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: Mar 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a complete stop at the car wash waiting for his turn, the vehicle accelerated suddenly and unintendedly, and crashed into a concrete brick wall. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained a whiplash, laceration on the left arm, muscle injuries in the back, skin abrasion on the upper arm, Skull laceration. The contact was pinne... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
0N03/31/22 2 CRACKS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS DIES OF THE VEHICLE. ONE WAS 9 INCHES IN LENGTH THE OTHER WAS 12 INCHES IN LENGTH. BOTH STARTED AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND WENT UPWARD. ON 0330/22 THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR AN IL CHANGE AND OVERALL INSPECTION. NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND. VEHICLE WAS HOUSED IN GARAGE OVERNIGHT. CRACKS WERE FOUND THE NEXT MORNING. NO... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Transmission was about to fail. Car started making noise at low speeds in drive and reverse about 2-3 weeks ago, so I brought it in and mentioned the noise to the service advisor. There were no warning lights, messages on the dash indicating a problem. Confirmed by a Subaru dealer as needing to be fully replaced.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2022
1. Car stalls when slowing down 2. Safety issue dealer has listed as torque issue and as safety issue 3. Dealer has vehicle now and report say torque issue with CVT 4. By delaer 5. No lights, car stalls when slowing down
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
The windshield cracked while driving at 45mph on a normal street. Nothing hit the windshield, it just popped and cracked. This is the second time this has happened to this vehicle. The previous cracks occurred while it was parked.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
Car windshield cracked with no reasons on a high way. The dealer has inspected the vehicle and confirmed the issue. Safety of the passengers at the front is at risk. Car is within three years.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2022
The front lights are extremely bright for other drivers on the road. It is so bad that I took it into the dealership/service department to get them checked out. I was told that there is no issue with the lights and other drivers are not use to the led lights being installed into newer vehicles. I can see three blocks in front of me as far up into the trees. I rarely drive at night, because I am co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
Windshield cracked out of no where. I’ve only had this car 1 day and it’s brand new.
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I’m driving down the road and I hit a bump, then I go to brake and veers left, I take to my mechanic he says the my subframe cracked, car is not safe to drive, he says it happens a lot
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that the key would become stuck in the ignition switch. The failure would occur intermittently however it was progressively worsening. The contact contacted the dealer who stated that the CVT parking brake switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed the exten... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2022
1. When coming to a stop the vehicle will shudder and stall. Vehicle drives fine until slowing down to and then will sometimes shudder and stall. 2. The car stalling when slowing down others drivers can hit you as they do not expect you to come to a complete stop. 3. I am taking the car to the dealer tomorrow. 4. I have notified the dealer of the issue and I have found two bulletins from the m... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 20 mph and making a slight right turn, the steering wheel did not respond and the vehicle drifted to the left and crashed into the guard rail. Prior to the incident the driver indicated the steering wheel felt wobbly and unstable. There were no injuries reported. The police was called to sce... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 10, 2021
Within a month of owning this vehicle new, the windshield formed a crack in it randomly. A few weeks later It formed another in the center near the driver's side making it harder to focus on the road. Now we have 2 cracks next to each other obstructing the driver's view.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
I purchased my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek in 2019 brand new and as of March 29th, 2022 I have had two windshield replacements due to cracks. I have never had this issue before with my other vehicles and I have also owned a 2016 Subaru Impreza so I am assuming it might have something to do with the year and model of my current Subaru. I recently replaced my cracked windshield last month and today I have... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
I bought this car January 2021. In June 2021, the smallest pebble cracked my windshield while I was driving on the freeway. Yesterday, 3/28/22, I was driving home from work like usual and my sunroof spontaneously exploded and completely shattered. Yep, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Search up: Subaru exploded sunroof on Google. Thank god I had the sunroof shade closed or else the glass... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
I bought this car January 2021. In June 2021, the smallest pebble cracked my windshield while I was driving on the freeway. Yesterday, 3/28/22, I was driving home from work like usual and my sunroof spontaneously exploded and completely shattered. Yep, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Search up: Subaru exploded sunroof on Google. Thank god I had the sunroof shade closed or else the glass... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2020
