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: Sep 1, 2017
SUV has a pronounced whine coming from the transmission. This started at approximately 85,000 - 90,000 miles and has progressively gotten louder. The car currently has 96,000 miles on it. As I understand it Toyota has issues multiple technical service bulletin about this exact issue covering the 2017-2018 highlander but my 2019 is not covered even though it has the exact same 8 transmission. I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2017
I purchased a brand-new Hyundai vehicle on [XXX] from Dublin Hyundai. Since purchase, the vehicle has exhibited repeated, serious defects that compromised the safety of my [XXX] baby and family. Timeline of Events: [XXX] – Vehicle purchased new. Safety concerns arose within weeks of ownership. July 16, 2025 – Vehicle dropped off for major issues: camera display failures, heads-up display malf... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2017
I purchased a brand-new Hyundai vehicle on [XXX] from Dublin Hyundai. Since purchase, the vehicle has exhibited repeated, serious defects that compromised the safety of my [XXX] baby and family. Timeline of Events: [XXX] – Vehicle purchased new. Safety concerns arose within weeks of ownership. July 16, 2025 – Vehicle dropped off for major issues: camera display failures, heads-up display malf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The paint job on my car is fading on the hood, roof top and tail gate.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
The cars seat belts do not work properly. The cars windshield wipers do not work, the engine shuts off in the middle of driving. I have tried to rectify with the dealer willing to just switch cars but I was made fun of, denied and even threatened
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The cars seat belts do not work properly. The cars windshield wipers do not work, the engine shuts off in the middle of driving. I have tried to rectify with the dealer willing to just switch cars but I was made fun of, denied and even threatened
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
My car started to act crazy not wanting to move when in traffic.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
On July 7th, I reported to dealer that the car was uneven when parked. The right front suspension was sagging. The dealer stated that unless a malfunction idicator lamp was on they could not see the car. On August 12th, I took the car in and they stated that the control arm and suspension strut needed replacement and that the damage occured becuase I scraped the wheel when I was parking the car. T... Read more
SUBARU
FORESTER
(2018) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:THROTTLEBODY/MANIFOLD
Aug 29, 2025
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly started to decelerate. Additionally, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the brakes unintendedly engaged. The “Scheduled Maintenance” light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and depressed the accelerator pedal seven times, and the vehicle started to o... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly started to decelerate. Additionally, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the brakes unintendedly engaged. The “Scheduled Maintenance” light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and depressed the accelerator pedal seven times, and the vehicle started to o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Coolant intrusion into the cylinder head. This caused a sudden halt of he vehicle which could have caused an accident and loss of life. The engine coolant overheating temperature warning light came on. Vehicle was inspected by ford dealership and found to have blown head gasket. The car is vat for inspection.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that the four rear tires were replaced with Blackhawk Tires, Tire Line: Street HH11, Tire Size: 235/45/R18, DOT Number: 1YJEERYLY. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the low tire pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started pulling to the right. The contact started pumping the brake pedal and was able ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the brakes. The ABS warning light illuminated, and the traction control turned off indepen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact noticed that the infotainment system was displaying a blank screen, and the contact heard an abnormal sound. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
On the evening of August 27, 25, when exiting the highway ramp, the vehicle's engine suddenly stopped and stalled, the gear automatically shifted to neutral, and the hazard lights could not be turned on. After about 2 minutes, it restarted normally and turned on the hazard lights.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trims were loose. The dealer had been contacted for over a year for parts availability and was informed that parts were not yet available to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that parts were available, and the contact was referred to a dealer to sc... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
Hi, i am concerned about the safety of my vehicle. i brought it to the attention of ford motor company and an authorized dealer that i am getting a parking brake warning on my dashboard. the authorized dealer inspected it, and said that the braking system is contaminated due to liquid spilling from the damaged cupholders. i communicated to them, that 1. the cupholders are clearly not strong enough... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal became inoperable. The contact stated that excessive force on the brake pedal was needed to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not y... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The glare reflecting from the dashboard on to the windshield is many times blinding and obstructs a lot of the front view. Also randomly the side mirrors tilt up while driving giving me a view of the sky but not the road behind me.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Rear tail light has water intrusion which causes malfunction. Driving at night, can be extremely dangerous as the rear lights are damaged and do not light up, making the vehicle more difficult to see
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Rear tail light has water intrusion which causes malfunction. Driving at night, can be extremely dangerous as the rear lights are damaged and do not light up, making the vehicle more difficult to see
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
Vehicle has less than 50k miles on it, DRL-driver went out and the entire head unit needs to be replaced which costs over 1k. Common problem with this vehicle. Poses a safety risk while driving with the lighting failure
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
Vehicle has less than 50k miles on it, DRL-driver went out and the entire head unit needs to be replaced which costs over 1k. Common problem with this vehicle. Poses a safety risk while driving with the lighting failure
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
Oil consumption/burning Cylinder rings
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The vehicle was purchased on 10/26/22 and the first occurrence of the issue and was reported to Autonation Ford Littleton and was dropped off by 11/02/22. The issue reported was that the engine to the vehicle would shut off and we were unable to turn it back on for a few minutes. This occurred while at a stop light in the middle of traffic. We dropped it off and they were unable to duplicate the i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
My 2017 Ford Escape is leaking water from the radiator and it is probably going to the engine. From what I've researched, this is a chronic problem with Ford Escapes that causes engine failure, which is very expensive to repair.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2025
