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: Oct 20, 2023
The computer screen jumps around with the dash data when you are driving. The radio changes functions and channels. This is a huge distraction and dangerous when driving. Additionally, when you turn the radio off the screen keeps jumping around to different functions and channels.
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The computer screen jumps around with the dash data when you are driving. The radio changes functions and channels. This is a huge distraction and dangerous when driving. Additionally, when you turn the radio off the screen keeps jumping around to different functions and channels.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Passenger Airbag light on seatbelt light on passenger front airbags inactive
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
My car 2021 Kia Soul S, with 28, 000 miles has a water leak issue in the passanger side. The water accumulates on the floor causing mold issues so severe that it has infected the back seat. There is too much condensantion inside the car. I cannot drive the car because i am allerguc to mold, it is hazardous to my health. Please help. I have warranty on the car and an extended warranty. Please see... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Rubber front windshield trim is deteriorating in the sun. Pieces are braking off while driving & causes a whistling sound.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The temperature control valve (TCV) has gone bad and so the check engine light is on and reverse automatic braking and the Eyesight system is disabled. The problem with the temperature control valve is unrelated to the safety systems, however, when this valve goes bad, these safety systems are disabled automatically.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that she was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
We enabled Tesla Auto-pilot on the highway. We were driving in the middle lane and there was a truck on the left of us and another vehicle on the right. The truck on the left moved a little towards us but stayed in its lane. The autopilot suddenly turned sharply left. But since there was a car there, it suddenly turned right towards the truck. At this point, I hit the brakes and disabled the auto-... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V604000 (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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds the main computer screen displayed a warning adv... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
Attempted to merge onto a highway and car stayed in first and not allowing for proper acceleration. Ended up not being included under a current recall. Replace the lead frame connector in the transmission.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
Attempted to merge onto a highway and car stayed in first and not allowing for proper acceleration. Ended up not being included under a current recall. Replace the lead frame connector in the transmission.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
Three times in the last week or so, coming to a stop, in traffic, the car throws a warning about the EyeSight not working and it shuts the car off. The first time I was still rolling and had not come to a stop. The other two times I was just barely stopped and it happened. It would be horrible if it happened while driving fast. You have to put it in park and hit the start button to turn the electr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
The cover over the ADAS sensors above the rear view mirror detached and fell into the driver area causing loss of control. This has happened before (without accident or loss of control) but I don't remember the date.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
For now the fifth time in the last 16 months the HEV light and engine light has lit up while the car jerks and sputters and dies. Below is the incident report that I filed on or about August 8, 2022. Again at the end of the day yesterday on October 20, 2023 the same issues still arise for the fifth time. See below for a re-cap of the issues I am once again experiencing after Hyundai claims to h... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
IN 2020 MY ABS CLONTROL MODULE FAILED AT ABOUT 20000 MILES. I HAD IT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WITH NO ISSUES. IN MAY OF THIS YEAR (2023) IT STARTED FLASHING ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT NEEDED REPLACING AGAIN BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE AND CANNOT GET THE PART. IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND WORSE. I CAN TELL IT IS AFFECTING MY BRAKES ALONG WITH I CANN... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
- Vehicle was operating as normal. Slowed down to a complete stop as normal. When attempting to accelerate from stop, vehicle had no throttle response and slowly idled into the intersection. Would press pedal down and nothing would happen. About 5 seconds later, vehicle gained throttle response and took off quickly. Unable to duplicate issue at this time, appears to be intermittent. - Safety was r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
My wife is driving to work when the dash beep twice saying power steering fault then she lost power steering and nearly crashed the vehicle , this is a known problem from Ford that was not repaired by them and now they're telling me that they won't repair it This was what I found online by just doing a quick search after my wife nearly crashed! By Matt Schmitz May 29, 2014 Vehicles Affected... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
