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: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the feature became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact used the APP, and the vehicle was repaired Over-the-Air (OTA). The contact stated while driving again with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the failure recurred, and the sa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the feature became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact used the APP, and the vehicle was repaired Over-the-Air (OTA). The contact stated while driving again with the Autonomous Self Driving feature activated, the failure recurred, and the sa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
On July 3, 2024 I turned right out of a parking lot onto a busy road. The car sped up on its own and started speeding. It took me a couple of seconds to realize what was happening and put on the brake. The car ran through a red light, other cars were able to avoid hitting me. The car did stop then. There were no warning signs that this was going to happen. The dealership is going to investiga... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2020 Honda HR-V. 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 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owned a 2011 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked overnight and next to her home, it was started but the contact left the vehicle in park and on as she retrieved a personal item from inside the home, and upon return, it was discovered that the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The police arrived on the s... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
I just had a forth occurence of the "safety restraint system error" message on my Tesla. I say forth, because the three times previous, I had to go into Tesla to have them "fix" the issue, only for it now, to happen again for the 4th time. I don't think this is a small issue, and you guys need to know about it. Not sure, this is just faulty service teams, or inexperience, or. they are just fai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The driver seat has been rocking back and forth a bit for a for a couple of weeks and lately started rocking a lot, enough that it rocks back while accelerating and rocks forward while braking causing unintentional excessive breaking. This feels like a safety issue. This is a 2018 car and my previous car (Audi A4) that I had for 14 years never had such a thing ever happen, so this is not normal. H... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
Crosswind Assist feature can't be disabled at the moment and is extremely dangerous. This "feature" can randomly kick on while driving around others and unexpectedly do things like breaking / swerving etc... which is extremely dangerous for both the drivers but others that might not understand what is going on with you and therefore create an accident. Mercedes needs to provide an option for spri... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
During summer months when temperatures are above 100 degrees when accelerating from a complete stop I can hear the engine rev and the RPMs increase but the vehicle will move at 1-2 mph. Even if the accelerator is to the floor. After 3-4 seconds the tires will squeal and the vehicle will be jolted forward then it will slowly accelerate. This happens occasionally and I have taken it to a Toyota deal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
Front low beam headlights will flicker on and off for a second while driving or sitting at a stop in auto or constant on mode. They will flicker every 2-3 minutes causing cars to flash and brake check you as they thing you are flashing your lights at them.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while attempting to park in his residential carport, the brake pedal was depressed the brake pedal was stiff and did not move down as intended. The contact used excessive force but the vehicle failed to come to a stop. The vehicle collided with the screen room of his residence taking out three of the four walls of the patio. There were ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
getting a "front left safety restraint fault" warning when moving the driver seat...is a known issue in tesla forums where the seat wiring harness is not secured properly and either a wire is crimped by the seat mechanicals or a wiring harness is pulled loose...
