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: May 28, 2024
On 5/28/24, while pulling up the driveway, the car suddenly accelerated and it’s so fast that we couldn’t react. The car crashed into the garage, knocked down one wall along with the main electrical panel. It stopped because it got stuck on 10 in foundation’s of garage structure. The collision mitigation feature did not get triggered and didn’t give any alert or helped to stop the car from... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 28, 2024
I just had to pay $1200 for an alternator that was installed into my car defected from the beginning by Hyundai.
Incident date: May 28, 2024
I just had to pay $1200 for an alternator that was installed into my car defected from the beginning by Hyundai.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Several times the engine automatically shut down when I stopped in traffic, but then failed to re-start. Takes several minutes of messing with it before it will allow me to restart it. Of course there was angry traffic behind me waiting... *There is already an ongoing NHSTA investigation into this issue. NHTSA Action Number: PE22005
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
When driving at night, headlight turn off and do not turn back on… or do not come on at all ..Play with the switch ….on and off nothing happens…sometimes highbeams don’t even work. This happened several times!!
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Started car, noticed check engine light on and rough idle. Car barely would go in reverse to exit parking spot, so I attempted to pull back in. Car would not move forward. Able to switch to neutral and push back into spot. Could have been a very dangerous situation if it had occurred while driving or with my children in tow. Car would not restart at that point. Failed fuel pump @ 50,000 miles.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
There is a spring that it out of place and when I turned to get out of the seat it scratched my back.
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
*This car was parked in the driveway 2 days without being driven before the following incident* ALSO- there are recalls for this make and model. Honda always said that the recalls do not include my car. Recalls should be expanded to include mine since the car is un drivable at the Honda service center. WHAT HAPPENED: Alarm went off on car in driveway. Horn constantly going off. Smoke came out arou... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
While driving my vehicle in four-wheel-drive low, with no lockers engaged I noticed that the rear wheels at different times were dragging, I could also hear and feel the ABS module actuating. During these events I would have diminished breaking capabilities and no ABS warning lights. it was doing it under 5 miles an hour at first and then higher speeds. I got a service ABS, service traction cont... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The passenger seat, passenger air bags, and occupant detection system are failing. YES! Available for inspection. Passenger occupants are put at risk riding in my passenger seat as the seat does not detect if the seatbelt is on, or even if someone is sitting in the seat. The AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN INTENDED! Issue was first brought to [XXX] at Subaru in Pasco WA, where they “could not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The passenger seat, passenger air bags, and occupant detection system are failing. YES! Available for inspection. Passenger occupants are put at risk riding in my passenger seat as the seat does not detect if the seatbelt is on, or even if someone is sitting in the seat. The AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN INTENDED! Issue was first brought to [XXX] at Subaru in Pasco WA, where they “could not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
My check engine light came on and I got my car scanned & it said it was my ignition coils & my spark plugs which I got fixed check engine came on again and it looks like my coolant was low so I filled it up & it came on again now I have smoke coming out the back of my car so it seems to be leaking. I’ve read online about the coolant issues. My car only has 60,000 miles.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact had not received notification of the recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer is unable to fix the recall at the moment and they did not have any appointments available in a timely manner.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
Shift to park error notice comes up on dash when car it turned off and in park. Car is clearly in park, but error code “shift to park” appears on screen. Beeping occurs until car is turned off and shifted to R or D and then shifted back to park and turned off. This error happens several times a week, including twice today 6/22/24. I have to restart my vehicle and shift it to R or D then back t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
For reference, there are only 4,780 miles on my vehicle. I was driving 20mph when my 2024 Ram Tradesman dash lit up "Shift to P to Start". Checked my gear and it said I was still in drive? I slowed down to park, and then it said "Press Break and Push Button to Start". Again, still driving (slowly luckily). I began to slow the vehicle to 8mph and the whole vehicle stalled and the dash read "Shifte... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
After a year of purchasing the 2016 Honda Civic with 5 miles on it the Bluetooth connection stopped working.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure, LT265/70R18. On [XXX] at 113806 miles, I discovered that the driver's side front tire on the vehicle was flat in my driveway. Investigation revealed a puncture in the tread of the tire, caused by a gravel stone still lodged in the tire. Based on the amount of protrusion of the stone and the lack of any visible wear on it, I concluded that the stone must hav... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The check engine light illuminated after leaving residence and traveling less than 5 miles. Had the vehicle check by a certified ASE mechanic, He stated that my vehicle had a misfire code (PO300), if it was a PO301 OR PO302 or etc, it would indicate a specific coil was misfiring, but the PO300 is a general misfire code. Vehicle is jerking, pulling, bogging down as if doesn't want to go forward or ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
