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: Mar 1, 2026
I have a Trial Boss and it wont shut off when the key is off, KEEPS RUNNING. Did some research and it gave a couple of thing to check.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
I always service and baby my vehicle. Had recently got starter recall & fresh oil change done 2 months at my local BMW Atlantic City NJ dealership. On June 27th, as I was driving the vehicle normally a message popped on the dash stating engine oil is at a minimum level, add 1 liter of engine oil, refill oil immediately. So I went to my earliest autozone bought quart of mobile 1 oil and refilled it... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
The truck went into park from drive on its own . The emergency brake was also activated after going into park. The shifter knob kept switching from drive into park every time I slowed down at a light or stop sign.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
Infotainment system glitch Screen blacks out Auto start/stop doesn’t work Key fobs glitch Vehicle jerks (I’m guessing it’s sensing something that isn’t there, but no one seems to know) Doors unlock themselves Alerts “key fob not detected” while driving and while parked
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
On January 19, 2026, my neighbors / daughter noticed smoke was coming from under the van that had been parked for over 3 hours. Shortly after, he confirmed the van had caught fire. I asked him to call the fire department.
Fire
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
The daylight running light in the rear do not work, which is needed for night time driving. At night when parked or driving the rear is completely dark, except the license plate lights. When I press the brakes they turn on, the signal lights work even the reverse lights. I've switched them to manual mode still no luck. I've checked some fuses, they all check out, nothing blowen. From some research... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
The Opti-View Digital Dash module began delaminating causing cracks in the screen. This made it difficult to impossible to read the dashboard gauges including speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge & other operating gauges. I had to replace the dash module in order to safely operate the vehicle. I understand this is a common problem with the Freightliner Custom Chassis that the motorhome is built on.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding the sudden, unprovoked failure of the AcuraWatch driver-assist camera system (affecting LKAS, ADAS, and the Collision Mitigation Braking System), which directly and unexpectedly alters the vehicle’s powertrain and driving dynamics without driver input. While driving, the front windshield monocular camera module experienced an internal electronic fa... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 350 4MATIC
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
This recall appointment does not take 2 hours to complete. The dealer quoted me 1-2 days with an inability to offer a loaner vehicle. Several Leaf owners have completed the recall appointment and subsequently been left stranded because the car went into an undrivable mode leaving the owner stranded and incurring towing and rental fees for weeks without resolution. Nissan Consumer Affairs has d... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
I have a 2020 Hyundai Elantra Limited that was purchased new in December of 2020, has 17,764 miles, and no damage. At the end of May/early June of 2026, the car gave warning messages for the following: check forward collision avoidance assist system, check lane keep assist system, and check high beam assist system. The car was inspected by the dealership, from which it was purchased, on June 29, 2... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
While driving the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour, on its own, the vehicle put itself into neutral and a warning light to exit the vehicle appeared. Thankfully we safely pulled the car over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. Had this incident occurred at a higher rate of speed or on a busy road, there could have been very different consequence... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
Rear camera has failed twice since the recall was performed. The recall was performed on 20 May 2026. The first failure occurred on 27 May 2026. The second on 1 July 2026.
