Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 164,804 complaints — component: ENGINE
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Had to replace transmission at 133k miles. It was jolting sometimes providing a hard jolt at times will driving. There are also times of what feels like a cylinder misfire. Oil is constantly leaking and have to replace oil every 1k Miles. Have had multiple shops look at it and not able to find anything. Now during acceleration there is a huge grey smoke cloud coming from the exhaust. Looking at th... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
I have encountered several instances where the vehicle goes idle at a spot light as expected. However the vehicle fails to restart when letting off the brake. Instead, the vehicle shifts into park. Once the vehicle shifts into park, I am unable to shift into drive. I must restart the vehicle and try en shift into drive. This is extremely dangerous and has happened multiple times. This vehicle is o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
Driving home on [XXX] , coming back from [XXX] the car started to tick, then a loss of motive power happened then knocking really bad. The rest of the trip home was in the slow lane with hazards, tops 35 miles an hour. I also have videos sent by Honda. That confirms rod, knock and the sound of the engine INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
On April 13, 2026, at approximately 67,312 miles, my vehicle experienced a fuel system failure when the main fuel supply line leading to the high-pressure fuel pump cracked and began actively leaking raw gasoline onto the top of the transmission in the engine compartment. There were no prior dashboard warning lights or error messages; the only symptom leading up to the failure was a extremely st... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
My 2019 Ram 1500 equipped with the eTorque system experienced a sudden failure involving the eTorque/hybrid system at approximately 88,000 miles. The failure caused the vehicle to become disabled and left my [XXX] daughter and me stranded on a busy roadway, creating a serious safety hazard. The vehicle required towing and diagnosis by an authorized Ram dealership. I was informed that the failure... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership tha... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
I am filing this complaint regarding my GMC Yukon Denali, currently at Greg Lair GMC in Canyon, Texas, for GM Safety Recall N252494000, NHTSA Campaign Number 25V274, L87 Engine Loss of Propulsion. My vehicle has been at the dealership for over two weeks for this recall, which in my case requires a complete engine replacement. I have been advised the repair may take another 4 to 5 weeks. During th... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE
May 11, 2026
Incident date: May 10, 2026
6.2L V8 engine. 2020 build, GMC Sierra 1500 series. Same engine in the existing recall for 2021-2024 models. Received a call from the service department of the dealership that after changing the oil and restarting the truck to reset the oil change indicator the engine shut down. Assistant service manager, Stephen Poulson [XXX] ) called and provided information that the engine seized and that th... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I am the original owner of a 2013 Hyundai Sonata (under 90K miles). In April 2026 the engine suddenly locked up without warning. The vehicle was towed to Massey Hyundai (Hagerstown, MD) and a claim was submitted to Hyundai Motor America for an engine replacement under Hyundai’s lifetime engine warranty program for affected 2.4L and 2.0L Theta II engines. I provided records I could obtain. Some o... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
15000 miles and the engine spun a bearing and the engine blew
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I have received this warning a few different times “Steering Assist is Reduced". Which causes my vehicle to not blow cold air when AC is on. Fans are louder than normal. And when I turn off my vehicle fans continue to run for roughly around 8 minutes.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
Vacuum pump failed: On May 28th, 2025 the brake pedal on our 2019 Chevrolet Equinox became very hard along with check engine light, a "Reduced Power" notification, and "Brake Assist Failure" notification. After a mechanic inspected the engine, he found that the vacuum pump had shattered. The mechanic replaced the pump with an OEM replacement from GM. On May 11th, 2026 the same exact issue happen... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
In the middle of driving car stuttered, engine light went on, and car stalled. Unable to restart, Engine cranks but would not turn over. Had car towed for repair. Diagnostic shows engine coil short causing blown fuse. Subaru has an active recall for this identical issue for my same year and model 2019 Crosstrek but the recall does not cover my VIN.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
since recalled was published Nov2025, no remedy has been taken, and manufacture seems not prepare to repair the issue which is a big safety concern
Incident date: May 11, 2026
To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting a formal complaint regarding the handling of an unresolved safety recall involving my vehicle by Nissan, as well as the lack of communication, escalation support, and resolution provided by Nissan Customer Affairs. Despite multiple attempts to resolve an active safety recall, I have not received a follow-up call or any meaningful update regarding the statu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
Engine light comes on starts flashing as well as the oil light occasionally. If you slow down or have to stop it completely shuts down you have to put in park and restart the car to get anywhere and start stopping in front in the middle of traffic. So if you slow down to go up a hill or anything, it just stops completely. Also making a clicking or grinding sound not sure.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — ENGINE
May 11, 2026
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
