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: Apr 22, 2024
on [XXX] traveling NB on [XXX] during a green light to make a left turn WB on [XXX] the defendant ran a red light and broadsided my 2001 RX300 Lexus and was cited. The airbags did not go off, and my head hit the windshield. The defendant was cited. I filed a claim with Toyota , case no [XXX] who inspected the totaled car at the yard tow. They stated they were unable to read the black box. They d... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
12-29-2023, the Kia Sorento started smoking on the way home. When I got home I opened the hood and saw fire. I put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. On 1-9-2024, I made an appointment with Archer Kia and had the car towed there for a diagnosis. After a month with no response, the service manager at Kia advised me to contact Kia Corporation. I spoke to a representative and was assigned a case ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
It started with the car using oil but the mechanic could not determine where the oil was going. It quickly lead to the Cadillac converter going out with a host of other things that cost me over $2900 to fix. Which only lasted a few weeks and the last incident occurred when I was on my way home and it would not pick up speed at all and would stall. The first time it happened I was on the free way a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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 c... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Vehicle has only 1650 miles on it. It is driven conservatively especially so during the first 1000 miles of use “break in period”. Was leaving our neighborhood and the vehicle was searching for a gear, revving and jerking. Check Engine light came on. Limped the vehicle slowly back home and contacted dealer. Had vehicle towed to dealer and they diagnosed the issue as a faulty valve body. Part i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while an acquaintance was driving the vehicle at an unknown speed, the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound and the engine seized. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine seizure caused by rod bearing wear. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I want to add my report of oil loss in the hope a recall is made. I found out after purchase that 2012-2014 or 2015 has a known problem with piston rings. With normal local driving I need to top off the oil every couple of weeks. With longer trips, say a couple hours of driving one way, the oil gets a quarter to half way down on the dipstick. I carry oil for all roadtrips and can't forget to keep ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Occasionally engine revs up while braking. The most incident was when braking for a stop sign. I took my foot off the accelerator and depressed the brake pedal. The engine speed increased and I had to step harder on the brake. Briefly a message appeared warning the brake and accelerator pedals were both depressed. I looked down and I could see nothing was touching the accelerator peddle. My foot w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
The amber light for being to close to another vehicle in front of you does not come on in the dash in my case less than half a truck length ahead. It does not have any sensors on front or rear because Dealer said it was because of lack of chips. There must be someway to adjust this for further notification then a half a truck length.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
My 2015 Jeep Compass will randomly stall while I am driving... randomly breaking while im driving. Then very frequently it will not let me drive past 20 miles per hour (sometimes slower than this). It randomly acts like this. It always feels like it does not want to accelerate... it will sometimes but most times doesn't. I have taken it to both a private service center and to the dealership multip... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
My 2015 Jeep Compass will randomly stall while I am driving... randomly breaking while im driving. Then very frequently it will not let me drive past 20 miles per hour (sometimes slower than this). It randomly acts like this. It always feels like it does not want to accelerate... it will sometimes but most times doesn't. I have taken it to both a private service center and to the dealership multip... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
My 2015 Jeep Compass will randomly stall while I am driving... randomly breaking while im driving. Then very frequently it will not let me drive past 20 miles per hour (sometimes slower than this). It randomly acts like this. It always feels like it does not want to accelerate... it will sometimes but most times doesn't. I have taken it to both a private service center and to the dealership multip... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, he observed a rattling noise emanating from the passenger’s side of the window. Additionally, the contact stated that the windshield was rattling, and condensation seeped through the loose places. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The rear window on the Cascada is known to separate from the convertible top material, likely due to an insufficient amount of primer used during the assembly process, which creates stress points allowing the material to separate from the glass. Once this bond has started to fail, it is eventually going to lead to the glass completely falling off the car. It is likely that the glass separating cou... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The rear window on the Cascada is known to separate from the convertible top material, likely due to an insufficient amount of primer used during the assembly process, which creates stress points allowing the material to separate from the glass. Once this bond has started to fail, it is eventually going to lead to the glass completely falling off the car. It is likely that the glass separating cou... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
Steering wheel has a sticky feeling, especially on the highway traveling at faster speeds. The wheel gets stuck in certain positions and then over exerts when you turn the wheel back. Overall, the steering wheel feels unstable.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
