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.
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
Showing 15,318 complaints for VOLVO
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH and coming to a stop, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine sounded rough, and the vehicle was driving roughly on the way to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The panoramic sunroof on my 2020 Toyota Camry XSE failed to close on two separate occasions. The most recent incident occurred about three months ago. After opening the sunroof, the glass panel would not close, leaving the vehicle fully exposed during heavy rain. I had to cover the opening with plastic and tape while standing in the rain, which caused water to enter the vehicle and led to illness ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The panoramic sunroof on my 2020 Toyota Camry XSE failed to close on two separate occasions. The most recent incident occurred about three months ago. After opening the sunroof, the glass panel would not close, leaving the vehicle fully exposed during heavy rain. I had to cover the opening with plastic and tape while standing in the rain, which caused water to enter the vehicle and led to illness ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The panoramic sunroof on my 2020 Toyota Camry XSE failed to close on two separate occasions. The most recent incident occurred about three months ago. After opening the sunroof, the glass panel would not close, leaving the vehicle fully exposed during heavy rain. I had to cover the opening with plastic and tape while standing in the rain, which caused water to enter the vehicle and led to illness ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
starter failed at 48k miles. This is a known issue of starters failing early and a recall should be done for all impacted cars. Currently there is only a subset that are recalled for software program update to prevent burning out the starter, but the starter itself is failing, and recall should be issued for replacing the starter [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
After purchasing the vehicle on 8/2/25, I discovered it had outstanding safety recalls that were neither addressed nor disclosed by the dealership at the time of sale. I have since taken steps to fix these safety issues, but the dealer’s failure to inform me or resolve the recalls before the sale put me at unnecessary risk. I urge the NHTSA to review the dealership’s records from 8/2/25 to hol... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2025
My 2015 chevrolet colorado 3.6 v6 LT is having random complete loss of power steering while driving. I contacted chevrolet regarding the recall for 2015 model colorado and they do not know why there was never a recall for my truck, they stated there's nothing they can do, I will have to pay the money for the repair that they have for the recall. But I won't be remembursted. This make absolutely no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
I am writing to formally request a recall for my 2016 Nissan Altima due to a known issue with the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Recently, my vehicle has exhibited concerning symptoms, including an inability to exceed 20 mph while hitting 3 RPM, and significant hesitation when accelerating, followed by abrupt lunging. Notably, these issues occurred without any prior warning lamps or ind... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
I am writing to formally request a recall for my 2016 Nissan Altima due to a known issue with the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Recently, my vehicle has exhibited concerning symptoms, including an inability to exceed 20 mph while hitting 3 RPM, and significant hesitation when accelerating, followed by abrupt lunging. Notably, these issues occurred without any prior warning lamps or ind... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
On the highway towing a horse and the transmission stopped working right. Couldn’t keep up to traffic only had one gear.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
Warning codes - Service Brake Assist, Service Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Forward Collision system unavailable. Brake pedal felt different with an associated clunk noise. Brake Fluid believed to have been leaking in garage. Dealer diagnosis as Master Brake Cylinder failure. No parts available/no ETA available. Car is 5 months old and under 5,000 miles on the odometer.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
My 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, has a non-functional horn and steering wheel controls, including cruise control and audio buttons, which stopped working in. I suspect a faulty clockspring, as these symptoms match issues in prior Jeep Wrangler recalls for 2007-2012 models (NHTSA campaign 11V528000), where clockspring failures also disabled horns and risked airbag malfunctions. My vehicle shows. This... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
My 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, has a non-functional horn and steering wheel controls, including cruise control and audio buttons, which stopped working in. I suspect a faulty clockspring, as these symptoms match issues in prior Jeep Wrangler recalls for 2007-2012 models (NHTSA campaign 11V528000), where clockspring failures also disabled horns and risked airbag malfunctions. My vehicle shows. This... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2025
my car sometimes specially when i slow down and make turns it loose power and doesn’t respond to acceleration at all i have to wait 3 to 4 seconds to respond and this happens often a tok my truck to the ford dealership serval times but always they say we didn’t find any problems with your truck and it’s very scary and dangerous if i am crossing a traffic light or a highway or passing another... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2025
