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: Nov 18, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the check engine and brake warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic retrieved an unknown trans... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
Info screen froze and didn't come back of for 5 minutes while driving
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
Failure of rear hydraulic braking system (brake lines) due to corrosion. Steady loss of fluid due to corrosion around the double brake line union underneath rear passenger side. Plastic cover prevents corrosion issues from being spotted prior to it becoming a catastrophic failure. Vehicle has been inspected by a service center. The "brake" warning lamp illuminated in the dash to alert the driv... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
The car constantly over-corrects when it tries to keep me centered in a lane on the highway. It always over-corrects to the left shoving me to the left into the adjoining lane, and potentially side swiping vehicles in the adjoining lane. It never over-corrects to the right. I reported this to the dealer and I was told that this is normal.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2021
Rear hatch lift struts failed (pneumatically) unexpectedly causing hatch to fall down on me while loading groceries.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
My windshield appeared to crack for no reason. The crack randomly appeared one day without a corresponding incident (no previous chips/crack in that area and nothing hitting my windshield). The crack began on the edge of the windshield in the upper corner on the passenger side and has continued to spread. There is no mark or indication in that area that the windshield was hit. The dealership menti... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
11/10/21 first incident: vehicle stalled in middle of dangerous busy road intersection: would not start. After about 15-20 min, it restarted. Drove to Dealer who reported: "battery low, taking too many short trips running down the battery. Many codes found. all referring to low battery". 11/16/21 second incident in remote beach parking lot. After a 30-45 min walk, vehicle would not start. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
11/10/21 first incident: vehicle stalled in middle of dangerous busy road intersection: would not start. After about 15-20 min, it restarted. Drove to Dealer who reported: "battery low, taking too many short trips running down the battery. Many codes found. all referring to low battery". 11/16/21 second incident in remote beach parking lot. After a 30-45 min walk, vehicle would not start. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
In approx 2 years, the battery in my brand new 2020 Subaru Outback has died approx 8-10 times. The dealership claims it's Covid related (not driving enough); or the car has so many electrical systems that the battery is being drained as it sits in garage-the fix is me driving it more according to them.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked overnight and as he sat in the vehicle the next morning, he noticed a foot-long crack starting from the top of the windshield going down on the driver’s side. The contact looked around but could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and advised th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2021
I have had 3 windshields crack for no apparent reason in the 2.5 years that I have had the vehicle. All had to be replaced. Average costs to replace was $950. All started with the smallest cracks only to spider across the windshield within minutes.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
The front windshield cracked spontaneously overnight while parked in my garage. There had been no previous chips or cracks. The crack started on both sides near the wiper area and radiated upward toward the eyesight camera.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space and pressing the brake pedal the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and continued to drive forward causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a pole. No injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manuf... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 6, 2021
The battery drains quickly compared to my husband's car. I had to get a new battery every other year. Subaru has known issues with the CAN system and it hasn't been addressed. This is dangerous as my car wouldn't start. I didn't feel safe. Other people have posted similar situtations online and those have to be corrected. I would rather not waste money on a battery every other year. My safety is ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that as his wife attempted to park her vehicle into a parking spot, the vehicle independently accelerated while her foot was on the brake pedal without warning. The contact's wife steered the vehicle to avoid hitting other vehicles as the acceleration continued; she was eventually able to stop the vehicle. Prior to the failure, the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that as his wife attempted to park her vehicle into a parking spot, the vehicle independently accelerated while her foot was on the brake pedal without warning. The contact's wife steered the vehicle to avoid hitting other vehicles as the acceleration continued; she was eventually able to stop the vehicle. Prior to the failure, the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2021