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
An issue occurs intermittently when accelerating from a stop/at low speeds. When pressing the gas pedal, there is approximately a 3-4 second delay before the engine kicks in. Theres is no acceleration during those 3-4 seconds and suddenly, the engine will jolt you forward. This presents a safety issue when pulling out on to a street and this vehicle will not move forward. There have been 2 instanc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
An issue occurs intermittently when accelerating from a stop/at low speeds. When pressing the gas pedal, there is approximately a 3-4 second delay before the engine kicks in. Theres is no acceleration during those 3-4 seconds and suddenly, the engine will jolt you forward. This presents a safety issue when pulling out on to a street and this vehicle will not move forward. There have been 2 instanc... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
NOT a tire issue, TPMS issue, had 2 replaced due to corrosion and slow leaks. These came with a certified used vehicle. Mettalic stems and NitroFill. From Dealer IRA toy of Danvers Mass. 245/60R18 tires. There was no tire damage Dash light came on before driving. TPMs sensors were replaced 6 months apart. The other 2 are still on the car and holding air for now. High cost for replacement With ne... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
This car is consuming oil to the degree that it is empty 1,000 miles after an oil change. The engine has stalled out on the highway twice, and once on a back road. It will not accelerate properly, and won’t go over 40 mph. I had the catalytic converter replaced less than a year ago, and I am experiencing these issues all over again.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The Tesla is reflecting an error “DIR_a126” that is reducing the speed below the speed limit and with no rhyme or reason. Tesla services are not available and the problem is intermittent. Additionally, based on research it is found to not have consistent resolutions and reasonings
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
My car has defective clear coat paint. Subaru recalled some units with defective paint because it resulted in improper windshield installation but not mine.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
Leaking coolant to the inside of the motor. Currently at 64000 miles. Motor was repaired once before for same issue at 33000 miles with previous owner. I purchased this from a ford dealer as a certified pre owned. I was unaware of the issue with this motor. As I can find online here this year make and model with this motor has this issue as an ongoing problem with ford.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
On [XXX], I was driving my Tesla model 3 from California to my new home in Idaho as part of my move there. During the day, I had 6 or 7 situations where the car would suddenly go into full regenerative braking, or outright apply the brakes for no apparent reason. Most of these events took place of freeways at freeways speeds, or on highways (not freeways) at the local speed limit. Every situatio... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
After I went over a set of railroad tracks, my brake pedal went to the floor while driving. I was able to stop but it scared me so bad because I almost wrecked! After stopping, I pumped brake pedal a few times and then it worked fine. I have newer pads, rotors, and calipers. Brake fluid was still full, and no leaking. Master cylinder is good. No idea what the problem is but I have seen online that... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
I started slowing down because a car in front of me was turning left. My brake pedal went to floor with no pressure whatsoever. Thankfully the car turned before I hit them. I lived 2 blocks away and was able to coast into my drive. Brake pads are good, master cylinder is good, calipers good, and no fluid leaking. There has to be a recall for this because it is very dangerous!!!
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
Hood shakes in the middle presenting the appearance that the hood will open on its own, side mirrors shake causing distorted view
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
The rear passenger window exploded while driving. It shattered all over the passenger seat and middle seat. Luckily, there was no one in the back seat when it occurred.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
I am writing to express my concerns and frustrations regarding the recurring issues with my vehicle despite multiple service appointments at Classic GMC Arlington. Despite numerous attempts to address these problems, I continue to experience issues with Continuity of service and performance Fueling system and coolant system problems (twice in six months) Stabilizer link light illumination during s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The auto trunk closed on the driver hitting me in the head. This happens every time the hatch is open. There are numerous complains online about this issue and no way to disable the feature.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
Power steering suddenly went out when driving without any indication as to why. Took to dealership and very expensive to fix. Only had the car for 6 months
Incident date: Jul 4, 2024
The engine began having a misfire around 58k miles and low coolant levels. No coolant drips or leaks were detected on the exterior. After some research I found that the 2.0 Ecoboost used in these vehicles is prone to coolant intrusion due to a defective engine block. After a trip the car unexpectedly would not start, it would crank over but it would not start. After sending it to my dealer they c... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
I am experiencing premature transmission failure. It is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my 3 small children have been put at risk because of the likely potential of transmission failure during our frequent trips on the interstate, that could lead to a deadly accident. This problem as been confirmed by an independent licensed automotive mechanic. The vehicle has not ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Genesis GV70. The contact stated while the dealer was servicing the vehicle, the contact was informed that there was a hole in the turbo cooler and that the turbo cooler was leaking. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was caused by a rock that was able to pass through the front grill because the front grill holes were large. The contact was awaiting an estimat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
I have taken the car to 3 mechanics for 4-5 incidents knowing that the mechanics were indeed certified in professionally fixing the issue. I was driving the car and made a proper left turn, yielding to oncoming traffic when suddenly the vehicle was unable to accelerate. The other car was approaching and I pushed on the gas as hard as I could to barely get it to move out of the way, luckily avoid a... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The entire rear subframe of any W205 body model including but not limited to the C class from 2009-2014, CL class, SL, class ETC. suffers admittedly from MB USA, premature rust, deterioration etc. there is an active recall for these same models in Canada and all of Europe but not the USA. My garage kept 2009 C300 has suffered extensive rear end damage from a factory defect that Mercedes refuses to... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
Car was summoned and turned a sharp right directly hitting the car parked next to it while pulling out. The location was the parking lot of [XXX] on [XXX] . I have a full video of this which shows the car pulling forward then taking a sharp right impacting the vehicle parked next to it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
I was driving on an busy intersection about 45mph and my 2016 Acura ilx all of a sudden drop speed to 20mph. It was dangerous and I had my kids in the back seat. Took my car to a local shop and told me is Low pressure fuel pump. Code P0087.
