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: Aug 20, 2024
when coming to a stop and applying the break, the transmission stalled. a warning was issued around lane keeping assist and a second warning. Then the transmission light was on. It was not at risk in the moment because no one was behind me and I was coming to a stop sign. If it prevented me from stopping I might have gone through the stop sign It is at the dealership today to service. no warn... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
While driving in the left lane on a three lane highway (about 70mph) the car's automatic braking system engaged. The car would not accelerate creating a very dangerous situation on a congested highway at night. Luckily, we are able to navigate to a brake down lane without a collision. The check engine light, Eyesight light and RAB light turned on. The car would not function normally and was towed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The same part that was recalled the Starter Current Limiter has overheated again. The dealership is trying to charge for this same part for diagnostic, parts and labor. The car produces smoke around the battery and melted due to overheating. The battery is new. The car only turns over..then immediately overheats. Just because it was recalled and replaced does NOT mean it is perfect from defau... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
Transmission making a shuttering feeling while driving. Felt in the steering wheel. Dealer said it’s not covered unless still under powertrain warranty. No check engine light while happening. There was a pending code about transmissions control module.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
I originally took my car in for an oil change at Braman BMW in Brickell they said, "there is a recall on your vehicle would you like to fix it" I said "sure". So, they "apparently fixed it 2 days later the same thing they said they fixed (the Recall which had to deal with the starter) my car stopped in the middle of the intersection with my children in the car! The starter what I originally had re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
Brand new car. No accident. The Front and rear passenger doors noted to be misaligned from beginning (with sharp edges). It’s a hazard. Tesla says nothing they can do about it. Unacceptable.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. The contact stated while driving at approximately 3 MPH and turning into a parking spot, the contact stated that the vehicle independently accelerated, drove over the parking bumper, and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that the front passenger lights and the front passenger side grill were damaged. The contact stated no warning light was illumi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
The headlights on the truck turn off for a split second and continue to do so randomly. If I had to guess they are turning off and on every 5 minutes. This causes people in front of me to think I am flashing them and the bigger concern is if they were to not turn back on again. The dealer I brought it to said that GM is currently working on a software solution to figure out the problem. Resear... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated with the RPM elevated beyond 5,000 RPM. The contact had taken his foot of the accelerator pedal; however, the unintended acceleration persisted, and the vehicle reached 40 MPH without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
This is my 2nd complaint on the non action to repair this recall. Ford's latest attempt to NOT repair the electrical defect is to buy my car. Their offer does meet the cost of buying a replacement car. Is Ford so inept that they cannot repair their own products? The offer to buy the car sends a red flag up. Is Ford's "solution" to buy my car an attempt to acquire cars to resell at a profit? If For... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
Rear Brake hose ruptured resulting in Brake Pedal going to the floor and reduced braking ability
Incident date: May 16, 2024
Eye sight freezing when car purchased brand new. I was told that this was a known Issue. Radio freezing and then resuming at blaring volume, I was told that this was a known issue and Subaru was waiting for an update. Burning smell from car when purchased, notified dealer, smell did not go away. I was told that this was normal. Starling freezing and not working, this was a service that I paid for... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 16, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: May 16, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a loud noise that sounded as if the vehicle muffler was missing. The contact became aware of a slight noise previously; however, the sound became louder and more persistent. The contact reported the failure to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed wi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
When I put the car in park it does not register and will not come out of accessory more. This is a known issue and gm is making customers out of warranty pay for it
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 35–40 MPH and crashed into a deer, the air bags deployed but failed to inflate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The emergency lights failed to turn off. The driver was able to drive from the crash. There were no reported injuries or fire. A police report was filed. The contact called the l... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
On [XXX] a low engine oil pressure light came on. I checked my oil and it was fine. I contacted ford and they told me there was a recall but my car was still safe to drive. On [XXX] the engine light came on as well as the same warning. Upon leaving work my car lost acceleration and all power to the car including the brakes. I had it towed to ciocca ford of york pa. I am now without a car and keep ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
Have had a recall on rv chassy for over two years now. Took local ford dealer over a year to finally agree they could look at my rv for fords recall. Said it was good no problem detected . Then a month later ford sends out a recall saying all recalls are now needed to be repair even if your recall induction said it was ok. Sent out official recall in March 2023 saying all need to be fixed and part... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2024
The weld broke at the rear pre cat connection
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The UBS bolt broke off ( according to honda mechanics who worked on the bike) causing the motorcycle to lose all power instantly. The engine basically fell apart. I was traveling 55 miles an hour on a two lane curvy mountain road with virtually no shoulder and traffic in both directions. With no power I tried to pull off the road But could not as my first reaction was to grab the brakes, causing t... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 1, 2019
While moving downhill at approximately 20 mph, the car suddenly lost all power and went into park. This abrupt stop caused the safety belt to lock me into the seat. As a result, two cars following me were forced to take evasive action to avoid rear-ending me. This sequence of events repeated itself, culminating in a sudden lurch forward as if the pedal was fully pressed. I managed to get the car ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2024
The liftgate has a sensor so that you can place you foot under the vehicle to open or close the liftgate. The sensor is too sensitive and even if do not put your foot under the vehicle the liftgate closes on your head or shoulder when you are putting things in or out of the rear area. The liftgate caused a bruise. We took the vehicle in for repair and they said the sensors were fine.the is very da... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 18, 2024
The turn signals do not work properly. Has I attempt to turn left my right blinker turns on, otherwise none of the blinkers work and blowing my rear light bulbs. I addressed this to the dealer however any dealer or mechanic wants to charge me to look into this. As I was reviewing my cars history it has been noted as a manufacturing issues and failure to repair this defect. I purchased this Kia sad... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
