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: Jun 12, 2023
Frame rail has rusted out causing this vehicle unsafe to drive. A quick google search showed this a common problem. I know Mercedes Benz have recalled rusting brake boosters and provided extended warranty on rear subframe rust. Toyota has recalled truck frames. Dodge is ignoring this issue.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
There are no warning lights illuminating. The 2018 Odyssey inconsistently will not accelerate when needed and it puts the driver and passengers in dangerous situations if there is other traffic. When the driver pushes down on the foot pedal for acceleration, the car acts as if it can't engage for a moment (like it is thinking about what it needs to do), it briefly freezes, but then will suddenly... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
The contact owned a 2017 Ram 2500. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the parking lot of a residential building and turning the engine off, approximately 36 hours later the contact was alerted by the property manager that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the failure, the vehicle was destroyed. A fire report w... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 29, 2023
It doesn't make sense how much oil this thing burns. We just had the oil changed last month and prior to that we've replaced the solenoids. Why in heavens did this vehicle stall out yesterday when my husband was driving on the highway saying engine power reduced. This vehicle is costing a fortune. There is truly something wrong with these engines! This could have cause a major crash. Thank goodnes... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon opening the driver’s side door, a popping sound was coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the spot weld on the front driver’s side door had fractured at the check arm attachment point. The contact then took the vehicle to two other independent mechanics who provided the sa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
While driving, a giant crack appeared in the windshield. This was not caused by an impact.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
my 2016 Honda Accord EX-L V6 is on it's 4th starter.A service Bulletin has been issued 16-002 to fix the problem ,but it has not made a difference.I have contacted Honda Corp(Case 13172338) i August 2022 and they did not want to help even though they knew it was a on going problem with V6 owners.The internet has plenty of V6 owners that have the same problem and are left with cars that can't be fi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated, and the transmission inadvertently downshifted. Additionally, the vehicle would not accelerate above 30 MPH while driving. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure; however, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
When engine is cold, the transmission hesitates/stutters and then slams into gear. After a couple of minutes of driving, the issue stops. Turning the auto start/stop off does not have an impact on the hesitation/stuttering. This is a safety issue. Dealership claims they cannot replicate and no issues on computer diagnostics. Issue has been on going since it was purchased.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
VW issued a recall stating the following: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Software programing may cause the high voltage (HV) battery management control module to restart or the pulse inverter to deactivate. Recall consequence: A reset or deactivation may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. Recall action: Dealers w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
Lane departure warning activated and attempted to correct during a gentle curve. The location had shifted lanes due to construction, so clear lines were visible but not the actual lane to follow which is a frequent occurrence in New York City. The system came close to steering me into the adjacent lane occupied by another vehicle forcing me to fight the correction. There was a lane departure warni... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The vehicle experiences what is known as the "death wobble". It has happened six times, and the frequency is increasing. Each time it has occurred the truck has been towing a travel trailer on the highway/freeway at speeds of approximately 60-65 mph. It usually happens after hitting a bump or imperfection in the roadway. When the incidents occur, the front end of the vehicle shakes uncontrolla... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
I left my house and vehicle was perfectly fine. NEVER any warning lights since I owned the vehicle. It was not due for an oil change. I was traveling about 60 mph and after about 5 miles, vehicle just stopped running. At that point, I looked at dash and all the lights were on and vehicle was completely unresponsive. No steering, brakes, nothing. I was able to drift off of road and that was it. Tri... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
There have been 3 different ongoing issues. The car was ordered and delivered brand new in April 2022. At 4,000 miles and again at 12,000 mile is would display low oil and require 1 quart of oil. The dealership acknowledged that it has an oil consumption issue, unresolved. I have to bring it in every time it is low prior to its required oil change time/miles. At 19,742 miles the cars battery di... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The two systems that failed are the airbag release on the front passenger side and the stabilitrak system. Both systems show error lights on the dash. The front seat passenger does not have airbag protection. The stabilitrak system error light appears intermittently and when the traction system goes off the car brakes almost stop the car while driving. We go to Royal Buick in Tucson, Arizona. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The glass sunroof spontaneously exploded or imploded. There was a loud popping sound and I looked up at the sunroof, and it was shattered. glass started falling on me as I was driving on the highway. There have been many reported cases of this happening found online. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/toyota-owners-should-be-aware-of-reported-exploding-sunroof-risk/ It h... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
