Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 23,203 complaints for TESLA
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
On August 18, 2024 after charging the vehicle it showed a 95% charge instead of 100%. Immediately after attempting to drive the car, it began to stall and multiple warning laps/messages were on the dash board including “service charging system, check engine, red plug light, red battery light, red wrench with lightning bolts, red lightning bolt with backwards parentheses)(.” Car was not able to... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Nov 6, 2024
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000(Electronic Stability Control(ESC), Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH and approaching a motorcycle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into the ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 23, 2024
The driver side door has cracked/broken welds near the hinge area. I have had it inspected by the dealer and confirmed the issue. There were no warning lamps however the door does flex and this area excessively, and there is an audible squeak during door opening/closing.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2024
I am constantly shown "deep sleep" to conserve the battery in my FORD app on my phone. I also do not have interior lights when I open the door or unlock the vehicle after sitting several hours or overnight. I have the vehicle back to the dealer multiple times to resolve this issue and am currently waiting on a BCM replacement to be completed. There were no warning lamps or messages on the truck it... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2024
I am constantly shown "deep sleep" to conserve the battery in my FORD app on my phone. I also do not have interior lights when I open the door or unlock the vehicle after sitting several hours or overnight. I have the vehicle back to the dealer multiple times to resolve this issue and am currently waiting on a BCM replacement to be completed. There were no warning lamps or messages on the truck it... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaire... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
My 2017 Honda CRV throws up ALL warning lights regarding TPMS, Lane Keep Assist, Cruise, Engine, etc...I've replaced the battery. I've taken it to the dealer and they just say we don't know what it is and we would like to hold it for 24-48hrs to do a diagnostic which is $250 out of pocket without a fix. Multiple forums state that this is a consistent problem with the 2017-2021 model years. One com... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
My 2017 Honda CRV throws up ALL warning lights regarding TPMS, Lane Keep Assist, Cruise, Engine, etc...I've replaced the battery. I've taken it to the dealer and they just say we don't know what it is and we would like to hold it for 24-48hrs to do a diagnostic which is $250 out of pocket without a fix. Multiple forums state that this is a consistent problem with the 2017-2021 model years. One com... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
On the afternoon of November 4th, at approximately 3:40 pm, while driving at around 20 mph after picking up our child from school, we suddenly heard a gurgling sound coming from the front left area of the vehicle. Shortly afterward, additional noises emerged from the direction of the front left wheel. We are sure the car didn't hit or drive across anything before the first sound emerged. Upon ma... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
Service shifter engine light at 20000 miles has done it on and off for two years
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The handle bar riser failed and snaped causing a loose handle bar which can cause serious injury. My bike is kept indoors, never left alone and never dropped. It is available for inspection. I almost took it to work and found the issue when inspecting before riding. This has put my life at risk and can easily cause me to run over or collide with other people/ objects. Problem cannot be reproduce... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The seat belt in the middle seat of the second row did not work. And it was not fastened. So when braking, my child was thrown toward the center console. I think it's a big safety issue if the seat belt doesn't work.
Incident date: Nov 3, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, while the transmission was shifting from second to third gear, the transmission shifted extremely hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the clutch had shattered into pieces and the transmission fluid was burned. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
When I turn off the car it displays a 'shift to park' message and the car tries to roll if I take my foot off of the brake. My [XXX] was beside the car and was almost run over. This is a problem that the car rolls away. I have to restart the car continuously and toggle the gear shift to get it to stop. It will not let the lights turn off and radio and/or the other components in the car and is r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2024
We purchased our '24 Santa Fe hybrid on 9/18/24 new with no problems. On 10/8/24, about three weeks later, I was stopped at a stoplight after exiting the freeway. When the light turned green, I accelerated and felt a clunk, then the car would not accelerate past about 30 mph. Several warning lights came up on the dash. I could hear the engine revving, but it felt like it wouldn't go into the next ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
A/C Drain hose clogging results in driver side and passenger side floorboards flooded. Water dripping on feet when driving and making turns after A/C drain gets clogged or heatshield drain hole not properly aligned with drain hose. Also A/C Drain hose not long enough to drain out at the appropriate spot. Official procedures to correct the problem is to remove underside heatshields and add a hose e... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2024
The car started clicking while turning sharply recently. Tesla service advised it was safe to drive and scheduled me for routine inspection in 2 weeks. A few days later the control arm completely detached while driving through an intersection. There was no incident that could have damaged the suspension and I almost got in a severe accident.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I'm getting an alert in the car app that says low battery and will not perform any lock/unlock/start, etc features. It says the battery level is under 40%.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Steering Stuck: It happened several times that the steering wheel completely locked up while driving on the road. Today it happened again. It does not move, cannot turn left or right. I was in the middle of the road, the only thing I could do was to back up. I had to stop in the middle of the road and reboot the car. Luckily the cars behind me were able to stop before crashing into me. In May 2024... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Driving on the highway and suddenly lost total power. RPMs dropped to zero, speedometer dropped to zero. Truck attempted to downshift immediately and caused the truck to jerk aggressively. All dashboard readings disappeared, mileage, etc. Wrench displayed on screen and airbag sensor lit up. Sudden downshifting of the vehicle and jerking could have caused a wreck or loss of control of the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
Driving on the highway and suddenly lost total power. RPMs dropped to zero, speedometer dropped to zero. Truck attempted to downshift immediately and caused the truck to jerk aggressively. All dashboard readings disappeared, mileage, etc. Wrench displayed on screen and airbag sensor lit up. Sudden downshifting of the vehicle and jerking could have caused a wreck or loss of control of the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
We bought this our ST in April and just our luck it has passed the 5-year mark.....no powertrain warranty for us, darn. On Wednesday, during the 30-minute drive home from work, my spouse reported a fault indicator on the dash related to 4WD or AWD being inoperable. This did not trigger the MIL, but diagnostics showed DTC C0631, identified in TSB 23-2114/2174. After a costly fix replacing the FADA ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
