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 25, 2023
I am not sure what is wrong with my Hyundai Santa Fe 2016 because it is at the dealer at this moment waiting for a diagnostic test. I started the vehicle and heard a revving-up noise. I went to the doctor and on my way back to the house I accelerated and heard a rattling sound and the oil light, the check engine light, and the battery light all came on. The car slowed down and when I tried to acc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
Intermittently does not register a passenger in the passenger seat (even with a seatbelt on and seat upright in a normal position) such that the airbags are turned off and climate controls are not activated. Passenger weighs more than 120 lbs.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
No brake fluid reaching front brake calipers. Technician said it was due to a faulty ABS. Dealership won’t further diagnose and see if it is related to NHTSA Recall Number 23V651000. Front brakes would lock up when moderate pressure applied to brakes.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) 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 parts n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the tailgate independently opened, and the contact lost cargo stored in the truck bed onto the highway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or an independ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power, shuddered, and failed to properly accelerate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission actuators and clutch were faulty needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
Since purchasing this vehicle in January of 2023, it has been to the dealer three times to repair a failed blind spot monitoring system and rear cross traffic alert system due to corroded pins in the connectors of the sensors. According to the dealer, this is due to the connector utilizing only four of eight pins which leaves four pins unused and open to corrosion. On the third trip in, the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
Received important safety recall on 14th November 2023, I called Kia dealership and corporate office to resolve and got the answer that the remedy is not available. It’s been more than 45 days since I received a letter, I am not parking my car in my garage, or neither driving secondary to concerned of fire, risk and injury as indicated in later. I went to local Kia dealership as I was instructed... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
Back up camera doesn't function 100% of the time. Get display message stating unable to connect (or similar) Other times, no message or screen change. Has been happening for over one (1) year. Not just one time.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Pearl White Paint is chipping and peeling all over my car.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
Parked the car not far from home, when my boyfriend got out and shut the door, the sunroof completely imploded. Tempered yet sharp shards were everywhere including my mouth, hair and body. MB took no responsibility and wound even have the car towed. Roof was repaired via my car insurance including private towing. MB wanted nothing to do with me. I do know that this has been a serious problem all... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
In September 2023 I started getting a warning to service the ABS system. The warning and associated annoying tone would appear and than disappear at different times. I spoke with the service manager from Lithia Dodge where I purchased the truck. He told me that he was unable to service my truck because the ABS parts are not available. I was told that like a great number of Ram truck owners, I ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
When driving the 22 civic sport the steering wheel seems to get stuck in a position and you have to fight it to get unstuck which is severely unsafe I have brought the vehicle to the dealer months back and they told me nothing is wrong I became very frustrated because my wife drives this vehicle to work and brings our boys to school and there safety is at jeopardy daily it’s a brand new vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
When driving the 22 civic sport the steering wheel seems to get stuck in a position and you have to fight it to get unstuck which is severely unsafe I have brought the vehicle to the dealer months back and they told me nothing is wrong I became very frustrated because my wife drives this vehicle to work and brings our boys to school and there safety is at jeopardy daily it’s a brand new vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
When backing up after opening or closing the trunk the backup camera flashes blue and green with lines on the screen. It sometimes worked again when the trunk is slammed or the car is restarted. The safety was put at risk because I was not able to see the ground when reversing and there was a blind spot that the camera usually fills in.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
We were notified by carfax a couple of weeks ago that my 2018 accord had a recall on the fuel pump. I called my Honda dealership and they told me there was no recall. Then yesterday the nhtsa and the manufacturer updated their sites to confirm there actually was a recall. I called Honda today and the rep told me that there is no remedy yet and the nhtsa website states there's an increased risk of ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED CAR WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE OR FOREWARD AT ALL . IT ONLY HAS 120,000 MILES ON IT .
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
Door will not open from inside or outside of the vehicle and it is a safety issue. There are forums of the same issue with this make and models
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
Truck says service airbag when it only had 148,867 miles. Was told its passenger side front by dealership. All other airbags are fine
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
Vehicle transmission is shifting hard and often time slipping. Causing us to lose power until it finally gets into gear. It's nearly caused us accidents due to the sudden loss of power. It is available for inspection. We live in an area with high traffic tourist volume and has caused us multiple near accidents. It has been checked by a mechanic. The code thrown every time was P0732. The code was ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 had no... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
I was in a collision which was a tbone situation on the drivers side and the drivers side or front airbags did not deploy.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
The frame has completely rusted out and the vehicle is no longer roadworthy. Mechanic was shocked it didn’t snap while on the road. Only has 113k miles. Apparently this is a known major issue with these vehicles and costing owners thousands of dollars due to incorrect manufacturing of the frames. Please hold the manufacturer accountable for this defect before someone does get hurt.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
I bought my 2017 Dodge Journey in September 2021, as I was driving home I noticed an issue with acceleration. I would have my foot on the throttle and the vehicle would seemingly convulse, like accelerate then bow down and repeat. I brought It back to the dealership and they kept it for a week and returned my vehicle stating they couldn't figure out the issue. to this day it still does the same th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
Breaking system engages at high-speed for no reason. Very scary incident Breaking system engages at slow speed also for no reason.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
unknow getting gas in oil at 62532 miles on it which can cause the motor to grenade. a lot of the 5.3l on 2018 has this trouble from watching utube and using research, should be recalled and transmissions trouble as well.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
