Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 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 2,192,899 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 59,782 complaints — component: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
the 2000 Buick Lesabre is a wonderful car basically a tank with the 3800 SERIES II you cant go wrong but the tiny little plastic part holding the throttle cable will dryrot even with a garage kept car under 150k miles please get them replaced I was driving and then the part came off and it got wrapped around the bracket and it took off I melted the breaks I wasn't stopping due to constant gas so I... Read more
Fire
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2020) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 20, 2025
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
GAS TANK SEAL FAILED CAUSING COLLAPSE OF GAS TANK AND DAMAGE TO FUEL PUMP. SIMILAR PROBLEM IN OTHER VOLKSWAGON VEHICLES SUCH AS JETTA AND GOLF THAT HAD RECALL IN PAST. VOLKSWAGON COSTUMER SERVICE WAS NOTIFIED, BE FAILED TO OFFER REPAIR COVERAGE DUE TO FACT I HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT A NON VOLKSWAGON SERVICE CENTER. NO WORK WAS DONE ON FUEL SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF OFFICIAL VOLKSWAGON DEALERSHIP.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
misfire code along with rough starts/light load. T-SB-0116-15
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Subject: Non-Collision Engine Compartment Fire - 2010 Hyundai Sonata (VIN: [XXX] ) "On dec 19 2025, my 2010 Hyundai Sonata suffered a sudden, non-collision fire that originated in the engine compartment. While there are currently no 'open' recalls on this VIN, I am formally reporting this incident as it matches the failure patterns documented in NHTSA Defect Petition DP18-003 regarding non-cra... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
My 2015 Chevrolet Equinox has a cracked exhaust manifold, a known issue affecting many vehicles of this model. When using the heat or air conditioning, gas fumes enter the cabin, creating a serious risk of carbon monoxide exposure. I regularly transport my two young children in this vehicle, and we are forced to drive with the windows down in cold weather to reduce the risk. The vehicle also cons... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
I'm having an issue my 2022 Toyota Tundra having incredible throttle lag issues involves a delay and sudden surge when accelerating from a stop, creating a safety concern, often described as a "dead pedal". It has caused me to get into numerous situations where i could've gotten hit by other vehicles. It is so dangerous! The dealership is unable to fix it and says to disconnect the battery regula... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Engine turns off by itself at stop. Auto idle stop was not turned on. It also happened when i pressed the reverse button. When it turns off by itself, i have to turn it back on and put it back into gear. It happened 4 times today
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
My daughter was driving and she said the check engine light started blinking and the car slowed down immediately. She had to press the gas to get it into a gas station.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
My car threw on the check engine light and a note flashed on the screen and car just slowed down immediately. I had to press on the brakes really hard to get it home and then the transmission wouldn’t go in reverse. I took it to the dealer and they couldn’t duplicate the problem but said the battery contacts weren’t tight.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Check engine light was on after just sitting in the snow for two days. Dealer is saying that it is a fuel injector and something with the gas. I hope this fixes it.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
Drove 39 miles, around ~55 minutes. Parked the car, realized that I parked a little too far from the spot, car just stalled while rolling. Pressed accelerator, nothing. Turned off the car, tried to start again, it cranked but didn't start. Had to tow it to the nearest mechanic (total of ~2 hrs until my car got picked up and dropped off), mechanic calls me and tells me my car started fine. I'm thin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
On 12/17/25, the low-pressure fuel pump failed on my 2022 Ford F-150 (VIN [XXX] ), exactly as described in safety recall 25S75. The vehicle will not start or run and is not drivable due to the failed fuel pump. I have been told there is no remedy currently available and Ford has declined alternate transportation assistance. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
In early October 2025, the vehicle was taken to an independent dealership service department for a routine oil change. Several weeks later, the vehicle appeared to be leaking fluid and began experiencing loud knocking/clacking noises, significant vibration, and drivability concerns, especially during acceleration. On October 10, 2025, while parked at a family member’s residence, the vehicle wou... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
Vehicle is showing symptoms similar to common reported problems from people who owned Ford F-150 with Eco-boost. Symptoms such as: Engine had difficulty starting Transmission shifting Rattling noises coming out from the engine compartment Oil leaks coming out the tail pipe Gauge is showing engine is over heating Turbo is having a hard time accelerating
