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: Jun 25, 2024
Vehicle stalled and was unable to get out of roadway due to failed fuel pump module.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); 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 manufacturer ... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - ENGINE
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
After pressing the accelerator pedal, I released the pressure on the pedal because of traffic and the accelerator continued to accelerate. had to hold the brake pedal down and then shifted to Park and shutoff engine. When restarted the car operate normally. This has happened in the past and is very scary and unsafe. My internet research on problem shows that there have been two problems associate... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with front pump failure and a faulty par... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
When placing car into reverse the backup camera does not work and instead displays message "Camera is temporarily unavailable" Car was taken into Polestar service 5/24/24 for issue and IHU was reset and was told that issue is from a software glitch that will be addressed by an OTA update but no ETA. Problem returned less than a week later. Contacted customer service and told same thing but no e... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
When placing car into reverse the backup camera does not work and instead displays message "Camera is temporarily unavailable" Car was taken into Polestar service 5/24/24 for issue and IHU was reset and was told that issue is from a software glitch that will be addressed by an OTA update but no ETA. Problem returned less than a week later. Contacted customer service and told same thing but no e... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
At a low speed coming to a stop sign on an uneven paved road the steering wheel shook and the brake pedal pulsed. I was unable to stop the vehicle in a timely manner. The outside conditions were normal and the pavement was dry. Luckily there was not a vehicle or pedestrian in front of me or I likely would have ran into them. It scared me and my daughter that was in the car with me.
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
Sudden automatic brake was applied for no apparent reason. There was no collision situation at all. Car suddenly applied strong brake when we were driving at 40 MPH. The car came to a complete stop on a busy road, luckily for us the vehicle behind was bit far back. It was so scary.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Mini Cooper. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine, ABS, and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) warning lights remained illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the foot well control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The loca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
I park at the Mall and after two hours, start the car again to go home the front panel shows "Power Steering Malfunction See owners manual" and the steering has not assistance which makes hard to drive. The steering is hard to maneuver.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact stated that the other vehicle that crashed into the contact stated the vehicle's speed was about 75 MPH. The contact stated that when the contact's vehicle was impacted, the contact's vehicle air bags failed to deploy. The contact s... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and pealing out. Vehicle will not deploy the airbags if in accident. It needs to be replaced. It is a common issue. It is a safety hazard.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated the rear passenger’s side door failed to latch close or lock as intended. The contact used excessive force on the latch to open the rear passenger’s side door. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormally loud roaring sound detected while accelerating. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was slow to respond while shifting or reversing. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift to second gear. The vehicle was taken to ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2024
Over the last couple of months I have experienced the death wobble 3 times! I have had the truck professionally inspected and i even replaced the tie rods, drag link bar, track bar, shocks and stabilizer bars and the problem is still happening. It has happend at speeds of 30 mph twice and a speed of 55 mph once. I don't know what else to do as I've researched and found that this is a common situat... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2024
Over the last couple of months I have experienced the death wobble 3 times! I have had the truck professionally inspected and i even replaced the tie rods, drag link bar, track bar, shocks and stabilizer bars and the problem is still happening. It has happend at speeds of 30 mph twice and a speed of 55 mph once. I don't know what else to do as I've researched and found that this is a common situat... Read more
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 started my Escalade and 5 minutes later I lost power which as the entire vehicle had no power. So I left it alone for an hour or so in my garage and I started up again and this time didn’t loose power. Everything appeared normal and working again. Than the next day I started it up and I had this popup message SD card has been removed press ok to exit navigation (when no SD card was removed). I... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
I started my Escalade and 5 minutes later I lost power which as the entire vehicle had no power. So I left it alone for an hour or so in my garage and I started up again and this time didn’t loose power. Everything appeared normal and working again. Than the next day I started it up and I had this popup message SD card has been removed press ok to exit navigation (when no SD card was removed). I... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Door actuators. I replaced the driver side actuator within the first two years of ownership and now the front passenger door actuator is going bad.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission started shifting improperly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission fluid control sensor. The contact was informed that due to the transmission fluid sensor fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
I’m not completely aware of the issue but at about 68,000 miles my GM LC9 engine has started ticking. I know GM has been sued in the past for the failure of LC9 engine and wondered if I need to join the lawsuit or if there will be a recall issued?
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
Power steering failure. Upon starting the vehicle, a 2013 Ram 1500 Bighorn, driver information center showed a power steering failure warning indicator. Turning the vehicle off and back on did not clear the warning. No prior warnings existed to show the imminent failure of the power steering system. Took the vehicle in for service and was advised the part and labor would be around $5,500.00.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The 2023 Model X is not equipped with a real horn, only a button on the side of the wheel. Yesterday someone veered into my lane and I was unable to find the button in time almost causing a collision. It's idiotic that they were allowed to not include a physical horn. The 2024 model year fixed this but they offer no free retrofit.
