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: Jan 28, 2024
Ever since we purchased the vehicle new in 2020 we had an issue with intermittent mulfunction of the parking and cross traffic alerts indicators. The backup camera screen often fails to indicate whether there is cross traffic and from which side. The issue is present about 8/10 times. While the vehicle was under warranty we took it multiple times to two GM dealerships. Technicians updated the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
I received the following as a gift for my recent baby shower: SteAnny Baby Stroller Foldable Toddler Pram Baby Carriage Combo Newborn Basket (White) [XXX] It was purchased on Amazon. It was $339 +tax!!!! I am absolutely horrified at the quality of this product. But most importantly I’m extremely concerned about the clear safety hazard the car seat is. I have attached a video of my husband ma... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The Accessory power interface module has failed. It receives inputs from a variety of sensors, some hardwired directly to it, while most are sent over the bus communications system from the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). These inputs allow the module to communicate with the steering wheel controls, the radio, navigation system and the consumer's personal cell phone via Bluetooth. When I contacte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
Sticky steering, The steering sticks and releases in a gradual turn, very annoying. I feel this can be a safety issue. Dealer service tech could not confirm issue.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
When put in snow mode, there is a loss of power or failure for the car to accelerate at all. You can put the accelerator to the floor, and the car will not move forward. You basically can not drive in traffic. I had to pull over multiple times to the shoulder, because the car would not accelerate at all. I could not even get to the shoulder, because the car would not drive. Almost caused mult... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The belt tightening system in the car seat has almost cut completely through the car seatbelt. Two separate sections are almost through and a third shows damage. The damage is in areas concealed during normal use and was only discovered when the seat was removed.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The airbag stopped working. The mechanic said it stopped working because of water damage in the seat. Why doesn’t Nissan inform their consumers about the airbags? I wonder if other people are experiencing the same problem.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the maintenance warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was shaking. The contact drove the vehicle to his intended destination. The contact parked the vehicle and turned the vehicle off. The contact restarted the vehicle and noticed that the wrench warning light was off. The contact stated while driving and depressing t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
About two weeks ago my 2018 Ford Expediton Max Platinum 4x4 started exhibiting harsh shifting from 3 to 4 gear. Since then it has gotten worse. Harsh shifting, delayed shifting, harsh engagement of gear, or sometimes not engaging at all leaving me in a a very unsafe position on the road. It appears Ford is very aware of the danger and issued MULTIPLE TSB's about this issue. Vehicle has not bee... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the shift to park message was displayed. After turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal beeping sound heard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,018.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
Water leaked through the roof causing the tailgate motor to fail. There are separations in the body seams above the tailgate. The vehicle has not been an accident.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
The paint on the roof of this white Lexus is peeling and cracking. I took it to Lexus and they said since it was 5K miles out of warranty, they would not repair this manufacturers defect
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH from a parking spot and turning the wheel to the left, the steering wheel seized. The steering wheel failed to turn left or right. The contact was able to reverse into a parking spot. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering ne... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2016
The ram air suspension keeps failing causing the car to drop to bump stops and mounts around out of control. The suspension on my vehicle has been repaired multiple times throughout the years. And has failed once again during normal driving operations. It has once again been fixed just to fail within days. Then brought back to the dealership just to fail within hours of it being repaired agai... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
Drivetrain malfunction error that disabled the vehicle. Software update done by dealer, but dealer is unsure if that is the repair. Many other owners of the 50e are having issues. All are related to the high voltage battery system. Car will not operate when error occurs. BMW has refused to publish a TSB.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
Vehicle's "Service Anti-Lock Brake System" light and warning tone is coming on intermittently. I researched this to a common problem with the Hydraulic Control Unit (failure), which is known by the dealer to be common problem among 2017-2018 Ram trucks. Problem with the original manufacturer of this unit, with no parts available for replacement at this time.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
My driver side seat belt doesn't roll back up after it is taken off. I have to manually force the belt to go up. This happened to my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee and there was a recall on hers. This seems to be the same issue. I am afraid that the seat belt will eventually malfunction.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
