my only car. Dealership cannot do anything as there are no parts to fix it. I need an immediate fix which is not happening.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2022
My 2017 Subaru Forester has had its battery replaced twice. There is obviously either a problem with Subaru batteries, or there is something inherent in the electrical system of the vehicle that drains the battery. For a senior citizen, a dead battery when travelling is not only an inconvenience, but could be a major problem, especially in the winter months. I understand there is a class action l... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
While the vehicle was parked in a driveway, the windshield developed a 10 inch crack in an upside down "J" shape, originating from the bottom edge of the windshield. There were no debris impacts in this area of the windshield and no "pitting" is visible that would have compromised the structural integrity of the windshield. There have been multiple class-action lawsuits related to the issue of cr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2021
I was driving in fine weather, in a smooth highway when a crack occurred in the windshield for no apparent reason. I initially thought a dust particle must have hit in the wrong place, but then was alerted to the fact that a windshield should not break for no apparent reason. I have owned cars for decades, and this is the first time that I have had a windshield crack, and in a nearly new car. It i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle that was parked in the driveway under the shade of a tree, he noticed that the driver's side of the windshield was cracked. The contact stated that the crack was irregular and was a foot long. The contact stated that he looked around but could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer was notifie... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
We purchased our 2019 Subaru in 2018, before the New Year from the showroom floor. We will now have had to replace the windshield twice. Once in October 30, 2019 in which the dealership said that it was too no fault of Subaru, and now today February 22, 2022, the windshield is cracked again from the passenger side towards the middle. This has been a costly expense for us as we are retired. The lit... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
The windshield cracked with no reason and the hairline crack has been spreading in a matter of hours. The car was parked inside the garage and I drove it to work at 6:20am. The car was in the parking lot until 2:20pm. Upon arriving I noticed a crack (half the length of what it shows in the picture). By 3:30 the crack doubled in length.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Cracked windshield for the 2nd time.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2022
Windshield has cracked on 3 separate occasions while parked. Happened in 2 parking lots and my driveway.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
Unknown system that failed but vehicle equiped with EyeSight and all of Subaru safety features. Air bag did not deploy. Pulling into curbed parking space at city park. Speed <10 mph while in parking lot. Applied brake while pulling in space to park and car accelerated jumping the curb. The car was out of control and luckily heading into the woods. Tried to apply brake again but car kept ac... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
Unknown system that failed but vehicle equiped with EyeSight and all of Subaru safety features. Air bag did not deploy. Pulling into curbed parking space at city park. Speed <10 mph while in parking lot. Applied brake while pulling in space to park and car accelerated jumping the curb. The car was out of control and luckily heading into the woods. Tried to apply brake again but car kept ac... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
Unknown system that failed but vehicle equiped with EyeSight and all of Subaru safety features. Air bag did not deploy. Pulling into curbed parking space at city park. Speed <10 mph while in parking lot. Applied brake while pulling in space to park and car accelerated jumping the curb. The car was out of control and luckily heading into the woods. Tried to apply brake again but car kept ac... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Repeated battery failure issues. Vehicle has had to be jumped anytime the vehicle has sat more than eight hours since approximately 01/18/2022. Vehicle has been taken to an auto shop where battery and alternator test was done. Battery has been determined to be okay, simply in need of a charge. Alternator also okay. No indicator/warning lamp or message was given prior to initial or subsequent fail... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Out of no where the window chipped and then cracked later that day
Incident date: Jan 22, 2022
Battery won't hold a charge. Car is not reliable, danger of not starting and being stranded. Car has been inspected by dealership twice and new batteries were installed but the problem persists. No warning of low battery.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Hello! We have a 2017 Subaru Legacy 2.5I LM that was purchased used in 2018. Since the purchase of the vehicle, we have had to replace the battery 3x. The vehicle cannot seem to hold a charge, despite frequent use. Neither the car dealership we sold the vehicle to nor the Subaru dealership can seem to figure out what the issue is, however, it does seem to possibly align with this vehicle having ba... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2021
The battery does not hold a charge. I have had to have AAA charge my battery on 10 occasions in the fourteen months since I purchased this vehicle. I also have had to have the battery jumped by friends to start the car. The battery was replaced by the dealership in early September 2021, claiming it was a deflected battery and I should have no more battery problems. The replaced battery has not hel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
Windshield cracked for no reason.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
