Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 15,069 complaints for VOLVO
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
According to the garage Piston Ring failure causing engine damage and oil consumption. Vehicle shut off while excelling on a high traffic route. Vehicle has been in the garage since 1/13/23. As of today 2/1/23 still awaiting news of engine replacement.
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
The Google/Android (IHU) electrical system controls the entire car: brakes, engine, safety features, AC/Heat, etc. It is unreliable after 4 repair attempts. Problems started date of delivery (9/6/22) & have been ongoing. The ones that directly affect safety are the auto braking activating without cause, blind spot warning missing motorcycles, lane keeping will pull car towards a hazard in middle o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the garage door was opening, the tailgate erroneously opened, striking the garage door, and causing cosmetic damage to the garage door and the tailgate door. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2023
After reviewing all the correct settings to engage alert and braking on the Ram Limited the vehicle under no circumstances will provide an alert or engage braking. In 4 months and 4,000 miles of driving several errant drivers have come within a foot of the truck and several pedestrians have stepped in front of our path. It will not alert to any issues. I opened a case with Stelantis and the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine and oil warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the piston had scarred the cylinder wall, and the piston needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Ca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel seized. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving, the steering became difficult to maneuver the vehicle and veered to one side. The contact then stated that he heard ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
The contact called on behalf of his daughter who owns a 2017 BMW 430I. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the message indicating a seat occupancy failure was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the seat belt chime reminder was audible even though there was a passenger seated in the front passenger’s seat with the seat belt properly buckled up. The... Read more
VOLVO
S60
(2013) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:IMMOBILIZER/PROXIMITY:KEY/SENDER
Jan 26, 2023
Incident date: Jan 26, 2022
My car has been broken into twice due to the manufacturer not having proper ignition safeguards put into place, received no help from manufacturer , this is a known issue
Incident date: Jan 26, 2023
Mid December the day after I purchased my 2019 a6 the 48V starter generator failed while driving with my son in the car. Alerts came up as electronics issue and to pull over. Very quickly it stopped dead in road. They told me it is a known issue, and they have multiple A6s waiting for this part. It has been over a month and still unknown when this part will be available. This should be a r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2023
Ever since I bought the vehicle, there are times when I cold start that the vehicle moves slowly. And pressing the gas moves the car at 1/10th the power that I am used to. Not every time, but particularly pronounced when cold. Once it warms up and this low power goes away.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2023
2013 ford fusion energi, Power steering assist has failed. We have TWO 2013 fusions and this has now happened to both cars.
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Pacifica Hybrid Limited found completely dead in our driveway and unresponsive to the remote. I manually unlocked the driver door, no usual dash indications, opened the hood and found the 12v battery system at 2.9v. It would not start & no responses or indications. There had been no warnings or indications of any problems prior to this. The car prevented my 6 A charger from charging the battery wh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Pacifica Hybrid Limited found completely dead in our driveway and unresponsive to the remote. I manually unlocked the driver door, no usual dash indications, opened the hood and found the 12v battery system at 2.9v. It would not start & no responses or indications. There had been no warnings or indications of any problems prior to this. The car prevented my 6 A charger from charging the battery wh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Picked the vehicle up from dealership, rapidly received errors in May 2022. Errors as follows; Blind Spot Sensor service required, rear auto brake reduced functionality, park assist system reduced functionality, vehicle had less that 15 miles. A different incident in May, the AC wouldn’t work and had to shut down and reset screen. July 2022, car would not start with either key, confirmed both k... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2022
The steering and wheel alignment of the vehicle is habitually misaligned and pulling drastically to the right. The vehicle has been serviced and aligned multiple times, and the auto mechanic shop says that the alignment can no longer be set properly. They charged me extra for some additional part to help correct this and allow the vehicle to be aligned, however that did not help. Although the s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2022
While driving on the freeway, the vehicle's electric motor suddenly died. Because this is an electric vehicle, the car came to a sudden and abrupt stop, with all the wheels locking up. The car would not shift into drive or neutral or reverse. It effectively died, with the only power coming from the 12-volt battery to power the dashboard and interior lights. It was effectively inoperable. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2022
Driving on the freeway and heard a loud noise coming from the ceiling of the vehicle. I opened the sunroof shade and saw that my glass was spontaneously shattered!! There was no trees or anything over the vehicle, I was driving in an open area.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2018
