79 defect investigations are open at NHTSA right now.
Defect investigations, by action number
796 NHTSA investigations opened since 2010 (or naming a model year that late) with a page of their own: the agency’s own summary, the stage and its clock, whether it is open, and the recall it became. Type the action number (PE25012) into the search box, or start with the open ones.
Open now
Source: 79 investigations NHTSA has not closedFrom a complaint to a recall, in four steps
Each number is how many actions on this site reached that step. Most close before the last one.
Defect petition
Anyone can ask NHTSA to open an investigation. The agency grants or denies it in writing; its own goal is about four months.
Preliminary evaluation
NHTSA asks the manufacturer for its data on the condition the complaints point at. Goal: about eight months.
Engineering analysis
Testing, engineering documents and the decision whether a safety defect exists. Goal: about eighteen months.
Recall
The manufacturer recalls, on its own or on NHTSA’s recommendation — or the file closes with no defect trend found.
Investigations that became recalls
Source: the file names the campaignThe path from “the agency is looking” to “the manufacturer is fixing it” — and the reason an open investigation is worth watching.
Newest
Source: opened most recently, open or closed| Action | Stage | Status | Opened | Component | Model years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RQ26005 | Recall Query | open | Oct 30, 2026 | Electrical System › Propulsion System › Traction Battery | BORG WARNER CORPORATION |
| RQ26004 | Recall Query | open | Oct 23, 2026 | Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera | 2024 Ford Maverick, 2023 Ford Maverick, 2022 Ford Maverick |
| DP26012 | Defect Petition | open | Oct 23, 2026 | Structure › Body, Structure | 2017 Great Dane Refrigerated Trailer |
| DP26011 | Defect Petition | open | Oct 23, 2026 | Engine | 2022 Ford E-Series, 2021 Ford E-Series, 2021 Ford F-59 +1 |
| RQ26003 | Recall Query | open | Oct 9, 2026 | Structure › Body › Bumpers › Active Shutters/Grill, Structure › Body › Hood | 2024 GMC Sierra, 2023 GMC Sierra, 2022 GMC Sierra |
| DP26010 | Defect Petition | open | Oct 9, 2026 | Electrical System › Adas › Autonomous/Self Driving › Software, Electrical System › Adas › Autonomous/Self Driving | 2026 Tesla Robotaxi (cybercab), 2026 Tesla Robotaxi (model Y) |
| PE26007 | Preliminary Evaluation | open | Sep 21, 2026 | — | comma.ai |
| DP26009 | Defect Petition | closed | Sep 14, 2026 | Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft | 2022 BMW 5 Series, 2021 BMW 5 Series, 2022 BMW 8 Series |
| AQ26003 | Audit Query | open | Sep 14, 2026 | — | Avride Inc. |
| DP26008 | Defect Petition | open | Sep 3, 2026 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2018 Ford Edge, 2017 Ford Edge, 2016 Ford Edge +1 |
| AQ26002 | Audit Query | open | Sep 3, 2026 | — | 2026 Tesla Robotaxi (cybercab) |
| DP26007 | Defect Petition | open | Aug 24, 2026 | Service Brakes | 2024 Ford Maverick |
Every investigation, by the year it was opened
Hear the day an investigation becomes a recall
Put a VIN or a model year on Recall Watch and it checks every night: a new campaign against it, and the morning email that says so. Free for ten vehicles. Or take the free one-line recall alert for a single model year.
What an investigation is, and is not
Source: NHTSA's processPreliminary Evaluation (PE)
Complaints come first. When enough of them, or a crash, or a petition, point at one condition, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens a Preliminary Evaluation and asks the manufacturer for its data.
Engineering Analysis (EA)
If the answers warrant it, the PE is upgraded to an Engineering Analysis, with testing, engineering documents and a decision on whether a safety defect exists.
Recall Query, Defect Petition, Audit Query
A Recall Query (RQ) looks at a recall that already exists — whether the fix works and reached everyone. A Defect Petition (DP) is a member of the public asking the agency to open one; it is granted or denied in writing. An Audit Query (AQ) examines the manufacturer’s own reporting rather than a vehicle.
None of these is a finding
An investigation closes with a recall recommendation, with the manufacturer recalling on its own, or with no defect trend found — and a closed file can reopen. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a PE or RQ and eighteen for an EA; the pages say how long each has actually run.
What is on this site
Every action opened since 2010, or naming a model year that late, from NHTSA’s investigation file; the file’s 4,369 older actions, back to 1972, stay at nhtsa.gov. Recalls that came out of an investigation link back to it, and vehicle pages list the actions opened on that model year.
How NHTSA defect investigations work: from complaint to recall
Most recalls start with the manufacturer. Some start with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation asking questions. How an investigation opens, what each stage does, how it ends, and how an owner's complaint feeds it.