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: Jan 3, 2024
Had vehicle towed to Orange Coast Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Ram 11/4/24 due to vehicle being unable to start. Error message in vehicle indicated "Service Hybrid System"" and "Service Charging System" Vehicle was left at dealership pending inspection. 12/5/24 I contacted dealer asking for update and was told Chrysler STAR case was opened for vehicle for hybrid battery. No further information was pr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
My engine is using excessive oil consumption and want to know if my gas direct injection system is covered under manufacturer or a dealer.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
I was driving down the highway when I started to hear a knocking sound at certain RPM. No check engine light and I was unable to safely pull over. As I continued driving looking for a safe place to park the vehicle, within a few minutes the noise in the engine got worse and then suddenly the vehicle completely lost power and would only drive in limp mode. Luckily I was able to pull off to an off... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2024
Leaking gas from gas tank where the fuel delivery pipe enters the tank
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
There have been several times where I am stopped at a light or stop sign and the car stalls. It happens when I try to start going from the stop, not while I'm stopped. I believe this an issue that has been recalled already, but obviously, it did not fix the problem. My vehicle will also not turn over sometimes. It just continually try to turn over multiple times and I have to wait for it to stop o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
Hello! I bought a car in the USA, I live in another country. Errors that appear in the car are similar to these: [XXX] Еrror appears then, the cogd I give more gas and let go of the pedal. When the engine is heated at different speeds. The scanner showed these errors: P1326 Ignition Control Module - Combustion Quality Input Signal; U0293 Lost Communication With Hybrid Powertrain Control Modul... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
Greetings, I have had issues with the Hyundai Tucson 2017 I own for many months. Issues include among others an abnormal knocking noise from the engine, reduced engine power and/or hesitation, burning smell, oil leaking, and smoke coming out of the engine, misfires, and other issues. It happened many times on the highway and almost caused accidents and the last time it happened, the vehicle was to... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2022
Smell of Gas coming from the the fuel line, and the radio changes stations on its own
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
Electrical system failure. Available for inspection upon request. While driving, warning appeared on dashboard. Warning said, "Stop Vehicle and Check Power Supply" The safety of vehicle occupants and others on the road was put at risk. I lost control of the vehicle in the middle of traffic due to the loss of electrical power. The problem has been confirmed by San Leandro Hyundai as part of th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
While driving at low speeds, the vehicle would stall, no engine lights or warnings would appear on the dashboard. After turning it off and back on, it would run but stall again shortly later. An unfamiliar foul odor appeared from the dipstick as I checked the oil. Car only has 60k miles on it. Engine is throwing codes for cylinder 1, cylinder 2 and crankshaft.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
was sent a recall from Honda on a fuel pump impeller module that was manufactured incorrectly. They claim they are having problems getting the part at this time but when they do they will contact me to bring in vehicle for repair. This notice was sent February 2024. Have heard nothing since. Claimed the part could arrive as late as the fall of 2024.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
I started my bmw up one day after working 16 hours and white thick smoke came from the back tailpipe. Tok it to bmw and they said my car is leaking oil on to the turbo and I need to replace the pump, shocks, valves and others because of this leak. And the car started to issue a transmission fault code on the screen.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
like many other kia owners I have a Kia Sorrento and after 6700 miles started running into problems with oil consumption. I have Toyota extended warranty because I am second owner and wanted some type of coverage. Kia knows there are problems and giving customers run around plus higher insurance premiums. second time over 5 days my car is being evaluated I have done 3 oil changes since March 2024... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I drive in the standard one pedal driving mode which allows for the car to brake and come to a complete stop using the regen system by simply releasing the accelerator. The issue is that I had come to a stop behind another car at traffic lights with my foot of the accelerator. In one pedal driving there is no need to hold the brake pedal as the car should so this itself. After a few seconds of ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
I bought this vehicle used at around 105,000 miles. I have since spent almost $22,000 on repairing of the diesel exhaust system.. my vehicle is actually in the shop now it’s been in the shop since middle of October on and off as they cannot effectively diagnose the problem. Actually they can diagnose the problem. They just can’t fix the problem. I have all my receipts, but they are in the truc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
vehicle constantly shuts down in the middle of road and have to put in park and restart. all signs point to faulty EVAP system which seems to be the largest VW problem in EVERY forum that I have come across to figure out how to fix it. I have contacted the dealer and the dealer are not nice people and very money hungry. I have had to buy and change out charcoal canister myself.
