NHTSA Vehicle Complaints & Owner Defect Reports
Search verified complaints submitted by vehicle owners to the federal government regarding mechanical, electrical, and structural failures.
The Role of Consumer Defect Reports in Automotive Safety
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) within NHTSA monitors automotive safety trends using consumer complaints. When multiple vehicle owners submit sworn complaints regarding identical components (such as electronic power steering failure or brake line corrosion), federal investigators open an Preliminary Evaluation (PE).
Frequently Asked Questions
Consumer complaints are official safety defect reports submitted by vehicle owners directly to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). NHTSA engineers analyze these complaints to spot emerging defect patterns, which frequently trigger formal federal safety defect investigations and nationwide recalls.
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