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: Dec 18, 2024
The vehicle’s check engine light come on earlier this year and the electric motor/battery was not functioning properly. It was serviced in September and I was told by the dealership that the software update would resolve the issue. It did not. The vehicle was serviced again on 12/13/24 and I was told that it passed the 95B recall test but that the check engine light came back on. The dealership ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Earlier in 2024, Volkswagen of America issued a recall for the Suction Jet Pump, on the 14th of December i went to VW of Pompano Beach in Florida, to get the recall done, however, after they delivered back the car, it started to leak fuel after i put gas on it. On December 17th I took it again to the dealer to get it fixed and they gave me back the vehicle on December 19th. On [XXX] I put gas on ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GTI
(2017) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 22, 2024
Incident date: Dec 22, 2024
The auxiliary transmission fuel pump system is prone to failure. This makes it so the start/stop feature will not work, as the vehicle will stall when stopped (causing an unsafe situation), and it cannot pass state inspection. The part is entirely unavailable from Chevy, and results in the vehicle being scrapped. There is no way to permanently bypass this system.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2024
In June 2024, my vehicle suddenly lost power while I was driving on the freeway, almost causing a serious accident. I managed to restart the car after being stuck on the shoulder of the freeway for several minutes. The same issue occurred the following day, prompting me to have the vehicle towed to the dealership. Hyundai Motor was contacted since the vehicle is still under warranty. The dealersh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
There is a malfunction in the vehicles.computer system that gives a warning about low coolant level for the hybrid battery. It's been been seen by the KIA dealer and the issue keeps arriving.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The evap purge valve assembly failed. An engine warning lamp did appear. While driving down the interstate the incorrect fuel mixture caused the vehicle to stall while in motion with my wife, and at the time, [XXX] son were in vehicle. Although there was no accident, all power was lost and the vehicle had to maneuvered into the shoulder to prevent rear ending other vehicles. This was the 2nd time... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Fuel injectors failed. Exact same issue that was recalled in the 2018 and 2019 Oddysey. Confirmed by local mechanic that referred me to a Honda dealership since it was a known recall. Dealership confirmed it’s the exact same issue that has been occurring. Opened a case and Honda did nothing. Because my vin wasn’t included in the recall, yet. Looking to get the recall extended to other vins bec... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
There is an active recall on the fuel pump for Honda Civics. My car fits within the range of time of manufacture, but my VIN does not appear with any recalls. The vehicle shakes when starting and will stall most of the time. I can turn it off and turn it back on and the car will start okay, but if I accelerate too quickly or drive too fast or for too long the engine will stall. I have been driving... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2020
As I was driving on the highway, the warning "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" with a red turtle icon appeared. The warning indicator light also appeared. The car began to decelerate on its own as I tried to merge across several lanes of highway traffic to get to the shoulder and stop. This first happened on Thursday December 12 (also in a highway scenario). The vehicle was inspected by my ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
This car does not seem fuel efficient it goes through gas like candy. The gas is not filling up correctly - no matter which gas station I use. The AC lets out puddles of water. The suspension is slightly off it acts like an row boat on waves so like an S in certain rain situations like it has a loose slippery power steering suspension. My tires are not the issue because they are brand new from w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
Literally for years I have been taking my car in to Rick Case Hyundai with the complaint of smelling gas even when the car was parked for long periods. Each time they said they fixed with different items. Gas cap, a part on the catalytic converter, etc. The problem never resolved but I noticed it only happened when the tank was more than half full. I got a video of gas dripping out underneath and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
Occasionally engine surges when in gear when brake is pressed.Car must be put in neutral and key turned iff. This happens only on occasionaly.I understand Ford has extended Throttle body warranty on this part to ten years on my ModelI visited local dealer who ran my VIN and advised there was no information on an extended warranty in his system.He said take it up with Ford.Ford customer service ref... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The air bag never deployed I bought car in 2018 from original owner with car only having 33,000 miles on it and still under warranty til car had 100,000 miles and I hit a deer head on 2 months after getting car which bought in may of 2018 hit the deer in July 2018 . The deer was hit with the front passenger side it broke my headlight n messed my hood up and smashed in the grill little and my air b... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The day after purchase, with 216 miles on the odometer, a major failure of the hybrid electrical system occurred. The car immediately shut down, not allowing the car to be moved (it could not be shifted out of "Park"). The message indicated that a high voltage leakage was detected and that the system was hazardous. It required a tow to the dealer. The dealer's service center cleared the error and ... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2018) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 21, 2024
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a standing stop, there is a one or two second delay, once the accelerator pedal is depressed, before the car moves. Extremely dangerous when pulling out into traffic. I had it back to the dealership to address this problem but they found nothing wrong. I guarantee you , the problem continues to exist.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
