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: Jan 10, 2022
In freezing weather conditions the rear door latches become inoperable. They close fully, but do not latch. My wife was backing out of the driveway this morning an a door opened next to my son. This is UNACCEPTABLE and Volvo has not responded in an acceptable manner. I was told to bring it in for service.... it has only 3 functioning doors at the moment!
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
During heavy rains and movement there is water leaking into the vehicle along the top drivers inside of the windshield. It also drips onto the steering wheel which often startles me while actively driving. The windshield has no cracks and is the original windshield.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2021
Fuel smell in and around car. Previous recall on cracked fuel pump causing odor was completed by Powell Volvo in 2010. The same defect may have happened recently as the odor was noticed in December 2021 and is now stronger. Volvo may have extended the warranty.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
I was expected to pay over one thousand dollars to have the recall remedy performed. My home and location of car is Ketchikan, Alaska. There is no Volvo dealer in Ketchikan and no roads connecting town with the mainland road system. The car would have to be shipped by either aircraft or oceangoing vessel to the mainland for access to a Volvo dealer. This would cost a lot of money. I perform al... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2021
Windshield sealant is deteriorating and glass is no longer fully attached to frame. Water is coming directly in from openings along driver's side roof and pooling under pedals.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
Yesterday ice-cold water was dripping onto my lap while I was driving (distracting), as well as obstructing my vision while it ran down the inside of the glass. In addition, water collected at the footwell made it soggy and being that it was 5 degrees overnight it was frozen solid making the break pedal almost non-functional.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2006 Volvo XC70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V800000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that parts were arriving sporadically. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2021
"The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she refilled the oil when she arrived at her residence. The contact noticed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and she was refilling the oil each 4-6 weeks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, Bobby Rahal of the South Hills, who di... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2021
With 2700 miles my XC90 has the Emission Control System light is on. The engine noise is considerably louder than normal (being a hybrid the SUV is pretty quiet) and it is not using the electric option.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2021
The contact leased a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while using the backup camera at night, the brightness of the taillights would obstruct his vision while reversing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided him with a case number. The contact also notified the dealer of the failure and an inspection was performed. The inspection determined no fault with the camera syst... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2003 Volvo V70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V800000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called the local dealer who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not noti... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2021
While I was making a left turn in ice my car bumped into a curb and the side airbags deployed randomly. There is zero damage to the side of the car. Immediately the car turned off and the hazards tripped as well. Currently the car runs perfectly smooth and has no problems turning on or off.
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
The front seal on my windshield glass is not connected, the adhesive us either gone or not working anymore. You can push the glass up and see it move visibly when pushed. The leak is impacting my safety while driving. Yesterday ice cold water was dripping onto my lap while I was driving (distracting), as well as obstructing my vision while it ran down the inside of the glass. An independent glass ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
There is a steady leak in the top left (driver side) of the windshield. Heard from the Tom Wood service and collision department that this is a common problem with these vehicles.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2002 Volvo XC70. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V800000 (Air Bags) however, there were no dealers nearby to her for service. The nearest dealer that was 275 miles away from her location had been notified about the issue and informed her that they could not provide transportation or towing services. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2021
The windshield is loose at the top and can leak. The windshield may move under normal driving conditions.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
The fuel pump regulator failed causing the fuel pump to fail way to early (car has less than 60K miles). In addition, the floats in the fuel tank itself stick making the fuel gauge unreliable. We have had to replace the fuel pump regulator, fuel pump and also have an unreliable gas gauge now unfortunately. The car failed while we were driving through the canyon in southern CA which was terrifying... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 Volvo XC70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V800000 ( Air Bag ) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable till approximately 2 weeks to 2 months. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2021
