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: Dec 24, 2023
My husband was driving about 20mls per hrs when our truck cought fire the whole front of our truct cought fire. The front mirror and everything if distroit due to the fire .
Fire
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
GM has long known about the oil consumption problem of the 2015 and settle a lawsuit for the 2013. Car issues including engine shutdowns and stalls, spark plug fouling, engine misfires, unexpected loss of power, vehicle “jerking”. Other people had the same issues included fires per blogs about the issues with the 2014-2015.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
The windshield immediately chips and cracks upon any rock/pebble impact. My safety is affected because the cracks spread into my line of sight. This has happened 3 times on my car on three different windshields in 2 years, unknown if it’s been inspected by manufacturers.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
Car was in idle and decellerated. The check engine light came on. The dual clutch assembly and fork have already been replaced once due to same issues. Now they are saying it is the same thing and they want to charge us!
Incident date: Nov 16, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2016 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she turned on the hazard lights. The contact then turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact state... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (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 manu... Read more
TESLA
MODEL 3
(2023) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Dec 22, 2023
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact received Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37 PCM (Power Train Control Module) reprogramming. After the reprogramming was performed, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated there was white smoke coming from the eng... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
We bought a 2023 Model Y from the Mesa Tesla on 12/17/23. The staff rushed orientation (we are first-time EV owners) saying they were so busy that we could only get 15-30 minutes max for a complex vehicle. They told us calibration is normal and to reboot the Y if anything happens and showed us how. Once we drove off the lot the A/C went out and we got calibration prompts saying Pull Over. We pulle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearings. The vehicle was not repaired. Af... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while parked and the truck was opened, the truck closed on the child's head inadvertently. The contact stated that on another occasion while parked and the trunk was opened, the trunk closed inadvertently on her right middle, and ring fingers without sensing that an object was in the trunk's way. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. T... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The steering sticks while trying to keep the car driving in a straight motion. The speed doesn't seem to matter. It feels as if the steering wheel is constantly fighting me. Sometimes it makes me drift towards other cars next to me while I'm fighting to keep it center.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
My car was parked at parking lot while I bought groceries after I went back into my car since I put the groceries on the passenger side of me I closed my door. Then I heard a loud noise of glass breaking and I turned around my rear window was shattered and nothing hit my window nor someone broke into it since as I mentioned it was fine before I went in and when I walked passed my rear window to ge... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
Our Chrysler 300 (2018) has the delamination issue reported numerous times on the Chrysler forum. Our car only has 35,000 miles on it. The delamination issue is definitely a safety issue. The radio station keeps rapidly changing making it useless. The safety part of the issue is that the heat/cool also stops working in the car and switches rapidly from one to the other. The Nav option do... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
For the past few months, my car has been experiencing a recurring issue with the steering wheel feeling inexplicably stuck. This concern poses a severe safety risk as it occurs almost every time I'm behind the wheel. Whether I'm driving on the highway or in the city, attempting to make slight adjustments to the left or right results in the steering wheel becoming rigid, demanding additional force ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
Engine failure driving on the freeway. Many of the clusters in the dash suddenly lite up, check engine light also multiple warning lights.Suddenly vehicle would not accelerate. Feels like my life as well as my passengers were put at risk. Cars suddenly passing us at freeway speeds. As I pulled to the shoulder of cars were very close to hitting ours. Then when we pulled over we saw smoke coming out... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel seized. The message "Power Steering Adjustment Fault" was displayed. The contact used physical force to steer the vehicle while driving to her destination. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functional returned. The contact stated that the failu... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Failure to restart after a 30 to 40 ride. Honda kept the bike for almost 3 months and said they could no duplicate issues. I rode bike the day after getting bike back and duplicated problem. I traced it to a defective fuel pump. I replaced fuel pump and problem was solved. Honda has refused to repair or to pay for the repair. Bike was still under factory waranty .
