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: Dec 26, 2023
My parents and I originally bought the car in 2021 with a reconstructed title. We were told the car was deemed totaled/salvaged as the result being rear-ended, and that the mechanical parts of the car were not affected, only cosmetic body work. The vehicle passed Ohio State Highway Patrol inspection and was deemed drivable and road safe. The vehicle is also inspected every year through the West V... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to properly respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer and the contact was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Electronic seat recliner motor (outer bushing) noise when reclining, but Kendall Subaru in Eugene saying motor can not be fixed (defective design), only replaced with another (defective) motor @ cost near $1,000. Seat then stuck all the way back; even with seat headrest behind my back (w/sweaters on top of it even) driving comfort/visibility are not as good. [This entire electronic seat recliner m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The windshield cracks and spreads rapidly without any evidential cause for a crack and yes it would be available for inspection upon request. This is the 5th replacement in 5 years - 2 in one year alone: 1st - At the time of purchase with only 16555 miles (MPI) RBM replaced the windshield. 2nd - 1/21/20 - 40410 miles (Just got home from a drive through car wash and noticed the crack). 3rd - 7/24/... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound while reversing. Additionally, the contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to drive the vehicle, the steering wheel was firm. The contact turned around and drove back to the residence. The dealer was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The computer system has a malfunction I'm driving it says shifter service the shifter starts blinking red car wipers goes on car will shut off in traffic into anti theft mode and ask fir code and will not start it has happened 3 times or more within 30 days the has been in the shop 3 times within 30 days twice where I purchased it the car is not safe I'm scared for my life and others when operatin... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
High beams failure. Yes it is available for inspection. I live/travel in rural area with large sized wildlife. I require the ability to have high beams. I haven’t taken it to a service center, nor has any inspection been conducted. No warning lights, to the contrary, the interior instrumentation shows high beams are on even though they aren’t. This has been since I purchased the vehicle 2 mo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
Our 2018 CRV Touring modelm has had the dashboard light up like a christmas tree with all codes flashing. We have had the vehicle to the local honda dealer numerous times and also to a private garage. The battery has been changerd out, The Honda dealer performed a sparkplug recall and the car continues to do this with the dashboard lighting up showing all kinds of codes. Last evening for the secon... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
Our 2018 CRV Touring modelm has had the dashboard light up like a christmas tree with all codes flashing. We have had the vehicle to the local honda dealer numerous times and also to a private garage. The battery has been changerd out, The Honda dealer performed a sparkplug recall and the car continues to do this with the dashboard lighting up showing all kinds of codes. Last evening for the secon... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Since purchasing the car new, my brakes squeal and make a grinding noise. They don’t stop well and the noise doesn’t stop until I drive the car for a while. This happens every time I drive my vehicle. I have taken it to VW service and they say that it is normal for those kinds of brakes.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
I have own this vehicle on July 2023. I have recently noticed the exterior paint is peeling off quickly all over the body.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
A Hydraulic Control Unit malfunction resulting in multiple warning lamps flashing on and off intermittently - including the ABS, the EBS, the Traction Control, and the Cruise Control. This is apparently a known issue with this model year truck and is inclusive of a class action lawsuit, yet there has been no recall. This failure results in unpredictable breaking and/or the ability to break and ope... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
The Infotainment System linked pixel 6 phone freezes. The icons for selecting navigation or other feature freezes. The car has been taken to the dealership twice. Unfortunately, the issue still persists. To resolve, the phone needs to be disconnected and reconnected multiple times for Android Auto icons to work properly. This can cause issues and risk when driving and need to change navigation i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
I had a wreck 12/05/2023 the rear ended a commercial truck it didn’t give me any indication ahead it didn’t not slow my vehicle down or brake I just slammed right into the vehicle 23 feet in front with no warning so now the truck is saying crash malfunction it just abs and lane change in dictation nothing
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
I had a wreck 12/05/2023 the rear ended a commercial truck it didn’t give me any indication ahead it didn’t not slow my vehicle down or brake I just slammed right into the vehicle 23 feet in front with no warning so now the truck is saying crash malfunction it just abs and lane change in dictation nothing
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
When rotating tires 12/22/2023, upon removal of the right front tire, it was discovered that the inner sidewall had split open about midway between the tread and the wheel rim, for a distance of about one foot. There was no advance warning of this, and no warnings or messages displayed on the vehicle prior. As this was the first wheel removed, I am not sure what the condition of the other tires ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
