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: Sep 25, 2023
2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport all recall repairs made. Catastrophic engine failure in March 2020. Hyundai took vehicle in to replace engine, called me a liar when I gave them towing receipt. Never got an apology, took 3 years to get the $35 towing fee back. Hyundai had another recall- don't park in garage- fire could occur and they changed out fuse. During this time my dash instrument panel stil... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2023
I bought the car in March 2023 and took the car for maintenance of 5k at Acura dealership at north Orlando and after that the car came never the same. The car is making so much noise skewing and clicking noise every time you turn the streering wheel. The dealership said the noise is from nuts and bolt and they did change it and noise became more loud 2nd time they said it is the front break and th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
At first the check engine light was on and the car would not start. The dash would display all the lights and at one point it turned off while driving luckily I was going 20-30mph. Took it to the dealership and they said an Intake Valve had to be replaced and it was covered by the warranty. Next the engine light was on and a MAP censor had to be replaced which wasn’t covered. Once again the engi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
When cruise control is engaged, the vehicle suddenly decelerates, (at times dropping speed by more than 20 mph in less than 2 seconds). This occurs as often as 5-10 times in a single 60mi trip, and occurs at least once per trip on this same route (divided highway, sometimes with hills, often with no other cars ahead of or around the vehicle, speed 60-70mph) These events are unsafe because unexpect... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
On August 31, 2023, my car had break services that included all four breaks replaced and serviced at Ford dealer Oxnard, CA. Today, 9/27/23, on the way to the doctor's office on the local street, about half a block's distance to a Stop sign, the Traction Control System light flipped on and the breaks turned loose and started speeding up toward a women pushing a baby carriage crossing the street.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
Passenger seat air bag sensor doesn't work.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
Eyesight driver assist went out rendering safety features inoperable. Touch screen also blanked out so unable to adjust a/c, navigation,radio etc. Car had been on long distance all hiway drive and at 7 hours systems failed. Weather was in the 60s, overcast and it was in the afternoon. Pulled into rest stop and turned engine off then restarted but still failed. Drove 2 more hours and next rest stop... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
The frame under neath is rusted in two in several places and the springs are broke off I just bought a month ago and owe 19000 on this truck and it's not safe to use
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
The frame under neath is rusted in two in several places and the springs are broke off I just bought a month ago and owe 19000 on this truck and it's not safe to use
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
I was driving on the interstate at right around 50-60mph, the day was sunny. I was in the middle lane on I275 and there was normal flow of traffic. I saw no debris. Then all of the sudden it sounded like an explosion and my car jolted. I knew something was very wrong and kept control of car. When the tire service man came he noted it the sidewall had blown out. The tread was good and no other area... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
The power steering control module (PSCM) that replaced my original PSCM failed while I was driving with my 4 year old in the car and I lost power steering completely. We have been told it was reproduced by the dealership service center at 1hour 32 minutes of the car running. The car is at the dealership for the 3rd time for this issue and the warning light that came on was Steering Assist Fault ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
We bought this used vehicle from Toyota of Peoria Dealership in April 2023. Was in the middle of traffic when my vehicle stop almost getting into a accident.Due to a clutch recall that we were not informed of. When we got it into a Ford dealership they told us that we would have to pay for theses recalls that ended going bad in the vehicle. Told us that recall only last for 5 years or 100 thousand... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
1 . TERMAL CONTROL VALVE 2. TRAVELING OUT OF STATE AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 3. WARNING LIGHT (CHECK ENGINE WAS ON) 4 CONFIRMNED BY DEALER 5. ALL LIGHTS ON DASH BOARDS ON
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the ABS and stabili-trak warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that an audible beeping alarm was sounded. The contact stated that when the ABS warning light and other warning lights eliminated, with the Cruise Control activated, the cruise control would deactivate and needed to be reactivated by depre... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that when she arrived at her destination her husband noticed something hanging from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a rusted rear fuel tank strap. The contact was informed that the fuel tank strap needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification 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 wa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a knocking sound coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an undisclosed dealer where it was diagnosed that the knock sensor detection system (KSDS) needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V218000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
this vehicle is a match box waiting to kill someone. I've been reporting these problems an nobody has follow up. on 08/20/2023 fuel pump had to be replaced after fumes coming into vents report one on 06/03/2023 issue happened again, 0n 09/04/2023 engine went out. after getting vehicle back catalytic converter and manifold was burnt out do to engine .had it inspected by a muffler shop. kia will not... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
ALL WARNING LIGHTS FLASH THROUGH AND CHIME AND IT STAYS THIS WAYS FOR DAYS THEN STOPS THEN STARTS UP AGAIN. IT CYCLES THROUGH EACH EMERGENCY SETTING INCLUDING BRAKING. TIRE, LANE DEPARTURE... NOT SAFE SINCE YOU DONT KNOW IF ANY OF THESE ARE REAL WARNINGS. HAD IT SCOPED AND NO ISSUES SHOWED UP. HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS BUT NO SOLUTIONS. DANGEROUS AND ANNOYING
