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: Sep 9, 2023
Fuel pouring out from top of fuel tank while vehicle running
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
Twice within one month my Corolla experienced Sudden Unintended Acceleration. The first time I had just entered the parking lot of my local Star Market. I stopped for a man in the crosswalk and was just about to ease off the break when I saw a woman approaching the crosswalk so I stayed on my break. Suddenty the car revved up and went forward. I think it was so loud the woman heard it and... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
My car would randomly shut off at red lights, one time I was on a hill & thought I was going to roll back into the car in front of me. After restarting it would turn on. The radio would randomly shut off. We eventually replaced the battery. On a Fri.(Dec 17th) my car would not start, so my Husband drove the kids & I to school, upon my return the car started. He told me the wheel locks & I need to ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
My vehicle recently started showing warning/service lights for no reason; airbag, power steering, park lights, coolant, check engine etc. My engine would also keeps running even after removing the keys.. My battery would also be dead the next day (new battery) if battery is not disconnected . Power door locks , also stops working via fob and manual. While driving the power steering would also stop... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
While driving the vehicle, the car will stall without any warning. The oil light will display, as well as the check engine light, but only after the car shuts down and is not operational. This has occurred at least 4-5 times in the past year or so, the most recent 2 weeks ago. The stalls occur while the vehicle is in motion, and there is no prior warning given. The car has been hooked up to a co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
1.This is my new GLC 300 and after taking delivery and running for around 300 miles check engine light on my dashboard 2.Took it to Ray catena freehold service center and they kept this vehicle for 2 days and ran test and said no issues or no error codes found for the engine light 3. Service department said they cleared all the codes and updated the software and it should be good 4. After taking i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
Suffered a “ stop safely now” error message. The battery warning light came on. Vehicle was parked at the time and suffered this error which wouldn’t let me start or shift into gear. I already had the HVJB replaced last year, September 2022.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
WHILE DRIVING IN THE FREEWAY TRYING TO EXITING ALL OF SUDDEN I FEEL MY STEERING WHEEL MOVE ITSELF TOWARD THE CURVE AND TRYING TO BREAK AND STEER ITSELF AT THE SAME CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO CRASH AGAIST THE CURVE AND GO TO ON TOP MAKING ME LOOSE CONTROL OF STEERING WHEEL AND CRASHING TO THE CAR INFRONT OF ME, ALSO THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AT ALL, SEATBELT DID NOT PROTECT ME AT ALL IT WAS LOOSE, I END... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
Was driving, hit a moderate sized pothole and lost all power steering. Steering became extremely stiff and hard to turn. Was almost impossible to make turns to get out of the roadways. Vehicle had 42000 miles on it at the time of the incident. Steering rack needed to be replaced. Power steering rack should not fail under normal use conditions, especially when hitting said pothole did not dama... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
The right side started clicking out of no where when I turn the steering wheel
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
The right side started clicking out of no where when I turn the steering wheel
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
The right side started clicking out of no where when I turn the steering wheel
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Keep getting an intermittent ABS failure / check brake system light, which also turns off the cruise control. Ram says may need replacement of hydraulic control unit, but no parts available.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Unknown I didn’t have any accidents
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 not made aware of the issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
While driving the vehicle in the highway the service/malfunction indicator light (MIL, wrench symbol) turned on and the vehicle dramatically lost propulsion power limiting my acceleration/speed. I opened the Ford Pass App on my phone and the following messages were shown regarding the issue: "High-Voltage Battery Warning and Powertrain Malfunction/Reduce Power". The message in the app also indica... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
Purchased a duralast battery from AutoZone store #1299 in Hialeah in August 3rd and installed it. The staff was insistent that this battery was a direct replacement part for my lead acid battery. The car drove normally for approximately a month, and on the morning of September 6th started normally with no warning lights. After being driven less than a quarter mile, in slow-moving traffic, the car ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
First notices that volume control on steering wheel and temp and directional display stopped working about a year ago. Now air bag light stays on when car is started and alarm for seat belts quit working.