CHEVROLET
MALIBU HYBRID
(2016) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 10, 2025
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
The DEF heater short circuit and derates the truck. If the government says we have to have this they should cover the cost to fix it.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
Engine power abruptly stopped while driving causing drivers behind me to almost rear end me. Dashboard displays ‘Engine Power is Reduced.’ It has happened since I purchased the vehicle in 2017 but had not done this in a few years. I’m on top of maintenance and did mention this issue to the dealer but no one reached out or offered a solution.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2020
About About a year ago I received notification that The fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded and this could cause the car to shut down. This could cause accidents. Well, I have called Acura and Honda dealerships a multiple times and they give me the run around. Some say wait for mail stating that I should schedule an appointment. I never received such letter. Other dealers didn’t even look ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS 580
(2023) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 9, 2025
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
Newly purchased delivery of 2014 Buick Verano. from Auto Deal Makers in Chantilly, Va. Not even 5 miles driven, car was hesitant at 20mph, felt like it was going to stall out at 40mph, my left upper lip started tingling, my kids felt sick as we all experienced a heavy taste & smell of burnt oil in the cabin of the car. Two hours later my kids & I still could not get the taste of burnt oil off our... Read more
3 injured
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
Posed safety risks due to recalls. I do not feel safe driving two babies with posed fire risk due to open recalls. No current fix for over a year.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
Headed to my work ,outside temp 26 deg F, when on hiway entrance ramp, vehicle lost all acceleration. Vehicle is a hybrid, condition no warning lights on dash, vehicle was stuck in EV mode, which the ICE engine would not start to help as normally would do. Hybrid battery began draining very quickly. There was a semi truck right behind me accelerating hard to get on highway .This time I managed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
My vehicle radiator fan immediately cut on high when I turned on the vehicle. The temperature of the vehicle was normal. I also experienced this when the engine was completely cold. I was assured there was no need to tow the vehicle but I could drive and schedule service with dealer. The software triggered a reduced acceleration condition. This did not allow me to accelerate as needed while navig... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
Vehicle shutoff at high rate of speed causing me to not have power steering or brakes. This was very frightening and lucky to not cause a major accident. This was due to the High Pressure Fuel Pump failing that has extended warranty but should be a recall as this is very dangerous.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
We purchased our 2019 Honda Pilot in the summer of 2020 and a few years later, we started getting issues with the car where it would have issues propelling smoothly between 1-2 RPMs, then we got the recall notice around January of 2024 re. the fuel pump, which i believe was the cause of our symptoms. the reason i say that is because we had 2 mechanics look at the car, and did not find anything wr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
I purchased a 2018 Ford Escape in February 2024 with 80,000 miles from a dealership. The vehicle had a single owner and appeared to be in great condition at the time of purchase. However, in December 2024 it presented a critical safety issue involving the engine. While driving, the vehicle began shaking violently and lost power, almost stopping in the middle of an intersection. This placed me and... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 9, 2025
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The other day from my garage i smelled a overtaking smell of gas coming from my 2008 Corvette with only 22,300 miles on it. I thought it was coming from my gas cap , so i replace the cap. Replacing the gas cap didn't help there was still a overwhelming gas smell coming from the left side of the car. I also notice when the gas tank drops below a 1/2 tank the smell seams to go away. I found out the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
I drove to Pittsburgh on [XXX]. I got back in the car, pulled down the driveway and when I tried to enter traffic the car lost power, the dashboard went crazy with error messages and the car was useless. Had it towed to the nearest Honda dealer, they suspected fuel. The high pressure fuel pump was the part that fixed the problem. Fault code dtcp0087 was found in the ECU. I obtained a fuel sampl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
I was in a front end collision with a deer. Upon impact there was heavy damage to my front end and smoke coming from my engine bay. Within minutes a fire started and only a couple minutes later the entire car was engulfed. No airbags deployed during the accident, there was no collision detected by smartlink and I wasn't even notified of any issues by starlink until the car was completely burnt do... Read more
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in unt... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
In the document (ZD8), although my VIN does not appear, I have unfortunately encountered the SAME EXACT problem. My Jeep first exhibited this issue back in 2022, and I managed to repair it at that time without being aware of the existing recall. As it stands, my vehicle is now at the dealership again, plagued by the SAME recurring issue. In trying to resolve this, I have tirelessly reached out to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
My 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, which I bought new, has gone into limp mode twice in 8 months, losing power while I was driving and letting me go no faster than 25 MPH. The first time, in April 2024, I was on [XXX] in Hartford CT. I called 911 because I was certain I would be hit by a car. There was no warning lights to indicate a problem. I was able to get off the highway and had it towed to Meriden ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
Check Engine light came on along with several warning messages. The dealer ran diagnostic that showed error code P0304 recommending replacement of failing Fuel Injectors. The service estimate noted "no sign of leaking head, other cylinders also showing periodic misfire, fuel trims dropping below 0.9, indicating failure". This was very surprising as the car has mileage of less than 57,000 with regu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
Was driving on highway at 60-65 mph. The car continued to accelerate. Pressed on brake and wasn't slowing the vehicle. The driver was weaving in and out of cars as the van started to creek up to 92 mph. The driver and passengers thought they were going to crash and possible die. The driver tried the brake multiple times and nothing. The driver said the accelerator pedal wasn't pressed all the way ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2024
Fuel pump inside the fuel tank failed while driving and caused my engine to stall and almost causing an accident in the highway. Several 2016 Pilots had a recall but my specific VIN does not show in the recall even though I had an issue with the Fuel Pump in 2023.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
Started car after acceleration, car started shaking , check engine light came on , acceleration decreased and message saying service Stabilitrak. 6 hours later started car and message no longer, check engine light off and car not shaking anymore. Chevy dealership diagnosed misfire, fuel injector needs replaced and damaged ECM.
