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: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was smoke and a burning odor enterin... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was smoke and a burning odor enterin... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
ABS malfunction. Power steering and brakes go in and out of operation due to a communication error. All lights come on dash, engine light stays on. Occurs mainly when vehicle is hot during summer or above 65mph highway driving. Safety concern as vehicle power steering is unpredictable during this time. The Drive shaft locks in park and requires manual override when lights are on, but then without ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
ABS malfunction. Power steering and brakes go in and out of operation due to a communication error. All lights come on dash, engine light stays on. Occurs mainly when vehicle is hot during summer or above 65mph highway driving. Safety concern as vehicle power steering is unpredictable during this time. The Drive shaft locks in park and requires manual override when lights are on, but then without ... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2025
Valve body failure 72000 miles and warranty ended at 60000
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
While attempting to park my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 at less than 5 mph, the steering wheel suddenly jerked on its own, the StabiliTrak warning light turned on, the dashboard flickered, and the entire electrical system briefly shut off. The anti-theft light also came on during this incident. After restarting the vehicle, it temporarily returned to normal, but this kind of malfunction is extremely dang... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Phantom braking (as it's referred to by experts) happened to me twice on the highway using Traffic-Aware-Cruise-Control. Very scary. I was on cruise control going 60 mph when suddenly my car braked suddenly and inappropriately, losing at least 20 mph in a split second before I was able to slam on the accelerator and prevent an accident (rear-end collision). This happened TWICE in the course of 5... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
My wife drove the 2024 Tahoe with 13,464 miles to Florida for a beach trip with the kids. The car stopped working while she was driving. The vehicle flashed and the automatic transmission wasn’t changing gears. She manually shifted the gears until arriving at a safe place. The dealer states it is the transmission valve body that needs replaced. The part is on back order and from what the dealer ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
The gear handle, when I place in park, will NOT park, therefore, I am not able to turn off my car. I have to jiggle, push start button and try over and over. This is a 2 .5 year old vehicle.Warning alert comes on stating the obvious, Unable to park! Also, it sounds like when I do drive of like the dragging, rough sound, which sounds like the gear is not fully in drive. Again, this is a new veh... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Was stopped at a red light behind the car in front of me. I was stopped at a appropriate distance from the car in front of me. I had my right foot on the brake pedal, when the car accelerated on its own. It launched its self into the car ahead of me. I looked down and my foot was still on the brake pedal. None of the air bags inside the car deployed.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 4, 2025
The touchscreen is completely malfunctioning and unusable. It started off as a one off incident during a very hot streak in the summer of 2024. I wrote it off and a fluke because of the temperature. 9 months later and the screen is constantly going haywire with ghost touches. Every feature that is controlled through that screen fails. Even using the controls on the steering wheel fail to work when... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
I pulled into a parking space and as I slowed to a stop my car surged forward. I put my foot on the brake and the car continued to surge for a few seconds before the brakes engaged. I almost hit a fence and had to circle my car on a grassy lawn until the brakes egaged and I was able to park the car.