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Turning corner, moving at slow speed. Engine shut off unexpectedly, parking brake auto-applied, truck shifted to park. Stuck sitting in traffic lane, VERY unsafe! Was able to restart truck and disable parking brake and resume driving but this was a very dangerous situation had there been more traffic.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
Aug 1, 2021: On rural highway at approx 50-55 mph, all dashboard warning lights came on as engine power was cut drasticly, (over 50%). Minimal traffic, so was able to continue cautiously at very low speed with warning flashers to nearby service station, called local Honda dealer who towed in the CRV. Dealer said the high pressure fuel pump had failed, which they replaced at my cost. No mention by... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
I was traveling north on Freeway 57 at approximately 70mph. The dash lit up red with 12v and charging warnings. Power was shut off and car went into Neutral and warned me to pull over. This is an incredibly busy freeway and I was in the far left lane. I barely made it to the shoulder coasting before car started shuttering and jerking and stopped rolling. I could have been killed.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My vehicle had Hyundai Safety Recall 227 (fuel tube replacement) completed on December 7, 2022. After the recall repair, the same fuel-system symptoms returned. A Hyundai dealership diagnosed failure of the high-pressure fuel pump and high-pressure fuel pipe and stated the condition was critical and a safety risk due to fuel system involvement and potential fire hazard. Hyundai Motor America dec... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Cabin fills with gasoline fumes when on. Took it to local dealership to have Manufacturer Recall Number25S76, NHTSA Recall Number25V467 repaired. Dealership can reproduce the issue of gasoline fumes filling the cabin, but says they can't repair the vehicle until parts become available. I contacted Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford headquarters tell me the parts aren't yet available for... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
I have a 2024 VW Atlas and this is the second time I'm taking the car to the dealer to have the fuel door opened. There is a problem with the fuel door actuator and it was replaced one time about 14-16 months ago. Often the fuel door will not open and there is no pull string to open it. The fuel door locks and unlocks with the vehicle. It often sticks and it could cause a problem with someone r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The vehicle began experiencing persistent engine misfires and rough running. Fuel contamination was found in the engine oil, and the spark plugs were fouled with oil and fuel. The catalytic converter has become clogged and failed multiple times due to excess fuel and oil entering the exhaust system. The Kia dealership documented these conditions but refused to perform recall-related engine repair... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Dealer inspected my 2019 Honda CR-V on 12/18/2025 and informed me that 3 of my 4 fuel injectors need to be replaced. When the problem occurred, my safety was at risk, and others could have been put at risk because the vehicle stalled and smoke came out, indicating something was burning. I visited the dealer for this problem because they replaced the defective/recalled fuel pump in January 2025. T... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
At the end of a drive of 75 mi, 55-65 MPH on an 8 lane highway the engine stalled. Stopped in HOV lane. Restarting failed several attempts. Called police 911. Dusk, with light rain, slick highway. Poor visibility. Wife and I prayed a lot. Scarier than my year in Vietnam. Restarted after about 10 minutes, and prior to police arriving. Made it home 5 min away. Neither dealer nor Subaru can recrea... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO EV
(2026) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2025
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
NHTSA SAFETY COMPLAINT – HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY FAULT & LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL Vehicle: chevy Silverado EV LT Mileage at most recent incident: ~5,400+ miles Incident date: December 17, 2025 Description of the Problem This is the third occurrence of a high-voltage battery fault warning, and the second time involving active vehicle malfunction while driving. • First occurrence: ~700... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
My vehicle is subject to an unrepaired safety recall involving the fuel system. According to the manufacturer’s recall notice, a damaged check valve may allow air to enter the fuel tank, causing the tank to expand and contact hot exhaust components. This can melt the fuel tank, cause fuel leakage, and increase the risk of a vehicle fire. This vehicle has experienced multiple fuel-system-related ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
