Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 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 2,192,899 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 185,008 complaints — component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 12, 2026
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving on the freeway I recieved and elctrical fault detected please pull over when safe. The issue is the DC to DC converter failed resultign in the loss of charging for the car and relaince on stored elctricity in the battery to drive systems. I was on the highway at freeway speeds and had to exit the highway quickly to avoid the vehicle completly shutting down on the freeway. The dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
All of a sudden after starting the car I got a “Check Electric Vehicle” warning sign and when I called the dealership the told me do NOT drive it and tow it. The basically told me it will die on me.
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
I have a 2016 Subaru Forester and started 3 weeks ago with a problem when I turn it on all the lights on the dashboard turn on and the car won't star. The mechanic has changed the battery and the problem continues. It's happened three times now that it's suddenly shut off while I'm driving. It was very scary. Now the mechanic said that I have to take to the dealer because it is the body control mo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
I have a 2015 Ram 1500, my experience is not unique and this issue is well known online. The ABS module (Part No: 68228991AD) is no longer working and my truck has been having an issue with this for about 3 years. The Parts departments in dealerships will typically say that the manufacturer is "looking" for a new contract parts supplier and say that a certain date is upcoming, but it always gets p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
The ICCU (Integrated charging control unit) failed, causing my car to go into "Limp mode" where it was unable to accelerate over 44 mph. This put my safety at risk as I was unable to accelerate on the freeway. The Hyundai dealer confirmed the problem and it is still there, with no estimated time for repair due to a shortage of replacement part. It was not inspected by the police or insurance. Ther... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the local dealer for Service Campaign SC334 - Brake Line Corrosion. The vehicle was repaired after 35 days, but the failure recurred. While driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the brakes became inope... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
There is a phantom chime that happens intermittently at all driving conditions when close to or below 20 degrees F. (stop and go, highway, back roads, dry weather, wet weather, clear weather, etc.). This chime does not produce any warning on the driver displays. This is dangerous because it causes the driver to look away from the road to figure out what the warning is. But no warning being shown c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
k my abs and traction control and brake light came on my truck has 86k miles well took it and got it scanned said abs control module internal short so went on line to order one on back order and no date when available so went to dealer and they said no can’t get one nationwide back order so now my trucks brakes are not safe and i contacted ram with no response so idk wat to do and i thought car ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the driveway and turning off the vehicle, while exiting the vehicle, the rear hatchback glass suddenly shattered. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the rear defroster was not activated, and there was no impact to the hatchback glass to cause the glass to shatter. The vehicle was towed to the loca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The car will cut off while driving and across the dashboard it’ll say “press brake to start engine”.
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
ICCU FAILURE. COMMON ISSUE REPORTED WITH EV6s 2022-2025.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
I noticed smoke filling the inside of my car. I looked over at the passenger seat, and my coat was on fire. I poured my drink on it, pulled over, and threw the coat out of the car. I saw a large hole in the lumbar area of the passenger seat, and it was glowing red and putting out a lot of heat. The seat heater was on, so I immediately turned it off. It was obvious that the fire has started inside ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
Vehicle Information 2025 Tesla Model Y Approx. 30,000 miles Purchased new ~11 months ago Incident Description While driving at highway speed, the front trunk (frunk/hood) of my 2025 Tesla Model Y unexpectedly opened. The hood immediately flew upward, flipped backward over the windshield, and shattered the windshield. The frunk had not been opened in approximately two weeks prior to the incident... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
In 2023, the vehicle began exhibiting erratic transmission shifting behavior, including harsh and unpredictable shifts while driving. The vehicle was taken to a GMC dealer for diagnosis and repair. Recently, the vehicle developed additional drivetrain and engine control issues related to the crankshaft position sensor circuit. The vehicle stalled while driving on a highway mountain overpass with... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
I turned on my car and several malfunctions came on the dash,and would not start and went in limp mode. A local mechanic stated it's the electrical component of the coolant pump causing malfunction. He also stated that could lead the car catching fire if overheats since the 5V is dipping below due to the faulty coolant /water pump. Ultimately forcing the car in limp mode for safety precautions. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
I am writing to formally report a series of catastrophic and life-threatening mechanical and electronic failures in my 2025 Ford Explorer Active (VIN: [XXX] ]), purchased in Bogotá, Colombia. Despite immediately notifying the Ford Post-Sales Support Line after the first incident, the technical response was insufficient, leading to a second, more severe event that nearly resulted in a fatal high-... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
COMPONENT: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE I HAVE HAD THIS SENSOR THAT MAKES MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAY ON 3 SEPARATE TIMES! THIS NEEDS TO BE RE CALLED I SEE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME CONCERN
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
This complaint is being filed as a follow-up to a previously submitted NHTSA complaint regarding door lock failures on my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Since the original complaint, a second door has now failed. In addition to the front passenger door, the rear passenger-side door will no longer lock or unlock electronically using the key fob or interior power lock button and must be locked manually. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
My truck won't shift into 3rd gear. It hesitates when idling. When you accelerate it shudders. After a certain rbm it goes.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
I was driving on 2/11/2026 at roughly 45 mph and all of sudden my car lost power. The whole engine shut down while the vehicle was still moving. Then it came back up and reset my whole dashboard settings. This is the second time that display has reset itself. I am taking my vehicle back to the dealer for inspection. This is not safe.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
There is another recall 2nd one for this vehicle that now I cannot charge it . Park near other vehicles or in my garage due to fear of fire. Dealership says they are doing approx 1-2 a month and I am #59 on the list. I have not been offered a replacement vehicle. They told me I could not trade it in because it is “unsellable”.
