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: Mar 29, 2024
I own a 2019 Kia Optima whose paint is peeling off rapidly. The paint began peeling in a tiny spot that I thought was a chip from a rock but has now grown to several spots peeling all over. I first noticed this in 2020 I visited my dealer on January 2024 to no avail. Not only was their technician rude, but he also said the paint was not covered under KIA’s bumper to bumper warranty. I have bough... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 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 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 ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 56 MPH, the steering wheel independently shifted to the left as the contact lost control of the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact swerved back and forth in an attempt to regain control of the vehicle; as a result, the contact hit several highway median divider poles. The air bags did not deploy during the failure... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The passenger side second row seat will not lock. It has been diagnosed by a Honda dealer that the seat back frame part number 81326-TK-A22 needs replaced. A recall has been made for the drivers side second row seat in bulletin 18-026. The part number is 81726-TK8-A22. It is the seat frame as well. Honda said they would assist me in paying 1/3 of the bill, but I was responsible for the remain... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The Safety Recall Notice that I have received from Honda (relating to my 2019 CRV) states that the fuel pump may fail and that could result in an accident. Then they state that the replacement parts will not be available until the Fall 2024. A copy of the recall notice is attached. I am concerned that I will be driving a vehicle, for many months, which might cause an accident. It is irresponsibl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
Vehicle does not reliably handle the 12V battery well. Many times, I see it sitting at 12.8 VDC when driving the vehicle. On a ICE vehicle, the charging voltage is close to 14V when running/driving. On 3 separate occasions, when I tried to "start" the EV6, the 12V battery was too dead to allow the car to be started. Basically stranded. This can be life threatening if this occurs in frigid tem... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
I received a letter 6 months ago advising me to park my car outside and away from buildings because the car could catch fire even when not running. I've had to get permission from my HOA every month to park in the parking lot. I call the dealership every month to see if there has been a solution. Sometimes I have to drive my grandchildren and two of them are in car seats. Sometimes I have to driv... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The right rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. Wire tends to heat up too much. This caused my right rear tail light, right break light and right side turn signal not to function.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The car started using more fuel, hesitatingly, slipping gears wouldn’t go in gear, died while driving.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The car started using more fuel, hesitatingly, slipping gears wouldn’t go in gear, died while driving.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The car started using more fuel, hesitatingly, slipping gears wouldn’t go in gear, died while driving.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while the vehicle was being parked in the residential garage, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle was in reverse, and due to the failure, the vehicle crashed into a built-in heater in the garage. The passenger’s side rear above the bumper was damaged. The vehicle was taken to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt tensioner cable had failed to operate as needed. Due to the failure, the seat belt warning symbol was displayed on the instrument panel. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V245000 (Seat Belts) which was linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
You have no doubt heard the news that Tesla has deployed Full Self Driving to all its vehicles as a "free trial." My Tesla received this update in the past few days. Last night I was driving on an expressway and engaged what has up until now been traffic-aware cruise control by pressing down one time on the right stalk. I expected regular cruise control but the car started steering for me. Tes... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Forest River Gray Wolf 2022, this is the third time that I have seen the same model Waaree solar controller fail on this model RV and start over charging customers batteries. This vehicle came in with its lead acid batteries over charged to 20.9 volts, identical to last time. Not sure if its widespread, but it seems to be problematic enough that I can see one fail three times in under a year.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The rear right passenger airbag sensor went faulty, was hoping Volkswagen could replace it since it is a safety system.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Vehicle has been rear ended 04/14/2023. Describes no one was at fault on the police report
Crash
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The trim on the driver's side rear door flew off while traveling at approximately 65 miles per hour. Luckly no one was behind me. I was able to retrieve the trim piece from the highway and it was determined to have been placed improperly on the car. The trim was not able to be replaced due to damage when it was run over by several vehicles. The warranty says it's covered but the trim has been... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
Around 10 to 15 minutes of driving steering begins to stick. Takes extra effort to turn or do micro corrections while going in a straight line. Sticking steering is worse at higher speeds. When the steering does release it makes the car noticeably move to one side.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
Brake pedal has to be pushed harder than normal to get brakes to engage. Dealer has diagnosed problem as faulty ABS module which is not considered as part of recall for CCU unit on other hyundai models
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Driving at 70 mph and the car’s RPMs dropped. Coasted to exit the highway to find out the car was not accelerating as it should. Took car straight to dealership to drop it off. Have 100,139 miles on the vehicle. Was told by dealership that car was consuming oil. No check engine lights came on, no oil lights on. Nothing. No warning, no smoke, etc. have been told that the car is consuming oil. I w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
I brought my 2022 Ford Maverick hybrid to Franklin Ford dealership on 10/2/23 for repair with battery issues I was having previously. At random times the car would not turn on from start despite the battery testing at full power. Franklin Ford installed software updates they said resolved the power issue and I drove off the lot with the car on 10/7. 15 minutes later I was driving on the highway at... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
On [XXX] I was driving my 2020 explorer east bound on [XXX] just past the [XXX] intersection in Aurora, CO when all kind of warning lights lit up on the dashboard. (Parking brake engaged, pre collision prevention system failure, ABS light, check break system and other warning lights as well) the vehicle had a hard time stopping when I applied brakes almost caused a collision. INFORMATION REDACTE... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft solenoid had failed. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The dealer determined that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
Tesla updated my vehicle last night, this morning with out any clear warning my cruise control activation actually activated the "full self driving" I did NOT realize this until my car turned the blinker on and tried to change lanes!!! I had no idea what it was doing! I took back control and tried to activate cruise control again but had self driving activate instead. So I just drove to work manua... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Popping/Grinding Noises: experienced popping or grinding sounds when turning the steering wheel, especially at slow speeds. Steering Wheel Seizure: There have been instances where the steering wheel has seized, accompanied by error messages such as “service power steering now” and “service advancetrac,” indicating a potential failure of the rack and pinion system. Difficulty in Steering... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The lead frame on my truck was experiencing issues. The truck would intermittently randomly downshift at high speeds or get stuck in one gear. I was going 65+ mph on the freeway and and my truck shifted to second gear with no warning causing me to swerve and slam on the brakes. Other times my truck did it on surface streets. There were no warning lights or anything to let me know it would happen. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
Hidráulic problem
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled smoke in the interior of the vehicle. The air bag and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the knock sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
I’m filing a complaint about the vehicle recall on my car for the anti brake lock system (recall notice NHTSA 23V651000) I have been waiting for a solution for almost 6 months without any remedy. It is inappropriate the current remedy is to park my car away from buildings in case of fire. How is one supposed to do that when you keep your car at your house and place of work?