While merging onto an interstate at speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of motive power and came to a complete stop in an active traffic lane. Approximately six weeks earlier, abnormal drivetrain behavior (hesitation and torque interruption) was reported to the dealer. The dealer attributed the issue to tires and recommended tire replacement. No drivetrain diagnostics were performed. Im... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The crankcase ventilation valve is malfunctioning resulting in excessive oil consumption and unsafe idling. The Extended Warranty dated 5/24/19 with Number AWA-19-03 should be extended to other model years.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
My car worked to get to an appointment on 22 Nov. It flashed an error 2 minutes into a 20 minute return trip, saying the cars propulsion failure was imminent. Vehicle would not turn back on after the 3 mile drive home. The ICCU failed. If this failed while driving, or while I was in a hot/cold location, my life and those around me would have been at risk. The dealer has been working with Hyundai... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
When I started driving my car a warning to check the electrical system came on the display and the speed of the car dropped to less than 25 mph. The road we were driving on was over 45mph without a safe shoulder. After it was towed to the dealer, they diagnosed that the ICCU had failed and replaced it and a fuse. This was after all recalls and other software updates were performed many months a... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
GIULIA
(2017) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2025
Incident date: Nov 20, 2019
DEFECTS INVESTIGATION SUBJECT FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT OF RECALL 93C AND RECALL 24V518 VIN 4691 NATURE OF COMPLAINT THE DEALERSHIP HAS ENGAGED IN CALCULATED FRAUD AND RECALL INTERFERENCE TO SUPPRESS MY LEGAL RIGHT TO A BUYBACK FOR A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE DETAILS MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN WITHHELD SINCE NOVEMBER 18 2025 FOR 31 CONSECUTIVE DAYS DURING WHICH THE DEALERSHIP HAS IGNORED ALL COMMUNICATION THE VEHIC... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The car is stalling randomly with no engine lights coming on
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Subject: Safety Recall Concern - VIN: [XXX] - Location: Ukraine Message: "I am writing to report a safety concern regarding my 2024 Honda CR-V (VIN: [XXX] ), which was originally manufactured for the U.S. market and is currently located in Ukraine. According to the official Honda MyGarage portal, my vehicle has two active and unremedied safety recalls: NHTSA Recall 24V-763 (Manufacturer Code: ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
My family and I traveled to Ohio to visit family. After stopping for fuel, 6hrs into our drive, our 2021 nissan Armada started bucking, skipping, and eventually stalled 50 yards from the fuel station. Several attempts at restarting the vehicle resulted in a sputtering idle and stall. This put my family is grave danger as we were beginning our acceleration onto the interstate at 11pm eastern standa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
While driving at interstate highway speed at approximately 70 mph in heavy rush hour traffic, the vehicle suddenly made a popping sound and immediately lost all engine power. The accelerator became unresponsive, and the vehicle rapidly decelerated without warning. I was forced to coast across lanes to the shoulder to avoid a collision. The engine shut down completely and the vehicle would not res... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The current recall is over 1 year old and there has been no response from Nissan on Remedy of Battery Recall. The Nissan Dealer and Nissan Help has been unresponsive.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
Car stalled while driving and needed to be towed to dealership. Dealership confirmed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine that clogged the fuel injector causing the car to stall while driving. Dealership informed us that car will need a new engine and transmission because of the coolant intrusion. The car stalled while driving and could have led to an accident or loss of life dependi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2025
Recall 68c recommends against charging, therefore impacting our fuel consumption negatively. This therefore is costing additional money to use this transportation. Also, it is nearly impossible to follow the recall guidelines for keeping away from structures and other vehicles. Some properties refuse this vehicle from being on their property.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
Fuel management system caused a lifter to fail (stuck) which resulted in camshaft damage at 77,611 miles. GM refused to cover the repair, although there is a pending class action lawsuit against GM for this very issue. Truck was repaired at a GM dealership - Sunrise Collierville, TN. Repair costs was approximately $7,000. This occurred during a 2.5 hour road trip which put lives at risk. The truck... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Reversing onto roadway and shifted from reverse to drive via rotary dial and vehicle went into park and would not move causing me to block the roadway. In addition and even more concerning was that the vehicle could not be turned off and any and all actions to do so just left the car "on" and the hybrid system running. Eventually we pulled the battery cable on the main 12v in the trunk and the res... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
