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: Oct 18, 2023

This is my 3rd Altima. The first 2 were amazing. This 1 is not. I bought it used from Shift.com with 73k miles on it. About 6-8 months later I started feeling something wrong in the steering. The shop I took it too said the lower control arms were in the rear were corroded and the bushing were going bad. Tried to get it repaired thru the extended warranty I paid extra for but that was a nightmare ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 18, 2022

My passenger headrest deployed at night. There was a recall but I did not get the notice. The recall is expired.

Incident date: Oct 12, 2023

Less than a 6 months of having this brand new jeep, the Initial failure of transmission happened while driving down highway. Jeep smelled like it was on fire and I lost all acceleration. Th transmission literally fell into debris. I coasted off the highway and was able to make it into a parking lot, thankfully. Jeep was towed and repair of trans and flywheel took about 4-6 weeks. Around 6k late... Read more

Incident date: Oct 5, 2023

TODAY, I was driving my vehicle when I got multiple warnings including a “electrical failure, ABS failure, start stop failure.” I was on a stretch of road where I could not safely remove myself from traffic and was forced to proceed. Within 5 minutes of receiving the error messages my car shutdown and I was unable to control the car. Horrifying experience. By the grace of god I was able to ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 5, 2023

Incident date: Oct 5, 2022

To Whom It May Concern. Please help me on this. I purchased a BMW x5 that needed recalls installed at the BMW dealer. I purchased the vehicle, performed routine preventative maintenance, new tires, new brakes, full detail, shampooed the interior, and full wash, etc. When I took my BMW to the dealer, the BMW dealer installed the recalled items, but did not install or replace the defective FRM foot... Read more

Incident date: Oct 5, 2022

Incident date: Oct 13, 2023

It started with a creaking sound in the drivers door. Then three days later the door became very difficult to close. Took the car to the dealer service department and was told it has a broken spot weld failure that causes the door to be difficult to close and and the window to nor open fully. It is my understanding that this is a known safety problem with other vehicles reporting the same issue... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS and Traction Control warning lights illuminated. The contact indicated that when the failure occurred the cruise control suddenly deactivated causing the vehicle to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the ABS module and HCU were faulty and needed to be replaced. T... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

On Aug 30, 2023 I went to a Germain Hyundai for the usual maintenance of my Hyundai Elantra 2020 where they checked the condition of the belts and it passed. Fast forward Oct 1, 2023 the timing belt snapped and I had it serviced at Hyundai Great Lakes Dublin. I aired out my concern that it is too early for that belt to break since my mileage is only at approximately 25000, while their manual even ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2005 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 2 MPH, the rear passenger’s side window became inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V768000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The fa... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2023

The blind spot warning in the mirrors is on most of the time for no reason, usually when decelerating, when accelerator is touched the blind spot warning will go out. When the blind spot warning is on the windows will work, very dangerous situation. The service door latch system warning will appear once in a while as well. If you look on the many Chevrolet forums, you find hundreds having the same... Read more

Incident date: Oct 5, 2023

My wife was driving and this is what she had happen—I was at the atm, put my car in park. I was to short to reach the atm so I cracked the door open just enough to reach out to the atm to do what I needed to do, when the car jumped out of park into somehow it rolling forward.I then fell out of the car head first, smashing my knee and arm in the ground, then getting run over by the Kia. I was als... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Oct 14, 2023

Frame is rusted. Lancaster Toyota Mazda body shop recommended the frame be replaced. They will not repair it.

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

When parked letting the car warm up constant shaking kinda a rough ideal at times. From park to reverse it shifts hard the to drive its ok I guess then on the go it's like driving a boat on land loud knocking sounds seems like the tires are flat or about to explode off the car really nerve-wracking

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

The windshield or body seams leak water. There is rust on the interior. Concerns of mold. Water leaking into brand new vehicle.

Incident date: Oct 12, 2023

October 12,2023 yellow lights in mirror Came on a message came into dashboard I pulled into garage. October 13 and 14 yellow lights do not come on for a second when I start vechicle nor do they come on in reverse mode when Adjacent to vechicle etc a fault is detected it’s not working properly tge blind spot module and rear sensors

Incident date: May 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated when the vehicle was parked the key was inserted into the ignition approximately five times before the vehicle started. Additionally, the contact stated on three occasions while driving at various speeds the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a independent deale... Read more

Incident date: May 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that water had entered the ABS module and caused an electrical short. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V026000 (Service Brakes,... Read more

Incident date: Oct 12, 2023

When at the Winnebago factory service center for other recalls and repairs, technicians found that the propane line going from the regulator at the tanks to the cooktop in the kitchen was worn and frayed, having rubbed against the rear tires for more than 15,000 miles. They said it was a safety hazard and had to replace the line and ensure it would no longer rub against the tires.

