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: Feb 19, 2025
Static through speakers - possible cause, alternator, spark plugs, or faulty wiring. Passenger air bag light - comes on and off on its own randomly. Overheats - with fluids all topped off and car parked and running for 5 minutes it will start extremely overheating with visible smoke. Not sure why. Wire cover - plastic panel on ground towards front of door on driver side needs better coverage... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Starting at around 12k miles, my odometer started flashing and backup cameras completely stopped working, unable to see while backing up, at the same time the active lane management and auto emergency braking went out as well, took my car into the dealership and was told pam module was not good and covered under manufacturer warranty, even after pam module was replaced, the active lane management ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Starting at around 12k miles, my odometer started flashing and backup cameras completely stopped working, unable to see while backing up, at the same time the active lane management and auto emergency braking went out as well, took my car into the dealership and was told pam module was not good and covered under manufacturer warranty, even after pam module was replaced, the active lane management ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-350. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera failed to function as intended. In addition, an error message indicated that the camera was unavailable and to contact the dealer. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera screen would display a black screen or a black screen with lines. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the transmission would downshift, and the vehicle was aggressively shaking while idling and while depressing the brake pedal. While driving approximately 35 - 40 MPH, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Service message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
I was getting on the freeway and all of a sudden a lost power and heard a loud clunking noise. I drove as fast as I could to get in a safe area. Afterwards I had my vehicle towed to my mechanic. They said engine failure and possibly transmission failure. They found metal shavings in the oil. I had changed it myself a few weeks prior. I then took it to a gm dealer. I was just outside my powertrain ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
I bought the car in December and I was only able to take it out on the road in January, when it started to have problems with the software and brake system. I brought it to the dealer's workshop where I bought it, but they haven't solved anything and they say that the faults the car presents are normal.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
Driving on the highway going 65 mph the engine started making a ticking noise and all of the sudden the car died and barely made it to the shoulder and after that the car wouldn’t start or nothing. Now the dealership had the car for a couple weeks already and still no update on when it’s getting fixed
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on a main road at 45 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle under the hood and discovered that the engine oil was low and appeared to be mixed with water. The vehicle was towed to a local... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle shuddered while the transmission was shifting into the next gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with an OBD II code reader, the contact retrieved diagnostic trouble codes indicating a starter failure. However, upon investigating the failure o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
My wife was driving the car on March 7th 2025. Before she leaves the house, she had her front defroster on and the windshield was clear before she leaves the house. 5 minutes later, the front windshield became so foggy to the point she could not see anything in front of her and the front defroster was still on. And because of that so foggy windshield she moved out of her lane with no lane departur... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The leaf spring on the rear driver side is not lined up and off centered. Other trucks of this model year have also been reported on numerous forums.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
Porsche is making use of aluminum fasteners for important engine components. These fasteners are substandard for the service. At 100,000 miles, two of the bolts for the timing chain cover simply broke in half during normal service, resulting in a substantial oil leak and an expensive repair (about $3000). At 120,000 miles, one of the bolts for the valve cover also simply broke in half, resulting i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
I have the RNS510 radio which the NHTSA has received concerns about and there are several Tec Bulletins in regards to the radio not functioning properly. When this radio goes out due to the need of over priced software update, we loose our Bluetooth and backup cameras! Backup camera we installed so the drive could make sure they were not running over any small children on the ground and when that ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
My 2020 Tesla Model 3 has displayed a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault - Service is required" error since June 2023. This error has persisted for well over a year despite troubleshooting attempts, such as restarting the vehicle and checking for obstructions. Tesla service quoted over $400 to repair this issue, but I believe this is a basic safety-related defect that should be covered... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The engine has known defects, however is not on the engine replacement campaign. Failed at 114k miles. KIA refuses to acknowledge known defects. Dealer confirmed bad engine. Second opinion confirmed also. No warning or service engine lights. All oil changes were arouond 3k miles. Started with a slight ticking noise that progressivly got worse.. Driviability is fine. So this proves KIA has defec... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
On [XXX] at approximately [XXX], my [XXX] Daughter was using my car to go to work. When she called us and informed my husband that the car did not start. At that point he asked to video call him so that he can visually see what was going on. She was directed to turn on the car again at and that point, the car started then smoke was noticed from coming out of the hood. My daughter managed to ope... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
The Malfunction symbol/ABS light comes on once a week & will not allow me to crank my car and i have to jump it off to get it back started. My car is bought from a rental car agency Jan 2025 who provided me the receipts that the car was taken care of properly. Within the first week of purchase, the vehicle would not start & the malfunction and/or ABS symbol would appear and happens once a week sin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
Car started sputtering and code said misfire Dealership said it was the mass air sensor said they fixed it but symptoms continued when I picked up my vehicle Issue sounds like the recall reason of the fuel pump
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction, nearly causing a head-on collision. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed of an unknown recall related to the failure and was advised t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The temperature sensor keeps breaking down after using the car under normal conditions for 1–2 months of use. I have changed it a few times, as well as the electrical harnesses and connectors, and the problem persists.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 20 MPH with a message was displayed "School Zone, 20 MPH", however the contact was not driving in a School Zone during the failure. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel and the center console display went blank. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The headlights are either too bright or aimed poorly that it blinds oncoming traffic, who frequently flash their high beams at me. This occurs without any load in back and without me using the high beams. Can Toyota either adjust the bulbs or place a film on the headlights to prevent blinding oncoming traffic? Thank you!
