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: Feb 20, 2025
The Head Unit, which is the center built-in touchscreen of the 2018 Subaru Outback, began glitching after 5 to 6 years after this vehicle was purchased. It would not register actual touches, and then it would register touches that did not occur, it became so severe that while driving, the radio would change on its own, navigation/GPS application would become unusable, and other distracting actions... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
My 2014 Kia Forte experienced random stalling/loss of speed. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic multiple times- the crank shaft sensor was replaced, new batteries were put in, and a starter was replaced. When starting the vehicle sometimes it would not turn over or click a few times to start. A ticking noise was noted aswell and relayed to the mechanic-mechanic could not find any issues. The oi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
Was driving my new car home and all of a sudden the vehicle comes to a stop, I almost get hit by other cars several times and my daughter panicking in the back seat, the entire dashboard lights up and car stays brake system error please contact dealer. After turning car on and off a few times, I can begin driving again but the brake error system message remains. Taking to dealership in the morning
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
Child safety locks failed and clicked attempting to engage until turned off.With the locks unable to engage, children able to utilize windows and open doors which put their safety at risk. Replaced under warranty.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 experience... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
It's happened three times now that the car will simply fail to accelerate no matter how much the pedal is pushed. It is extremely dangerous because this has happened on the freeway and caused us to pull over and wait for the car to become responsive again. This is an automatic transmission. There doesn't seem to be an active recall for this and I can't understand why as I see online a lot of peopl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The fuel gauge in my Infiniti G35x is malfunctioning and does not show the correct fuel levels. As a result, my vehicle has unexpectedly run out of fuel multiple times, causing it to stop on the side of the road. This poses a significant safety risk as it can lead to sudden and dangerous situations for both myself and other drivers. Stopping on the side of the road in such conditions can also resu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
The SOS speaker squeals very loudly when starting the vehicle about 7 out of 10 times and is available for inspection. Problem is known by Toyota. [XXX] No. No warning indication or messages. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
We had the car brand new and transmission with two weeks wouldn’t go in reverse. Then the door was stuck OPEN and we shut it now we can roll the window down FORD says we’re not covered it’s a new door!
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
We had the car brand new and transmission with two weeks wouldn’t go in reverse. Then the door was stuck OPEN and we shut it now we can roll the window down FORD says we’re not covered it’s a new door!
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
Vehicle has major hesitation issues. If I am coming up to a light and it turns green when I am below 5 mph, maybe around 1-2 mph, it will not go. It lags for around 3-5 seconds before it decides to go again. Sometimes from a stop if I am turning left, I try to cross traffic and go, it is very slowly moving even with me pushing the gas and then seconds later it finally goes but almost causing me... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
So I found a recall on a twenty twenty two malibu l t one point five liter turbo, which is exactly what I have, and the recall describes my exact issue to the t. It spits out a code for a bad fuel pump. G d I fuel pump, and a couple other codes that are secondary like the camshaft sensor fuel bank 1, solenoids, which both I had replaced this week? The car barely has a 100000 miles, and despite ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Two issues with powertrain/transmission: 1- The powertrain/transmission fails intermittently- vehicle RPM goes sky high but vehicle receives no power, seems to fail/lose power. Has happened in very dangerous road conditions where unexpectedly was struggling to get the motor to engage/get power to the vehicle. Check engine and check hybrid system lights accompanies the problem. 2- The car should ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Two issues with powertrain/transmission: 1- The powertrain/transmission fails intermittently- vehicle RPM goes sky high but vehicle receives no power, seems to fail/lose power. Has happened in very dangerous road conditions where unexpectedly was struggling to get the motor to engage/get power to the vehicle. Check engine and check hybrid system lights accompanies the problem. 2- The car should ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
Car will not accelerate properly. will not go over 65 miles per hour
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
Car has been in and out of the shop over past year and a half. 6 months in the shop and now under recall H536 since December. Have called multiple times and keep being told will be contacted in a few weeks. No contact at all and car is limited to 80% charge. This keeps going on with no resolution and I cant make a move on another car until they settle this. Incompetent handling of this situation. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
I believe there is an issue with the transmission. While driving, the vehicle is unable to accelerate. The engine revs high and the RPMs go really high. I have to pull over and turn off the car. When I restart, I am able to proceed, and the car acts normal. This has happened several times and has occurred in heavy traffic. This issue has happened many times over the past few months.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that the fuel tank was leaking after refueling. The fuel had leaked out to half tank. The Fire Department was called, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that there was a puddle of fuel in the driveway. Additionally, the passenger’s air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
