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: Jan 17, 2024
For no reason the Alarm is going off randomly the dash lights, interior lights, driving lights and headlights are flashing and loud clicking noises come from the dash. This happens frequently and has been going on for some time. I have had to remove the fuse from the Horn to keep it from waking us up at night which creates a potentially dangerous situation if I forget to plug it back in. Also t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block. Ad... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The product is designed to activate the brakes of a trailer such as a travel trailer or boat trailer through the Lippert OneControl Auto app. I was driving with my trailer connected and felt a slight sway begin so I depressed the trailer brake controller which is displayed on the screen of my iPhone which is secured using a dash mounted cell phone mount. In ideal situations the trailers brakes wou... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
As I was trying to make a turn on a street which I have used for months, the vehicle started accelerating on its own. So much so that it laterally flew over a median curb and hit another vehicle. I could not steer the vehicle nor stop it despite the fact that I hit the breaks several times. It truly was a very scary experience, and I am not sure what caused it. I have read of similar issues in the... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The CVT malfunctions after about an hour of driving. There is a failure of power transfer to the drive wheels. The engine rpms increase but there is no forward motion resulting in the vehicle being stranded in traffic. I spoke to the nearest Nissan dealer which is one hour from my home in Mountain Home, AR and was told that this is a known problem and is an indication of imminent CVT failure.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I received recall 22V-426, the dealer reflashed my vehicle but the problem still exists. My brake lights stay on, stability, auto park, traction control and engine lights come on. The dealer now says I need to replace the exact part listed in recall at my own cost. My state inspection has expired and fails a new safety inspection due to this problem.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
On 1/29/24, I drove around town to run errands and on my second stop, I tried starting the car and it would not start, but it went into "accessory mode". I received SEVERAL warnings: Pedestrian Sounder, Memory Recall Failure, Front Collision Sensors, Tractions Control, Check Engine Light, etc. It also stated it would sound an alarm if we tried turning it on again. I sat there for 10 mins and tried... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The engine shut down while driving down the highway with no warning. We thought it was just a dead battery but found out from the dealer that the connecting rod in the engine shattered without explanation. The check engine light NEVER came on and there were no other sensory warnings that there was an engine issue. The car has only 81,000 miles and has a solid, documented service record with the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. 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 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 h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
Engine check engine came on and found coolant low, refilled, and 2 weeks later coolant low again. I suspected coolant leaking into the engine since no coolant on the ground. Dealership confirmed this and said new engine block is required. It is a 2017 Escape with only 33,000 miles now. It is ridiculous that Ford knowingly went into production with this bad engine design which they redesigned l... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
We have lost power steering several times.We did take it to our local GMC Dealer and they supposedly fixed the problem by re-programming the Steering Sensor. We have since had several unexpected failures that put us in dangerous situations and have been very lucky in not had collisions or off-road accidents We sought answers and looked to the internet In researching this problem. We could occasi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
After making a right turn, the car accelerated automatically and drove onto the sidewalk. The driver was hitting the brakes and attempting to redirect the vehicle with the steering wheel but both components of the vehicle were locked, causing the vehicle to lose control and crash into several things on the sidewalk (flower pot, parked cars, building pillars). The Tesla is completely dead so we are... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
After making a right turn, the car accelerated automatically and drove onto the sidewalk. The driver was hitting the brakes and attempting to redirect the vehicle with the steering wheel but both components of the vehicle were locked, causing the vehicle to lose control and crash into several things on the sidewalk (flower pot, parked cars, building pillars). The Tesla is completely dead so we are... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
This car consumes oil no matter what you replace. Replaced the pcv valve. Oil cooler and various other parts and still consumes one quart of oil per 100 miles. Now the engine needs replacing due to this issue. Gm was sued for oil consumption on other Chevy cars. This should be included. I have also have every receipt. Oil change and expense from the dealer if needed
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
