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 9, 2026
My car was totaled, I lost steering assistance, and it switched off while I was driving. The car was the subject of an open recall. I need this looked at because it might be a crash caused by a fault.
Crash
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
The car displayed “Check Electric Vehicle System”. The 12‑V battery stopped charging. The vehicle could not be driven very far or very fast. The car had to be towed to a Hyundai dealer.The ICCU was diagnosed as failed. The ICCU has been an ongoing issue with Hyundai EVs.
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
“Check EV System” error appeared in a red circle, with a red 12v battery icon. Then a turtle icon appeared and the car would not exceed about 30 mph. I was able to drive a mile and park in a lot. This happened after Level 2 charging to 100% and then driving one mile in 25° weather. The car was towed to the dealer.
ENEL X
JUICEBOX LEVEL 2 CHARGER
(9999) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
My 2024 toyota corolla xse hybrid had died 3 times because the 12 volt battery is no good. The battery has been replaced with the same type of 12 volt battery 2 times and the car still died. the car becomes inoperable. Hybrid cars, particularly Toyota, are experiencing significant 12-volt battery failures due to parasitic drain, leading to premature battery death. Affected models include the To... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Started my car while I was out and heard a pop sound. Warning message appeared saying "check electrical vehicle system". I was able to drive but when getting onto the freeway, I started to lose acceleration and go into limp mode. I pulled over on the freeway and had to get car towed to dealership. Dealership service center confirmed that my ICCU part failed. The vehicle to my knowledge hasn't been... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Sensor that believe the car to be overheating shut the car down while driving in on the highway.. turning the car off completely or powering it down 99%.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
Faulty light switch that causes headlights to go on and off at night. Sometimes headlights will shut off completely and not come back on or vise versa staying on and draining the battery. Faulty switch cause complete loss of headlight control. Numerous others have reported the same issue online across all elantras in a certain year range as well as other models.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2022
The ERAD (Electric Rear Axle Drive) transmission on my 2021 XC90 T8 Recharge has suffered an internal failure at approximately 112,550 miles. The vehicle makes loud grinding and slamming noises from the rear drivetrain and locks up when attempting to drive, making the vehicle completely undrivable. The dealership (Volvo Cars Gilbert, AZ) diagnosed the ERAD clutch as slamming and suspects internal ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 67 MPH, the transmission shifted to neutral(N) unexpectedly. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle off the road. A passerby slowed down and allowed the contact to move over to the side of the road. The engine seized... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
• Component/System: The high-voltage battery system in the plug-in hybrid propulsion system is subject to an active safety recall related to potential fire risk. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. • Safety Risk: The manufacturer has instructed owners not to charge the vehicle near structures and to park it away from buildings due to the risk of battery fire. This creates an... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
Vehicle experienced a dashboard alert, "Check electric vehicle system." The car produced an OBD code: P1AD3(00). Upon taking it to the dealer, they determined that the EV required a new high-voltage battery.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The vehicle is dead. It won't start, it won't open unlock its doors, it won't do anything. This is consistent with the ICCU failure
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
My speedometer/odometer screen went completely black. I have no idea how fast I’m going or how much gas I have. This is a know and very dangerous issue.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
Date of Incident: February 6, 2026 Time: Approximately 2:30 PM On February 6, 2026, at approximately 2:30 PM, I came to a complete stop at a stop sign. As I began making a turn, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated without my intention to increase speed. This unexpected acceleration caused the vehicle to strike a small tree. The vehicle sustained damage to the passenger-side front are... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
ICCU needs to be replaced.
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: May 16, 2025
Battery was DEAD after being parked for one week. Car was in residential garage (outdoor temp about 10 degrees. garage temp measured 46 degrees. Please Note: The SAME problem happened to my 2025 plug in RX and 2025 plug in NX. I doubt this is a coincidence and there are plenty of websites that indicate a significant problem.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
Battery on car under 6 months old and fewer than 3,000 miles was DEAD after not being used for one week. Weather was not an issue, as car was parked INSIDE of residential garage.
