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: Apr 10, 2024
Rear tires completely bald after 3,000+/- miles. Toe setting was so bad that I was basically dragging the tires down the road. After replacing tires and new alignment done by Honda I had 3 different shops check alignment, they all showed wheels out of alignment and all with different values. After spending nearly 3 hours with Hunter (alignment equip mfr), the rep. said their standard alignment equ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
My passenger seat airbag warning is illuminated, with associated chime. I am also getting a orange warning light indicating the passenger airbag is inop. This is intermittent with a passenger occupying the passenger seat. lights go on and off with movement of the passenger. There is a current recall for the convertible model of the R56 Mini Cooper.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Tesla recently rolled out an update that gives everyone in the US a trial of FSD. After this update I've had numerous situations where the car would panic and act like I was about to collide with a parked vehicle both while driving down a residential street in daytime and when coming around corners. This never happened in previous version. Also the auto windshield wipers no longer work when its r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 vehi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The VIN wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Tesla has failed to provide a software update to address both recalls, and has made it impossible for me to get support to have this rectified. They cancelled a service appointment I made and are no longer responding to my inquiries.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
My vehicle has a severe launch shudder in 1st gear from a stop, and while driving along when I’m in 4th gear, or during the 2-3 upshift or 3-2 downshift. It shakes the entire suv so bad I have to stop accelerating. The vehicle becomes uncontrollable which is a major safety risk.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
My vehicle has a severe launch shudder in 1st gear from a stop, and while driving along when I’m in 4th gear, or during the 2-3 upshift or 3-2 downshift. It shakes the entire suv so bad I have to stop accelerating. The vehicle becomes uncontrollable which is a major safety risk.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
Constant lane change while driving has gotten out of control. A couple of instance the vehicle has changed lanes without manual manipulation. This is getting out of hand and has certainly put risks on my family while operating vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
PTU issue keep appearing, believe our call should also be included into below recall. Can someone advise please? Recall #: [XXX] Report Receipt Date: [XXX} Component(s): POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Summary: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a two-speed Power Transfer Unit (PTU). Relative movement in the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) bet... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
I got an oil change since it was due then “P052E” It’s a very common issues with the engine first time it’s happened at 66K miles.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 availab... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
We drove this vehicle to a family event in chicago. We pulled the vehicle out of the parking garage and pulled into a downtown street in front of a hotel to load the vehicle up. Once the family was loaded the vehicle up the car would not start it had 700 miles when it failed. we were stuck on a busy street trying to start the car. I called roadside assitance and someone came out with a jump p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
We drove this vehicle to a family event in chicago. We pulled the vehicle out of the parking garage and pulled into a downtown street in front of a hotel to load the vehicle up. Once the family was loaded the vehicle up the car would not start it had 700 miles when it failed. we were stuck on a busy street trying to start the car. I called roadside assitance and someone came out with a jump p... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was oil leaking from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the oil was changed; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,008.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
March 31 I received an email from Tesla that I had been selected to participate in a free Full Self Driving (FSD) trial. I have no interest in FSD, and there was no way to opt out of this trial. At some point FSD was downloaded on to my Model Y as part of a regular software update. I was not given the opportunity to accept or refuse this particular feature. While both of these events feel wr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
Some bad guys tried to steal my 2017 Hyundai Elantra. They broke the ignition from the steering column to gain access and try to start the vehicle. This is the same issue that still happening after 3 years from the Kia/hyundai boys ticktock hack. The federal gov need to intervine. This a very concerning safety issue. The cars are getting to easy to steal. We as consumers can do as much we can, but... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
Some bad guys tried to steal my 2017 Hyundai Elantra. They broke the ignition from the steering column to gain access and try to start the vehicle. This is the same issue that still happening after 3 years from the Kia/hyundai boys ticktock hack. The federal gov need to intervine. This a very concerning safety issue. The cars are getting to easy to steal. We as consumers can do as much we can, but... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that a wiring contact was corroded, which could prevent the front passenger's side air bag from deploying during a crash. The vehicle was being repaired. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
malfunctioning component is transmission safety has been affected by hesitation in shifting during normal driving, no catastrophic failure yet though vehicle has been inspected by dealership no warning lamps or DTCs issues are ongoing and stated this is "normal" for this transmission (was not an issue the first 65000 miles)
Incident date: Mar 21, 2024
I was doing maintenance on front and lifted splash guard for access to bolt. On top of the frame, near the firewall, was severe rust. It looks as if the frame could crack at any time. If this happened in highway speed or in traffic, severe risk of injuries. These are known to have issues in salt states (had recalls) and I thought I checked it pretty good before buying. I think this may be from... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the back-over prevention camera failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer and the failure was stated as a manufacturer’s defect. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Incident date: Feb 8, 2023
I have already put in a complaint about the broken spots welds, I am now adding to that complaint. I had the window fixed but because the door is broken I cannot roll down the window. My door is now not locking so stays open even when engaging the locks. The electrical system is giving me errors telling me that there is no key detected and so the engine won't start right away. The radio scree... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
This vehicle is a 2023 Range Rover . I took it in to have the winter tires removed and the summer tires installed. Range Rover did a vehicle inspection and it showed the brake pad wear on the front as being a #7 and the rear as a #2. The scale is 1 to 10 , Ten being NO wear or new pads. I have the write up from Range Rover and pictures they took . I also have the bad brake pads that look like th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The vehicle shut down while I was driving approximately 40 mph on a major throughway out of town. I was unfamiliar with the area and had to quickly pull over into a resident's driveway. I immediately shut the vehicle down and tried to restart it. It would not turn over, so I waited a few minutes and tried again. The engine then made a noise that almost sounded like "I quit" and would not make any ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Unknown but it threw the abs light on and off and then the oil change light come on and it stared ticking after it shut off and then I turned it on and the ticking got worse and louder and steering was cliking so I parked it and it would not go over 20 mph or pull a hill so It’s been parked ever since