I drive in West Texas, no hills but some rises and slopes, mostly flat. Going from Odessa to Lubbock (5AM) maybe 2 phantom braking episodes. Coming back on a clear, sunshiny day I experienced 15-20, out of the blue. Scared me to death. No cars within 100 yards, just BAM and it braked. Another 6-7 when the car thought a car over taking me was a problem and braked or one coming in a two lane (just a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Beginning 3 months ago, intermittently during in-town traffic driving, the vehicle will shut off. It happened about once a month. Three weeks ago when it did this, it said Low Charging System, so I took it to the dealer where purchased it. The Alternator tested Low, so it was replaced. Two weeks later, it died at a stoplight again & at Idle, then the Dash Message said Disengage Auto-Shut Off and R... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
AWD Fault Service Required popped up on screen. Which Then resulted in others system failures such as auto start. Stop cruise control emergency breaking. I was within manufacturer powertrain warranty, but was told it was not covered under the powertrain warranty.
Incident date: May 5, 2023
After charging for the first time at a DC fast charge station to 80%, I resumed my trip and drove about 3 miles to merge onto the expressway, my screen panel said "safely stop now", with a turtle logo and battery icon coming on. my car then came to a complete stop within a few seconds in the middle of the on-ramp leaving me stranded. I repeatedly tried to turn the car on and off to see if i could ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard without warning. The contact narrowly avoided crashing into other objects due to the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired a... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Noticed a very hard transmission shift when accelerating from approximately 35 to 40 mph. Hard shifting in this vehicle has been observed over the past year. Milage is approximately 60,000 miles.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
While driving, at any speed, for any length of time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) the car will act like it is shifting to neutral, no matter how fast I am traveling, it’s happened at 10 mph and up. It’s random, no rhyme or reason. It has been in 4 shops since November and does not code for errors. No one has found the issue. It is unsafe as it will redline the rpm, make the accelera... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
While driving, at any speed, for any length of time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) the car will act like it is shifting to neutral, no matter how fast I am traveling, it’s happened at 10 mph and up. It’s random, no rhyme or reason. It has been in 4 shops since November and does not code for errors. No one has found the issue. It is unsafe as it will redline the rpm, make the accelera... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2023
Key repeatedly gets stuck in ignition. Similar problem to other model years. Vehicle needs to be restarted and put in park several times to be able to remove key. Needing to start and move the car several times to remove the key puts pedestrians in the area at risk as visibility in parking spaces is often limited. It happens randomly, and is not regularly reproducible, but happens frequently. We h... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2023
This has been a consistent on-going issue with my brand new 2023 Tesla Model Y. While using Autopilots Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and the Autosteer feature the car will without warning begin braking. Each time is different in regards to severity of the breaking but it is typically like letting off the accelerator pedal which in a Tesla is comparable to significant breaking. Have taken two hi... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2023
This has been a consistent on-going issue with my brand new 2023 Tesla Model Y. While using Autopilots Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and the Autosteer feature the car will without warning begin braking. Each time is different in regards to severity of the breaking but it is typically like letting off the accelerator pedal which in a Tesla is comparable to significant breaking. Have taken two hi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2021
My Jeep has been experiencing what is called the “death wobble”. When I get over 50mph, it starts to shake real bad feeling as though my tires are about to come off.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
Unknown when defect started to occur. Purchased vehicle with malfunctioning Rear left passenger seat belt does not connect properly and seat belt becomes disconnected.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
My ABS lights come on at 37000 miles, the code reads C0020-01 which is the hydraulic control unit . There are no parts to replace these units which means no ABS brakes . After looking in to this issue it seems to be a issue with the 2017 and 2018 models.