We purchased the RV new and drive about 350 miles to pick it up. Per the original dealer when we arrived, there was an NHTSA recall on the RV for the wheel assembly and they didn't realize it until that morning after I had already driven 6 hours and paid for a hotel for the night. They said the manufacturer said it would be OK for me to tow the vehicle back to where we live and have the recall com... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
#1- I had my truck in a few years ago for a brake issues that they said was a computer reprogramming issue and vacuum pump. They repaired and the issue slowly came back. Now it feels as if there is little to no assist with braking and stopping distance is growing. I feel like my family is at risk if there were ever to be a time I need to brake hard or fast. Theire are no warning lamps but obvious ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2023
I have a 2016 Chevy Tahoe LTZ. It has the air ride suspension. I need all new shocks and struts and a new air ride air suspension pump. Reported this issue when the vehicle had 60-66k miles on it. I was never told what was wrong until about 2 weeks ago. The grand total of replacing these issues is over 6k. I called Chevy/GMC theres nothing they will do as it’s out of any warranty even though the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
EXCESSIVE Oil Consumption after 87,000 miles. Always had regular/up-to-date oil changes and took care of the vehicle. Had an oil change in June 2023 and in August (not may miles driven in that time frame), while driving I noticed the vehicle started to jerk...after arriving at work I checked under the hood and noticed there was NO OIL on the stick. I also added some antifreeze since I was there an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Just now car drove rought made it home to shutting down shift to park message came on I was not on the first recall list
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Experienced acceleration problem with my brand new Genesis GV70, only 7 mos. old. I backed car out of garage and onto my street, put car in "drive" and pressed down on gas to move forward, but car would not accelerate. This was only for a split second, and then it started to accelerate. It was strange, though, and had never happened before. I continued on my route and as I was entering an onra... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The CVT transmission has only 80k miles and is changing gears for no reason up and down at all speeds and won’t drive safely. Rpm’s increase and randomly gear kicks in and hits very hard and then stops working.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25–30 MPH, the vehicle slowed down and stalled. The vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flickering. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to N... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The vehicle throws the abs, esp,break and traction control lights and then while driving completely at random then turns off WHILE DRIVING!!!! which can cause an accident (I and my daughter are lucky to be alive) this is not ok the vehicle drives fine then at random throws those lights and shuts off after restarting it the check engine light comes on and says the transmission shift solenoid b i... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
The steering wheel shakes violently at speeds of 50-55 mph. The vehicle drives without any issues then without any warning or warning lights the vehicle starts shaking to the point you lose steering control and must immediately slow down until the shaking stops. This vehicle is available for inspection if needed. The safety of myself as well as others is due to the loss of steering at higher s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
For the last few weeks on several occasions the ignition key remained stuck after parking and shutting off the engine. I was eventually able to release the key but was in a bit of a panic. I believe this should be a recall as I have read about this happening to many Subaru owners.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure gauge was elevated too high. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed instrument cluster. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she recently noticed that other gauges were also malfunctioning. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while refueling the vehicle, the pump nozzle continuously shut off. The contact stated that he drove to several gas stations, where the failure recurred while refueling the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was running rough and hesitated to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. There was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
Oil consumption. My car is always empty after 3000 miles. I am always having to put oil in my car. Now having engine issues… No warning lights came on to let me know of issues or low oil.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that during cold starts, the engine shuddered, and the check engine warning light flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced cylinder #2 and the spark plugs. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant was present inside the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Infotainment system constantly cuts out and freezes at random times with any phone connected to it. It takes 5-10 minutes to restart and you are unable to access and vehicle settings or the radio/navigation
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
Just now coming home my car made noises when I parked it said shift to park Friday GM said I'm to repair the problem with my studies it's gm hidden defects I was not on the first recall I seen on goggle NHTSA please help me with this car problems and please help 513 complaints as well on the 2018 Chevy Malibu breakdowns
