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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 49,794 complaints for VOLKSWAGEN

Incident date: Sep 2, 2023

I was driving on the freeway and the engine turned off. I was able to continue driving as the hybrid system still had some charge to continue powering the car. I had to get the EGR valve replaced. No warning lights prior to this occuring but had check engine light after. Car would not shift into drive nor would it accept a charge for the main drive battery. Had to be towed to a shop and resulted ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 2, 2023

UNKNOWN airbag light is on and never goes off. This worries me because it could affect my safety.

Incident date: Sep 25, 2023

Investigation: EA23003 Momentary increase in steering effort or "sticky steering".

Incident date: Nov 23, 2023

The passenger side headlight is malfunctioning. The halo and outer bulbs do not come on which disables the daylight running lights and reduces the effectiveness of the headlight at night. There is no warning light or message indicating the failure. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s dealer and they confirmed that the headlight is faulty. I feel like this issue should be re... Read more

Incident date: Dec 5, 2023

The HECU has been malfunctioning in my car for over a year now. It is an open recall for my make, model and year of car. I took it to Bob Rohrman Indy Hyundai and they diagnosed the failed part. This part affects my ABS. There are currently two warning lights on one for the ECS which is the traction control stabilizer and the ABS light is on. Meaning the use of the breaking system is limited and n... Read more

Incident date: Dec 5, 2023

ABS BRAKE CODE C0020-01 HCU ELEC FAILURE ABS LITE TRACTION CONTROL LITE COMES ON GOES OFF MOST TIMES ON CONFIRMED AT LOCAL REPAIR SHOP PARTS ON NATIONAL B/O

Incident date: May 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was a delay before the vehicle would operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the fuel pump and the sensor crank shaft tone wheel. The failure reoccurred and became a persistent failure. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel Syst... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm for several seconds and then became loosened. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,700.

Incident date: Dec 5, 2023

The vehicle failed to restart after being parked in a garage all day while at work. On board diagnostics returned multiple codes concerning the EV battery and vehicle integrated control module. Specific descriptions include: The Lithium-Ion Battery is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level; Vehicle... Read more

Incident date: Sep 11, 2022

This has happened multiple times: driving along, no cars in front of me or along the side. FCW suddenly appears along with emergency braking kicking in. I can be doing 35 mph or 60 mph, doesn't matter what speed. Scares the heck out of me, and creates a safety issue as vehicles behind run the risk of rear-ending me. The only way to clear the FCW is to come to a complete stop and shift between... Read more

Incident date: Sep 15, 2023

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, in a residential parking lot, the contact stated while he was parking, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a nearby tree. The contact stated before crashing into the nearby tree the vehicle also hit a nearby pole. The contact stated that the acceleration continued to get faster and faster... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Dec 4, 2023

November 2022, 2005 audi allroad 2.7T diagnosed fire/melting of lightbulb of the passenger side headlight due to electrical issues. Was unable to repair the headlight at that time. November 2023, owner of vehicle finds open recalls associated with this make/model. Since the recalls were dated back to 2006 or 08, so the VIN tools only show up to 15 years. I made an recall repair appointment wit... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Oct 29, 2023

I have a safety recall dated Oct 13, 2022 that is still not repaired. I have tried multiple dealers and the manufacturer and I still can not get an answer on if they are going to do the repair. I feel like they are hoping I will just go away and they will not have to make the repair.

Incident date: Oct 29, 2023

It was a raining day. When I turned 90 degree to my right into the parking lot from local road, I hit the brake and the car slowed down for turning. FSD or autopilot were off for sure. Then I felt the car was moving down suddenly and made a big noise due to the a slightly slope down when I turned. I saw a parking slot right in front of me. I hit the accelerator a fraction of second to prevent th... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Oct 29, 2023

Crash

Incident date: May 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced various transmission failures which included the transmission slamming into gear while shifting from park to drive. Also, while driving at various highway speeds, the message "Power Train Malfunction, Reduce Speed" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was... Read more

Incident date: Dec 2, 2023

Head gasket failed, causing the engine to overheat and damage to occur. Luckily, my wife was able to move safely off of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to LaFontaine CDJR in Walled Lake, Michigan, for repair. They confirmed that it was indeed a head gasket failure and the repair total would be around $6000. Research shows that this is a frequent problem with these vehicles, with numerous report... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

Came out in the morning to the rear windshield shattered. No impact or anything of the like, just randomly shattered overnight while in my garage.

