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 24, 2023
When stopped at a red light or in traffic, (on many occasions), my car will suddenly surge and accelerate. It's leads no many near rear end collisions. Sometimes it leads up to my engine stalling. Also have shuddering (like it wants to die) when driving on freeway. The re has been to many incidents to keep track of.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
When a phone is placed in the designated spot on the center console under the radio, it will fly backward upon acceleration. It has caused my phone to fly backward and unstrap my seatbelt while pulling onto a busy highway. I am not the only person this has happened to. This is a design flaw. The area beneath the radio where you are supposed to place your phone is not secure enough to hold an avera... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
While parked at a roadside rest for the night I heard a sound similar to cracking but didn’t think anything of it. The next day when the sun came up I noticed the windshield was cracking and had a few chips in it. The chips were not the cause of the cracking and came along the cracks but we’re not centrally located to the cracks meaning they were caused by the windshield cracking. The night be... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
We bought a 2018 Ford Escape 1.5 ecoboost. It was a one time owner. It had about 60,000 miles on it when we got it from a dealership in Montgomery AL. We drove the car for almost 2 months with no problems. All of a sudden out of no where it started leaking coolant. And taking it to the dealership it said it was running hot and popped up a message on the dash that said “high engine temperature dr... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
This car had transmission problems from the day I bought it. Then with less than 50,000 miles on it, it quit on the highway. I had it towed to the local Ford dealership where they charged me $150. to tell me the antifreeze had leaked into the engine and ruined the engine and it would cost me $9,000 to have it fixed.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
Maryland State Police Report [XXX] says: On [XXX], [XXX] was driving his 2018 Tesla Model S in Maryland on what is known in the DMV as the important highway, "The Beltway". According to Police Report [XXX], "Unit 1 was traveling southbound in Lane 1 on [XXX]. The Autopilot feature on the Tesla was engaged. The Autopilot malfunctioned causing the Tesla to lose control and leave the highway on... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
The frame of this vehicle has deteriorated to the point of becoming a safety hazard. The frame has rusted through over 50% of the thickness (internally) and has broken through to the outside in several areas around where the suspension and transmission attach. I recognize that this is an older vehicle, but it has larger percentage of rust than other vehicles I have owned and I do not believe it ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing in the rain, the back-up camera image was distorted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the failure might be due to a leak. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
My 2016 Mazda CX-9 2.5l Touring has approx 67,500 miles. I noticed the "sweet" smell of coolant after driving. The temp gauge was not showing signs of overheating. I checked under the hood and coolant level in radiator and reserve tank were normal. I also did not see any coolant leak/patches under the car. Few days later the car temperature gauge shot past the 1/2 mark. i stopped the care let ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
"Shift to park Warning light" comes on when turning off vehicle when vehicle is in park.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2021
While driving down our sloped driveway with nothing in front of us, the automatic braking kicked in and brought our car to a very sudden halt without warning. The passenger was wearing a seatbelt and got thrown forward, causing soreness and mild injury to his shoulders. The problem has not been examined by the dealership. We adjusted the sensitivity level of this system to low as a result.