During cruise control engagement when passing a larger vehicle the system sometimes will execute aggressive braking potentially causing an accident with a vehicle following behind. Have to be ready to disengage cruise control during all situations with other vehicles in proximity. It will always perform the aggressive braking maneuver when passing a semi-truck on a curved highway.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
The HCU in which controls your ABS and Traction control will malfunction while driving down the road when this happens you have no ABS, traction control or cruise controls. The dealer part is unavailable through the dealer due them saying that they are reviewing it. This is a major safety concern due to the fact if you are traveling and it malfunctions and need to stop quickly you cannot or if it ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
I have an ABS light on and a traction control light. I understand this is a problem with 2017 Ram 2500 and the 2018 Ram 2500. It is my understanding from the dealer it will cost over $1,000.00 for the repair so that my brakes will work properly. Vehicle has less than 87,000 miles on it. I feel this should be brought to your attention. This is a safety issue for all affected vehicles. Ram knows abo... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle then lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway; however, the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diag... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Engine failed while driving on busy highway. No warning lights or indications that there wa san engine or oil issue. Had to be towed 30 miles back home. Mechanic diagnosed with engine failure due to loss of oil. Oil change had been completed two weeks prior. Mileage was around 65,000 but was second owner so when I called Kia, I was told the original warranty did not apply. Had to replace engine.
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
Backup camera on my Ford Escape works only intermittently, sometimes it shows a black screen and error message, at other times it shows an upside down images. Please include this model year (and perhaps others) along with the recent backup camera recall you recently issued. Thanks for considering my request.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
Adding gas to my FORD EXPLORER 2020 Limited EcoBoost 4WD, is almost impossible. We just purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. No matter what gas station we use, no matter how slow we fill, the nozzle continuously clicks off every few seconds. We use the funnel that came with the vehicle & the gasoline consistently spills out along the side of the vehicle. The only way to get gas in the tan... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to make a left or right turn, there was a squeaking sound coming from the front passenger’s side wheel. The sound occurred while driving over a bump in the roadway and while accelerating. The tire pressure sensor failure warning light had been illuminated. The contact learned of NHTSA Campa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
The back up camera may or may not work. yes 2 It would be easy to back over a small child. 3 The problem was reported to a dealer and was told it could be a bad wire or a faulty radio system that would be expensive to repair.4 no 5 It began to mostly not work a couple years back
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
The back up camera may or may not work. yes 2 It would be easy to back over a small child. 3 The problem was reported to a dealer and was told it could be a bad wire or a faulty radio system that would be expensive to repair.4 no 5 It began to mostly not work a couple years back
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
When the car is in park it will display shift to park. This has been an issue just trying to get my car int park. The car will not turn off because it thinks it is not in park when it is. I have to keep turning car on and off and trying over and over for it to stay in park.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
I had serval problems with the electrical and shifter all of the sudden all lights wipers all instruments turn on shifter wants to stop and cars turns off while driving on highway front brakes vibrate . I know there’s a defect with the electrical and is very dangerous because I looked up problems like mines and other people say they had the same issue with dodge ram 1500 . It happens unexpectedl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
Started the car up and all lights and warning lights were going off when I put the car in drive. Shut the car off waited and the same thing occurred. On the 3rd crank the car stated as normal
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
HECU has been replaced by kia dealership but I paid although all recalls performed are free.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
HECU has been replaced by kia dealership but I paid although all recalls performed are free.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 alternator was prematurely replaced due to an electrical overcharge. The contact stated that the ABS warning light illuminated intermittently. Additionally, the contact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The COWL on my 2019 Ford Escape needs to be replaced all of a sudden, I researched and found an investigation by NHTSA was being done on 2019 Ford Explorers. I would like to complain about this issue and get back the results of the Explorer investigation I have the repair invoice but was unable to upload on this complaint
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Unknown- Vehicle left the highway and crashed into a tree in a ravine and then was fully engulfed in flames. Both occupants were DOA after the fire was put out.
