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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 169,480 complaints - component: ENGINE

Incident date: Aug 5, 2026

The vehicle intermittently fails to restart after the Auto Idle Stop system shuts the engine off at a traffic stop. When this occurs, the vehicle remains disabled until it is manually restarted. This has now happened repeatedly, including twice within one recent week. The vehicle was purchased new on November 27, 2024, and currently has approximately 27,500 miles. The repair history for this same... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster went blank and the vehicle shut off, causing a loss of drive power. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted. The failure reoccurred four times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 BMW R 1300 GS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the fuel tank area and above the frame of the motorcycle. The contact became aware that there was oil leaking onto the ground and oil spraying onto the motorcycle. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact's boot was covered in oil. The motorcyc... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

I was at the red light and the car wouldn't come out of idle. The battery light came on and the i tried to turn the car off and it just keeps cycling. I had to open the door for the car to cut off and then restart the car. This is the 3rd time this has happened and almost resulted in me and my children being hit.

Incident date: Sep 10, 2025

The engine shuts off while slowing down. It cuts off cleanly and the entire dash lights up and the transmission shifts to neutral. The driver display says to put the truck in park and hit the start button. After you do this the truck runs fine for about 2k-3k miles and does it again. I has done this 5 times within 10k miles. The dealer says nothing is wrong with the truck because the computer... Read more

Incident date: Jun 29, 2026

Engine seized on June29th while driving on I 64 . (6.2 L87) due to oil line failure. Engine replaced on July 18th, 2026. New engine started leaking oil from camshaft and gasket on August 10th 2026, back in GMC Shop on August12th 2026 for repairs, still waiting parts today. Sudden failure on road in traffic Inspected by GMC Southpoint. No indication prior to failure and shut down completely. Could... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

Vehicles began starting very rough. Had spark plugs and coils. Replaced still continued to have issues with rough starting. Got an engine overheating message and the thermostat begin reading hot cold hot cold. Discovered coolant jug was almost empty. Refilled that and then noticed every few days to a week. It would need refilling. Car was pressure tested three times showed no leaks.. Finally indep... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

While at a stop light on a major road, the vehicles auto start stop engaged. Upon the light turning green, I released the brake and vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle put itself into park and flashed a warning message "problem detected....." . I pressed the start button, and at first the vehicle failed to start, making a clicking sound, consistent with a dead battery or starter. I had to ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

Making a left turn car stalled in middle of turn lane.

Incident date: Aug 2, 2026

My 2018 Hyundai Tucson with the 2.0L engine has suffered catastrophic engine failure. The engine lost compression in cylinder 4 and now requires a full replacement . This is part of a broader pattern—the 2016–2018 Tucson is known for excessive oil consumption that leads to engine failure, with over 1,900 engine-related complaints filed with NHTSA across these model years . Prior to this failu... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

Several times now the truck will get "stuck" in N or D and will not move. No loss of power, and can't manually shift out to park. Now waiting for a tow to the dealer, they were supposed to correct this when I took it in the last time it happened but didn't. There are a lot of online complaints IRT this issue with the powerboost 150 and other 150s. Mine was made at the Dearborn plant. Huge safety i... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

This report concerns a repeating loss of power in the 2025 Kia Sorrento-Hybrid that forces the engine into "limp-mode". This issue has occurred when traveling at speeds exceeding 55mph on highway as well as when accelerating to merge into traffic. The vehicle does not flash any warning lights on the dashboard and shuts down in the middle of traffic which presents a serious safety issue for oncomin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

Every single time I accelerate between 20-40 miles per hour, the transmission shudders.

Incident date: Aug 12, 2026

The factory-installed mechanical water pump module suffered a severe internal seal and housing failure. This allowed pressurized engine coolant to migrate directly into the engine's vacuum control system and vacuum lines, damaging crucial emissions and vacuum tubing. This defect poses a severe safety risk as coolant entering the vacuum grid can cause sudden loss of engine power, erratic braking as... Read more

Incident date: Aug 2, 2026

Coolant intrusion. Same probably with every other 1.5L engine Ford knew had a problem but shipped anyways.

Incident date: Aug 2, 2026

Purchased my Kia on the XXX then on the XXX, My engine light came on and my car went into Safety Mode . I at once took it to Auto Zone and their test came back with P1326 Knock signal range / performance. I then looked it up and found that a recall was put out quite a while back called an [XXX] # took my car to Kia Dealership in [XXX]. They said I could bring it in that was on the XXX and if ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

2.0 Ecoboost coolant intrusion. Vehicle is now undrivable and was told the current engine cannot be repaired and a whole new engine is needed.

