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: Oct 1, 2024
In March 2024, I was driving my Ford Focus when the engine suddenly shut off at a stop light and never restarted. There were no warning lights or indications that anything was wrong with the car prior to it shutting off. The car was towed to a Ford dealership where it was determined that the reason the car broke was due to the oil belt breaking which is an active recall. The manufacturer recall nu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
My motorcycle is only 3 months old. The chain adjuster snapped and locked up my rear wheel. This is very dangerous, I was only going 10mph when this happened. Had this happened at highway speeds this could easily have been a fatality as the motorcycle locked the rear wheel and shimmied side to side. There are numerous complaints about this same issue on Yamaha forums, and it is concerning because ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to stop. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2024
The contact's mother owns a 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while his mother was pulling into a parking space, the vehicle abruptly stopped independently. The driver noticed that the vehicle had shifted to park(P) independently, and the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). An unknown warning light was illuminated. The driver turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the gear shifter... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V720000 (Electrical System); 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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
It’s happened about 10 times since I’ve owned the car but the dealer can’t recreate it so we are out of luck. The vehicle accelerates on its own. Scenario 1…with constant light steady acceleration, it will lurch forward like I’ve stomped on the accelerator a bit, for about a second then go back to my normal input. Scenario 2, same lurch but this time while coming to a stop at a stop s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shuddered and there was a temporary loss of automotive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder; and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was able to be restarted on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknow... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on the highway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fuel pump failure. The contact was informed that the fuel ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to drive, the gear shifter was moved to drive(D), but the vehicle failed to respond after several attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
Oil consumption is astronomical. I have burned through 15 quarts of oil in 3,000 miles with no other obvious issues with the vehicle.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2024 Honda Prologue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle speed increased independently. As a result, the vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The fire department and the police arrived on the scene. A police report ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The daytime running lights started to begin to fail around August of 2023. As of today(10/3/2024) the passenger side has completely failed around the headlight assembly and the driver side has only failed along the vertical strip of the headlight assembly.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Forrest River R-Pod equipped with Castle Rock tires, Tire Line: Radial ST226, Tire Size: ST225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT1MT. The contact stated that after replacing the driver’s side tire with the spare tire and driving less than 100 miles on the spare tire, the spare tire was placed back on the trailer hitch. The contact then became aware that the spare tire had experienc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Winnebago Revel built on a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 chassis. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V863000 (Structure) and 23V663000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
I was driving back home when I suddenly heard a loud pop and my car seat belt immediately tightened up. I saw smoke inside the car and the screen in my dashboard said "airbag service" There was no air bag physical deployed in the car so I believe it happened internally. Now my driver seatbelt will not retract and the front passenger seatbelt will not come out.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
I was driving back home when I suddenly heard a loud pop and my car seat belt immediately tightened up. I saw smoke inside the car and the screen in my dashboard said "airbag service" There was no air bag physical deployed in the car so I believe it happened internally. Now my driver seatbelt will not retract and the front passenger seatbelt will not come out.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made awa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
There are thousands of vejicles with a variant of the 3.3L V6 Lambda II GDI Hyundai/KIA class of engines on the road. There are hundreds if not thousands of complaints regarding different variants of this engine throught Hyundai/KIAs line up. All of them with seized engines. There are class action lawsuits in other countries regarding this engine. They have known since before 2015 that these e... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
I had my engine replaced last year due to cylinders misfiring and leaking coolant into the engine. 1 year later, the check engine light came on again. It turns out the new engine had the same problem and also had to be replaced. Coolant leaking into the engine could have caused the engine to get too hot and could have resulted in a fire. The dealer confirmed the issue was the same as what happened... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
I have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the front seat headrest popped out while I was driving at 35 miles per hour. My daughter was sitting there, and fortunately, no injuries occurred. This happened on the passenger side, but six months ago, it happened on the driver’s side as well, which I replaced with a used part for $200. This is definitely a dangerous defect and needs to be added to the re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
I have been getting a number of safety warning lights since about 6 months after buying this car. It is new, under warranty and I am first owner. They were intermittent initially, but have become increasingly frequent and are now associated with a constant warning ping. I have taken the car to FitzGerald Genesis in Clearwater Florida 7 times for this problem. They can reproduce it (and have th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Reduced engine power message pops up when I’m driving at 45 or lower speed. First time this happened was about 4 months ago, and couldn’t drive faster than 30 mph. After starting my vehicle a couple of times the message goes away. This reduced engine power message is almost a daily thing, but now it doesn’t affect my speed anymore, I can go at 65 mph and even with that warning light on.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
While driving the speed suddenly reduced and brakes locked up on me. I was lucky enough to be able to veer to the left and get off the busy street without crashing into anyone or anything. When I stopped the car cut off and would not start back up even with a jump. This happened to me twice before and they did a recall on the same part. I need ot fixed again. I also had to replace the battery ever... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
I literally financed a 2019 Ford Edge with 88k miles on [XXX] from SUTTON FORD in Matteson IL. I didn’t even have the car 5 hours and the transmission started having serious shifting issues and almost caused me to get in a crack with my son in the car. Took it back to SUTTON FORD and they are telling me the transmission is bad and needs to be replaced. I think this is a problem considering how l... Read more
SUBARU
XV CROSSTREK
(2013) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 30, 2024
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
While driving on highway , I attempted to accelerate to pass , as I did all warning lights came on and I lost ability to accelerate. The car went into “limp mode “ . Took it to local mechanic, the to Honda dealer . I was told I need a new engine , at a cost of over $16k .
