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: Aug 24, 2023

After 4000 miles the vehicle developed a severe"Stumbling" or misfiring like behavior. It was taken to one dealer and the charcoal canister of the evaporative emission system was full of fuel. The factory technician was unable to repair the problem and it was taken to another dealer where the emission system was replaced. The problem has been undiagnosed and still continues and makes the vehicle u... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2023

ABS / VSA module failure

Incident date: Aug 24, 2023

ABS / VSA module failure

Incident date: Nov 23, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds exceeding 45 MPH, the steering wheel was jerking and sticking while adjusting and correcting the steering wheel to keep the vehicle in the proper lane. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V704000 (Steering) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. After inspecting the vehic... Read more

Incident date: Nov 8, 2023

Brake making squeaky noise when it's being applied. This happened less than 30,000 miles during April 2023. I went to dealership during a routine oil change and the service tech found nothing wrong. I took it to road trip and it was to the point where the vehicle shakes and everyone else around me could hear it when we apply the brake. I took it to another dealership and the service manager said ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2023

Problem with low-beam headlights. When I'm driving, oncoming cars flash their high beams because they think I'm going with high beams. When something like this happens, and I'm blinded, I can't see well for some time. This endangers my life as well as that of other drivers. Honda says everything is OK with my car

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

The steering wheel when above 55 MPH feels sticky. It gets stuck in one position, so as a result you have to exert more pressure to move it, which results in over correction. This keeps on happening throughout the journey, and because you keep on correcting the wheel it feels as the the car is wavering in the lane. I've read online that there are a lot of owners complaining about this issue, some ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

When using the adaptive cruise control on a multi-lane highway the system will detect trucks/larger vehicles moving into your lane on a slight curve when they are not. The system will apply brakes to avoid a collision. The first time this happened there was no vehicle moving into my lane but there was an 18-wheeler behind me that wasn't expecting my vehicle to brake and they almost rear-ended me.... Read more

Incident date: Oct 27, 2023

About a year and a half ago the vehicles warning lights started show thing like check engine, coolant low, battery low, engine overheating and the fan would start running very loudly and thw start stop feature stoped workong even though it indicated it was working. I took it to the dealership and they said they had fix whatever was wrong. A few months later it started up again but this time while ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2023

the coolant reservoir has been dropping showing levels below min even after topping it off

Incident date: Nov 22, 2023

The vehicle will be shut off via auto stop start system at a traffic light, I'll let off the gas and the vehicle will sometimes take several tries to start or totally stall out and have to be manually restarted, it's dangerous.

Incident date: Mar 29, 2023

Odometer (trip/fuel/mpg/time display) works intermittently and often has garbled readouts. When it is not working, distance traveled and fuel level is unknown, creating a safety concern. When the display is completely nonfunctional it is unknown when (or if) it will return to functioning.

Incident date: Oct 25, 2023

On 8/28/2022 my 2011 Kia Forte's engine caught on fire and it caused damage to my entire garage along with my personal belongings. I had contacted Kia multiple times and was put on hold for over an hour at a time and hung up on multiple times until a few weeks after the fire I finally got a hold of them and they put in a "work order". After following up with them a week later I come to find out ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Oct 25, 2023

The contact owned a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after his wife started the vehicle, she smelled a burning odor within the interior of the vehicle, prompting her to quickly exit. After a visual inspection of the exterior of the vehicle, the contact's wife observed flames emanating from the engine compartment. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. A po... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Nov 21, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warnin... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

Intermittently over the past two months, the vehicle has been showing error code RCM_a056 with the accompanying message: Front passenger safety restraint system fault Service is required I reached out to Tesla and the service estimate was nearly $1500 to replace the Airbag "to maintain compatibility with Front Passenger Seat" for $942 and $414 to replace the Occupant Classification System (OCS) o... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

Incident date: Nov 21, 2023

2015 Ford Focus - Car has less than 50k miles has 3 transmission codes showing: P07A5, P090C, and P07A5pd. Car will not go into reverse. Car has not been looked at by a technician yet. However, with less than 50K miles the fact that I am having transmission issues is unacceptable. Ford really needs to recall for these issues. After researching these codes that are showing, seems like there are tho... Read more

