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: Aug 20, 2026
Traction control brake light and ABS light all on at the same time took it to a honest mechanic mechanic shop and they said it was the ABS control module internal malfunction check engine light also came on
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
I'm in [XXX] and just bought this 2019 honda accord unaware all Hondas 2018-2022 are lemon specially accord turbo 1.5 I was fully scammed. [XXX] rains everyday, so every time the car gets wet all safety warning lights, all sensor lights turn on and the vehicle stalls leaving me in the middle of the street and unable to drive. This situation start happening since they updated ADAS SW PUD software s... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
I am reporting a critical manufacturer-imposed restriction that prevents the completion of a life-saving safety campaign, Recall 52D (NHTSA ID: 24V362), which carries a strict "Park Outside and Do Not Charge" advisory.My vehicle has an active fault code P0E15 (Electric Coolant Heater control performance), which is a well-known, widespread factory defect in Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids. When I took th... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
I had recalls for body control module and power train control module calibration updates. i took it to my ford dealership on august 12th, 2026 they had it done with within the day i picked it up. within a week after (i don’t drive my car much just to work mostly) i had an error come up on my dash saying the powertrain control had failed and i was unable to put my car in park. i immediately calle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2026
On August 31, 2026, at approximately 11:07 a.m., the vehicle had been parked and was stationary with the engine running. After remaining stationary for a short period of time, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly moved backward rapidly on its own. I did not intentionally command the vehicle to move backward and I did not press the accelerator. While the vehicle was moving backward, I pressed the... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
Full electrical power system failure. Heard a loud pop noise emanating from under the rear seats of the car. The power. Failure lights came on and the car lost power. We were able to get the car to slowly drive back to the garage where it completely shut down and was inoperable from that point on. Car has been towed to the local dealer for diagnostics and repair.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
I am the owner of a 2024 Toyota Tundra. My vehicle is subject to open NHTSA Recall No. 25V-332, for which I received notification. It has now been over a year since this recall was issued, and no remedy has been made available to me. I have contacted my Toyota dealership and was told the remedy parts are not yet available' or 'no timeline could be provided. This unresolved recall leaves my vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
I purchased a 2018 Dodge Durango. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, moisture was present inside the rear liftgate/racetrack lamp assembly and portions of the rear lighting did not operate. The selling dealership inspected and repaired the vehicle. Its repair invoice states that the left rear tail/running/parking lamp was inoperative because of an open wire between the body control module and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
2024 Subaru Ascent – Intermittent Electrical / Ignition-Control Malfunction Vehicle: 2024 Subaru Ascent Mileage: Approximately 29,000 miles Chronology of Events August 19 Vehicle had been operating normally. First occurrence – grocery store •Returned to vehicle after shopping. •Opened rear hatch, loaded groceries and closed hatch. •Driver's door would not unlock using the key fob or by t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2026
Both Sliding door on left and right side wouldn’t close and stayed open for a short period of time. Now the door can’t be opened because it doesn’t latch.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
Body to frame ground cables corroded in half two different times within about 6 months. First time engine wouldn’t start had to have it towed to dealer for repair, over 30 codes were shown when this happened. Next incident some of my lights were working intermittently and my steering was rendered inoperable for 20 to 30 seconds at a time making it impossible to steer the vehicle, several codes w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
My passenger side brake light bulb burned out. Tried to remove it. The bulb socket seems stuck maybe melted to the housing. Unable to free the bulb to replace. This specific bulb it at the top of the lens cover which is extremely difficult to grasp to turn. I have had several people assist me with no success. Not wanting to get a ticket for this failure when I have full intentions of fixing it.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2026
I am filing this complaint regarding my 2020 Jaguar I-PACE and recall H572 involving the high-voltage battery pack. My vehicle has approximately 90,000 miles. I received information regarding recall H572, which involves a potential thermal issue with the high-voltage battery pack that can create a safety risk. I am concerned about the safety and reliability of the vehicle because of the battery ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
towing control module, brake lights work trailer breaks will not grab, lights on the module do not come on the module has never worked since I bought the 2024 dodge 3500 dually diesel
Incident date: Aug 15, 2026
I experienced a sudden loss of power and steering while driving my vehicle. The screen advised me to pull over because the engine would shut off soon, but I already had lost steering and power. I turned the car off and was able to restart it and drive it 1 mile home, and the check engine light was on. I had it towed to the dealer. After 2 weeks of testing, the dealer reported, “When your vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2026
Lost power on steering wheel while driving, unable to turn left/right. All of the warning lights related to braking, lane assist, hill descent, adaptive cruise control, trailer stability assist, hill start assist, low speed breaking, auto-high beam, parking sensor detector, etc.. "All wheel drive system problem. Only front wheels may be powered. See your dealer."