I am writing to submit a complaint regarding a potential safety defect in the 2018-2024 Honda Goldwing motorcycles equipped with Android Auto. Shortly after purchasing a new 2024 Goldwing motorcycle, I experienced a concerning incident while riding in Northern Virginia traffic. While using Android Auto, I received a "communications error" message, causing the system to disconnect unexpectedly. Sw... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
On 07/21/2023, I took my car to the dealership for an evaluation related to a recall on the Rear Frame Brace. The inspection revealed that my car was unsafe to drive, and I was informed that I could not take it off the dealership premises. Since then, I have been trying to reach an agreeable solution with America Honda Motor- Honda Recall, but they have not responded. I have also tried to get assi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
We have had to replace the shifter cable bushing 2 times in the past 2 years. This seems to be an issue with the Fusions.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
I have a recall open on my CX-90, took the car to the dealership and they informed me that the car was fixed, the recall is 6223J, but it is still happening it happened a day after the reprogramming, it is not fixed and I'm not sure if the fix is good I have a full video about it, I was able to record date and time when it was recorded,I did a gif to be able to upload it to the website
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
The Rear Drive Unit of our Tesla failed on our Tesla Model 3 2020 (2 years at the time of incident). It is no longer available for inspection as it was replaced by Tesla. We had our drive unit fail for our 2020 M3 driving in the middle of what is considered one of the most dangerous freeways in [XXX] . After all the warnings came online, we had 30 seconds before the entire car stopped. Of the wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
The Rear Drive Unit of our Tesla failed on our Tesla Model 3 2020 (2 years at the time of incident). It is no longer available for inspection as it was replaced by Tesla. We had our drive unit fail for our 2020 M3 driving in the middle of what is considered one of the most dangerous freeways in [XXX] . After all the warnings came online, we had 30 seconds before the entire car stopped. Of the wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
I was driving the car in a straight lane. I missed a speed bump but the car was still driving straight. After 100-150 feet driving ahead, the car suddenly steered the wheel completely towards the right side resulting in an accident where the car crashed into a wall.
Crash
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
I was driving the car in a straight lane. I missed a speed bump but the car was still driving straight. After 100-150 feet driving ahead, the car suddenly steered the wheel completely towards the right side resulting in an accident where the car crashed into a wall.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
VSA Modulator is flashing dashboard lights on and off signalley that something is not functioning properly like the brakes, oil change, engine check when their is nothing wrong. I was informed that my Modulator was bad. Why hasn't Honda had a recall on this car. 12/
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
There has been a recall on my vehicle for 9 months and there is still not a resolution from GM. I have called every dealer near me to try and have this recall fixed as it is a major safety hazard. I could be seriously injured or killed if this is not fixed. GM says that do not yet have a resolution and this isn’t okay!
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
I was driving my car when suddenly the speedometer started going from 0-60 back and forth, the rpms was all over the place, the brake light came on and stayed on and the lights was going from bright to dim, there was a couple more lights aluminized on my dash. After googling the problem that nearly caused me and my children to crash, there is so many people affected by this same problem in the 200... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
When driving in "Autopilot" mode which uses adaptive speed control, the car suddenly slows down without any warnings. This happens even when there is no vehicle in front of the car and therefore slowing down is not expected. This has happened several times while driving on freeways. If it weren't for my immediate reaction, serious multiple-car accidents would have happened. My reaction has been to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
Car shaking when I accelerate. Car jerking at times upon accelerating. Major oil leak to the point that a car place refused to change my oil due to liability.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
Car shaking when I accelerate. Car jerking at times upon accelerating. Major oil leak to the point that a car place refused to change my oil due to liability.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
While Auto start stop is active, and when the vehicle comes to a stop the engine stops but then doesn't restart like it's supposed to, the cluster says vehicle needs to be restarted, then after putting shifter into park I can restart the vehicle normally, but this has happened 3 times now at busy intersections causing my vehicle to block traffic when the light turns green. I have to remember to ma... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
Uconnect screen with radio/nav/driver controls is delaminating, causing screens to change and overriding all driver selections. Safety issue. Multiple complaints on Jeep forum and class action lawsuit in 2022 which has been closed due to overwhelming number of complaints. It’s a well known issue with FCA but they refuse to issue recall. Backup camera freezing and hand free difficult to use. D... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2023
Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The rear passenger door will not open.