unknow getting gas in oil at 62532 miles on it which can cause the motor to grenade. a lot of the 5.3l on 2018 has this trouble from watching utube and using research, should be recalled and transmissions trouble as well.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
Lack of action on an existing NHTSA recall. FCAUS has failed to act on NHTSA recall 22V-406 for the high pressure fuel pump. Today I contacted the local Ram dealership service department and was told that they do not have a waitlist to fix the issue, or any idea when repair parts will become available. This is 566 days after the recall was announced in June 2022. The inaction of FCAUS/Stella... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
Horn stopped Working out of nowhere.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
Vehicle periodically throws P0964 and P0AC4 related to TSB PIC6330. Recently, this has led to poor running of internal combustion engine and low/undrivable power, almost leaving me stranded. Took multiple restarts before I could drive the vehicle. The TSB indicates to replace part# 24285319 (internal transmission solenoid control harness) however GM indicates they have discontinued manufacture ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
While operating TACC with lane keeping assist, I experienced multiple iterations of phantom braking when the road and weather was clear ahead. This phantom braking could potentially cause other drivers to collide with the vehicle that unexpectedly braked in the middle of the highway. This problem has been a common issue with multiple people taking their cars to the service center to get checked ou... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
When coming to a quick or hard stop, car will rumble then stall out. To confirm that the issue is transmission based I shift the car into neutral then brake quickly and the issue does not arise.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
Electronic seat recliner motor (outer bushing) noise when reclining, but Kendall Subaru in Eugene saying motor can not be fixed (defective design), only replaced with another (defective) motor @ cost near $1,000. Seat then stuck all the way back; even with seat headrest behind my back (w/sweaters on top of it even) driving comfort/visibility are not as good. [This entire electronic seat recliner m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
The windshield cracks and spreads rapidly without any evidential cause for a crack and yes it would be available for inspection upon request. This is the 5th replacement in 5 years - 2 in one year alone: 1st - At the time of purchase with only 16555 miles (MPI) RBM replaced the windshield. 2nd - 1/21/20 - 40410 miles (Just got home from a drive through car wash and noticed the crack). 3rd - 7/24/... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
This vehicle has to replace car horn 3 time unsafe to drive this vehicle have opened repair . Unable to get load . have to Walt for service day .this vehicle have only 14000 mile I am disable person.
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
Ignition cylinder failure. Key would come out while driving, car would stay on, key would not turn in the ignition. Finally wheel locked and key will not turn at all therefore I can’t put my car in neutral.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. 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 local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts n... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear upper control arm. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with corrosion on both sides and the rear control arms. The contact was informed that the rear control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing unintended acceleration. The contact stated while pulling into his driveway and slightly depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle speed increased continuously. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle responded as needed. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made awar... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
I shifted to park and turned the engine off. The engine turned off, but began beeping and the message board said SHIFT TO PARK. I started the engine again and shifted in and out of park and turned off engine. The same beeping and the same error message. I tried several times, with the same results. The car would not lock, and the beeping would not stop. I left the car for 20 minutes and the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
Dear NHTSA Representative, I am writing to express my deep concerns and seek resolution regarding the latest version of autopilot enforced in the recent Tesla recall, identified under Campaign ID #23V-838. I am a Tesla owner that’s deeply invested in the safety and functionality of my vehicle. Recent reports indicate that the mandated autopilot update has rendered the car unsafe and nearly und... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
Dear NHTSA Representative, I am writing to express my deep concerns and seek resolution regarding the latest version of autopilot enforced in the recent Tesla recall, identified under Campaign ID #23V-838. I am a Tesla owner that’s deeply invested in the safety and functionality of my vehicle. Recent reports indicate that the mandated autopilot update has rendered the car unsafe and nearly und... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
I received the recall update for recall #23V-838 and am currently running version 2023.44.30.5.1 with the added Autosteer alerts. I am finding the alerts to be too frequent when I am just looking forward at the road. I have used this system for five years and never have I had so many alerts that I feel like the car is making me take my eyes off the road just to see what it is complaining about. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
Had issue with it burning a TON of oil, solenoid ended up needing replaced. Replaced, and next day engine froze up and shot oil out of the back real seal, and now need replaced engine. Because the back real seal blew, is not being covered by my extended warranty, even though the damage was cause because of a covered part.
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
There are a lot of BMW owners filing complaints to force BMW Motorrad to releases service manuals to the public which they quite doing years ago which forces people to go to the dealership for any sort of service. Basically a monopoly which is illegal. I own a motorcycle repair facility and even as a certified tech and business owner I cannot get one (through legitimate channels). This is a safe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
On December 24 2023, the vehicle's forward collision warning failed. My son has a learner's permit. He was driving the car under my supervision. He pulled into a parking lot and hit a light post. We did not receive a warning, nor did the automobile automatically apply the brakes to avert the collision. There were no injuries. There was no property damage, except for our vehicle. I did not notify t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
I had 2 accidents with this car. The first was on October 10, 2023. I pulled into a parking space and braked. I move forward a little more and braked again. The car suddenly accelerated and hit 2 vehicles parking across from me. My car was damaged, and one of the cars I hit was badly damaged, and the other had less damage. My 93 year old father was not injured. I had an injury on my hand, wher... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
Phantom breaking multiple times in one trip, car will break on empty road no obstruction or any reason for breaking almost caused an accident on highway
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
Phantom breaking multiple times in one trip, car will break on empty road no obstruction or any reason for breaking almost caused an accident on highway