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 137,132 complaints - component: POWER TRAIN

Incident date: Aug 28, 2026

My 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee suddenly was stalling, and would not re-start, especially when turning the steering. AAA Tech diagnosed as High Diode Ripple Voltage in the Alternator, damaging the Battery. Needed to Replace both Alternator and Battery at a cost of $1068. Car was recalled under T36, and the repair has a repeat failure again. Jeep Declined to repair or re-imburse the repair costs. M... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

Transmission failure needing full replacement

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

I am writing to formally follow up regarding complaint/case number 97989810 through Dodge and to request that this matter be elevated for a complete technical review concerning my 2021 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins, VIN [XXX]. Time - Line PRIOR FACTORY-WARRANTY REPAIR The XXX factory-warranty repair is an important part of this vehicle's mechanical history. That repair involved the timing-cover/timing-g... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

While parking the vehicle, after putting the transmission lever to park, and turning off the ignition, the doors unlocked and I started to exit, at that moment the vehicle started to roll backwards. I was able to avoid running over myself and got back into the driver's seat when I saw a "shift to park" message on the dashboard display. It took multiple cycles of restarting and stopping the engi... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving between 20 mph and 60 mph, the vehicle shudders a lot while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failure in the transmission. The contact stated he contacted a dealer where they confirmed the failure but stated there are no recalls nor TSBs related to the failu... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

Our vehicle does this all the time and has done so for almost two years. After starting the vehicle and then shifting to a gear, either drive or reverse. The vehicle does not always go into gear. When you take your foot off the brake to push on the accelerator, the vehicle will start to roll in the opposite direction if you are on a very small incline in the opposite direction. If you are on flat ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 25, 2025

My 2022 Genesis G70 has experienced repeated turbocharger and exhaust-system problems. In August and September 2025, the vehicle was serviced for exhaust/turbo-related gaskets and clamps and a misfire condition. It later developed knocking, sluggish acceleration, and additional turbo problems. The dealer replaced the turbo wastegate in February 2026, and additional turbocharger repairs were subseq... Read more

Incident date: Aug 29, 2026

VIN):[XXX]/Make/Model: 2021 Ford Expedition XLTCurrent Mileage: Approx. 150,000 milesLocation: [XXX] of the Safety Defect:El vehículo presenta un defecto de seguridad crítico y extremo en el tren motriz que pone en riesgo inminente la vida de los ocupantes y de terceros en la vía pública. En dos ocasiones distintas durante los últimos 15 días, el vehículo ha sufrido una pérdida total de co... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the 4WD warning light unexpectedly illuminated. The contact stated that a "4WD Needs Service" warning message also displayed. The vehicle was taken to a service center where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

Truck rear wheels locked up while going between 45 - 50 mph nearly causing accident. Driver behind me had to lock-up their breaks to avoid collision. This is happening every time I drive the truck for more than 30 minutes. It is happening multiple times a day now. I cannot drive truck - too unsafe to drive. Tried getting serviced, but local GMC dealer said they are backed up with truck transmis... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

Power steering seems to be lost for a second or two at low speeds turning. Happens multiple times a day.

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

My car makes a clunking noise in the rear (rear differential) while starting/ stopping at slow speeds or turning a corner. No warning lights but it seems to be worse. Dealership has replaced shock absorber assembly and said it corrected it. It did not. I have called the dealership again for them to tell me my car needed a system update.

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while driving at 67 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly jerked and then lost motive power without warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to a service center where it was diagnosed that the transmission solenoid had seized and that the failure was internal to the transmission. The contact w... Read more

Incident date: Jul 25, 2026

The car is 8 years old, well maintained and has mileage of @ 57,000 miles. The "engine check" lighted up in July 2026. Initial check simply required a replacement of spark plug and ignition coil. It was done immediately. However, the engine check light that initially disappeared returned 2 weeks after. When brought to a Ford Dealer, the diagnostic is TSB22-2229 (coolant intrusion in the engine). ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

Component/System Defect: Failed Thermo Control Valve (TCV) leading to sudden vehicle power loss / limp mode. Description of Safety Incident: While operating my vehicle at highway speeds late at night, the Thermo Control Valve (TCV) failed catastrophically without warning. The vehicle instantly experienced a massive loss of engine power and entered an aggressive "limp mode," causing a drastic, unc... Read more

Incident date: Jan 25, 2026

COMPONENT: Shift-by-wire transmission selector / hybrid control system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. WHAT HAPPENED: Intermittently, after starting the vehicle, it will not engage Drive or Reverse. The selector input is accepted but the vehicle remains in Park/Neutral and does not move. The only way to clear it is to shut the vehicle off and restart it, sometimes up to 10 ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I am writing to formally document serious and recurring safety concerns with my Certified Pre-Owned 2024 BMW X5e, which I purchased from BMW of Sterling on XXX. On XXX I was merging onto [XXX] during morning rush hour when my vehicle suddenly lost power and shut down in the middle of traffic. The vehicle first displayed a yellow drivetrain warning indicating that I could continue driving at reduc... Read more