Headlights do not have a true low beam. When low beam is selected it partially blocks the top of the high beam. OK if on a dead flat road. On one that undulates at all at some point cars coming the other way are blinded by the full brightness of the headlight. Often because of this oncoming cars are flashing their high beams at me thinking that I haven't dimmed mine. If a driver is blinded by the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Yesterday, March 28, 2022 I stopped to run into a shop. Left my windows down because it was hot. My AC fan doesn’t work half the time. When I put my keys in the ignition, the key would not turn to accessories or ignite the car to start. The steering wheel was locked. The park gear shift wouldn’t move. I tried forcing these for at least 15 minutes. I had my emergency key fob and tried it repeat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Yesterday, March 28, 2022 I stopped to run into a shop. Left my windows down because it was hot. My AC fan doesn’t work half the time. When I put my keys in the ignition, the key would not turn to accessories or ignite the car to start. The steering wheel was locked. The park gear shift wouldn’t move. I tried forcing these for at least 15 minutes. I had my emergency key fob and tried it repeat... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
The contact owns a 1998 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, there was a delayed failure in the braking system. The contact notified the local dealer regarding the failure and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 99V040000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) for which the vehicle was included. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired due to par... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
This vehicle has a crack across the lower part of windshield. Apparently this is a notorious subaru problem I'm told.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Thousands of Subarus are developing leaking cam carriers which can cause the vehicles to stall due to oil loss. There are online threads with many, many owners reporting their vehicles developed this problem - many with low mileage. My vehicle developed the problem with about 40,000 miles on the odometer. This vehicle should be recalled. Dealerships are making a fortune fixing these vehicles, ofte... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Thousands of Subarus are developing leaking cam carriers which can cause the vehicles to stall due to oil loss. There are online threads with many, many owners reporting their vehicles developed this problem - many with low mileage. My vehicle developed the problem with about 40,000 miles on the odometer. This vehicle should be recalled. Dealerships are making a fortune fixing these vehicles, ofte... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Thousands of Subarus are developing leaking cam carriers which can cause the vehicles to stall due to oil loss. There are online threads with many, many owners reporting their vehicles developed this problem - many with low mileage. My vehicle developed the problem with about 40,000 miles on the odometer. This vehicle should be recalled. Dealerships are making a fortune fixing these vehicles, ofte... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2021
1. The car battery failed on six separate occasions within a 12 month time frame. First on May 8, 2021, August 21, 2021, September 9, 2021, November 5, 2021, February 5, 2022, and on March 28, 2022 2. The drivers safety was placed at minimal risk on one occasion since cars were lined up behind in a parking lot when the car would not start. 3. Yes, the problem has been reproduced due to the nu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Battery keeps on dying and doesn’t hold charge. Vehicle has less than 8000 miles on it. 3 weeks ago my vehicle was parked in my garage for one week while I was on vacation and the battery was dead and needed to be jump started. Last week My vehicle was in the garage for 8 days and would not start again and needed to be jump started. Then 4 days had passed since the vehicle was jump started and t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Battery keeps on dying and doesn’t hold charge. Vehicle has less than 8000 miles on it. 3 weeks ago my vehicle was parked in my garage for one week while I was on vacation and the battery was dead and needed to be jump started. Last week My vehicle was in the garage for 8 days and would not start again and needed to be jump started. Then 4 days had passed since the vehicle was jump started and t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2022
The contact leased a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while reversing in a driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into a bush without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact applied the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but they... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 27, 2022
*Eyesight system detects collision hazard and applies brakes when entering certain curves. *Unexpected braking in curve, particularly when roadway is wet poses a danger to driver and other motorists. *Not reproduced by dealer or service center, problem is captured on dashcam video. *Vehicle has been inspected by dealer *Eyesight system seems to "glitch" frequently, causing a variety of warning lam... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2022
*Eyesight system detects collision hazard and applies brakes when entering certain curves. *Unexpected braking in curve, particularly when roadway is wet poses a danger to driver and other motorists. *Not reproduced by dealer or service center, problem is captured on dashcam video. *Vehicle has been inspected by dealer *Eyesight system seems to "glitch" frequently, causing a variety of warning lam... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Brake pedal became less firm, and less effective, and Brake warning light came on. I was able to park my Outback, and saw evidence of brake fluid leaking from under the right rear passenger seat. After pulling the lower rear seat cushion off, and pulling the brake line grommet out of the body, I saw, through the hole the brake lines go through, a fitting that had bare rusty brake lines attached to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2022
The battery went dead even though the car was parked in the garage and had been driven recently. AAA was called to jump start it. The vehicle only has 5k miles on it, so it shouldn’t be having battery problems. We are lucky this happened at home.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2022
Our 2015 Subaru Outback has had 4 batteries in 4 years. After some research, a parasitic battery drain issue is common with this year Outback and other Subaru models. Some sites call out the Subaru CAN network as the culprit. Whatever the case, we have had the car to Subaru who changed firmware ostensibly to provide more charging at lower rpm. After that software change was made the problem has ap... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
