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: Jan 1, 2022
While driving on to a rough area such as a bridge crossing the vehicle exhibited excessive bouncing and caused the direction of travel toward the next lane. Repairs to the front struts were made at the dealership where the vehicle was originally purchased. The repair part was described as JL1Z 18124 E Shock Absorber Asy. The service advisor said struts are described this way due to the way it is l... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
Component or system that failed or malfunctioned, and availability for inspection The torque converter and transmission system in my 2020 Ford Edge have malfunctioned. The vehicle experiences transmission shuddering/stuttering during normal driving, particularly during low-speed acceleration and gear changes. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Safe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2023
Component or system that failed or malfunctioned, and availability for inspection The torque converter and transmission system in my 2020 Ford Edge have malfunctioned. The vehicle experiences transmission shuddering/stuttering during normal driving, particularly during low-speed acceleration and gear changes. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Safe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2023
Component or system that failed or malfunctioned, and availability for inspection The torque converter and transmission system in my 2020 Ford Edge have malfunctioned. The vehicle experiences transmission shuddering/stuttering during normal driving, particularly during low-speed acceleration and gear changes. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Safe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2023
At approximately 6:30 PM on January 4, I experienced an incident where the passenger front door unlatched, completely by itself without pressing the unlatched button or pulling the manual release. It has since opened itself again in my driveway. And this can be a very serious issue if it worked to unlatch while driving and the door swings open and causes an accident or hits an object or person whi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
Multiple times now at random, car will go from normal temp to overheating on the gauge for a moment. Shuts down in doing so regardless of being driven. Then will instantly think its cooling back down to normal. When it reaches normal it resumes normal driving abilities. While the temp is going up and down on the gauge the center of the cluster tells you "high coolant temperature". No codes or pend... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
i purchased this certified preowned vehicle in the month of 10/2025 from manahwkin jeep. ii drove the vehicle aproximately 1000 mile since i purchased it. i contacted the dealership that the vehicle is hybrid battery not staying charged and that the motor is stalling and losing power when i drive it along with abnormal sounds from the engine . i had to pull over and recycle the ignition nu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
As I was driving on the freeway 65 mph my car completely lost all Speed and the more I accelerated the more my car decreased speed and eventually it shut itself off as i stopped the car as I pulled over there was no time to make it to a safe area for a safe pull over i was on a bridge calling for help from my insurance. The car did not want to start at first about 45 minutes later my car started ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I own a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 6 cylinders (engine model 2GR-FKS). It has 107,000 miles. I brought it to my dealer for inspection and service, and noted that it was making a whirring/whining sound upon acceleration. There were no warning messages on the dashboard to alert me of any issues. The dealer reported back to me that the transmission was failing and quoted $11k to fix it. Upon researc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The radio system working with the phone produces a high pitch static noise when trying to make a phone call or when receiving a phone call. This has been reported to the dealership.Mechanics say that chevrolet does not android phones, only iphones and this is causing the problem with the radio system, the Lights will go on and off at a moment's notice whether you're driving when you're driving rad... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Back up camera screen glitches and goes black when backing up. I have to pull forward and try reversing again to get the camera to work. When backing out of my driveway it’s an inconvenience but backing out of a parking space is a much bigger issue. Half way out of the space it will glitch distorting the picture or goes black with no picture.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
Shortly after purchase (9/20/25), I noticed that each trip showed much lower gas mileage than would be expected/reported via the vehicle sticker. Initially, these post-drive reports showed mileage around 17 mpg (city-equivalent). We noticed this quickly-- after the first few trips made. I calculated the mpg in early October & my calculations showed 16.7 mpg. Over the next few weeks, similar mp... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
Blank Instrument Panel Screen. abnormal CAN message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4.2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of FMVSS 101, §§ S5.1.2 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The passage side headlight has moistures in it. They said run the engine for 30 minutes so it will dissolve and it didn't. And now the headlights not working and its $2,000 to get it replace.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
Hello, I am having trouble getting my safety recall repaired, and they told me to file a complaint here. NHTSA safety recall25v315. Please let me know if this is the right form to fill out.