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
Power steering fault indicator is on and the is no power steering
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
Steering wheel stocks after about 20 miles of highway driving. Very hard to maintain lane. Major safety issue. Purchased for teen driver now I’m scared to death to let her drive. No warning lights. Lots of complaints on line. This is a major safety concern and should be investigated and a recall for repair. This is unfair to consumers
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
Power Steering Assist Fault. Loss of power steering.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
I was driving and would hear a squeaking sound when turning right. Then I started to hear rattling I pulled in my driveway that has a curb and noticed an object sticking out that looks like it should have been screwed into something. It ended up being the front right passenger strutt it exploded through its casing. Not only damaging the casing but the hood of the car. If I would have continued to ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was jerking, and the transmission was slipping and shifting hard. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while driving from 0-20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the transmission ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
was driving on the freeway about 65mph-70mph when suddenly the Jeep started the shake tremendously. Luckily there was no traffic, and I was able to pull over and stop the car immediately. this is a big safety concern as it made it hard to control and traumatizing for the driver. cars should not do that. We are scheduling an appointment to ensure nothing is broken. No warnings were shown when the i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
Chevy sold the Equinox knowing full well that it had engine problems. The oil system fails, using oil at an excessive rate and oil dumping from engine. They were aware that around 80,000 miles the car would need over $4000 in repairs. They also knew the timing chain gets off timing causing over $2000 in repairs. Both of which happened to my vehicle within 6 months. The Engine ceased up and was und... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Just got this car and steering wheel feels stuck to the left at over 45mph, doesn’t turn back straight by its own, will have to use a little force, sometimes at curves will caught you off guard and makes you to invade lines, definitely puts you and other drivers at risk of crash
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
Received letter of recal Dec 2023 For recall Campaign No 23V-707 Is been almost two months and BMW not communicating with me to find solution letter said remedi unavailable Engine bolts may over time loosen and eventually break how they want public to drive like that this should be a priority is dangerous
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? NOT SURE. THERE IS ISSUES WITH THE AUTO STOP/START WHILE VEHICLE IS STOPPED. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? THE ISSUE HAS CAUSED THE VEHILE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THIS HAS OCCURED WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, BUT ALSO WHILE TAKING OFF FROM A STOP LIGHT THAT HAD TUR... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2014 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer determined that there was a defect with the transmission. The contact was provided an estimate for a rebuilt transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Steering Fault," message was displayed, and the electric power steering assist was not operating properly. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
my vehicle suddenly stops without me pressing breaks or there being another vehicle in front of me . It’s unsafe and I’m afraid of getting rear ended
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
My bluetooth has not been connecting in my car. To preface this, my car was in twice this year alone, with a near $3000 bill, to replace the MCU, on a car with only 26k miles. Now this bluetooth connection issue is still a problem. After opening a service ticket with Tesla, I am told for an additional $180, I would need to replace my seat sensor. This means my seat (while I am driving) does not re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Car has a steering problem. After driving for a while at highway speeds, the steering "catches" or is "sticky" where it takes extra effort to make even minor adjustments. The car has been doing this for approximately 10K miles (one year) and is making us nervous about taking any long road trips at highway speeds. The car is out of warranty and the dealer is indicating the electric power steerin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Vehicle in a motor vehicle accident, hit from behind with great force. Airbags did not deploy. Three occupants in vehicle. The frame was easily damaged of the vehicle causing it to be totaled out. This VIN was not marked apart of recall but yet it does show it is. Recall was reported a week prior to incident unknowingly at the time of incident. Vehicle was hit at a stop red light by a Chevy sub... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
I was driving to work this morning, February 7th, 2024 driving at freeway speeds. My Tesla touchscreen dropped out and went completely dark. The reset process is to press and hold for about 30 seconds and another 30 seconds for the full restart. I attempted this twice and proceeded to pull off the highway. During this period, I could not see how fast I was driving, whether my brake lights, turn si... Read more