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 16, 2023
The car was 4 months old when I was trying to get home when all of a sudden I noticed all the engine lights started to go out. With a few minutes on the road, the car automatically shut down in the middle of the road. My head almost hit the steering wheel and I was so close to hitting another car. I tried to start the car but it wouldn't start, the engine was making a strange noise and it smelled ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and lost motive power. The contact stated that the check engine and engine default warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the temperature gauge rose to the red zone. The contact pulled off the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that a big puff of wh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
NHTSA, VW has informed me that there is recall on my car that could cause life-threatening injuries to me or my children who drive the car. I first heard about the recall of the airbag in January 2023 on the news. I have contacted my dealer 3 times to get the airbag fixed and they tell me each time that they do not have a solution to fix my car. I believe I have waited patiently for 6 months wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
My 2015 Ford Fusion, which has under 76,000 miles, started making a noise and took more effort than usual to take a turn- and once turned (both sides), took a lot of effort to get back into neutral position. I brought the car to Jack Madden Ford in Norwood, MA, where they ran diagnostics on it- the steering column needs to be replaced. My concern is that there was a recall placed on some 2015 For... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH in heavy traffic, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and turned into a service station however, the vehicle stalled again and was unable to be restarted. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence. The vehicle had not... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
Hit a pot hole in a parking lot and the gas tank fell onto the ground. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the frame cross members and fuel tank straps are rusted/rotted and cannot support the tank.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
Ignition WIN module turns off while driving. Causes loss off power to the van while moving. Very dangerous! Chyrsler Town & Country has already issued a recall for this problem on 2009 & 2010 models. This recall needs to be extended to additional years & makes of Chysler products that use this ignition WIN module. Before people get killed.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
On the last road trip, my car emergently braked for no reason when using cruise control and autopilot causing safety issues for cars behind my vehicle. This happened at least 6 times on my 500-mile round trip. I reached out to Tesla service and was told there is no fix at this time. in my opinion this is a dangerous problem that needs addressing in an urgent manner.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact’s daughter owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact not to drive the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
This car advertises that it is capable of fast charging on a level 2 charger up to 50amp. I purchased a level 2 charger capable of 50amps, but it causes the EV6 to overheat and stop charging. The dealership installed TSB ELE-283 but this does not fix the problem and is not an acceptable fix. I have owned this car 5 months, and it has been to the dealership service department 3 times for failing to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently turned to the right and then to the left. As a result, the contact stated that he momentarily lost control of the vehicle and collided with a barrier wall before careening to the right again into traffic. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument p... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
My engine is burning oil and the mechanics are telling me it is very unusual for this to happen, there is a recall on my type of car and engine.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
My engine is burning oil and the mechanics are telling me it is very unusual for this to happen, there is a recall on my type of car and engine.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
While driving down the highway, I noticed my engine began to shake violently and began to make a strong knocking noise. The check engine light then illuminated and started blinking, indicating a serious problem. I immediately attempted to pull over because the car was no longer safe to drive. I waited a few hours on the side of the road and had the car towed to a mechanic shop. They told me that t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
All the plastic in the dashboard, including all the buttons that are essential for operating the car, starts melting, the labels on these essential buttons become unidentifiable, and it coats the fingertips and hands with melted sticky plastic which renders the driving experience not safe as one is trying to clean his/her hands from essentially glue. A quick google search shows this is an extremel... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in a rainstorm, the rear of the vehicle started to violently fishtail from side to side. The contact stopped and inspected the vehicle but found no failure. The vehicle was later re-inspected, and the contact discovered that the rear tires showed severe treadwear. The contact stated that the failure had oc... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