Incident date: May 1, 2014
I recently had a recall fix for the hybrid system battery. Days after the car was serviced my dashboard displayed messages saying to service the Hybrid system and the 4WD. Two days later I was stopped at an intersection. I put my foot on the gas and after a few feet I lost power and the car only rolled. I was able to roll onto the shoulder while the dashboard was displaying multiple errors and sho... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2024
Ford Motor Company has issued a safety recall, identified by letter NEF-107DG and recall number 24V-957, due to the potential failure of the CP4 fuel pump in certain vehicle models. The recall affects the following makes, models, and model years: FORD/F-250 SD (2020-2022), FORD/F-350 SD (2020-2022), FORD/F-450 SD (2020-2022), FORD/F-550 SD (2020-2022), FORD/F-600 SD (2020-2022), FORD/F-650 (2021-2... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The Catalytic Converter is the issue per our mechanic. We have had several issues out of the the vehicle, resulting in more money than the car is worth. The car no longer reaches over 55-60 mph, which is unsafe on the highway. Many times the car wont start. We thought it was the battery which have been changed several times, but the last mechanic stated it in fact the recall part that is needed.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
Engine started to tick and loss of power, had it hauled to ford dealership in Tulia tx to later find out that it had faulty rocker arms which is a known problem after calling around asking other dealerships if they have seen other pickups come in with the same issue! After digging further into the motor they found that the fuel system was going bad and also would have to be replaced which is also ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
I have been waiting a year for parts for recall 23V-858 and requested that it be resolved each time I take my vehicle in for service. Is it likely that it will be repaired while I still own this vehicle?
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The 2022 repair to address NHTSA Safety Recall Number: 21V-635 - Gasoline Fuel Tank Flange Assembly Cracking was inadequate and led to a fuel pump crack that we are now having to repair in January 2025, after a routine check indicated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. We transport three school-aged children in our vehicle and was told by a mechanic that the car was unsafe to drive and could b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
The front sensor to bumper coming up to check ok at every time you start the vehicle. In-between 30mph to 50mph It hesitates and feels like it's jumping in and out, if you do a hard acceleration you don't feel it, not sure if it's through the fuel system for the transmission. Check to see if codes were coming up with the machine and the vehicle shows no codes, With heartbreaking the front will shi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
When approaching a turn, I let off the accelerator but the car didn’t stop accelerating. Instead, it gently kept accelerating. I applied the brakes and the car started slowing down but not at the same rate I was applying brake pressure. Therefore I floored the brakes to try coming to a complete stop. Sadly, the cars ABS system did not engage, half of the car hopped over the curb at about 20 mph.... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 5, 2025
I received the "Red Wrench" warning light several times, but it would clear. One day while travelling in a 45mph zone the car suddenly stopped and I came to a skidding stop, luckily I was coming to my turn and was only going about 10mph. I did fear I was going to get rear ended, luckily it did not occur. I was stuck in the road and traffic built up. I couldn't push the car off the road because eve... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2024
My vehicle received a new engine due to a component failure, which there was a recall specifically describing the failure, recall 17v224 (SC147). After the new engine replacement, April 2024, while driving my car I began to notice a faint smell of gas with inside my car. As time passed the smell grew heavier. Drove the car to the Pueblo Colorado Dealership and had the service department take a loo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2022
The upper fuel filter plastic housing cracks and leaks fuel on hot parts and has produced fires on other vehicles, not this one. I have had this replaced twice in the past, this will be the third time. There are no warning lamps or other warnings. Only the smell of fuel.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
Complaint Regarding Unresolved Recall #24V-763 and Persistent Defects – 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid Dear NHTSA I am filing a formal complaint regarding an unresolved recall (#24V-763) and persistent defects with my 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid EX-L. Since purchasing this vehicle in December 2023, it has exhibited numerous defects and abnormal behavior Recall pertains to a defect in the high-pressure fu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
I replaced fuel injectors in my 2017 honda crv in September 2024 at Northtown Honda in Buffalo, NY. In November 2024 my girlfriend was driving the vehicle in Michigan and the car slowed down to below 20 mph on the highway and flashed all dashboard warning lights, what Honda refers to as "limp mode". This almost caused her get hit by a semi truck. The car was towed to Honda of Grand Blanc and I was... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 8, 2025
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
From a stop, the vehicle will lurch forward after 1 second of acceleration without a change in the amount of pressure on the gas pedal, as if there is a delayed input to the throttle position. This only happens from a complete stop, such as at red lights, stop signs, or in heavy stop and go traffic. On multiple occasions I have almost rear ended the vehicle in front of me as a result of this. Ther... Read more