My Kia had be under an unresolved recall that can cause a fire, not only putting myself and my family, but other drivers at risk. I have a toddler who rides with me and would be extremely hard to get out of a car seat if the car caught on fire, as such I have reduced driving with them to ensure safety, but this is an issue that cannot continue and I should not have to put myself and others at risk... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
I was informed by my mechanic, that due to a design defect, antifreeze was leaking into the engine block of my car. They said that the engine might explode and a new one was over $7000.00
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
While driving 60 MPH on the highway my car started stuttering then lost all power. It threw 3 codes P0131, P2097 and P0171. I have spent over $1,000.00 and a month later they tell me it was my intake bolts that were loose. They replaced every part PCV valve, MAF sensor, O2 sensor and car still wouldn't run right. PLEASE address this issue as that is UNSAFE for a car to just stop on the highway.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Transmission Clutch Assembly. May not be available for inspection unless submitted by the dealership. Car vibrated violently as soon as pulling forward. Car would not continue forward motion without bucking. Car had to be towed to dealership. Yes Yes. Car passed annual inspection just a month prior. Transmission component inspected by service department at dealership. No warning lights illumi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Valve cover gasket leak, coolant hose leaks, passenger side axel boot slinging grease, parasitic draw
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
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 not yet available. 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... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
Unknown the check engine light comes on supposedly is the active shutter on the front is malfunctioning
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
My sante fe has shifted out of park and rolled away from me on 2 occasions. The first time I was about 30 feet away when my son and husband started screaming for me. The car we rolling across the parking lot. I tried to jump in and hit the brake but was unsuccessful and we slammed into a flag pole. The dealer ran a code reader on it and there was no codes so they denied responsibility. Basicall... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
My sante fe has shifted out of park and rolled away from me on 2 occasions. The first time I was about 30 feet away when my son and husband started screaming for me. The car we rolling across the parking lot. I tried to jump in and hit the brake but was unsuccessful and we slammed into a flag pole. The dealer ran a code reader on it and there was no codes so they denied responsibility. Basicall... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
Vehicle has slow takeoff acceleration
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
Tire size P205 60R16 evolution tour series This is the second tire of the set of 4 that suddenly had a belt shift inside the tire and the steering wheel would violently shake , one of the tires when failed pulled to left into oncoming traffic (luckily I retained control)
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
While driving at about 50 mph, the transmission shifted into neutral and would not allow me to shift it back into drive while moving or stopped. This put me in a very dangerous situation as I was in traffic and in the left lane on a 4-lane road. After about 10 minutes of the engine being shut off, it started again and ran just fine. A check engine light did come on, giving error code P0205 and U... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Hi, I had a 2016 XC90 which has serious safety problems. The sunroof has a factory defect, leaking water into the car and causing failures in electronic systems and airbags. Many other owners have sued Volvo and won their cases. Additionally, the issue has been certified by the court, and there are technical bulletins published by Volvo addressing the problem. Yes. The water leak can damage entire... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Hi, I had a 2016 XC90 which has serious safety problems. The sunroof has a factory defect, leaking water into the car and causing failures in electronic systems and airbags. Many other owners have sued Volvo and won their cases. Additionally, the issue has been certified by the court, and there are technical bulletins published by Volvo addressing the problem. Yes. The water leak can damage entire... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The engine is burning oil due to a factory design defect in the piston ring design, as verified by Volvo through a technical bulletin. In the bulletin, Volvo states that there is a free oil consumption test available for up to 100k miles. However, once I brought the car in for the test, they denied doing it for free and did not send any notice by mail. Burning oil can lead to a fire risk and loss... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
UNKNOWN! I do not have much car knowledge but I do know that the transmission has blown in my 2018 Chevy Cruze two times and the shifter made a clicking noise that was very alarming. I have a video but the option to upload a file is only for pictures, I think the video is very crucial to understanding what I mean by clicking noise. The noise was would come randomly about 4 months after having the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
UNKNOWN! I do not have much car knowledge but I do know that the transmission has blown in my 2018 Chevy Cruze two times and the shifter made a clicking noise that was very alarming. I have a video but the option to upload a file is only for pictures, I think the video is very crucial to understanding what I mean by clicking noise. The noise was would come randomly about 4 months after having the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
My car keeps stuttering and stalling. I've been trying to get it fixed at specialists but they say nothing is wrong with the car, even though I've been stuck on the side of the road multiple times. Not to mention the intense jerking the car does when I try and speed up .
