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: Jul 6, 2025
Subject: Engine Failure Due to Bearing Defect – No KSDS Recall Notification Vehicle: 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport VIN: [XXX] Date of Purchase: April 2016 Complaint Summary: I am filing this complaint regarding my 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, which experienced catastrophic engine failure due to the known Theta II GDI engine bearing defect. Hyundai has an active class action settlement covering... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
The tire Goodyear LT275/65R20 are the original tires on the truck when purchased. The tires have been rotated and balanced at the dealership routinely, approximately 42,000 miles on the set. On [XXX], I was travelling [XXX] here in NC when I felt a bump as if I had hit something in the road. I pulled off to the shoulder to inspect for damage or a flat tire. The left rear tire had completely lo... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
When putting truck in Reverse... Back-Up Camera goes Blank(Black-Out)
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The 2023+ Honda CRV hybrid model have paddles on the steering wheel that increase and decrease the strength of regenerative braking. I use this feature often on our 2024 hybrid model. The issue arises when increasing the strength to the second or third (highest) level. The braking force at these levels should trigger the brake lights to illuminate, but they do not. Often I see drivers brake late b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2013
I purchased this truck new in 2013 and it has only been serviced by Ford, except for an Air Lift Suspension Kit install to allow load leveling when towing. Low miles: 54484 actual. No collision damage, original paint. Date of repair:06/25/2025. Jenkins Ford RO#[XXX]. My truck has a Supercab (Extended Cab) with short rear doors that open to the rear. Both of these rear doors failed within 5 minu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
See Attached Letter
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
Bad glare from the front shiny plastic dash section onto the windshield during sunny days. It makes it hard to see and is a hazard.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
Drivers Air Bag and Cable Reel defective
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
Last year my vehicle has a recall for the Ecoboost. Ford in Boonville, IN. replaced engine. I am again having a foggy windshield, sweet smell, dizziness, and I can taste the coolant. I sent email to Ford motor company but haven't received a response yet. I left a message for the service department at dealership as well. I'm waiting for someone to get back to me. It's my understanding that if the s... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2025
While driving the vehicle in early February, I experienced a severe stability issue that caused the vehicle to nearly roll over while turning. The vehicle has since developed extreme wobbling, bouncing from left to right, especially when braking or turning. A loud crackling noise is present when making right turns. These symptoms are visibly apparent from outside the vehicle and severely affect st... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
No idea why. My transmission has went up again. After about 55k ish since it was replaced the last time. Done at the Nissan dealer and everything.
Incident date: May 13, 2025
On Jun 26, 2025 I was driving down a residential street when I heard a loud bang - it sounded like something hit my car. I stopped, got out and looked all over the outside of my car but found nothing wrong. As I re-entered the drivers side of the car, I saw the passenger side headrest...it had exploded!!! I immediately called my brother who is an auto mechanic and he told me that the headrest i... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The affected component of this vehicle is the braking system. When rocks or gravel get stuck to, in, on, or around the brake pads/brakes the braking system is compromised. Yes, The vehicle is available for inspection. When gravel gets stuck in, on, and around the brake pads, the safe operation of the braking system malfunctions. If the vehicle braking system does not work as designed/intended, li... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2025
The shocks have been worn out, clunking and not damping bumps. It causes excessive bounce making the vehicle hard to control on the road. It has been verified by a shop and no warning signs on dash.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2025
The steering is binding up when turning and there is a clicking noise. I notice this a low speeds. Local mechanic inspected all suspension and drive train parts and said everything looked ok. He did not check the steering. I see this recall for later year models: The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to diff... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2025
transmission disengaged on highway causing very dangerous driving condition. There is a Ford TSB 25-2134 issued on 4/15/2025. I am told it is a transmission pump failure and would require a very costly transmission replacement. I am within the time limit of my warranty, but just out of range on my distance warranty.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The car has a lot of vibration when driving 60mph and above. Have had this issue looked at more than 5 times and they had my card for 1 month at the dealership trying to find the issue. This started back in February of 2024 and I have purchased 4 sets of tires and nothing makes the vibrations of the seat, steering wheel go away. Originally it wasn’t vibrating while driving back in February of 20... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic determined that coolant intrusion into several cylinders had caused engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
