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: Jun 20, 2023
Car accelerated without warning propelling me across a curb, street, then a second curb. The SUV was stopped upon impact at a concrete building. Fortunately there was no injury to others but the accident caused the car to be totalled by my insurance company. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The airbags did not deploy upon impact,
Crash
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
RECALL for repair of Back UP Camera because it intermittently stops working. XT4 has been taken in TWICE for this recall January and February of 2023. The camera continues to intermittently stop working. This problem needs to be resolved in order for vehicle to operate safely.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
Power steering issues light came on right before it happened
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
The sienna does not have a rear view camera when the entertainment system is in use. The TV blocks the mirror for the driver making it very unsafe to drive.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2023
Both ( Left and Right ) front door check strap attachment points have broken welds. This causes difficulty closing the doors and causes a loud auditable creaking noise when opening or closing the doors. Dealer attempted to fix issue by replacing the actual check strap on each side a total of 3 times before deciding it was a broken weld. By that time car was out of warranty and Ford declined to rep... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
Before this drivers headrest exploded on me striking my neck I was already totally disabled with known cervical issues from congenital spinal stenosis. I've had 3 disk diaections and cage pedicle screws fixation of L4 L5 S1. Previous to this exploding headrest injury I was attempting to get off social security obtaining online Google certifications. Friday the 7th of July not long after dark my ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
Before this drivers headrest exploded on me striking my neck I was already totally disabled with known cervical issues from congenital spinal stenosis. I've had 3 disk diaections and cage pedicle screws fixation of L4 L5 S1. Previous to this exploding headrest injury I was attempting to get off social security obtaining online Google certifications. Friday the 7th of July not long after dark my ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact owned a 2023 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud booming sound coming from the passenger’s side front of the vehicle nearby the wheel. The contact lost control of the vehicle, and the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact coasted to the side of the road where the vehicle eventually came to a stop. There wer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
My vehicle died on my driveway. I have no power, no lights, cant open my locked trunk. Checked voltage on the battery. It shows 12.6V (normal, so no need to jump start). Checked the same thing on the other side of the main harness (in the engine compartment). It shows zero. Something is wrong with the main harness. Towed it to the closest dealership. They confirmed. One of the contacts on the harn... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
The contact filed the complaint on behalf of the owner of the 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary and being serviced with the engine running, the service technician closed the front driver's side door and moments later the front and rear driver's side curtain air bags deployed. The contact stated that during the failure, there was no one seated in the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
Tesla Model Y purchased on 06/23/2023 from Springfield NJ center. I had 2 accidents on the same day. I having been driving in the US from more than 5 years and never had a scratch on my vehicle nor even a parking ticket. i drove approx 600 miles in 2 weeks. So I was very comfortable in driving the tesla model y. Date of incidents - 07/07/2023. At Tinton Falls NJ. I was trying to take a K turn on ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, and the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust tip. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the engine had overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
Failed Torque converter at 80, 000 miles leading to dangerous underperformance
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that there was a chip on the front windshield that was not caused by an impact. The front windshield was cracked. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to an auto glass shop. The vehicle was taken to the auto glass shop that replaced the front windshield, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that while her son was o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
I have need to get 3 oil changes within the past month and a half. Twice I was told I was driving with no oil in my car and the engine was getting ready to go. I notice when I start my car in the morning it is making a rattling noise, this also happens when I try to accelerate and the car will get stuck in gear and hesitate before speeding up. It's been dangerous trying to drive on this highway. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
While driving down I-5 South between Bay Area and LA, the vehicle applied brakes and sounded a collision warning when there was no apparent vehicle/obstruction in front of the car. Tesla's Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) was engaged at the time and the max speed was set to 75MPH. The speed reduced to ~60MPH before I intervened and pushed on the accelerator pedal.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