We were driving on a three lane on the expressway with the autopilot engaged. all of the sudden and without any warning the car engage on the breaks. We didnt have any cars in front or side we did have a car behind us. This was an extreamly scare situation as it took us by surprised. This happened two times while engages on autopilot. We didnt use anymore after. I searched the web and there are th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2018
We were driving on a three lane on the expressway with the autopilot engaged. all of the sudden and without any warning the car engage on the breaks. We didnt have any cars in front or side we did have a car behind us. This was an extreamly scare situation as it took us by surprised. This happened two times while engages on autopilot. We didnt use anymore after. I searched the web and there are th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2022
Abs hydrolic module out again for second time ealerships has no parts tells me not safe to drive. Told me they have 12 vehicles with same issue waiting for parts???? This needs to be a recall. These trucks cost to much h for ongoing issues over same parts.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
I was cruising on the highway normal speed them out of nowhere, my engine lost power and then a hill decent fault warning popped up. I pulled over then when I came to a complete stop my truck was shaking like if it had a misfire. So then I turned it off then back on. It turned back on on the first try but it struggled. When it turned on everything went away like nothing happen. Warning lights and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
I was cruising on the highway normal speed them out of nowhere, my engine lost power and then a hill decent fault warning popped up. I pulled over then when I came to a complete stop my truck was shaking like if it had a misfire. So then I turned it off then back on. It turned back on on the first try but it struggled. When it turned on everything went away like nothing happen. Warning lights and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
I have had several software/computer issues since purchase. Now the whole control system has failed and all safety functions are dead, in addition to radio, heating/cooling and voice command systems.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
While enrooted to work my vehicle just shut off unexpectedly. I had the vehicle towed to nearest mechanic shop and they could not find out why my vehicle stopped, then the vehicle started back up and I drove the vehicle home. A few days later on my way to work again, my vehicle would not start at all. I had AAA come out to try and start the vehicle thinking that it was a dead battery, but I was to... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2019
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advise... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
Purchased my 2016 suburban on 1/14/23 and since it has been “service trailer brake” distracting me from driving . The service chime stops me from listening to music , my turn signals , constantly making me look down . I drove around in total for 4 hours throughout my day and non stop. I’ve contacted the dealership and told me to wait till the end of the week.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
Was driving on a highway on cruise control When it automatically disengaged by itself When I stepped on the gas the car began to shake violently, And it was not shifting years correctly. I was able to pull over and realize that the transmission Was a problem so I was able to drive manually to local dealer who diagnosed the problem as needing a new transmission. The vehicle is 2017 and has less t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
I was rear ended. During the impact, which was enough to accelerate my vehicle from 9 mph to 36 mph, the steering wheel came completely off of the car and hit me in the head. The steering wheel was in the back seat immediately following the impact and my vehicle was traveling at 36 mph with no way to steer out control it and no airbags in front of me in case of a secondary collision. This happened... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
I was rear ended. During the impact, which was enough to accelerate my vehicle from 9 mph to 36 mph, the steering wheel came completely off of the car and hit me in the head. The steering wheel was in the back seat immediately following the impact and my vehicle was traveling at 36 mph with no way to steer out control it and no airbags in front of me in case of a secondary collision. This happened... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
The contact owned a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently drove off the roadway and caught fire. The fire started from the front of the vehicle. The air bags were deployed. The contact sustained a broken hip, injuries to her pelvis, left clavicle, and right rib, as well as a head injury causing a minor brain bleed. Medical attention was ... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
i was driving home and noticed my gas mileage rapidly going down. (before when i filled up i used to get 408 miles till “E” then got 380) so i knew sowmthing was starting to go wrong. then, my engine light started flashing. i got my catalytic converters replaced but i’m still losing gas mileage bad and engine ticking.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2022
2018 Ram 2500 with 18,900 miles. While driving at various speeds, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated with an audible chime. The brakes would slip upon depression of the brake pedal while the warning lights are illuminated. ABS control module/traction control is intermittently failing. There is no antilock braking or traction control on wet/icy conditions.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
When I go to stop the vehicle brakes take longer to catch on to stop the vehicle. This has been an ongoing problem since vehicle pick up March 2022. I drove my truck in the last snow fall we received and when I went to brake it was much worse than in normal conditions. It felt like I slid into the stop and had to push the brakes really hard and my kids heads jerked trying to brake. Clearly is a sa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
