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: Feb 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Venue. The contact stated that the vehicle was slow to start. The contact was able to start the vehicle and drive. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that rodents had entered the vehicle and chewed the wiring in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
This car is equipped with Super Cruise an automated driving feature that I believe had a huge part in my inability to avoid hitting a deer. There should be many more considerations and warnings to consumers to protect them. In my situation I kept driving for much longer than I should have because the strain was not so bad. But the feature does not have a feature to pull over. I had to manually pul... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
Battery went dead, replaced battery, check engine light came on, got a diagnostic check on it, come to find out my purge valve needs to be replace. Every time we get gas, the car doesnt want to start up. Trying to find the part to replace purge valve assembly line is almost near zero. The car has only 65,000 miles on it and its a 2019 forf fusion titanium ecoboost.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The is WATER in my right front FOG lamp and I don't know how it got in there, but Tesla says they can't get water out of it and can't reseal it, but is willing to let me pay $504 to replace a light... this is yet another Billionaire abusive practice by Elon Musk to generate cash flow and revenue for his failing company. Telsa also asked for $15,000 for a new battery, which the "software" said it... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The is WATER in my right front FOG lamp and I don't know how it got in there, but Tesla says they can't get water out of it and can't reseal it, but is willing to let me pay $504 to replace a light... this is yet another Billionaire abusive practice by Elon Musk to generate cash flow and revenue for his failing company. Telsa also asked for $15,000 for a new battery, which the "software" said it... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
turning on defrost vehicle has cracked windshield
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The car door propped open as I was driving the vehicle. There have been multiple repeated concerns that I have had with this vehicle. It is unsafe.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The car door propped open as I was driving the vehicle. There have been multiple repeated concerns that I have had with this vehicle. It is unsafe.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
Tesla Model 3 Performance (M3P) comes with unrealistic "thin" wall tires on 20" wheels that easily POP when they hit potholes, nails, gutters, median divides, gashes in the road, etc. American roads are poorly maintained if at all by transportation departments. Only thick walled tires are suitable for roads. Tesla Model 3 LR (Long Range) and SR (Standard Range) comes with 18" wheels and tires,... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was seized. The contact stated that the vehicle was independently turned off. The contact's son was able to get the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
So I had my steering rack changed on 3/23/23 because the steering wheel was having difficulty turning like it was sticking or notching feeling above 35 mph. The transition was from one lane to the other was not smooth. Now here I am less than one year later and the steering wheel is doing the exact same thing I took it in on 1/06/2024 to Gwinnett place Honda and they said they couldn’t duplicate... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Regular issues with Fuel injection system, had to change the fuel injectors multiple times. Severe vibrations in the car between 2nd and 3rd gear, had changes transmission fluid including full flush but made no change. Several complaints online on this model. NHTSA/DOT need to investigate the lemon issues. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
Regular issues with Fuel injection system, had to change the fuel injectors multiple times. Severe vibrations in the car between 2nd and 3rd gear, had changes transmission fluid including full flush but made no change. Several complaints online on this model. NHTSA/DOT need to investigate the lemon issues. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the passenger’s side rear wheel started wobbling, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound while experiencing the failure. The contact pulled over and waited for a tow - lucky he moved tow lanes to the shoulder without issue. There was no warning light il... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
there is a rattling noise at start up. it started only when the car would sit over night. now its everytime you turn it off. so it seems to be getting worse. found out that its the vtc actuator. not sure if they have issued a recall for this yet.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Fuel injectors
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
Brake pedal hard to push down. Almost drove through shop door, going slow. Heavy equipment and cdl class A driver over 40 years. Fluid is full, brake pads and related items are correct. Shut engine off waited few minutes, seemed ok. It did it again immediately, hard two other drivers try with similar results. Odd noise coming from under hood when pedal is applied. No leaks observed or detected. Pe... Read more
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: 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
VVTI oil line ruptured This was part of a Limited Service Campaign by Lexus and I believe my vehicle's VIN was incorrectly excluded.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
My 2024 Acura Integra is exhibiting the sticky steering wheel event that the Honda Civics are experiencing (EA23003 and PE23005). When driving at highways speeds the wheel becomes "stuck" in one position. When you go to make a small correction there is added resistance and when the wheel does move it moves abruptly due to the extra force required. This causes the wheel to move farther than needed ... Read more
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: 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: 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
Sticky steering. Wheel gets “stuck” then breaks loose
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms par... 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
Rear tail lights are out. All the Dodge Durangos on the road are ! Safety hazard for people behind me and me! Initially part of the light went out tonight the whole light went out . Cam shaft has went bad twice
Incident date: Feb 11, 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: Feb 1, 2024
The passenger side lower control arm broke in half while backing out of a parking spot at a low rate of speed, not turning very deep.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
After several years of fighting problems with, after braking to a brief stop, the loss of power/abs grinding when accelerating and turning right, now the ABS is completely dysfunctional. Both TRC lights will turn on and usually the parking brake, and when braking at speeds less than 10mph the abs will activate and prevent bring the truck to a stop without pumping them, on dry pavement. When the AB... Read more
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 10, 2024
Shuttering, shift slipping, wont move
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
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: Dec 22, 2022
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: Dec 22, 2022
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: Jan 19, 2024
Horn is not located in the center where it can be found in the event of an emergency. Instead it is in tiny non-tactile button on the right side. Have had incidents in which I almost got into an accident and needed the horn to alert the other vehicle of an impending collision. In each instance I was not able to locate the horn in a timely manner.
Incident date: Jan 19, 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 1, 2024
While accelerating on the turnpike after going through the tollbooth the engine seized with no warning. We were stranded. My family including my two small children were in the vehicle at the time. It has been confirmed by the repair shop. No lights appeared on the dash in relation to the vehicle stalling.
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
Vehicle 1 operating normally in traffic on [XXX] in Westfield MA. Operator 1 notices alert on dashboard. As Operator 1 looks down briefly and returns eyes immediately to the road, she sees Vehicle 2 braking to slow or stop. Operator 1 depresses brakes, but vehicle does not slow as it usually does, nor does Automatic Emergency Braking engage as it always has in the past. Front of Vehicle 1 mak... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
Vehicle 1 operating normally in traffic on [XXX] in Westfield MA. Operator 1 notices alert on dashboard. As Operator 1 looks down briefly and returns eyes immediately to the road, she sees Vehicle 2 braking to slow or stop. Operator 1 depresses brakes, but vehicle does not slow as it usually does, nor does Automatic Emergency Braking engage as it always has in the past. Front of Vehicle 1 mak... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
The major issue that happened to our newly purchased CX 90 last February 3 with more than 500 miles on it started around 5:30 pm of February 8, while my wife is driving this vehicle with my daughter, all of a sudden the car stopped at the middle of the road with warning signs popping up in the dash screen like I-active sense malfunction, hybrid battery malfunction, engine malfunction light on, a... 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
COMPLAINT/INCIDENT.On February 9th 2024, I was making a right hand turn onto main Street. My speed was under 10mph, closer to 5mph. . Without any warning or MIL, my truck suddenly went from easy steering to unable to move the steering column and jerked/locked the wheel by 90 degrees to the left. In other words, the steering wheel went from the 3:00 position and locked into place at the 12:00 posit... Read more