Owners wrote it down. Here is what they said.
NHTSA complaint search: every owner complaint, by make, model and year
319,433 complaints filed with NHTSA about 2,960 model years from 2016 on, each counted under the systems it names, with the crashes, fires and injuries owners alleged. A complaint is an owner’s account; NHTSA does not verify it, and neither does this page.
Every complaint filed about your car
Pick the car and its page opens at the owner complaints: how many were filed with NHTSA for that model year, which systems they name, the crashes, fires and injuries owners alleged, and their own words.
Look it up by VIN
Decoded by NHTSA in your browser, then its owner complaints opens.
To file a complaint of your own, NHTSA takes it at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem.
The most complaints on file
Source: NHTSA complaints by model year| Model year | Complaints | Crash | Fire | Injured | Most-named system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Ford Escape | 2,690 | 39 | 15 | 56 | Engine |
| 2018 Ram 2500 | 2,597 | 39 | 5 | 12 | Service Brakes |
| 2016 Ford Explorer | 2,479 | 39 | 14 | 59 | Structure |
| 2018 Ford F-150 | 2,312 | 64 | 33 | 52 | Power Train |
| 2018 Honda CR-V | 2,150 | 46 | 2 | 47 | Fuel/Propulsion System |
| 2016 Ford F-150 | 2,060 | 57 | 25 | 48 | Power Train |
| 2018 Honda Accord | 2,000 | 38 | 5 | 41 | Engine |
| 2020 Ford Escape | 1,891 | 21 | 5 | 33 | Structure |
| 2018 Jeep Wrangler | 1,823 | 22 | 25 | 13 | Steering |
| 2018 Ford Escape | 1,805 | 25 | 5 | 30 | Engine |
| 2017 Honda CR-V | 1,771 | 42 | 4 | 36 | Engine |
| 2016 Ford Fusion | 1,709 | 61 | 6 | 32 | Engine |
| 2016 Honda Pilot | 1,709 | 23 | 10 | 20 | Engine |
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 1,703 | 34 | 11 | 51 | Structure |
| 2019 Jeep Cherokee | 1,649 | 40 | 19 | 37 | Power Train |
| 2016 Hyundai Tucson | 1,620 | 14 | 26 | 7 | Power Train |
| 2017 Chrysler Pacifica | 1,603 | 47 | 15 | 41 | Engine |
| 2016 Ram 1500 | 1,545 | 91 | 36 | 73 | Engine |
| 2019 Ram 1500 | 1,481 | 76 | 11 | 63 | Electrical System |
| 2017 Ford F-150 | 1,442 | 42 | 21 | 34 | Power Train |
| 2016 Jeep Cherokee | 1,406 | 37 | 14 | 27 | Power Train |
| 2017 Ford Edge | 1,366 | 26 | 1 | 26 | Engine |
| 2017 Jeep Cherokee | 1,335 | 24 | 6 | 27 | Power Train |
| 2019 Ford F-150 | 1,329 | 17 | 7 | 25 | Power Train |
| 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe | 1,320 | 19 | 30 | 26 | Engine |
A complaint naming two systems counts once here and under each system on its page. More complaints can mean more cars on the road; the model-year page sets each against its peers.
Other owners reported your problem?
The Repair Claim Kit takes your model year’s complaints, bulletins and any coverage program on the system, and writes your own NHTSA complaint and a dated letter to the dealer. $14.99 once.
By make
49 makesWhat a complaint is, and is not
Source: 49 U.S.C. 30166An owner’s report to NHTSA
Filed by an owner, a driver or anyone else, about one vehicle: what happened, when, at what mileage, and whether anyone was hurt. NHTSA publishes it with personal details removed.
Not a finding
NHTSA does not verify complaints. A pattern of them is what its Office of Defects Investigation reads when it decides whether to open an investigation; a single complaint proves nothing on its own.
Not a recall
A complaint obliges nobody to repair anything. Recalls and the manufacturer’s service bulletins are the filings that do or might.
Yours to file
If your vehicle has a safety problem, NHTSA takes the report at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. It is free, and it is how a pattern becomes visible.
NHTSA owner complaints: what they tell you, what they don't, and how to file one
Every complaint in NHTSA's database is an owner's own account of a problem. What the counts can and cannot tell you, how NHTSA uses them, and how to file one its screeners can use.
Questions about NHTSA complaints
Source: NHTSAHow do I search NHTSA complaints by model and year?
Pick the make, model and year above and the model year's page opens at its complaints: the count, the systems they name, the crashes, fires and injuries alleged, and excerpts in the owners' words.
Can I look up complaints by VIN?
NHTSA files complaints by make, model and model year, not by the VIN of a car you are looking at. Paste the VIN above and it is decoded in your browser by NHTSA's own decoder, then its model year's complaints open.
Are complaints proof of a defect?
No. They are unverified accounts filed by owners. NHTSA reads them for patterns; recalls, investigations and the manufacturer's bulletins are the official record of what was found and fixed.
How do I file a complaint?
At nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. It takes a few minutes, asks for the VIN, and the complaint is published without your personal details.