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: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted 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 contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
I was on my way to work and all of a sudden I lost all power steering almost causing me to get in a head on collision
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
While I was driving, my new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe suddenly experienced issues with the digital dashboard panel and a loss of speed. The dashboard went haywire, and my speed dropped from 60 mph to approximately 25 mph on the highway. The vehicle also struggled to accelerate from a standstill. After shutting off the vehicle and waiting a few minutes, the dashboard appeared to reset, and everything r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
While I was driving, my new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe suddenly experienced issues with the digital dashboard panel and a loss of speed. The dashboard went haywire, and my speed dropped from 60 mph to approximately 25 mph on the highway. The vehicle also struggled to accelerate from a standstill. After shutting off the vehicle and waiting a few minutes, the dashboard appeared to reset, and everything r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
It was a rental car, driving on freeway , warning light will come up , saying engine will shut off. The Van had no power, and I had to pull over. I turned off the car for 2-5 minutes and restart. Then the car will accelerate again. I had to drive from LA to Las Vegas. It started doing that after Loma Linda , CA [XXX] , on [XXX]). It took me 7 hours to get to Las Vegas. Because of the const... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
THIS VEHICLE WOULD STOP. I LOST CONTROL HIT THE VECHICLE IN FRONT ME THAT STOP WITH NO LIGHTS ON.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
I was traveling on the freeway at Highway speed, heard a loud knocking sound coming from the engine that got progressively worse. No warning lights, began to loose power as I exited the freeway. Had vehicle towed to dealership, they were able to replicate knocking noise coming from bottom end of engine. Diagnosed as catastrophic engine failure and needs engine replacement, outside of standard war... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
While shifting from 2nd into 1st gear prior to entering a turn, the gear selector lifter shaft snapped off, resulting in the bike getting stuck in neutral. This is an extremely dangerous situation for a motorcyclist and I have never heard of this situation in my 20+ years of riding. I was very lucky this happened while only traveling ~15 mph.
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Verano. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that all four doors would not properly open nor close and remain secured. Additionally, the front driver's side window would not roll down as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that the subframe of the vehicle was corroded. The contact was informed that the ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The steering system on our 2019 Honda Civic "sticks" when operating the car. When driving on the interstate, even a small adjustment to stay in one's lane requires a significant force. This causes the car to over-correct once the steering breaks free. At times the force is so high that the lane keeping assist system (LKAS) feature is unable to provide the necessary force to make the correction.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
While driving on the highway, the warning “engine power reduced” came on and the car just started slowing to a complete stop. Smoke started coming from the engine and the rear, then came to a complete stop and has not started again. Was towed from the highway to a safe location and I was told by mechanic that it was leaking all engine oil and power steering fluid
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
Emergency breaking for no reason. Car shuts down and stalls. Flashing Emission system problem, brake systems problem, brake hold systems problem, Power steering systems problem, vehicle stability assist problem, Hill start assist problem, adaptive cruise control problem, Collision mitigation System problem, Road departure mitigation system, problem. This is continuing to happen after the recall w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
My emergency brake doesn't work and light is on,and air bags did not deploy when I was hit from behind.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
My emergency brake doesn't work and light is on,and air bags did not deploy when I was hit from behind.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
Randomly the car will get a message when driving starting “ Check Hybrid system. Turn engine Off” and the car isn’t able to accelerate when this happens. When you cut the engine off the car is unable to start again until it is jumped. I’ve confirmed the battery isn’t the issue however something with the vehicle is wrong. There are many accounts of people online dealing with the same issu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Airbag malfunction. The warning on the car is PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
I was driving on [XXX], close to [XXX] but my lights ( engine and tire were on ),when suddenly I lost the control and I hit on the wall. The steering wheel was a little hard and the mechanic told me my CATALYST wasn't good( engine and tire sensor aren't working correctly ). I thought it was my last day because that freeway is a little hight. I imaged my car flying. ALSO I HAVE 1 ACCIDENT . I CRA... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
We purchased this vehicle new. Over time it started to surge on mild acceleration in all gears and all speeds. Dealership reset the transmission and engine computers. It was better but still noticeable. Over time though it gets worse. Dealership just does the same thing and resets the engine and transmission. This last time though it was still quite noticeable and has gotten much worse. We ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s and rear passenger’s side air bags deployed without a crash or an impact. The contact stated that the front passenger’s seat and rear passenger’s seat were damaged due to the air bags deploying. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
the vehicle flashed a light regarding the oil pressure and then as i began to make a right turn the car puttered and wouldn’t allow me to accelerate and began to turn off in traffic.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
My car when when my spouse was pulling in parking spot at local hospital suddenly accelerated. I did brake which didnt work and car flew across 2 parking lanes and landed in 3rd lane. Luckily there was no vehicles or persons crossing in the path of sudden acceleration. She has driven similar gas BMW 335 i for last 12 years. She has been driving this car i4 for last 11 months. Car towed to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. An unknown wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVIING WITH WARNING. FAILED SYSTEM IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION ON VEHICLE DUE TO LACK OF RECALL FOR SPECIFIC VEHICLE. COMPONENT FAILED WHILE DRIVING SPEED LIMIT ON HIGHWAY CURVE ENDANGERING SELF AND OTHERS. PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONFIRMED HOWEVER RECALLS ARE NOT APPROPRIATED TO VEHICLE IN QUESTION. IT HAS BEEN INSPECTED BY MECHANIC SHOP WHO STATED DEALERSHIP MUS... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2024
My vehicle is part of the recall 23S64/NHTSA 23V905. My vehicle became unusable as part of the recalled part failure in February 2024. I just received notification that the part will not be available until 2025. I have been in a rental car, Ford is paying for since February. I have tow fees and rental fees that have not been covered by Ford. I just want my vehicle back it has been 4 months and a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
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 not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the RPMs were significantly high, but the vehicle hesitated to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at high speeds, the vehicle experienced unexpected downshifts to first gear. The power train warning light and the check engine warning lig... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering and making an abnormal rattling sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer at slow speeds. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had leaked into an unknown valve and into the pistons, causing engine damage. The d... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2024
I was preparing to turn around a curve when my steering wheel locked straight, causing my vehicle to collide with a concrete barrier. My vehicle was the only one involved, and collided with the barrier twice. This has led to several thousands in mechanical and body damages.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
Safety hazard / concern over Horn Button on steering wheel as well as Turn Signal buttons. Not having a center horn has been challenging and dangerous as instinct is to press the center of the wheel and not look for the horn button in quick road hazard situations, merging traffic, etc.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
Several times the engine automatically shut down when I stopped in traffic, but then failed to re-start. Takes several minutes of messing with it before it will allow me to restart it. Of course there was angry traffic behind me waiting... *There is already an ongoing NHSTA investigation into this issue. NHTSA Action Number: PE22005
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
When driving at night, headlight turn off and do not turn back on… or do not come on at all ..Play with the switch ….on and off nothing happens…sometimes highbeams don’t even work. This happened several times!!