Incident date: Sep 7, 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, an abnormally strong fuel odor was detected. The following day, while starting the vehicle, the strong fuel odor was detected again. Additionally, the contact noticed fuel leaking from the fuel line onto the ground when the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the windshield had cracked with no external cause. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was the windshield was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle ahead slowed down, slid and stopped side ways, approximately two feet in the emergency lane and two feet in the left lane. The contact st... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the windshield had cracked with no external cause. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was the windshield was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle ahead slowed down, slid and stopped side ways, approximately two feet in the emergency lane and two feet in the left lane. The contact st... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and accelerating to merge onto the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. The contact continued driving but became aware that the engine was making an abn... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
While accelerating vehicle has a hitch and/or grinding sound like the transmission is slipping and/or can’t get in gear.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
The contact's sister owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, that the vehicle hesitated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the mechanic discovered that coolant had intruded into cylinder #1. Upon investigation, the contact thought that the vehicle would be covered under a Customer Satisfaction Program; however, the dealer informed him ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
Sudden and complete power loss while accelerating at stop light into an intersection, causing car to stop in the intersection. Error message briefly flashed on dashboard screen indicating failure of all wheel drive module. Estimated mileage fluctuated from 57 miles to 22 miles back to 50 miles. I turned the vehicle off and on several times, after second restart power was restored and the car d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that approximately 3 to 4 times while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle overheated and then stalled without warning. The failure had occurred at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure had escalated to the point where the vehicle was no longer drivable. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who diagnosed with c... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 45 MPH, the engine overheated warning alert indicated that he should stop driving the vehicle. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, he observed that the coolant level was abnormally low. After refilling the coolant reservoir, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality, but the failu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
There is no incident occurring to me .but I change some parts like head light.& whisper .engine .
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
My car shut off while I was driving it with no warning and almost caused an accident. I have already had spark plugs and battery replaced as well as routine maintenance and it has shut off on me 3 times already.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Transmission had randomly started to jerk and then stopped accelerating. Left me stranded on the side of the road on a 5 hour trip and when I turned it off and back on it would move very little and I could hear grinding noise from the gears. I had to get a tow truck which cost me 1.5 k to tow back to my house
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Transmission had randomly started to jerk and then stopped accelerating. Left me stranded on the side of the road on a 5 hour trip and when I turned it off and back on it would move very little and I could hear grinding noise from the gears. I had to get a tow truck which cost me 1.5 k to tow back to my house
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The emergency braking system warning light came on while I was stopped in rush hour traffic. No collision. Light is coming on every time I drive the car. Fear of the system automatically stopping my vehicle while driving without cause. The dealership refused to test the sensors without me paying for the service. This first started showing up on 8/28/2023. The front sensors warning stating "... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the retractor for the driver's side rear seat belt was inoperable. 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 was approximately 12,000.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
The first incident that occurred is that my car came to a complete stop while I was backing out of a driveway. I did not move at all while I pressed the accelerator (tried this while in drive and reverse), but my car stayed on. No lights or warning signals came up. Turned car off and on again, and I was able to drive away with no issues. Exactly 1 week later, I was trying to cross a 4-way intersec... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
Vehicle developed a death wabble at 98,000 miles and is getting worse. hit a bump and started to wobble violently and had to hit brakes and pull to side of road and stop to get to quit wobbling. happened two more times on the way home. thought i was going to loose control of vehicle.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
It states Coolant Temperature is to High, Car stops when driving, car wont start at times, Check engine light never goes on, mechanic has no idea what the issue is considering when driven. The teperature is normal.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact leaned against the driver's side door and the door swung open. The contact stated that the "door open" light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V502000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
I took the car in for a recall , 2 months ago and the car is still cutting off in traffic and at stop lights. This auto shut off , activates on its in and this dangerous.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
When the vehicle first starts, the headlights go through some sort of leveling routine and the light spread seems to illuminate a reasonable distance ahead of the vehicle. However, over as short as a few minutes of driving, the headlight seems to droop significantly and can result in only a very short section of road being illuminated ahead of the vehicle. This makes it very dangerous to drive a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2023
AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON. DEALER VERIFIED AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON. CONNECTED TO VIDA AND RECEIVED CODE (SRS-BB15381B HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY POWER SUPPLY DISCONNECT DEPLOYMENT LOOP CONTROL. GENERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURES. CIRCUIT RESISTANCE ABOVE THRESHOLD ). THEY REPLACED TERMINALS 11 & 12 IN THE LOW VOLTAGE CONNECTOR AT THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY. REFERENCING TJ 37119-0. MY VOLVO FACTORY EXTENDED WARRANTY WO... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
First off, Kia states that if there is not an illuminated check engine light, they cannot do anything for me …. I will post a photo of the instrument cluster if I can find where to do it. This issue has been going on for a couple months and it is steadily getting worse as time goes by there’s no rhyme or reason to why it does it just get in the car and start driving. You may make it 2 miles. Y... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
Rear camera works intermittently. The Ford Dealer service said it failed and it'll be 800.00 to fix... I passed on that... but now that I'm seeing other Fords with camera recalls, I wonder if this problem is related.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
Rear camera works intermittently. The Ford Dealer service said it failed and it'll be 800.00 to fix... I passed on that... but now that I'm seeing other Fords with camera recalls, I wonder if this problem is related.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
Engine brought up a check engine light. I had the light investigated at a ford dealership. Diagnostic test showed coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Code 304 and 316 present. Engine was consuming antifreeze to the tune of 1 tank of coolant a day blowing white smoke out of exhaust and overheating. This made me afraid of a fire because of coolant loss.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
My car has a overheating due to a faulty head gasket that is causing coolant to leak into the pistons.