When I go to stop the vehicle brakes take longer to catch on to stop the vehicle. This has been an ongoing problem since vehicle pick up March 2022. I drove my truck in the last snow fall we received and when I went to brake it was much worse than in normal conditions. It felt like I slid into the stop and had to push the brakes really hard and my kids heads jerked trying to brake. Clearly is a sa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2022
Gear shifting and transmission problems are on going and intermittent. computer system confused to witch location shifter is in. Sent to dealer for system up date witch only lasted one week before problems returned. error code p0810
Incident date: Nov 18, 2019
Sounds as if the front wheels are hitting against something as your accelerating but disappears when you let off the accelerator
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
The tail light is collecting moisture out of nowhere. Went to the dealer to get the item looked at, was told that it was not covered under the warranty. The price to repair will be almost 1300 to replace, this is crazy. GM needs to do something about this. The moisture in the light is a potential for all the electrical wires to burnout.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
I'm currently having the Recall no.18V160000 problem on my 2012 ram 1500 slt 4.7 but since the vin number on my truck doesn't show this recall, the dealer doesn't want to fix it. My truck currently has the front fuel tank strap frame "T-Slot" bracket broken.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
On Friday, January 6, 2023, I left work in my 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge. As I merged onto I26 nothing appeared out of the ordinary. As I began to speed up, my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) alerted me to a low-pressure situation. I pulled to the side of the road and requested roadside assistance. The rear driver-side tire had a screw embedded in the tread. A plug was placed by roadside assi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
On Friday, January 6, 2023, I left work in my 2023 Volvo XC60 Recharge. As I merged onto I26 nothing appeared out of the ordinary. As I began to speed up, my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) alerted me to a low-pressure situation. I pulled to the side of the road and requested roadside assistance. The rear driver-side tire had a screw embedded in the tread. A plug was placed by roadside assi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2022
SAFETY RECALL R10125 for this vehicle has not been performed as of this date; received Safety Recall Notice letter from Volvo Car USA LLC 29 NOV 2021; have contacted dealer once immediately upon receipt of letter; Volvo Corporation 4 to 6 times telephonic and email with the last response (Volvo is looking into it) on 15 DEC 2022 upon which I have again responded with an email for a status check. M... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
I have a 1 month old 2023 XC60 T8 phev recharge extended range with 1250 miles on it. I was driving without any issues for the past 1 months. I got a turtle icon with the check engine light on constant when I started driving today. The car had pulled back while driving and there was substantial diminished power, and could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. I called Volvo and they explained n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
I have a 1 month old 2023 XC60 T8 phev recharge extended range with 1250 miles on it. I was driving without any issues for the past 1 months. I got a turtle icon with the check engine light on constant when I started driving today. The car had pulled back while driving and there was substantial diminished power, and could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. I called Volvo and they explained n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
I have a 1 month old 2023 XC60 T8 phev recharge extended range with 1250 miles on it. I was driving without any issues for the past 1 months. I got a turtle icon with the check engine light on constant when I started driving today. The car had pulled back while driving and there was substantial diminished power, and could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. I called Volvo and they explained n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Blind spot sensor repeatedly malfunctioning. Vehicle generates "service required" message, and it appears that blind spot monitors fail to illuminate. Child safety locks also deactivate without driver input. Vehicle is currently available for inspection. 2. Has the problem been reproduced or c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Blind spot sensor repeatedly malfunctioning. Vehicle generates "service required" message, and it appears that blind spot monitors fail to illuminate. Child safety locks also deactivate without driver input. Vehicle is currently available for inspection. 2. Has the problem been reproduced or c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Blind spot sensor repeatedly malfunctioning. Vehicle generates "service required" message, and it appears that blind spot monitors fail to illuminate. Child safety locks also deactivate without driver input. Vehicle is currently available for inspection. 2. Has the problem been reproduced or c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Volvo VNL. The contact stated that while approaching a stop, the clutch failed to disengage. The contact also stated that after decelerating, he depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle rolled back. The contact stated that the check warning light illuminated, indicating to check the transmission at the next stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagn... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The car starting leaking water into the rear view mirror in June. This wouldn’t be much of an issue, but the cars computer system for drive assist is located in this area and has caused the car to malfunction in all areas. This XC90 pilot assist is now malfunctioning causing a huge safety issue. This is apparently a known problem with their cars with the panoramic sunroof, but is now a safety ha... Read more