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 18, 2023
Faulty oil cooler. 2 different mechanics reported this as a common problem with 2015 jeep wrangler. Due to the way this model was made, the oil cooler is too close to the hot engine making it faulty. As well as the parts around it all have to be replaced. I've been told not to drive the vehicle due to fire hazard. The estimates I've been given are $1400 and up. I've also read many complaints abou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
Apparently a known issue with the HID lights coming on or off intermittently.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was shifting hard between the 2nd, third and fourth gears. Additionally, the contact stated that the RPMs revved significantly while shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, and the vehicle responded after releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that while his son was attempting to drive... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side door was making an abnormal popping sound while opening and the door was misaligned. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side window failed to roll down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the spot welds in the driver's side door check arm brackets were fractured. The v... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
Glass sunroof exploded at 65 mph in the highway.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted and the vehicle lost motive power. After the failure, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. A... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V704000 (Steerin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
Been over 30 days since vehicle was inspected for a recall that requires installing a tow hitch. Manufacturer will not provide an ETA for parts however I can go thru various other methods to obtain parts needed within a few days. Seems like manufacturer is stalling and not wanting to fix issue.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
I just purchased this vehicle on Saturday.And now my engine light is on.It is blinking.I did my research after getting the car and the code p1326 came up at autozone.after that it showed that code with recalls for 2011 to 2017.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
Axle bolt was shredded off and making a clanking sound while driving. They replaced the axle. Should have gone ahead and replaced both sides because the other axle bolt will also break soon and is a huge liability.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
Anti-lock break system malfunctioning. This module has already been replaced once in 2021 by a dealership. Now the module is malfunctioning again and needs to be replaced. This affects the trucks traction control system and cruise control. Meaning the vehicle will slide during winter/rainy weather. There are to warning lights that come on on the dash warning you that this system is malfunctioning.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The two headlights have appeared to have condensation due to sealing problem of the headlight. When the light bulbs and beam heat up the air with moisture, it will leave water inside of the headlight cover. This will increase the safety risks when we were driving on the road. There is no warning message for that. The problem should not be normal and this should really be manufacturer’s problem t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
Death Wobble on a 2021 My Mechanic is trying to fix it, and i was told that this is the first year of power assisted suspension (which he believes is causing the issues) The Death Wobble continues replaced tires and suspension parts and still has death wobble This is a KNOWN issue on Chrysler history, hence the settlement, but it didn't include my vehicle as it is a newer vehicle
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
Complete failure of the car to start or turn on. This occurred once in 2021 and a second time in 2023. Taken to dealership. Diagnosed with a computer problem. Fixed by dealership.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
Dear Sir/Madam, I am highly concerned about the safety of the newest versions of Tesla Model S, Model X (without stalks), CyberTruck and Model 3 with the code name Highland. These models pose a significant danger when operated without intuitive direction signals, especially in the following situations: 1) Roundabouts: It is nearly impossible to correctly activate the signal lights. Please refer ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
Head Gasket has failed on the engine which resulted in radiator blowing out in the middle of traffic stranding my wife and four kids on the side of the road for hours. Seems to be a common issue with the Chrysler 3.6 engine in 2017 models and possibly 2018 models.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
While operating the vehicle on roadways the steering feels sticky and unresponsive.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
Auto start/stop function. The auto start/stop engaged and the vehicles engine stopped while we were at a red light. When the light turned green and I released the brake the starter engaged but very slowly and failed to start the engine. I attempted to start the vehicle again but it needed to be in park, which was taking time engaged. We were blocking other vehicles from making a protected turn du... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
Auto start/stop function. The auto start/stop engaged and the vehicles engine stopped while we were at a red light. When the light turned green and I released the brake the starter engaged but very slowly and failed to start the engine. I attempted to start the vehicle again but it needed to be in park, which was taking time engaged. We were blocking other vehicles from making a protected turn du... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
While attempting to accelerate at an intersection, the vehicle lurched forward. The gas peddle stopped working completely, leaving my vehicle stranded in the middle of the intersection with traffic coming from both directions. The engine was not revving when the gas peddle was being pushed. After repeatedly slamming on the gas peddle, the vehicle quickly accelerated forward, fishtailed, and sent m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
The low beam headlight of my 2015 Acura RDX FWD became so dim and made driving at night impossible, unless putting the high beam on. I went to the local ACURA dealership and replaced the lightbulbs but it made not difference at all. I saw many same complaints on-line for ACURA RDX manufactured between 2013-2015, this is a serious safety issue and Honda needs to do something to fix this issue befo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
Rear collision warning system activated without reason. While stopped at a traffic light the RCWS activated and the emergency brake system engaged. This has been reported before to NHTSA. Vehicle was at the dealership for repairs or to identify the issue. Had to have it towed and dragged onto the flat bed tow truck as the cars emergency brake system was engaged and couldn't be disengaged. Receive... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