1, At about 12000 miles the car's windshield wipers stop working. And did not ever work again for the past several years. Wipers which was checked the motor was replaced to admission to the key was replaced and wiper still don't work. 2, About 24000 miles Was turning the vehicle around on a inclined road in the mountains went to pull forward and the steering wheel would not work anymore whic... Read more
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
Windshield cowl (trim) had deteriorated, possibly due to common heat and sun damage. 1. We do not know whether or not the deteriorated cowl will affect windshield stability or water leaks. If windshield stability is affected, it would affect safety. 2. Other complaints have noted that pieces of deteriorated cowl/trim have impacted safety of nearby vehicles. 3. The vibration, humming, and buzz... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
brake warning light flashes warning alarm sounds. . disables the trailer brake. this one safety concern and makes my vehicle unavailable for towing abs disabled as well. Dealers says HCU is suspected . Parts are not readily available.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
A lot of times the warning collision on dash will flash to “BRAKE” when going through caution lights usually around fire stations and also approaching steel bridges… I don’t know if it sees the steel deck and thinks it’s a car, but whenever I get in my car, I deactivate the automatic emergency braking system because I don’t want it to automatically brake for me like it’s done in the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
Engine small block cracked due to coolant intrusion which Ford issued program 21N12 but now is refusing to repair due to slightly over mileage.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The airbags were supposed to have been fixed per recall by carriage house Mercedes in new London ct. my son was in a horrible front in collision and they did not deploy. None of them did. Accident happened 3 days ago insurance will pick up car today. I’d like this noted incase they need evidence
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
My windshield cracked and was replaced twice for some unknown reason. First in 2021 and now 2023.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
In October 2019 my engine upon start made a knocking/rattling sound. The engine noise continued even after the car was warm. The vacuum pump was diagnosed by the dealership and it was repaired under the manufacturer's warranty. From my understanding, the failure of the vacuum pump could cause the brakes to not respond. In December 2023 the vacuum pump displayed the same knocking/rattling sounds a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's husband coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. The contact's husband attempted to shift the vehicle into different gears; however, the vehicle remained in neutral(N). Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and diagnosed with transmission fail... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
We hit a stationary deer at night. Afterwards, we found an open recall: WRG23-1: Forward recognition camera reprogramming 2023 Subaru Solterra, but Subaru refused to investigate as they claim animals (suddenly appearing) are a carve out on their liability. However, the deer wasn't leaping, it was already frozen in the road. The headlights only illuminated its knees, too late for the driver to sto... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
My vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of road. It showed gas tank empty though tank had half tank gas. i would have been hit by a vehicle behind me. Fortunately, there were no vehicles behind me. i filled the remaining half tank , then car started again. I believe that gas sensor was not working. I dropped the vehicle for service to the mercedes benz dealerwith full tank of gas. It was showi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 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 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. VIN to... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
My 2022 Toyota Tundra 1794 transmission has always shifted hard on the initial start up and while accelerating when changing lanes. Since the truck was new I thought it was due to being new and required a break in period. Now I have own the truck for 15 months the problem still exist. I took the truck to the Toyota Dealership in Moss Point Mississippi in November 2023 and they informed me there we... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Ford did an update recently, 6.8.0, which obscures the speedometer and moved it to far right of the IPC making it difficult to see now when driving. This is safety issue and I like to have the speed of my vehicle right in front me where it should be.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the rear differential needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist. The failu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
We hit a stationary deer at night. Afterwards, we found an open recall: WRG23-1: Forward recognition camera reprogramming 2023 Subaru Solterra, but Subaru refused to investigate as they claim animals (suddenly appearing) are a carve out on their liability. However, the deer wasn't leaping, it was already frozen in the road. The headlights only illuminated its knees, too late for the driver to sto... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
We hit a stationary deer at night. Afterwards, we found an open recall: WRG23-1: Forward recognition camera reprogramming 2023 Subaru Solterra, but Subaru refused to investigate as they claim animals (suddenly appearing) are a carve out on their liability. However, the deer wasn't leaping, it was already frozen in the road. The headlights only illuminated its knees, too late for the driver to sto... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