[XXX] Dear staff there are other people complaining of ENGINE MISFIRE also [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 15 MPH in a residential area, another vehicle coming from the left side tried to pass the contact into oncoming traffic, as the contact's husband was trying to slow down to make a U-turn. As a result, the other driver's vehicle then crashed into the contact's husband. There were no warning lights illum... Read more
Crash
1 injured
SUBARU
CROSSTREK
(2020) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR
Feb 19, 2025
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while on a trip and traveling at high altitudes, the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used a code reader which showed that the barometric pressure sensor was defective. Once the contact returned home, the mass air flow sensor was replaced. The following year while traveling in the same re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
During snowfall, the front camera becomes obstructed, leading to a malfunction in the smart brake system. When this occurs, an alert appears indicating a “Smart Brake Failure,” accompanied by an audible warning and the illumination of the check engine light. The vehicle then exhibits unpredictable behavior, including unintended braking and sudden acceleration, creating a hazardous driving situ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
Service advancetrac light came on while driving. Lost all propulsion and power steering. Almost went off road around a curve due to no power steering. Ford dealership diagnosed it as faulty steering sensor. Had that replaced about 18 months ago, now this near accident just happened. Service trac light traction control light are both on with no propulsion or power steering. I’ve been doing r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
When regenerative braking is engaged and driving over ruff road the braking disengages causing the vehicle to speed out of control.
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
Well known fault is the door opening buttons stay pushed in. Ineos dealer solution is either to dust them graphite dust (which does provide temp relief) or strike the outer door body with fist to free the door (which does relieve the acute condition. Recently while driving with a passenger in the front of the car while making a left curve at normal speed the passenger door flew open. My passenger ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Emergency Braking have not worked properly for over a year. Sometimes I get a message that the AEB/ACC is not working and to see the Dealer other times i have a light lit showing it is not working. On some occasions there are no signs of it not working but ate ACC works like the regular cruise control and does not slow the car down unless you apply the bra... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Emergency Braking have not worked properly for over a year. Sometimes I get a message that the AEB/ACC is not working and to see the Dealer other times i have a light lit showing it is not working. On some occasions there are no signs of it not working but ate ACC works like the regular cruise control and does not slow the car down unless you apply the bra... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Emergency Braking have not worked properly for over a year. Sometimes I get a message that the AEB/ACC is not working and to see the Dealer other times i have a light lit showing it is not working. On some occasions there are no signs of it not working but ate ACC works like the regular cruise control and does not slow the car down unless you apply the bra... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
Resubmitting from 2/3/2025 as the first form was not received. Attn: [XXX] I am the original owner of this unit and there is approximately only 1,500 miles on my trailer. This Grand Design is a swap from the original 2019 Grand Design that I already had. When I am able to camp, when my trailer is not in the shop, we only camp about an hour away from home as I don't feel safe. We have been experi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
While driving at 65 mph on a freeway, the engine failed and cracked a rod with fresh oil and all maintenance done regularly. Truck brakes would not work after engine failure. Truck was fully disabled and I was stranded on freeway @ 90,000 miles. Lights on exterior of the vehicle were dim after engine failed
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
fuel actuator failed not allowing gas door to open on a 12 degree night traveling on a highway going home which is a common problem with these vehicles. luckily, we drive slow and had enough fuel to get home . i think this qualifies as a safety issue.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
Noticeable at night. Headlights on, turn signal on, foot on brake slowing down, making a turn, 1) headlights flicker, 2) headlights flicker and complete dash goes black, or 3) all of #2 and steering goes stiff. Has been happening more often. Last time, during the day, turning against oncoming traffic and engine shutdown, started again, shutdown and started, again with dash going black and stee... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
We experienced a loss of motive power while on the interstate in busy high speed traffic [XXX] . We had to attempt to maneuver the constantly slowing vehicle to the shoulder while being passed by tractor trailer drivers who were driving at full speed. Luckily 2 of them in the right lane were paying attention and swerved aggressively to avoid hitting my family and I. This very easily could have ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
Grid Heater bolt failure. Grid heater bolt is secured by a nut below intake area. The nut on bolt melts and causes pieces and shards into cylinder #6 if not fixed immediately. This is a terrible design and expensive fix. I am 3rd person to have this problem recently amongst my friends. Metal in side motors should not be melting and or rotting into cylinders. Please see attached pictures ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
i was traveling into work in Boston and a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup hit me broadside (drivers side wheel, rear door). My air bags (driver front or side) did not deploy and my car was determined to be a total wreck by my insurance company. I was bruised and out of work for a couple of days but was a fortunate to walk away from this accident.
