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: Apr 25, 2023

After being parked for 4 hours the vehicle caught on fire. Burnt passengers rear corner and rear tailgate

Fire

Incident date: Apr 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the contact attempted to turn off the vehicle; however, the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition. Additionally, the trunk failed to open as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The fail... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2023

On two separate occasions on local roads while driving under 15 miles an hour I was drawing near an intersection and the car in front of me was actively turning onto a side street and I had ample distance from that car and my car suddenly decided I was about to get in an accident and slammed on the breaks. Its a good thing the cars behind me were responsible and were able to break in time or ther... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 BMW X1. The contact stated while shifting into park (P), the contact became aware of a message to “Secure Vehicle with Parking Brake" displayed. The contact stated that she manually set the parking brake. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The contact was advis... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2023

Fuel line to generator is long rubber hose rubbing on screws. Same with electrical wires. Exhaust from generator and vehicle coming back in from exposed holes in floor under cabinetry. I have informed THOR motor coach. This vehicle is unsafe and could catch fire due to rubber fuel line leaking onto exposed electrical connections or exhaust. Holes in floor for tubes and electrical are not sealed... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2023

Incident date: Apr 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Corsair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V953000 (Seat Belts) and 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aw... Read more

Incident date: Apr 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated they brought the vehicle in to have NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and shortly after while driving 45 mph the speed reduced to 35 then back to 15 mph where the speed remained. They were able to drive into a nearby fuel station when they placed the vehicle in the park position and filled the tank. As the contact pressed the acc... Read more

Incident date: Jul 4, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the timing belt assembly and the camshaft cover gasket to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 4, 2022

Both rear coil springs broken

Incident date: Jul 4, 2022

Car speed control malfunctioned. There was a sudden acceleration when car was below 10 miles in the parking lot. The driver lost control on braking and car keep accelerating even no force was applied to pedal. Dribe had to steer out of parking lot and crash through a wood en fence on next door neighbor. Car still keep going thru front yard of two houses cross the street and eventually hit a con... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Apr 24, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact veered into a parking lot where the contact pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact observed a moist patch underneath the front of the vehicle after moving the vehi... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2023

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The c... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Tundra equipped with a 2022 Load Trailer Model S flatbed. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the contact heard a loud noise and noticed that the trailer had separated from the vehicle; pulling the vehicle to the side of the road causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to stop the vehicle before the vehicl... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2023

My fuel tank problem should be included in the Safety Recall M11/NHTSA 12V-142 Fuel Tank Roll-Over value..I have taken my car to several Jeep dealers and have been informed the problem with this tank falls in the recall…I have been dealing with this problem for years….I recently found out that the problem falls in the recall above…I took my car to the Jeep dealer, Pelegríno in Woodbury,NJ o... Read more

Incident date: Apr 24, 2023

Coolant intrusion into cylinders. 109,054 miles. Well-maintained vehicle. Internet research suggests that this is a common problem with the EcoBoost engine.

Incident date: Apr 20, 2023

The front passenger door started to not unlock when using the fob. Now it won't lock or unlock at all. Starting this week the front driver-side door started to have the same issue. Will not lock or unlock when using the fob.

Incident date: Apr 20, 2023

Backup camera keeps going out screen turns black

Incident date: Oct 1, 2022

Transmission overheating going up hill , vehicle has the faulty dps6 transmission in it , FORD needs to recall the 2018 year model for repairs

Incident date: Oct 1, 2022

I was driving on the freeway 65 mph and my car just shut off and locked up and I couldn't break

Incident date: Oct 1, 2022

As your driving advance track failure light comes on and you lose power steering. Steering gets real tight and hard to turn. Almost got in a car accident but was able to turn the steering as hard as i could just to make the turn. Drive for a little while then all of a sudden power steering kicked back on. It happen every time i drive my truck.

Incident date: Mar 3, 2023

Screen turned off and then lights on dash started flashing. ABS, power steering, blind spot warning, tire monitoring failed. Battery light was flashing. Parking break light came on. Loss of power. Now it will not turn on

Incident date: Jun 1, 2010

The transmission shifting is dangerous. It’s shifting hard, missing gears and when trying to accelerate the engine just rev’s and then slams into gear. It also skips. It’s not even safe to pull out into traffic. I have had it in at a Ford dealership 3 times and it has only gotten worse! I don’t know what else to do as the dealership acts like they have not seen this before and aren’t sur... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2023

Car experience loss of control to accelerator while driving on major highway. The vehicle's speed coasted down from highway speed of 65mph to low 50s before vehicle was safely stopped on roadside emergency breakdown lane. This incident could have easily resulted in a collision with faster-moving traffic. The vehicle has been transported to a dealer for inspection to determine the cause, however th... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2023

I took the vehicle in for the air bag recall repair, and was informed by both the dealership and Chevy that while the cost oof replacing the air bag itself was covered under the recall, any damage to the dash or other parts of the vehicle that must to be removed to replace the air bag would NOT be covered under the recall. This policy is deplorable and immoral, and possibly illegal, but I confirme... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the ABS warning light was illuminated and the message "Service Advancetrac" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wheel speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the wheel speed sensor and while attempting to reprogram the ABS module with ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 20, 2023

Vehicle battery goes dead for no reason. It's been replaced several times. Left stranded several times when car started went shopping, wouldn't start to go home. This has occurred more than 5 times, portable battery charger was purchased.