I was notified of the recall. Because I live 300 miles away from the nearest volvo dealership, there is no option for me to replace the airbag free of charge. Additionally, there is no plan in place to provide me with a safe vehicle until such a time that my volvo can be repaired. Until I undertake a great risk by traveling 300 miles at great inconvenience and expense, to have this problem reso... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2021
I am unable to service my car to fix the recall, because there is no Volvo dealer where I live.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2021
I am unable to service my car to fix the recall, because there is no Volvo dealer where I live.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2021
I have recevievide from Volvo called the number and said they cannot say it was free.I called the number 1 800 458 1552 said could promise I had to talk to the manager at the dealer. I asked them if found other problems with steering that I would have to pay if they tear into steering comlun. You guys need to fix this now. I want to make sure Im cover here . EWhat am suppose to do if they break my... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2021
I have recevievide from Volvo called the number and said they cannot say it was free.I called the number 1 800 458 1552 said could promise I had to talk to the manager at the dealer. I asked them if found other problems with steering that I would have to pay if they tear into steering comlun. You guys need to fix this now. I want to make sure Im cover here . EWhat am suppose to do if they break my... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
This in regards to a vehicle I purchased on March 30, 2021. It is a 2012 Volvo S60 T5 VIN #[XXX]. When I purchased the car it had 99,489 miles on the odometer and when the vehicle became an issue it was at 104,409 miles on the odometer. I purchased it on Craigslist from a physician in Maine. On December 1, 2021 my husband was driving the vehicle on the highway and it stalled without warning after ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2020
When it rains or I go through the car wash the windshield leaks water that runs down the inside of the glass and has stained the headliner
Incident date: Dec 16, 2021
The vehicle has a recall and Volvo told me I have to drive 8 hours to another state to get it fixed by the closest dealership. I cannot do that - I need to have it fixed locally
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Ongoing Problem as mentioned in Volvo's Technical Journal "Speed Dependent Vibrations at Highway Speeds" Ref No: TJ 20803.20.0 . At any speed of 75 mph and above the front continuously vibrates. The tires have been replaced two times in less than 2 weeks and road forced balanced by the dealership twice. The vibration does not go away. The dealership does not want to address the issue. The car is N... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Ongoing Problem as mentioned in Volvo's Technical Journal "Speed Dependent Vibrations at Highway Speeds" Ref No: TJ 20803.20.0 . At any speed of 75 mph and above the front continuously vibrates. The tires have been replaced two times in less than 2 weeks and road forced balanced by the dealership twice. The vibration does not go away. The dealership does not want to address the issue. The car is N... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Ongoing Problem as mentioned in Volvo's Technical Journal "Speed Dependent Vibrations at Highway Speeds" Ref No: TJ 20803.20.0 . At any speed of 75 mph and above the front continuously vibrates. The tires have been replaced two times in less than 2 weeks and road forced balanced by the dealership twice. The vibration does not go away. The dealership does not want to address the issue. The car is N... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
Complete loss of all power. Vehicle has been in three times for this condition. Each time, the problem has recurred. This is the third complete power failure in three months.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
I purchased my vehicle used in February 2021. On the morning of December 14, 2021 we got a low coolant warning, please pull over safely message on the way to work. We just so happened to be near a gas station and was able to put half a container of 50/50 coolant and continue driving. On our return home we got the same message but noticed a major leak once we made it home. We had Volvo tow the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Without incident, the rear driver side tire on our 2020 Volvo XC60 blew out on the sidewall on December 1, 2021. The tire, original to our purchase of the new vehicle, had approximately 10,600 miles on it. There was no other damage to any other part of the tire or wheel. Unfortunately, even though we requested Discount Tire (who replaced the tire) to keep the tire for us, they did not so we don'... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Volvo S60. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V766000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts Distribution Disconnect.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
Door lock unable to open. Door is unlocked and the outside and inside fail to open the door. Door lock actuator is jammed
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
I just recently bought this car. And there was a vibration and a pull to the right so I brought it back to the dealer which is echo Park of Tampa. I said they needed to do the alignment and balance and they did that and it still is doing all the same things and the shaking is progressively becoming quickly I experienced this exact same thing in my Mazda that also had Continentals on it. And broug... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2021