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 3, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Vehicle Information: 2026 Honda CR-V Sport HybridComponent: Power Train / Hydraulic Brakes / Electronic Stability ControlDescription of Incident:On [Date], my 2026 Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid was parked facing uphill on a steep incline. I started the vehicle, depressed the brake pedal, released the electronic parking brake, and shifted into Drive. Upon transitioning to the accelerator, the vehicle fai... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 8, 2026
I own a 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge (pure electric). At 49,030 miles, while slowly driving in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly began shuddering and jerking as if driving over rumble strips. A warning message appeared stating “Propulsion System Failure” and indicated the vehicle would reduce speed. The vehicle lost propulsion and came to a stop. After stopping, the vehicle would not re-enter D... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The 2026 vw Tiguan infotainment system blacks out due to thermal failure at ambient temps as low as 100 deg f this creates a total loss of driver controls including windshield defrost and demise systems posing an immediate visibility hazard vw refused to repair becuase defective hardware does not store a diagnostic trouble code on reboot. Prevents any driver action to clear fogged windshield. Or o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Ignition key is stuck in the vehicle with the ignition on will not come out
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
The vehicle has stalled in traffic multiple times, it sends emergency messages while operating that the vehicle must pull off of the road or shut down, it is constantly displaying "service stop/ start system" messages and service lights, it sometimes doesn't start after having gotten to a location but will start up without having the vehicle jump started later, it drains the batteries quickly, as ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
While driving down a busy neighborhood street 2 lanes with cars on both sides making it a 1 lane road pulled over to the side a little to let cars pass. All of a sudden ALL electrical and engine stopped and turned off. Only thing that was powered was instrument cluster with multiple warnings like SRS Malfunction, Steering Malfunction, SOS Inoperative, Parking Brake and more. We believe the car ha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
Issue with the trailer brake system keeps coming up on my dash. I know a lot of other people have had the same issue keeps dinging will not stop causes me to get distracted while driving. Unable to use other features because of this distraction and safety issue. The safety issue needs to be fixed this is an effective product with so many people having an issue you need to do a recall. I did let Gr... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 3, 2026
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
While attempting to park in my driveway, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of braking. The brake pedal did not stop the vehicle, and pressing the electronic parking brake switch had no effect. The vehicle continued forward and crashed through my closed garage door. The only reason it stopped was because it struck another vehicle parked inside my garage. That impact pushed the parked vehicle ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 13, 2026
transmission not shifting right and back up camera not cutting off while driving
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
Coolant leak not visible egr cooler and egr valve malfunction catalytic converter malfunction. Diagnosted at nissan a known issue with nissan make and model.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2026
Charging interrupted-failed. Unable to fully use EV. Dealer confirms issue & has EV for two weeks, BMW USA has been notified, no remedy offered.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
As soon as the vehicle turns on, the vehicle alerts "service charging system. vehicle may stall". Vehicle has under 5000 miles and is new.
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The electric power steering went out and locked my steering cannot figure out why and traction control light on and service light
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
I took my suv in for diagnostics to a certified GM dealership at least twice while still under warranty. The check engine light was on, the car was behaving abnormally as well as making unusual concerning noises. The dealership sent me away saying no codes showed up and they couldn’t find a problem.The light would come on and off sporadically. I took screen shots of my dashboard every time the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Fuel Leak it smells and leaks it seems to be coming from the gas tank and sometimes I get random electric failure when I'm driving I lose power steering and My brakes get stiff and hard to push down and my dash will go Off and then go crazy and show that i have no gas
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
My 2016 Jeep Wrangler will buck and jerk when on the highway. I’ll be going a steady speed, not changing speed. I feel the car slow down and stomp on the gas but it goes all the way to the floor and nothing happens. When I try to go into the break down lane, the steering wheel locks up and won’t turn. Usually I take the key out then put it back in the ignition and it starts no problem. Recentl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
Instrument panel cluster failure in my 2019 jeep wrangler unlimted sport. instrument panel cluster +9 Stellantis (Jeep) recalled certain 2019 Jeep Wranglers (Campaign 24V-652 or Recall #30B) because their 3.5-inch instrument panel clusters can short-circuit and go completely dark. This causes you to lose your speedometer and critical warning lights, increasing crash risks. D... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
Mother single , sole support 4 babies and going through divorce needed a vehicle right away . Carvana rated this car 94 after its 150 pt inspection . It was noted that it was in an accident. Driving the babies on interstate the Pilar flew off, later on still on interstate , ck engine light came on, then steering warning, brake warning and sudden loss of speed . Car would not accelerate beyond 40 ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2026
Back up camera does not work and other electrical elements not working in conjunction with it
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2018) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 2, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
EPS (Electronic Power Steering) failed while driving. Red steering wheel with exclamation point lights up on dash and loss of steering. Local dealership blamed it on low mileage and lots of city driving when I called them about repairs. They are a week out or more just to diagnose the issue. It has just over 95k miles.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
While towing a 5000lb camper to go camping, the vehicle spontaneously started fire. When I exited the vehicle I noticed smoke and flames coming from underneath the cab. I opened the hood and it appeared that the fire was coming from the transmission area. Attempts we're made to extinguish the fire while awaiting the arrival of the fire dept. Attempts by myself, and others were unsuccessful cau... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 28, 2026
Vehicle experienced sudden power steering failure and needed to be towed. A list of preceding error codes presented upon diagnostic review including power steering motor circuit, control module power circuit low input/low voltage, steering failure mitigation, power steering malfunction, lost communication with power steering control module to name a few. Dealership traced it back to a known GM pa... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 2, 2026
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
My 2021 Subaru Forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the Idle Stop/Start (ISS) system that creates a stalling hazard. When ISS shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a continuous alert sounds, and the vehicle cannot proceed until I shift to Park and restart manually. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2026
My Shift To Park senor come on often and wouldn't let me turn the vehicle off.