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
The truck has two issues that may be related. The third brake light leaks water. they tried to fix it, it happened again. The leaks have ruined my upholstery of the back seats. They have an extended warranty for this but it should be a recall. I believe the leak also is effecting my push button (electrical issues), the car won't start. It just clicks and you have to remove the battery or do w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
Brake booster is not working
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
The component that failed appears to be the DC-DC converter and/or related charging system within the vehicle’s electrical system, which resulted in complete failure of the 12-volt battery system. The vehicle displayed a dashboard warning stating: “Electrical fault detected. Please find a safe place to stop.” Shortly after this warning appeared, the vehicle lost electrical stability and th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
I came home from vacation and found my car completely dead. We took the battery in and ended up changing this. Soon later my cars power steering and dashboard would go in and out. I took it to Mark Kia who believed it to be the alternator, so they replace this. I picked the car up and not even 20 minutes later the same issues were occurring so I took it back where then they replaced the connector.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The service engine light , service hill start ,traction light , airbag light warning , escape system , parking brake, lights warning system all continuously flash on and off , when vehicle is in motion. The service dealership had my vehicle for two weeks and couldn't find the problem so then told us that while the lights are on that those features would not function. 0
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
RECURRING 12V LOW-VOLTAGE SYSTEM FAILURE AND DEFECTIVE REAR DEFROSTER HEATER GRID VEHICLE: 2022 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [XXX] ). ODOMETER: 114,093 miles at time of third service visit. SUMMARY OF DEFECT: Vehicle has experienced recurring low-voltage (12V) system alerts since late December 2025. The 12V battery has been replaced three times by Tesla service. After each replacement, the low-voltage aler... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH on the interstate, the instrument cluster briefly went blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the instrument cluster and cable needed to be replaced. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact related th... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
[XXX] No accidents thank God no accidents have occurred. The vehicle was not starting and the Ford Dealership ultimately diagnostic the issue to be repaired needed an Instrument Cluster Panel. Dealership advised there was no open recall for my 2014 Ford Escape Titanium with the 1.6L was not eligible for the vehicle under the terms of the 15V406- despite the fact the production date noted in th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
"2023 Ford Maverick Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ). The vehicle has a chronic 12V parasitic drain defect. Authorized dealer Champaign Ford City provided false information, stating software was current when it was not. This led to a 100% discharge in freezing temperatures, requiring multiple jump-starts to reach the dealer. This discharge destroyed a high-quality owner-purchased AGM battery. Despite Safety R... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
4 times in less than 4000 miles my 2026 trucks abs, cruise control, skid control, and check engine warnin07g lights have come on. I then have no anti-lock system, no cruise control, no 4-wheel drive, and no anti-skid system. Code reads-U1412. The dealer has replaced the rear speed sensors and it continues to happen. My truck is currently at the dealer in the service bay as I can't drive it. I've r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
On January 29, 2026, at approximately 4:00 PM, the vehicle experienced unintended movement while in PARK and powered off. The vehicle had been placed in Park, the engine was turned off, and the driver exited. Shortly afterward, the vehicle rolled unexpectedly while unattended. The vehicle remained parked and was not driven due to safety concerns. Wheel blocks were placed behind the tires until th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
UNKNOWN- The wiring system/ security system is faulty and requires attention.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V576000 (Electrical System) and NHTSA Campaign: 25V741000 (Electrical System); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Electric Mode Temporarily Unavailable”, “Fuel and Oil Refresh in Progress" were... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
I took my Bronco into Michigan City Ford for recall 25V273 repair. Shortly after this the front camera stopped working. I took it back in and they are saying the camera module is M2DZ-19H405-D has gone bad. They are saying this module controls front and rear camera but is not part of the recall. On the internet, there are many examples of the front camera issue after the rear recall repair.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
There is an active recall on this car with no available remedy. Upon starting the car, the instrument panel/instrument cluster screen remains completely black and doesn't turn on. This means there is no way to see: (a) speedometer, (b) odometer, (c) tire pressure, (d) available fuel range, (e) available EV range, (f) check engine lights or other emergency alerts, (g) lane assist, (h) drive menu ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
Two of the same faults occurred within the same month of each other. The first: while driving home from work on the highway, while heavily raining, without warning every alarm light possible engaged, windshield wipers went full speed, vehicle would not shift, and my steering locked up (not to be confused with lost power steering). After about a mile I was able to encourage the Jeep off the side ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The sliding door will not open, either manually or automatically. This is a huge safety problem since my children cannot get in or out of the vehicle quickly in an emergency. What should I do if this happens on both doors, I will not be able to open either sliding door.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
Vehicle shutting down while driving (3 incidents) Diagnostic codes P0A3F21, P1CAD49, P0A3F1F, and P1C5D19 Multiple failed repair attempts Toyota's refusal to address safety defect
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
The contact's daughter owns a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact attempted to inspect the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed by the technician that the failure might be from the wiring conne... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Buick Envision. The contact stated that upon picking up the vehicle from the dealer a day after purchasing the vehicle, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer replaced the battery; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
Car stopped taking a charge. ICCU and fuse seem to have died. This widespread problem needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. It's dangerous and careless to not have fixed the issue years later.
