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 62,429 complaints - component: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
When C7 Stingray Corvette in the garage with the door closed, there is a strong smell of fuel coming from the vehicle, this problem started around July, 2025.... I have owed the vehicle for 3 years never a problem until now.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
Fuel System: Car hesitates and cut off after pumping fuel.\n' + 'Outer Tie rods torn rubber, vehicle never been realigned, but tires were worn on both front sides. \n' + 'Takata Air bag light has been on for over 2 years.\n' + 'Transmission over heats. Engine cuts back between 45 and 60 mph on the freeway. So we stop and allow it to cool off.
Incident date: May 18, 2025
At around 88,400 miles my Enging light came on saying I had an "Emissions Problem." Shortly after the Emissions problem was being signaled, several other lights came on including, ABS problem, Adaptive Cruise Control Problem, Electronic Break problem and several others. I took my car to a Honda dealership's service shop to have a dianostics test run. According the the report the "check found code... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2025
Dealer says recall sc211 doesn’t apply to this vehicle, however CEL is displaying (once again) with DTC “P0191 Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Range/Performance”. Kia dealer has does minimal investigation/diagnosis with no resolution.
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2014) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
Driving to work and my truck lost all electrical power. All display lights turned on and hazard light signal started blinking but the hazard lights were not actually on. I then lost all electrical power; power steering, hazard lights would not turn on, all dash lights and display lights, head lights at first and then the battery died a couple minutes after that started. I could not put the truc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
We had a cylinder 3 misfire according to the check engine light code. Replaced spark plugs, coils, and now VW in Doral (Miami, FL) is telling me it is a "carbon build up" when the car only has 42,000 miles on it.
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
I was driving down a heavy traffic expressway with a lot of semi traffic and the SUV started puttering. All of a sudden it died, the check engine light came on and I started to slow down quickly. I was in the middle lane of 3 lanes going 70 mph. VERY LUCKILY, I was able to pull to the right and barely made it onto the shoulder. The SUV had $28,972 miles on it. It was more that 100 degrees outside ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2022
1. "Transmission or ECU" 2. There is a lag and sometimes almost stall when accelerating from a stop. I was turning into a lane from a stop sign and the car decided to not move for 3-4 seconds after pressing accelerator. If people had come around the blind corner when that happened I would have been T boned. 3. All four people living in my house...... and our mechanic. Yes 4.No, because were not... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
Warranty will be over in 60 days; the Catalyst Coverter is going back, the Audi dealer and Audi Corporate are delaying the fixture do to some mis communication between dealer and corporate. The problem has to do with DEF gases not being cleanup. The error code is P20EE00 and the engine light is on. The part is under warranty and Audi Corporate is delaying the fixt because the do not wish to pay ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
I own a 2020 Kia Forte LXS with approximately 136,000 miles. The check engine light came on with code P0420 (“catalyst system efficiency below threshold”), and an Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers location confirmed the catalytic converter is failing. The back pressure was measured and is within spec but slightly elevated, showing the part is deteriorating. I was also told my O2 sensors are ... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
I received a notification on the my dash and the car was diagnosed the codes came back Code: P018B and it states Fuel Pressure/ misfire. I've noticed the car misfiring prior to the dash light coming on and now it does it while I'm on the freeway or streets as if it's going to just stop which os very dangerous. This has to be a recall may 2014 ford vehicles are having this issue along with the coo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
I lease a 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E. On [XXX] the vehicle suddenly displayed a High-Voltage Battery Fault, Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power warning. The dealer replaced the High-Voltage Junction Box (HVJB), however I am unsure whether the actual root cause was ever identified. This failure shows a major defect in the high-voltage electrical system. Separately, my vehicle is also subject to R... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The car only accepts 11-13 gallons of gas when refueling an empty tank despite the advertised 17.2 gallon capacity. I believe this is a fuel gauge or DTE system problem. I’ve seen many many similiar complaints on the forums. Fuel gauge issue could leave drivers stranded on the road.
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
my g35 dies randomly i tried to have nissan in garden city kansas to fix they said they dont work on recalls not safe to drive 3 hours to Wichita kansas im not sure what todo
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
While driving on the freeway complete loss of power, loud sound, visible smoke. Determined by the dealer that an internal engine part failed.
