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: Oct 2, 2022
Airbag light intermittently turns on to indicate that airbag may not deploy even if there is someone in the passenger seat. This is a known safety issue with a recall in 2019 but for some reason is affecting a much larger set of vehicles than in the recall, including mine.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Date of Incident: [XXX] US Eastern Time Location: [XXX] Incident Type: Safety defect and vehicle malfunction due to Sudden Unintended Acceleration with multiple safety system failures On the date referenced above, while traveling at approximately 5 mph and preparing to park in a gravel parking lot, I removed my foot from the accelerator pedal to bring the vehicle to a complete stop using the n... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update. The car, which had been driving smoothly since I bought it in 2021, suddenly began showing false braking, steering interference, and lane instability — as if the car were trying to “correct” proble... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update. The car, which had been driving smoothly since I bought it in 2021, suddenly began showing false braking, steering interference, and lane instability — as if the car were trying to “correct” proble... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Kia replaced oil filter adapter and now it burns through excessive amounts of oil. 3qts over 1000 miles. KIA wanted to do an oil consumption test but by the end it would have been out of warranty. Engine replacement would then not be covered.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received information on NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the check engine and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The contact called the local dealer and sc... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
Fuel pump feeder is known to be a major issues on these cars. These should be a safety recall with no explanation. Feeder fitting tends to crack overtime. Recently purchased and wasn’t aware of that previous recall which the previous owner didn’t handle.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
Transmission is failing. Wheel bearing bad. This is a 5 year old car with regular maintenance. No warning lights.
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
My Honda Odyssey does phantom braking once in a while. There are no vehicle in front of it but it still brakes. One time it brake till full stop from 40 miles per hour.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Reverse light not working properly unable to clear see while reversing
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
While there were no reported incidents, it appears there may be manufacturing defects with this vehicle. The rear seat safety belts are reportedly quite difficult to fasten, as the receptacle is positioned deeply within the seats, sometimes making it impossible to secure the belt. This then triggers an alarm, which can be quite bothersome for the driver. Furthermore, there seems to be an issue wit... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
Initial Oil Change Visit: Brought leased vehicle under full warranty to the dealership for its first oil change. No issues were mentioned at this time. First Return (After 5 Minutes Driving): After leaving the dealership, warning lights and unusual sounds began within 5 minutes of driving. Returned immediately. The service team claimed the issue was due to the 'oil gun not being recalibrated' and ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
I star failed and I could not use any of my lane assist. All features quit working that were to help me with other cars approaching failed. Radio quit work it working. Battery in car needed to be replaced and car needed to be jumped started. Curse control did not work. Had less than 2000 miles on car. Safety features in car quit working.
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
When I came to a stop at a light, the car stalled and the engine turned off. It was just as if I was driving a manual transmission and didn't put the clutch down while in gear. I spoke with my husband about the issue and he told me it has been happening for several months now. I have researched it a but snd found that Subaru is aware of the issue and has not offered any recall for the issue but of... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
My 2023 Volvo xc90 was recalled for issues with the backup camera. Software update was installed twice without success. Finally camera was replaced. No success either.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
The rear passenger door was stuck in the closed position and would not open. We brought this to Tesla to fix 5 separate times. My kids sit in the back seat and were not able to get out of the car. We were very worried about their safety because if there was an accident or emergency and they had to get out, they would be stuck inside the car. Each time we brought it to Tesla for repair they "fixe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
The contact owns a 1999 N/A Mercedes-Benz SL500. The contact purchased the rear brake rotors and pads from R1 Concepts, who sells auto parts on Amazon. When the contact installed the brake parts, the rotors could not be adjusted since the rotors were missing the opening that needed to be pre-drilled. The contact stated that when the rear brakes were adjusted, the defect was found. In addition, the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
Shift to park error, car will not go into park. A well known GM issue that apparently has yet to be recalled.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
