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: Oct 6, 2021
Car stalled at an intersection twice. We took it to a repair shop after the first instance and they told us the battery had died, though they were able to charge it and it restarted fine. They could not find any other issues. We continued to drive it and two days later the car died at another intersection just after my wife had picked up our kids from school. We had it towed to the dealer this... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a warning light and message stating to pull over. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and called the manufacturer about the error message. The manufacturer informed the contact to add engine ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
Car has had regular oil changes and was well below the recommended time for the next change when the engine began knocking in September. I took the car for inspection at a Volvo mechanic repair shop and was told all of the oil was gone and engine is damaged beyond repair. No engine or oil indicator light came on to warn me that the oil was low. I understand the 2011-2012 models were recalled fo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
Car has had regular oil changes and was well below the recommended time for the next change when the engine began knocking in September. I took the car for inspection at a Volvo mechanic repair shop and was told all of the oil was gone and engine is damaged beyond repair. No engine or oil indicator light came on to warn me that the oil was low. I understand the 2011-2012 models were recalled fo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2002 Volvo S80. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V681000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2021
The brake rotors exceed the manufacturers run out specifications and tolerances. This has been happening vehicles as early as 2018 model year. In my specific case I bought the car with 3600 miles on it as a certified vehicle from a Volvo dealership. On my drive home I could feel the braking pulsation in the steering wheel. The dealership measured the run out and it exceeded the manufacturers spec... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2019
I would appreciate your deepest consideration for assistance with the problematic rear differential on the 2010 XC70 Volvo. I have spent considerable funds to maintain my vehicle at top working order through maintenance at Volvo. I have always asked the Volvo advisors for service recommendations on the vehicle to keep my car running economically to ensure main components did not fail due to lack ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2021
On 3 occasions the brakes were seized when attempting to drive the car after being parked if the brakes had gotten wet prior to parking. There is a loud clunk and even at times grinding. The pads/rotors were replaced 2 times and it is going back in for the third time. Each time brake pad material broke off. This compromises the braking capability of the vehicle if the pads have pieces missing.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2021
door opened on its own while driving. three times this week. door appears locked and warning illumination indicator does not recognize that door is open. door cannot be locked when in this condition but it indicates that it is locked. appears identical to issue in NHTSA campaign 19v849000.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2021
The contact was test driving a 2022 Volvo XC40 equipped with Pirelli tires. Tire Line: Pirelli, Tire Size:2255/40R20, DOT: Not available. The contact stated while driving at 3 MPH and making a turn in her driveway, the vehicle bumped the curve and the driver-side rear tire blew out. The contact stated it was the original tire. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
The contact owned a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby fence causing the vehicle to flip. The air bags did deploy. The contact received injuries to their right shoulder and left knee. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
The contact owned a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby fence causing the vehicle to flip. The air bags did deploy. The contact received injuries to their right shoulder and left knee. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 18, 2021
I leased the vehicle in December, 2020. Periodically while the tailgate is open and I am underneath it, the tailgate has closed on me and hit me in the back. In February, 2021, the struts on the tailgate were replaced at Patrick Volvo, Fort Myers, Florida, after I received a recall letter from Volvo. On September 9, 2021 at approximately 11:00 a.m. (CST) I was under the opened tailgate and ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 15, 2021
On 9/8/2021, Niello Volvo Sacramento service replaced my fuel pressure sensor and fuel line. On 9/15/2021, my engine caught fire and the car was deemed a total loss by insurance company. I drove from my home in Plumas Lake 95961 to Marysville approximately 10 miles away at 9:50 AM, at approximately 10:00-10:05 as I was nearing the end of my trip, a trouble light came on that said “engine perform... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 15, 2021
On 9/8/2021, Niello Volvo Sacramento service replaced my fuel pressure sensor and fuel line. On 9/15/2021, my engine caught fire and the car was deemed a total loss by insurance company. I drove from my home in Plumas Lake 95961 to Marysville approximately 10 miles away at 9:50 AM, at approximately 10:00-10:05 as I was nearing the end of my trip, a trouble light came on that said “engine perform... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 15, 2021
On 9/8/2021, Niello Volvo Sacramento service replaced my fuel pressure sensor and fuel line. On 9/15/2021, my engine caught fire and the car was deemed a total loss by insurance company. I drove from my home in Plumas Lake 95961 to Marysville approximately 10 miles away at 9:50 AM, at approximately 10:00-10:05 as I was nearing the end of my trip, a trouble light came on that said “engine perform... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 18, 2021
The "passenger side door open" indicator suddenly showed on the dash while driving approximately 50MPH. As I slowed down , I asked my wife that was in the passenger seat to make sure her door was properly shut. The door opened right up without unlatching, she then promptly shut it and made sure it was secure. About 45 minutes later the same thing happened again. After investigating, I found this ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
Passenger door keeps opening whether top up or down, mainly on highway driving. Very unsafe!