Incident date: May 17, 2023
2020 Toyota RAV4 XLE purchased July of 2020. Just hit 35K miles and an "engine maintenance required" message appeared. The error message would not go away while driving and blocked the entire display screen. There is an issue with the Engine Coolant Bypass Valve that costs $700-$1000 to repair. The part and repairs are not covered by the 60,000 power terrain warranty.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
Radio Headunit -- Freezes and has ghost inputs. Makes the unit unusable- no backup camera. Flashes and beeps constantly. You can not mute it or stop it. It seems to also cause the "Eyesight" to not behave normally
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
When opening the sunroof (it opens with the press of a button, a part flew off of the sunroof and it came off of the tracks). After, we could not close it and it made a loud noise when pressing the button. We took it to Kia who said it needed a part that was back ordered. They put plastic over the roof and told my husband it was ok to drive it home. We assumed they had secured the sunroof as they... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45–55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over, looked under the hood, and notice that an unknown fluid was boiling. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed her about unknown recalls. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45–55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over, looked under the hood, and notice that an unknown fluid was boiling. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed her about unknown recalls. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
While my family and I were returning from lunch and pulling into a parking space at my moms apartment complex, my 2015 Ford escape SE eco-boost, had a sudden unintentional acceleration where it basically accelerated forward and we hit a building. During this, the brakes were unresponsive, and there was building and vehicle damage. Luckily, the post to the building prevented us from driving through... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Sep 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear passenger’s side window suddenly shattered. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kawasaki KLR650 Motorcycle. The contact stated that while riding at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the handlebar was wobbly and unstable. No warning lights were illuminated. The motorcycle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileag... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
As I was driving, the steering wheel and brakes locked up so I couldn't steer nor brake. Luckily I was in a parking lot so I cruised the vehicle to a stop without crashing. If I had been on a road or turning, I would have crashed. No indicator lights went on. I took the car to a Hyundai dealership where they couldn't find any problems and recommended I replace the steering column. I searched onlin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
ABS braking system repeat failures of the same part. 68143491AA is the parts number. There is an updated part number 68143491AB that is not available.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
Almost a year ago while driving the car it would just cut off. I took it to Ford and they stated I needed a new valve. I got the car repaired it was about 450$. Months later the car begin to do the same thing again and it cut off on me while turning onto a street. That time it would not restart and I got it towed. After getting it fixed again like 2 months later the car started to knock after I ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
Almost a year ago while driving the car it would just cut off. I took it to Ford and they stated I needed a new valve. I got the car repaired it was about 450$. Months later the car begin to do the same thing again and it cut off on me while turning onto a street. That time it would not restart and I got it towed. After getting it fixed again like 2 months later the car started to knock after I ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
I have a 2018 Ford Edge SEL with a 2.0 L engine and 63,550 miles. The EcoBoost engine has coolant intrusion into the cylinders due to a design flaw in the engine where the head gasket fails. Ford has a TSB bulletin (TSB 19-2346) they sent out that requires a new engine replacement for this issue. This issue has been present in 2015-2018 Ford edge and occurs usually when the warranty expires. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
On three separate occasions while driving the car has shut off while driving. The car and dashboard completely shut off, as well as the radio. This is while driving! The car was in drive and then just shut off with no warning or indication. I've taken the car to be seen by a Hyundai Mechanic and the car had a starter replacement. Yet, the issue has continued. This has put my safety and the safety ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The rearview camera stopped working. It works intermittently when backing up (<10%), but otherwise just shows a black screen for the rear backup camera. No warning lamps. As a result the rear blind spot warning does not work, posing a risk to kids or pedestrians crossing behind me. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone at this point but a service appointment is scheduled. It is available ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
While driving to school, sitting in traffic, I head a loud noise, looked in my rear view mirror and saw my entire rear window was shattered. Nothing was thrown through the window, there was no collision. The vehicle was taken to a local Honda dealership for a full diagnosis of the problem. Because the glass is tempered, and no one was in the back seat - there wasn’t an immediate safety issue to ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 65 MPH, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact was informed that the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to approximately 15 MPH. The contact stated that his daughter pulled off the roadway and turned the vehicle off. The contact drove out to his daughter and jumpstarted the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
While driving on a major highway at approximately 65 mph, my car completely shut off. The steering wheel froze, all the lights on the dashboard started blinking and the car's engine completely shut down. The wheel locked as I was able to steer to the median. I got out of the car and another car behind me immediately crashed into my stopped car, totaling it.