A crack has developed from the base of the windshield and has grown to about 9 inches so far as it crosses along the windshield. The only thing that has hit the windshield was a small bug as we traveled along the highway. The sound of the bug hitting the windshield was so tiny neither my wife or I could believe that was what caused the crack. This needs to be looked into as it could create a hu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2022
Purchased new 2019 outback in 4/09/19 then on 12/31/2020 the battery died and a new battery had to be installed/ mileage:14135 then on 2/22/22 the battery died and a new battery had to be installed/ mileage: 22710 Dealer verified and installed new battery each time. No warning beforehand.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
Chain slippage according to Subaru Repair Service. They can't really give an reasonings as to why the slippage has occured. Says transmission is slipping as a result. Car isn't safe to drive and wheels do not turn properly. Haven't drove car in months because of this issue.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
This is on my 2022 Subaru Outback Touring XT around 5500+ miles on my brand car the windshield cracked from the bottom center to the middle straight up. I bought this car in Nov 2021 and this car is always garaged and maintained well. After this incident, we are hesitant to drive hence didn't take the car out for a drive and I see the crack started to expand little by little; which is of more conc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
Date: March 25, 2022 - While driving to work, the car shut off. The RAB and eye technology features were disabled. The car indicted the battery was drained. The same day I got the car towed to the dealer. I stayed with the vehicle to find out what was wrong. After a two hour inspection, the Bay Ridge Dealer/Mechanics in Brooklyn, New York indicated that I left something on that drained the battery... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
Date: March 25, 2022 - While driving to work, the car shut off. The RAB and eye technology features were disabled. The car indicted the battery was drained. The same day I got the car towed to the dealer. I stayed with the vehicle to find out what was wrong. After a two hour inspection, the Bay Ridge Dealer/Mechanics in Brooklyn, New York indicated that I left something on that drained the battery... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2022
The vehicle stalls out at stop signs and red light as far as I’m concerned this is a safety hazard.I-took it to Minooka Subaru and they said it it was a torque converter I had it fixed it cost me 1500 dollars and as far as I’m concerned it should be reimbursed because.,it is very much a safety hazard. This happen d numerous of times.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2019
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the emergency brake warning light, traction control, oil pressure warning light, and the cruise control warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2019
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the emergency brake warning light, traction control, oil pressure warning light, and the cruise control warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2019
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the emergency brake warning light, traction control, oil pressure warning light, and the cruise control warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2022
While driving our 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6 the engine quit about 15 miles into our trip while driving at about 45 MPH. It had done this once before where after drifting to a stop and putting it in park it restarted and we finished the trip. This time we drifted to a stop and put it in park and tried to restart the engine. It restarted and immediately quit. We did this several times over a 20 mi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2018
I have a 2017 Subaru Forester that I bought brand new with only 5 miles on it at the time. Within the first year my battery needed replaced twice! I am still having this issue 5 years later and have purchased sometimes 2 batteries a year depending! The windshield also cracked within the first year I bought the car. I had it fixed and it cracked again this time not under warranty and the crack is i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2018
I have a 2017 Subaru Forester that I bought brand new with only 5 miles on it at the time. Within the first year my battery needed replaced twice! I am still having this issue 5 years later and have purchased sometimes 2 batteries a year depending! The windshield also cracked within the first year I bought the car. I had it fixed and it cracked again this time not under warranty and the crack is i... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2021
Purchased brand new from dealer. Less than 3 months later a tiny pebble came up and hit the center of the windshield, immediately you could see an indentation and a spider web. Now the whole windshield has multiple spider web cracks. The splits go from edge of driver's side all the way to edge of passenger side of the car. As well as 3 separate rings going around center indentation. Only had the ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2021
Purchased brand new from dealer. Less than 3 months later a tiny pebble came up and hit the center of the windshield, immediately you could see an indentation and a spider web. Now the whole windshield has multiple spider web cracks. The splits go from edge of driver's side all the way to edge of passenger side of the car. As well as 3 separate rings going around center indentation. Only had the ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2021
Purchased brand new from dealer. Less than 3 months later a tiny pebble came up and hit the center of the windshield, immediately you could see an indentation and a spider web. Now the whole windshield has multiple spider web cracks. The splits go from edge of driver's side all the way to edge of passenger side of the car. As well as 3 separate rings going around center indentation. Only had the ... Read more