Incident date: May 5, 2025
I was driving my 2026 Tesla Model Y when another vehicle pulled out from a driveway and struck the front/side of my car. The Tesla failed to initiate Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and no airbags deployed. This raises serious concerns about the functionality of Tesla’s safety systems in real-world scenarios. The vehicle has not been modified in any way and was in standard driving mode. I ha... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle intermittently stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
My vehicle doesn’t read the oil level since the fuel pump that BMW used to manufacture the car is made out of plastic material. There has been hundred of complaints about the same issue with the oil pump not working properly due to the fact that BMW used plastic instead of metal etc. I would like for the NHTSA to take a look at this issue and please consider making it a recall for the users that... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
Our Tesla Model X is failing recently with several issues as listed below: 1. 'Autiopilot disabled' - Autopilot was not available to use since 09/2024 after upgraded to 12.x FSD upgrade. Tesla service diagnosed in 11/2024 with some error connected to evaporator fan, advised me to replace the kit at an estimated $580 2. 'Unable to start' - HV battery failed on 03/06/2025 with series of failur... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
My Ford Escape has had coolant leak into engine block, causing damage to cylinders and cylinder misfires, detailed in this service bulletin: [XXX] . The car has been checked by my mechanic, who confirms the problem. Dealership acknowledges that this problem is real and has had many customers who have had to replace motors because of it but says there has been no recall or extended warranty in res... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
My Ford Escape has had coolant leak into engine block, causing damage to cylinders and cylinder misfires, detailed in this service bulletin: [XXX] . The car has been checked by my mechanic, who confirms the problem. Dealership acknowledges that this problem is real and has had many customers who have had to replace motors because of it but says there has been no recall or extended warranty in res... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
Complaint to NHTSA – Honda HR-V Transmission Failure and Safety Risk I purchased a used 2018 Honda HR-V, and the day after purchase, I noticed unusual noises coming from the vehicle. I took it to a certified Honda dealer, where they updated the transmission software without my consent or prior notice. After the update, the car suddenly stalled on the highway, creating a serious safety risk. The... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
Had an oil leak suddenly appear on the vehicle with only 55400 miles. Found there are technical service bulletins for this motor that the head cracks causing leaks. It is on many forums. Reached out to Mazda and got zero help
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Approximately 4to6 months after I bought my jeep following issues: electric bolt comes on. At a red light engine shuts off. Have to stop in middle of traffic to restart and pra it restarts. Sometimes this takes 3 or 4 tries. Sometimes many times when I try to start my car will not start. Many times I am unable to shift the jeep and takes 40 min to get the throttle into gear. Wheel locks. Windshiel... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
Software 2025.14.1, Full Self Driving 12.6.4 (FSD). Vehicle when using FSD continuously slows to 10 MPH below the speed limit. You can manually press the accelerator to speed up but FSD will not brake when doing so and warns you of the same. After a minute of being back at the speed limit, FSD again slows down. Repeat this process constantly. Very dangerous.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
Software 2025.14.1, Full Self Driving 12.6.4 (FSD). Vehicle when using FSD continuously slows to 10 MPH below the speed limit. You can manually press the accelerator to speed up but FSD will not brake when doing so and warns you of the same. After a minute of being back at the speed limit, FSD again slows down. Repeat this process constantly. Very dangerous.
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Yesterday afternoon after running errands, my car was off and in my driveway. Within 15 minutes I noticed it was smoking. When I opened the hood. The engine was on fire. I attempted to put it out but was unsuccessful. 911 was called and responded to put the flame out. The car was destroyed. I recently had my engine resealed and turbo replaced at a Hyundai dealership. I picked up my car following r... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Warning chimes and tones go silent intermittently, thus not providing audible alerts to the driver of vehicle problems and/or warnings. The problem has been reported and confirmed by a GM dealership. The dealership confirmed that there is a bulletin within the GM system that there is a problem however there is no current fix. This problem has existed for over 10 months of ownership. There is ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
Wy wife and I drove our Tesla Model 3 from Palo Alto, CA to San Francisco downtown, to meet friends. I was the driver, and my wife sat on the passenger seat. The weather was clear, and the pavement was dry. I did not engage auto-pilot features during the entire trip. The car condition was normal with no signs of error or warning. I made a right turn onto [XXX] from [XXX] Shortly after I complet... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
Backup camera fails to open much of the time or fails to stay active when in reverse. Sensors are also disabled when the camera fails.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
I purchased this vehicle on[XXX]. I was advised that there was an open recall for the O2 SENSOR. On 11/11/24, I took this vehicle to LOU BACHRODT in Coconut Creek,Fl. where they performed the recall. Shortly after having the recall done my vehicle's check engine light came on and then would turn off and continue to come intermittently. I took it to one of my local parts store that does the check e... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
If you are on a hill and you accidently press both the brake an accelerator, the car will fall to neutral and free roll. In whatever direction is downhill. I have big feet. Happened again to me, I bumped the brake pedal (but not enough to apply the brakes to stop) when attempting to pull forwards slowly and my car beeped with the "both pedals detected pressed" alert. and then it free rolled backw... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