Incident date: May 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Alenza Sport A/S, Tire Size: 235/55/R20, DOT Number: 1W28AALA12522. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22T021000 (Tires) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. Several unknown dealers were contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available for the recall r... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
My vehicle began shutting completely off while in drive and approaching a stop. This has endangered myself as well as my family due to the current condition and unpredictability of the engine turning off while approaching a stop light or stop sign. The vehicle has been inspected by a dodge service location and the check engine light does come on. Also included is a mopar warranty bulletin addressi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was pulling to either side, shaking, vibrating, and was very unstable. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the torque converter weld studs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
Center (drag) link as a part of the steering linkage assembly snapped after 40,000 miles. I was driving < 5 miles an hour attempting to park my vehicle when I heard a large snap sound, which, upon further investigation, was the center link that snapped in half. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership for repairs. Had the vehicle been in a more dense area or if I were driving on the highway ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received recall notifications for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V835000 (Power Train) and 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer h... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated the rear driver's and passenger's seat belts were ripped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and confirmed that the seat belts were ripped and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Incident date: May 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle inadvertently slowed down. The vehicle failed to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a valve body replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
Back passenger side door won’t latch
Incident date: May 19, 2023
Headrest deployed without being in accident. I was about to put my car in reverse when the incident happened. If I was driving and it happened it could have caused me to wreck.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
While backing up my truck the camera went out, so I turned the truck off and left it where I could. Luckily I safely in my driveway far enough. The next morning I went out and came back I tried backing in and the camera had reversed the whole image of the output (everything behind me was opposite). This is very dangerous if in a public area with kids or cars.
Incident date: May 19, 2023
The power steering fails. It has happened several times while backing up and while slowly moving forward. The car loses all power steering and the steering wheel catches.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2021
This regards my 2017 Ford Focus. The car is 6 years old, I am still making payments on it, has a little over 50,000 miles on it, has been maintained by Ford every year since I bought it, and the transmission and extended warranty had just expired about 2 months ago. A few weeks ago, I'm driving down the freeway around 1pm Pacific, traveling about 60mph when the engine seemed to 'seize up', the eng... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2023
The ABS, traction control, cruise control and 4x4 no longer function. It started intermittently and now is constant. The vehicle is available for inspection. After a hard stop the abs won’t engage and I lost traction of the truck. There are two warning lamps that are on at all times (abs and traction control). It has been ongoing for almost 1 year and 10,000 miles or so.
Incident date: May 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rear-view camera failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
I am joining the many others in reporting a very strong fuel order (raw gasoline) that enters the cabin and when parked in the garage, spews tons of raw gasoline fume, which I believe could eventually cause fire/explosion. This makes the SUV very difficult to be inside and drive. We do have the 3cyl turbo engine. Current mileage is approximately 3200. Dealer reports unable to verify and cannot pr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
Vehicle was purchased new, has 2900 miles on it. The service safety restraint system light came on. I know this has been on going issue in past on these vehicles and want it reported and documented.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
seat collapse. Available to be inspected. Unable to see over wheel or reach the acceleration and break pedals. Airbag light comes on due to the collapsed seat either cutting the airbag electrical cable, or puncturing the airbag itself. Vehicle has only been inspected by our fleet manager, our in house mechanic, and the dealership. No prior warning(s) before the failures.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
I’ve had 2 issues with the thermostat going bad. The official part is called the water outlet assembly that includes the thermostat. I’ve also had several others tell me they have had this issue.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
seat collapse. Available to be inspected. Unable to see over wheel or reach the acceleration and break pedals. Airbag light comes on due to the collapsed seat either cutting the airbag electrical cable, or puncturing the airbag itself. Vehicle has only been inspected by our fleet manager, our in house mechanic, and the dealership. No prior warning(s) before the failures.