When braking — both at low speeds and when slowing from highway speeds (40+ mph) — vehicle feels like engine revs and is still pushing against the brakes. Requires very firm pedal pressure to hold car in place; if brake pressure is eased, vehicle surges forward until it finally settles after several seconds. Concern is intermittent but repeatable. I had a near collision on 10/3/2025 due to thi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
During regular use my 2023, Mercedes Cla 250, had a fault in the instrument display in which the display shut off completely. Only the media display remained on, however the media display is completely useless in this scenario, only the instrument display can show the speed in which the vehicle is traveling and the Rpm range in which the vehicle is being accelerated at. I was left stranded, hopele... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
On 8/25/2025 I purchased a used 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD from a auto dealer and they had put new tires on the truck that aren't rated for a 2500 HD, I contacted them and they offered me $400 to replace them with the correct tires that cost me $1319.78 they refuse to help me anymore which is putting my life and others at stake if a tire is to blow out hauling heavy loads that the tires aren't ra... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
Per NHTSA ID Number: 24V700000: Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging. Remedy Owners are advised not to use Level 3 quick charging until the remedy is completed. Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Interim letters notif... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
Per NHTSA ID Number: 24V700000: Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging. Remedy Owners are advised not to use Level 3 quick charging until the remedy is completed. Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Interim letters notif... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
Existing TSB related incident. While driving 45mph transmission began to disengage and free rev. Vehicle wouldn't/ couldn't select a gear. Speed dropped to 30 (in 45mph zone) Put hazards on until i could safely pull over, was almost rear ended.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) and 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that on several occasions, the rear-view camera fail to operate while needed or would randomly function while not needed. The local dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) and 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that on several occasions, the rear-view camera fail to operate while needed or would randomly function while not needed. The local dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The horn is far to quiet to be heard by other drivers. This creates a dangerous situation in many common circumstances on the road and highway.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2017 Volvo S60. The contact’s son stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side door unexpectedly opened. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driver’s side door latch had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side door... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact called the local dealer several times but was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Additionally, the contact had t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact called the local dealer several times but was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Additionally, the contact had t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
The vehicle automator mileage was changed. The original mileage reading is over 200,000 mi. While the dashboard mileage only reads 90,780 mi. I was unaware of this until I went to the DMV to do a title transfer. The private seller is now nowhere to be found from Facebook marketplace and has blocked me but I do have receipts of everything
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Our new Model Y with only 302 miles lost driving power, reported a high voltage problem, and shutdown in the middle of the street. Within an hour Tesla towed it to the repair center. The next day we picked up a loaner. Throughout the ordeal the Tesla staff have been very friendly. They only needed two days to make the repair. Here is what the technician wrote in the Tesla app. With the vehicle on... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Our new Model Y with only 302 miles lost driving power, reported a high voltage problem, and shutdown in the middle of the street. Within an hour Tesla towed it to the repair center. The next day we picked up a loaner. Throughout the ordeal the Tesla staff have been very friendly. They only needed two days to make the repair. Here is what the technician wrote in the Tesla app. With the vehicle on... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
I was steering my car into my own garage as I do daily. Suddenly, as the car was making the turn, the car accelerated abruptly on its own. I was somehow able to steer into the garage, but the rapid acceleration continued. I braked and stopped the car just before it went into the wall that adjoins the interior of my home. There was an inch to spare. There were no warnings or messages or sympoms ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the Engine Auto Start-Stop system failed to operate as needed. The contact stated upon coming to a stop, the engine shutoff; however, upon releasing the brake pedal, the contact became aware that the engine failed to restart as designed. A message of a systems failure was displayed, and an image of a pedal and the Push to Start button ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