While driving to work on a local road, I approached a red light where there were no vehicles immediately ahead. However, my vehicle unexpectedly steered off the road in front of a construction sign, entering a ditch. Despite my attempts to regain control of the steering and braking systems, I was unsuccessful. The vehicle subsequently stopped automatically on an incline. Fortunately, I avoided a ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Ive tried to get my recalls fixed since I bought the car 2 years ago, Jeff Wyler Kia Eastgate Ohio has given me the run around, at least 5 attempts of no call backs or prolonged appointment dates not having me on record, my car breaks down I pay for diagnostic blown engine, I pay to have it towed to Jeff Wyler Kia Eastgate Ohio, it's been there for 5 weeks and they still have not done a diagnostic... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
I am receiving recall notifications and service alerts for a Mazda vehicle that I do not own or have never authorized. I am a victim of identity theft, and it appears a vehicle may have been fraudulently registered or associated with my personal information. I have no connection to the vehicle being recalled and have reported this identity theft to the FTC, local police, and the California DMV. I... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
It's an engine failure. The car died in the middle of the rode at a traffic light with busy traffic flowing. It was confirmed by a independent service center. No one other an the independent service center has inspected it. There were no warning lamps or messages before failure.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
Power Steering failure. Loss of power steering while driving the vehicle made any turns nearly impossible. Dealership identified root cause and a problem with a grounding strap. They reported that in addition to our vehicle, another GMC Sierra 1500 had come in the same day with the same problem. Loss of power steering while driving can lead to collision. This should be a safety recall.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated they received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V347000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 17V821000 (Power Train); also the contact stated that the ABS warning light was blinking, and the engine light was illuminated However, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and the dealer declined to s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated they received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V347000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 17V821000 (Power Train); also the contact stated that the ABS warning light was blinking, and the engine light was illuminated However, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and the dealer declined to s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
Turbo has failed twice causing loss of power and it is EXTREMELY dangerous on highway. As it takes considerable amount of time to reach highway speeds. And the risk for getting in an accident is VERY high. There shouldn't be a turbo replacement every 4 months. Considering each replacement at the dealership ~ $2000. I find it hard to fathom how the 2017-2018 Chevrolet Trax get special coverage up t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
On July 29, 2025, while pulling into the driveway, my 2023 Nissan Armada experienced a complete electrical and brake failure. I put the vehicle in Park, and the entire dash and infotainment screen went black while the engine was still running. The vehicle began rolling forward even though it was in Park and bumped into the house. (Minimal damage thankfully) When I tried to stop it, the brake peda... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
I was slowly maneuvering my car into my garage when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward, despite only lightly tapping the brake and not touching the accelerator. The car had been displaying the warning, “Propulsion Power is Reduced” and was not holding an electric charge in the days before the incident. No malfunction indicator lamp ever turned on. Per the owner’s manual,... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 29, 2025
Loose steering and sometimes steering wheel wants to return to center When this happens I loose all electrical - dash goes blank engine dies etc. the hot battery cable is very hot to the touch. I disconnected the ground cable and wait a few minutes and power returns This is going to cause a wreck if it is not corrected Local dealer says could be bad battery I had already changed it there is a plac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2025
While driving the transmission started driving rough and the car was stuck in ev mode. Wouldnt even go back to hybrid mode. I kept driving until all my battery range was exhausted and lost acceleration and had to pull over the side of the highway. It was late at night so there was no one around or behind me, otherwise I would have been hit. Once stopped the car would not move at all so I called a ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Severe rust and corrosion since 2015. Spreading across the whole roof line and visibly peeling paint. Not typical peeling paint, it appears to have originated beneath the trim or roof components, suggesting a possible failure of seem sealant, design drainage or factory primer. This points to a latent defect due go early onset and location and not normal wear.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
Brake Master Cylinder failure. Received warning lights on the dash and took to the GMC dealer for the diagnosis. Dealer stated the car is not drivable because the brakes could fail. The head mechanic at the dealership confirmed that the cylinder is the problem. They had no idea as to how long it would take to find a replacement cylinder.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
The panoramic sunroof opens and closes but will not shut completely in the back. When calling around for a quote mechanics were aware of the issue occurring with this specific make model and class of vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Car makes loud clicking noise while making turns. Steering doesn’t come back to center after making sharper turns. Suspect bad CV joint, common when searching online for this problem.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
Brake getting stuck on the floor would have to press on brake really hard just to get a response, this will happen out of the blue! Driving in highway or just driving off the driveway. I almost hit a car in front of me due to lack of brake, i had to swerve to the side! First appear 1 day after buying the car..This issue needs to be worked on right away.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