Incident date: Sep 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC60 equipped with Pirelli tires, Tire line: Scorpion Zero, Tire size: 235/55/R19, DOT number: XB08V824219. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the passenger side rear tire experienced a blowout. The contact's child was nearby when the tire exploded but did not sustain any injuries. The dealer was made aware of the failure and was sending a tow truck... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
"Volvo On Call Service Required" message shows up on the dash suddenly every 3-5 minutes, and the black message box itself is close to, and bigger than, the speedometer reading. It makes it difficult to monitor and maintain speed without distraction. At the same time, every 3-5 minutes, top of the center screen completely flashes with "message stored to Car Status app" to draw driver attention ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
"Volvo On Call Service Required" message shows up on the dash suddenly every 3-5 minutes, and the black message box itself is close to, and bigger than, the speedometer reading. It makes it difficult to monitor and maintain speed without distraction. At the same time, every 3-5 minutes, top of the center screen completely flashes with "message stored to Car Status app" to draw driver attention ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2021
I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and i... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 10, 2021
I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and i... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 10, 2021
I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and i... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Volvo XC70. The contact stated that while her husband was leaving a restaurant drive-thru, the vehicle lost motive power without warning while entering the main street. The driver was waiting for a tow truck to tow the vehicle from the scene. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Volvo XC70. The contact stated that while her husband was leaving a restaurant drive-thru, the vehicle lost motive power without warning while entering the main street. The driver was waiting for a tow truck to tow the vehicle from the scene. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2021
We just purchased this 2016 Volvo XC90 last week from an out of town dealer and it suddenly sprung a major coolant leak this morning while driving and isn’t safely drivable without fire hazard as it’s getting so hot. This model was part of recall on coolant hoses, but is listed as having 0 pending recalls on the nhtsa website.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
The problem started 2 years ago and has progressively become worse. The original windshield is leaking water, which drains down inside the A-pillar and windshield. Water also leaks into the air-bag in the A-pillar, and moisture may come in contact with the electronic parts in the dashboard, creating a safety issue and a potential fire hazard. Last year I contacted Tucson Volvo for help, and they r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
The problem started 2 years ago and has progressively become worse. The original windshield is leaking water, which drains down inside the A-pillar and windshield. Water also leaks into the air-bag in the A-pillar, and moisture may come in contact with the electronic parts in the dashboard, creating a safety issue and a potential fire hazard. Last year I contacted Tucson Volvo for help, and they r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
The problem started 2 years ago and has progressively become worse. The original windshield is leaking water, which drains down inside the A-pillar and windshield. Water also leaks into the air-bag in the A-pillar, and moisture may come in contact with the electronic parts in the dashboard, creating a safety issue and a potential fire hazard. Last year I contacted Tucson Volvo for help, and they r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2021
The windshield is coming unglued at the top center and right . I am concerned that the windshield could come out on the highway, I plan to contact a windshield shop and see if they can repair it.
