Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 191,761 complaints - component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
Car has had multiple issues with check engine light coming on for the last 2 years and stays on especially during the winter months. The purge pump has failed multiple times. The cooling fan has run after engine shutting off for multiple years now. The thermostat has been failing for the last 6 months. Now yesterday low power protection suddenly turned on driving on the expressway limiting pow... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Radio skips songs back and forth randomly, and now radio screen and buttons are block.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2026
Hello everyone. Since I purchased the vehicle new, the HVAC controls have never functioned properly. The A/C engages with the button off; this issue is only temporary solved by turning the button on and off again. The mode defaults to face and feet; this issue is only temporary solved by cycling through the modes until you reach your desired mode. Besides this being a very annoying problem, I fou... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2026
The check electric vehicle system error message showed up on my dashboard, meaning the iccu has failed
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
Having the same ICCU Failure that all other Ioniq 5 owners have. On February 26th, I was heading to work when I heard a pop and car displayed warning lights saying check EV system and stop safely. Car was limped home and towed to dealer. Was told fix will take a month.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2026
I was coming out of a drive thru car wash and driving towards an intersection with Rail road tracks on the road getting ready to turn left going 15 to 20 mph. As I turned my vehicle began skidding causing me to loose control and hitting 2 vehicles head on . I believe if my traction control (stability control) system or abs were functioning correctly this could have been avoided.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The component that repeatedly fails is the vehicle’s electronic display/infotainment system (dual digital screens/MBUX system) and potentially related electrical components in my 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC. The system has malfunctioned six (6) separate times since I purchased the vehicle new in May 2025. When the malfunction occurs, both display screens suddenly go completely black and be... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
I was at a stop light, car was stopped, the electronics on the vehicle looked like it went through a reboot, a/c blower fluctuated (turned off then back on), all displays went out and restarted like it does when you start the car. When the traffic light turned green, and I stepped on the gas, the car shuddered and hesitated, like the transmission, abs and traction control were all going haywire. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
While driving the dashboard suddenly showed a message saying Battery Charging Fault error” a few minutes later the car stopped driving while I was on a busy freeway. It had no power and it displayed several messages saying suspension system is disabled, battery issue, cameras disabled. I had try to navigate my rolling car to a side lane to call roadside assistance. It was a very dangerous incide... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
My wife and I went camping to our favorite RV park in Lyndon Station Wisconsin, my sister met us there for a weekend of relaxation and visit. During the first nights stay we were suddenly woke by a smoke filled bedroom/bathroom. Got up and flipped light on and our bedroom was filled with smoke immediately my wife heard a buzzing noise and then the sound of light switch being flipped off hard. I im... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The driver (my wife) was operating the Kia EV6 (with approximately 10,000 miles) when the vehicle suddenly experienced a severe loss of motive power. While driving, a warning message appeared on the dashboard indicating an issue with the power supply. Immediately after, the vehicle forced itself into "turtle mode," severely restricting the maximum speed to 20 mph and refusing to accelerate further... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
Car was acting normally. Suddenly, the car would not accelerate. I was on a small road with no place to pull over. Vehicle said to pull over check electrical system. At great risk to my life and the safety of my children, we managed to get to a safe spot before the entire vehicle shut down. We expect that this was a failed ICCU.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
An incident that occurred while Full Self-Driving (FSD) was engaged. During the drive, the vehicle unexpectedly steered toward the curb while making a right turn. I was actively monitoring the vehicle and immediately took control of the steering, but the vehicle still made contact with the curb. After the incident, the vehicle developed steering misalignment, vibration while driving, and abnorma... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The car was purchased on 8/15/2026. On November 6th 2026 with 3051 miles on all the gauges, electronic dashboard, gps , climate controls, heads up display failed while car was in driving. There was no way to tell what speed the car was going, the gas level, rpms, engine temperature, etc. Navigation failed, Cruise control failed, I was unsure if the emergency braking system failed. The dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
On the evening of February 11, 2026, my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SEL experienced a complete ICCU failure while I was traveling with my minor son. The vehicle became fully inoperable and left us stranded on the side of the road at night, in the middle of a winter storm. I was forced to call for a tow truck, wait in dangerous conditions, and arrange emergency transport for myself and my child. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