Incident date: Dec 2, 2023

I HAVE BEEN SMELLING OIL AN ANTIFREEZE INSIDE MY CAR FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR. I AM NOT SURE IF THE OIL WILL START A FIRE, OR IF THE SMELL COULD HARM ME. I GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT THERE SEEMS TO MBE A PROBLEM WITH THE OIL FILLER, COOLER UNIT. I WAS ABLE TO SHINE A FLASHLIGHT DOWN AT THE BASE OF OIL COOLER AND COULD SEE ANTIFREEZE STANDING ON ONE SIDE AND OIL STANDING ON THE OTHER SIDE. i DON'T ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2023

The vehicle has a failure of the BECM and the EGR valve and cooler. Both parts are unavailable. I've been without my car for over a month. The service center cannot tell me when parts will be available.

Incident date: Oct 23, 2023

On four separate occasions since purchasing the vehicle brand new in October 2021, the emergency braking system has engaged while driving at a high rate of speed on the freeway. These incidents have been reported to the dealership during servicing and they have indicated no faults with the system. Two more incidents have occurred since the last inspection and the car will be inspected one more tim... Read more

Incident date: Nov 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the front driver's side window was distorted due to the manufacturer's solar-tinted window. The contact was unable to view the driver's side mirror while the window was rolled up. The sticker label on the front driver's side window listed Ford Window Tint Carlite Solar Tint Tempered AS2. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an ind... Read more

Incident date: Nov 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Acadia. 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 manufacturer wa... Read more

Incident date: Nov 30, 2023

Driving on expressway power steering went out, very hard to steer, warning light came on. Upon reaching destination, turned vehicle off, then back on, fixed the issue. This has happened again, two more times over a period of three months. This appears to resemble NHTSAC 16V054, or GMC recall N202325410. GMC dealer informed me vehicle reports diagnostic code C0545 which reflects the same issue ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 30, 2023

I drove my 2019 Honda Accord EX-L from my house, about ¼ mile, to a stop light. I noticed that the outside temperature readout on the dash, which started out at 28 degrees, was rapidly rising. By the time the light turned green, the outside temp read 42. After driving several hundred feet the readout dropped back to 28 degrees. After traveling about 1 mile more, at either the next or 2nd red ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 27, 2023

Kia had come out with a recall immediately after purchasing and installing our tow hitch on our 2022 Kia Sportage. It has been almost 18 months with no remedy. I've taken it to the dealer multiple times and called Kia themselves both say they can't do anything. Every single aftermarket tow hitch is completely safe to use other than the Kia branded one. I paid almost $700 to get a tow hitch install... Read more

Incident date: Nov 27, 2023

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

Crankshaft failed at 42,000 miles and required a new engine to fix. This occured during driving on a highway. Truck was taken to a diesel engine repair center for the diagnosis and repair. There was no engine light warning when it happened.

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

We hit a deer while driving at 55 MPH. We were wearing seatbelts and not injured, it was a major frontal impact, the car is probably totalled. When we stopped we noticed multiple warning messages on the display: * restraint system failure * passenger airbag failure * pre-tensioner failure It appears that the car detected the collision and tried to activate the restraint systems, but nothing acti... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Nov 29, 2023

Headlights full of condensation, dirty foggy lense, not enough illumination. Bulbs burning out and have become so dim you can't drive at night and not at all in the rain. Very dangerous. November 24, 2023. Purchased car used in October 2023, and did not drive other than during day light. Took car on a 7 hour trip to Uniontown, PA from Virginia Beach. Could not see the road after 5 pm. It was dark ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

I was driving down the highway and a warning light came on “low oil pressure” and I lost complete power and had to pull over along side the road and have my car towed. Once it got to the mechanic shop he said my timing belt shredded and is in my oil and the belt tensioner came off and now my motor/turbo is ruined. He’s been in contact with all of the local ford dealers and we were told this... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

The vehicle's LCD screen has become delaminated which causes the control of the radio, air conditioning, navigation, and other features controlled by the "radio" portion of the car to become dysfunctional. The car will randomly beep, change air temperatures, start navigation, cause the loss of hands-free communication. This is a safety hazard as it causes the driver to be distracted in order to at... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2023

Since approximately 30,000 miles I have been having issues with the transmission. I have taken my truck to x3 different dealerships. Tom Bell in Redlands, CA and Mark Christopher in Ontario, CA are the first two. Both of them have told me there wasn't a problem and reprommgrammed the computer for the trans. I tried working with the chevy advocate and they did nothing but give me the run around un... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2023