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
We own a 2019 outback, and have had the windshield replaced twice prior this event. The first was a year ago with about 70K miles after the windshield suddenly cracked while going about 70MPH, this happen when no other cares where around. The second time was 2 weeks later when we came outside in the morning and the windshield was cracked while parked in a parking lot. Now for the 3rd time the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I was in a parking mode and was leaving the parking lot. I reversed my car lo leave, and the car went out of control and was not until it crashed on two other parked cars that came to a stop. Then, After reversing my car, when trying to put it into drive, it would not move. When I tried to turn it off, the engine (re) started again and it worked so I could clear the path for other cars and wait ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I was in a parking mode and was leaving the parking lot. I reversed my car lo leave, and the car went out of control and was not until it crashed on two other parked cars that came to a stop. Then, After reversing my car, when trying to put it into drive, it would not move. When I tried to turn it off, the engine (re) started again and it worked so I could clear the path for other cars and wait ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
Lane departure system malfunctioning. Lane departure warning comes on when driving in center of lane with both lane detection indicators green.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2024
The rear cross tracking warning system does not provide an audible warning or apply brakes. The settings have been set, and verified with the dealer, including the most sensitive sensor level and loudest audio alert level. I have gone to two different dealers in Ohio and Florida and got the same response, “it works as designed”. My brother in law has a 2023 BMW 440i and has the same issue, wit... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2024
A crack appeared in my windshield on the passenger side. Ther is no damage from a rock and we haven’t had extreme temperature changes. It is growing and will soon be on the drivers side.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
Transmission will abruptly shift into 1st gear at slow speeds. Transmission has been checked and there are know known mechanical issues with the unit. I saw an article where some 2011-14 F-150’s had the same issue.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
My reverse camera (the bed camera) quits working at random times. Sometimes it works fine. Other times it shows nothing but a white static looking screen and sometimes the button just doesn’t respond at all when I try to select the bed camera option.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
My reverse camera (the bed camera) quits working at random times. Sometimes it works fine. Other times it shows nothing but a white static looking screen and sometimes the button just doesn’t respond at all when I try to select the bed camera option.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
Excessive heat coming from all vents and under steering wheel after long time driving. I am very concerned that the vehicle may be caught on fire and then cause injuries or casualties.
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
Have replace both batteries every year since purchased, the engine start stop acts up alot of the time when you pull up to a red light the engine will turn off and then turn on automatically (shuts the electrical system completely down then it will come back on) the batteries like over heat and swell up will this cause a fire
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
Have replace both batteries every year since purchased, the engine start stop acts up alot of the time when you pull up to a red light the engine will turn off and then turn on automatically (shuts the electrical system completely down then it will come back on) the batteries like over heat and swell up will this cause a fire
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
I experienced the “Ford Death Wobble” when on the highway at 70 MPH. It has happened three times now. It didn’t stop until I pulled off the road and stopped. It was an unsafe situation trying to get across three lanes of traffic and stop in the shoulder of the road. I did not loose control of the truck but it was close to being uncontrollable. From what I’ve read, this needs to be a Recall... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the instrument panel displayed an "Engine System Fault" message, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant level was below the minimal level, with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The coolant level ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the instrument panel displayed an "Engine System Fault" message, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant level was below the minimal level, with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The coolant level ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
My son had the car and it had to sit waiting on a part for 2 years. It almost caused him to wreck on several occasions. In the meantime transmission shop check and didn't agree with the dealer. Finally the dealer replaced the TCM transmission control module. I ending buying the car to help my son. Less than 10,000 miles car began doing same thing. In the meantime I received a letter from the Facto... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2024
The recall that was put out in September 2023 still has not been remedied as of March 28, 2024. I believe the remedy has not been fixed in a timely manner considering the direct dangers posed as a result of the HECU default. Six months without remedy, when the danger has existed since before then, is an egregious inaction on the part of Kia to myself, the customer.