Crash
Fire
2 deaths
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Heat does not work in Hybrid Vehicle. Prevents windshield from being able to be defrosted in winter. Should be covered under warranty, however when I took it to the dealer they report that multiple Volvo have this problem and there is a part shortage. Because of this problem, the vehicle is unsafe to drive the vehicle in the winter because it won't generate enough heat to melt the snow and i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the engine overheated. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact opened the hood and became aware that the coolant cap had detached and there was coolant covering the engine. The contact stated that the engine failure had occurred previously, and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
January of 2023, 30,000 miles took the car in for oil change and for a complaint of exhaust noise and smell coming from just behind the engine. Dealer checked and stated they found no issues. December of 2023 43,000 miles on a cold day noticed exhaust vapors coming from under the car in the area of the noise. Found the pipes, NMZ-5G203-A and dash -B to be broken at the expandable joints. This c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
This vehicle has not been inspected by dealership, nor insurance. Suddenly all warning lamps(LKAP, RDMP, CMSP, ABP with the Break System) went on. Im just affraid of an accident that could be caused by the failure of the systems. Lamps have been on for at least 4 months. It also had a recall for the fuel system, it was supposed to been taken care at a dealership but now the engine lamp is on as we... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a scheduled oil change, the contact was informed that two bolts were fractured on the exhaust manifold. The contact was informed that the exhaust manifold and assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failur... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) issue is present on my vehicle. The problem is intermittent and occurrences cannot be predicted, duration fault varies, sometimes repeatedly cycling fault/no fault/fault etc. When the fault occurs cruise control is either canceled (if active) or not available. Occurs at varios speeds. Please refer to NHTSA's open investiga... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Good afternoon, I'll try to keep this as brief as possible; I'm sure you can recontact me if you need additional information. This is not an incident, rather an issue related to the current recall 23V-228 for my 2010 Honda CRV. In 1/2023, the garage advised my Honda would not pass Maine State Safety Inspection due to the severe rust on the frame and where the left rear lower control arm (LCA) att... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
I picked up my vehicle from Wasler Polar Chevrolet on 7/26/2023 after they claimed to have "repaired" my vehicle. After receiving my vehicle, about 5 miles away from the dealership, my vehicle suddenly quit keeping up with traffic, and lost *all* power equipment. Brakes, steering and acceleration were all unresponsive. The vehicle almost sent me under a semi-trailer, but I quickly forced the steer... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
I picked up my vehicle from Wasler Polar Chevrolet on 7/26/2023 after they claimed to have "repaired" my vehicle. After receiving my vehicle, about 5 miles away from the dealership, my vehicle suddenly quit keeping up with traffic, and lost *all* power equipment. Brakes, steering and acceleration were all unresponsive. The vehicle almost sent me under a semi-trailer, but I quickly forced the steer... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
I picked up my vehicle from Wasler Polar Chevrolet on 7/26/2023 after they claimed to have "repaired" my vehicle. After receiving my vehicle, about 5 miles away from the dealership, my vehicle suddenly quit keeping up with traffic, and lost *all* power equipment. Brakes, steering and acceleration were all unresponsive. The vehicle almost sent me under a semi-trailer, but I quickly forced the steer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The automatic emergency braking system just goes off without any reason, causing the vehicle to considerably slow down if not stop. This happens several times a week if not multiple times a day again for no reason. There is no advance warning , it just happens.
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the windshield wipers motor needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V842000 (Visibility) because ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2017
Sudden rapid acceleration of car while parking vehicle on December 20, 2023 at approximately 2:00pm. The sudden rapid acceleration caused the vehicle to jump a curb and hit the base of the light pole damaging the right front of the car. Car was towed to the dealership and is currently there. If the car had not hit the base of the light pole, the car could have continued on into a driving lane pos... Read more
Crash