Car will start surging and then will stall out. First noticed when car was purchased, but was told it was normal for the car to do. I will start the car and it'll run for a few seconds then die. Sometimes for only a couple times and then the car will run okay. There are times it'll surge then die up to 7 times in a row. Only a couple times it has surged and died while out driving. The car would... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
My check engine light came on and I was told it set a code for a flash update . Dealership did the update and told me if the light came back on it was the fuel pump . Light came back on and I took it back immediately to dealership . They said perfectly safe to drive , it’s the fuel pump . My jeep truck only has 22,000 miles on it . Three days later I was driving home and the vehicle engine li... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
Rear wheel explosion on the road
Crash
1 injured
1 deaths
Incident date: May 20, 2023
Was driving at a normal speed all light turned on car didn’t want to speed up even pushing the gas
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2023) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 20, 2024
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The fuel line is leaking again. I have had this replaced three times already. Once under warranty and twice out-of-pocket. Why wasn't the MY2016 included in the recall? The raw fuel smell permeates the cabin and is nauseating. This is a safety issue were something needs to be done for a permanent fix before someone dies in a fiery death.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Driving on gas on the highway, the adaptive cruise control suddenly disabled with a "Reduced Propulsion" message on the dash and a check engine light. The car started struggling in its propulsion. We found an AutoZone and scanned the codes, and multiple were returned. A Google search pointed us to the "walk home" fuse, which indeed had been blown. Replacing that fuse and disconnecting/reconnecting... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
Coolant leaking into cylinder causing misfire. The reason why the coolant is leaking into the chamber is because of a manufacturers defect. The engine block has impurities that eventually rusted away causing pinholes between the cylinder and coolant. This is a well known issue with mechanics. If someone has this issue and does not know the engine can seize or blow causing the engine to not work. ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Engine stalled out, oil light and engine repair light both on, call will not turn over
Incident date: Nov 3, 2024
I had 10 miles to empty so I stopped at the gas station and I pulled the lever to open the door to the tank and it gave an error message saying it couldn’t refuel and the door wouldn’t open. I tried forever to get the door opened and it wouldn’t open. I made it home and tried the next day at a gas station near my house and it did the same thing. Luckily I was able to make it back home. We we... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
Rear brakes replaced twice on warranty. The car only has 24,000. Car remains with loud chattering brakes on all 4 brakes especially when brakes are cold. Especially loud chattering and squealing brakes still exist especially on rear brakes. Issue with a fuel valve needing to be replaced on warranty. EPS engine light on dash. Driver's door widow regulator malfunction for door not going down with o... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
Started my truck up to go to the store started driving and all of a sudden it acted like it was running out of fuel check engine light came on and a ! Symbol came to barely make it back home it sat for three weeks and had to have it towed to dealer they diagnostic on it and said it was a fuel pump problem the thing is there's a recall on this same vehicle but not mine $1400 is what they want to fi... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 350 E 4MATIC
(2025) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
On [XXX], I was driving my Blazer up to our local Museum to grab some information. The Museum is about a mile and a half from my house. When I had left my house, the car was driving like normal. I pulled into a parking spot at the Museum, and I went to shut the vehicle off, and I thought maybe the check engine light had come on but wasn't completely paying attention to the dash. About 10 minutes l... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Last week, I noticed fuel leaking out from the bottom of my vehicle on the rear passenger side in my driveway after returning home. I had my vehicle towed into a local shop to get looked at. The shop informed me that my entire fuel line assembly needed to be replaced. They stated that the metal assembly has rusted and corroded over time. At the time of this writing, my vehicle is still in the shop... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
We have been trying to get a dealership to service our recall for months. We were told they don't do them at a few Genesis dealerships in the area and then one told they don't have the the parts and to check back with them and that was months ago and the still don't have what's needed. I am fearful for my family's safety and can't seem to get any assistance in getting this matter resolved. We vis... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Fuel pump module leaking fuel causing fuel to drip onto the exhaust pipe. Potential fire hazard to occupants and occupants of area it is parked near. Yes the dealer and repair shop have confirmed it has cracked when it should not. It has only been inspected by the repair shop due to immediate safety concern. The symptoms were a very strong fuel odor and a puddle of fuel on the ground in the begin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
The issue started with a forward push while lowering my speed while coming to a stop. It then progressed to a trembling engine. Then it progressed to the car struggling to effectively switch from electric to gas and back. It then would only be usable on electric range and the engine would not start and would be greyed out. Now, it only works on engine mode, it uses fuel like a pick up truck, it lo... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
I was traveling home from work at approximately 60MPH (speed limit) and I experienced a rapid drop in the state of charge from ~60% to ~25% in 15-20 seconds. I slowed the vehicle to 55MPH and it recovered most of the state of charge. When accelerating to 60MPH a few miles later I experience the same behavior and was forced to maintain 55MPH. I was forced to turn off the electric cabin heater, heat... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
What support can i obtain if a vehicle manufacturer is not appropriately responding and taking action to address the open Paccar Recall E317 where it states they will reimburse a fleet owner for the pruchase cost of fuel additive to address their repeated failures of their fuel injectors