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The contact owns a 1976 Ford LTD Country Squire equipped with Toyo 800 Ultra Tires, Tire Line: Premium Touring, Tire Size: 235/75/R15, DOT Number: CXBN8PX1, and the Date Code: 1803. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the front passenger's side tire had ruptured. In addition, the contact stated that the middle thread of the tire ruptured. The contact de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
Description of Incident: > While driving in freezing drizzle/sleet conditions in northern Minnesota, the factory-installed LED headlights on my 2025 Ford Bronco became obscured by ice buildup within 15 minutes of driving. The Safety Issue: > the LED headlights do not produce sufficient heat to melt frozen precipitation. This resulted in a degradation of forward visibility during nighttime drivi... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V019000 (Electrical System) and 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the passenger-side of the vehicle, and the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
A vehicle turned in front of me as I was going down the highway and I collided with the vehicle at 44 mph. The airbags of my car did not deploy but the airbags of the other vehicle did deploy.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Vehicle was in car accident where airbags did not deploy.
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Took my Yukon in for L87 engine recall. Advisor informed me my engine failed. No symptoms, sounds or messages appeared.’
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW M340I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed a thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine while idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had yet to be notifie... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
Oil pressure sensor failure caused oil to leak into the injector harness damaging components and engine shutdown. Because this was a sudden engine shutdown and safety-related loss of motive power caused by an oil pressure sensor failure this presents a safety risk
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
Since new the vehicle has had a vibration/shake while driving at all speeds. Initially the issue was only at highway speed but is still present after dealer 'fix'. New car spent 3 days at dealer with 1,000 miles on the odometer. At the time shake was so bad over 65mph it felt unsafe to drive at highway speed. The Dealer tried balance and rotate wheels. No fix. Then the driveshaft was re indexed. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
Oil leaking from the valves cover onto the manifold and could cause a fire. I have replaced the valve cover on 11/03/2022 miles 107698 I pay 1493.21 for the repair. Last week 12/23/2025 the same thing started again. The oil is leaking again on manifold the car is smoking I am afraid to drive the car. I believe I should not be paying again for the same problem.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
PRIORITY 1 - CRITICAL 1. Crash Input Sensor Issue (B10A2-00 - Permanent) Why: Permanent crash sensor fault may affect airbag deployment and safety systems
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
While coming to a stop on a slight incline, the brakes failed to stop the car, brakes were applied and initially slowed the car but when the slight incline was reached the brakes would not engage and the idle of the car move it forward and still the brakes would not engage. I had to put the car into neutral then park to stop. After the incident the brakes seemed to work fine. Nonetheless this is ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
* Primary Component: Forward Collision Avoidance * Secondary Component (if available): Electrical System / Lane Departure Step 3: The Incident Description (Copy & Paste below) > Summary of Safety Defect: > The vehicle is experiencing a critical, recurring failure of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). There are two primary life-safety issues: > * Phantom Braking: The vehicle initiates s... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2015) - ENGINE
Dec 23, 2025
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Catalytic converter keeps giving me check engine
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Hello, The car has 55000 miles right now, It has shifting problem from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gear. I dropped it at the Ford Dealership (Koons Ford Woodbridge, Woodbridge, VA 22193). The Dealership informed me that the vehicle is not covered Under and warranty or Customer Satisfaction Program. The symptoms on my vehicle are same as of Bulletin 22N12, the manufacturing plant is also the same as... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
There is an inconsistent lag in the response from the accelerator. It proves to be extremely unsafe when it occurs while trying to join traffic or cross traffic. A few times now this lag has nearly caused an accident where my vehicle would have been t-boned if the oncoming vehicle hadn't slowed down quickly.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
I was travelling East in the left kane on the southern state parkway in Long Island, NY. The car in fron of me stopped short. I had plenty of time to slow down, then my car brakes locked up and I was almost rearended. Fortunately the driver behind me was alert and moved to the shoulder to avoid contact.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