2018 Dodge Durango GT with 47,000. The check engine light came on. Took it to a Dodge dealer for service. Diagnosis was head gasket failure, allowing coolant into the cylinder causing engine misfire and potential overheat and a blown engine. This appears to be an ongoing issue with the Penstar V6 engine. This is a safety concern because the vehicle may break down while driving or overheat without ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
The Auto-Stop/Start feature frequently fails to properly restart the car, often causing the car to stall during the restarting process, leaving me effectively disabled on a busy road. The battery has already been replaced once.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
⸻ In early 2024, I brought my vehicle to a Hyundai dealership due to rapid oil loss. I reported having to refill the oil weekly and suspected a leak. They diagnosed a cracked oil pan, claimed to fix it, and returned the car. However, immediately after, the car continued burning oil at an alarming rate. I was forced to buy and add oil every single week, spending hundreds of dollars to maintain d... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
While driving at highway speeds (60-70 MPH), vehicle showed blinking check engine light, indicating a misfire. Pressing the gas pedal did not provide power to the wheels, though the engine was still running and revved up. My safety and that of those around me was in danger due to my inability to continue to maintain speed. I had to coast while pulling over to the side of a freeway. I turned the ca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The front camera system stopped working, so I lost access to Pre-Collision Assist—(e.g., Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking) as well as all other driver assistance feature. This would occur suddenly while I was driving (sometimes at highway speeds) where I'd have to swerve during a turn while using hands-free driving. Every time I start the car now, I have a permanent error message t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2025
This has happened 8 times in a month span. The car is currently being looked at by the dealership and so far they can’t find anything wrong. When I’m stopped in traffic, my car’s engine turns off. Once the light turns green and I press on the accelerator I hear a beep and the car doesn’t move . The dashboard shows a few error messages and a message stating that the eyesight has been turn... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
A mechanic says it is PCM failure. I have owned the car for 18 months. Shortly after buying it, it started doing this thing where it loses power for just a second or two. Cruise control and proximity sensors kick off, steering wheel locks and/or power steering turns off, all interior components turn off. Usually everything comes right back on, and I can reset the cruise control. Lately it has been... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
Malfunction and engine light is on. Found p052e present. Recommended replacement of crankcase breather assembly
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The uconnect screen is black, therefore I can use backup camera and see anything on the screen.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was not shifting correctly. The contact stated that the transmission was shifting hard, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the engine revved high during the failure. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the v... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
Had 60 miles to empty of gas and slowed down while entering a turn lane. All the electronics flashed a few times, forced the car into park (while moving) and then would not turn on to drive. Music continued to play, car would not turn off or restart, AC stopped working, and was unable to shift into neutral to get out of the road. Was almost hit by multiple cars getting into the turning lane expect... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
My ABS module is failing with no open recall, even though Kia has issued multiple safety recalls (SC197, SC212, SC284) for this exact issue. My car is showing brake system errors (ABS, EPB, traction control, auto hold) and has stored codes like [insert your codes]. I’m concerned this is a serious safety hazard. If brake fluid has leaked into the module, there’s a known risk of electrical fire... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
MY 2013 BMW 328 NON TURBO experienced an all of a sudden warning that the temperature was high even though the temp gauge did not show. Car was pulled over and towed to repair shop. Broken VANOS bolts were discovered and car made a load noise when run.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
2020 Audi A4 has infotainment system that constantly crashes and reboots. It occurs multiple times on every single drive, disabling maps, music, and all of the infotainment until the reboot completes. This issue did not occur in prior years, likely due to some over the air update. Issue has become more frequent over time and has been experienced by many other owners, does not seem to be hardware r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