I was made aware of a potential issue with my vehicles steering knuckle breaking where it connects to the upper control arm. I was also informed that Land Rover has done a recall in the UK for this same issue. I checked my vehicle and it does indeed hav a crack in the steering knuckle. This could have caused a catastrophic issue if it had broken completely at any road speed. This needs to be evalu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2024
The Hvac heater control assembly and panel shorted out and melted all the components (wiring harness, connector, temperature control knob). All these parts need replaced. There's no AC, heat or defrost, etc...until this is fixed. Also this is a 16 year old drivers vehicle and could have resulted in a much worse incident if she had been driving it when it occurred.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
Today while waiting at a stop light the auto start stop engaged. When the light went green I put my foot on the gas and the vehicle stalled. The car was on but not running, several alarms were on the dashboard. I had to put the car in park, turn it off and then restart the car. This is a repeated issue and has been going on at least once a month since we purchased the car in 2021. We've brou... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
Headlights constantly flicker and causes dangerous condition driving at night
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The headlights while driving will flicker completely off. This happens during the daylight lights are on and at night when main headlights are on. This is very dangerous and concerning while driving at night when I have to drive on country roads where the headlights are vital. This issue also creates unnecessary confusion with other drivers as they are under impression I'm flashing my lights at t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
Air bag sensor light comes on; took to Nissan Glen Burnie MD dealership and believed they rectified the issue (removing debris) and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and they could not determine the cause and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and B0020-13 code was returned resulting in having to replace seat and sensor (no issue with wiri... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
My car lunges forward randomly. I have called ford and went to ford several times.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
A few times recently our car has had a hard time starting even though it's only a year old. It's like it's having a hard time turning over. And then when driving, it has a hard time accelerating - it almost feels like the car is in neutral while trying to drive. It jerks and shimmies to the point where you have to pull over to see what's going on. We were on a pretty busy road and couldn't acceler... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated while driving and activating the headlights, there was a message stating that the side marker lights were inoperable displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred whenever the headlights were activated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
Had Ford recall 24S37 update installed on my F150 and now I have noticed my speedometer is showing 70MPH when I am actually going 60MPH.Dealership said that there was nothing they could do.Contacted Ford Motor Company and they also said there was nothing they could do.Truck was fine until update was installed. I think it is not very safe not knowing your actual speed.
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The steering system "sticks" when driving at highway speed. Minor course corrections require excessive driver input and once the resistance is overcome, overcorrection results in undesired swerving of the vehicle. This has the potential to cause loss of control of the vehicle. This vehicle has not been in an accident. The local Honda dealership has examined the vehicle and recommended replacement ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
Exhaust manifold crack causing fumes into cabin. Had a local shop diagnose the problem
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
A/C drain clogged and let water into car drenching all carpets below all seats- (2) electronic devices below driver and passenger seats malfunctioned and caused all Eyesight and safety systems to fail along with check engine light turning ON, all safety systems failed, all wheel drive offline and power steering went manual.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
Toyota addressed this issue with the frame paint peeling off long ago but they have not launched a customer support program to solve the problem yet. When we reached their Brand Engagement center line (1-888-270-9371) and they do not provide a hard or estimated date to launch the repair program. The vehicle was already inspected by Round Rock Tx Toyota service (PDF page) certifying the issue is a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated abnormally and lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was determined that cylinder #2 had low compression, there was s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Transmission failure, chugging while driving on the road then slowed down in middle of the intersection, won’t accelerate which is a unsafe situation. It says “check engine”, “break, “eyesight disabled”, “at oil temp” and “transmission”. The speed was stuck to 20mph and engine eas loud. Smelled like something was burning too
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
This vehicle is a lemon. It is a 2019 with 81,000 miles. How in the world does the engine start knocking when i have consistently, kept up with the maintenance on this vehicle. If i do not hear something soon im weakening legal action. Since May 18TH i have been without a car.i am a single mom and this is so difficult. Mind you it was towed July 5th from where it broke down on me.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
This vehicle is a lemon. It is a 2019 with 81,000 miles. How in the world does the engine start knocking when i have consistently, kept up with the maintenance on this vehicle. If i do not hear something soon im weakening legal action. Since May 18TH i have been without a car.i am a single mom and this is so difficult. Mind you it was towed July 5th from where it broke down on me.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
Turbo has cracked like multiple other encores covered under a recall N232395330 id like to know why my car is not covered but the others are??
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
A fuse between the solar panels and solar controller melted and caused it to flame up. The incident could have caused a major fire. The problem has occurred on other units with various other owners. No. Winnebago is aware of the incident but we have not heard anything from them. There were no indications that this was going to happen.
Fire
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
I bought my car in 2024 and my monitor keeps glitching out. One month into buying the car, the monitor began glitching out, affecting my gps.These problems began in March. I took it to service in May, and they said they had it fixed. However, after a little bit, the same monitor problems came back. There were multiple times where my monitor went completely blank when I was driving far, leaving me ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and hesitated, prompting thee contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The service engine warning light was illuminat... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
I checked on KBB.com and my car came up as having a recall for the drive shaft. The NHTSA Campaign ID - 23V754000 and when I called my dealership about it, I am being told that there is no recall. This is a serious issue and I am seriously concerned.,
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred immediately after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer requested that the ve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred immediately after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer requested that the ve... Read more