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
The vehicle's transmission shifter mechanism has failed for a second time, preventing the vehicle's computer from communicating with the gear shifter. When shifting the physical gear lever forward into the "Park" position and attempting to shut off the engine, a warning message reading "Action Required: Shift to Park" appears on the driver instrument dashboard display.This exact failure previously... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Two intermittent problems began about one year ago at approximately 43,000 miles (current mileage approximately 48,000): 1) Rearview (backup) camera intermittently fails. When shifting into reverse, the display screen goes black or the camera image freezes. This causes a loss of rear visibility while backing up, creating a risk of striking a pedestrian or object behind the vehicle. 2) Audio syst... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding a severe, sudden electronic and mechanical failure of the shift interlock system and the Body Control Module (BCM) that compromises vehicle control and leaves the vehicle stranded in active traffic conditions. While attempting to operate the vehicle, the shifter lever suddenly became physically jammed and highly resistant, refusing to shift out of the "Park... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
I am submitting a complaint regarding a serious electronic/infotainment failure in my 2023 VW Atlas that occurred following VW’s software update. Prior to the software update, the infotainment system & related functions were operating normally. Following the update, the infotainment/navigation system failed. The center display is completely black. The loss of the backup camera is a particular sa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The vehicle developed a turn-signal malfunction in which the turn signal would not operate/cancel properly. An authorized Ram dealership inspected the vehicle and diagnosed a failed Steering Column Control Module (SCCM) that required replacement. The part was backordered for approximately four months. I was later advised to contact another authorized Ram dealership that had the part available, and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
Front camera failure causing all system errors to not work to include lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, auto high beam.
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
My passengers airbag light is on and it causes a safety issue. I called Toyota and they washed their hands off. Telling me that my VIN number does not fall under the recall where I know for a fact that car is made around the same time have many recalls with this particular issue. I was not given any help at all.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2026
Driving from [XXX] to [XXX], just over 1hr into trip @ 100 miles out of town and on one of the many steep inclines on the route, the engine power seemed to pulse, as if increase and decrease of gas/acceleration, then has every single alert possible illuminated on dash with the bell sound: Electric power steering system problem, steering assist reduced. Electric parking brake system problem, parkin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
2022 Accord Sport 2.0T. Wireless Apple CarPlay repeatedly fails with “Unable to connect to iPhone14.” Bluetooth HandsFreeLink remains connected and the vehicle sees the phone. I have completely deleted and re-paired both Bluetooth and CarPlay; it works initially and then fails again after one or two ignition cycles. Re-pairing the phone is only a temporary fix. I'm also getting what I conside... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
I am writing to formally submit an urgent safety escalation and Lemon Law notice regarding my 2026 GLA 250, purchased brand new on February 26, 2026, as a replacement vehicle following the severe operational disruptions associated with the EQB 300 recall. As a parent of a family member with a disability, reliable and secure transportation is an absolute necessity. I selected the Mercedes-Benz bran... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
Engine failure and replaced. Received vehicle back and placed under 2k miles on the new engine and 3 times now it has shut off while in motion and required a restart.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
I purchased my Jeep Wrangler 4xe on Sept. 27, 2025 thinking all battery issues were addressed by the manufacturer. Then a month later the 68C hybrid battery recall is issued. My hybrid battery passed the 68C recall on Dec. 22 at the dealership. Ensuing 78C and 21D recalls meant I couldn't park in my garage and charge my vehicle for weeks at a time. My electric motor would not start on Aug. 11. Ch... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The vehicle has failed to start and left me stranded multiple times. The concerning thing here is, upon jumping the vehicle, there were no concerning lights just a single check engine light. I was driving directly to the dealer for a repair. All was fine for about 10 minutes. Then, I hit the brakes and all warning lights came up and the brakes STOPPED WORKING. The pedal was soft and going nearly t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2026
While attempting to operate the vehicle, the transmission/gear-selection system malfunctioned. When Drive or Reverse is selected, the vehicle does not remain in the selected gear and instead returns to Park, preventing the vehicle from moving. The condition is repeatable and the vehicle is currently disabled. The exact failed component is unknown. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. An authori... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V030000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to charge with chargers more than 220 Volts, and the message "Electrical System Not Working Correctly, Please Service Vehicle" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
On the morning of August 29th around 8:10am the Ram truck caught fire under the hood with the engine/ignition off, after it was driven around the yard lot and shut off. The fire seems to have originated in the center of the engine on the drivers side of the cylinder head. Mimicking the same patterns as the recall #13A in regards to the heated grid recall that was performed in March of 2025, @12133... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 5, 2026
abnormal operation and intermittent failure of multipurpose camera, my dashboard is showing warning lights for LKAS, Cruise, auto-high beams, collision mitigation, road Departure mitigation.