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
So thanks to YOUR interference my Autopilot on my Tesla is broken... You guys THINK you are making our cars safer by getting your controlling poorly educated stupid hands into Tesla systems that are DESIGNED TO BE MORE SAFE. On paper Tesla Autopilot is factually proven to be more safe than a human driver, these reports are publicly available perhaps your team was too lazy to read them. My car d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
I have a 2017 Ford Edge with a 2.0 Ecoboost motor that was recently diagnosed (by Ford) as needing a new engine due to Coolant Intrusion into cylinder #4. The car has only 57,000 miles and is said to have a known manufacturing defect that causes this. Fortunately I reported this issue to the dealer before it got too severe; however I've been told that the car can catch on fire due to overheating ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
I have a 2017 Ford Edge with a 2.0 Ecoboost motor that was recently diagnosed (by Ford) as needing a new engine due to Coolant Intrusion into cylinder #4. The car has only 57,000 miles and is said to have a known manufacturing defect that causes this. Fortunately I reported this issue to the dealer before it got too severe; however I've been told that the car can catch on fire due to overheating ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
The problem appears to be related to defective spot welds at the check arm attachment points on the doors, which can cause the door to fail to secure upon closing or unexpectedly unlatch after being secured.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
My car had problems with overheating. I check my oil and coolant levels. My car show check engine light so I took it to mechanics to get check. The invoice states possible blown head gaskets. I research online similar complaints with other Buick Encore 2013. I just this car March 2023 has about 89000. I am making payments.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
My 2017 Ridgeline had clicking noises in the dash and the interior lights were flickering, truck was in the garage at home. I was able to start the truck and move it outside. I was afraid it may be a short and start a fire. Upon turning off truck it started making the noises again and interior lights flickering. I took it to Honda the next day and after two days they claimed they couldn't figure i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
October 2017 I purchased a 2017 Hyundai Accent. During my very first month driving this car right bumper clip broke. As I was under warranty took car in complained to the dealership. A tech came out and basically wacked it back in place. So now I notice both left and right sides of bumper are off track. My son is a licensed mechanic. Before I took it back to dealership he had checked and said mom... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Roof rails are leaking onto A pillar curtain air bags and causing headliner to become saturated above the A pillers on both sides of the car. Water is also getting onto electrical lighting in vanity mirrors. Found a TSB on this, but also found there is a massive problem with this and it should be a recall. Multiple people who own rogues from this year are having this issue. Water could cause damag... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Problemas con el sistema de precolosion falla del sensor el carro es inseguro e tenido 2 incidentes donde el sistema no responde ni se activa antes del impacto problemas con el motor, estabilidad del carro, conteo de velocidad, frenos, llantas, cruze de carriles, puntos ciegos
Crash
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Problemas con el sistema de precolosion falla del sensor el carro es inseguro e tenido 2 incidentes donde el sistema no responde ni se activa antes del impacto problemas con el motor, estabilidad del carro, conteo de velocidad, frenos, llantas, cruze de carriles, puntos ciegos
Crash
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
Tesla software updates aren't transparent on the changes to the cars behavior they will cause. They hide behind the vague terms "minor fixes" with no way to find out what that means. They are changing how the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist feature work without specifying it. The only way to find out if something changed is to re-read the whole manual every time there is an update and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Tesla software updates aren't transparent on the changes to the cars behavior they will cause. They hide behind the vague terms "minor fixes" with no way to find out what that means. They are changing how the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist feature work without specifying it. The only way to find out if something changed is to re-read the whole manual every time there is an update and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The ABS and traction control system in my 2014 Toyota Prius 4 are not functioning. They ABS light an the traction control lights are both on. I work in the automotive industry and I used a code reader to pull the codes and got a C1391 which is a brake booster and brake booster pump. That means either the brake booster has failed or the master cylinder is leaking. I contacted Gosche Toyota in H... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Recall still does not have a remedy from May. Promised a solution in October and then November but now there is still no remedy
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
Engine, transmission/propulsion and or fuel system is impacted. Vehicle loses power and pressing the throttle doesn’t increase the engine rpms and or vehicle speed. It happens randomly at both city and highway driving speeds. It’s almost like the gears aren’t shifting or the vehicle doesn’t increase the speed. Sometimes a it would work fine after a key cycle. I’ve had a few instances o... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
Leaking panoramic sunroof only when it rains. I have taken it for the 5th time and you can’t drive it in the morning or when any condensation comes inside because u can’t see out of the windows at all. It smells awful and it’s a lot of water! It has ruined the touchscreen . I have been paying out of pocket trying to get this fixed. There should be a recall!
