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 22,185 complaints for TESLA
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
I bought a new 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle from the dealership with 20 miles on it. The next day, I was driving the car and exiting the highway when it said “rear safety alert, vehicle will shut off.” The car turned off and my kids and I were stranded on the highway exit blocking traffic. I called the dealership and they picked it up to try to see what was wrong. I was told it needed a n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. 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 contacted. The contact called another local dealer, Taylor Chevrolet (13801 Telegraph Rd., Taylor, MI 48180); who informed the contact that the parts were not yet available. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Civic. 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. 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 contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Car stopped working in middle of road How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Luckly there were no traffic or car behind , I am not moving the lane. Personal safety and passenger safety Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Tesla ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle in for regular tire service, the contact was made aware that while attempting to move the vehicle, the brake pedal assembly became detached. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a diagnostic test, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
On a number of occasions the automatic braking system has engaged when no vehicles or objects were present in the vicinity of the vehicle. This is incredibly dangerous. When I get in the car now I have to remember to disengage that feature before operating the vehicle.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Brand new tires installed on vehicle by Americas Tire store on 7/29/24. Received a phone call from our son 7/30/24 7pm of complete tire blow out on hwy. Lost control of vehicle but managed to pull off hwy where he proceeded to contact us as well as AAA. Took back in to Americas Tire said they would replace tire but had no explanation as to why this happened on a brand new tire. According to AAA a ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
IF CAR IS NOT DRIVEN FOR A FEW DAYS THE BATTERY WILL BE DEAD. CAR HAS NEW BATTERY. DOING MY RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR 2011-2019 HONDA CRV WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE APPARENTLY IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE VSA SYSTEM. IS HONDA PAYING THE NHTSA NOT TO RECALL THIS
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
There were two incidents where the engine sounded sluggish and was difficult to start over the past two weeks (7/22/24 & 7/30/24). After speaking with Kia Service Rep three days ago, an appointment was made to check the battery. On yesterday and today (8/1/24), the engine would not start at all or even make a sound although the air conditioner and radio would work. I had to get the vehicle jumped ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
The contact owned a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while her son was driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact's son and the other passengers exited the vehicle and walked 20 feet away. The contact stated that the entire vehicle caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The con... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
Hyundai Ioniq5 acquired new in September 2023 - mileage at the time of incident 10,800 miles - Michelin Primacy AS 235/55 R19 - OEM tires installed by the manufacturer. Front tire started to go off balance causing steering wheel vibrations and shaking that increased with speed - car was not drivable above 55MPH due to excessive shaking and vibrations of steering wheel - this presents safety concer... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
After getting the recall information about the front crossmember rusting out due to corrosion, I decided to check the rear crossmember on my car. WOW, the rear crossmember is SO much worse than the front one and I’ve read hundreds of similar stories about the exact same thing happening to other Mazda 6 sedans around these model years (2009-2013). The rear crossmember on my car, which supports th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
Rear camera and cross traffic warning system malfunctions randomly, working less than half the time. When the vehicle is put in reverse the system and camera often do not work and issue a notice that it needs serviced. On several occasions it did not warn me of a person behind my vehicle or another vehicle behind me. I have avoided accidents but the system is not working. I have been reading a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
Tesla Model Y's windshield is terribly and soft. A small stone fallen on the windshield it cracks right away. I had to replace my windshield every year or so.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was misfiring and there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. The dealer determined that the long block needed to be replaced, and the dealer related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2346. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
On several occasions, the last being July 19,2024, auto correct on steering took control of my vehicle when no correction was needed. I’ve been taken by surprise and struggled on all occasions to gain full control of the vehicle. In addition, my car is not able to receive the over-air update to address the hood latch recall which leaves me more vulnerable to a catastrophic event. I can n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
When going approximately 15mph on a brick road when approaching a stop sign I began breaking and the breaks malfunctioned. The breaks began almost pulsating like the ABS was kicking on. I was unable to stop my vehicle and had to turn onto the upcoming road. Luckily no other vehicles were present or this would have caused an accident.
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
Third time the ABS module has been replaced in 29,000 miles. Took months for our dealer to acquire the part. Second one with the "AB" suffix. Truck only used for livestock towing hence the low mileage. When the ABS-STC go out the warning indicators come on along with a "Service Electronic Braking" system message. When this occurs, not only are the two mandated important safety systems inoperative,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
I was driving down I90 with no one in front of me and a clear road. Unexpectedly, the right side passenger airbags exploded and struck me in the face and shoulder. The car immediately braked and I saw a semi truck pass me on the right with pieces of what appeared to be tire debris flying in the air. I pulled over and my car become inoperable. I inspected the outside of the vehicle and there was no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
Faulty ignition switch. Vehicle attempts to start on its own. Could be a very serious issue with car parked in a garage.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
Engine popped started to shake would not go over 2000 rpm. Pulled over and had car towed home.