I purchased this vehicle one week ago and the first four miles I was on the interstate a small rock cracked my windshield. The issues with the Forester windshields extend to the 2021 models.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
Battery corrosion on terminal post and drained for no reason, failed battery test and had to be replaced. Windshield has imperfections throughout and cracks easily. Shift mechanism will not release the vehicle key while in park. Squeaking sound emanating from passenger seat belt buckle. Excessive exhaust noise and odor from exhaust pipe. Rear hatch will not close completely unless slammed very for... Read more
SUBARU
OUTBACK
(2016) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
Nov 15, 2021
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
Battery corrosion on terminal post and drained for no reason, failed battery test and had to be replaced. Windshield has imperfections throughout and cracks easily. Shift mechanism will not release the vehicle key while in park. Squeaking sound emanating from passenger seat belt buckle. Excessive exhaust noise and odor from exhaust pipe. Rear hatch will not close completely unless slammed very for... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2021
I experienced premature draining of my car battery. I purchased the car in March 2021. It had approximately 19K miles and was in excellent/showroom condition. This is my first car with GPS and other advanced driving assistance safety features and collision avoidance systems. I'm still trying to understand all of these but some seem to have a mind of their own. I discovered the car's batter... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2021
We purchased a new 2021 Outback Subaru 2 months ago. Three days ago, on 11/12/21, a crack appeared on the windshield overnight, while the car was parked on our driveway. Nothing hit our car while we were driving and there's nothing that stands above the car that could have fallen on it while parked at our house. The crack is linear and started on the very left side right above the driver's sight. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2021
The key will not come out of the ignition when placing the car in park! We have to fiddle with the shifter to get the key to release. Contacted the dealer and Subaru of America to see if this could be fixed as a recall, unfortunately it is a service bulletin as of now and costs >$500 to fix this known problem that occurred on a vehicle with 50K miles! This is unacceptable and would like it fixed a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2021
I purchased this car new, and it has less or about 20.000mile. I am using it daily. Yesterday suddenly the sound system stop playing. Neither the radio, the CD player, or the car play. Just the sound. Today, the battery died, but all the buttons will flickering and would not stop. My husband had to remove the battery cables so to stop. I also have notice in the past that the frond windows will clo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2021
At 1 month old with 1,661 miles - the driver's side window started showing a cracked line that began to grow throughout the course of driving on a Saturday afternoon.
Incident date: Nov 13, 2021
Front windshield spontaneously cracked, originating from the frame.
Incident date: May 1, 2021
Front right side of driver’s seat has collapsed. Possibly due to a broken bracket or weld.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2021
Two tires on our car developed the same problem two weeks apart: a large bulge in the sidewall near the rim. On 10/5/21 we noticed a bulge on the rear driver’s side tire which looked like a tennis ball was emerging. We took it to our mechanic here in Ohio. He said not to drive on it and replaced the tire. It had less than 13,000 miles on it and I thought it should be covered under warranty. We... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
On Wednesday November 10 I was arriving at Chase Bank 4229 Woodruff Ave Lakewood Ca. I was turning right into a parking stall heading due east, parking between a pickup truck to the right and a passenger car to the left. I was braking with my right foot only traveling 5 miles per hour and suddenly the car accelerated over a parking stop and into the bank building. It was so sudden I couldn't react... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
On Wednesday November 10 I was arriving at Chase Bank 4229 Woodruff Ave Lakewood Ca. I was turning right into a parking stall heading due east, parking between a pickup truck to the right and a passenger car to the left. I was braking with my right foot only traveling 5 miles per hour and suddenly the car accelerated over a parking stop and into the bank building. It was so sudden I couldn't react... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 24, 2021
I was on road driving at night when I heard a crack. When I got to a lit area I noticed 3 inch crack appeared in the lower center of the windshield. No debris hit the windshield all I heard was the distictive sound of the crack.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
I have owned several cars in the past but my Subaru Forester’s windshield cracked within the first year. I now have 3 cracks in my windshield and I havent even had it for 2 years. I even spoke with my local Subaru dealership and they even say the windshields crack more then they should.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2021
Windshield cracked for no apparent reason.