When I purchased the 2012 volvo S60 back in June we started to drive and it said low beam out and later found out that it was the drivers side low beam took it back and they tried a new headlight but didn't work but we found the problem it was the ballast to the hid bulb was bad changed it bam fixed 2 days later the light came back on and said low beam out but this time it was the passenger side t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
- Brakes, Wheels, and possibly suspension. - Car shudders under braking, impacts stopping ability. All tires vibrate while driving. Wheels are warped/damaged. - Vehicle went to the dealer. Replaced all four rotors, repaired all for rims. - I have reached out to the manufacturer for support. They declined to get involved. - No messages or warnings
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
- Brakes, Wheels, and possibly suspension. - Car shudders under braking, impacts stopping ability. All tires vibrate while driving. Wheels are warped/damaged. - Vehicle went to the dealer. Replaced all four rotors, repaired all for rims. - I have reached out to the manufacturer for support. They declined to get involved. - No messages or warnings
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
- Brakes, Wheels, and possibly suspension. - Car shudders under braking, impacts stopping ability. All tires vibrate while driving. Wheels are warped/damaged. - Vehicle went to the dealer. Replaced all four rotors, repaired all for rims. - I have reached out to the manufacturer for support. They declined to get involved. - No messages or warnings
Incident date: Oct 27, 2021
My air bags malfunctioned when I was in a motor vehicle accident in this vehicle. We were hit in the front left side and both the drivers side and passenger airbags tried to deploy, but never deployed releasing a form of mist instead. This vehicle was totaled and towed away after the accident, but both me and the other person in the vehicles safety were put at risk due to this. We both flew forwar... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
Windshield seal leaking at top. This started a few weeks ago, I noticed water drips run down the inside of the windshield in front of the driver. I took a 4-hour trip last week and it rained for 30 minutes, the leak became worst causing me to need to wipe the inside of the windshield. Yesterday, I went through the car wash and water pour down onto the dashboard, instrument cluster, steering wheel... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2021
My vehicle was involved in a head on collison on 10-30-2021. My driver side air bag came out but had a hole in it while my passenger side airbags didn't come out at all.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 3, 2021
After I parked my car, the driver’s seat back tilted forward towards the steering wheel and could not be repositioned either manually or electronically. I could barely squeeze in and certainly could not drive the car with the seat in that position. The car needed to be towed to the dealer and Volvo replaced all related components, which were under warranty. If this had occurred while I was dri... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2021
I started losing brake pressure rapidly about a month ago. Took it to a shop and they recommended replacing the master cylinder. The repair was completed and the braking improved for about 2 weeks and then I lost all brake pressure. The vehicle was not safe to operate and I had it towed back to the shop once again. Again they suggested replacing the master cylinder. We completed that repair and I ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the instrument panel would not illuminate or operate. During the failure, the fuel gauge, speedometer, odometer, and other information was unavailable to the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The fa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2021
Windshield leaks while raining. Mold getting into headliner and the drips affect my visibility. The water intrudes into airbag area and could affect airbag lifespan and efficiency. Can affect electrical safety features in car. Cannot see while driving . Other people all over internet have this issue . Reported it to dealer.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2021
Windshield leaks while raining. Mold getting into headliner and the drips affect my visibility. The water intrudes into airbag area and could affect airbag lifespan and efficiency. Can affect electrical safety features in car. Cannot see while driving . Other people all over internet have this issue . Reported it to dealer.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2019
Windscreen wiper motors failed during inclement weather making visibility impossible. The vehicle was only approximately 2 years old at the time of failure. This created a serious safety issue and may have led to a crash and injury. The dealer diagnosed the issue as failed wiper motors and replaced the motors under manufacturer's warranty.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2021
The vehicle's rear view mirror has come loose twice upon adjustment. Twisting the base of the mirror is how it is removed or installed (friction is the *only* thing holding it in place which is a problem when adjusting the mirror side-to-side). Adjusting the mirror in the normal manner sometimes removes it from its base, so it is left dangling in its housing. I believe this to be a safety hazar... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2021
the drivers side electric seat controls are causing unsafe driving conditions. i drive with the seat all the way back and down. I have the memory sets all for that position. Problem is when I get back in the car it will be back up and forward al the way. So i will set it back down. Well while ia m driving it will automatically start raising back up and forward. As you can imagine this gets ver... Read more