Backing in to garage got camera not available, happens intermittently, cause is due to inherently underpowered CPU for head unit Volvo installed, it was out of date at time of manufacture, they have announced a new cpu for 2025/26 model year vehicles. Vehicle is on latest software that was supposed to address this issue
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
Vehicle hesitates when gas pedal pressed; creating hazard to cross intersections, merging into traffic. In order to have car respond, hard press on gas pedal required, which creates another dangerous situation of unexpected leap! While no recalls are shown, 2 reports [XXX] are shown on NHTSA recall site. Owners of this vehicle report same problem for all model years, and indicate dealers canno... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Ford Focus 2017 Hatchback causing traffic jams and backup do to low speed, overheating, stalling, jerky shifting, Failure to move or hesitation in the middle of driving, causing the car to stop or slow down in the middle of traffic and blocking exits and cars from moving around the vehicle. Transmission overheating and car says to pull over when driving after a few minutes. Powertrain is affected ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
While moving about 40mph, the emergency brake engaged and it slowed car down significantly. However, there was nothing in front of me. I turned emergency braking off due to this issue. Also, during raining day, when backing out of driveway, car's emergency brakes engaged. This happen twice.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the steering wheel was significantly difficult to steer and made an abnormal rubbing sound while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
While driving, the vehicle began running rough and stalled shortly after. It would not restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealership, where they diagnosed “excessive cylinder wall scoring” and no engine compression. This matches the symptoms described in Recall SC336, which affects piston oil rings and can lead to engine failure, stalling, or fire. The dealer confirmed the engine won’t tur... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
Vibration in car took it to dealership but still can't figure out what's causing to vibrate so much when driving and idling.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
Vibration in car took it to dealership but still can't figure out what's causing to vibrate so much when driving and idling.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
Vibration in car took it to dealership but still can't figure out what's causing to vibrate so much when driving and idling.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
My fuel tank expanded while I was driving on the highway, causing my car to stall and would not respond to me pushing on the gas. I pulled over on the side of the highway and looked back and saw my rear seats were pushed up. Got it towed to the Kia dealership and they informed me that my car was totaled because the gas tank expanded so much it bent my frame. This has been an ongoing issue with Kia... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
I own a 2004 Honda CR-V, a vehicle that has served me well over the years, but I recently faced a harrowing experience that left me quite shaken. While cruising along the highway, I was startled when the engine abruptly shut down. The ominous P1349 code indicated an issue with the Variable Timing Control (VTC) actuator, a crucial component for maintaining optimal engine performance. Just two yea... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The rear back up camera of my 2020 Ford F350 Superduty has not been working for several months, then in May of 2025, I found the recall notice about this issue and Ford has said that my vehicle isn't part of the rear back up camera recall, even though it has the same exact problem of the other vehicles involved in the recall. My vehicle was built in October of 2020 which falls into the same time... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
there seems to be electrical issue. the fan won't stop running even when shut off. the thermostat stop working with pretty low milage along with the tire sensors. Fixed the previous issues. Furthermore, while driving the vehicle stop working and had to use the momentum to park on the side of the road causing a unexpected break down. The vehicle won't start. This again seems electrical and the deal... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the front passenger's side restraint warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a seat belt restraint failure. The contact was informed that the front passenger's side wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the conta... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
I was driving on freeway in rain, rear end of truck kicked out sideways due to hydroplane, I hit the cement median in the front of truck, spun around and the back end also hit median. I have $25,000 in damage and the frame is bent in 3 locations, however airbags didn't deploy. 1) Airbags didn't deploy, and yes available for inspection. 2) I think airbags should have gone off, all 4 of us hit our h... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Driving on I70 mm152.2 my transmission went out and I was left quickly slowing on the interstate. I was in left line and cars were passing on the right. I needed to get over because I could not pull over to the left. Thought I might get stuck stopped on the interstate but was able to get over safely. Car only had 88000 miles on it and was less than 5 years old
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
My car shook while idling the last two weeks of June 2025. It felt like it was going to shut off at light/stop sign which it did on two occasions. On July 2, 2025, it stalled abruptly during a drive after which I took it to Mercedes for service. I never received a warning signal or fault message even after it stalled. Mercedes service indicated the engine cylinder head valves were burnt and n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the front passenger's side restraint warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a seat belt restraint failure. The contact was informed that the front passenger's side wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the conta... Read more