Incident date: Nov 21, 2023

The contact owns a Britax, Model number: e1a267, Model Type: Advocate, and was manufactured on December 20 2020. The car seat was being utilized in a 2021 Tesla Model y The contact stated that while she was washing the covers for the car seat, she noticed that the metal bar at the rear top of the car seat had rusted. The car seat had not been repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was made aware ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

A small crack appeared on the windshield driver side of vehicle. I have no recollection of any items or debris hitting the car and damaging it. I then searched online and found there have been many registered instances of this specific car model windshield (2021 and newer) either easily cracking or seemingly cracking under no impact.

Incident date: Nov 20, 2023

Anti-lock brake system module is out causing hard brakes and pulling which could cause a wreck. This is a known problem and has been reported by many 18 Ram 2500 owners. My truck is not safe in this condition and there needs to be a recall to make these trucks safe.

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and the speed was reduced to approximate 35 MPH with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant was present inside the engine cylinder and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 11, 2023

I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A RECALL ISSUED BY NHTSA. THE RECALL WAS V06 DRAG LINK. WHEN THE RECALL WA PREFORMED, THE ALIGNMENT NUTS ON THE DRAG LINK WERE WELDED SO THE COULDN'T COME LOOSE. I'VE HAD TO HAVE MY TRUCK REALIGNED 2 TIMES SINCE THE DRAG LINK NUTS WERE WELDED. AS OF RIGHT NOW THE NUTS ARE NOT WELDED AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE DRAG LINK IS COMPROMISED. I'VE HAD IT INTO 3 DIFFERENT IND... Read more

Incident date: Nov 18, 2023

A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approximately 50mph injuring the officer. Officer's injuries were broken lef... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Nov 19, 2023

On 11/18/2023, while driving my GLK350 2014, I decided to open and later close the sunroof. As I closed the sunroof, I heard a distinct cracking sound, which caught my attention. Initially, I was unsure of the source of the sound and continued driving. It wasn't until I arrived home that I made a shocking discovery - the front black stationary window panel, located just above the windshield, had s... Read more

Incident date: Jul 29, 2022

11/19/2023 - About 8 pm. on November 17, 2023, I was parking at my condo parking lot and slowly drove the car into the parking space when all of a sudden the car accelerated on its own. I immediately pressed on the brake pedal and it stopped. I felt fortunate that nobody was on the sidewalk. The same thing happened about a month ago but I thought it was just something unusual but now that it hap... Read more

Incident date: Nov 14, 2023

UNKNOWN. DRIVING DOWN THE HIWAY THE COMES TO SUDDEN STOP WHEN THE FORWARD COLLISION IS ON WHEN NOBODY IS IN FRONT OF ME. ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY A TRANSPORT TRUCK

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 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 and a secondary dealer, Pohanka Chevrolet (13915 US-50, Chantilly, VA 20151) were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall rep... Read more

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, an abnormal engine noise was suddenly present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. After parking on the side of the road and exiting the vehicle, moments later flames and smoke were present coming from the engine compartment and the fire department was ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

Transfer case actuators plastic gear(s) might be worn out due to bad quality of the material used. On some of the BMW X5 models there was a problem with the differentials and a recall was issued to fix those. But some how some cars with particular VINs went missing in that. Codes thrown by my system are : 005219, 005F3A, 006EC4 Code 005F3A signifies that the Transfer case actuator is not engagin... Read more

Incident date: Nov 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was m... Read more

Incident date: Nov 10, 2023

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring, and the vehicle was hesitating. Additionally, the engine power was reduced. The contact was unaware if there was a warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to drive to her destination. The contact's daughter then noticed that th... Read more