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
the vehicle delays to start and will not recognize that key is in the vehicle. the starter button has to be pushed three times until the vehicle recognizes the key is in the vehicle. the vehicle was inspected at a BMW dealership and no codes or errors were found. battery is still good but possible issues with the starter.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
1. All safety features related to the back up camera, EPS, Traction Control, Lane Assist, Active Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam, Forward Collision Avoidance and more. 2. Loss of all safety features and then sudden restoration of EPS would cause swerve into oncoming lanes or into neighboring lanes and/or ditches. 3. Yes the problem has been reproduced, repeatedly in cold weather and while the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
As we drove toward the highway to begin our journey home in our 2024 RWD Ioniq 5 with our entire family and luggage in the vehicle, we received a "Check Electric Vehicle System" warning and immediately pulled over and called Hyundai Roadside Assistance. They initially were going to send someone to jump the car, assuming it was an ICE, but once we said it was an EV, they said they didn't have the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
While reversing out of a parking spot, I noticed my break and steering wheel felt extremely stiff. I lost control of the vehicle for a second until I instinctively pushed HARD on the break. I realized it was unsafe to continue reversing, so I switched from R (reverse) to D (drive), I let go of the break pedal slowly, but the car continued to reverse. I pushed hard on the stiff break again, and swi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The infotainment system in the vehicle is apparently overheating and causing the speakers to make a static sound. The sound starts out low, then static sounds at about 85-90 decibels. The radio cannot be turned off to make the sound go away, even if pulled over and restarted. My commute to work is over an hour, and the sound is so loud that I have begun to wear earplugs while driving the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Screen in the car that shows the view of the backup camera. Unable to see when backing up. It is under warranty but the service center after mulitple attempts has not been able to fix it. Yes No, it just went out. Went out back in September of 2025.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
I completed recall in March of 2025 for the ICCU, it failed driving down a busy road in January 2026. Kia did complete the repairs, but only warranties for 12k miles. It seems from forums I am in that this is a common problem. It also caused me to be without transportation for several weeks
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Will not pass emissions due to sensors not going into "ready" state. We have taken it to 4 different mechanics and we were told that the abs module is not communicating. So we replaced it and still nothing. Now we are told that the PCM is not storing memory. There have been no lights illuminated on the dash this whole time, and no codes to determine the underlying electrical issue. With issues li... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
I was driving my vehicle when suddenly I got a "electrical fault has been detected Pull over Safely" error message. At that time the everything is still running and working. I pulled over safely and shut off the car. I restarted it and it said "low battery, start engine". It was really cold and I imagine as the car kept running, that will recharge the battery. I continued to drive (cautiously on l... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond or exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the speedometer reading was lagging. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal with more force. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The power steering and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted each time, but the vehicle took a progressively longer time to restart. Eventually, the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The vehicle reported a charging system failure alert and came to a jerking stop. The battery was completely drained and the alternator had failed at 71,000 miles. The vehicle stopped in the drive lane on a heavily trafficked road. The emergency release lever was found and pulled to allow the truck to pull over.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the contact’s daughter was reversing in a parking lot, the audible chime for the closeness of an object or vehicle failed to function as designed. There was an image displayed on the screen. The failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The vehicle was also experiencing other electrical failures. The contact stated that in early Janu... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Rear camera, back over prevention system malfunction. Rearview camera image does not display, fails to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, “Rear Visibility.” This happened after the PODS repair was made. Local VW dealer is requiring a diagnostic fee though the problem started immediately after it was serviced.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
I am writing to report a critical safety defect in my vehicle, a 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn , involving a catastrophic failure of the heater core (heater coil). This failure creates an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety as defined under 49 U.S.C. § 301. Safety Risk 1: Acute Toxicity and Driver Impairment The failed component is releasing vaporized ethylene glycol directly into the passenger ca... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