At the time,time, car was not fully 2 years old.. its brand new.This is an addition to a post created a week ago. After the dealership offered to detail the interior of the car to solve the sulferic acid feeling I noticed that the flap above the driving wheel started to feel warm. This happened right in the morning in February. I'm not sure if I am feeling an electrical voltage, smelling the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
At the time,time, car was not fully 2 years old.. its brand new.This is an addition to a post created a week ago. After the dealership offered to detail the interior of the car to solve the sulferic acid feeling I noticed that the flap above the driving wheel started to feel warm. This happened right in the morning in February. I'm not sure if I am feeling an electrical voltage, smelling the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
At the time,time, car was not fully 2 years old.. its brand new.This is an addition to a post created a week ago. After the dealership offered to detail the interior of the car to solve the sulferic acid feeling I noticed that the flap above the driving wheel started to feel warm. This happened right in the morning in February. I'm not sure if I am feeling an electrical voltage, smelling the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2022
I was starting to reverse out of a parking spot in an underground parking lot. (It was about 10 am). The car accelerated and went backwards at top speed into a wall and door that led to elevators. It happened very suddenly. I did not have time to brake before impact. The car was still running after impact and I had to switch off the ignition to stop the engine running. The airbags did not deploy... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
the car battery gets completely drained after up to 24 hours of non use. this has happened repeatedly over the last couple months. replaced the battery and the same issue occurs with the new battery, completely drained after less then 2 days of not being used.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
Windshield cracked across bottom portion. Many other Subaru owners have had the same problem.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2022
Took 2012 Subaru Impreza to dealer on 2/07/22 for oil change and PA state inspections (60,130 mi). Maintenance and inspections performed without issues. Started car and noticed slight change in sound and vibration from engine that I attributed to cold winter day start up. A block from leaving dealership, the check engine, oil warning and vehicle dynamic control lights all illuminated at once. In t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2022
It's a 6mt. Randomly reverse stopped working. Seems like it wants to go in reverse. But when any bit of gas pedal pressed it grinds and pops out of reverse. I have no reverse. 1st thru 6th gear works shifting wise. Shifter has some play though.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
In first 5,000 miles two windshields have cracked. The first had NO obvious impact. The second was hit by a VERY SMALL pebble (<1/4”). Seems like Subaru hasn’t resolved their windshield issues.
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
Vehicle was at a stop light on a 45mph road at which time the car shook very badly, the engine stalled, and almost every dashboard light illuminated. Vehicle was unable to move putting the passengers at extreme risk of a rear end collision on a major thoroughfare. The situation was safely resolved after shutting down the vehicle for a minutes and restarting it. Following the incident, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
Vehicle was at a stop light on a 45mph road at which time the car shook very badly, the engine stalled, and almost every dashboard light illuminated. Vehicle was unable to move putting the passengers at extreme risk of a rear end collision on a major thoroughfare. The situation was safely resolved after shutting down the vehicle for a minutes and restarting it. Following the incident, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
Vehicle was at a stop light on a 45mph road at which time the car shook very badly, the engine stalled, and almost every dashboard light illuminated. Vehicle was unable to move putting the passengers at extreme risk of a rear end collision on a major thoroughfare. The situation was safely resolved after shutting down the vehicle for a minutes and restarting it. Following the incident, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
This is the second windshield on my 2018 Subaru Outback that has cracked near the A-pillar without any evidence of being caused by an impact.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
After replacing my battery today, I am on the third battery in 4 years. There is an apparent problem with parasitic battery drain with this vintage Outback. My car died at a gas station after getting gas. I work in an area with no cell coverage, so had this happened at work, I could have been remotely stranded. I had a local service center (not the dealer) confirm the battery drain. I had no ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
I purchased this car in July 2019. Three times the windshield has cracked without any explanation or cause. Three weeks ago, I replaced the second cracked windshield at my own expense. Three weeks later -- just yesterday, Feb. 17, 2022 -- the brand new windshield simply cracked. All three times the crack has appeared in roughly the same place. There was no road debris or anything else that came in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
Front windshield crackle sound (like breaking glass) when temperature drops below 20 degrees. Constant sound.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
There is a software problem which caused the alternator to not charge the battery correctly, causing the battery to go bad prematurely. The battery was just a few months outside of it's warranty, with it needing to be jump started frequently. It was tested at an Autozone then at the Subaru dealership confirming the bad battery. Subaru dealership confirmed the software malfunction that caused the p... Read more