Vehicle experienced multiple simultaneous powertrain diagnostic trouble codes related to oxygen sensors and fuel controls, including O2 Sensor heater circuit high voltage, O2 Sensor circuit high voltage on multiple banks, rich fuel trim condition and manufacturer specific powertrain logic fault. vehicle in stock, under warranty and driven only on city roads. No off-road use or physical damage pre... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
I own a 2022 Nissan LEAF (VIN [XXX] ) that is subject to a Nissan safety recall advising owners not to use DC fast charging due to risk of battery overheating and fire. DC fast charging is a core function of an electric vehicle. Nissan’s instruction to avoid fast charging effectively removes this capability. In addition, some public charging networks have restricted or blocked Nissan LEAF fast ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My Ford started making a loud noise whenever the accelerator wasn't being pressed, after taking it to the mechanic, he said it is the cracked flex plate. After some light research, it was aparent that this is an issue that Ford's cars have, and ford has tried to make it better by offering free fixes. I contacted the local ford dealer and since the car has 90,000 miles, it would have been covered. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2004
I own a 2015 GMC Canyon that developed repeated and serious fuel-system and engine problems beginning around 56,000 miles. The vehicle experienced fuel contamination (water in the fuel system), multiple fuel injectors failing and sticking open, repeated misfires across several cylinders, and engine stalling/shutdown while driving. The truck was towed multiple times and repaired repeatedly by an a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Fuel tank bracket come off dropping the front of the fuel tank and got against the drive shaft and cut it in half causing the drive shaft to drop and bang around the under the truck to I was Abel to get stoped in the middle of the hwy this could had been a very serious. Have contacted Ram and this is a known problem that they do not want to repair the damage caused by the strap the drive shaft co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
While driving and idling, strong exhaust fumes enter the cabin, especially when the vehicle is in park or stopped at a traffic light. Air recirculation shuts off by itself and the airflow is very weak even on high settings. Remote start caused the cabin to fill with fumes before entering the vehicle, leading to headache and difficulty breathing within minutes. Symptoms are consistent with carbon m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
There has been a recall on my vehicle for months now, and previously there was a recall on other nissan leafs for over a year at this point before they branched out to include my vehicle. In the contract I signed to purchase my vehicle, I was stated to have access to tier 3 charging. I am unable to do that currently, and I do not live close to a tier 2 charger, so I am forced to use my tier 3 cha... Read more
HYUNDAI
GENESIS COUPE
(2013) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 17, 2025
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The vehicle had been parked at my residence and powered off for approximately two weeks. Without warning, the vehicle spontaneously caught fire originating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not running, had not been driven recently, and there was no collision or external fire source. The fire caused extensive damage to the engine bay, wiring, and surrounding components. The passenger c... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
Contact Information: •Name: [XXX] •Contact: Phone: [XXX] Email: [XXX] •Location: Hawaii Vehicle Information: •Year / Make / Model: 2021 Kia Soul S •VIN: [XXX] •Mileage: 133,000 miles Recall Reference: •Verified NHTSA recall for VIN: [XXX] Kia Consumer Affairs Case Number: XXX ⸻ Complaint Description 1.I received a notification of an NHTSA safety recall for this vehicle.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
There is a large system failure in the Jeep Compass, in which the oil is getting mixed with fluid, causing the transmission fluid to become like chocolate milk. This failure is all in the way the vehicle is manufactured that it causes damage to both the transmission and engine costing approximately more than 14k in repairs. The problem has been confirmed at a dealership, as well as too other 2019-... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 450 4MATIC
(2023) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dec 17, 2025
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
While the vehicle was stationary and connected to a DC Fast Charging station (Electrify America), a thermal event occurred at the charging interface. The charging connector overheated and thermally fused (welded) to the vehicle's high-voltage charging inlet. The connector could not be released by the vehicle or the station. A technician dispatched by the charging network was unable to remove the ... Read more