The contact's fiance owned a 2023 Harley-Davidson Sportster. The contact stated that while her fiance was driving at 25 MPH, the motorcycle drove over some gravel and then slid to the left side of the road. The triple tree on the front wheel and handlebars fractured and detached, sending the contact and her fiance flying off the motorcycle. The contact suffered from lower back pain, and her fiance... Read more

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Aug 11, 2023

I have front passenger Service Alerts for the code SRS system and it happened many times. Tesla does service center can not fix the problem and keep telling me monitor the problem if it happens again. The code is RCM2_a636_ocsFaulted. Tesla service center tested the SRS system, updated software calibration and lastly today Tesla technician send me the software update and I updated it. The code sho... Read more

Incident date: Nov 18, 2023

I got into my car with my wife and turned on my car an heard a loud boom followed by static in the tweeter speakers. It was startling, distracting and dangerous.

Incident date: Mar 29, 2023

Rear glass shattered while vehicle was parked and defrosting.

Incident date: Nov 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal growling sound coming from the vehicle. The contact looked underneath the vehicle, checked the tires, and checked the inside of the vehicle but found no failure. The contact continued to drive the vehicle and heard an abnormal winding or rubber sound. There were no warning lights ill... Read more

Incident date: Nov 24, 2023

Chevrolet dealer was unable to install software during 2 hour N212345944 recall service. Stated that due to error codes and were unable to contact technical support for assistance with errors. I was told to reschedule and leave the vehicle for another attempt. My concern is that GM/Chevrolet repeatedly lead me to believe they had a Final software remedy and they are not delivering on it. They ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

Check engine light came on and the car shut down while stopping.

Incident date: Mar 13, 2023

Driving from Louisiana to Kansas for the holidays in our 2022 Pacifica Hybrid, and received notice popped up that car was about to shut down and pull off road quickly. This appears to be associated with a recall we did take the car in for but apparently the recall only changed software to tell you the car was about to shut down and didn't fix the issue with the car actually shutting down! This h... Read more

Incident date: Nov 27, 2020

So many issues with the Buick. Made of glass. First I had no coolant line and I took it to be inspected before at, Baumen Ford and they said everything was fine with it. Turns out needed new coolant line, head gasket, timing cover, and switch. 5 new tires, rebuilt transmission, epc solenoid, transmission lines, rear pivot, left front wheel barring, formed band, and many many more. Currently with e... Read more

Incident date: Oct 9, 2023

When making 90° turns such as an immediate right turn or a left turn across one lane, gas pedal becomes completly unresponsive halfway through the turn for approx 3 seconds. Occurs about 1% of the time but drastic when it occurs. Almost multiple accidents have occured with oncoming traffic almost t-boning me when making left turns or being rear ended on right turns: people don't anticipate a veh... Read more

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000 (Engine) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 13, 2023

I HAVE A FLEX TAIL GATE WHICH IS ALL ELECTRONIC. THE TAILGATE WILL NOT STAY UP , IT KEEPS ON FALLING AND UNLOCKING FOR NO REASON. BUTTON THE TAILGATE LEVER DOES NOT WORK. TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP IN JULY AND THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PART. IT IS ALMOST DEC AND STILL NOT HEAR. THE TAILGATE FELL IN MY GARAGE AND I DID NOT KNOW IT WHEN I PUT THE DOOR UP IT SCRATCHED MY TAIL GATE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN T... Read more

Incident date: Oct 26, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed smoke coming from the passenger’s side of the engine compartment, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illumin... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

Unknown option. Car rear window shattered after doing push to start

Incident date: Nov 21, 2023

While merging onto a highway with a 60 mph speed limit, we got an error message that there was a propulsion system error and our speed was limited to 30 mph. Our car slowed down and could not accelerate. There was no warning before the speed was limited and no way to change course. It was Saturday night Nov. 25th and we had our one and half year old daughter in the backseat. Thank god my husband... Read more

Incident date: Nov 25, 2023

Headlights will often turn on when unnecessary in Auto mode, for example when the sun is shining but there is no sun directly on the sensor, the headlights will turn on, when driving for example in a shady area with trees, the headlights could end up turning off and on very quickly, making it look like your trying to get someone’s attention, also when driving on the highway and going under a ove... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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