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormal odor was detected. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery had exploded and was leaking battery fluid. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the battery had previously been replaced in 2021 for the rec... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
I have owned the vehicle for 10 months and it had about 80,000 miles on it. The engine light started flashing 2 days ago. The vehicle started running rough, so I drove 10 miles back home at no more than 40 mph. I took the vehicle to my trusted mechanic. He conducted a diagnostic test & received a code 1326, which meant there was a vibration indicating excessive connecting rod bearing wear. He advi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, her husband exited the vehicle and noticed an abnormal odor. The contact's husband walked around to inspect the vehicle. The contact's husband noticed gasoline leaking from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that her husband noticed a trail of gasoline leading up to the vehicle. The vehicle was take... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 30-50 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he had parked and stopped driving the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
Tail Brake Light failure The tail brake lights have gone out on a vehicle that isn't 10 years old yet. Tail lights should not go out this quickly and the dealership will kindly replace them at $1300 per tail light. This is absolutely absurd! It is available for inspection. This definitely puts myself and others at risk! Yes, this problem has been confirmed and inspected by a GMC dealer. Advis... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
My abs brake light goes on and off cruise control just stops in the middle of the highway. I was almost hit by an eight wheeler while commuting because of it. I loose traction driving on wet roads. I have taken it to the dealership more than twice to fix the problem. So solution in sight.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
Large fuel leak from fuel pump flange. Vehicle has had the recall 20W9 performed in 2018 as can be seen by the black butyl sticker on the assembly. However, this failed to prevent the flange from cracking and subsequently creating a large fuel leak. This is the very failure the recall was intended to prevent. Part is available for inspection if necessary as well as work order from original recall.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
My wife was driving and this is what she had happen—I was at the atm, put my car in park. I was to short to reach the atm so I cracked the door open just enough to reach out to the atm to do what I needed to do, when the car jumped out of park into somehow it rolling forward.I then fell out of the car head first, smashing my knee and arm in the ground, then getting run over by the Kia. I was als... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
This is a follow up from previous complaint 11525953 dated 6/8/2023. My subaru forester stalled again on 8/2 at an intersection after 15 minutes of driving, and then again on 10/4 at an intersection after 45 minutes of highway driving. There are no warning signals or any indication of engine problems. I replaced the air filter in June hoping that might solve the issue.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
Drivers door limiter broke away from the door creating an issue opening and closing the door. Also unable to roll the drivers window down very far.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
My vehicle was stolen. . They broke out window. The problem of kia’s being stolen has increased to the point local officials have filed a lawsuit against kia. The problem of these cars being easily stolen has been all over the news recently. People are getting killed because of reckless driving by the persons stealing the vehicles. I had no idea my car was vulnerable to this and was told when m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
Very often the transmission does not kick in when the accelerator is pushed and gas is applied. I.e when crossing an intersection, when passing, when moving forward from a complete stop, when changing lanes, and when on busy freeways. This has been reported to Dealer many times beginning in 2017. This has occurred when I have had passengers in vehicle as well as when other drivers have been behind... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
To whom this may concern, My name is [XXX] . I purchased my 2014 Subaru on December 13th, 2013. My car has 57,000 miles on it. It has loss of acceleration when entering a freeway. I push on the gas pedal harder and harder to try to get my car to obtain 60 mph. The car does not respond until minutes go by. The CVT transmission was replaced in June 2022. The car has not performed any better after... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
I recently purchased this vehicle new from Spokane Lexus. Come to find out there are no provisions for a tow hook front or rear. In the owners manual it clearly shows that there is a cover plate in the front grille that is removed to accomodate the eyebolt that is stored in the tool kit next to the spare tire. My vehicle does not have either of these, even though there is a molded place, next to t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
All electrical warning lights came on dashboard. This is very frustrating and scary. This needs to be a recall on this vehicle because nothing this serious is normal. I thought my car was falling apart. Honda needs to fix this problem and the owner should not be responsible.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2022
The passenger side exterior windshield pillar trim piece flew off while driving on I20 west of Dallas Tx. Could have hit the car behind me.