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
There are problems with these items which are covered under a Ford recall. My vehicle is at Liccardi Ford dealer in Watchung NJ and I feel a tremendous resistance from the dealer to repair the recalled ordered repairs.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
My vehicle has had recalls performed multiple times since 1st purchased in 2012. The issue was vehicle stalling. At 1st Chrysler / Dodge addressed it as issues upon start up where the vehicle sounded as though it was skipping when hitting the ignition button. They attempted to remedy this with multiple fuel pump relay recalls. They attempted to do internal which did not work. They then went extern... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
Driving out of parking lot at 15 mph, loss of power, unable to accelerate, message warning on dash stating brake problem. Message states reduced braking issue, see dealer. With a couple of tries while stopped, was able to restart the car. Braking problem message remained on dash. Drove about 6 miles to dealer. Parked the car. Shut off. Restarted in front of service advisor. The brake problem messa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2021
Two recalls for this make year and model car had been recalled previously but not for my VIN specifically and the issues are appearing. The first is “doors may open driving” recall on your website and the second is “engine cylinder head may leaks oil” which is also on ur website. Both were recalled for this make and year of the ford fusion but not for my VIN so ford is stating they cannot ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
Strong gasoline smell coming from the engine bay every morning at start up. I removed protective plastic lining from the under carriage to identify the issue. I identified a lot of gasoline dripping from the top portion of the engine compartment where the High Pressure Fuel Pump is located. There was no warning or check engine lights that alerted of this issue of a gasoline leak. This is very dan... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2024
Vehicle not working properly
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
My transmission failed although it was scanned a few weeks earlier indicating no issues with the transmission. I was lucky that the car failed once I stopped and wouldn't shift back into gear however it could have failed while driving. The car was driving fine and was slightly slow to engage, but I believe that was due to the fuel pump recall, which I could not have fixed because of a shortage of ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
Recall was issued a year ago on 12/18/23. Honda said they would contact me when the part was available. Have not heard from Honda and when I called they said the part was not available. My car might stop working on the highway endangering my life and the safety of others.
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
Vehicle has a known issue with fuel pump which causes it to randomly turn off. Mine stopped in the middle of a busy service road and I had to get towing and police to help with getting the car off the road and diverting traffic. The car has turned off several other times as well, but the incident on 8/8 was documented via tow receipt.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
while driving on the highway my vehicle shut down and service lamp came on and while drifting tried to put transmission in neutral and restart but had to come to complete stop to restart engine in park. I was in third lane and had no warning before shut down and could not get to the shoulder. (almost got hit trying). I reported to the dealer and they said there was no fault codes stored. I was dri... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
IT'S DEFIANTLY A FUEL PUMP ISSUE CAUSE WHEN CHECK TO SEE IF FUEL PUMP COMES ON IT DON'T I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH IT STARTED JUMPING AND JERKING LIKE IF IT WAS OUT OF FUEL I BARELY MADE IT HOME It HAS BEEN TWO TO THREE WEEKS NOW WITH NO RESPONSE BACK FROM TOYOTA DEALER
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
I was traveling east bound on i26 when the Bosch fuel pump exploded and sent metal shavings throughout the fuel system. It's the same pump GM has settled a class action lawsuit when I spoke to the adjuster I was told.my truck wasn't included but yet it has the Bosch fuel pump the lawsuit is for cost me 10000 to repair. I have repair bill. And then I was in a accident and the air bag curtain deplo... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
When the car is started up cold, it will sometimes start to stall on the road. Turning on and off the car usually gets it working correctly again. Usually will only happen if the temp is at or near freezing. 2015 Honda Accord EX. This has been. Happening for years, but Honda says that there’s no open recalls even though this seems to be similar to the recall (23V858000) from 12/17/2023.
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
. In October 2023 (see KIA service ticket) my KIA was brought into Jackson KIA Cocoa, FL, for something not operating correctly. The vehicle periodically would hesitate when pressing the accelerator and other times when you had pressed the accelerator to go faster and removed your foot from the accelerator, the vehicle would not slow down, rather continue to speed up even if you tapped the brake... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The car caught fire the morning of Dec 11, 2024 while the vehicle's owner was driving their children to school. There are photos and a fire report is being generated. The vehicle's owner and her children could have been killed. Early indications are that the fire was caused by the same faulty engine/exhaust system defect that the owner has been complaining to Ford about for years. It is assumed th... Read more
Fire
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2021) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
This problem has happened 4 times in the last two months. After about 15 minutes of either moving very slowly, or being parked and idling, the engine does not start when the gas pedal is pressed. The car accelerates as normal since it is in EV mode, giving the driver the impression the car is operating properly. After driving around 1/4 mile the car loses drive power very quickly - full speed to ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
The car jerks right at 20mph in traffic every time as long as you continue to drive. When you pull over, turn the car off, restart the car the problem stops. I’ve had this problem off and on for the last two years and it’s getting worse.