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Unknown but it threw the abs light on and off and then the oil change light come on and it stared ticking after it shut off and then I turned it on and the ticking got worse and louder and steering was cliking so I parked it and it would not go over 20 mph or pull a hill so It’s been parked ever since
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
In the 2 years that I owned the van I have walked away from the car after a journey and accidentally left the van running 3 times and my mechanic has done it once. 2 of those times it was left running all night. Once it ran out of gas. It seems to happen when I am distracted. The safety issue is that the van has no warning system when this happens and there is a lot of carbon monoxide released in... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
There is an open recall and a remedy was released about 2 weeks ago. I have attempted to get this fixed but the dealership stated the manufacturer will only allow each dealership to order two parts at a time. There is an extensive waitlist resulting in the issue to continue without fixing it in a timely manner and continuing to put mine and my family’s lives at risk as well as other motorists.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Front parking aid sensors do not alert me to objects in front of me when parking forward. I have to first backup two feet to get it to work, then it picks it up once I put in forward motion again. The dealer stated that they have no recalls for this problem even though my vehicle is in warranty.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
Went over railroad tracks just like any other car and the airbag blew for no reason. The front of the car was not hit.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking, and the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the fob and the heat did not work as intended. The contact stated that the heater blew out cold air in some vents and heat in others and the key fob would not connect to the vehicle. The contact stated that the che... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while buckling the front driver’s side seat belt, the bottom half of the seat belt attached to the floorboard snapped and came apart. The contact stated that the failure rendered the seat belt inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there was no recall or warranty on the vehicle related to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
I received a p0747 and p0700 transmission codes on my GMC sierra 3500. It would not engage above 3rd gear and I almost was rear ended by a Semi truck because I was unable to speed up. The vehicle CEL turned on and "Engine power reduced" notification appeared on my cluster. Engine RPMS were at 2800 rpm and my speed limit would not go past ~40mph. I currently have my vehicle being inspected by ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
7-21-23 Unit stalled 3 times today. The last time was while driving. Check engine light on. 1-29-24 Today I was responding to an emergency backup for an officer that was fighting two subjects. The subjects were fleeing from a stolen vehicle and it was dispatched that these subjects were armed. I never made it to this call because my vehicle #10688 would not accelerate past 23mph and then shu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Rear Camera has stopped working. Black Screen. Poor rear visibility when trying to back up causing a safety issue. Same Issue as Service Bulletin 22-049 describes, except this is a 2020 not a 2019.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The warning lights beep and blink. All problems can’t be used
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The warning lights beep and blink. All problems can’t be used
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
Subject: Urgent ADAS Issue: UI_a114 Error in Teslas with EAP/FSD in East Oahu I'm reporting a critical, location-specific safety concern affecting Teslas with Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving in East Oahu, particularly when heading westbound. This widespread issue, known as error UI_a114, disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) without warning. It impacts essential safety fe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Subject: Urgent ADAS Issue: UI_a114 Error in Teslas with EAP/FSD in East Oahu I'm reporting a critical, location-specific safety concern affecting Teslas with Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving in East Oahu, particularly when heading westbound. This widespread issue, known as error UI_a114, disables all Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) without warning. It impacts essential safety fe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
The vanos solenoid failed in the 2015 Mini Cooper, and immediately after the Alternator failed. My safety was put at risk in multiple ways: 1 - The engine was in a non-drivable state 2 - Significant smell gasoline was coming from the car 3 - Car had to be towed to a shop to determine what failed 4 - The shop fixed the vanos solenoid The problem was confirmed by the independent service center. Whe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
Approximately [XXX] the ABS and traction control warning lights came on. I took it to the Ram dealer in Benton AR. They informed me the ABS control module would need replacing and was on back order for approximately 12 months. As a result I do not have ABS or cruise control. In my research I’ve learned that other issue have been reported with this problem including loss of 4 wheel drive. The de... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
My vehicle is 3 years old and has roughly 52000 on it. After a recent software update (within the past month or so) all of the automatic safety features such as automatic braking, blind spot monitoring, cruise control stopped working on the vehicle. I brought it to Tesla and they confirmed the issue and said the entire ECU needs to be replaced, a $2700 expense on a 3 year old car. There is a warni... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
I have 2014 honda accord coupe. A days a go while driving local street my steering wheel lost control n vehicle stopped. On dash board it displayed sign with steering wheel n exclamation. When I reached thru honda manual it was the power steering torque sensor. This incident happened twice and both times as said in manual I turned off the car n it reseted itself. However I took it to my mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
Steering Assist is Reduced due to a faulty thermostat
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
Hi, I am an owner of 4 Hyundai vehicles and all had the steering wheel coupler failed before 100,000 miles. 2 sonata and 1 Elantra coupler was replaced under the 100,000 miles extended warranty but my 2016 Tucson with 80,000 miles is not covered. All Hyundai and Kia vehicles have this problem. Why only some models are covered and not others? The problem is the same across the board. I think Hyund... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
I bought a 2018 ram 2500 last year and ever since driving it off the lot the abs light constantly turns off and on and recently the abs modulator has completely failed at 115,000 miles. It affects the cruise control and braising ability of the vehicle and I cannot use the truck properly or safely due to the constant abs issues.
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
I was charging my car at home like I usually do and around 2am I received an alert on my Bluelink app that a charging alarm was detected. I saw that the breaker for my charger had tripped which it had never done before. I reset the breaker and tried to restart charging but was not successful. I turned on the car and immediately got the battery and EV warning lights telling me to stop the ve... Read more