On [XXX], at approximately [XX], a deer unexpectedly ran out from the side of the road and struck the side of my vehicle. The deer ran out from a tree line that backs up to a neighborhood adjacent to [XXX] The deer was to the left, and the A-Pillar blocked the view of the deer, which was traveling at relatively the same speed as the truck, which kept the deer in the blind spot until impact. Despi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
The Multimedia Interface (MMI) Touchscreen Radio will constantly reboot while driving regardless of variables. Diagnosis’ have proven problem to be undeterminable, this is a serious safety concern as I have lost back up camera and other safety features while driving, while I await the system to reboot. This reboot has been occurring non-stop since January. My research online and in other forum... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
There seems to be wear in the fuel lines under the hood. Possibly caused from rubbing against something.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The car prior to the locked engine it ran well without any problems. While driving the car all of a sudden it began to stall. The car began to make a really loud clanking noise before the engine locked up. Due to the circumstances a mobile mechanic was called out to the location to assess the situation. The mobile mechanic completed the diagnostic with a car reader to which it displayed code P0... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
Stock fuel lines on the driver side of vehicle are having rubbing/clearance issues with the hood and are causing engine fires for the 2022+ Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 model vehicles.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
Truck mirror came in contact with a small eucalyptus tree at 65 MPH on the side of the highway during a trip on FSD autopilot. On the way back from the trip, the destination address was put into navigation and the FSD button was pressed. Unbeknownst to me the vehicle had switched from FSD Autopilot to cruise control. The vehicle was swerving all over the road and almost hit a curb and other par... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
We were just driving on the road when the passenger head rest deployed forward. We were not hit or parked anywhere, just normal driving through town. This sent a slight tingling sensation around back of neck and spine, now just sore later in the day.
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
I have a Polestar 2 and it has been recalled for an over the air update to correct backup camera failing to activate. The current software version for the computer in the car is 3.6.4. I am writing to notify your agency that the issue is uncorrected despite this “patch” or over the air update and that the rear backup camera still does not activate when switching in to reverse. This is a safety... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
Driving down the Freeway when the car had a warning message please service 4wd so I pulled over but I was unable to put the car in park, all the lights next to the shifter were red and when I tried to shift to park it said please service shifter. With my foot on the brake I pushed the power button to turn the car off counted to 30 and when I turned the car on none of the red lights were lit up and... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
I got a code for the electronic brake control module, and my front brakes kept locking up. took it to the dealership and they kept telling me that it’s fine. My safety was put at risk when I was going 60 down the interstate and the brakes locked up. The service stabilitrak light came on too.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
My Mercedes GLS 580 has a soft-close doors feature. Upon getting my 2 year old out of the car, he pushes the door closed with his left hand while his right hand was between the front driver side door and the rear driver side door. I, his father, was standing right next to the rear door. The door does not close all the way because his fingers were in between the two doors. Then the soft close p... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
Yesterday 6/19/25 I was driving out the driveway when the vehicle accelerated on its own, and not slowly, but like it had been punched. I was actually coasting at the time since I didn't want to stir up dust. My foot was not on the gas pedal. And it was not the floor mat. It happened on its own, the first time in 87,000 miles. It probably cannot easily be replicated as it was completely rando... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
I am having brake indicator light popup 4 time in three week with some strange noise while driving high speed on freeway. I researched found some recall on my 2022 Honda Ridgeline. Based on the provided VIN, [XXX], it appears show my 2022 Honda Ridgeline may be affected by two safety recalls: 1. Rearview Camera Issue: The rearview camera tailgate wire harness might break, preventing the camer... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2025
My truck for several years has intermittently turned off all safety features and steering control, i.e. air bags, traction control, anti lock breaks, and power steering all turn off randomly which in turn disables the cruise control, towing functions, etc. In the past I could turn the truck off then back on and the problems would dissappear, Now the problem has escalated and is occurring at shorte... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The service technician at the dealership linked the known issue to the torque converter and potentially the transmission system. The suspected faulty components are available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While driving my 2017 Chevrolet C... Read more