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 2, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
Component(s) Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: IGNITION: SWITCH, EXTERIOR LIGHTING: BRAKE LIGHTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT PANEL Summary: When the interior cabin or ambient temperature becomes hot, a critical ignition/electrical failure occurs. The dashboard displays error: "Ignition has switched, please safely stop the vehicle." Immediately following, a total electrical shutdown occurs: the inst... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The vehicle has an automatic stop/start feature that is enabled by default, though there is a button readily accessible to deactivate the function easily ea. time the vehicle is operated. The vehicle has just had the starter replaced under warranty @ 25K miles. There have been issues with the vehicle struggling to start for at least six months now - rough, slow starts where the engine is struggl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
I own a 2022 Honda Passport . The vehicle auto idle-stop system has failed to restart at a traffic light. The vehicle shuts down and eventually restarts after several manual attempts and was able to be driven again. Typically, the vehicle stops in the middle of the road at the stop light and the engine shuts down. After a while, I was able to restart and drive without issues. In the meantime I am ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2026
Description of Safety Defect:The integrated Forward Attention Warning (FAW) driver-monitoring camera located on the steering column continuously fails to track facial structures or pupils during routine daytime driving. This occurs despite maintaining a proper driving posture, adjusting the steering column layout, and removing any facial obstructions.Safety Consequences:When the system falsely reg... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
I am reporting two separate safety-related failures on this low-mileage vehicle. The first occurred at 2,431 miles while driving on the highway. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion and coasted with no throttle response, and multiple warning lights and messages appeared simultaneously, including braking, electronic parking brake, and driver-assistance warnings. A sudden, unexpected loss of power a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was a bell-sounding alert coming from the vehicle and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The messages Traction Control, ESC, and Cruise Control Offline were displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The local dealer was co... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
I own a 2019 Jeep Compass with approximately 72,000 miles. For the past two years, I have experienced intermittent electrical and brake system failures that have become more frequent and severe despite multiple repair attempts. While driving, especially when turning, braking, or driving over potholes or uneven roads, the vehicle suddenly displays multiple warning lights, including ABS, traction c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
The contact owned a 2007 Hummer H3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the AC was turned on, and the contact became aware of smoke entering the cabin of the vehicle. The smoke was coming from the front passenger's side underneath the dashboard. The AC was turned off, and the smoke ceased. The contact exited the vehicle and went into the store. The contact exited the store and wa... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V362000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 2, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
My driver window won’t stay up once it gets to the top it goes back down. The underbody is starting to detach. It is shifting hard and makes a loud noise. Worse at low speeds and applying brakes . The tire pressure sensors all went out at one time
Incident date: Jun 29, 2026
My HMI was "bricked" when onstar pushed an incompatible update when I changed the service plan. While driving the screen has intermittently turned off and on causing temporary unexpected loss of navigation functions, Bluetooth connectivity, and use of the back up camera. This causes a safety issue as the unexpected loss of display and connectivity has caused me to be unable to continue using han... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
This vehicle received the 03D/NHTSA 26V-059 Trailer Controller replacement on 3/26/2026. Prior to that there were no indications of any trailer-related issues. It also received the 35D/NHTSA 26V-225 Instrument Panel update on 5/12/2026. The vehicle now is indicating a connected trailer with faulty wiring when no trailer is connected at all. When towing a trailer, the instrument will similarly disp... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2016) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 2, 2026
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC350E 4MATIC. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V281000 (Electrical System); but the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel display was inoperable. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
XXX at 300 miles on the bike, it broke down FSS failure/ engine overheating warning system came on the screen. Island Powersports repaired it and said it didn’t have enough coolant. At 568 miles or so on the bike, while traveling on sunrise hwy at 60 miles an hour, the bike began shaking, same warning light FSS failure, check engine light on. The bike lost power and I had to get from the middle... Read more