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
2020 Ford Escape SEL was taken into Ford Service Center for oil change and to address acceleration issue that started two days prior, (check engine light had come on the day before drop off). One week after dropping my vehicle off to be assessed, I was told I needed a small part and it would be complete in 3 days. Another week went by, so I reached out and was told that I need a new engine becau... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
Vehicle (2021 Kia Telluride) at ~94K miles received CEL P000A for (Camshaft Position - Slow Response (Bank 1)). Personally checked the oil before taking the vehicle to the dealership and there was very little oil, below the "L" line. Vehicle is burning oil fast, which more likley than not cause the P000A CEL. Vehicle would go im amd out of not being able to accelerate. Dealership wants me to pay d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
I lost power in the middle of a clover leaf intersection without any previous indicator lights. I was barely able to get to a small shoulder and almost got hit by other vehicles. I was able to restart the car and get to a safer location. The timing chain was failing amd the engine oil was gummy according to the mechanic. I was barely over 100,000 miles. Vehicle oil had been regularly maintained wi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
My car has been having on going issue with the canister purge valve causing my vehicle to stall I’ve had this replaced by an emissions approved mechanic and this issue still persists if the fuel isn’t above a half tank of gas it has stalled on highways and put me in dangerous conditions. I have been trying for years to resolve and I can’t
Incident date: May 9, 2025
The Car has Stalled at Stoplights 3 different times. There was a message on the dashboard that told me to "manually restart the engine". I put the car in park and restarted the engine. Note: I don't use the "Eco Stop Start" mode. I'm not sure what caused this problem but in reviewing some forums it may be an N80 Valve and/or a Carbon Canister. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. Ob... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2014) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
We own a Ford Expedition 2020. In 2023, we started noticing jerky, harsh, and aggressive “slips” when the vehicle was trying to change gears - upon multiple occasions. But, in 2024, we experienced three, major, different instances - all were extremely scary and it was miraculous they didn’t cause accidents, car pile ups, or worse! The first instance, the vehicle jerked and sputtered just as ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
2013 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SPORT TURBO. PAST/PRESENT SAFETY-SENSITIVE DEFECTS, NOTED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS: 1. One Confirmed Open Recall [CAMPAIGN #/NHTSA RECALL #—Recall 251 / 23V651000] (To Be Scheduled ASAP). 2. RPM/Propulsion Limp-mode Conditions: Vehicle periodically loses RPM READINGS on Dash and goes into the Propulsion sputtering/restricted-speed limp-mode hesitation condition. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The cause of the accident was due to an extremely hard downshift, then extremely hard upshift. Between the speeds of 25-37 mph the truck will do a hard downshift with a 1-3 second loss of power delay. When it finally grabs gear it takes off like a rocket before grabbing the next gear and back to what feels normal. This is something I never experienced in my 2022 Ford F150 with the same motor and t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
My Subaru smelled like gas and caught on fire while I was driving to work less than 72 hours after it left the service department at the local Subaru dealership. Earlier that week I dropped the car off for service due to a check engine light and multiple other warning lights on the dashboard. The check engine light was determined to be due to a faulty thermo control valve (a known issue on several... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The vehicle stopped running while driving, my wife stopped at a stop sign after vehicle had run ~ 10 minutes. Upon entering the inter-section the vehicle started to run rough, and ultimately stalled and would not restart. She was able to coast into a parking lot entrance within On Top of World subdivision where we live and get off of main road. After multiple AAA attempts to jump start, AAA con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
My car’s warning lights simultaneously come on. After a couple of weeks, they will go off and then once again come on. This has been happening for over a year now. Today I tried to drive and the car shook but would not accelerate. Once I turned it off and back on, the lights were still on but it did go forward. I have noticed many recalls for the Honda CRV but my VIN is not listed in the recall.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2025
My fuel injection has been replaced 2 times in 3 years. Was advised that it could cause damages to other parts
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
Shortly after purchase (within 1 month), a strong raw gasoline vapor odor began entering the passenger cabin, strongest near the driver’s side rear seat and rear wheel well area. The odor intensifies at idle and after short periods of driving, filling the interior cabin with fuel fumes. The smell is so strong that it causes dizziness and headaches when operating the vehicle. This is not an isol... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The fuel pump as been failing and caused issues
Incident date: Jul 29, 2025
Smell of fuel near rear seat. Gasket OK.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2025
On or around July 14, 2025, my truck failed to start. The engine would turn over but would not fire. My vehicle was at home and had been driven within the past day before this incident. On July 14, 2025, I had my vehicle towed to Burns Ford of York for a diagnosis. Upon inspection, the Ford technician determined that the high-pressure fuel pump was damaged, causing metal to contaminate the fue... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
This vehicle was subject to a recall under bulletin 16 0114. The issue was a fuel pump which cracked at flanges which leaked fuel onto the hot engine, which could cause safety issues with fire. My vehicle listed above, had the fuel pump replaced with 12,505 miles on it under the recall. The replacement fuel pump, which is apparently no better than the original that was replaced under recall, crack... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
For the airbag the car was sold to me without a working airbag. It’s in the steering wheel (I have been told this by a Chevrolet dealership) and the part that is broken is the part that will make it inflate in case of crash. This is scary to me. I was just in my first (and hopefully only) accident a month before in a more steely car and while no airbags were deployed it still hurts. The sec... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