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
I have a 2024 chevy traverse. Purchased april 30, 2024. One of the 1st ones ever made. The rear windows no longer work. The switch makes a ticking sound but nothing happens. The front windows sometimes work. Sometimes not. And they pause when going back up. I am aware of GM bulletin 25-na-022 which emcompasses this exact failure for 24/25 chevy traverses. When i called GM Marietta told me th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that the AC was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and an independent mechanic on several occasions to repair the AC; however, the failure reoccurred after each repair. The AC was not replaced. The contact believed that the issue was caused by Hybrid system.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2026
While driving, my vehicle suddenly began shuddering and shaking. The vehicle lost power and would not accelerate properly. I had to press the brake pedal unusually hard. After parking, the vehicle would not move properly in reverse or drive. I turned the vehicle off and restarted it, and it moved only a short distance before shuddering again and losing power. The engine was making a loud buzzing o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Vehicle went into dealer for diagnostic, update PCM for hill start assist and cruise control failure. Dealer identified pcm update was not done when clutch recall performed. Instrument cluster update was pushed as well. Instrument cluster bricked. headlight indicator only functioning light on cluster. All gauges and information screen are dark. no functionality. Car has been sitting at the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2026
DOOR LOCK SYSTEM FAILURE - LOCKOUT AND ENTRAPMENT HAZARD. In late xxx, during a single sub-zero weather event in the [XXX] area, the door lock system on this 2024 Lexus NX 450h+ failed on two separate occasions within the same week. On both occasions the vehicle could not be unlocked or entered by any means available to the owner (smart key fob, digital key, remote unlock) and we were locked out i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jaguar I-Pace. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the high voltage message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery was limited to 75 percent charge. The contact was informed that a diagnostic test for the illuminated warning light was not provided because the warning light was no longer illumi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
The ICCU, or integrated charge control unit, continually fails on this car. When it fails, the 12V battery rapidly drains and the car goes into turtle mode (25mph max) until the 12 battery drains completely. This has happened 4 times on this car, twice since I purchased it 'certified pre-owned" from a Kia dealership in February 2026. Luckily for me the two times it has failed on me, I was in town ... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER VELAR
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the steering wheel became inoperable. The steering wheel became very stiff and was difficult to turn. The ADAS and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V248000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2026
[XXX]. at about [XXX] I put the vehicle on Drive mode after releasing the electronic parking brake. Suddenly the vehicle engine stopped running all power was not available to include power windows and doors. I was trapped inside my vehicle for about 20 minutes. I made a call to the manufacture's roadside assistance at 8667264636 since the vehicle has only 3,000 miles on it. The script reading thir... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V869000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) and 26V511000 (Exterior Lighting, Seat Belts, Electrical System); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the remedy to be available. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
The contact called for an acquaintance who owned a 2025 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, a neighbor saw black smoke coming from the vehicle. The neighbor called the authorities first and then called the contact, who was not at the residence during the failure. The vehicle caught on fire, and the neighbor alerted the occupants inside the residence... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
My Jeep has had a recall since December 2025. I initially went to Burgaw, NC Dealership where I Leased my Jeep, with no luck. I made appointment They did not have the part. I was told they would call when it is available. I checked in every month , no part. I called the recall line in the summer 2026 and they made me an appointment at National Dodge in Jacksonville, NCthe first week of August. W... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Door lock actuator(s) randomly failing to lock/unlock. Multiple reports on forums for same exact issue. Replace one, another fails shortly after. Issue involves both locking and unlocking, putting safety individuals at risk for unexpected access to car or inability to lock car once inside. No messages, warnings, or suggestions from car to tell me that the locking had failed.
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 8, 2026
Incident date: May 26, 2026
Impacts: Electric system software & fools/locks/linegae. The EV vehicle has suffered a catastrophic, complete failure of its central software architecture, specifically impacting the APIM module and RDS system. Ford's internal In-Vehicle Technology (IVT) records confirm this failure originated in December 2025 while vehicle was fully under its 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Because vehicle's u... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2026
I drove my kids 5 miles to school and was on my way back home going thru a school zone with a stop sign. As I stopped at a 4 way stop car went into idle and I went to proceed and car stalled and automatically went into park. I had to wave people around me. Luckily I was able to still put on hazards. The battery light came on, but I was unable to restart my car after several attempts. I opened my d... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
Vehicle suffered sudden loss of motive power due to Diagnostic Trouble Code P0A43 (Drive Motor A Position Sensor Circuit Intermittent). The failure is caused by thermal and chemical degradation of the internal transmission wiring harness, resulting in an internal electrical short submerged in transmission fluid. The vehicle is able to be powered on again and driving can be continued however certai... Read more