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: Feb 2, 2024
Left rear seatbelt is not locking
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
We have frame failure on our trailer, we have not taken it apart yet to give all the details on the welds broken but metal is starting to come out from the fiberglass, and our cabinets inside came part. We contacted Grand Design and they stated as second owners there is no warranty, we contacted Lippert they said to reach out to GD and our insurance said they do not repair manufacturing issues. W... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
When closing the driver's side front door, an audible clicking sound was heard. When opening the door at my destination, some mechanism inside the door failed. I was unable to close the door all the way. I immediately drove to the Ford dealership service department, holding the door as closed as it would go (about a 12 inch gap). I have been waiting for two weeks for the repair to even be begun.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. V... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
sticky steering, while driving at normal road speed 30-40mph in a straight line steering wheel sticks and requires constant adjustments to maintain lane, lane keep assist is off.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V440000 (Electrical System) 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Vehicle. cuts off when running, check engine light came on. Had vehicle checked and replaced 02 sensors and filter. After replacing it ran worse than it did before replacing them.Check engine light will not go off.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Starting in September of 2023, my 2020 Subaru Outback began having issues with the battery. After replacing the battery, having the vehicle died, being left stranded in unsafe scenarios, paying for , and associated repairs, I was told the DCM panel was found to be faulty and causing repetitive battery drainage and failures. The DCM is trying to connect to an old network without success causing t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
My husband was driving the vehicle when the power steering failed momentarily. It went back to normal but since it is going in and out intermittently. The mechanic will be giving it this week
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
Transmission overheated while going 70-75 mph on the interstate without warning. I Pulled over and saw the thermostat to be overheated to 277 degrees (proof with picture). I along with my husband and 3 young kids Had to be towed 60 + miles back to my house. I was informed by 2 different mechanics the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had 89k miles on it. I attempted have it checked ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
It occurrs when the steering is dead centered, and very noticeable because when you are driving on a straight road, you are continually making very small left/right adjustments to steer straight. My vehicle is darting all over the road and cumbersome to drive. Pretty scary and dangerous. It feels STUCK and requires a continous amount of effort to overcome the resistance. This is a dangerous and s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
Folding side mirror will not open all the way, causing a safety concern when driving.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
I was almost rear ended because Hill hold assist did not disengage quickly. I’ve driven manual transmission for over 40 years and find this hill hold dangerous!
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
Once or twice a day my vehicle hesitates from a light and I have to almost floor it to get it going again.I have brought it to 2 different Subaru dealers 3 times and they say they can't fix the problem.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
This incident involved our 2017 Sante Fe XL V6 with Lamda II engine with 61,000 miles. Up until this incident, we have had zero issues or warnings from the car of any problems. My husband was driving and slowing as he was approaching a light, while without any warning, the car stopped responding (electrical shutoff and gas would not accelerate). This was in the middle of a two-lane road with spe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
P 265 45 R 21 I have a set of pirelli scorpion tires on my 2018 Land Rover velar. All the tires on the vehicle have an issue with the tread . The rubber is breaking off in chunks. Tires have lest than 50% wear on them they have been properly inflated and rotated . There is not signs on uneven wear from an alignment issue. I have contacted the manufacturer concerning this issue and I get no respon... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura RDX. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the rear window suddenly shattered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the vehicle had resulted in thermal shock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,000. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the Lane Keep Assist was oversensing and attempted to steer the vehicle into traffic. The vehicle failed to recognize the lane markings and continued to steer over the highway lanes. While driving, the brake assist was engaged when a shadow was detected. The contact turned the features off. There were no wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
Cracked dash. Very weak
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
“Service Trailer Brake System” alert on info center and Trailer Brake Contol lights flickering since purchase February 2022 Trailer brakes intermittently do not work while towing 29’ camper trailer. Reported this issue several times to several different Chevrolet service departments. Have been told by every service department that there isn’t a problem.
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
I had the anti-theft security upgrade on my Kia done and it was still easily stolen in minutes from my driveway. The upgrade did absolutely nothing.