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
On December 9th, 2023 my 2020 TESLA Model X accelerator pedal broke off while accelerating up a hill. This caused the vehicle to stop and become undrivable on a blind curve uphill. This caused a significant safety risk to me and other drivers. The vehicle had to be towed with police assistance to block traffic due to where the vehicle became inoperable. I had to pay out of pocket about $50... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's side door was squeaking. While driving at unknown speeds, the door unintendedly opened. The contact stated that the door failed to open and close. The contact entered through the passenger’s side door of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the instrument cluster panel and the GPS were blinking on and off and then went dark. The contact drove to the destination and turned off the vehicle and on the instrument cluster and GPS functionality returned. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but recurring. The contact had taken the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
Without warning, both sideview mirrors, plus the blindspot warning system began to not work. Mirror adjustments failed to work on both sides and also the blindspot warning light stopped working when a vehicle would pass. I proceeded to take my vehicle to Regal Nissan, Inc., located at 1090 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, Georgia 30076, 770-998-8686 on December 19, 2023 at approximately 2:00pm, and w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
nhtsa recall 23V-838; TC2023-657 has made my car less safe to drive. The constant nagging and nannying requires me to take attention off the road. Please stop.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
About 3 months ago, I took this car in after receiving a recall notice for unexpected acceleration while on adaptive cruise control even though this was an issue I had never experienced before. But on monday, driving in stop and go traffic in light rain (intermittent wipers on slow setting), all of a sudden the car started accelerating directly towards the car 20 feet or so in front of us; the br... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
About 3 months ago, I took this car in after receiving a recall notice for unexpected acceleration while on adaptive cruise control even though this was an issue I had never experienced before. But on monday, driving in stop and go traffic in light rain (intermittent wipers on slow setting), all of a sudden the car started accelerating directly towards the car 20 feet or so in front of us; the br... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
The gps in the vehicle navigation shows an inaccurate location of the vehicle, which causes problems for adaptive cruise, and vehicle safety notifications on the dash. Incorrect speed limit indicators occur as a result, and vehicle navigation is rendered useless. It looks ridiculous to all passengers as the vehicle will show on GPS somewhere it isn’t, even driving through fields where there are ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact's daughter had rented a 2023 Mazda Mazda 3. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle veered off to the left side of the highway and side-swiped a cable system; the vehicle then crashed into the end cap of a guardrail. The vehicle then hydroplaned and hit a bridge pillar. The vehicle flipped as the contact's daughter was ejected from th... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 deaths
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact's daughter had rented a 2023 Mazda Mazda 3. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle veered off to the left side of the highway and side-swiped a cable system; the vehicle then crashed into the end cap of a guardrail. The vehicle then hydroplaned and hit a bridge pillar. The vehicle flipped as the contact's daughter was ejected from th... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 deaths
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while attempting to activate the headlights, the headlights failed to respond. The contact stated that several attempts were needed for the headlights to become operable. However, the failure reoccurred, and the low-beam headlights failed to function as needed. The contact checked the high-beam headlights and the high-beam headlights fun... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2016
We recently purchased a used 2020 Subaru Legacy sedan with ~33,000 miles on it. It has a salvage title due to previous owner hitting a deer, (no air bag deployed, just minor body work) and it was professionally repaired to "like-new" condition. Last weekend, when starting the car, the check engine light and a bunch of other warning lights came on. An OBDI scan showed a code of "P263A" indicatin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2016
A friend gave me this seat to use. I remembered from when I owned this type of seat previously that there was a recall. I saw online that this seat was included in the recall. The prior owner must not have contacted the company to receive the kit. I contacted the company on 12.20.23 and spoke with a male representative who told me several things that conflicted with the notice I read from the NHTS... Read more
TESLA
MODEL Y
(2023) — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:VIDEO (TOUCH)SCREEN/MONITOR/UNIT
Dec 20, 2023
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the center master display screen started to randomly switch from function to function, and unintendedly started a telephone call. The contact became aware that a bubble had appeared in the center of the screen and was growing larger. The contact stated that the screen had started to delaminate. The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the traction control sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the ... Read more