Incident date: Dec 17, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60-65 MPH, the sun visor independently lowered, obstructing the contact’s view. The contact attempted to place the sun visor back in the upright position but was unable to. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the failure was a normal occurrence. The sun visor had not been replaced. The... Read more

Incident date: Dec 17, 2022

Intermittent Check Engine Light with the Plug In Hybrid X3 30e since January 2023. Vehicle has been taken back to BMW 2 times and released back to me without permanent fix. Vehicle as of April 2023 is currently held at dealership for 3rd time still without fix. Each check engine light results in a trip back to the dealership service center because we wouldn't know what is the severity of the issue... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2023

I'll be driving the jeep it's a 2018 rubicon jl and all of a sudden all the dash lights come on and if I stop the vehicle the D on the shifter will keep flashing and the jeep.wont move have taken into same dealership 7 times and it's continues to do the same thing they've changed abs module cleaned off grounds checked all plugs and connections and they keep saying it's fine. It's currently at the ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2023

While operating and driving on a busy two lane roadway, about an hour in to a two hour trip, the vehicle displayed “check electrical system” message without warning, then quickly lost power, rendering the car only able to drive at 25 mph for a brief moment, and then, just as quickly, shut down completely and did not operate. I was able to navigate the vehicle from the busy roadway to the roads... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle was idling rough. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed a transmission failure to the contact. The manufacturer was not made aware o... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2023

Light come on dash board to park safely car will shut down. Car stalls all lights on dashboard will come on, alcar shuts down and nothing work not even the hassard light it goes complete dead. After 20 mintutes r more been shut down it will turn on like nothing happen, no lights on dashboard happen 5 times on ah year and cant find the problem at the dealer. Thanks you

Incident date: Apr 15, 2023

Power Steering Assist Failure while driving. Problem is intermittent but persistent and can happen suddenly. It nearly caused me to go off the road when it happened while going around a curve. If it happens suddenly it is extremely hard to steer and could definitely end up in an accident. I have not had it inspected yet by a mechanic. No warning lights appeared before the failure but when it happe... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2023

Vehicle stalled died while turning left and automatically set parking brake very dangerous while on busy road

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

RANDOMLY ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE INNERSATE, THE CAR STARTED JERKING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS BLINKING THEN THE CAR STALLED. I GET MY CAR ROUTINELY MAINTENCED, THEN MY ENGINE WAS KNOCKING AND BLEW UP OIL OUT OF MY ENGINE. I HAVE MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES, ALSO JUST HAD AN OIL CHANGE 3 WEEKS BEFORE THIS HAPPENED MY CAR JUST NOW HAS REACHED 100,000 AND THEN THE ENGINE BLOWS???? MULIPLE CO... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle abruptly stopped; however, the tires continued to spin. As a result, another vehicle behind the contact swerved to avoid rear ending the vehicle. The brake malfunction service light illuminated, and the release brake alert warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she was able t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2023

I enabled Tesla's auto pilot feature while driving on highway. Throughout the drive of ~200 miles, the car had sudden phantom breaks for four times. It was very dangerous situations and could have easily caused serious accidents.

Incident date: Apr 14, 2023

When you go to stop at a stop.sihn or in general it fails to do so. It locks up an I slide an almost hit people multiple times. Today I was backing out of a parking lot an when I went to turn my steering wheel straight it locked up an failed to let me counter steer it. Causing me to go over a curb an almost blow my tire out. Leaving my tire with a big bubble on the side of my tire. Eventually ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

I left my home to go to the house of prayer for prayers and when I came to the stop sign to turn right, my vehicle didn't stop and continued forward which led to crossing the street and over the curb and through the grass of almost fifty feet into the lake. I almost drowned and called 911 to assist me out of the vehicle which was in the lake almost four feet in the water. I am not sure what happen... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The contact's friend owned a 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while she was driving at approximately 43 MPH, a loud bang was heard coming from near the front passenger area, and then the tires and brakes seized, causing the vehicle to swerve and the contact then crashed into a guard rail. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that only the front passeng... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 20, 2023

While driving, the turbo on the vehicle failed and caused the engine to fail, including sudden loss of an ability to accelerate. Smoke began coming from the hood in addition to horrendous sounds. There were no warning lights on my dashboard but I had begun to hear a high pitched, unusual sound. My safety and my passengers, as well as other drivers on the road were at risk due to traveling on a hig... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering. The message "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered significantly and made abnormal knocking sounds. The contact stated that after the vehicle r... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2023

Incident date: Mar 31, 2023

The Thermostat and it's house is failing on my of the 2017 audi a4 causing the coolant water to leak which makes the car heat up quickly due to leak and not having sufficient coolant water. So many of the b9 generation of audi a4 owners are also complain about this issue. Audi is charging $2500 to fix this known issue.

Incident date: Apr 17, 2023

While driving above referenced vehicle, I was driving southbound on Hwy 515 when i noticed a vehicle driving northbound began to lose control, so i slowed down and then began to watch the vehicle cross the median and headed straight for me. I pushed the pedal to the floor to accelerate to get out of his way but the vehicle did not respond, i pushed the pedal again on several occasions and the veh... Read more

Crash 3 injured

Incident date: Apr 18, 2023

Truck speed by itself with cruise control set to 57 mph. Driving down road and was slowing down to turn and wheel wouldn’t turn without a lot of force.

Incident date: Apr 18, 2023

Truck speed by itself with cruise control set to 57 mph. Driving down road and was slowing down to turn and wheel wouldn’t turn without a lot of force.

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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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