Incident date: Oct 13, 2023

Warped exhaust manifolds

Incident date: Oct 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The contact stated while driving 90 MPH, he received a message displaying "Key Fob not Detected," and the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. ... Read more

Incident date: May 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the vehicle had stalled and had overheated. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was ap... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2020

Issue has been confirmed and acknowledged by Fisker. There is an issue with bumps on the road while braking and is a safety issue and should probably have a stop order until it's fixed. They are replacing sewer lines in my area so the roads are as bad as it gets. Our neighborhood is pretty hilly and I was coming down hill slowing from 35 to 15 to make a right onto a narrower side street. When I w... Read more

Incident date: Oct 6, 2023

I have purchased this vehicle from CarMax which was sent in by way of the Texas store to Georgia October 31, 2022. It has only been a year and since I have had the vehicle the engine light kept coming on I took it back, they reset it it came back on I have Extended Warranty on the vehicle and they are trying to charge me to fix the issue because they do not have the tools to fix it and it has to g... Read more

Incident date: Oct 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle became unstable and the rear driver's side wheel failed rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to a friend's home and later examined by a local mechanic who diagnosed that the rear driver's side suspension swing arm had fractured due to severe rusting and ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 12, 2023

When I achieved my desired speed while driving on the highway, I turned on my adaptive cruise control as I usually do. This time, the car began accelerating dramatically, set on 110mph instead of my desire 55mph. It did this twice, even after I turned off the cruise control. I parked on the side of the street and restarted the car before it returned to normal. My life was very much threatened whil... Read more

Incident date: Sep 26, 2023

Car gave me the high voltage fault that many Mach e owners have reported. Car is in the dealership now and I don’t have the car. Why weren’t these recalled?

Incident date: Oct 11, 2023

Sept 9th, 2023 while driving on the interstate the vehicle lost all propulsion power, red lights shown in "gear, P N D" indicator area. I was in left lane and had to get to the side of the road, 4 lanes over, where putting the car in park and back in drive allowed for it to move forward again. I proceeded to a charging station to inspect the car and during this I hear a thump in the trunk area whe... Read more

Incident date: Oct 10, 2023

Upon selecting my driver settings from the door panel, and the infotainment, the vehicle moves the seat settings back to driver 2. It does this in gear or not. Happens everytime a new setting is selected from the door panel button. Say driver 2 from driver 1. Very dangerous. Could move so far as to limit ones proximity to accelerator or brake.

Incident date: Oct 11, 2023

Got an engine maintenance required alert, took to Toyota and they advised the coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced at just 38,000 miles. Googled this and found out many 2020 RAV4 with the same issue at just under 40,000 miles. Also a common issue is the voltage being low and we already had to get the battery replaced once and still get alerts of it being low after replacement. Have to pay tod... Read more

Incident date: Oct 11, 2023

The blind spot view monitor (which displays the blind spot view from the side camera in the cluster when operating the turn signal control) malfunctioned. I rely on this safety feature when changing lanes as an extra precaution, and having the blind spot view suddenly not display when its settings are turned on poses a safety risk. This problem persisted for roughly 24 hours on the date stated. ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2023

My 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy with 14k miles showed a check-engine light. I had noticed some strange behavior in the shifting with a loss of power while driving at low gears. I made an appointment for the dealership the next morning. Was told today that the car needs a new transmission.

Incident date: Oct 9, 2023

While driving down highway at 65 mph the front end and steering wheel began shaking violently after driving over a bump. This happened multiple times and every time is initiated by a road bump. Unable to properly steer Jeep when this happens. Only way to stop vibrations/wobble is to reduce speed to almost a complete stop. As there were vehicles around me, this put me in a precarious position as I ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 9, 2023

While descending a steep grade towing an 8,000lb travel trailer using appropriate hill descent braking techniques, an error message came on the dash indicating a trailer wiring, type, or connection fault. From this point forward, I had no trailer brakes and was left with truck brakes only. I got the truck/trailer combination to the bottom of the grade safely, however this could have been catastr... Read more