This 2019 Mazda CX 5 is experiencing a crack in the oil cylinder. THis appears to be connected to: There is no official, broad NHTSA recall for cracked oil cylinders in the 2019 Mazda CX-5, but Mazda has issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #SA-031-21) to address this known issue. It affects certain 2018–2021 CX-5s, particularly those with 2.5L engines, where a cracked cylinder head leaks co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the check engine light began to flash. The driver pulled over. The vehicle was knocking. The contact stated that failure was due to premature engine failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a cylinder 3 lifter malfunction. The vehicle had misfired. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
On Thursday May 7th, while driving the 2017 Honda Pilot Elite it lost power and all the dash lights started to come on. Once we limped it to our home, and the code information was obtained, it revealed number 3-cylinder misfire. After replacing all the spark plugs, I started the car to make sure all the codes were cleared and heard a "knocking noise". After further investigation noted the follo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
When turning on the heater or AC, the car blows out a coolant smell out of the vents. It does it every time the heat is turned on or switched over to AC. We have another appointment with the dealership to have this looked at, as well as many other issues we're having with this vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2026
The car thinks the key fob is inside the vehicle when it is not. If you get out of the vehicle it will not self lock even if you have that feature set up. It will also beep consistently for about 10 seconds when you press the lock button on the key fob when your outside of the car, indicating that there is a key fob in the car....but there is not. The most concerning thing is you can get into the... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The light appears on my dash indicating low oil level frequently between oil changes. I have to add oil to my car every 2-3 weeks. An abundant amount of white smoke comes from the exhaust pipes. I’ve been told it’s burning oil. This could ruin my engine or become catastrophic by fire. I was told it could be something to do with the pistons or cylinder head. Mechanic shops don’t want to/have ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
My cars check engine light keeps coming on and the first time it came on with an engine under boost failure and I took it to a 3rd party shop to get fixed and they had to replace the turbo charger. I paid $2500.00 for that. 2 weeks later the same light came on and they had to replace it again. Well now the light came on again after a month for the same thing and I am taking it back into the shop ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
Special coverage programs for the 2018 Chevy Traverse front exhaust pipe mounting bracket failure. GM has focused on coverage specifically on 2019-2021 models, but 2018 models are affected as well. I'm being forced to pay for a new exhaust when 2018 models should have been included for the Specific special coverage (e.g., N212356540, N222385510) exists for 2019–2021 vehicles, offering repairs (s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
The vehicle drove normally earlier in the day with no major drivability concerns. Later, reverse gear suddenly stopped functioning and the engine would rev abnormally without the vehicle moving properly while in reverse. Shortly afterward, while driving, the vehicle displayed the warning message “Reduce Acceleration – Drive with Care” and began losing acceleration and propulsion. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
Car is consuming oil every three weeks. Engine is going to burn if it does not stop. It’s not in a class action but probably should be. It’s been 4 months and over 1,000 spent.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
Leaking flex pipe on the exhaust causing undue rattling and possible exhaust fumes entering the passenger cabin.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2019 Kia Sorento that has experienced recurring oil loss/oil starvation and engine-related issues that I believe may present a safety concern. I purchased the vehicle used with approximately 45,000 miles. Since ownership, the vehicle has experienced repeated incidents involving low or nearly empty oil levels despite regular maintenance and monitoring. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4Runner. The vehicle lost motive power while attempting to access the freeway on three occasions. The reduced power mode message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and initially they were unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again, where it was diagnosed that the sensor needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) — ENGINE
May 11, 2026
Incident date: May 9, 2026
My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek CVT Valve Body equipment failure and CVT Torque Converter failure. This appears to be a common failure for prior Subaru Crosstrek model - however was not extended for coverage to 2020 and beyond models - appears the issue still persists and additional year models should be covered. My vehicle experience the same failure for CVT Valve Body failure and CVT Torque Converter w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2026
On April 19, 2026 at approximately 9:40 PM, I was driving my leased 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan southbound on [XXX] [XXX] . I had three minor passengers with me — my daughters ages [XXX] and [XXX] , and their stepsister age [XXX] . We were returning home to [XXX] from a family trip to Walt Disney World. Without any warning — no dashboard lights, no sounds, no hesitation — the engine completely... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
My name is [XXX] and I am filing a complaint against The Auto Factory in [XXX] . In December 2024 I purchased a 2013 Hyundai Accent (VIN: [XXX] ) from this dealership. I financed the vehicle and have been making my payments on time every month. Recently the car developed a serious engine problem and is no longer drivable. While looking into the situation I discovered that my vehicle has been unde... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
My 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L ecoboost started shaking when in gear and the engine light went on so I brought it to the dealership immediately. PO302 and PO316 codes showed. Dealership has informed me that the coolant has been leaking into the cylinder and this is a known issue with these engines. I have been quoted $13,500 for a total engine replacement.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine, lane departure modular and the brake master cylinder. The contact was informed that the engine, lane departure modular and the brake master cylinder needed to b... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