Incident date: Nov 10, 2023

2015 KIA OPTIMA WHITE PEAR PAINT JOB DELAMINATION ON HOOD, TRUNK SIDE PANELS BY WINDOWS AND FRONT AND BACK WINDSHIELDS. AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION, HAS BEEN INSPECTED. NATIONAL PROBLEM, INSPECTED BY KIA DEALER REFERRED BODY SHOP. FIRST TIME APPEARED VERY VISIBLE 1 YEAR 1/2 AGO. I HAVE REACHED OUT TO KIA, FILED CLAIM, CASE #[XXX] ON 10/11/2023, TODAY, 11/17/2023 RECEIVED E-MAIL "VEHICLE IS OUT OF WAR... Read more

Incident date: Nov 16, 2023

No warning lights ever came on. We took the vehicle to the KIA dealer because the fan stayed on when we shut off the engine and the heat stopped working. The KIA dealer said the vehicle needs a new engine due to head gasket leakage. This vehicle clearly has a major engine defect that could cause the vehicle to breakdown at any time with a failed engine. How does an engine fail without the engine... Read more

Incident date: Nov 16, 2023

I was driving to work with my daughter and my engine overheated out of nowhere and caused us to almost be rear ended

Incident date: Oct 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle became inoperable and made an abnormal sound. The contact parked the vehicle and then had the vehicle towed to a dealer after the vehicle failed to restart. Several warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced.... Read more

Incident date: Oct 9, 2023

Vehicle would rapidly suffer from a high energy drain when driving at freeway speeds. Range was reduces from 150 miles EPA, to 80-100 miles. Nissan at first said it was due to the high temperature in Arizona. A few weeks later a "Service EV System" lamp came on, and car would not start the next day after charging overnight. Car stated it was at %80 state of charge at the time. Car was towed to a N... Read more

Incident date: Nov 16, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that a "shift to park turn the vehicle off" message was displayed while the vehicle was in the park position. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stalled. The steering wheel was tight. After slowing down, the driver depressed the start/stop button, and the vehicle shut off and restarted. The vehicle was randomly shut down. After... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

The steering sticks while driving primarily between 45 and 65 miles per hour. It occasionally happens at lower and higher speeds and is worse when it is windy. It is very difficult to keep in a lane and nothing seems to help. It started around 13000 miles. I have nt been to the dealer but plan to shortly.

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

I'm reaching out in concern for the Hyundai Safety Recall (Hyundai Recall Number 251). The letter, I received on 11/14/23, said my car is part of the Recall. There is currently no remedy. The only recommendation is to not drive the car and leave it parked away from structures. The 251 recall started 9/22/23. There has been no update and no resolution. I think this is not a reasonable time frame to... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

The engine has not worked properly in over a year and has problems accelerating and skipping. Engine light remains on at all times.

Incident date: Sep 15, 2023

The vehicle goes into "limp" mode at random and without warning. The driver loses the ability to accelerate even though the engine remains on. This poses a serious safety risk to the driver, passenger and all other drivers on the highway when the driver has lost mechanical control and has to coast to the side of the road out of traffic. This began happening only after 37,000 miles. The throttle bo... Read more

Incident date: Oct 29, 2023

Per Subaru there is something wrong with the Cockpit Control Module (CCM) that is causing a constant / parasitic draw on the battery. This results in the battery being dead within 4 hours, leaving us constantly stranded. Because the CCM also controls the electrical system, many of the safety features (auto breaking, lane departure, etc) turn off randomly. This is the diagnosis from our local... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was i... Read more

Incident date: Mar 29, 2023

Please see uploaded document for full description.

Incident date: Mar 29, 2023

Water intrusion via a faulty sunroof seal and drain system. Water drains into the vehicle and collects under the flooring carpets and is not detectable. Water then disables and shorts out electrical components and computer modules eventually rendering the vehicle completely inoperable … including airbags, suspension system and electronic engine components. All control is lost. System also displa... Read more

Incident date: Nov 15, 2023

We started to have issues with our back up camera sporadically working, images appearing fuzzy and now the camera has gone completely blank - blue screen. We use this pickup truck to plow in the winter and the camera is important for that. Not having a working back up camera is a safety hazard under normal conditions as well. The issue is that Ford has a recall on "certain" 2019 F-350 trucks with ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil with the oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

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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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