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: Nov 11, 2023
Car showed “electrical system malfunction” while driving. Said that the start/stop system failed. Proceeded to say that the rear brake light not functioning while driving, which would pose a safety risk to all drivers and myself.
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
Driver side door suddenly began creaking and popping when opening and closing. Not sure if it’s safe to open or close the door, not sure what happened to it or what’s wrong.
Incident date: Nov 6, 2023
Yesterday I had my vehicle checked at a Volvo Dealership shop for the malfunction of the DIM (driver/driving instrument module, also known as dashboard; I have filed a separate compliant about this common problem.), their diagnosis also found a critical malfunction of the steering wheel module, which needs to be replaced with stalks. This is a potentially very serious safety issue. I'd suggest Vol... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2023
I got a recall letter in the mail and Burns Hyundai does not want to give me a service or loaner vehicle.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2023
Windsheild trim is breaking into pieces on the sides and coming off.The bottom trim going across the hood is getting wavy and cracking and not laying flat on the surface anymore. It is also starting to break away. Dealer said no repairs for this are covered under warranty and if I want it fixed its very expensive.
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and became aware that the vehicle had lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
I was approaching a green light, and engaged the brakes to slow down. As I approached the light reaching approximate 10MPH. The car shuddered, and the alternator must have glitched again.The wheel cranked itself back and forth, causing the car to spin and turn into oncoming traffic. This issue has been recalled for this vehicle but not this VIN. I have notified 3 Honda repair shops of this issue, ... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an inspection, where it was determined that the air bag and engine warning lights were illuminated and were under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
NHTSA Recall Number 23V-431 calls for cable connectors to be changed out due to poor connections resulting in the rear view camera image to function intermittingly or not display at all. Per Honda engineering, this repair is not sufficient to fix the issue and the main head unit has to be replaced too. Please include this as a part of this safety recall because of the safety issues it is causing a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
NHTSA Recall Number 23V-431 calls for cable connectors to be changed out due to poor connections resulting in the rear view camera image to function intermittingly or not display at all. Per Honda engineering, this repair is not sufficient to fix the issue and the main head unit has to be replaced too. Please include this as a part of this safety recall because of the safety issues it is causing a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
While driving down a very dark road, I noticed my high beams did not work. High beams are an essential feature for safe nighttime driving, and when they're not working, it can be dangerous because non-functioning high beams can compromise your ability to see and react to potential dangers while also affecting the safety of other drivers, making it a significant safety concern. I made an appointm... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that there were metal shavings in the pan, and that there was no oil in the e... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated while driving an undisclosed speed, an abnormally strong fuel odor was detected. Additionally, the fuel odor was also detected when the defroster and heat were activated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
The HCU/ABS system in my truck is acting up and intermittent. Causing ABS to not work and making beeping noises on and off while driving. Also causes the cruise control to not work.
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC60 equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Cross Contact, Tire Size: 255/45/R20, DOT: (N/A). The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the rear passenger’s side tire had a blowout. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that there was a sidewall blowout. The tires were not replaced. The tires were the original tire... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The contact was purchasing a 2023 ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reviewing the purchase agreement, it was discovered that the vehicle was not equipped with fog lights. The contact was concerned that without fog lights his visibility to the roadway would be impaired while driving at night. The vehicle was not yet in the contacts possession therefore it was not diagnosed or repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
22V-406 Recall issued June 9 2022. We’ve tried to have fixed but parts unavailable. At what point is this untimely? It has been over a year which seems untimely to me. The safety issue indicates high pressure fuel pump ("HPFP") that could fail prematurely. A HPFP failure may introduce internally failed component debris into the fuel system potentially causing fuel starvation. Fuel starvation may... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
While driving on the freeway my brakes failed. I had pushed the pedal all the way down and the vehicle was still moving. This caused a rear end collision. There were no warnings that appeared.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate and would also vibrate at various speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling rough at start-up. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and was jumpstarted. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while attempting to reverse at 2 MPH, the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
Driving vehicle with no vehicles within 100 yards directly in front of vehicle and with 1 car in the lane to vehicles right on a 2-lane road. Vehicle on the right was about 30-40 car lengths ahead of my own vehicle. The collision detection system and emergency braking system sounded off, lit up the dash panel stating BREAK, and then applied the brakes while going 50 mph with drivers behind me. The... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
Driving vehicle with no vehicles within 100 yards directly in front of vehicle and with 1 car in the lane to vehicles right on a 2-lane road. Vehicle on the right was about 30-40 car lengths ahead of my own vehicle. The collision detection system and emergency braking system sounded off, lit up the dash panel stating BREAK, and then applied the brakes while going 50 mph with drivers behind me. The... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2023
My Van would start shift in to hear but not go forward (or backwards), there is a high pitched whine not normal for the car. There are recalls on other 2015 vans for the transmission oil pump. Which is exactly what’s wrong with my van.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
P0301 misfire in the engine and P0201 fuel injecter both should be recalled on all 2007 Ford edges as me and another lady both wrecked hitting a small poles and the business owners was nice and said to make it home safely since there was no damage. I have done plenty of research and Ford is refusing to do any recalls on the spark plugs in the engine and the fuel injecter. Please recalls those so n... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle was sputtering and vibrating, followed by the engine power being reduced. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who stated that cylinder #2 had misfired due to coolant leaking into the engine. The spark plugs and ignition coils were replace... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