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 8, 2021
I’ve been waiting for a recall fix for the Y78 on my Ram Cummins. My dealer keeps saying they only get in a couple of the high pressure fuel pumps every few weeks. I’ve started the process back in December with no estimated wait time other than it will be many months before they fix it. I know many people who have but a direct replacement pump that will remedy the problem and have been reimb... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
My wife driving it all light come on. Take it to shop high-pressure fuel intake had low pressure. Tool cost a lot for an independent shop. Had to tow it to the dealer to be fixed. At dealer found high-pressure fuel pump was bad 1300 dollars to fix. No way a 2020 Honda with 78,000 miles
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 MPH the braking system suddenly activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. Smoke was then seen coming from under the front end of the vehicle. After the contact exited the vehicle flames and smoke began to engulf the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The v... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
On 05Jun23, EQS 450+ suddenly reduced the speed to 30mph on the SRT highway while I was driving with cruise control set to 70mph. This creates sudden deceleration in the car and slow down as well as on the left lane traffic where there was a following car behind me with high speed. This happens multiple times when I was driving on the different highways in Texas as well as in FM roads. Car’s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
Windshield and door trim is coming unglued and flaps while driving normal highway speeds.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
I was driving down the road after I bought the car and the steering suddenly went out the DIC said "service esc" and "service traction" and I could barely move the steering wheel I was lucky to be on a country road because if I was on the highway I could have lost complete control and caused an accident I took it to a mechanic and they said "the dielectric grease in the bcm connector wore out" whe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
My 2022 Mercedes GLE 350 With distronic adaptive cruise control accelerates with the cruise control disabled. It's happened about a dozen times since I purchased the vehicle in September of 2022. All acceleration issues occurred at low speed while turning. Right after I release the brake while turning my car accelerates like the distronic cruise control is engaged eventhough I just braked and it'... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
My 2022 Mercedes GLE 350 With distronic adaptive cruise control accelerates with the cruise control disabled. It's happened about a dozen times since I purchased the vehicle in September of 2022. All acceleration issues occurred at low speed while turning. Right after I release the brake while turning my car accelerates like the distronic cruise control is engaged eventhough I just braked and it'... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2023
The Power Steering Control Module adn the Rack & Pinion Assembly had to be replaced.
Incident date: May 25, 2023
Low speed braking. No warning lamps or messages. When creeping forward and then applying brake boost is lost. Intermittent so the driver may not be able to anticipate when braking will change.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel inadvertently lost electrical power; however, upon restarting the vehicle, the instrument panel returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the in... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Check Electric Vehicle System" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the heater sensor was replaced; however, the failure re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 67 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to approximately 25-30 MPH while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. After pulling over to the side of the roadway, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 67 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to approximately 25-30 MPH while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. After pulling over to the side of the roadway, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while starting and driving the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the "Power Reduced", "Malfunction", and "Service Now", messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed but t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
hit skip acident 12/25/2022 Germain Body Shop, Powell, Ohio for repair Computer module airbag system -part number 959103w800 not available as of 6/20/2023 The repair shop is aware of the liability. Can not release, State of Ohio laws. Confirmed from Germain Kia Columbus, the email part is been on backorder.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
The sun/moon roof glass on our 2015 Acura MDX spontaneously shattered while my wife was driving down a major thoroughfare in our area. If the inside cover below the glass had been open, my wife could have been seriously injured by falling shards of glass. Furthermore, she could have been easily distracted and involved in an accident by the loud, exploding sound of the glass shattering. An inspe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Check engine light on 2016 GMC Sierra, PO710 and PO711, took to local mechanic and notified me there is a service bulletin related to issue but VIN# shows no recall, below is the service bulletin found online. PIP5700 8L45 8L90 Internal Wiring Harness I
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
Vehicle activated emergency braking system for no apparent reason. If a vehicle would have been behind us, it may have collided with us. The brake released at around 10 mph.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
Loss of motive power on highway, even after manufacture recall software upgrade.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