Crash
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
While driving on a major highway at approximately 65 mph, my car completely shut off. The steering wheel froze, all the lights on the dashboard started blinking and the car's engine completely shut down. The wheel locked as I was able to steer to the median. I got out of the car and another car behind me immediately crashed into my stopped car, totaling it.
Crash
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V526000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was 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: Sep 1, 2022
9/18/2023 I had an incident I thought something got behind brake pedal and kept me from pushing the brakes. When I drove it home. Going down the interstate I hit the gas get to speed limit. 3 times the vehicle kept speeding up hitting 80 and still wanting to climb.when I hit breaks hit was hard to press worse then hitting non power breaks and then I forced on the brakes and the vehicle started sha... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 21, 2023
Hello I recently test drove a new Tesla Model S. As I was making a turn, another car whose driver was not being attentive pulled out in front of me. I had to take evasive action and sound the horn. In that split-second I had to 'find' the horn while making the turn. (I was NOT able to activate the horn. It was ONLY through sheer luck that I avoided an accident). Did you know that the Tesla S h... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2023
I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO CALL IT., THE CAR WILL TURN COMPLETE OFF WHEN DRIVING AND IT WILL ALSO HAVE THE CRASH LIGHT COME ON ALMOST ALL THE TIME ALONG WITH THE CAR WITH THE WIGGLE LIGHT COME ON. ALSO YOU CAN SMELL GAS WHEN YOU PUT GAS IN THE TANK REAL HEAVY FUME.....I BROUGHT THIS CAR ON OCT 1 2022., I EXPLAIN TO THE DEALER SHIP THE SAME THING THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING SINCE I BROUGHT T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
Touch screen driver information system has random display and audible warnings. Audio and navigation display cannot be controlled and does random radio channels and map displays. The screen developed bubbles under the front panel that appears to activate the touch sensor for the display. This condition is very distracting to the driver and might cause unsafe vehicle operation. The display changing... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
Shift cable bushing issue. Same as recall 22s43 for 2012-2016 Ford Fusions.
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
Back up camera failure, image is either: distorted; pink; blank; or scrolling. This is the 2nd occurrence after failing in December 2022. Original fix was to replace the wiring harness.
Incident date: Sep 20, 2023
Rear view camera system display (360 surround) was completely inoperative. Rear view camera display did not appear on IP display when vehicle was shifted into reverse, nor did it appear when the "camera" app was selected from the center display. No warning messages present; OnStar remote code read indicated no codes. Danger is to others behind the vehicle, particularly children in blind spot. Prob... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
In 2022 Ford issued a recall for my 2016 F250 for the clockspring. In mid 2023 for said sent me a letter telling me the parts are in stock contact a local dealer for repair. I dropped off my tuck and 2 day later I was told by deal it’s fixed come pick it up. I got in my truck and all the same issues were there. Airbag light is on, steering is sticking, no horn or other electrical working on stee... Read more