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 6, 2024
problem with car engine has been recall for several years, brakes have been recall for 2-3 years now my emissions are mess up from recall engine which now i do not have a car to drive, being a heart patient, veteran, it is hard without one and i can't afford a new one i have done all Maintenace and everything on my end to keep it going. engine eats oil, loses compression on road knocking had in sh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
I own 3 Chevy Cruze, a 2012, 2013 and 2016. They all partial power down or decelerate while driving. The local Chevy dealers has no recalls for this issue or any other for that matter. Please advise
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
Operating vehicle on German autobahn, 90mph, brake assist light came on, check engine light came on, vehicle loss turbo power, felt a shift in the transmission feeling, without notice as a slowly pulled into the gate guard at 30mph, I had zero brakes, loud metal noise and/vibration applying the brakes hard, I almost impacted the vehicle in front of me, vehicle was parked, vehicle would not start a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH in the right lane with Self-Driving Assist mode engaged, the vehicle veered to the right and struck a 3–4-inch white curb. The contact stated that he immediately regained control of the vehicle, steered the vehicle back in the lane and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that after disengaging the Self-Driving ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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 exp... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
Ford fusion Transmission shifter cable bushing was a recalled part that was replaced in 2019. As of 2024 it failed again and for will not cover the replacement because the recall was already serviced.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
My transfer case has gone bad 3 times already. This car just have 110,000 miles on it and the transmission is not good. Nissan is not doing anything about it and there are so many complaints about it. Every time I have to replace the transfer case is over 3k which is extremely frustrating. Something needs to be done
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the engine overheated, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside the cylinders and caused severe damage to the engine. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The contact stated that while his spouse was driving approximately 35 MPH, the passenger’s side side-view mirror fractured without impact. The dealer was contacted to schedule an appointment; however, the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The power transfer unit is broken. Symptoms are vehicle shuddering, vehicle sounds like it is going to stall. This could cause a major accident at any moment.
Incident date: May 31, 2024
When I am stopped at a light or in stop and go traffic my car will not accelerate when I put my foot on the gas pedal. I can push it all the way to the floor and my car will not move. It takes about 10 seconds or so then my car will jolt quickly and finally go. I have also had issues with the RPM's shooting up while I am driving at a low rate of speed. This has happened maybe 3 times and I have... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model 3, had an episode of sudden unintended acceleration. I was almost stationary waiting to make a left when the car accelerated by itself, left the road, crossed a grass field at high speed and crashed into bushes. The vehicle was not on auto pilot, it resulted in damage of almost $ 20.000 as estimated by insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection, it will b... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model 3, had an episode of sudden unintended acceleration. I was almost stationary waiting to make a left when the car accelerated by itself, left the road, crossed a grass field at high speed and crashed into bushes. The vehicle was not on auto pilot, it resulted in damage of almost $ 20.000 as estimated by insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection, it will b... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal splashing sound inside the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was water coming from underneath the doors. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact related the failure to Te... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and depressed to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brake pedal was making an abnormal hissing sound while depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed him the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
when stoped at a stoplight the engine shuts off. when you take your foot off the brake and move to the accelerator, the transmission shifts to neutral. This is very dangerous because it's the last thing you expect and when your on a step hill and rolling backwards it takes a moment to act. If a child or pedestrian was behind the vehicle at that moment or a car up close it could be terrible. I ha... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "SRS System Requires Service" was displayed. The air bag and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the vapor canister shutoff valve but had not provided a diagnosis for the SRS system. The vehicle was repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "SRS System Requires Service" was displayed. The air bag and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the vapor canister shutoff valve but had not provided a diagnosis for the SRS system. The vehicle was repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
My 2018 Ford Escape with only about 70000 miles needs a complete engine replacement. The reason is there a crack in the cylinder which is leaking coolant into the engine. Because of that I need my entire engine replaced at a cost of $6,800.00. This car has been very well maintained. I have always followed the vehicle maintenance recommendations.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
Driving at 70 mph, the vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. When attempting to place the vehicle back into drive, the vehicle dashboard Siad "vehicle condition not met" . I slowed the car and pulled over. It shifted into park but now will not start and will not go into neutral for towing.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
Driving at 70 mph, the vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. When attempting to place the vehicle back into drive, the vehicle dashboard Siad "vehicle condition not met" . I slowed the car and pulled over. It shifted into park but now will not start and will not go into neutral for towing.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
Driving at 70 mph, the vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. When attempting to place the vehicle back into drive, the vehicle dashboard Siad "vehicle condition not met" . I slowed the car and pulled over. It shifted into park but now will not start and will not go into neutral for towing.