While operating my 2013 Lincoln Navigator under normal driving conditions, a spark plug ejected from the cylinder head, causing immediate and catastrophic engine failure. The engine lost power and began producing severe mechanical noise, creating a potential safety hazard due to sudden loss of propulsion. Inspection by both an independent mechanic and an authorized Ford dealership confirmed that t... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
We have recurring safety issue with our car that has not been fixed despite multiple service visits to both Grieco Ford and Sawgrass Ford. They keep sending it back as “cannot duplicate”. We have contacted Ford Corporate and they also will not assist. We purchased this car used from Sawgrass ford and purchased an extended warranty with the car. The car issues include: Slipping into Neutral: Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
My 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN [XXX] ) is experiencing severe engine instability, including rough idling, hesitation upon acceleration, and intermittent stalling. These symptoms align with TSB 26-FL-001H regarding defective GDI fuel injectors. The vehicle has stalled in traffic, creating an immediate risk of a rear-end collision. Despite being within the 100,000-mile Powertrain Warranty, the manufa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
My 2019 Ford F-150 was subject to Safety Recall 21B10. In June 2021 the dealer documented the cam phaser issue but could not perform the repair. I received the recall notice in October 2021 and step one of the recall was completed in December 2021. In June 2023, still within mileage coverage and under warranty, I returned with the same complaint. The dealer acknowledged the problem and ordered pa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT STATEMENT Prepared for NHTSA Submission Regarding Recall 26V237 / 26S28 To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Subject: Report of Accident and Vehicle Control Loss Due to Defect Specified in Recall 26V237 VEHICLE INFORMATION: Year/Make/Model: 2016 Ford F-150 VIN: [XXX] INCIDENT DESCRIPTION: In March, while driving during a snowstorm, the vehicle experi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Engine has developed a miss and has check engine code P0300 random misfires. There are subcodes pending of P0011 and P0016 indicating Crank and Cam misalignment. This has all the classic signs for a failing engine. I am taking this truck in for the GM Picoscope test, the oil was changed to 0w40 mobile one supercar oil approx. 2,800 miles ago when the truck was under Powertrain warranty. I will pre... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The vehicle experienced a sudden and repeated malfunction of the hybrid/electrical system and powertrain, resulting in the vehicle becoming inoperable. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and is available for inspection upon request. While driving in traffic, multiple warning messages appeared, including "Hybrid System Malfunction," "Charging System Malfunction," "Engine Malfunction," "Bra... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while stopped on several occasions, the vehicle suddenly accelerated inadvertently to approximately 6000 RPM. The contact stated the the failure lasted for approximately 15 seconds and came down to normal RPMs. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not able to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
My car is having issues with the head gasket. My car check engine lights came on like a lit Christmas tree with many warnings (Emission System, Brake System, Departure, Uphill and many other more). I took my car into Capital Honda for a diagnostic on 5/4/26 and they informed that it was the head gasket that needs to be replaced. They are charging me $6000 to repair and do not have the funds to fix... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
While driving down the highway 5/10/26, the vehicle completely shut down at 75 MPH. The dash went black, everything shut down, and the steering wheel locked. No warning lights came on. I immediately hit the brakes and tried to veer to the right. Luckily, I was in the right lane and was able to get to the edge of the shoulder. My son and I sat there in shock. A few seconds later, I hit the ignitio... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the contact the oil light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact mention he pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle and when he lifted the hood of the vehicle, he noticed flames coming from the engine. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention. There was no... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
2020 GMC Sierra 1500 began experiencing a slight knocking sound - mechanic diagnosed as a crankshaft issue. As of last night, 5/10, the truck's knocking sound got extremely loud, the exhaust pipe emitted smoke, and the truck began "bucking." No warning messages or lamps appeared.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
First incident April 9 2024 not even a month after purchased. Vehicle dashboard lit up light a Christmas tree all warning lights while driving on highway. Vehicle shook and sputtered and turned off. The vehicle was serviced explanation given was loose spark plugs on a new vehicle. 2nd incident roughly month after recall repair for engine propulsion campaign. February 26 and 27 2026 . While dr... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
My Escape has a severe coolant intrusion of the second cylinder. I took my vehicle in because all of the sudden I had no coolant and no visible leaks, and my mechanic scoped my engine and informed me that I need a complete engine replacement. I am financing my vehicle through JD Byrider. I keep getting bad misfires with a code of P0302
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE
May 11, 2026
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
Car failing to start. Stating vehicle not in park while actually being in park. Also vehicle states that engine is warming wait to start no matter the temperature outside. Waited this morning for 2hrs for the vehicle to start it did not start. This is an emergency hazard for a vehicle to not start due to a computer issue. The current recall i attempted to go to the manufacturer however the manufac... Read more