Customer concern confirmed there is a creaking noise coming from the front of the car while turning, I performed a visual inspection and found that both RF lower control arm bushings are torn and the LF frontward lower control arm bushing are torn but this is not the cause of the noise the cause of the noise is the upper control arms I took the load off of the upper control arms and the noise went... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel was pulling to the right. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force to regain control of the vehicle. The contact arrived to the destination and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defective steering column. Upon inv... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The ESC and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the Intake Plenum Gasket and other unknown parts needed to be sealed. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The shifter assembly was replaced by the manufacturer and I do not know if the item is available for inspection as the dealership handled the replacement. Mine and my daughters safety was put in danger on April 10, 2024 when I was turning into a parking space at my doctors office and went to put the car into park the car accelerated on its on over an embankment and into a busy 5 lane highway. Whe... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
I have a problem with my air system no air when i turn it on and when i turn the heat on its cold
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the maintenance warning light illuminated. The contact became aware that the transmission had independently shifted several times. In addition, all the instrument gauges had dropped to zero. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
Power was lost completely while car was on the road, breaks stop working and unable to stop. Driver had to go off road to prevent collision and road a accident. Towed to Tesla center. Diagnosis is “internal short” but did not elaborate. No explanation and answer why break did not work. External damage due to accident was not covered.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
I have a back up camera as original equipment with the vehicle. For several years now, the camera will intermittently work. Many times, the camera comes on then quickly goes out. I have no picture to assist me when backing out of the driveway, the parking spot, or other situations. I need to crane my head, neck and body around to make sure the way is clear. I use the mirrors and even had my passen... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The power steering locked when driving, this happened last year. I had it serviced at the dealership and it was fixed but it’s reoccurring occasionally. Now when you turn it on you could hear a sound and it’s hard to turn. It’s a safety concern for me and for others to drive it with that condition. I brought it back to the dealership to have it serviced again, a mechanic inspected it and con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
I, as well as MANY other ford edge owners are having to spend thousands to replace the torque converter that is KNOWN for giving up at any point after 85k miles. For the last 6 months my car has suddered hard when accelerating usually between 30 and 50 mph. No lights come on. No codes have been able to be pulled. After 6 months, I leave my house for work and my engine light immediately comes on st... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 Club Sport, manual transmission Heading home from a friends house that evening, transmission started whirring/whining in 6th gear, then 5th, and so on through 2nd - 1st gear seems to be unaffected. I was forced to apply hazard flashers and travel well below the speed limit in the right lane of the PA turnpike until I made my way to local roads. As I got closer to home, there... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
Received the following warning: “front left side marker defective” yet light is still functioning. I was told there is a short in the sensor, and In order to get rid of this warning, I would be forced to replace the entire headlamp at a cost of more than $5600. Other VINs from this model have been issued a recall for this very problem, yet my VIN was not included. From my understanding, all... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
we were in a head-on collision (not our fault) in April. The police determined the combined speed of the crash impact to be 60-65 miles per hour. The 2020 Tesla Y did not deploy its airbags. And as far as we can determine, the accident was not automatically recorded by the Tesla as it should have been. Because the airbags did not deploy, I sustained a fracture to my sternum that traverses over... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Unable to get an appointment to address the Connecting Rod Bearing recall until May 12, 2025 which is the earliest available. Apparently, Acura is not providing their dealers with enough required tools and parts to do more than 5-6 recall appointments per week with some weeks having no parts available. Given that the engine can actually seize if this issue is present, being asked to wait until Ma... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
At certain times, when coming to a stop, and then attempting to proceed, the throttle with delay or lag from a stop. This has happened since the start of ownership in Feb 2022 up until today. Toyota has issued on previous Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) - T-SB-0111-22 - that Toyota states should resolve an issue with "Hesitation From Stop and Surge Concerns". The TCM -Transmission Control Module ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