My instrument cluster stopped working yday. I could hear something inside or behind the steering wheel when I turned it. Obviously my clock spring has failed. I am pretty sure my car had a recall on this in the past. I haven’t had another ride to Little Rock to take my car for repairs. I can not afford to fix this. The part alone is over 400$. I understand it is very dangerous to drive. I have n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
My instrument cluster stopped working yday. I could hear something inside or behind the steering wheel when I turned it. Obviously my clock spring has failed. I am pretty sure my car had a recall on this in the past. I haven’t had another ride to Little Rock to take my car for repairs. I can not afford to fix this. The part alone is over 400$. I understand it is very dangerous to drive. I have n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
ABS light comes on frequently and disables the ABS and cruise control. I dings each time and does so frequently when I hit a bumpy road. Ram says the parts are back ordered and none are available. This should be a recall due to the anti skid control not working properly.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shut off with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The “Hybrid System Failure - Park Safely” message was displayed. The contact maneuvered the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic test s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
My family and I were driving from San Diego to Arizona on Interstate 8. I was utilizing autopilot (adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assistance) and 4 different times the car slammed on the brakes from approximately 75 mph to 60 mph. We were driving on a bright, sunny, extremely hot day (116 degrees). Luckily there were no cars behind us or we could have been rear-ended. It's also notewort... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
While attempting accelerate on the highway at 70 MPH the car entered "Engine power reduced" mode resulting in the car to slow down. This reduced speed resulted in a few near misses on the highway. The check engine light than began to flash for about 15 seconds before all the messages went away and normal driving conditions occurred. Taking it into the dealership they pulled from the computer th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
While attempting accelerate on the highway at 70 MPH the car entered "Engine power reduced" mode resulting in the car to slow down. This reduced speed resulted in a few near misses on the highway. The check engine light than began to flash for about 15 seconds before all the messages went away and normal driving conditions occurred. Taking it into the dealership they pulled from the computer th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
While I was driving along a freeway using autopilot cruise control, the car suddenly slammed its brakes even if there was no cars in front of us. I thought it was just a fluke but it happened at least twice if not thrice during that trip. There was at least an approximate of 3 miles gap between us and the car in front, so practically no cars in front. Had there any vehicles behind us, it would f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
Turning into parking lot vehicle shut down Engine stopped emergency brake came on 3rd time in 4 months 16000 miles on 2022 ram 1500 etorque
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
Turning into parking lot vehicle shut down Engine stopped emergency brake came on 3rd time in 4 months 16000 miles on 2022 ram 1500 etorque
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V632000 (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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
I was driving my 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. This car does NOT have Autopilot (because we do not trust that technology). We were traveling eastbound on I-8 just east of Exit 61 from San Diego to Arizona on Sunday July 16 at about 2:30pm. The weather conditions were not an issue; it was sunny and warm. I was in the left lane doing 77mph with the Cruise Control on. I had passed a vehicle in the r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
This is in reference to Hyundai Recall Number: 243, NHTSA Recall Number: 23V-180 Took my Hyundai to dealership on 3 different occasions for the intermittent wiper not working properly. It activates indiscriminately on clear sunny days and doesn't react to rain hitting the windshield. Three different times I took to dealership for this same problem including the safety recall. The problem still e... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a DTC reader and determined that the cause of the failure was a defective crank shaft, cam shaft, and oxygen sensors. Despite the repairs made to vehicle, the check engine light remained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where he was informed that coolant had ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
I was driving down a city street in Sacramento and the car just suddenly stopped- engine and everything was off. I could not get the car to turn back on. Emergency lights would not come on, it was if the entire electrical system was out. I was in the middle of the road, so needed to put hazards on to warn others and I could not. Cops came to place flares to warn other drivers after 35 minutes. No... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Car would just stall out while driving! Would have to put car in park and then try to turn back on. Also burning through oil very fast. Had to replace the timing belt just for 20K miles later having the same issue!