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
I just had to pay $1200 for an alternator that was installed into my car defected from the beginning by Hyundai.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after parking and exiting the vehicle, the front driver’s side door failed to remain closed and latched when closed. Additionally, the display indicated that the front driver's side door was always open. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
The car loose power while driving, near stop it pulls hard as it wants to turn off. Have show multiple times the fuel system error and shut off while operating. Is been doing the same problems for years now.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
My oil cooler has failed and it caused oil to mix with my coolant and also causing a bad coolant leak. It over heats to car and my warranty will not cover ANYTHING! This is a major problem with diesel jeeps and the oil cooler needs to be recalled also. It can catch on fire and is a real safety hazard. I’ve tried multiple times to fix the oil cooler and leak. Jeep will not fix my recall at all. A... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
My oil cooler has failed and it caused oil to mix with my coolant and also causing a bad coolant leak. It over heats to car and my warranty will not cover ANYTHING! This is a major problem with diesel jeeps and the oil cooler needs to be recalled also. It can catch on fire and is a real safety hazard. I’ve tried multiple times to fix the oil cooler and leak. Jeep will not fix my recall at all. A... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
2016 Chevrolet Volt with 126,500 miles had a sudden loss of power while driving. Towed to Chevy dealership for diagnostics and was told it needed a Battery Energy Control Module. Doing my own research, I see that NHTSA issued a notification regarding GM coverage for this issue (see below). However, my VIN is not covered. Very conveniently, GM covering only one third of the Volts made in this time ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
Truck has an issue where certain safety systems are disabled when a trailer is detected. This is normal. However, the truck is failing to notice once a trailer has been disconnected and this keeps the safety features disabled during normal driving. Toyota has yet to address the issue. There are many people complaining online. Not safe and very disappointing.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2023
Over the past 4 years I’ve had ongoing issues with the air in the car where it won’t blow cold air & my defroster will not work and I’ve gotten it fixed still the same issue. Along with the break lights after many attempts to replace them they still don’t come on but sometimes it will. Many problems with the engine I also here ticking noises as well as other sounds but can’t find the iss... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
There is NO "rubber" pedal on the gas pedal. Foot easily slips off "metal" pedal whether shoe is dry, wet, muddy snow encased, etc. Unable to maintain positive pressure on gas pedal as shoe/foot easily slips off. First vehicle I have driven with no "rubber" pad on the Gass pedal. With no "rubber" pad, may not be able to accelerate due to foot slipping OSS, may cause unnecessary REAR END COLLISIO... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
During routine maintenance my mechanic told me the sub frame of my 2010 FordEscape had a serious problem. It appears there is a design flaw which allows condensation from the air conditioner to be traped and ultimately rust through compromising the frame. They said they didn't recommend driving the car, because if the frame failed the right wheel could detatch causing a catastrophic event. This ru... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
The vehicle consumes excessive oil, requiring to top-off oil every ~1k miles to prevent engine damage and seizing. The owner of the vehicle first observed oil consumption at 90k miles oil change. Dealership performed oil consumption test, measured 0.5qt oil burned in 1k miles. At 95k mile oil change, owner requested to record oil consumption, but dealership did not measure it. At 99k miles, owner... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
Complete loss of steering and transmission slips/shifts hard.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Driver side head rest exploded.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the “Service Track Error” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact continued to drive to the destination where the vehicle was parked for several hours. After restarting the vehicle, the “Service Track” and “Steering Loss - Stop Vehicle” messages were displayed. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Getting the same check engine warnings that many others are getting. Class action law suit going on in California.Ram says not covered by warranty
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The check engine light illuminated after leaving residence and traveling less than 5 miles. Had the vehicle check by a certified ASE mechanic, He stated that my vehicle had a misfire code (PO300), if it was a PO301 OR PO302 or etc, it would indicate a specific coil was misfiring, but the PO300 is a general misfire code. Vehicle is jerking, pulling, bogging down as if doesn't want to go forward or ... Read more