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: Aug 1, 2024
We were driving on a 2 lane highway, when we came to an intersection with a center turn lane the car panicked and swerved left and then braked and disengaged the autosteer/cruise control. This was not with autopilot, just autosteer.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
We were driving on a 2 lane highway, when we came to an intersection with a center turn lane the car panicked and swerved left and then braked and disengaged the autosteer/cruise control. This was not with autopilot, just autosteer.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
Battery drain and dead battery when parked overnight.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
Safety issue: Got a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" (code RCM_a056) out of a sudden. Apparently, the passenger's occupied-seat sensor is not communicating with the system, leading to potential hazard in airbag deployment scenario. Upon reaching out to the Tesla Service Center, got a quote for $1600, which includes a replacement not only of the passenger's seat sensor, but there's ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
Safety issue: Got a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" (code RCM_a056) out of a sudden. Apparently, the passenger's occupied-seat sensor is not communicating with the system, leading to potential hazard in airbag deployment scenario. Upon reaching out to the Tesla Service Center, got a quote for $1600, which includes a replacement not only of the passenger's seat sensor, but there's ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The infotainment screen touch is unresponsive half the time. Rarely works in the heat, sometimes works when cooler out. CarPlay is tough to connect reliably wireless or wired. There are other people complaining on online forums about the touch being unresponsive especially in the heat as well.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused a failure with the spark plugs. The contact was informed tha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and attempting to depress t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Audi A4. The contact stated while at a stop sign and attempting to proceed, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. The contact and her boyfriend shifted into neutral and pushed the vehicle to the side of the road for a while until the vehicle eventually restarted. The Electronic power control (EPC) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a collision. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal two days later, the vehicle lurched forward and hesitated to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. Additionally, the RPM was revving significantly. The check engine warning... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
Stalls while driving stability track and traction control shut off
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
Stalls while driving stability track and traction control shut off
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Acura RLX. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, decelerated to 45 MPH, and failed to accelerate properly. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact also stated that the front passenger’s side seat belt failed to buckle securely. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda 6. The contact stated that while merging onto a freeway the vehicle did not accelerate while pressing the accelerator pedal, lost automotive power. After turning the engine off and back on the vehicle operated as normal but later while driving approximately 65 MPH the failure had reoccurred while attempting the pass a semi-truck on the freeway. The check engine warnin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
Prinx HiCITY HH2 175/65R15 84H Bought this tire in November 2022. About 15000 miles into it, on Aug 6, 2024, the passenger front tire just busted. After swapping with the spare tire, and upon inspection, there was no nail nor it hit the curb, but the side wall is busted. This is a manufacturing quality issue.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
When accelerating to pass on four lane highway at approximately 65 mph, transmission went into neutral as I pressed on the accelerator and had no power. This occurred twice where we almost got hit from behind. Almost got rear ended as the car would no go back into gear without shifting into neutral. There were no warnings or lamps. Took to dealer and they said it was normal but could rebuild it fo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
Starter system of the car, due to excess heat on days when the car is parked outside, it gives warning of starter system and the ignition turns off by itself
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
LCA lower control arm front bushing on Right and Left front for 2018 Subaru Forester is a known issue with EVERY Forester. Mine had only 55K miles when the Right Front started shaking and now the left is doing so and I am only at 60K miles!!
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
LCA lower control arm front bushing on Right and Left front for 2018 Subaru Forester is a known issue with EVERY Forester. Mine had only 55K miles when the Right Front started shaking and now the left is doing so and I am only at 60K miles!!
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
Our 2025 SX Prestiege was purchased on a Saturday afternoon and by the following Tuesday morning we had a low battery alert (below 40%). Our local Kia dealers are of no help as this appears to be a common issue that is related to something they are unable to diagnose. I have been placing my battery on a charger every night so we can still use the vehicle but every day the battery is low and requ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle began to vibrate violently, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The oil pressure and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
On December 24, 2023, my family and I were involved in a serious accident while driving our 2023 Porsche Taycan. I was making a left turn at approximately 10 mph when a 2009 Honda Fit, traveling in excess of 65 mph, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the left side of my vehicle. The impact was concentrated on the area around the front door, fender, and left-side charge port, causing over $60... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Expedition has roughly 33,000 miles on it. I took it into the dealer for service b/c the transmission was acting jumpy. By the time it got to the dealer for service, Pacifico Marple Ford deemed it undrivable and it needs a new transmission. I don't think the transmission should have went that quickly.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
Vehicle surged forward with out touching the gas.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
Tire exploded while driving, causing loss of control. Spare tire replaced and also did the same thing. Tires had under 5,000 miles on them, tire pressures checked before trip, and tires have been stored indoors. Many people online are having the same issue with these particular tires.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the Ford dealer mobile technician replaced the battery, and the vehicle was able to start. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
My 2018 Nissan Sentra has under 60,000 miles on it and is on its 3rd set of brake rotors, as well as had both front and rear brake pads replaced 2 times. The vehicle has always given the warning , front radar not detected alert, until the last 12 months where I began receiving a malfunction warning. My car has been brought to 2 different Nissan dealerships to work on this issue. The current one s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