Incident date: May 21, 2024
Our 2021 Ford Escape has "Intelligent" adaptive cruise control. It has the capacity to adjust our car speed based on the highway speed limit signs it encounters. It reads all speed correctly but it also reads "black and white, square, numeric, County Road signs as Speed Signs. This is dangerous as many County Road signs have numerics that drastically exceed the posted speed limit and cause the car... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
We were driving in San Diego and had driven oven a bit pothole. About 50 miles after driving over the pothole, the brakes stopped working. We were pressing down hard on the brake, but the brake was soft and did not do its job. We almost rear ended the car in front of us. We brought the car right away to a close by auto shop and they said there were no leaks as the brake fluid was still close to th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Traveling in a slow lane of traffic. Brakes malfunctioned when I began to brake over broken/ not smooth road. Car began to shake hard and loud. Brakes locked but car was still rolling. I was unable to control the vehicle almost rear ending the car in front of us. I didn’t know what to do or how to stop us before we crashed. That’s When the car actually stopped everything went quiet and it seem... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Traveling in a slow lane of traffic. Brakes malfunctioned when I began to brake over broken/ not smooth road. Car began to shake hard and loud. Brakes locked but car was still rolling. I was unable to control the vehicle almost rear ending the car in front of us. I didn’t know what to do or how to stop us before we crashed. That’s When the car actually stopped everything went quiet and it seem... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
when the car is in drive it will stop like it is in park unable to drive or put in reverse. This happens at random times on the road. The car will then skip gears and go into Neutral then skip an again on its own and go into drive.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The vehicle stuttered upon acceleration between 20mph and 35mph. After the 2018 Chevy Colorado was taken into the Chevy dealership for inspection, the torque converter failed at roughly 76,000 miles. A bad torque converter can potentially cause an accident. It can lead to engine revving issues, sudden speed changes, which can be dangerous while driving. The torque converter failed and left metal s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that after shifting into drive(D), the gear shifter independently shifted back to park(P). Additionally, the vehicle sometimes failed to remain in park(P); because of the failure, the parking brake had to be engaged to prevent the vehicle from rolling away. The failure progressed and the vehicle had since failed to start. An unknown warning ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
There is a current recall in place #19-NA-206 that I believe should include my vehicles vin number. There is an intermittent shift to park message that appears when the vehicle had been shifted into park and the ignition has been turned to off position. Making it unsafe as I am not sure if the vehicle is actually in park or not.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, he observed a clicking noise coming from the front undercarriage of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that he observed a warning chime and the service 4-WD warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent dealer where it was diagnosed that the PTU neede... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle he noticed a loud knocking noise coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it diagnosed as a failure with torque converter. Additionally, the flex plate was cracked. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
Turbo charger malfunctioned went out
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
Lack of power in my manual 1 ,2 and 3 gears
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
We’ve had the car for three months had it to the shop of the Toyota place seven times for the electrical issue the car will shut off going down the road when you give a gas when you let off the gas, it will start back up spitting sputter, the instrument cluster The gauges will stick in one spot and not budge and you lose all power to the vehicle to drive
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
We’ve had the car for three months had it to the shop of the Toyota place seven times for the electrical issue the car will shut off going down the road when you give a gas when you let off the gas, it will start back up spitting sputter, the instrument cluster The gauges will stick in one spot and not budge and you lose all power to the vehicle to drive
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions, there was a squeaking sound coming from the tires. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was observed that the steering wheel had seized and failed to move. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced, but the failure p... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
Hello, I recently purchased a RAV4 2021 Limited and immidiateky noticed the side mirrors are shaking while the car is on the move to an extent where it is hard to keep track of the other vehicles from the mirrors. When I looked up this is a toyota design defect for which they have a service bulletin. I believe this should be a safety concern as the mirrors are integral part of driving and excessi... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2024
The warning lights stay on constantly. I have changed the mass flow air sensor, O2 sensors, serpentine belt, gas cap, treated the fuel system and the lights are still on. This is a common problem with Subaru Outback Owners.
Incident date: May 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 not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
I am having problems with the POWER STEERING DEFAULT SYSTEM CAN NOT STEER VEHICLE
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel seized and became inoperable. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and temporarily the vehicle worked as intended; however, the failure persisted. The Service Power Steering warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the parts to do the repair were ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
when I start the SUV in the morning, it makes a very loud rattling noise. it appears that its a very well known issue w Dry start. My mechanic stated that Eco boost 3.5 L 2018 expeditions have many of those issues (possible to a bad Phasers). the vehicle only has 35k miles on it, and was starting without noise before.... (I will attempt to include a short video)
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into drive, the vehicle failed to move, prompting the contact to turn off the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to start. Later, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly began to decelerate indep... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into drive, the vehicle failed to move, prompting the contact to turn off the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to start. Later, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly began to decelerate indep... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
My rear window randomly shattered. Car is on in park, pulled over in a parking lot as it was flooding outside. The rain stopped and then boom, the window shattered completely. Nothing hit the car or the window, nothing fell on the car, and the car wasn’t moving when this happened. I’ve seen other reports of this happening and I’m pretty concerned to drive the car around.
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The inside shoulder of all four tires are bald and unsafe. The rest of the tire tread has ~7/32 of depth remaining. Because this suspension issue only affects the inside edge of the tire it is difficult to detect. Not all Gen 5 Honda Odysseys have this problem but I've read of others with the same problems as mine. The tires cross the threshold of 2/32" by approx. 23k miles. When the rest of ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
When driving or breaking at slower speeds, the car feels as if the transmission is “slipping” and the car jerks forward. The same thing happens when braking the car.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
When driving or breaking at slower speeds, the car feels as if the transmission is “slipping” and the car jerks forward. The same thing happens when braking the car.