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The alarm and lights keep going off for No reason. The doors can be locked and Armed. Goes off even when not locked.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
When attempting to accelerate the vehicle does not respond and experiences a three to five second delay. The delayed response began occurring shortly after purchasing the vehicle in 2018 and has only increased in frequency. This issue appears to be systemic with this model and year and the dealership has no remedy to mitigate this safety issue / concern.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Fisker Ocean. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V623000 (SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC); 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 and local dealer could not be contacted and were not made aware of the issue. The c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Several years ago my brakes were making a funny sound. The mechanic said there was an issue with the brake booster but he can't do anything until the car started throwing off codes. yesterday that happened. Toyota said that they were aware of the problem but they only cover it for 10 years and its now totally out of pocket for the repair. With a known issue it should be a recall since its with the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2024
Code p0700 was indicated at a professional transmission shop. My vehicle started driving different. It is a scary feeling. I have a ten year old daughter who I commute to school and safety is the utmost of importance. I don't want to have a accident in a vehicle I recently purchased for safety and end up having to look for another vehicle because of a total loss accident or a transmission probl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
I have been up there date for fixing this vehicle for the last 4 years when i bought it with 60k miles , I have replaced multiple parts so far from foil pump , wheel, coolant pipes and the container many times from constant leaking in the fuel pump, I have replaced the alternater twice by 70k miles , ABS system failed many times and no one can fix it , Lastly , my daughter was driving to school an... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
8/9/24 was the first time we noticed the gas/mileage gauge disappearing. It would do this almost everyday for no apparent reason leaving the driver (usually my teenage daughters) not knowing how much gas they had left. This particular disappearance happens on a regular basis which is quite concerning not knowing how much gas you have left. Also on 8/23/24 a light came on that said check fuel c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. During the crash, no air bags in the vehicle were deployed. The occupants in each vehicle were transported to the local hospital but no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was later driven to ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
The digital display that shows the driver gauge cluster that includes current speed, as well as other crucial information, is not functioning. It displays nothing other than the current gear selection. None of the audible collision safety features are functioning either.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
A few months ago my truck displayed ABS, Traction Control and Emergency Brake lights all at once, as well as taking away my cruise control. It is incredibly difficult to keep control of the vehicle in rainy/wet conditions. No accident has happened fortunately but the other day my father had the same exact lights pop up in his truck with the same traction control issues in his 2015 RAM 1500. So tod... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
Sunroof glass seperated from frame And broke
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
Module Ani Lock Brake - CH68295368-AC
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that the turbo stand, the liftgate latch, and the bolt had failed and were previously repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system and the EGR cooler ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model. The contact stated that whether driving, or while the vehicle was parked, the hood and the trunk of the vehicle occasionally opened independently. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
At approx 24K miles my RAM 2500 had an intermittent anti lock brake/ stability control malfunction and displayed a "Service Brake System" message randomly while driving. The issue was "fixed" under warranty. Currently my RAM has 54K miles on it and the issue has reappeared. I know their is a safety recall that exist for 2019 and newer trucks but believe the problem may exist on trucks built pri... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
I recently lost both front wheels in two different incidents within a month. Early August drivers side ball joint failed on me. And on September 25th the passenger side failed on me on the freeway almost causing a collision with a mercedes and a semi truck.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In add... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The leveling foot in the base would not stay in the extended position during installation.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Case number 240821-000271 was opened on 8/21/24 with Volvo Car USA Support. I have three main concerns: 1) The infotainment system losing the favorites that I have saved in the Sirius application. This had been an intermittent problem that I had been having since I purchased the car. I finally took it into the service department at Volvo Cars of Gilbert on 1/7/23 for this problem (Invoice Numb... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Case number 240821-000271 was opened on 8/21/24 with Volvo Car USA Support. I have three main concerns: 1) The infotainment system losing the favorites that I have saved in the Sirius application. This had been an intermittent problem that I had been having since I purchased the car. I finally took it into the service department at Volvo Cars of Gilbert on 1/7/23 for this problem (Invoice Numb... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Whenever the car goes over bumps in the road at low speeds the ABS system activates. You can feel a “grinding” sensation emanating from the brake pedal. When it happens, if you try to engage the brakes, they don’t engage for several seconds. It happened to me recently with my kids in the car and we almost rolled into a busy intersection and could have been seriously injured.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Forward collision warning stopped working which in turn caused the cruise control to not work. Then the PSCM (power steering control module) just went out all at once. Was driving and it showed warning on the dash. I drove on and parked. When I went to start back, it started fine but couldn’t move steering wheel. I’m seeing this has been a problem with other owners and the same year model. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Steering Failure" was displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the power steering control module and power steering motor rotation angle sensor had failed and nee... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); 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. Parts distribution disc... Read more