I recently had a car accident, which has made dealing with my car issues even more stressful. On April 23rd, I went for a recall appointment at Kerry Hyundai in Florence. While the anti-rust recall was covered, the mechanic informed me that the remedy for my specific issue wasn't available. This was surprising, as I received a letter stating that the remedy for my Tucson, identified by its VIN, wa... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
I purchased this car in May 2024 and it has done this since the day I bought it. When I shift into park and turn the car off it alerts me that I need to shift into park but it already is, I have to squeeze/jiggle the button on the shifter to make it stop. I feel this could cause some serious problems
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
This vehicle has approximately 53,000 miles on it. My wife and I are [XXX] so we do not drive fast. I also take excellent care of my vehicles. My vehicle is now burning radiator fluid. I had a long conversation with a test engineer at Ford who told me that Ford is having a LOT of issues with this engine. The engine is failing. The problem appears to be that this engine was developed with a ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2024
Service air bag light has been on about 2 weeks. Tried to unlock car with key fob today. 8/6/2024. Wouldn't work so I replaced the fob battery. Nothing will work on car now. Won't start, can't manually unlock back doors.Couldn't get it in neutral to get on flatbed tow truck. Dealership said it'll be at least 2days before they can look at it. Said there's a recall but no remedy/ parts to be able to... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2024
Service air bag light has been on about 2 weeks. Tried to unlock car with key fob today. 8/6/2024. Wouldn't work so I replaced the fob battery. Nothing will work on car now. Won't start, can't manually unlock back doors.Couldn't get it in neutral to get on flatbed tow truck. Dealership said it'll be at least 2days before they can look at it. Said there's a recall but no remedy/ parts to be able to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
Warning light came on saying that the Lane departure warning and Forward were not working. Another message said "Unavailable High Cabin Temperature". After further investigation 2 of the 3 advanced navigation aids were flashing which means they may not be working correctly. In reality 1; the lane departure warning and functions stopped working. 2; Cruise Control was working. 3; Vehicle to vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart; however, the message "Please Shift to Park," was displayed even though the gear selector was already in park(P). After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart; however, the message "Please Shift to Park," was displayed even though the gear selector was already in park(P). After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with auto-polite activated, the vehicle suddenly pulled in the left direction across three lanes of traffic. As a result, the vehicle collided with the passenger-side front headlight and came to a complete stop in the roadway. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The veh... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
Starfire Solarus AS All-Season 225/60R16 98H- Car started shaking violently while I was driving it- seemed to be coming from rear tire. Limped it home, removed driver side rear tire, and noticed substantial bulge where tread was separating. Replaced tire with another brand. Several months later, same thing happened, and removed the remaining Starfire Solarus AS All-Season 225/60R16 98H tire, the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
Had recall completed for Subaru Forester (WUM-98) where dealer replaced ODS sensor harness in 2020. At the end of 2021 had the SRS light intermittently come on but would then go off for months( front passenger seat). This kept happening intermittently so I brought it to dealership and had it diagnosed in 2023. They suggested replacing the passenger seat ($1200 P&L). Dealer said no water damage to ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
My stepson was driving the car and it stopped running while at a red light in a left turn lane on a busy intersection. When he went to try to start it, it wouldn't turn over. Fortunately 2 officers showed up on scene to protect my stepson and his friends from an accident by blocking the lane behind the car. I arrived at the site of the incident and tried to start the car. When it wouldn't turn... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
While driving on a public roadway at about 20 mph I approached a large steel plate covering a trench, the brakes applied with maximum force and the dashboard BRAKE light came on. Luckily there were no vehicles close behind us. We could easily been hit from behind because of the severity of the stop. We had a similar incident on 05/042021 that we filed a complaint with the NHTSA #11416110. I sp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
The affected part that is part of the current recall, the plastic pillar piece came flying off my car tonight on my way home from work while I was on the interstate. Luckily there were no cars around me but it could have been a safety issue if there had been. I was unable to go retrieve the piece.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
LED headlamps on both sides of vehicle routinely "flicker" / "blink". The effect is such that oncoming traffic assumes you are "flashing" them or "high beaming" them. Have had several encounters with motorists honking at me or yelling as I pass by. I was also break checked by a vehicle in front of me on the highway when driving at night. These incidents have made driving at night very stressfu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Headlamps flicker intermittently, every 2-5 mins. Common problem and well documented/discussed on owner forums. There was a tsb issued by gm, bit it was rescinded shortly thereafter. No fix is currently known. Headlight flickers cause other drivers to flash their headlights back at you, as well as other aggressive and unsafe behaviors by other drivers.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The driver's side headrest deployed while driving. My husband was driving on [XXX] at about 70-75 mph, when his headrest suddenly and unexpectedly burst open. This is a serious safety hazard. He said it felt like he got punched in the back of the head and was startled. Thankfully he didn't lose control of the vehicle and avoided an accident. It appears some plastic inside the headrest broke, caus... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, with the stabili-trak warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had since lost steering functionality. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made awa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
Took to the shop explained that our EGR was replace at the fresno crystler dodge dealership with same OEM part not the new fix because it didn't exist they closed the account and now EGR went out again and they refuse to replace the original recalled part truck because it has been 4 years since replaced and is sitting in the north knox dodge dealer with the EGR completely malfunctioned leaking coo... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Aug 5, 2024
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. 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 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 experienced... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
The start/stop operating system failed. When the engine cut off while waiting for train to pass, the engine went to turn over and completely stopped the vehile. Although the car would not start, I was unable to cut the car off completely. It would say ignition on. The lights in vehicle were on. Running the ac caused the car to say high power consumption but there was no way to cut vehicle off with... Read more