1. Electronic power steering modular issue. My 2018 GMC SEIRRA 1500 CREW CAB JUST LOST ALL POWER STEERING. THEN WHEN I PARK IT. Assist notifications come on, ABS notices, BRAKE light stays on, trailer/tow notifications, trailer assist, parking brake, etc SUDDENLY A LOUD thump & feels like the whole truck just drops like 5” inches, settling. I cannot afford an inspection (ID theft in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
The car has completely shutdown on 3 separate occasions. It wouldn't start and all the electrical did not work. It started the next day. All this in a span of 5 out of the 8 months we purchased it. The last time, we found the fuse box was burnt when the tow truck showed up to take it to the dealership. The dealership is trying to blame us because we changed the battery after the second time and no... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
My 2022 Tesla Model 3 experienced a heat pump compressor failure at approximately 89,457 miles. Tesla Service Center diagnosed an internal failure in the heat pump system. The heat pump system controls cabin heating, windshield defrosting, and thermal management for the vehicle. When the system failed, the vehicle lost heating and proper defrost capability. This can impair windshield visibility du... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
I was driving with traffic in a 35 mph zone on a moderately busy street. I got the alert to brake and did so immediately. I collided with the Jeep in front of me. The airbags did not deploy. The front hood of the car tented and a fire immediately broke out under the hood. When a policeman arrived he attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. The fire was eventually... Read more
Crash
Fire
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Feb 26, 2026
The rear light bar/tail light assembly fills with water and causing turn signals and light bar to intermittently not work. This occurred the first time that the vehicle was left out in the rain at approximately 65k. It is always parked covered and I do not drive in the rain. Many other Atlas have this issue much sooner if they are left in the inclement weather.
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V091000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
I rented this car from Fox Rental Cars at Seatac Airpot between 2/18/26 and returned 2/23/26. While in the AUTO setting for headlights, the high beams suddenly shut off and quick working. Then the tail lights quit working. I did not know the tail lights were inoperable until I was pulled over. When I shut off the vehicle and turned it back on, the tail lights came back on and I was released wi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
on 1/31/26 I replaced battery that was only a little over a year old. on 2/1/26 while driving myself and 2 of my kids to there grandparents we lost power and lights on dash started flickering. I was able to pull over the side barely. I was told by family after explaing what happend that it could be related to the recall. I called Larry H Miller Hyundai Albuquerque and they verified the recall and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS450 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a safety feature with a white speed limit sign started flashing on the instrument cluster. The contact stated the flashing was a constant issue. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer several times. The contact was informed by the dealer that it was a known issue and that the manufactur... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
Upon purchase of the vehicle, the Onboard AC Charger (officially: "GHCA") failed on the first charge at home, utilizing Volvo (sister company) equipment that has charged another vehicle successfully for 5+ years. The equipment was confirmed still functional on the other vehicle after failure of the Polestar's on-board equipment. The part was replaced during a lengthy service visit, and the failure... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
BLOWER MOTOR stopped working. Due to the lack of forced air in the cabin, the windows and windshield fog up and it is impossible to see safely. Blower motor or blower motor resistor has failed providing no heat, no air conditioning, no air at all. Land Rover Service repair shop confirmed this is a $6,000+ repair due to needing to remove the dash completely (10 hours of labor). During rainy season... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
My onstar telematics system has failed. I lost all connectivity with onstar and have no vehicle crash detection, communication and onstar based safety feature available anymore. I took the truck to the dealership and they identified the telematics module as faulty and needs replaced. The onstar system buttons are off and will not turn back one and have been off since 2/18/26.
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
The contact 2025 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V059000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System). The dealer was contacted to schedule an appointment; however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available because the manufacturer instructed the dealers that the parts should be prioritized for fleet vehicles first... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
When putting vehicle in park, I get a message on dash that says "shift to park" when the vehicle is already in park. The vehicle electrical components does not turn off. Sometimes if I wiggle/hit or stick my hand under the steering wheel adjustment lever I can get it to turn off. Becoming more troublesome. Through research I see it is a common issue among GM/Chevy vehicles.