While driving the dash signal came on stating that the power steering unit had gone off. The car was being driven without power steering. The message state to get serviced immediately. There was a recall for this problem but research states that my vin number did not show my car was part of this recall. WELL, IT IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AS OTHERS. Please advise as to how I can get this fixed... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
I received a recall notice for my 2013 Ford Fusion. The Recall was 23S12- Multi Vehicle Front Brake Jounce Hose Leaks. I contacted Ford about the repairs for this recall and was told that the repairs would take 1.3 hours because the brake lines needed to be bled as part of the repair. When I contacted my local Ford dealership about getting the repairs, I was told I would have to leave my vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
About two weeks ago with driver set cruise control, the phantom braking was so severe that it took me down from 75 to around 15 if I remember correctly. The braking was so severe and at the same time self steered to the edge of the road along the guard rail that my body was unable to move quicker to correct the vehicle. Your system gets jolted violently without notice which takes a couple seconds ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
Vehicle won't start due to a Brake System problem. It's some type of electrical problem with the brake. This looks to be a problem with Honda.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
Just before I was completely stopped at a red light, the engine died, the transmission shifted to park, and the emergency brake was set. After several minutes and several attempts, the engine started and I was able to drive it home. The only indication something was wrong was the “Check Engine” light was on. That light was off the next morning. I took it to the local Ram dealer to be check... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
Just before I was completely stopped at a red light, the engine died, the transmission shifted to park, and the emergency brake was set. After several minutes and several attempts, the engine started and I was able to drive it home. The only indication something was wrong was the “Check Engine” light was on. That light was off the next morning. I took it to the local Ram dealer to be check... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
Just before I was completely stopped at a red light, the engine died, the transmission shifted to park, and the emergency brake was set. After several minutes and several attempts, the engine started and I was able to drive it home. The only indication something was wrong was the “Check Engine” light was on. That light was off the next morning. I took it to the local Ram dealer to be check... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
HEADLIGHTS!!! The headlights are so dim that other drivers flash me, honk at me or yell at me to turn my lights on when driving at night. When driving at night It is the same as driving without my headlights on. I have to use the high beams to drive at night. I changed the fuses, changed 1 of the bulbs and still no difference. The whole headlight housing needs to be changed. Here is a link to a ge... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
I was peed for theses cars and the never giving the car and not giving my money back and also I have the contract with him
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera display screen went blank, and the contact was unable to view an image behind the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the communication module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not i... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
Reverse camera intermittently fails to operate properly, if at all.
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
On Sunday [XXX] while driving to Savannah Georgia to attend a funeral my 2017 Nissan Pathfinder broke down. I was able to coast off the road out of traffic in the pouring rain. I had the vehicle towed to Statesboro tire and brake in Statesboro Georgia who was in network with my extended warranty company. On May 20th 2024 I was told the engine failed due to metal in the oil. They opened a claim and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The vehicle begins to shake at stop lights, especially going downhill. In research, it seems to indicate the vehicle has issues with CV axles. Concerned for safety of myself, passengers, and the vehicle.
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
Heavy vibration under acceleration starting at about 45mph until about 60mph. If off throttle at those speeds no vibration is felt. Only when accelerating. Vibration increases as more throttle is applied. This caused serious safety issues when having to climb up grades on freeway. No warning lights present. Vehicle has not yet been checked by dealer.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
Vibrations in steering and seating despite multiple balancing attempts and new tires
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
I was driving along the I-25 highway south. I was no where near any bridges and was in the right lane with a safe following distance from the car in front of me. Suddenly out of no where with no warning lights, and nothing that could have possibly been flung towards my car, my sunroof exploded. Thankfully the inside cover was closed, and I was not using the sunroof or the glass would have been blo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Oct 31 9:48am my blinker on taking on ramp to highway and it jerks wheel forcing me straight I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Oct 31 9:48am my blinker on taking on ramp to highway and it jerks wheel forcing me straight I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Oct 25 3:15pm blinker is on for right turn but vehicle jerks wheel left forcing me straight and sounds alarms I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Oct 25 3:15pm blinker is on for right turn but vehicle jerks wheel left forcing me straight and sounds alarms I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Oct 25 3:15pm blinker is on for right turn but vehicle jerks wheel left forcing me straight and sounds alarms I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023. Oct 9th - 3:48pm blinker on turning into supercharger on geary blvd Oct 4:09pm changing lanes with blinker on, 4:10pm... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023. Oct 9th - 3:48pm blinker on turning into supercharger on geary blvd Oct 4:09pm changing lanes with blinker on, 4:10pm... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023. Oct 9th - 3:48pm blinker on turning into supercharger on geary blvd Oct 4:09pm changing lanes with blinker on, 4:10pm... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
With PHEV battery at 0%, it's normal for the gas engine to kick in. What's not normal is when the infamous BCEM propulsion system failure happened. First, it shut off the ICE engine and reverted to EV mode when I have 0% charges left. The system also reduced power to the car. Luckily, I wasn't on the freeway, or this could end up really badly. I was at the point where I could no longer acce... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
With PHEV battery at 0%, it's normal for the gas engine to kick in. What's not normal is when the infamous BCEM propulsion system failure happened. First, it shut off the ICE engine and reverted to EV mode when I have 0% charges left. The system also reduced power to the car. Luckily, I wasn't on the freeway, or this could end up really badly. I was at the point where I could no longer acce... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
Oct 5th - blinker is on turning into driveway at 1mph and got the alarms / wheel jerking I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
Oct 5th - blinker is on turning into driveway at 1mph and got the alarms / wheel jerking I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.