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
My vehicle has been in the shop here at McGrath Hyundai in Chicago, IL 30+ times since I bought it 5/21. Electrical, (rear), 6 horns, 6 blower motors, multiple warranty and recalls and now my front driver seat belt. They’re refusing to fix it even though I have reported it before. They’re saying over 60,000 miles makes it no longer under warranty. I reported it before and they said that... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
When driving, the truck will down shift or won’t to shift up at all. After turning the vehicle off, it seems to resolve itself after you turn it back on. Unless the orange light to indicate gear won’t appear. Then vehicle won’t start when the gear can’t be indicated, leaving myself or family members stranded. It refuses to start in neutral as well. I took the vehicle to Car x. I have no ch... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
The warning lights have been on for months indicating the ABS is malfunctioning, we have had it to the dealership garage several times and they keep telling us we are on the list but the parts are not available even though it has been over a year. If they fail completely we will have no control over the braking system which can cause a vehicle crash. We have to limit the driving we do with our v... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My 2016 dodge dart is losing all fluids after putting fluids in the car . My back calipers keep coming off the system , my hose keep detaching or blowing off. Losing power and it's not shifting . I have called dodge and ford where I purchased the car , I also made reports with corporate office of dealership I bought it from . No one told me there was any problems with the make and model of the veh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
Infotainment Console system crashes and has definite Failure which causes driver to lose visibility of climate controls and other safety features like backup camera settings and controls, this issue is reported amongst a widespread amount of Jeep renegade 2019 owners and after inspection dealer is only recommending 100% replacement at cost of driver. This is a national risk issue.
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started, however the battery became drained. No warning lights were illuminated. After the battery was drained, the doors failed to unlatch, and the contact was stuck inside the vehicle. The tow truck dri... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
A failure of the ICCU resulted in a maximum speed of about 25 mph and eventually a total loss of power.
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
ICCU Failure . Car stopped in the middle of the highway. I was able to move over thankfully to the side of the rode. Went into turtle mode and then it had to be Towed to my local Hyundai Dealership
TOYOTA
RAV4 PRIME
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
After first month the trouble began. It’s a diesel. Many times this car has stalled in traffic — while stopped in traffic and while driving at high speeds. Everything just turns off and steering wheel locks up. It says to put in park. After many tries to start, it will turn back on. Has been taken to dealer many times and nothing has worked. I’ve left Jeep there for months at a time, ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
I'm experiencing an intermittent malfunction of the combination meter (speedometer), as described in NHTSA Recall 25V595. I contacted my local dealer, who confirmed no resolution was available at this time. I contacted Toyota customer care who also confirmed no resolution at this time. They indicated my only option was to seek a Toyota loaner vehicle and then request reimbursement for that expe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
Rear back up camera goes to blue screen randomly. Uconnect system frequently freezes and is unresponsive. It has in the past attempted to dial 911 and I couldn't cancel it . It did not go through because my phone is not connected but it is still an issue.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
Happened at US 101 Southbound 0.1 MILES SOUTH of RENGSTORFF AVENUE. “Power Steering Malfunction” light came on, then suddenly after 1 second, the car’s steering went stiff and suddenly braked while at freeway speed flow of traffic. Car then sharply veered left into center divider due to automatic sudden braking with no control of the steering wheel
Crash
1 injured