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
Occasionally after reversing, the camera will get stuck on and the screen will continue to show the reverse camera while moving forward
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
Starting Jun 15 2024 an error came up saying "Left Restraint System fault" after a remote software update for Model 3 2018 Tesla The Alert comes up intermittently & Tesla requires $359.50 to change First Row Seat Harness Assembly - Left
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
My vehicle is stalling when driving and other Toyota Highlanders of same model and year were/are having the same issue and have been recalled for the fuel pump. Having my vehicle stall when driving in the busy highways of Texas are very dangerous especially when some speed limits go up to 80mph. The problem has been reproduced and witnessed by a mechanic. The Toyota dealership stated that my VIN ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
On six different occasions beginning at the end of June 2024, my daughter has been driving to work in above 100 degree temps, sometimes 110+, and her a/c stops blowing. She has stopped the vehicle to turn off the ignition and restart, but it does not work. Her commute to work then becomes extremely unsafe in the AZ heat and she has been completely soaked with sweat and dizzy upon arrival until she... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it diagnosed that the timing chain and cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
Brakes engaged on their own while going 50 mph.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
Emergency braking system activated without anything in front of the vehicle. EBS lighting on the dash came on and vehicle made a weird sound to stop. Has happened several times in the past month, most recent was today.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
CAR HAD SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. LATER DIAGNOSED AS FUEL PUMP AND FUEL PUMP MODULE ISSUE.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
While driving on the highway with FSD on, the car severely amalfunctioned with sudden deceleration at 4 separate ocassions. At 68 mph when changing lanes, the car suddenly decelerated. There were several cars behind us and it could have been a major multi car collision. At all 4 ocassions, I immediately took over control on steering and acceleration, thus avoiding any accident. This problem has ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
The shifter has a manufacturer issue the car while it is accelerating throws itself into neutral on its own. The car could be in drive and it'll throw itself into sports mode on its own. It'll drop down the acceleration on its own as if it's shifting on its own. Car could be put into park and the shifter will throw it into neutral or in reverse. Contacted Chrysler they refusing to honor the recall... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
I own a 2020 Ford explorer, the catalytic converter failed at approx 100k miles. There is an open recall but my vin is not included and it SHOULD be! The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership and confirmed the catalytic converter is bad. The check engine light is on for the repair. Program #24M01 REPLACE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS IF FAILED AND INSPECT WIRE HARNESS
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's son-in-law replaced the spark plugs. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
Description matches to Recall 24V344 has just happened to my car today while I was driving on freeway. It was a scary experience.
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 1, 2024
Incident date: Jun 29, 2024
On [XXX], we were driving our new 2024 honda odyssey in the mountains of Estes Park, CO at about 10,000 feet. When steering to the left making hairpin turns, the car made loud metal on metal screeching/screaming noises going about 30-40 mph for about 5 minutes-the car had approx 4,400 miles on it at this point in time. On returning to the midwest on [XXX], while in Iowa, we steered slightly to the... Read more