After refueling we re-entered I495 Northbound. While traveling in the fast lane of traffic my vehicle shut off. I lost all power, including the ability to use On-Star. The vehicle refused to start for thirty minutes. This problem repeats within a mile of refueling. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer. The first time the said it was a sensor in the stable trak. This last time they claimed a bo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
Onstar Module failed causing battery to drain and no ETA on part -- from Chevy - To drive the vehicle the module is disconnected by the dealer as parasitic battery drain causes all other safety systems to fail - with module disconnected hazard lights will not work - so if situation happens where hazards are necessary to save occupants life they are not working and functioning due to care to able t... Read more
KIA
SORENTO HYBRID
(2025) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
1. I'm not sure what component or system malfunctioned. The dealership has said something different every time it's had to be taken in. The first time they said it could have been the dip stick. The second time they said they didn't know but did an update to the car's system. Last week, was the third time we've had to take it in and they said they are doing an oil change and replacing the air inta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
I have a 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE v6 3.3L and on January 9th, 2026 I had an incident where on the road my charging system light on signifying alternator failure. I made it home, but the battery was dead which was recently purchased. After recharging the battery I conducted tests with a multimeter and have determined the alternator has failed. The alternator has accrued a coating of oil overtime that... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
Thermostat Issue (Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care) have changed this sensor 3 times in the past 3 years, there is no excuse for that. The emergency braking almost cause me and my daughter to be hit by a train when my car emergency braked while going over train tracks. this is unexcusable
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the transmission shifted from 2nd gear to 3rd gear, and the vehicle shuddered before shifting. The failure also occurred while shifting from 4th gear to 5th gear. The contact ran a diagnostic scan and retrieved information for a loss of communication between the TCM and BCM. The failure was intermittent... Read more
SUBARU
CROSSTREK HYBRID
(2021) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. The contact stated that after moving the vehicle 10 feet from a pile of snow in cold weather, the vehicle restarted but failed to run and then shut off after 2 minutes. The contact changed the 12-Volt battery. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the “Service 12-Volt Battery” message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the lo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
-My ABS module failed over a year ago and is available for inspection. -My ABS, anti-lock, cruise control does not work. -The problem has been confirmed by a dealer and dealer said the part is no longer available. -The component has been inspected by a dealer. -There were warning lights when it failed and they have been on ever since.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
Forward collision warning system not working. Light on dashboard says system disabled. Paddle shifters also disabled. Temperature readings in metrics and language keeps changing. This is available for inspection if needed. We bought this car because of the collision warning and braking system safety features and none of them work. This puts our safety at risk. The dealer has updated the system but... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
This vehicle is a total safety hazard due to two distinct failures: 1. Unresolved Door Defect (14+ Months): For over 14 months, the vehicle has suffered from 'Self-Opening Door Handles.' Despite 4 repair attempts, the manufacturer has failed to fix this, posing a risk of doors opening while driving. 2. Fire Risk & Use Restriction (Current Recall 26V-028): Currently, the vehicle is under a ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
Either closing the moonroof or the wipers activating caused the screen to flicker off and back on. Sustained usage or frequent usage caused the screen to completely deactivate for 10+ minutes and the Driver's HUD to deactivate and retract. During this time, the car was operating on the highway in rain conditions with zero driver's instrumentation, including speed, navigation, fuel, battery, safety... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
Water has infiltrated the lower trunk area and fried the sound amplifier. The result is no sounds can be heard from the speakers. This includes sounds and warnings from the safety systems. Seat belt, ADAS, BLIS, OnStar, Turn Signals, Radio. The rear hatch seals seem to be intact and it is unclear how water is entering this lower area as there is no evidence of water anywhere else in the rear car... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
Horn stops working and needs to be replaced within a year or less. I reported the first time my horn stopped working and it took 4 months until I can have an appointment and order the part. The second time it stopped working was within a year and scheduling an appointment was difficult. I was almost in an accident and unable to use to both to alert the other driver.
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
Constant camera issues. The rear camera only works half the time and when it does go it, it'll just cut off while driving in reverse. It's completely unreliable and dangerous. New update has affected the cars acceleration. Now when its below a certain degrees outside they changed it so the car can no longer accelerate at its normal speed and instead, barely responds when you hit the gas causing a... Read more