Recall campaign # 24V865000 (Roll away OTA- 2.0) OTA updated on 7/1/2024 after the the updated the V12 battery was dead and our car was bricked for 6 months and it cost us $1,400 to unbrick and part replacement and our Fisker technician told us our car has drive unit software discrepancies therefore it can't take any software update until it fix On 2/26/2025 American Lease Company pushing over OT... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
Recall campaign # 24V865000 (Roll away OTA- 2.0) OTA updated on 7/1/2024 after the the updated the V12 battery was dead and our car was bricked for 6 months and it cost us $1,400 to unbrick and part replacement and our Fisker technician told us our car has drive unit software discrepancies therefore it can't take any software update until it fix On 2/26/2025 American Lease Company pushing over OT... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
This car becomes completely undriveable due to an unspecified def error. The error it turns out seems to be tied to an electrical wiring harness which costs about 8000$ dollars to repair btw and seems to be chronic due to a design flaw on all the titan xds. It becomes damaged by water due to a design flaw in the tail light oddly enough. Look at the Nissan Forum for more info. [XXX] INFORMATION ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Common problem amongst Can Am Ryker riders. When making a sweeping left turn between 20-40 mph, the right front wheel will brake/accelerate on it's own and the bike will jerk. It also causes the right wheel to wobble forcing me to accelerate or decelerate to retain control of the bike. I quick google search produced hundreds of other riders experiencing the same issue and that BRP/Can Am does not ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
Passenger safety restraint system fault error appears on and off without any correlation to driving conditions or passenger presence. This error is potentially deadly since it will cause the passenger airbag not to deploy in an accident.
Incident date: May 2, 2025
Back-up camera will display images backward and poses a collision hazard as driver won’t know which direction cars or pedestrians are coming from.
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The rearview camera intermittently goes blank or displays an image that is distorted. When this occurs the camera does not display an image that allows me to see behind the vehicle. This is a reoccurring problem.
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that the exterior lights of the vehicle were flashing erratically, and the tailgate was opening unintendedly. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced erratic transmission shifts, and the vehicle was jerking and made an abnormal clunking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that the exterior lights of the vehicle were flashing erratically, and the tailgate was opening unintendedly. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced erratic transmission shifts, and the vehicle was jerking and made an abnormal clunking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The con... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. Parts di... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The buttons to the door locking and unlocking don't work unless I open and close my door a few times. The same thing with the back windows. But after you do the trick and use the intended button once, it stops working and have to repeat the entire process over again. Which is not safe especially when the car is in motion, I am not able to use those buttons at all.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
Complete engine replacement at 174 miles. Lifters on left bank replaced at approximately 28,000 miles. Lifters right bank replaced at approximately 58,000 miles.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Steering assist reduced. It has been faulty for the past six months and auto pilot doesn’t work. Not repaired as the cost of repair is 5K.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The car no longer recognizes when shifted into Park. It will not allow things like door locks and so on.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Since I purchased the vehicle, I have experienced recurring problems with the starter system, affecting the car's performance and reliability. Despite receiving regular maintenance and being evaluated at the authorized Subaru dealership in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the issue remains unresolved. I was informed that even if I replace the part with a new one, the failure could continue, as the component... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
I just traded in my vehicle for a Tesla from 3rd party dealership on [XXX] A light came on once I reached my home. I called right away before the dealership closed but no one answered. So I took it upon myself to make a service call to Tesla to get my vehicle checked come to find out my vehicle has extensive damages from my unit drive, my subframe and the battery pack is severe punctures and needs... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
I purchased the vehicle December 29 of 2020 and it was already stiff and difficult to drive. When driving above 20 mph the steering wheel gets stiff/ sticky and starts making clicking noises. It becomes harder to turn and remain in the lane. You have to jolt the steering wheel. There are no visible indications that there is an issue with the steering. Dealerships have conducted many multi point in... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The MMI (multi-media interface) frequently reboots during driving, resulting in a black screen and the inoperability of key systems such as the backup camera, rear obstacle detection, navigation, and cell phone tethering (for hands-free operation). These reboots require user input, including entering a PIN to log into the user account (if set up) and repeatedly tapping on the MMI, which can be hig... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The message/warning light keeps coming on: Stop/start Unavailable - Service stop/start system. This feature is suppose to help reduce the amount of harmful emissions released into the air! Some times this causes the engine/transmission to clunk. Seems to maybe a common issue with the Jeeps. Save fuel from burning while the car is stationary. Such a great feature and is doesn't work!