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

I was driving my 2026 Mazda CX-30 in a parking lot and was pulling into a parking space at a very low speed. I lightly pressed the accelerator to move the car forward, but the car suddenly surged forward much faster than I intended or expected based on how lightly I had pressed the pedal. The sudden acceleration resulted in a collision and property damage. There were no warning lights, warning me... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

The vehicle’s air conditioning began turning on and off intermittently while driving. I initially had the issue inspected by an independent mechanic, who checked the refrigerant and confirmed that the freon level was normal. After further inspection, the mechanic determined that the radiator cooling fan was not operating properly. The failed cooling fan appears to be affecting the vehicle’s co... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2024

There was built up sludge in my engine that caused it to fail, and I was charged to replace it

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

On Friday, XXX, I stopped my vehicle in a parking spot, exited, and returned to my vehicle. I put it in drive, moved from the parking spot, and before I could reach 10 mph, the vehicle began to shake/vibrate violently, and the dash lit up with electrical system malfunction warning. On Saturday, XXX, my [XXX] daughter, who was driving my [XXX] and [XXX] daughters home, called me to tell me that th... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

Vehicle suddenly stalls and reduces speed at different times with no warning. At first it would show that message after car washes or rainy days but now randomly it’ll reduce speed in unexpected moments causing safety concerns. It reduces speed, stalls, drives forcefully, and shows a “reduced acceleration drive with care”. Sudden stalls have become a danger to my family and myself as we depe... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

I was driving on the hwy going about 75 mph which is the posted speed when all of a sudden my car went into limp mode almost causing a 18 wheeler to run over top of my car with me and my child in it no warning or anything and the car would only go about 20 miles per hour after of that and now all the lights are on in the dash only have a 115000 miles on the car at this time very unsafe and gonna c... Read more

Incident date: Jan 31, 2023

Bought vehicle brand new in 2021 took delivery in 2022. Had to have a full transmission replacement and radiator that was cracked replaced at 30,000 miles. Over the next few years have had fuel delivery issues due to fuel pump. This fuel pump was not fixed. As of this year 2026 i've had the vehicle in the shop just shy of every single month. I have had a thermostat sensor that caused the engine fa... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

My wife and I purchased a brand new Tundra LTD in May 2023. An important note to keep in mind is that my wife and I not only purchased the new Tundra but also a new travel trailer so we could enjoy our nation's national parks during our retirement years. I will relate that to my complaint shortly. It wasn't long after our purchase that we became aware of the issue of machining debris possibly c... Read more

Incident date: Jul 11, 2026

Component: Engine / Electrical System / Power Train VIN [XXX] Description of Safety Defect: The vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of engine power and completely shut off while traveling at highway speeds. This total engine failure disabled the vehicle on an active highway, forcing an emergency maneuver to reach the shoulder. This incident occurred less than four months after an autho... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

All warning lights came on whilst driving. Scheduled a diagnostic at the dealership. Dealership confirmed the head gasket had blown due to the design flaw of the coolant pathway between cylinder #2 and #3. This is a common problem with this engine. Vehicle is out of warranty. Now faced with a big repair bill.

Incident date: Jul 30, 2026

From the very first day of purchase, the vehicle displayed a check‑engine light, which I immediately pointed out to your salesperson. My concerns were dismissed, and I was assured that it was “not a big deal,” despite the fact that the issue was clearly present at the time of sale. Since then, I have spent substantial time and money attempting to resolve the vehicle’s defects. A mechanic ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 12, 2026

Twice in the past two years, the eTorque system had failed will driving on the highest. When the unit fails, you lose all power asks if you're battery is low, you can pose the ability to even steer. The first time, I was on the i87 going north, and barely made it off the road. I was nearly hit by several semi trucks because this was on a blind turn with very little shoulder and I basically had to ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

SAFETY COMPLAINT / INCIDENT DESCRIPTION Vehicle presented to Dennis Dillon Nissan on June 20 2026 for a factory high voltage battery recall software update intended to fix Level 3 fast charging safety risks. The software update rendered the vehicle completely inoperable by disabling standard Level 2 charging. The vehicle has been held in continuous dealer custody for 58 consecutive days without a... Read more

Incident date: Jul 17, 2026

The vehicle was slowing down after leaving a stop light and within a short distance completely shut down no lights no power nothing wouldnt start to put in neutral so we can get it from the middle of traffic on a 2 lane highway. After about 15 minutes of trying to see what the issues was it turned over and we put the car in gear and pushed ot to the side of the road

Incident date: Aug 5, 2026

Truck starting missing gears when pulling onto highway. Rpms jumped high and truck wouldnt shift. Thankfully we made it across before the oncoming traffic or we would have been hit. Finally got it to go but it was missing gears causing it to drive sluggish. No prior engine lights warning me. When the incident happed I got a notification of a power train malfunction/ reduced power.