While driving on 15 freeway between Riverside CA to Las Vegas NV, I put the car in cruise control. While near Barstow, the car hard brakes dropping speed quickly. Luckily no other car was near. I changed lanes to pull on the side as I wasn’t sure what was happened, as it actually felt like the car had locked up. I did take the car out of cruise control and that seemed to fix the problem. I’ve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to fi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact’s daughter owned a 2023 GMC Acadia. The contact stated the seats were previously repaired at the local dealer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle caught fire. The fire had extinguished on its own. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or police reports filed. The contact called the local dealer who referred her to the insurance... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
I have been told by an independent Maine state inspection company that my left front frame rail has perforating corrosion and will not pass inspection. I have not had GMC inspect this yet but I do not think they will repair it. This truck is 10 years old and only has 59,000 miles on it. It looks like new (except for some rear bumper damage) It is unusable now and I'm afraid the left front suspens... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
A copy of this report is being submitted to the FBI, CIA, DOJ, my attorney and then I'm mailing it via USPS to my Attorney General [XXX] which responded to me about this car about a year ago saying she would investigate it. Yesterday my wife and I drove to Chevy and put a deposit on a new gasoline SUV. On the way back all the safety features disabled themselves and the car radio played "Break the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
My car has a steering problem and my car doesn't always drive straight. It is a serious problem when I have to react in a life and death situation when my car just jerks in the opposite direction of my steering.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
My car has a steering problem and my car doesn't always drive straight. It is a serious problem when I have to react in a life and death situation when my car just jerks in the opposite direction of my steering.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
My Tesla Model Y is experiencing phantom braking, due presumably to a faulty collission avoidance safety system. With cruise control enabled (not autopilot with lane keeping, only cruise control by depressing the stalk once vs. twice for lane keep) the car will phantom brake, where it slams on the brakes thinking their is a vehicle in its path when there is no vehicle in the front lane. This has ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power before stalling. The vehicle continued to roll forward before the driver was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; howeve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power before stalling. The vehicle continued to roll forward before the driver was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; howeve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
If we don't drive my car for a couple of days, we have to keep charging the battery. We keep buying batteries. For instance, the last battery was bought in 10/2022 and we're in 6/2023 and it's doing it again. This time we know it's not the battery. And before we were told it was the battery.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The rack and pinion isn’t working properly. Damaged.
TESLA
MODEL S
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
Jun 14, 2023
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated there was carbon monoxide fumes inside the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the exhaust manifold was cracked with fractured bolts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
While riding after a stoplight, the engine started malfunctioning and not responding. Noise came out apparently from the engine heads (sounded like the valve lifters) . Driver was unable to accelerate and take a street exit almost hitting another vehicle The truck was towed
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel hand activated controls ceased functioning. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to control of the vehicle however, the contact was unsure if the air bags would deploy in the event of a crash. The contact stated that the failure was intermitt... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
There was a factory recall to replace high pressure fuel delivery pump. Dodge dealership will not replace my pump. My truck stalls and loses power due to this faulty pump. All I get is the run around. Clearly from the recall description this is also a safety issue. I have ask the dodge dealership to do the repair and they said no money or orders are given from parent companies.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2023
I recently purchased my 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD that had the manufacturer’s undercoating done as a result of the LSC in 2013. The coating has failed and water was able to seep in causing massive rust on the frame. It is a safety hazard to drive at this point.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
Went on a 3,000 miles road trip and recorded countless bugs and safety issues. To keep this short and sweet because I’m pretty sure I’ve already broken the world record for DOT reports on a car without any intervention here’s some bullet points. 1. Car is falling extremely short of claimed mileage range. 2. Car refuses to charge or charges slow. 3. GPS is constantly wrong and sending me down... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