The AC/Heat will shut off randomly and not turn back on. I’ve had my car into the shop many times and the issue still is not fixed. I’ve talked to many people with the same car as me and they all have stated that they have the same issues.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Tesla FSD consistently ignores temporary lane closures, and will cheerfully try to drive over the barrier poles. The locale is the San Diego Pure Water Project construction zones. They set up lane closures that change every week or so. They use a line of red poles along the middle of the road to block off a lane and direct both lanes of traffic into one lane. Sometimes there is also a large CL... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
Tesla FSD consistently ignores temporary lane closures, and will cheerfully try to drive over the barrier poles. The locale is the San Diego Pure Water Project construction zones. They set up lane closures that change every week or so. They use a line of red poles along the middle of the road to block off a lane and direct both lanes of traffic into one lane. Sometimes there is also a large CL... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
Without warning, vehicle loses power and ability to accelerate is greatly reduced. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (aka "check engine light"), the Reduced Engine Power light, and the Traction Control System/Stabilitrak light all illuminate at the same time and are not flashing. Using a diagnostic tool from a local auto parts store, code P2138 is reported as follows: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
Without warning, vehicle loses power and ability to accelerate is greatly reduced. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (aka "check engine light"), the Reduced Engine Power light, and the Traction Control System/Stabilitrak light all illuminate at the same time and are not flashing. Using a diagnostic tool from a local auto parts store, code P2138 is reported as follows: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
2020 Escape has a turn style shifter that becomes stuck in park and will not shift into gear on hot summer days making the car inoperable leaving unsuspecting drivers stranded. The issue happens almost weekly to daily to my vehicle. The dealership has found no cause for this issue as when the shifter is acting up and is inoperable, the dealership has no opening to serivce vehicle.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
Audi of Greenville gave us a quote to replace the pods unit that is causing this code and said that the air bag could deploy at anytime. Here is the quote that was given for the PODS unit. The code that was stored in the system was B1022F0. The Occupant Sensor Control Unit suppresses the deployment of passenger air bag when the condition of the passenger seat is empty or child and child-seat. A... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
After the car has been sitting in the sun with the sun shining on the drivers side door, on a warm day, the seatbelt on the driver side cannot not be extracted until the car cools down. This has happened several times. I have talked to the dealer and he says that he has not seen this problem before. I have googled the issue and it appears that I am not the only one who has had this problem. I’ve... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
I used the Full Self Driving software Tesla provided us in April. On [XXX], the car did not detect a curb therefore the car went right over the curb which popped both right side tires and the front rim. Damage was $1,800. I brought this up to Tesla and they informed me that it was my fault for not taking over and refused to help with the repairs. I understand taking over if there was a 3-foot ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
A sensor, or trio of sensors, in the passenger side airbag system failed. Nissan/Infiniti says they cant be sure which of the three sensors is causing the problem and needs to replace all three. One of the sensors is integrated into the passenger seat itself and therefore the entire seat must be replaced. This all adds up to a very expensive repair cost of over $10,000 for sensors that are not acc... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V844000 (Electrical System) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
Tesla has combined cruise control with their Auto Pilot feature. Now there is no human override to what speed limit to use, Tesla determines the speed to used based on certain criteria. This puts the driver at risk who may want to lower or increase the speed limit based on certain conditions Tesla may not be able to detect. For me it was a 9 PM run to the store thru an area that had temporary r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the contact stated there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust tips. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approxim... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
Safety concern is that the car lost power without warning while driving on 4 lane highway. My son was attempting to pass another vehicle and he noticed the hyundai was not accelerating with his foot on gas pedal. he had to coast back across the lanes of traffic to avoid being hit. Confirmed issue:The car had to be towed and Hyundai dealer states the vehicle needs a new engine. Vehicle has been in... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
when the vehicle approaches 45-50 mph on the highway, the car begins to shake violently, where it feels like the body/frame of the vehicle is going to separate from the car. the only way to resolve/reset this is to bring the vehicle to an almost complete stop and then re-accelerate. when this happens on the highway everyone violently shakes in the vehicle, and it is difficult to quickly bring th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
when the vehicle approaches 45-50 mph on the highway, the car begins to shake violently, where it feels like the body/frame of the vehicle is going to separate from the car. the only way to resolve/reset this is to bring the vehicle to an almost complete stop and then re-accelerate. when this happens on the highway everyone violently shakes in the vehicle, and it is difficult to quickly bring th... Read more