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

The car was shaking alot but the engine light was off. Started it the next dat and the check engine light came on. Went to auto zone to see what the codes were. The 1st and 3rd cylinder are misfiring. The car was just serviced for the 60,000 mile tune up in june 2026. This problem started August 14, 2026. The dealership is stating that the spark coils or cylinders are not under warranty even thoug... Read more

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

This is a repeat engine failure on a vehicle that already received the manufacturer's recall remedy. On XXX, at 69,420 miles, the original engine was replaced under Toyota's recall for the V35A 3.4L twin-turbo V6 (manufacturing debris contaminating crankshaft bearings), at Capital Toyota in [XXX]. On XXX, at 109,367 miles — approximately 39,947 miles after the recall replacement engine was insta... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

I was driving north/east on [XXX] just outside of [XXX]. After accelerating to give another driver room to move out of his lane that was ending, I lost propulsion/power. The Sierra went into Neutral and told me something like "Press Start to resume". I had to immediately get off the interstate as I was rapidly losing speed. I was able to pull over to the shoulder of the interstate on the right... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 2022

The paint on all parts of the car is completely coming off down to bare metal. It’s as if the car wasn’t prepped to receive paint. Every Hyundai I pass that’s white the paint is coming off. There is also an internal engine oil leak where I’m losing 4qts of oil a week.

Incident date: Jun 18, 2026

Sudden catastrophic engine failure occurred at 7400 miles, 2026 GMC Sierra1500 Denali with 6.2L engine. Driver and 3 children in vehicle headed to school when engine suddenly failed while driving on the roadway. No warning or vehicle symptoms prior. We were told the truck needs a total engine replacement- on a brand new vehicle. It has been nearly 9 weeks with no resolution or repair from GM. ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

While I have not experienced this issue personally yet, it is highly possible that it affects all 2012–2020 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with the large induction motor. The issue appears to involve a manufacturing/design defect that allows coolant to leak into the motor due to a failed seal. Once coolant enters the motor, it can short electrical components and potentially cause additional el... Read more

Incident date: Jul 14, 2026

I recently had the 9C2 Emissions recall update performed on my car, and since the update my car drives like total garbage after a cold start. It hesitates to accelerate, it bucks when trying to accelerate, and it’s to the point the engine is about to stall. I took it back to the Hyundai dealership and they said they are aware of the issue, but there is no fix from Hyundai at this time. This is a... Read more

Incident date: Nov 23, 2022

Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Dec 19, 2025

Bike is running rough and burning oil.

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

I have a 2022 silverado ltd with the 6.2. I purchased the truck about a month and a half ago the previous owner had the 40 weight oil recall completed prior to my purchase. I had the oil changed when it said 45 percent life remaining far before it was due a certified chevy dealer completed the oil change with the 40 weight correct oil. Well about 8 days ago I went out and started the truck and hea... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

I believe my car is effected by the active bmw recall NHTSA Campaign 23V-707. I have called bmw and gave them my vin number and was rudely rushed off the phone being told my car has no active recalls. I have done a ton of research and the car sounds just like every other car effected by this recall. The car starts and idles fine initially but as soon as it drops to normal idle rpms it makes a loud... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2024

While driving my 2015 Chevrolet Malibu on a four-lane highway with a posted speed limit of 70 mph, the vehicle displayed an “Engine Power Is Reduced” message and limited the vehicle to less than approximately 25 mph. This created a serious safety concern because the vehicle could no longer maintain highway traffic speed, resulting in a significant speed differential of nearly 45 mph below the ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

Istop engine malfunction Msp66, 2nd time occurring after recall fix

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

I got coolant into 1 of cylinders due to a faulty long block on my 17 Ford escape 2.0l . This is known to b a common issue on the 1.5 1.6 2.0 l ecoboost engine. Ford refuses to do anything even though they know its a design flaw

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

Coolant is leaking into my cylinders due to the head gasket design flaw. Engine now needs to be replaced and it’s over $6,000. My car has about 150k miles. About 18 months ago it started misfiring, even while on the highway multiple times with my children. Codes came back saying i needed to replace ignition coils and spark plugs. Did that over and over and over. Turns out this is an on going iss... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

Emission system

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

The motor seized. My life was at risk. I was on the highway. The vehicle was reported to the Chevy dealership and diagnose that the motor is locked.

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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