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
Electrical system rebooted in the middle of driving: screen went off couldn't signal i swayed to the side and waited till the screen came back on after 3 minutes.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear driver's side door failed to open. The contact removed the door and replaced the plastic ends with new metal ends. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,47... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Lexus IS250. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the radio and infotainment center failed to function properly. Additionally, there was a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the stereo amplifier located in the trunk was submerged in water. The location of the water intrusion was not determined. The local dealer a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
After about 30 minutes of driving the vehicle through the city and letting and sit in the parking lot, oil started leaking heavily. Eventually, the engine became completely seized and the starter began to release smoke nearly starting a fire. I looked inside the engine compartment and saw that the bearing had come loose and made a hole through the block. Before purchasing the vehicle, I used my sc... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
Driving, hit 40,5xx miles and ABS and traction control light was flickering on and off. Kept getting warnings to service ABS and Electronic Brake System. After 25 miles of on and off flickering and chimes which were extremely distracting, it turned on and stayed on permanently. I do not have ABS, Traction control or cruise control. This is a known issue with the 2017/2018 models, and Mopar does no... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
I find the design of the 2022 GLA Mercedes Benz to be flawed. Just the mere filling gas into the tank can cause the Charcoal Canister to go bad; causing the malfunction light to activate; unknown to consumers. A safety flap should be required over the gas hole to prevent any overflow. Although, the emission control system is covered under warranty - the dealership is trying to pass this on the co... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
I find the design of the 2022 GLA Mercedes Benz to be flawed. Just the mere filling gas into the tank can cause the Charcoal Canister to go bad; causing the malfunction light to activate; unknown to consumers. A safety flap should be required over the gas hole to prevent any overflow. Although, the emission control system is covered under warranty - the dealership is trying to pass this on the co... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
Unexpected Phantom Braking was experienced in this vehicle on a sunny day at mid day on I-30 going East through Arlington. The car was operating on Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Travelling at approx 70mph the vehicle suddenly slowed very quickly below 50 mph before I interceded to resume control of the accelerator to resume my speed before I was rear ended. This occured as I was approaching an ove... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that the BCI (Backup Collision Intervention) malfunction message was displayed on the instrument panel, causing the vehicle stop abruptly. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and the stop lamp switch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the stop lamp switch was replaced a secon... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he attempted to start the vehicle however, the engine failed to turn over. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to and independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed that the relay and fuses failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
Sudden unexplained Phantom Braking. Travelling on The Chisholm Trail Parkway tool road and while approaching an underpass the car suddenly applied brakes with no cars near me in front or to my sides. Fortunately there were no vehicles behind me. This similar situation also happened to me in my 2022 Model 3, so it is apparent that Tesla has not been able to resolve this long standing potentially se... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The bearing wore out at only 62,839 miles causing sudden and complete engine failure on the highway in the desert near Barstow California. We lost power and the car was shaking and spewing blue smoke from the tailpipes. We easily could have been rear ended at 70 mph but somehow managed to get off to the side of the road and at 2 mph make it up an exit ramp. We had to have the car towed 2 hours ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The bearing wore out at only 62,839 miles causing sudden and complete engine failure on the highway in the desert near Barstow California. We lost power and the car was shaking and spewing blue smoke from the tailpipes. We easily could have been rear ended at 70 mph but somehow managed to get off to the side of the road and at 2 mph make it up an exit ramp. We had to have the car towed 2 hours ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
Transmission randomly shifts out of gear while trying to accelerate creating an unsafe driving condition. This usually happens at Highway speeds.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
Hello, I have been having issues with my 2018 Ram 2500. The Service Traction Control and ABS lights on the dash have been flashing on and off constantly. Along with no Cruise Control when this happens. This has been going on now for about 3500 miles. I am still driving the vehicle due to being my only work truck. I have been doing some research along with talking to the Ram Service Departments... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
Driving truck and automatic changed to manual 4th gear - would not stay in automatic and would not go into any other manual gear at same time cruise stopped working along with the horn, seat belt light came on and would not go off , ESC light came on and did not go off, non of the steering wheel controls would work work , air bag light came in and would not go off , horn would not work at steerin... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
The vehicles low beams fail to properly illuminate the road, and create a significant blind spot in your vision. We bought a brand new 2023 Buick Enclave and noticed on the first night drive that the vehicles lighting has a very large blind spot where it fails to properly illuminate the road. When switching too high beams the blind spot is diminished but not eliminated. We immediately took the ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
Engine is froze ! Car is disabled!