I was travelling East in the left kane on the southern state parkway in Long Island, NY. The car in fron of me stopped short. I had plenty of time to slow down, then my car brakes locked up and I was almost rearended. Fortunately the driver behind me was alert and moved to the shoulder to avoid contact.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, after completing an Over-the-Air software update, the vehicle failed to start and became inoperable for two days. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle operated sluggishly and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, after completing an Over-the-Air software update, the vehicle failed to start and became inoperable for two days. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle operated sluggishly and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
Dealer failure to to remedy engine replacement under settlement. I am entitled under the March 1, 2022, Settlement Agreement (the “E2 Settlement”) due to recurring Theta II engine failures caused by the oil-starvation/connecting-rod bearing defect. Vehicle stalling on highways and heavy traffic, Repeated codes and failures of MAP sensors, VVT solenoids, camshaft position sensors, starters (×3... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
The eyesight system fails on almost a daily basis. When this happens, multiple safety features shutdown. Lane assist and departure warning stops working. Collision avoidance stops working. Cruise control stops working. Proximity warning alarms stop going off. The local dealership has repeatedly just indicated that this is how it works.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
I was in the middle lane and a car came into my lane so I swerved and a car came up on me in the right lane and my car did a 360 and ended up in a ditch
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
Parking sensor failed when pulling in parking spot and didn’t alert driver of concrete light pole that was approaching vehicle.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The engine failed catastrophically while the vehicle was in operation. The failure involved internal engine components and resulted in the vehicle losing power. The vehicle is currently at a Kia dealership and is available for inspection upon request. I was driving at highway speeds with my children in the vehicle when the engine failure occurred. The sudden loss of power created a dangerous situ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
While driving with my family, my vehicle experienced a sudden and total failure of the front-facing multi-purpose camera mounted behind the windshield. This component is the primary sensor for the Honda Sensing suite. The failure caused multiple critical safety systems to become inoperative simultaneously, including the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), and Ad... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Left Headlight Issue - Roadway Shadows This report is based on multiple observations of the car's owner while driving a Toyota Camry hybrid 2025 at night time . At issue is that the left side LED headlight projects fixed black shadows onto to roadway, partially obscuring the driver's view of the roadway while driving. On 2 dealer visits, the dealer found the left headlight misaligned, and repo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
There is a recall on this vehicle
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
Front and side curtain air bags failed. Was side swiped and hit a guard rail head on at 60-70 mph. I was going on the far left lane on the interstate 85. When a lady in the center lane hit the side of my car not paying attention that I was in my lane.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
The manufacturer has issued a 'Do Not Occupy' warning for the second row of my 2025 Sienna (Recall 25V668). As this is a family minivan, the vehicle is now unsafe for its intended purpose. No remedy is available, and Toyota has provided no timeline for repair. I am seeking a buyback due to indefinite safety impairment.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
My wife was going at about 10 - 15 mph coming up about 2 car lengths to a small curve in a residential area when all of a sudden she heard a pop or snap and the Rav4 went to a super high speed by itself. The acceleration could not be stopped even though she had her feet on the brakes. She had both hands on the steering wheel to avoid hitting a house and ended up going through a wall in the yard.... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the message "Vehicle Might Lose Power" displayed. The vehicle remained at the residence, and the contact used a self-diagnostic tool to retrieve a fault code related to the coolant valve D. The contact determined ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the engine revved, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was turned off; however, wh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
Honda Canada recognized the safety risks from salt damage to the frames and rear suspension of Honda Elements and recalled all years of the Element for warranty repairs, or if the damage was too severe, buy back of the vehicles. Yet they have not in the USA in rust belt states where salt damage is prevalent. As you will note from the attached photos, severe injury or death could occur in a major... Read more