NORCOLD
REFRIGERATOR
(9999) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
My car caught on fire under the hood. As I was driving on road I heard a sound and my car started slowing down and smoke started coming from under the hood got out the car not a minute later flames of smoke engulfed the car
Incident date: Feb 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine and engine overheating warning lights became illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The contact had an older BMW that had experienced the same failure, and the vehicle was included in NH... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2021) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the touch screen on the radio failed to properly operate. The screen was delaminated, causing unintended operation of the radio, distracting the driver. This failure caused the back over prevention to become inoperable, and the HVAC defroster options were inoperable. The touch screen and the func... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
Water leaked into the cab from faulty rear window frame and damaged a key electical component. This component is clled RF module and controls the Ignition, locks, remote operations from the fobik. Imobilizing the vehicle, recall covers the Backlite rear window leak but not the damage caused, leaving vehicles stranded and imobilized. The repair by dealer is almost $2000.00.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
Vehicle experiences engine stalling and failure to restart at intersections when the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature is engaged. This creates an immediate life-safety hazard as the vehicle becomes non-functional in live traffic. This has occurred 2 times. Once on surface streets and once on the highway in stop-and-go traffic. This issue persists despite Service Bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. Honda Cor... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
Broken/Clicking CV joints. This could lead to all loss of power transfer to the wheels, causing a sudden and unexpected stop to the vehicle while driving. Honda is aware of this defect, but has no permanent fix. This is confirmed by multiple Honda Service Centers. High Voltage Warning. Loss of heat, car will not charge, car shuts down/becomes undrivable, or enters "limp mode." This is an extreme ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
A mechanic at professional auto shop diagnosed the failed TIPM. It caused the fuel sending pump in the fuel tank to stop pumping. The truck stalled while driving on the highway leaving me stranded in 2-degree weather. I read online that there was a lawsuit for this issue but don't know how to file to recoup the $1200+ repair bill on top of the $200 cost to tow it to the auto repair shop. There was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
when entering traffic vehicle wheels locked up and engine stopped, when restarted vehicle was in limp or reduced power mode, check engine light is on, message on screen and in app identifies transmission and electrical problem. anti slip was engaged automatically upon restart.
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 3, 2026
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
2025 Subaru Outback onyx edition purchased 3/2025. Approximate mileage at time of incident 7000. On 2/10/25 around 6am car is remotely started with Subaru app from iPhone on flat gravel surface. Car was in park. Go out car not there moved almost a car length down a hill left turn then over an embankment into a ditch where it finally rested still running in park when found it. Why or how is this po... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. In addition, a message to take the vehicle to the dealer was displayed. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the vehicle was charged to 90–100 percent. The contact stated that the vehicle did not drive safely and did not charge properly. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V586000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking and th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that the message that the mileage could not be recorded was intermittently displayed while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the rearview camera was intermittently inoperable after shifting to reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the cameras were replaced; however, the failure recurred approximately 5 months l... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
My stereo is making an awful static noise even when the audio is turned off. It seems to be a pretty common problem for Honda around 2016. It is very dangerous because while driving in rush hour the other day and it was raining I couldn't hear anything but very loud static. I probably would not have been able even to hear a horn. Please get Honda to fix this obvious manufacturer defect so they wil... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
Vehicle will come up with a collision warning and tell you to refer to the owners manual. And then tells you to pull over and shuts off the vehicle. After 10 seconds vehicle starts up again and drives. My wife it have been seriously injured or worse had others in the road not been paying attention. No check engine light. Researched multiple people online with the same issue. Vehicle needs to be re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V440000 (Electrical System), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the interim repair was performed because the final remedy was not yet available. However, upon following up with the dealer, the dealer informed the contact that the recall was marked as completed. The manufacturer was contac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Driving home last night looking in my rear view mirrors I noticed it looked dark at the back of my F150. Once home I noticed I had no rear running lights, no brake lights, no rear turn signals. Not sure related but 2 days earlier I noticed that about 5 indicator lights on my dashboard were activated all relating to driver assist lane changing, backing up assist, hill parking assist, traction con... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The instrument cluster has completely failed presenting a dangerous situation for driving. There are no warning lights, no speed indicator, no signal indicator, etc, etc. A simple Google search will show that this is a very widespread and well known issue with this vehicle, and a safety recall notice should be issued and the replacement should be covered by the manufacturer. The vehicle was ins... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
I'm having issues with my 2021 Dodge Durango I have a recall on a rear view camera a recall on a rear spoiler a recall on the steering assembly a recall on the ESC light mail function ABS system loose airbags
Crash
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
I couldn’t start the car. I had to tow it to nearest dealership. I waited one week to get diagnosis and was told about ICCU failure. It took 45 days in the shop to get it fixed.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
I received recall (Nov 2025) for engine replacement due to safety failure of the engine and toyota still does not have replacement. Also received recall for reverse lights that are still not avaialble (feb 2025)
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The entire dashboard/infotainment interface will lose power suddenly. The car will struggle to start, and have an emissions or evap code, and there's a smell from the engine sometimes, that leaks into the cabin, which the cabin has bad thermoregulation, and cold air seeps in QUICK. Also I've driven on the highway and have had all the steering and power stop all at once! The headlights also keep ge... Read more