My driver side rear door handle comes off when I open the door. I am having the dealership look into this on 8/28/2025.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
I was at a stoplight, when the light turned green I went to press the gas and the whole car lost power and died. The car stalled and would not turn over again. The vehicle had power but would not start the engine. All the alerts were flashing on the dash and the car would not go into neutral, so I was stuck in the middle of the roadway. I followed the procedures to activate the manual override and... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
My 2023 vehicle has needed coolant topped off every 5-10K miles. This appears to be a very common occurrence for several owners however dealerships are just telling folks to top off as it's due to evaporation (it's a closed system and shouldn't evaporate). It is due to a faulty head gasket that VW even later redesigned. If you review reddit and numerous forums about the 1.5T produced before Jul... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
Brake assist warning message and BRAKE light appeared a couple of weeks ago, along with others. Brought the car into the dealer, who initially thought they cleared the errors and reported no additional issues when they ran the diagnostics. Nothing was cleared. Vehicle application and monitor also does not show an issue, even though the warning appears at each start up and none of the related sa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
While driving, my 2017 Ford F-150 with the 6-speed automatic will sometimes suddenly downshift on its own. This causes a hard jerk and a sudden change in speed, which feels unsafe especially at higher speeds. At other times, the truck will not shift into gear at all. For example, when backing out of a driveway or parking spot in reverse and then shifting into drive, the truck stalls. The only way ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
While driving, my 2017 Ford F-150 with the 6-speed automatic will sometimes suddenly downshift on its own. This causes a hard jerk and a sudden change in speed, which feels unsafe especially at higher speeds. At other times, the truck will not shift into gear at all. For example, when backing out of a driveway or parking spot in reverse and then shifting into drive, the truck stalls. The only way ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 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 the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed ABS module and ABS pump. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the unrepaired recall. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hy... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2025
The contact purchased a 2004 Honda CR-V. The vehicle was a private sale on July 17, 2025. The contact stated that after obtaining the Carfax Report, the contact noticed that the previous odometer reading indicated that the mileage was 300,000. The contact stated that the seller's advertisement indicated that the vehicle had low mileage. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was pur... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2025
Transmission Planetary Gears in 2020 Toyota Highlander. Makes a "whining" noise when accelerating. No warning lights or other symptoms. Many reported problems with this model but no recall. Many people are needing to pay out of pocket due to the 60k mileage powertrain warranty.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
On August 15th, 2025, I brought my new 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali to Bill Cramer GM Dealership, 2251 W 23rd St, Panama City, FL 32405, due to a complete loss of audio in the cabin. This affected the turn signals, radio, and critical safety alerts, including collision warnings and seatbelt reminders. Given the vehicle's high cost and its status as a new premium model, this malfunction was both dis... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The “Tire Pressure System” warning appeared and has not turned off. New TPMS sensors were installed but the dealership could not get the car to calibrate despite multiple attempts. It has come to my attention that other models of Volvo have this same trouble, and a software update is required.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the B-pillar trim detached from the passenger’s side door. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the VIN was not included i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the engine revved continuously as if the vehicle was going to drive forward. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
The power steering assist fault warning light came up and my steering wheel became hard to steer.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2025
From my Internet search using Google Gemini, (and Google AI has a disclaimer it can make errors), I have replaced my distributer on my 2000 Nissan Frontier three times now due to a stalling problem I have experienced on hot days. My 2000 Nissan Frontier is VIN [XXX] . Let's see how much Gemini info I can paste here: "The distributor on your KA24DE engine contains the camshaft position sensor, w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The instrument cluster failed to operate
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving at 43 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud booming sound. The contact's daughter, who was occupying a rear seat, screamed out because the rear seats had suddenly risen. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. The check engine and the low fuel warning lights were illuminated. The contact's w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving at 43 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud booming sound. The contact's daughter, who was occupying a rear seat, screamed out because the rear seats had suddenly risen. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. The check engine and the low fuel warning lights were illuminated. The contact's w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The steering wheel while taking a right turn locked and wouldn't straighten all lights turned off on the panel all was locked and caused a crash because steering was locked into a turn
Crash
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The steering wheel while taking a right turn locked and wouldn't straighten all lights turned off on the panel all was locked and caused a crash because steering was locked into a turn
Crash
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The rear passenger side tire blew out while I was driving on the freeway two day after I had 4 new tires installed. I have retained the tire for inspection. My safety was put at risk because I lost control of the vehicle because of the blowout and hit the middle divider on the freeway. Others were put at risk because my car swerved across two lanes of traffic before stopping at the middle div... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
2013 Ford Expedition Limited 5.4 engine. The vehicle was purchased new with an extended warranty with all services performed by Ford dealer. On or about [XXX], with no warning or indication of problem the vehicle experienced what was determined to be a catastrophic internal engine failure, with only 93840 miles. The engine problems were known by Ford Motor Company as replacement engines had design... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
I am reporting a serious safety issue with my 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE that affects the braking system and related electronics: 1.The ABS stopped functioning previously. 2.Recently, the car displayed a “Brake Malfunction” warning for the first time, which appears when making sharp turns. 3.The TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) stopped working some time ago. These issues are extremely d... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
The middle-right passenger seatbelt does not properly register as engaged on the dashboard indicator. When a passenger buckles in, the system fails to show that the seatbelt is latched.