Vehicle Safety Statistics

Trends, patterns and key numbers from 61 years of NHTSA vehicle safety data — 26,110 recall campaigns and 2,192,899 consumer complaints.

26,110 Recall Campaigns
2,192,899 Complaints Filed
137,559 Reported Crashes
8,555 Reported Deaths

Recall Campaigns by Year

The number of unique recall campaigns reported to NHTSA each year. The surge after 2014 is partly due to expanded reporting requirements and the Takata airbag recalls.

Consumer Complaints by Year

Total safety complaints filed by vehicle owners each year. Peaks often correlate with major defect discoveries — the 2014 spike reflects GM ignition switch and Takata airbag complaints.

Most Complained Vehicles of All Time

Individual vehicles (make, model, year) with the highest number of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. These are real reports submitted by vehicle owners.

# Vehicle Complaints Crashes Fires Deaths
1 2010 FORD FUSION 7,009 169 16 3 View
2 2000 FORD FOCUS 5,152 358 171 50 View
3 2012 FORD FOCUS 4,955 179 28 7 View
4 1995 FORD WINDSTAR 4,799 179 66 2 View
5 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA 4,592 194 184 3 View
6 2002 FORD EXPLORER 4,096 178 71 6 View
7 2014 JEEP CHEROKEE 3,939 97 34 14 View
8 2013 FORD F-150 3,858 102 45 6 View
9 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY 3,668 386 80 5 View
10 2013 FORD ESCAPE 3,664 66 128 0 View
11 2011 FORD FUSION 3,637 114 13 1 View
12 2014 FORD FOCUS 3,589 140 17 2 View
13 2018 RAM 2500 3,569 52 4 2 View
14 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS 3,478 255 22 2 View
15 2015 CHRYSLER 200 3,403 194 36 0 View
16 2014 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 3,368 224 58 0 View
17 1997 FORD F-150 3,285 205 296 18 View
18 2013 FORD EDGE 3,205 43 10 2 View
19 2010 FORD ESCAPE 3,178 43 3 0 View
20 1999 DODGE DURANGO 3,172 153 36 100 View

Most Recalled Manufacturers

Manufacturers ranked by total number of unique recall campaigns. Higher volume manufacturers naturally have more recalls — this does not necessarily indicate worse quality.

# Manufacturer Recall Campaigns
1 FORD 1,796 View
2 CHEVROLET 1,240 View
3 DODGE 878 View
4 GMC 749 View
5 FREIGHTLINER 623 View
6 BMW 560 View
7 MERCEDES-BENZ 508 View
8 HONDA 455 View
9 TOYOTA 441 View
10 MACK 427 View
11 FOREST RIVER 427 View
12 VOLVO 422 View
13 BLUE BIRD 421 View
14 NISSAN 410 View
15 JEEP 403 View

Most Recalled Components

Vehicle components most frequently subject to recall campaigns. Software-related recalls have surged in recent years as vehicles become more computerized.

# Component Recall Campaigns
1 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 1,099
2 EQUIPMENT 1,071
3 EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER 786
4 SEATS 572
5 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 549
6 TIRES 512
7 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 479
8 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 477
9 EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY 471
10 EXTERIOR LIGHTING 393
11 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 365
12 STRUCTURE 364
13 STEERING 358
14 TIRES:TREAD/BELT 324
15 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 319

Most Complained Components

Vehicle systems that consumers report problems with most frequently. Electrical system issues top the list, followed by engine and powertrain problems.

# Component Complaints
1 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 185,008
2 ENGINE 161,337
3 POWER TRAIN 130,940
4 AIR BAGS 127,896
5 STEERING 115,173
6 UNKNOWN OR OTHER 112,682
7 SERVICE BRAKES 76,359
8 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 72,381
9 FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 59,782
10 STRUCTURE:BODY 48,519
11 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 48,514
12 SUSPENSION 48,099
13 TIRES 44,440
14 EXTERIOR LIGHTING 42,142
15 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 40,258

Deadliest Vehicle Defects

Vehicle components associated with the most reported fatalities in consumer complaints. These figures represent deaths reported by complainants, not independently verified totals.

# Component Deaths Crashes Fires Complaints
1 TIRES 829 151 15 294
2 AIR BAGS 820 549 37 571
3 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 611 231 31 257
4 UNKNOWN OR OTHER 368 152 48 197
5 TIRES:TREAD/BELT 315 120 2 214
6 STEERING 301 181 28 193
7 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 294 92 50 130
8 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 247 197 9 206
9 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 189 37 4 59
10 EQUIPMENT 186 44 4 60
11 SEAT BELTS 175 132 8 139
12 POWER TRAIN 170 43 7 53
13 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 145 21 17 42
14 SUSPENSION 144 56 10 65
15 ENGINE 143 43 26 74

NHTSA Investigations

Summary of all NHTSA safety investigations — formal inquiries opened when a pattern of complaints or crashes suggests a potential defect.

5,331 Total Investigations
228 Currently Open
0 Led to Recall

About This Data

Where does this data come from?

All data comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Recall data is from NHTSA flat files going back to 1966. Complaint data is from consumer reports filed with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Why do some manufacturers have more recalls?

Higher recall counts often reflect larger production volumes rather than worse quality. A manufacturer selling 3 million vehicles per year will naturally have more recalls than one selling 100,000. Proactive manufacturers may also issue voluntary recalls more readily.

Are the death and crash numbers verified?

The fatality and crash numbers shown are based on consumer-reported data in NHTSA complaints. They represent allegations by vehicle owners and have not been independently verified or confirmed as caused by a vehicle defect. Actual confirmed numbers may differ.

How often is this data updated?

Our database is built from NHTSA bulk data files. We periodically refresh the data to include the latest recall campaigns and consumer complaints as they are published by NHTSA.