My headlights have been dangerously dim for about a year now. According to the dealer is not a simple bulb replacement situation. They are telling me that I need to replace both headlamp assemblies and the cost will be about $1300 total. ($650 per headlamp). It is extremely difficult to drive at night with these dim headlights. A significant safety issue. Yes. Not yet. No warning lights or me... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
Vehicle was involved in a collision in which the airbags failed to deploy. Vehicle was totaled.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
My 2021 Kia Sorrento has shut down and died while on a Highway drive 2 days in a row. The engine light comes on, the oil light comes on, and and the phrase “Engine Off. Shift to N then start engine” comes on. Prior to this, other issues were happening. Originally, my automatic start wasn’t working properly, and a Kia service advisor told me to “turn that feature off”. After that, while d... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, there was black smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she had experienced the failure on two separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer in March of 2023, where it was diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
I was driving home in the rain and felt the car automatically braking when there was no car or object in front of me. The car was also slow to accelerate because the brakes were automatically applied. 5 miles later numerous warnings appeared on the dash and the following error messages came through my Hondalink app: Electric Parking Brake Problem, CMBS Problem, Adaptive Cruise Control Problem, ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
I purchased a [Car Make, Model, Year] on [Date of Purchase] with the understanding that the vehicle was in excellent condition and safe for all passengers. Unfortunately, my experience has been far from satisfactory, as I have discovered multiple issues that were not disclosed to me during the purchase process. First and foremost, the car was misrepresented regarding its safety features and its su... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Kia Borrego EX. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle, while driving into her driveway, the vehicle inadvertently applied the brakes, bringing it to a sudden stop. As a result, the contact stated that her friend, who had been following her, collided with the rear of the vehicle. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated on the instrument pa... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
My power steering stopped working when I was driving on a highway. My safety was put at risk when suddenly it was very difficult and almost impossible to control the direction of travel of my truck. The problem was confirmed by Tomball Dodge in Tomball, Texas. The gear-rack and pinion was inspected by Tomball Dodge and they determined that it needed to be replaced. The charge for the repair was ap... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The incident first happend (and has been happening ever since) on I-8, I-10, I-20 east bound 2 days ago. Driving on EB I-8 with speed limits 75MPH, engaged Tesla's well touted onboard Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP) with Auto Steer control. There was no one ahead of us for over a mile. The weather was clear and sunny, time of incident around noon. Max speed was set to 75 on EAP. All of a sudden, we fe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The incident first happend (and has been happening ever since) on I-8, I-10, I-20 east bound 2 days ago. Driving on EB I-8 with speed limits 75MPH, engaged Tesla's well touted onboard Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP) with Auto Steer control. There was no one ahead of us for over a mile. The weather was clear and sunny, time of incident around noon. Max speed was set to 75 on EAP. All of a sudden, we fe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The incident first happend (and has been happening ever since) on I-8, I-10, I-20 east bound 2 days ago. Driving on EB I-8 with speed limits 75MPH, engaged Tesla's well touted onboard Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP) with Auto Steer control. There was no one ahead of us for over a mile. The weather was clear and sunny, time of incident around noon. Max speed was set to 75 on EAP. All of a sudden, we fe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
Hello, I'm contacting you re: the nationwide Hyundai Oil Consumption issue w/ certain makes & models. I own a 2017 Tuscon w/ just over 56K miles on it. Late last year, we drove my car from our home in Ky to Gatlinburg TN. While we were driving thru Cades Cove, my car acted up, so we found a local repair shop & they looked my car over & determined I needed 4 QUARTS OF OIL added! My car was almost ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
Hello, I'm contacting you re: the nationwide Hyundai Oil Consumption issue w/ certain makes & models. I own a 2017 Tuscon w/ just over 56K miles on it. Late last year, we drove my car from our home in Ky to Gatlinburg TN. While we were driving thru Cades Cove, my car acted up, so we found a local repair shop & they looked my car over & determined I needed 4 QUARTS OF OIL added! My car was almost ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the sunroof exploded without impact and glass fragments fell inside on the rear seats of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the sunroof needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The manufacturer was c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
2 weeks old car. 350 miles. Coming out of the shopping center, suddenly steering wheel did not steer. It was hard and saw the alert. Went to very close to opposite side of traffic and some how made it to across the road inside the shopping center