Hi, My Honda Accord Sport 2020 1.5T got 3 of 4 fuel injectors malfunctions and led to all warning lights turn on. I had to replace them (cost appro $1,900) at the Southpoint Honda dealership in Durham, North Carolina. They told me there is no recall for this model. Honda is bad. Many videos shown the same issue with mine on Youtube. Please help us. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUAN... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The vehicle's driver's door malfunctioned. It is available for inspection, but I paid to fix it earlier this week out of my pocket. It was confirmed by an auto body repair shop.It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives. There was no warning lamps' messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The first time it occurred was early last year. I... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The vehicle's driver's door malfunctioned. It is available for inspection, but I paid to fix it earlier this week out of my pocket. It was confirmed by an auto body repair shop.It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives. There was no warning lamps' messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The first time it occurred was early last year. I... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 43 MPH. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle briefly returned to normal functionality, but the failure reoccurred. The EPS, stability control, impending collision, Lane Keep A... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Steering wheel sticking at highway speeds when on a curved road or when changing lanes. Might be a loss of power steering. Occurs once or twice in 100 highway miles. Only temporary solution is to jerk the wheel with enough force to unstick it and regain control, which is not safe or ideal. How was y... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the subframe of the vehicle was significantly corroded. The contact stated that the passenger's side of the vehicle was warped, which made the vehicle unsafe to drive. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
"What component or system failed or malfunctioned? Is it available for inspection upon request? Vehicle turned off in the middle of the road, warning it was hot How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle was driving on the highway and suddenly turned off without warning Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by an independent dealer or service center? Yeah H... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
Im loosing complete steering capabilty on my truck, it’s scary to drive it. I want to know if my truck its one of the one with the posible steering circuit board contamination. almost got into a wreck.
Incident date: May 15, 2023
I received a letter stating that there is a major increase in contacts focus on certain Kia and Hyundai cars, including my car that is registered in New York State. It also is televising me that I can receive advice of tools, available free of charge to help my car from getting stolen.
Incident date: May 15, 2023
ABS light on and antiskid light came on and the bell is ringing and the cruise control not working when on
Incident date: May 15, 2023
ABS light on and antiskid light came on and the bell is ringing and the cruise control not working when on
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
BRAKES ARE NOT WOKING AT FULL SPECIFICATION DUE TO BRAKE ACCUMILATOR HAVING AN INTERNAL LEAK C1391
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
The wiper will work for about 20 minutes. the slow to a very slow intermittent wipe no matter the rain amount. Once this has started you can adjust the speed of the wiper and it will work for about 30 seconds the fall back into the slow intermittent wipe. I took it to the dealer, and they said the wipers were working normally, even though I have a video of the issue happening. There are no indic... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
Adaptive headlight does not work and the low beam reflector is completely loose. With the reflector loose the headlight will occasionally blind oncoming traffic, point to the sky or side of the road. It is unsafe to ride unless riding with high beams, which is not safe for oncoming traffic.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would enter LIMP Mode, with the high engine temperature and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that coolant had entered the engine cylinder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Warranty Extens... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
All warning lights came on-LDW/ABS/VSA/FCW at first around 7/25/23 . Called Honda service-told to bring it in for diagnostic check. Then on 7/27/23 power steering went out-had car towed in to dealer-they fixed/replaced EPS Control unit under extended warranty extension 19-036. They diagnosed the electrical systems -said it needed VSA Modulator ($2222.36 prepaid)-and said safe to drive. That was a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
Driving on the highway, check engine light came on followed by turtle mode and subsequent engine failure. Stranding driver with three small children on the highway. This has occurred several times, again stranding driver and three small children in the middle of nowhere at night having to await a tow truck and find a ride to hotel. Currently in service center for the fourth time with no apparent s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
Just not my car drove very odd to noises to shift to park message
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
Just not my car drove very odd to noises to shift to park message
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The steering wheel makes a clunking sound and can be felt when turning the wheel. There appears to be a recall/extended warranty for this part for other years of this car but not sure why mine was not included.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
On 09/29/2023 evening at Trenton NJ it was drizzling. I see water droplets on side mirrors and back glass, so turned on rear defogger and drove just 2 minutes, with no reason by back glass shattered with blow sound. I immediately stopped car and saw glass particals fallen inside and few on road. Luckily no one injured. We are traveling with infant and elders. Honda is responsible for this cheap qu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
There is a bug in the browser that Tesla includes in all of their vehicles that allow people to play videos/movies while driving. Someone sells a device that takes advantage of this bug: https://teslaandroid.com/ The browser needs to be update to prevent this, as it is a major safety issue.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The engine in my 2013 Elantra started making noises and the car stopped while my son was driving. He was able to get it to a nearby parking lot. We ended up driving it 1 mile to the mechanic who said “it might be time to get rid of this car”. It needs a new engine. Mechanic talked to the local Hyundai dealership, gave them the VIN and dealer said I would likely be eligible for an engine replac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the morning, he detected an abnormal fluttering sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
While I was driving with my family on a highway, I deployed the drive assist function that controls the speed of the car and keeps car in lane, out of a sudden the car itself deployed a sudden quick brake without any immenant risk in fron of me ( there was no car in front of my car for at least more than half a mile) this caused a very close threat from being hit by the cars behind me amd all of ... Read more