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: Dec 17, 2023
Both of the rear doors fail to unlock and open from the inside or outside. This is a safety issue, as in a fire or accident, I would not be able to remove my children from the back seat of the car.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
AC turn off when operating truck when temperature is at 60 degrees or higher. Ford is aware of this issue but has no fixed. This dangerous when outside temp is over 85 degrees. Went to shop 1/3/2023 and 11/06/23 in Okc. Prior pulled in Tulsa dealership to address issue .
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Since new in December 2023 this vehicle has excessive wander while driving straight. This requires constant correction of the steering wheel just to go straight. Anything less than 100% attention can result in loss of control. The wander is related to excessive free play of the steering wheel which allows approximately 2” in each direction from center before the tires move. Three visits to t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The service 4w drive indicator came on on the vehicle while I was driving in light snow of about 1 inch. I was unable to stop because the wheels spun and felt like they were not spinning in sync. I spun out and narrowly missed hitting 3 cars. My wheels spun wildly and the jeep picked up speed as I tried to stop. Luckily I did not hit anything. A few days later I was then driving and experienced a ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
Car has been in and out of the shop. Initially I have been contacting Mercedes about airbag messages and continued message of SRS Malfunction on dashboard. Airbags had been recalled and supposedly replaced on multiple occasions. This SRS continues to remain even after repair or being seen for this issue only for other components to have failed and me having to pay for those in the process. The SRS... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
Car has been in and out of the shop. Initially I have been contacting Mercedes about airbag messages and continued message of SRS Malfunction on dashboard. Airbags had been recalled and supposedly replaced on multiple occasions. This SRS continues to remain even after repair or being seen for this issue only for other components to have failed and me having to pay for those in the process. The SRS... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
Have had issues with the power gate to the hatchback since the first year of ownership. Dealer could not replicate after numerous complaints. On Jan 1, 2024 the hatch would only ho partially up or down and would not close. Upon looking, the hinges holding the hatch were pulling away from the vehicle. No accident, no abuse, nothing done other than using the electronic open/shut. Googled for info a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel started vibrating and became difficult to turn. Additionally, the steering wheel was turning to the left independently. The contact stated that the power steering warning light and the power train warning light were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
The transmission seems to be slipping losing power and just plain failing if ford knew about this and stil put them out for years in different cars already had a recall on the transmission can we get this one recalled cause ain’t no way anyone should have to pay 2500 + to get a transmission replaced in a car with only 80000 miles on it .. and I’m still financing the car as well this just seems... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
WAS JUST DRIVING ALONG AS NORMAL, HEARD A POP SOUND, LOOKED BACK AND MY WHOLE REAR WINDOW WAS SHATTERED WITH A BIG HOLE TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GLASS.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Rear sliding window is leaking water into the cabin
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
Oil consumption and catalytic converter clogging. My car burns through 5 liters of oil about every 1,000 miles. I've already had the catalytic converter replaced and my mechanic said it's from excessive oil leaking, and the only alternative to fix it is to replace the engine.
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
Oil consumption and catalytic converter clogging. My car burns through 5 liters of oil about every 1,000 miles. I've already had the catalytic converter replaced and my mechanic said it's from excessive oil leaking, and the only alternative to fix it is to replace the engine.
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
Oil consumption and catalytic converter clogging. My car burns through 5 liters of oil about every 1,000 miles. I've already had the catalytic converter replaced and my mechanic said it's from excessive oil leaking, and the only alternative to fix it is to replace the engine.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The abs and traction control keep going in and out and is very unsafe to drive such a large truck. I called dealership and they don’t have the abs module and haven’t had it for over a year. So they know it’s an issue and can’t give us any since manufacturer is at fault. My abs and traction don’t work. Thank you
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
I am writing to file a complaint regarding an ongoing issue with the 10.1-inch infotainment screen in my Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The problem specifically pertains to the consistent disconnection of Android Auto, a critical feature for modern vehicle functionality. I believe this issue poses a safety risk and warrants further investigation. 1. Component/System Description: The malfunction involves ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
I was pulling into a parking space at a slow speed and breaking when my car accelerated violently and caused me to go across a median and strike another parked vehicle. Police came and did a report. I took my car right away to dealer and they had me take it to their collision shop to be repaired. They said they would try to find the unintended acceleration problem after it was repaired. No warning... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
I called on the dealer to do the repair but the dealer don’t have the part, I asked to pay from my pocket to try to move forward but they still saying that is not available repair/parts and they don’t know when it will be available, the way that I use the car requires the car with all recalls updated, the dealer I contacted was in westford in Massachusetts If the recall is not related to som... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
Accident involving frontal impact with a deer. Heard and smelled propellant charge for airbag and service airbag light came on, no airbag inflation anywhere I could find it. Front grille/bumper cap, AC core, passenger fender are scrap. Any other cases of this.