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
Towards the end of the summer of 2024 I received a recall notice #79B, rearview camera visibility. I brought my vehicle to Rockland CJD in Nanuet in September 2024, I was informed at that time that there was not a repair to correct the situation. I have since received another recall notice #97A also rearview camera visibility. I brought my vehicle to Rockland CJD today 04/10/2025 for service and t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
My 2020 Ford Expedition was repaired by Ford (under the power train warranty) in early 2024 for down shifting and loss of power when attempting to accelerate. That repair took multiple weeks. Last week (March 2025), while driving on the highway at 75mph, the vehicle lost all acceleration and the power train warning light came on. We pulled over since we could not accelerate. The vehicle was bro... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
Car had scheduled routine maintenance done on February 15, 2025 where tires were rotated and balanced. About a month later, the rear differential failed. Car only has 87,000 miles on it and was not driven in any excessive manner. Wheel bearings made noise for two days and then the differential failed before car was able to be seen by the repair shop. This is an example of a critical flaw in the di... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
Car had scheduled routine maintenance done on February 15, 2025 where tires were rotated and balanced. About a month later, the rear differential failed. Car only has 87,000 miles on it and was not driven in any excessive manner. Wheel bearings made noise for two days and then the differential failed before car was able to be seen by the repair shop. This is an example of a critical flaw in the di... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
Hello. I am following up with the previous safety report I submitted for my vehicle. I just received an updated repair estimate citing the parts that will need replaced (pdf attached). I also confirmed with the service advisor that the functionality of the safety restraint system may be impacted by this issue, however, Tesla still wants to charge drivers $1,300 for this repair.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The primary issue is a shuddering or jerking sensation when accelerating from a stop or during low-speed maneuvers, especially during the 1st to 2nd gear shift. delayed shifting, slipping gears, and even the vehicle shifting into neutral at inappropriate times.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The rear brake line has heat damage and needs to be replaced. Recall was done to it, but it is NOT adequate.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); 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... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
Delamination of instrument cluster, difficult to read air pressure, engine & transmission temp, engine tach. This is an ongoing problem, seems to be increasing area of distortion. First noticed 9/2024 approximate date.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
On January 27th I was driving home on I-495 in the far left lane going about 70MPH when the electrical warning light came on. Telling me to stop the car and take to the dealership. While I was trying to get over into my far right lane, the car went from 70mph to 25 mph in about 40 seconds! Cars were flying all around me! It was terrifying and incredibly dangerous! The dealership discovered my ICC... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) — STRUCTURE
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and attempting to decelerate, the front end of the vehicle began to drift to the right while the rear drifted to the left. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failu... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) — LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
While driving with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system engaged, my vehicle struck two standard traffic cones in a clearly marked construction zone. The system failed to detect the cones or make any evasive action. I have video evidence of the incident. The situation was extremely dangerous. The cones could easily have been construction workers, pedestrians, or something more severe. I hesitate... Read more
Crash
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
Roof panel between windshield and panoramic sunroof has developed fine hairline fractures on the polycarbonate panel. Why wasn't my vehicle included in recall 21V-197? Thanks for your time.
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) — WHEELS
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
Vehicle vibrates at highway speeds starting at 65-70 mph and above. The vibration can be felt thought the steering wheel, after long periods of driving it leads to numb hands. The continuous vibration will cause premature damage to other systems of the vehicle (drive-train and fluid leaks).
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
Jeeps are currently recalled for PTU for 2017-2019 models. Symptoms in clude "Service 4WD" message on the dashboard, unusual noises, vibrations, or changes in how vehicle drive. My Jeep is a 2018. I am not sure why my VIN is registering as 0 recalls. My Jeep is stopping in mid drive. It has stopped on the expressway and street. This is dangerous.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
Brakes go all the way to the floor, barely could stop. No accident happened. It's very scary to even drive it anymore. I have taken it to 3 shops, 2 of the 3 say it's the ABS module. I have read a lot of reviews on this car having this issue. Probably nothing to be done since it's not even made anymore. Parts are getting obsolete.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, causing damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the cont... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
ABS light comes on and off during operation, "service electronic brake system" notification flashes on and off as well. ABS does not work while light is on. A scanner has been run and the code is for the ABS module. We put children in this vehicle. This exact issue happened back in 2022 and the ABS HCU was replaced. We received a recall notice but are being told the truck has been repaired becaus... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Purchased used from Metro Ford on 12-31-2024 with 16,689 miles. Was out of town until March 1 so I did not insure or drive the car until March. I had only driven it a few times before the accident happened. At first I started noticing that the car did not respond immediately when the gas pedal was pressed. I thought it was me being unfamiliar with how the new car worked. On 3-26-2025 I had p... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact depressed the brake and the vehicle kept rolling forward. The contact opened the door for the vehicle to come to a stop. On another occasion, the contact stated that the ADAS feature engaged and wh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
My vehicle failed to start due to a now corrected recall issue. When it did not start I attempted to jump start the engine and found that the car is missing its positive jump terminal on the engine so it is impossible to jump the car. It was sent to a dealership for repair but they never corrected the issue. It is still missing.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Mazda CX-90. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V814000 (Electrical System, Structure) and 24V815000 (Power Train, Engine and Engine Cooling); and parts were available. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer, he was informed that the manufacturer would not cover the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
There is a warning on my car saying “front passenger safety restraint system fault”. The Tesla service center says the fix requires an air bag replacement and to replace the seat sensor. Does this not impact the safety of the passenger? This is the second model 3 I’ve owned that continuously has this fault. I feel like this model should be recalled since it is such a widespread issue. I deal... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
Brake system failure Brake assist failure Speed limited 3800 mill Ev equinox 2025
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
I had the EGR recall completed but now the intake manifold is failing and I was told it could be damage from the cracked egr cooler. Dealership says none of it is under warranty.