Multimedia audio system in Toyota vehicles does not mute music being played when using Car Play to read text messages as it was designed by Apple. This causes the driver to have to mess with the audio button and turn off the music while driving when listening to or replying to a text message. Hands free integration of a cellphone working in a vehicle as designed by the cellphone manufacturer sho... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
I understand there were problems with the 2014 transmissions on Ford Focus models. Even though my car has a manual transmission, I believe it had similar problems to the automatic teansmissions.in switching from 1 to 2, it would sometimes drop. I'm now having issues with my transmission and wondering if the problem is the same.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
Entering the highway the car suddenly learched and stopped excelerating, creating an unsafe situation, and went into a slow mode. It limped along. Caused cars issue around having to slow merge and driving only 10-15 miles per hour. The dealer could find no codes and said it could be an air bubble in fluid line??? No warning lights.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
Recently, I just purchased my vehicle from Wally Edgar Chervolet with no open recalls on the vehicle. As of September 29th, 2025 for my very first oil change on the vehicle I was made aware for 4 OPEN Recalls which was told to me at the time of purchase. The dealership closed the all recalls without actually checking my make the vehicle was safe to drive. The Recall Numbers are: N252510321, N22236... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not expe... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) — ENGINE
Sep 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 11, 2017
I was driving in normal operating conditions, with no traffic when suddenly the engine seized. After contacting a towing company to get my vehicle home, I started checking for anything I could find and noticed that it had zero oil and no visual signs of a leak anywhere. There were never any warning lights or sounds until it abruptly stopped. I have not had it looked at by anyone other than myself... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2014) — VISIBILITY/WIPER
Sep 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 11, 2017
On this vehicle, the washer fluid sprays intermittently by design. In theory, this would save fluid but the timing of the spray makes it so a majority of the right/passenger side windshield stays completely dry or gets just enough spray to smear around any obstruction that is on the windshield. I have had several times now where I need to clean my windshield from dirty road spray and end up need... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
ABS light on dash is illuminated, speedometer works intermittently, and sway bar dash light flashing. Power feels reduced when sway bar light is flashing. Occasionally while driving, door locks engage, sway bar light disappears and power is back to normal. ABS lights remain illuminated. No replacement part available.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
ABS light on dash is illuminated, speedometer works intermittently, and sway bar dash light flashing. Power feels reduced when sway bar light is flashing. Occasionally while driving, door locks engage, sway bar light disappears and power is back to normal. ABS lights remain illuminated. No replacement part available.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
Reference complaint no.11684658 confirmed. From email from Tech representative "VDC HYDRAULIC UNIT REPLACEMENT. IT IS AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THERE ARE SENSORS INSIDE THAT MEASURE BRAKE LINE PRESSURE. THE LEFT FRONT SENSOR IS STUCK AT NEGATIVE 59 BAR. SHOULD BE ZERO AT REST. NOTHING TO DO WITH EYESIGHT THAT LIGHT WILL COME ON WHENEVER THERE IS A WARNING LIGHT ON." The modulat... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
The drivers seat does not have enough padding. I was driving in New Jersey on the thruway and because the seat does not have enough cushion I tried to adjust myself and that caused me to go into other lane. Luckily no accident but this is definitely a safety issue. I do have pictures to show of the condition of the seat.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a failed ABS module. The contact was informed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Ser... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The problem originates from a single faulty passenger seat airbag sensor, but Hyundai requires replacement of the entire seat cushion module, quoted at approximately $3,200 for the part alone and around $4,000 total repair cost. This creates the impression that a single failed sensor affects the entire airbag system. I was not provided with a definitive answer as to whether this fault impacts the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
I was in a crash on 9/19/25 and at the incident none of my airbags deployed. My daily driver for my children and I. I was lucky I was the only passenger at the time. I never expected my airbags not to deploy in a head on crash. The car still sits in my driveway and I have and identical one just like it that I drive! I’d like them evaluated.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
Subject: Ongoing Mechanical and Electrical Issues – 2022 VW Tiguan I’m experiencing ongoing issues with my 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan, purchased new and maintained under single ownership. Primary Issue: The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly under various driving conditions—while accelerating on the highway, from a stop at traffic lights, and especially when going uphill or over high bridges. The ... Read more