Crash
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The car has issues with braking over a bump, it stops breaking momentarily. There is a recall for this however the company charged with performing the recalls is now getting the work done or leaving it up to the owner to pay for the parts and labor of the recall. There is also a recall for the cabin circulation pump and door handles, again owner will be charged for labor and parts. TSB10062408, ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The car has issues with braking over a bump, it stops breaking momentarily. There is a recall for this however the company charged with performing the recalls is now getting the work done or leaving it up to the owner to pay for the parts and labor of the recall. There is also a recall for the cabin circulation pump and door handles, again owner will be charged for labor and parts. TSB10062408, ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Auto start stop malfunctioning, my safety as well as my children have been in the car when the car has stopped while in the middle of driving. It has stopped in the middle of the road and on the freeway in moving traffic and for 1-3 minutes the car won’t start back up leaving me and my family stranded in the middle of the road where anyone can and have almost hit us. When I’ve sent the car to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Were in a car accident of a speed of 32 MPH. Were told we would have to get rid of the carseat due to a hard wreck.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
I am $851 out of pocket for repairs to address NHTSA mandated recalls. Software updates have not fully addressed all issues, notably excessive and distracting repeating audible and visual driver alerts related to ADAS failures, especially when raining, dark, or driving into direct sunlight. Vehicle was subject to multiple recalls (software: 24V865000, 24V623000, 24V405000, 24V404000; hardware: 2... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the ongoing issues that are being seen with the NHTSA recall campaign numbers 24V865000 and 24V623000.I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to formally express my concerns regarding the OTA (Over-the-Air) update process for my vehicle. The current OTA process is a disaster! The first update attempt was incomplete with only 1/3 of the up... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
I have owned this vehicle since September 2021. Recently see a recall on engine stalling on Honda Pilot 2023-2025 model years. I have had this happen , engine stalling, twice on my 2022 Pilot. Reported the first incident to Honda dealer service and they said might be related to a software glitch, didn't think of it as any problem even though engine warning signal came on and I had to pull off t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. While the contact's wife was driving and stopped at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission hesitated, and the vehicle jerked forward. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission was shifting abno... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
Jaguar contacted me multiple times now about safety recalls. Subsequently they performed a service which reduced the range of the EV from 230 miles to 170 miles, rendering it largely unusable for my driving needs. In addition according to their latest document, the “fix” may not eliminate the fire risk as we use the car. I have contacted them for 3 times now and they keep saying “soon” ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving on a two-lane street at 50 MPH, the vehicle was struggling to shift into gear while accelerating. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty torque converter. The torque converter was replaced; however, several days later while driving 50 MPH, the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving on a two-lane street at 50 MPH, the vehicle was struggling to shift into gear while accelerating. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty torque converter. The torque converter was replaced; however, several days later while driving 50 MPH, the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
PCV valve failure preventing SMOG with 27,000 miles. Extended warranty provided with P052E71 code but not with P1D0313 code which is a related problem. Contacted Mercedes, and stated the problem and description per in extended warranty, it is related to problem which is a partial pcv valve. Please help to update. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2025
My concern relates to the recall campaign for 24V623000 reduction in regenerative braking. The slow roll out of this campaign caused this unrepaired recall to result in a crash of the vehicle resulting in a complete loss. While driving on a highway in subzero temperatures, the driver let off the accelerator to slow the vehicle around a corner. At this point the vehicle lost the expected braking... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
I leave for work early in the morning and several times the lights would start blinking and go out. The lights would come back on after blinking again. There were no warning signs and it makes me scared to drive the car. I took the car to a mechanic who told me he checked the recall list. My state does not require an inspection and I have not talked to my insurance company cause I need to and want... Read more