Car has sticky steering at 40 plus mph. Due to sticky steering the car darts in the direction of steering once sticky spot releases. This happens in both directions.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
Gas tank is leaking gas while parked and running
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
While driving my car started to decelerate in the middle of the freeway and I was in no position to pull over. The hybrid battery nearly completely drained before I was able to limp off the freeway. My car threw an error message to “Check Hybrid system” and told me to pull over immediately and turn the car off. After pulling over, turning the car off, then turning it back on, the message went ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the steering wheel became firm before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was restarted after three attempts. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,200.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The contact's son attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was later towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after having an oil change, the engine seized. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the engine seized. There was an abnormal knocking sound heard. After the failure, several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the en... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
On 3/11/2023, I was heading home when my vehicle lost power in the middle of the freeway. Luckily, I was able to safely pull over to the side of the freeway. Since this is a plug-in hybrid, there are two gauges showing how much electric and gas is in the car. When I checked, both showed were empty; however, although I knew that I did not have much electricity in the battery, I had nearly a full ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
On 3/11/2023, I was heading home when my vehicle lost power in the middle of the freeway. Luckily, I was able to safely pull over to the side of the freeway. Since this is a plug-in hybrid, there are two gauges showing how much electric and gas is in the car. When I checked, both showed were empty; however, although I knew that I did not have much electricity in the battery, I had nearly a full ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated while driving, the vehicle failed to move farther than five feet before the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The pull-out key and wait-ten-seconds message were displayed. The contact had to release the key from the ignition and restart the vehicle. The contact called an independent mechanic and was unable to determine the cause o... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while her husband was having a light bulb replaced, the dealer became aware that the electrical wiring was damaged due to rodents chewing on the wiring insulation. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,489.
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
Light always appears on dashboard
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the steering wheel pulled to the left. The EPS, ABS, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the EPS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failed which rendered the AWD system useless for the vehicle. The car has been in the shop for 6 weeks and will likely be in the shop another at least another three because the PTU is on national backorder. This is the same failure that Jeep recently recalled for the previous year model Jeep Cherokee, but Jeep has not issued a recall on this year model.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
My husband was driving when both the oil light and the engine light came on. He lost power. Thankfully he was on a road with no traffic.The oil pump is not working. The engine needs to be replaced only after 3 years. Took it to the dealership, they told him that the engine would need to be replaced. He was then told he could drive it back home, he was in a different county than what we live. We to... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
The engine when it heats up drives so rough. Then the car completely shuts off. This creates such a dangerous situation when on the freeway. The motor needs to be replaced. I bought car from a used dealership and have only had 2 months and the motor is gone. Recall on certain motors is garbage because this motor is suffering from the same problem as the GDIs. I have an MDI. $15,000 down the drain.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at speeds over 40 MPH, the steering wheel became firm momentarily. The contact stated that the driver's assistance technology was turned off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
Dead battery issues and DCM battery issue
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
Intake Manifold is melted and leaking same year the EGR was replaced from recall.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
Forward Collision System Unavailable and Front Camera Blocked Clean Windshield. This alert populates when the temperature is below 40 degrees. I have taken it to the dealership they ran there diagnostic and said it only needed an update. Problem is still happening I believe this is a manufacture problem. My windshield is not obstructed by anything. This is the only vehicle we have, and I feel my k... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
Forward Collision System Unavailable and Front Camera Blocked Clean Windshield. This alert populates when the temperature is below 40 degrees. I have taken it to the dealership they ran there diagnostic and said it only needed an update. Problem is still happening I believe this is a manufacture problem. My windshield is not obstructed by anything. This is the only vehicle we have, and I feel my k... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
ON ACTIVATING AND SETTING CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE CORRECTLY MAINTAINS STEADY SPEED. WHEN PRESSING THE (+) BUTTON TO INCREASE SPEED, VEHICLE ACCELERATES BUT UPON REMOVING FINGER THE VEHICLE CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE UNTIL APPLYING BRAKES OR YOU DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTION. I'VE BEEN TO JEEP DELEAR TWICE AND THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE WHICH IS ABSURB. THEY SAID THE COMPUTER CONTROL UNIT WOULD HAVE... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle th... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Abs control module had went out twice in 3 years and hydrolic unit causing brakes to fail
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Vehicle was inspected at 50,000 miles by the dealer and report says that passenger side motor mount was leaking. They also said that the motor mount will deteriorate rapidly and will affect the safety of the vehicle.
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Vehicle was inspected at 50,000 miles by the dealer and report says that passenger side motor mount was leaking. They also said that the motor mount will deteriorate rapidly and will affect the safety of the vehicle.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
Volkswagen has a leaking head gasket and has been at the dealer for 3 months and Volkswagen and dealer do not have information on when part for the vehicle will arrive so the car is safe to drive
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made... Read more