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side rear tire deflated. The contact replaced the tire with the spare tire. The contact stated after driving three miles, the contact noticed that the vehicle was driving abnormally. The contact parked the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
After this car was repaired by the body shop, all the automatic systems in the car started flashing and no one could figure out why. It went to four different repair shops over several months, till finally they convinced me to purchase another vehicle when this one was going to be paid off in two months. This problem was well documented by several repair places , and ultimately since it was unrepa... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 13, 2021
Manufacturer and dealership in my area have been unable to schedule me for getting Safety Recall for High Voltage Battery Management Control Module Software (97ZZ) done to my vehicle. I have been in the waitlist for dealership to do this recall since May 2023. Several times the dealership has said that the battery modules are backordered with no ETA.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
Brakes loose pressure and break pedal has to be pushed to the floor before speed is reduced. Likely an issue with the break booster.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
The car was parked and when we went out to it, the stereo was crackling very loud static and popping. This continued when the stereo is off. When we reset the stereo, it stopped momentarily and then resumed. Eventually the speakers stopped and just crackled intermittently. After finding a slew of similar incidents online, I opened the rear to find it totally filled with water (see picture, where i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
When driving in a straight line, the car pulls to the left, requiring me to correct the drift by steering the car to the right. There is a lot of effort put into correcting the gradual and progressive drifting of the car, especially during highway driving. Correcting the steering is a constant during the drive. The steering itself also feels "stiff." Much effort is needed to correct the steerin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
lost power 3 times - each time making a left hand turn at low speed -Nov.23 2023 -- Dec. 20 2023 & Jan, 30 2024 Groove Toyota checked vehicle out on Dec.21 2023 couldn't find problem - took it to Groove Toyota again on Jan. 31 2024 - told to make another appointment to allow full day of testing - safety concern for family and other traffic - no warning prior to loss of power
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
My vehicle usually would turn on the warning light stating that the engine oil level is low when I accelerate. The last time I had an oil change, it would turn on when I accelerate my vehicle to merge on the highway. I have had my engine oil level sensor changed out in my vehicle by a Hyundai tech. Immediately after my sensor was changed and I merged on to the nearest highway, it went on again whe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The car has been taken to the dealer multiple times for not accelerating out of 1st gear when starting up, and also for shuddering at high speeds. We have been stranded, hundreds of miles from home on 2 occasions, first with less than 30,000 miles because the spark plugs needed to be replaced. And the second occasion, also hundreds of miles from home, because the car failed on the highway and li... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2019
I am filing a complaint due to the lack of timely fix of this recall. It has been more than four months since the recall was issued (NHTSA Recall Number 23V651000) with no repair available.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2020
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X7. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the warning light illuminated "third row rear seats not fully locked". The contact stated that while transporting his children, the sensor did not recognize individuals seated on the seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was advised that the failure might be due to detached or dislodged comp... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
My car computer touchscreen has been rebooting with every entry since/start since software update 2023.44.30.5.1. in mid December, 2023. Software update 2023.44.30.8 did not resolve the issue. During the reboot process I am able to move my vehicle but the safety systems (parking sensors, back-up camera, wipers, etc) are inoperable for up 3 minutes during the reboot process. I have reported the iss... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into drive, the RPMs increased, but the vehicle failed to move, and had lost motive power. The contact shifted the vehicle to manual mode, and manually shifted the transmission into first gear and drove the vehicle. However, the vehicle would not shift into higher than third gear while in manual mode. No warning li... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
The contact's daughter-in-law owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that an additional 20-30 minutes was needed to fill the fuel tank while refueling. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed, and it was determined that the roll-over valve was damaged. The failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V142000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was then... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
Fuel contamination leads to the dilution of my engine oil. I perform my own oil changes, ensuring the engine is filled to 50% on the dipstick. Typically, after 4 to 5 months, the dipstick indicates the oil level at FULL due to fuel contamination. This causes me to change the oil to prevent excessive engine wear caused by dilution. This problem started ever since I purchased the SUV (2019 Honda CRV... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Air bag sensors turning on and off. Malfunction.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes and the engine was misfiring. Additionally, the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
Water has been collecting in the right hand side of my racetrack taillight on my 2017 Durango causing my entire strip to burn out completely. It seems as though debris and bugs have also made their way into the tail light as both are visible and trapped within the light assembly. The taillight flickers upon starting the car and then completely stops working. I attempted to dry the light out by rem... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
There is a RECALL #23V687 about the high voltage battery main contacts that FORD has been unable to remedy. I'd like to make this complaint so it can get fixed ASAP. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
February 2023 the Fiat breaks and transmission locked up and all of the lights on the dashboard started flashing in the middle of the road. filed claim with geico. turned out to be a leak somewhere in the body frame of the car which leaked water into the RF module of the car causing water damage inside the RF module causing the car transmission to lock up emergency brake lockup and all lights flas... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
My car was unsafe to drive. It would not shift into drive. I had it towed to a mechanic who diagnosed the problem. I was informed the differential was the problem. I could not drive my car until the repair was done. No one had the differential part in the USA. My car is 2014 CTS with only 66,000 miles. Can I be reimbursed for this repair?
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
I am writing to provide feedback on the recent mandated Tesla Full Self Driving software update (recall). When I keep both hands on the steering wheel, I now get constant warnings. Specifically, even when I drive with both hands firmly on the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock and maintaining what I feel is adequate control, the system nags me with disruptive alerts. It tells me to apply pressure and flash... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
The head unit (radio) on my 2019 Subaru Outback began developing "bubbles" behind the touch screen which is causing phantom touches. Without any human interference, the radio will suddenly start switching channels and functions on the radio in a very rapid sequence. When this occurs while driving, it is EXTREMELY distracting for the driver. The only solution is to turn the entire head unit off an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
Vehicle does not stop if one tire is going over a man hole cover, divit in the road, bump etc. It also skids forward when this happens and almost like jumps (as if anti-lock brakes where let loose and then pressed again) even if I am braking. This has been happening since the day I bought the car brand new off the lot. The traction control light also goes off. If I am going down a hill while this ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The wheel speed sensor has malfunctioned. Warning lights, messages, and alarms displayed that multiple safety features were not working and that the dealer needed to be contacted. Some of the messages included: Parking Brake System Failure, Cruise Control System Failure, Vehicle Stability Failure, Road Departure Mitigation System, Lane Keeping Assist System, Auto High-Beam Problem, etc... The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
This vehicle had a recall to place a water drain in the rear truck section to drain water if it somehow entered the vehicle to prevent the fuel pump module from failing. This vehicle suddenly stalled and was towed to the dealer. The dealer reports the vehicle had water Intrusion as reported by the dealer and subsequently the fuel pump module was exposed to water and failed which the recall was to ... Read more