A friend gave me this seat to use. I remembered from when I owned this type of seat previously that there was a recall. I saw online that this seat was included in the recall. The prior owner must not have contacted the company to receive the kit. I contacted the company on 12.20.23 and spoke with a male representative who told me several things that conflicted with the notice I read from the NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
I had lightly let off my gas pedal since I was driving down a slight decline/hill. Upon reaching the bottom of the decline, I pressed the gas pedal to maintain my speed, when I heard a loud noise from my engine; all the lights on the dash lit up; and my car lost all power. These items happened simultaneously and it was very sudden and unexpected as there were no prior warnings, indications, nois... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
Driver’s Seatbelt will not click in place and my vin is not showing a recall. The control screen does not work correctly. It often goes bright and makes a dinging sound or won’t work at all.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
Driver’s Seatbelt will not click in place and my vin is not showing a recall. The control screen does not work correctly. It often goes bright and makes a dinging sound or won’t work at all.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a misfire on cylinder #4. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Recall has been in effect since Sept 22, and still no remedy is available. Their only recommendation is to park away from buildings. Sometimes it is not possible to park away from buildings, and even when it is possible, it's increasingly inconvenient to park outside of my garage due to weather. I feel the risk of fire is low, but if there were one, any damage to my home would likely not be covere... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The vehicle has had steering and alignment issues since the day I purchased the truck. The steering wheel is not centered. The steering wheel is always turned to the left but the vehicle pulls to the right. I have had it at my local dealership five times and they have confirmed what I have described but they are not able to fix the issue fully. They have rotated the tires 3 times and have aligned ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The turn signal self-cancelling feature does not function properly. Specifically, the left hand turn signal does not disengage. This has become a safety risk as I am unaware that it does not disengage on some occasions. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer/manufacturer.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2023
ON 12/15/23 TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET AT APROX. 40 MPH A ROCK/PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CAUSING A ROUNDISH CHIP CRACK THE SIZE OF A DIME/ .10 CENTS. THIS WAS REPAIRED AT A WINDSHIELD SHOP WITH EPOXY. THIS IS THE SECOND CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD IN 8 MOTHS ON A NEW VEHICLE.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
At speeds about 35-45 MPH and again between 55-60 MPH vehicle steering will shake uncontrollably, with tire bounce. Requires sudden slowdowns in order to regain control. Dealership has replaced tie rods and steering stabilizer with no resolution. The shake has been present since purchasing from the dealership and has become progressively worse. Those driving behind report the appearance that "tire... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
stayed in Bangor Maine cold night frost on windshield, turned on defrost within several minute my wife noticed two small cracks at the bottom of the windshield ,within several minutes the progress up wards for about 5bin and joined together and continued to about 10 on and started across to the drivers side ,the crack is about b14 in long at this time ,wet to a subaru dealer they tried to convinc... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
Check light comes on. Vehicle unexpectedly looses engine power while driving. Very dangerous situation as you don’t have time to pull over. Vehicle restarts then it happens again. Nissan dealership has no fix for the problem and gave us the car back. The vehicle has been to the dealership twice already. This is urgent and very dangerous.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Dashboard lights and audio system shut off randomly for one second while driving, and then turned back on. when shutting the truck off, all power was lost for one second
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
I was driving my car one day and the power steering fault message popped up on my dash of my car. So I turned around and went home. I turned the car off and then turn the car back on. Then the power steering fault message showed up with other warning messages. So I tried turning the steering wheel and noticed there was no power steering at all. So the next day I had it towed to the Ford dealer to ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Vehicle just turned 11,000 miles. As I was accelerating up a hill, the RPM’s were extremely high and then I heard an awful noise in the engine. The car immediately shut down and overheated. It was determined the turbo chip blew apart causing catastrophic damage to the engine. I ended up needing to hire a lemon law attorney and Nissan bought the vehicle back from me. Nissan refused to compensate ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
While driving suddenly the battery power died (1/3 battery life left) and the ICE came on reving very high and check engine lights came on and vehicle slowed. Pulled over at first spot I could find and tired to restart the car. Car would not power down or restart the ice motor and the electric drive motors stopped working and vehicle would roll backwards once put into drive. Vehicle had to be towe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
I was constantly smelling a strong odor of gas coming from the inside/outside of my 2015 Chevy Tahoe. When I purchased the vehicle in 10/23 everything appeared fine. I researched the internet to determine what the problem could be & found dozens of similar situations. People saying the fuel line rubs the undercarriage of the vehicle causing a pin hole size in the fuel line causing it to leak gas.... Read more