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while attempting to buckle the driver’s side seat belt, the seat belt was not retracting and was loose. The contact stated that the passenger’s side front seat belt was also loose. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the fuel tank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed suction jet pump. The contact was informed tha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Fisker Ocean. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the vehicle required a software update. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V405000 (Electric... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The JBE (junction box electronics) has failed. This has caused the fuel pump to stop responding. I'm not sure if my mechanic still has the original part. It did this in the street after backing out of the driveway. It could have been deadly had it happened on the interstate at 70mph. The unit has been inspected by a third party electronics repair shop and cannot be repaired. There were no warnings... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
on the seventeenth of march,2024 a 2019 nissan altimawith alittle over 25000 miles on the odo was backed from a garage and driven forward about 100 feet on dry,smooth pavement in a cul de sac when the right front wheel came loose . this caused the auto to veer right and sideswipe a vehicle parked at the curb.this altma has been driven by a woman in her eighties since new ,garaged nitely, washed we... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle revved but failed to respond. The contact was able to pull to the side of the emergency lane. The contact had called the dealer at that point who advised the contact to turn of... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
Both rear view mirrors on the doors have quit working cannot adjust them. apporx. mileage 86000 miles.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
Full Self driving did not show signs of slowing down at Everett traffic slow down from about 60 miles to a standstill. I realized the speed not slowing down (about 5 car distance from stopped distance) I tried to apply the brakes that were completely nonresponsive, instead the car sped up. I avoided backend collision with the first car be maneuvering to the shoulder, however the next car was parke... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
The drive seat headrest popped open for no apparent reason. My son had placed a hand on the back of the seat when entering the back seat and it just popped right open. From what I understand this is a safety feature when in an accident. That feature is no longer working so that places myself at risk when driving. It obviously malfunctioned, and needs to be replaced. I have not yet taken it to get ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined on three occasions that the turbo charger and engine needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM's increased. The contact stated that the engine was loud. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Eng... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz Metris. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V482000 (Tires) 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 contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
My 2018 Honda Odyssey doesn't have any current vehicle recalls but it's is experiencing the engine stall while driving, the power sliding floors not locking properly and the power trunk making a grinding noise when it opens and closes. I had the vehicle inspected at the local Honda dealership and they told me there was nothing they could do about the vehicle stalling, the power doors not closing a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The driver was driving uphill when his RAM ProMaster suddenly lost power and rolled back down the hill, hitting a tree and stopping. During this time, the driver had absolutely no control over the vehicle, and the brakes didn’t work at all. The driver attempted to steer the vehicle, pumped the brakes, turned the key, and pulled the emergency brake, but nothing worked. Internal and external camer... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The driver was driving uphill when his RAM ProMaster suddenly lost power and rolled back down the hill, hitting a tree and stopping. During this time, the driver had absolutely no control over the vehicle, and the brakes didn’t work at all. The driver attempted to steer the vehicle, pumped the brakes, turned the key, and pulled the emergency brake, but nothing worked. Internal and external camer... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
Tesla has confirmed that the firmware of the high-voltage controller of the Model 3 is known to occasionally go "missing in action", causing regenerative braking to entirely cease to function and the driving performance of the car to drop considerably. This was expected to be resolved in a firmware update, but the problem continues. The service representative advised that they (Tesla employees) a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The rear doors on the Model X are powered "Falcon Wing" doors. The motorize up in order to enter/exit the vehicle. The doors have ultrasonic sensors that allow the doors to sense if there is an obstacle in the way of the door's path of travel. When the vehicle is in a sunny hot location, the sensors on the doors either overheat, or the heat of the sun warps the door panel just enough that the sens... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The pressure coupler that connects the propane line to the pilot light of the refrigerator was not torqued and was not affixed to keep in place and was fingers strength loose letting propane gas leak. Our camper trailer caught fire after parking , the smoke alarms did not go off, we were in the forest , luckily we acted quickly and used the extinguisher to stop the fire from spreading. At the tim... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 24, 2024
The pressure coupler that connects the propane line to the pilot light of the refrigerator was not torqued and was not affixed to keep in place and was fingers strength loose letting propane gas leak. Our camper trailer caught fire after parking , the smoke alarms did not go off, we were in the forest , luckily we acted quickly and used the extinguisher to stop the fire from spreading. At the tim... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
This car will suddenly slow down for no apparent reason when driving with the speed control set. I have experienced this multiple times at 2 specific intersections. It has also happened at other times but on roads I have traveled on less often. Traffic aware cruise control is always enabled on this car. There isn't an option to turn it off. I scheduled a service visit with Tesla explaining wha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
I feel vehicle's frame is not safe... starting making a metal cracking noise due excessive corrosion .. rear frame portion is been treated under recall but the front looks really bad we can't even change suspension parts due the possibility on getting a serious frame problems. I keeping my truck with low mileage and not planning on selling it, very clean inside. I understand frame replacement it ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
Our 2017 Pacifica has been in for diagnostic review/repair several times. While traveling between speeds of 50-70 miles per hour after a period of anywhere between 35-90 minutes when making easy right corners the steering sticks in place between 11 & 1 positions. Has been noticed on shorter distances in hotter weather than and on longer trips farther into the drive. We recently had the electronic ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
Car Will stop moving forward or reverse randomly while driving. This plays a p2714 code with the check engine light. It is available for inspection if requested. This has happened while driving on the road. Vehicle stalls out and does not move which could cause severe accident and bodily injury. This issue seems to be a known issue among GM vehicles with the CT40 CVT transmissions. I do have a sho... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
Windshield monocular camera seems to be failing. No way to stop the warnings from popping up everytime I crank my car, can’t even use cruise control. I paid extra for these features and it seems to be a safety issue.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
Twice while driving on the highway the engine power went off and all the safety lights flash and I could not accelerate. I was able to pull Over in neutral and restart the engine. When taken in for inspection, no problems were found. It happened again in June after the 7500 mile inspection on May 9th. This issue is life threatening as it could easily cause a fatal crash if I was not in the right ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags) 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 contact had not e... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
Driving on [XXX] in New York State and the car started to break and no objects or cars in front of us. Dash-broad light came on and it said Break. Traveling doing 70 MPH and car went to 50 or so in seconds. This goes on about once a week in different areas. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)