When driving on a longer trip, I have repeated sudden deceleration and sometimes harsh braking when using cruise control. This has also happened in normal daytime hours with no traffic around me on rural interstates. On my last trip, I had to keep my foot on the accelerator to keep the car at a constant speed. It is unnerving to me and very scary for passengers. It has made it impossible to use cr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, no error code was retrieved. The failure recurred while the contact was driving at 60 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to Serra Hyundai (1503 Gadsden Hwy, Trussvi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that while driving 35 M... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Service Electronic brakes and service abs system along with abs light, traction control light and cruise control wont work. First issue happened at 36,000 miles covered under warranty. Vehicle now has 53,000 miles and same issue is back. Vehicle could have brakes abs system fail and cause a wreck. OEM parts are on a long wait list. After reading hours of reports online of many other vehicles and ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
Engine seized. No check engine lights on. Was driving and it made an awful noise and that was it. We have not drove it since. Took it to our local auto mechanic he refused to touch it. Told us it needed a new engine. We are an hour and half a way from a kia dealership. We can't afford to have ot towed that far. I am making payments on a car that i can not drive. I have called kia many times to see... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
I purchased this truck brand new and am the original owner. This truck has been in the dealers procession probably over 50 times and in the shop probably close to 200 days. Most all repairs have been about computer, smog, or other engine problems. Chrysler has extended my warranty out into 2025 and extended the miles to 125k . I currently have 82k miles. It just was in the dealer 1 month ago and c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
I was driving through an intersection. My automatic brakes activated for no reason, my car rapidly slowed down in the middle of an intersection, a bus hit my car from behind.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Fuel gauge was at 3/4 tank. Parked on slight incline for 2 hours. On drive home noticed fuel gauge was reading completely full. Fuel gauge has issues after parking on incline.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
On Sunday, 6/18/2023, a little after 9pm, I was STOPPED at a traffic light outside the Shell station at 600 S Michigan St, Seattle, WA. Whilst waiting for the traffic light to turn green, the sunroof exploded from the inside out! (Traffic camera should confirm the sudden hole in my sunroof) It was an EXTREMELY loud bang and initially I thought someone threw a large rock at my cars' window. Howeve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact’s daughter owns a 2017 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted on the third attempt and the vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
After I come to a complete stop with the vehicle in drive, the vehicle will roll backwards and with such speed that the read camera will come on. The transmission is in drive the entire time.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
On June 3, 2023 I found out that my EV6 was no longer charging, and that I could not open my doors or my trunk with my key fob. Nor could I start the engine. It turned out that my 12v battery was drained. As I never left my headlights or doors open overnight, I had no clue why the 12v battery was suddenly inoperable. I called AAA roadside assistance to have my 12v battery jumped. On June 4, 20... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
1:Brake fail when trying to stop the car after the accident. The car is available for inspection at Arrow towing service Oklahoma City. 2: After the car accident the car keep going can't stop got Tee boned and my passenger broke his legs and ankles, elbow. 3: No, the problem has not be discussed with the dealer or manufacturer yet. 4: No one, including police, insurance have been inspect it. 5: No... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
I was driving my car when suddenly it started losing power while I was driving 70 - 80mph, and I noticed two messages on the screen: "power limited, schedule service" and "power reduced” and then my car would no longer drive above 50 - 55mph and the heat in the car was reduced . Concerned about the issue, I promptly contacted Tesla to have my vehicle serviced. However, to my surprise, after perf... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
While driving on a fairly rough highway I'm AZ, 180A, traveling about 50 mph over bumps and repaired cracks in the pavement, the steering wobbled and shook which did not seem far out of the ordinary on this particular stretch of highway. Suddenly, without warning, the steering failed causing loss of control of the vehicle, the driver was unable to steer the truck which veered off the road and sen... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
Center LCD SCREEN bubbling and leaking fluid from panel into car.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
Brakes failed and myself and others were in harms way. To my knowledge the car was totaled as the air bags did deploy.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
My vehicle stalls on me and shuts off while driving. Brought it to the dealership at Quinn motors Gloucester, VA where I get all my oil changes done. They couldn't duplicate it. But it happens a couple times a month. I'll have to pull off as it's stalled. Turn it completly off then back on. Sometimes it starts back up and sometimes I have to wait a minute or two. I have blocked traffic numerous ti... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
During phone calls, the system would start making sparking noises and stall the calls. While navigation was input parts of the screen would disappear. While backing up, the rear cameras would freeze and stall. The rear camera freezing had caused us to get into an accident, and caused us to have 4 near misses. When I was trying to download the latest software release, the software download froz... Read more
Crash