Crash
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
My car keeps stuttering and stalling. I've been trying to get it fixed at specialists but they say nothing is wrong with the car, even though I've been stuck on the side of the road multiple times. Not to mention the intense jerking the car does when I try and speed up .
Crash
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
Every time my wife gets into the front passenger seat the sensor in the seat doesn’t recognize her sitting down and doesn’t active the passenger side airbag also the climate control is inactive. Rivian claims that there is a seat weight limit but my wife weighs 145 lbs. this happens all the time until my wife moves around enough to activate it. Then sometimes it turns off in the middle of a dr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
Each trailer must have rear impact guards (bumpers) or other devices that prevent another vehicle from riding underneath. https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov › MyFiles 5.1.9 Rear-End Protection (393.86) - CSA Compliance, Safety My trailer does not have a rear bumper.
Incident date: Mar 21, 2024
Ref: NTB19-075 dated October 2019. Hello, I purchased this vehicle 08/03/2019. Less than one year later (April and October 2020), we had to take the vehicle to Nissan of Van Nuys, California for transmission service with only 58,596 miles. Today the vehicle has only 117.000 miles and my transmission is giving me problems again. The faulty transmission code is P17F4, which is considered a man... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000(Structure); 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... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000(Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
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 repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable time to remedy the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distributio... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle, there was an abnormal popping sound emanating from the door hinge, after which the door was not flush with the body of the vehicle while closed. The door ajar warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The stabilitrak and power steering goes out intermittently. This is the same part and part number as the ones that were recalled on the 2015 models. It makes no sense for the 2015 part to be recalled and not rhr 2016 when it’s the same problem with the same part number. This causes the steering to freeze and almost caused a fatality without any warning. Please look at the 2015 Colorado r... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2024
I'm filing this complaint about a Safety Recall letter, dated November 14, 2023, that I received from the KIA America Corporate Headquarters concerning a (NHTSA Recall Number: 23V652) defect which can result in an engine compartment fire, increasing the risk of injury. I have reached out to my local Balise KIA dealer, on two separate occasions to be told my information is in their system and the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Every time I lock right rear slider with power lock loud buzz is heard.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
A sensor in the ABS braking system went out. We attempted to get it fixed in September but were told the part was unavailable until February due to the fact that Ram was having to reengineer the part. We personally know 5 people who have had to replace this sensor. The service manager at the dealership told us that it was a very common problem. We have been driving for months with no ABS. Shouldn... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, smoke was detected, and vehicle was extremely hot. The contact stated that it was unknown if there were any warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
C/S RADIO/HEAD UNIT NOT WORKING, VEHICLE NEEDS APIM MODULE-per auto service at dealership. The screen is completely black so the backup camera either isn't functioning or it simply can't project onto the screen. Confirmed by dealer It has not been inspected by anyone but the auto dealership The system was off and on for a few days, then went completely out. Started in January, 2024 There was no i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
noticed a small oil puddle near the front passenger side of the car in the garage before leaving for work on 2/24/24 at approximately 530am. Checked all reservoirs and found nothing outstanding and left for work. At approximately 540am I was driving to work and noticed 2 deer avoided one and hit the second one while still attempting to stop. I slammed my brakes, had no abs kick on, and the pedal w... Read more
Crash