Incident date: May 22, 2021
The vehicle gets a shudder at different speeds and it feels like it's either the transmission is slipping or its coming from the motor but it NEVER THROWS a Trouble Code so as the dealership says if its not throwing a trouble code they can't diagnose it until it does. So that's why I don't like these vehicles because no one know how to fix it old school by being a real mechanic and going old schoo... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2021
The vehicle gets a shudder at different speeds and it feels like it's either the transmission is slipping or its coming from the motor but it NEVER THROWS a Trouble Code so as the dealership says if its not throwing a trouble code they can't diagnose it until it does. So that's why I don't like these vehicles because no one know how to fix it old school by being a real mechanic and going old schoo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
ECM reprogramming. I have sent in a report of 2018 Crosstrek manual transmission models like mine with acceleration delay and hesitation. There has been numerous reports of this issue among the owners. It creates hazardous condition when the driver is unexpectedly experiencing power loss or acceleration delay on lane merging situations. My car hesitates at around 2000 RPM during acceleration. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
i own a 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited. In the last 18 months the battery has died three times while the car is parked. On the second occasion the battery condition was poor and I had to replace it. The third time occurred yesterday. Each time I have had to call for roadside assistance and wait, unable to start/use the car unti the help arrived. I have never had a similar problem with any prev... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
There are many online posts of the same issues as my 2018 Crosstrek acceleration hesitancy, stumbling at around 2000 RPM or under light acceleration. This is particularly hazardous when entering highways. The Subaru dealership cannot find any issue with diagnostic error codes. I called Subaru of America they also reports no such recalls on the complaint above. Please investigate this for the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2021
I was driving on a three-lane parkway commuting to work, and the weather was clear. I was the only person in the vehicle. I left just after 7:40AM I had been driving for about 40 minutes. I had the cruise control ready to be set as I had turned it on briefly earlier in the drive, but it was not turned on at the time. When the cruise control button is pushed and "ready," lane keeping assistance tur... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
Torque Converter failure - car stalls/shuts off when braking hard. This is a huge safety hazard. Car has 114,852 miles on it and was just recently purchased from a private owner. There should have been a recall for these vehicles from Subaru.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2021
Ignition Key stuck in the ignition cannot be removed from ignition after parking. This problem never occurred in previous 5 years of ownership. It happens nearly every time the car is driven, and has been reported widely on the internet by Subaru owners. In many cases, owners have not been able to remove the keys at all, and have had to call for assistance. On the advice of a repair tech, we repl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2021
Ignition Key stuck in the ignition cannot be removed from ignition after parking. This problem never occurred in previous 5 years of ownership. It happens nearly every time the car is driven, and has been reported widely on the internet by Subaru owners. In many cases, owners have not been able to remove the keys at all, and have had to call for assistance. On the advice of a repair tech, we repl... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
local mechanic doing standard maintenence at 62,861 miles, checking high rpms at startup, noticed that the crankshaft pully was moving up and down , slight variance , when it should be straight. apparently a recall issue on 2016 outbacks.
SUBARU
LEGACY
(2016) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH
Nov 10, 2021
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the key would not release from the ignition switch. The contact had to move the shift lever back and forth to take the key out of the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a faulty shift lever plate that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
Car battery has discharged on three occasions within the passed 6 months. There is no warning that the battery is failing, turn car off and go to turn on next day and it won’t start. The battery is one yr old and mechanic gave it passing mark when he checked it. When I researched internet to gather more info I found the class action lawsuit describing my problem on other Subarus and felt it ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, she heard an abnormal loud popping sound coming from the top of the vehicle. The contact stated that she pulled into the nearest gas station and noticed that the sunroof glass had shattered and fell onto the shade guard. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be responsib... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
I have a 2011 Subaru Outback with ~`40k miles. After buying the vehicle in late 2020 I began to notice the vehicle shuttering and shaking when coming to a complete stop or when I begin to reverse and when the vehicle shutters there is a significant RPM drop. The shuttering issue occurs randomly and is concerning but the bigger issue is that the vehicle has also stalled after coming to a hard stop ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2021
I have owned this 2011 Subaru Outback since I purchased it brand new. Over the past 10 years, I have had to put approx 7 or 8 new batteries into the vehicle. The current mileage is approx 75,000. Over the past 10 years of owning this vehicle, I have kept the vehicle very well maintained almost exclusively at the dealership. I have been left stranded twice now in the past 2.5 weeks. I have been... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, he noticed the front windshield was cracked on the passenger’s side. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,040.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2021
Several times my 2020 Subaru Ascent has failed to start and required a jump. I have taken my vehicle into the Subaru dealers 3 times for this problem. Every time they tell me something was left on that drained the battery when the vehicle was turned off. One time they replaced the battery but same issue occurred after the battery was replaced. Another time they replaced the radio but same pro... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2019
The windshield on my Subaru Crosstrek is incredibly weak and cracks upon the smallest impact. I have owned my vehicle for 2.5 years, and have driven it about 25,000 miles. In the vehicle that I owned prior (Lincoln LS), I never experienced any windshield cracking, and I was driving in the same region. I now have 6 cracks on my windshield, two of which have grown to be larger cracks (one going all... Read more