Incident date: Apr 16, 2026

Had a valve body failure in mid XXX. The vehicle would not go into reverse and drove it in limp mode to a dealership about 5 miles away. Fortunately they were able to get a new valve body and repair it in one day. Cost was approximately $3,500 and not covered by warranty. The vehicle had about 110,000 miles on it at the time. This is a known defect on this vehicle and a recall should be initiated.... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

Nissan Rogue Sport with 39,500 miles. While driving on a busy highway the vehicle all of a sudden was losing power and surging dangerously. Barely made it home. There were no warning lights. It had to be towed to a garage. There were no leaks. I was told the CVT transmission would have to be replaced. It was towed to a Nissan dealer who verified the CVT transmission would indeed need to be replac... Read more

Incident date: Sep 3, 2026

Slave cylinder on clutch failed and leaked fluid in to clutch and flywheel. Clutch pedal would not rebound after being pressed in to shift gear, stuck in middle of road trying to get vehicle in first gear. Had vehicle towed to dealership, estimate of $5800 to repair. Apparently this is a known problem with this manual transmission, many others have experienced similar failure at around 60,000 mi... Read more

Incident date: Jul 21, 2026

I am filing this complaint because my Grand Wagoneer has experienced repeated, serious safety-related failures involving the braking system, electrical/communication systems, and vehicle shutdown. I no longer believe this vehicle is safe to operate. The most serious problem has occurred more than once. On July 21, 2026, while driving, the brakes failed. The brake pedal went to the floor and the v... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 28, 2026

I am requesting that BMW North America open a formal Customer Relations case regarding a front differential failure on my 2023 BMW X7 M60i. At approximately 60,000 miles, I began experiencing a whining/howling noise that increased with vehicle speed, along with a metallic grinding noise from the front drivetrain area. The vehicle was subsequently diagnosed, and during the diagnostic process the fr... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

Torque converter began to fail around 50k miles. Took to Ford for service under TSB last July at around 60k miles, but performance has steadily deteriorated to present, around 80k miles, while waiting for service parts. Issue has expanded to cause violent engine surging, which I worry will increase the risk of a crash. Ford quoted $11k to replace the torque converter, a part they acknowledge is fa... Read more

Incident date: Aug 10, 2026

Leadcar Toyota LaCrosse WI has diagnosed and reported that the transmission needs to be replaced. Pertains to Service Bulletin T-SB-0008-21 the pinion shaft bearing defect. The major powertrain component is failing prematurely. Cost to repair is over $9,000 as it is out of warranty. We purchased the vehicle at 67,550 miles on 3/29/2025. Since we never owned a Toyota before we thought the whin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 31, 2026

On XXX my 2023 Toyota Tundra Limited’s check engine light came on and after consulting with my service center, Jones Toyota in Bel Air, MD, via phone I brought the truck into Jones to be assessed. Jones diagnosed the problem and determined a physical failure of the passenger-side turbocharger. The vehicle is currently disabled and located at Jones Toyota in Bel Air, MD, undergoing service for t... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

Purchased above listed vehicle new in September of 2023. Immediately noticed a 'coolant' smell in cab. brought vehicle in for coolant smell issue on 12/06/23, 01/10/24, 01/16/24 and 01/23/24. We were told that there was no issue until finally on 01/23/24 we were told the radiator needed to be replaced at OUR expense. September of 25 we received a letter from GMC advising the "engine coolant cont... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

-took my vehicle into the dealership after it left my wife and kids stranded in the middle of the highway. Codes came up as a transmission problem. Took it to the dealership and they said it needs a whole new transmission. Car only has 115k miles. Transmission fluid has been replaced 2 times. Dealer has confirmed and diagnosed the issues.

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I purchased my 2020 Ford Explorer in December 2020. The first incident occurred around June 2021 while I was on a road trip. While driving, the vehicle unexpectedly shifted/downshifted on its own and caused a sudden change in the vehicle's movement. At first, I thought there might be an issue with the rotary gear selector. The problem occurred again, and in 2023 I took the vehicle to a Ford deale... Read more

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

The torque converter has malfunctioned and the vehicle is currently at the dealership for repairs. The truck experiences significant vibration and shuddering at speeds above 45 mph. There is an existing recall for this exact issue; however, our VIN is not included in the affected vehicle population. With only 60,000 to 70,000 miles on the truck and less than 10 years of service, a major component ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

On September 1, 2026, my 2022 Toyota Tundra experienced a serious loss of accelerator response while I was leaving a gas station and entering traffic. I pressed the accelerator, but the truck provided effectively no acceleration, leaving me partially in the roadway. An approaching vehicle had to swerve into the opposing traffic lane to avoid a collision. I had experienced a similar low-speed loss ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2026

total failure of brake booster at 49.5k miles, caused air leak in engine intake system, which caused lean run and burning more fuel and failure of air/fuel ratio sensor.