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
While driving 70 mph on the interstate, the check engine light came on and the brakes went out and the car died. It was moved to the shoulder and towed to Jarrett Ford (Charlotte Co FL). They diagnosed it with fluids have leaked into the engine and now the engine needs replacing. I am of course 1,300 miles outside of warranty. Upon researching engine troubles, this seems to be a recurring issue in... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
Driveshaft dampener (Guibo) is cracking with 57k miles on the vehicle. This may be the result of poor manufacturing quality. This problem was identified by the BMW dealership while performing a routine service inspection.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
Vehicles panoramic roof will not close. Repair costs around 10,000.00. Please recall!
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 22, 2024
Steering will stick at the 11 o’clock or 1 o’clock position while going around curves at highway speed and takes considerable force to get it back .
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
Traffic lights, it's a surprise when the green goes yellow, sometimes people will perform an emergency braking on that yellow light and some will drive through it. What if, we see a timer over the green light telling exactly when it's going to change? By doing so, yellows become useless and people can stop their vehicles safely. For perfection purposes, what shape is a stop sign? What shape sh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. On several occasions, the failure occurred, and the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the purge valve was faulty and needed to be replaced. The pu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure, LT275/70R18 Tire installed new on [XXX] at 79892 miles. Tires were properly maintained including proper inflation and rotated. On [XXX] at 112745 miles the driver side rear tire suffered a sudden and catastrophic tread separation failure. At the time of failure, tire had been in service for 33 months and 32,853 miles, and had significant tread life remainin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V504000 (Air Bags); 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 manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
Driving down the highway when the car shut down in the middle of the freeway. I was able to get to the shoulder before the vehicle completely shut down and would not restart. I had it towed to a shop and upon further investigation the motor had blown up. One of the pistons only had 20% pressure. The car doesn't even have 70k miles on it and the motor is completely gone in it.
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 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 10, 2024
My 2018 nissan sentra has 118.5k miles and have been experiencing slight slippage with the CVT since buying it in 2020 with 26k on the odometer. The vehicle had work done by a local mechanic to pass NYS inspection. No warning lamps have been illuminated. The vehicle now, drives under its own power but shakes, bangs and slips into "gear". I have called a local Nissan dealership and they have quoted... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The Driver Assistance System (Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Collision Avoidance, AEB, and Lane Departure/Lane Keeping system) all do not work. The VW dealers have said the Front Collision Avoidance Camera is not working. The system was intermittently working, then stopped working on the interstate highway in the left lane. The car failed to warn/slow/break automatically while the ACC function... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
I have a vehicle built in 11/15. I had an issue with cracked pipes associated with the catalytic converter that appear to match an existing nhsta recall for vehicles built between 12/09/2013 – 9/30/2015. It appears that the previous recall was not expansive enough.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting and the engine made abnormal rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Repl... 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 15, 2024
When vehicle comes to stop, auto stop/start feature turns off the vehicle when brake is pressed. When brake is released the engine does not start, the car goes into park or neutral and will not move until the vehicle is shut-off and restarted after a period of time. Time varies. Dealership is blaming after-market battery, stating vehicle auto idle stop/start feature requires Honda OEM battery with... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The first time I was stopped at an intersection. Luckily there was no one in front of me as the car, without warning, accelerated at full throttle. Although my foot was on the brake, and I was braking as hard as I could, the car continued to lunge forward. It finally stopped and I backed up to my original position in the intersection. The second time it happened I was pulling into a parking spot i... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
Related to Regional Recall 22R01, the rubber bumper on my brake pedal that engages the brake light switch failed and placed the vehicle in a low power mode. This failure occurred while merging onto the interstate and almost resulted in my being rear-ended by a semi truck. Having never been notified of this regional recall, I was able to verify this was the case after searching forums and YouTube... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
Related to Regional Recall 22R01, the rubber bumper on my brake pedal that engages the brake light switch failed and placed the vehicle in a low power mode. This failure occurred while merging onto the interstate and almost resulted in my being rear-ended by a semi truck. Having never been notified of this regional recall, I was able to verify this was the case after searching forums and YouTube... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
A loud clicking/knocking noise that sounds dangerous while steering the vehicle at low speed; such as turning into a parking spot or making a u-turn. The noise occurs throughout the day but is not constant. My vehicle has been inspected several times and Honda claims to not hear this loud noise. As soon as I drive away I hear it and all of my passengers hear it. This noise started at the begin... 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