High pressure fuel pump failed , could smell gas in air vents. Honda claims it’s separate from its other recall for a fuel pump. Car had been working fine, sudden issue, all lights came on , car started to stutter on acceleration. Had to be towed. No issues prior.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Just minutes before entering the highway, my son and I heard a very loud popping sound that startled us, like something large hit the car or a tire exploded. I immediately pulled into a gas station checked the exterior & all 4 tires, but everything appeared intact. Shortly after, while driving on hwy during morning rush hour at 65–70 mph in the far-left lane, the check engine light illuminated &... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
While making a right turn from a yield sign into oncoming traffic and doing about 15 mph, I depressed the accelerator to speed up and the truck stalled for about 2 seconds. The RPM's drop and you literally lunge forward until power resumes. No warning lights come on and no codes are given. This put my safety at risk and the driver accelerating towards me at risk. This is the first time it happ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
My car has the same issues as the Kia Soul and Kia Sorento. Kia has issued recalls for certain Soul and Sorento models due to various issues. A significant recall involves the 2020-2021 Soul and 2021 Seltos with 2.0L Nu MPI engines, where the piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, potentially leading to engine damage and even fires. Additionally, some 2021-2022 Sorento and 2021... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
Unknown. We have owned this vehicle for almost 3 years now and we have had to replace 2 sensors, the cruise control will intermittently no disengage when buttons are pushed or brake pushed, replaced the full pump, sometimes it will lose all power going down the road, HD to replace the fuse box because it was getting and started to melt, it will try to start and will just keep cranking until you sl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The truck randomly loses power, sometimes after rounding a corner, getting into turn lane, or over a speedbump the accelerator is dead for 1-2 seconds and the truck does not move forward. It has left me in a precarious position in the middle of the road with on coming traffic.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
Code P0101 comes up which indicates an issue with the car’s MAF system triggering a check engine light. This is widely known to be a software issue and is chronic in many Nissan Kick’s manufactured around 2018-2020. This is a faulty error code and ends up visiting consumers hundreds of dollars to repair and almost always returns despite actions being taken to repair the issue.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
On Friday, August 15, 2025, while leaving a grocery store, my wife pointed out that a part was hanging under my truck. After checking, I noticed that it was one of the two straps that supports the gas tank. It had dropped 3 inches from its original location and was only supported by one strap (the rear one). I temporarily attached the tank with a strap to secure it. At home, I checked the cause of... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The fuel pump and then in turn, the auxiliary pump failed. The car would keep turning over a lot before it started. The engine would stop in the middle of travel. This put us in risk as we travelled down the freeway. We took it to the dealership for inspection, and they found a defective fuel pump. There were no warning lights, messages when this occurred.
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
MGU (alternator) has went out on my truck and multiple dealerships have stated they can’t fix it due to parts not available. Molar can’t get the part and now I’m stuck with no vehicle. The dealership told me they have multiple people waiting for the same part and that the MGU is faulty and fails on these trucks. My wife was taking my kids to school and they were stranded on the side of the r... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 19, 2025
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
100k miles and the high pressure fuel pump is failed. Created small metal particles that got into fuel lines. Everything needs to be replaced. There’s a recall on over 80k trucks with the same issue. Local ford said this is the same issue as all the recalls but because we don’t have the recall on our VIN, we have to pay $20k for replacement.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The fuel tank in my 2023 Kia K5 LXS expanded and bent the subframe. This is a known problem with K5's with the 1.5L turbo engine. Kia had an emissions campaign for this problem affecting 2021 to 2024 models. My VIN isn't in that campaign, but it had the same problem. Given the fuel tank expansion and bent subframe, my car is no longer safe to drive and has been sitting at the dealership. I wa... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
Headlights somehow may be taking on moisture. The clarity is down to almost nothing. Driving at night is unsafe! The RPM’s have never been smooth or consistent. There is almost a micro-revving effect. I’ve had all of the fluids and filters changed…… dealership thought it was a recall.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
I was driving to work on a busy street, started accelerating and the car completely shut down on me. I had to come to a complete stop on the main road during morning rush hour. Was close enough to idle into a parking lot. All my dashboard lights started flashing with an "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" alert. No throttle response. Had to have the vehicle towed to the Ford dealership where they de... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Merging into traffic and car began shaking, stuttering, dash lights all flashing. Pulled to side of highway + shut vehicle off. Checked exterior of vehicle + tires, all ok. Turned back on and unable to drive it safely. Got to Tires Plus (closest open facility) CVT belt deteriorated in transmission. Notorious issue for the 2017 HR-V. Towed to O'Malley Honda in Wausau, WI, for 2nd opinion. Concurred... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The recall for my 2018 Honda Civic EX-L (VIN: [XXX] ) was completed at the Honda service center in Santee. I have contacted both Honda corporate and the service center, and each time I was told the recall would be cleared, but it is still showing as *open* on the NHTSA site. Because of this, the car cannot pass the required Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection, blocking registration. The bank is hol... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
My car wouldnt start and when it did, it would start shaking and every time I accelerate, The speed wasnt going any faster but only the RPMs were