Incident date: Sep 7, 2026

Incident Summary VW ID.4 Loss of Power/Stall Date: Monday, September 7, 2026 Location: Highway (3-lane), traveling ~45 mph Vehicle: Volkswagen ID.4 Sequence of events: While driving at approximately 45 mph, multiple warning messages appeared in rapid succession: ESC Error "Electrical system not working correctly" "Front Assist is not available" Error Rear Traffic Alert Error "12V power supply.... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I have a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks that I bought brand new. I special ordered it and had it delivered to a dealership in Jacksonville IL. The vehicle has 107,000 miles on it. On XXX while driving to work my car completely quite running in the middle of a busy intersection with cars speeding by us and me and my fiance were both in danger of being hit by multiple Semi trucks, this road lead... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2026

There was a sound that the car was making. Took in to the Toyota of Ashland dealership they could not repair it. The CVT bearing needs replaced.

Incident date: Aug 5, 2026

My car when in over 95 degree weather, literally will not have power to get up hills and starts to jerk and looses power to make the hills. When the temps outside are cooler the car works fine. I live in [XXX] and I drive long distance to work. I also have a [XXX] son that has to be in the car with me. I can’t have my car messing up all because it’s hot outside and it obviously doesn’t like ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 31, 2026

I am reporting a severe cascading drivetrain failure on my 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (VIN:[XXX] ) caused directly by defective components that are the subject of active federal safety recalls (NHTSA Campaigns 01C / 40D / 25V011).This vehicle has a documented service history of two separate, consecutive Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failures. The first PTU was replaced at a previous dealership, and ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I had bought my car in May of 2025 and within 12 hours of owning it. The check engine light came on. They replaced the sensor well. A couple days later, the check engine light came on again, and they had to rebuild my whole engine had the car for a month at this time. When they rebuilt the engine, they had the car for over a month. And ever since I got it back, it's always something the same thing... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

In March 2026 Hyundai did an emissions update Campaign 9C2. Since that update my 2015 Hyundai Sonata SE has run rough and shifted hard. Hyundai stopped doing the update in May 2026. Hyundai has not provided any update to fix the problem they created. I am worried the update is damaging the motor and transmission of a car that was running just fine prior to the update.

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

The vehicle has experienced intermittent loss of power/acceleration when taking off from a stop. When the accelerator pedal is pressed, the vehicle sometimes does not accelerate normally or has substantially reduced power. This creates a safety concern because the vehicle may not accelerate as expected when entering or crossing traffic or in other situations where predictable acceleration is neces... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

The vehicle had a transmission shutter and shakes the car. It also had a hard shift at 38mph. It happens daily, was not a one time Incentent

Incident date: Sep 3, 2026

Engine locked up, need engine replaced. We already satisfied the recall with the 0w-40 oil update.

Incident date: Mar 22, 2026

xDrive all-wheel-drive has made the car slow down unexpectedly and produce a shudder, especially in slow corners and under gentle acceleration. The vehicle has also rapidly accelerated upon entering or exiting a freeway on ramp.

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

In 2024, at 49000 miles, my transmission gave out and wouldnt allow me to accelerate. GM replaced the transmission. This past week, while driving on a busy hwy, it happened again. I narrowly avoided an accident and had to get my car towed a hour home. These are the codes P0700, P2732, P0746

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

Came off the parkway and came to a stop at a stop sign. As I attempted to accelerate forward the truck shuttered violently, did not move forward and then slammed into gear. As it slammed into gear it jerked forward. The force of the jerk pushed me back in the seat and caused the steering wheel to turn. About 100 yards later I came to a stop in traffic. As I attempted to accelerate the same inciden... Read more

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

My jeep was diagnosed with a PTU FAILURE. JEEP has only 51,293 miles. This is a well documented recall on 2019-2023 Jeep Cherokee brand. My VIN is not included yet.

Incident date: Jul 13, 2026

Hard shifting occurred. Then service 4WD light came on dash. After an oil change, the light went away, but the hard shifting is still there. An independent dealer replaced my transfer case as well as completed an update to the transmission. The hard shifting came back even worse, with almost every gear. Took to a Dodge/Ram/Jeep dealership who completed a TSB 21-015-23. Their next recommendation is... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

lariat ranger 2024 changes modes without input from driver. This has happened dozen times btu not consistent It has happened at 80mph on interstate ,35 mph on road, leaving parking space, and turning corner after stopping for stop light This time went in to 4wheel drive low on dry pavement very difficult to steer until stopped and put back into 2 wheel drive. Has happened in dry weather and rainy... Read more

Incident date: Sep 3, 2026

Got home and vehicle would not go into park. I can get it to drive but its only low range. Upon having it inspected, it was discovered the shift cable bushing at the transmission lever was missing.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

I am reporting repeated suspension and structural failures involving my 2022 Rivian R1T. In April 2026, at approximately 90,537 miles, Rivian performed a comprehensive inspection and found both front lower control arm bushings torn, the right rear damper leaking, and the rear subframe cracked. Rivian’s own service documentation specifically stated that the vehicle was “unsafe to operate due t... Read more

Incident date: Jun 10, 2026

My Transmission is skipping on 3rd gear ratio code and reverse is getting stuck with only 70,000 2021 and i was the only owner.

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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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