Crash
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
The automatic emergency braking system just goes off without any reason, causing the vehicle to considerably slow down if not stop. This happens several times a week if not multiple times a day again for no reason. There is no advance warning , it just happens.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
My car slowed, smelled hot, and then transmission overheat light came on approximately 130 miles from my home. I had it towed to nearest Kia service due to my warranty, Lehighton Kia dealer by AAA (Kia roadside wanted $293). Dealer claimed it was Clutch Actuator (said nothing about recall) and claim to be attempting to confirm warranty with Zurich for days with no success, I had no issue calling... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
Multiple warnings occur on information screen. 1. Transmission system problem. 2. Blind spot info system problem. 3. Electric parking brake problem. 4. Emissions system problem. Transmission begins to slip and behave radically. RPM rev above normal as if it can't upshift. Dealer recently did service on transmission and replaced module. Also had recall service completed for stalling at intersection... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V604000 (Electrical System) 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 co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
Steering is sticky. Difficult to maneuver away from straight, particularly at higher speeds (45+). Car does not center in lane when LKAS is engaged, and will often drive out of the lane by itself.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
During highway driving, on two separate occasions that were two days apart, while using cruise control set to ~72MPH the vehicle suddenly tried to stop. It quickly decelerated by ~25MPH before I intervened by pressing the accelerator. There were no obstacles in the road and on the second instance there weren't any other vehicles in site (was in remote northern NH/VT). Had someone been driving behi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the "Service Tire Monitor System" message was displayed. Add... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the "Service Tire Monitor System" message was displayed. Add... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the "Service Tire Monitor System" message was displayed. Add... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
When the sun is out and there is no clouds obscuring the sunlight my vehicle has night time lights running, dimming the interior of my car making it difficult to see the speed and other dashboard requirements while perfectly bright and sunny outside and 0800AM as well as 1500PM. This has been going on for two months and I took it in to two dealerships. One told me check your manual and the other w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
When the sun is out and there is no clouds obscuring the sunlight my vehicle has night time lights running, dimming the interior of my car making it difficult to see the speed and other dashboard requirements while perfectly bright and sunny outside and 0800AM as well as 1500PM. This has been going on for two months and I took it in to two dealerships. One told me check your manual and the other w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The ABS control module is defective on my vehicle. The electronic components have a poor design which allows the electrical contacts inside the module to break lose. Honda is aware of many of these complaints but has failed to perform a recall.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
Broken crank issue. This is ridiculous. The truck only has 140,000 miles on it.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact's uncle owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had an oil change performed; however, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
I took my vehicle in three times for excessive oil consumption. It’s been going through three quarts every thousand miles. The first oil consumption test ran over by 100 miles and the dealer made me do another one. It was determined that 3 1/2 quarts of oil were burned in thousand miles . There was no other diagnostic done. The dealer told me that the warranty does not cover oil consumption when... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH in an intersection, a Ford F-150 was crashed into head-on. The vehicle's front end collided with the Ford vehicle but the air bags did not deploy. The Ford vehicle did a 180 during the impact and its air bags deployed. The contact sustained 2 herniated discs in the 212 and L1 that required medical attentio... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The truck currently has 75xxx miles on it. I've had it in at the dealership before for transmission issues. The repairs/fix they did lasted for a while before the same problems came back. It started as rough shifting/jerking. Recently the truck will, when accelerating, jump out of gear completely while indicating on the dash that it is in gear, and the engine will rev up on its own (up to 3500 rpm... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the passenger’s side trim detached from the vehicle. The trim struck the front windshield of another vehicle, causing the other driver to lose control of the vehicle and the vehicle spun out. The contact was unsure if the front windshield was cracked due to the impact. There were no reported injuri... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that during the initial start-up, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine department. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired: however, the failure recurred after several months. The contact stated that a year later the failure became persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that he became aware that the rear windshield had shattered due to glass shards on the ground. There was no impact to the rear windshield that might have caused the rear windshield to shatter. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a rattling and knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that engine cam phaser started but was not fired up and the contact was able to drive the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
The engine timing is wrong. The camshaft and the reluctor misalign and cause the engine to loose performance. The problem was diagnosed by a Chevrolet dealership because of the illuminated "check engine" light. This seems to be a major historical issue with these type engines produced by Chevrolet. The engine was replaced.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
2017 Chrysler pacifica has had multiple major engine failures. First was 2021 head gasket failure which lead to a new engine. Now 2023 the exact same thing has happened again. Engine temperature warning light came on got car towed. Head gasket failure again. This van is unsafe engine design is horribly flawed leading to multiple engine failures
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
ABS module is damaged. Car is not operable. Dealership did diagnostic on vehicle. And stated there is an ABS recall. But no remedy as of yet. Car will not operate.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The car has now 3 times over the last year suddenly lurched forward while braking and pulling into a parking spot. The first time it went over a curb and into a yard. We thought it could be a mistake, but my wife, driving, has never had an accident in 40 years driving. Happened again, and we thought maybe it had something to do with cruise control and hepatic sensitive buttons. But we keep t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated the vehicle was in park, with no accelerator pedal or brake pedal being depressed when it experienced an unintended acceleration. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a pole where it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. No warning lights were illuminated on the vehicle. The contact mentioned the auto br... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
Case#11516274 Ford Motor Company puts metal in there brake pads watch causes a massive amount of brake dust on the wheels, a few days ago I tried getting it off with a power washer it would not clean at all. I reported it to you by the number above, also went to the dealer today, They said they will not fix its Fords problem. That is unacceptable there is brake dust all over the rotors and pad. I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
I was at the post office on Redwood Road in South Jordan, in the dropoff mailbox lane. At the end of the lane is stop sign. The stop sign is for the traffic coming into and leaving the post office. I was sitting at the stop sign when I turned east towards Redwood Road, as I was pulling up behind a blue SUV, the Frontier lurched forward and the RPM’s rev’d all the way up and the truck shot fo... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was jerking. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and was diagnosed, but not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Num... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
While driving on active roadways (including major highways during rush hour, a major downtown city at intersections with crosswalks during rush hour, and while exiting a parking garage), the vehicle suddenly stops, sounds a brief alarm and flashes one of 3 error messages on the dash board ("Shift to Drive", "....to shift", "...vehicle must be stopped"), while the "D" on the dashboard and the shift... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
My Chevy Volt has been having spotty pop-ups stating that "Propulsion Power is Reduced" for about a month, but I was not sure how reliable the pop-up was as there were plenty of days the pop-up would not come on when starting the car. On the day of my incident in October 2023, I once again received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" pop-up when I started my car. While driving, I stopped at a stopli... Read more