Incident date: Sep 2, 2021
The windshield is coming unglued at the top center and right . I am concerned that the windshield could come out on the highway, I plan to contact a windshield shop and see if they can repair it.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The plastic lenses that cover the headlights have fogged up in less than 4 years the lights are no longer bright enough to provide proper driving conditions at night. I spoke with volvo and they said that lenses are not covered even though the cat is still under warranty. This is very car but refuse to fix the problem. This is a major safety issue and I would hope that your department can help ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
Distracting Dash warnings “POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE TEMPORARILY REDUCED”, auto parking warning come on while driving and engine pause during stops working intermittently. Wife refuses to drive vehicle due to warnings that involve steering issues.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
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. Took the car to the volvo dealership and found the windshield was loose. Had to pay to have the windshield replaced for safety reasons.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2021
I am having an issue where the driver side door randomly unlocks and opens while driving. This has happened daily multiple times a day. upwards of at least 5 to 10 incidents daily. Now my passenger door is alerting my it is opened. this is a very risky. This is a faulty issue I am seeing in forums about the 2009 C70 Volvo. please let me know this will be taken care of.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
Bought 2 SuperMax TM-1 235/45R17 94 H Tires thru Walmart.com from Tirebros. Treadlife advertised as 45K. At less than 20K I brought them in to a tire shop because of terrible pulling while driving. Two tire shops showed me where the the bands were separating, necessitating replacement for safety issue of catastrophic tire tearing apart at speed. Tirebros, the sellers, would not return several emai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2021
The latch on the driver side door stuck in the open position and the door latch would not function. The door remained unlatched and unsecured. All of the door latches were replaced at the dealer on 28 Dec 2020 per recall R89978. The problem hasn't been confirmed by the dealer yet but is scheduled. The car was parked at the time so no indication of a problem until I sat in the drivers seat and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2021
On Saturday, August 21, 2021, the automatic emergency braking engaged while we were travelling between 60-70 mph on I-95. There was no apparent reason for the braking because there was no vehicle or other obstacle to trigger the braking. After a few moments of hard braking the braking stopped and we proceeded normally.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2021
A note I have put on forums. I believe firmly that the NHSTA has failed the American consumer with respect to "Run Flat Tires" and Donuts. On a prior Audi we could and did throw the donut away and were able to use a real spare for the odd flat. Now for both this Volvo and most other cars, there is no accommodation for a real spare tire. I do not know what public interest you are serving by all... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2021
I have now had to replace 4 cracked rims on my S80. (First 1/9/1991, Second 2/18/21, Third 4/28/21 and Fourth 8/19/21). Prat number 30758060-5 Aluminium Rim S 71. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? As the air leak out of the tire the car became unsafe to drive. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Volvo Mitchell Auto G... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
The 2016 Volvo V60 Cross Country started burning oil like crazy and the engine light went off. When I checked the levels, it was down multiple quarts. We have had all work done as detailed in the manual at the dealership. We took the car in and they said the Piston rings were damaged and that they had to replace those. Thankfully this was under warranty. They pushed back the repair for several mon... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2021
This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have stil... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2021
This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have stil... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2021
This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have stil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2021
Hi, When you drive over 70mph, steering, floors and whole cabin start vibrates, I have changed tires as Volvo recommended, alignment done. Everything dealer requested I have done. I have driven couple of more volvo as a loaners and noticed they all vibrates , but not bad as mine. Try to reach out Volvo head office but no proper resolution. They are keep blaming tires which I have changed 3 times b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2021
Hi, When you drive over 70mph, steering, floors and whole cabin start vibrates, I have changed tires as Volvo recommended, alignment done. Everything dealer requested I have done. I have driven couple of more volvo as a loaners and noticed they all vibrates , but not bad as mine. Try to reach out Volvo head office but no proper resolution. They are keep blaming tires which I have changed 3 times b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2021
Hi, When you drive over 70mph, steering, floors and whole cabin start vibrates, I have changed tires as Volvo recommended, alignment done. Everything dealer requested I have done. I have driven couple of more volvo as a loaners and noticed they all vibrates , but not bad as mine. Try to reach out Volvo head office but no proper resolution. They are keep blaming tires which I have changed 3 times b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2021
I purchased a brand new Volvo XC60 T6 on 7/18/2021. On 8/14/2021 I was driving on the far left lane on the 280S freeway and wanted to merge one lane to the right and as I was merging the steering wheel went stiff and caused me to lose control of the car. I almost get into a big accident with a Tesla. Then I heard a sound and notice on the dash display "Power Steering service urgent drive to a work... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2021
This occurred after driving for about an hour. While driving at a fairly high rate of speed, I felt the driver's door move slightly. The dome light came on indicating that the door had opened. The windows were down so I cannot state if they would have slightly lowered as they normally do when the door is opened. I pushed outward on the door to see if it was fully open. The latch held the door.... Read more