Incident date: Jul 30, 2023

Windshield cracked while driving on the highway The vehicle is not available for inspection as we have taken it to Tesla Service center to replace the windshield The cracked appeared in the top center. if it had happened on the driver side it could have resulted in an accident. The manufacturer is denying faulty product. The warning signs were there all along. About a few weeks back we could hea... Read more

Incident date: Jul 2, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes-Benz R500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the power steering was not functioning, after which the vehicle lost all power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed an unknown fluid c... Read more

Incident date: Oct 10, 2023

The passenger-side active headrest on my 2016 Jeep Patriot deployed randomly while I was driving. There was no warning prior to the incident. The plastic surrounding the pin broke away and caused the front cushion of the headrest to spring forward. If someone had been sitting in the passenger seat, they could have been struck in the back of the head, and if the driver's seat were to deploy in t... Read more

Incident date: Oct 10, 2023

After my car battery was professionally replaced my airbag light came on. GM dealer service got a code of B101D requiring the airbag control module to be replaced. There are no new compatible modules available in the US. Two GM dealers advised getting a used module that had not been in an airbag deployment. Upon obtaining a compatible module the dealer is now getting a code of B3902, this code... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2019

NHTSA Recall Number 23V-116 was created in March, 2023, and still the manufacturer offers no remedy. How long do they get to remedy the recall issue, and if they don't by that date what recourse does an owner have? Thank you!

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

The frame is rusted almost in half a mechanic said it's not safe to drive it will kill someone. The car lot that is selling me the car said he can fix it but it's being held together by welds and c foam. He wants me to still pay for it. I've complained about not being able to drive over 45 without swaying badly and they keep doing stuff to it saying it's fixed and it's not. It's to dangerous to dr... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

Message reads: Service Antilock Brake System. Traction control and ABS light stay on along with chime. Traction control failure and failure of the antilock braking system.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The engine malfunctioned, it is available for inspection upon request. My family of four was traveling in the vehicle at 80 mph down I-65 when the malfunction occurred. No warning lights came on, the vehicle began to slow to 60mph and would not accelerate when pressing the gas. When the gas was pressed the entire vehicle began to shake, still no warning lights. Thankfully we were 1 mile from ex... Read more

Incident date: Sep 30, 2023

Power steering has gone out. No control of vehicle. Steering wheel is VERY HARD to move if movable if all thank goodness didn’t cause any accident on freeway. Car will need towed. See info all over web about accident and incidents about this issue on this model but no recall need help from ford on matter

Incident date: Sep 29, 2023

The audio from the stereo will cut out for all services, FM, Sirius XM, Apple CarPlay , phone. It’s happened twice within two weeks. Once I reset the stereo in safe mode., it works again.

Incident date: Sep 29, 2023

This past Sunday evening, I drove to the convenience store 4 blocks away. As I returned, I noticed a crack in the windshield starting in the middle from the left edge and was about 12 inches long. No gravel marks were found, it had cracked for no apparent reason. Sitting the next night in the garage, the crack increased about 6 more inches by the next morning. Filed claim with my insurance and was... Read more

Incident date: Sep 29, 2023

I own a Mazda that I purchased new in 2018. I have kept up with the maintenance to a “T”. I have never abused it. About a month ago I started smelling a strange smell. Like smoke or burnt oil. A couple of weeks later, the engine oil level light came on and the engine was low on oil and that’s when I started seeing that the motor was leaking oil, and I just found out that the engine head cy... Read more

Incident date: Sep 21, 2023

Keep taking in for noise and a drag on takeoff…. Never can duplicate problem! Now told transfer case and do not know how long it will take as factory on strike???? They said we were # 10 in line as no rentals and I complained this has been on going for over a year with always can not duplicate problem!

Incident date: Oct 4, 2023

At approximately 5600 miles, my Can-Am Ryker went into limp mode during a ride, limiting my top speed to 50 mph on the highway. This unexpected and sudden occurrence put my safety and the safety of other road users at risk. Request for NHTSA Intervention: I am reaching out to NHTSA to request your immediate intervention in addressing this widespread safety concern with the Can-Am 3-wheel motorcyc... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

I was sitting in traffic for a couple minutes and when I stepped on the gas to go, it bogged and stalled. I could not get it turned on and it went into neutral. It finally came back on after sitting in the middle of a busy road for about 3-4 minutes. Then just minutes later it did it again. Same sit and wait lucky I was able to let it roll to the side of the road this time. It was very unsafe due ... 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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