Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 133,534 complaints — component: POWER TRAIN
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Vehicle was started for the second time that day on 1/5/26 and the engine light was on. I drove the vehicle to an auto parts store to have them check it with an OBD-II scanner. It had code P050F. I had no idea how serious this issue could be at the time. I made an appt with the GMC dealership and dropped it off the evening of 1/6/26. They said there was a software anomaly in the engine control mod... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The vehicle experienced a sudden internal transmission failure (power train). While driving, the vehicle began making grinding noises during acceleration and lost propulsion. The vehicle then displayed multiple warning indicators, including a transmission warning and a blinking electric parking brake indicator. After stopping, the vehicle would not engage Drive and became inoperable, requiring tow... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
2022 GMC AT4 w/ 6.2L V8 was my retirement gift to myself at a cost of $70k. I have had 2(two) engine failures! Of course they failed in the middle of rush hour traffic when no one wants to be kind. Since the wheels will NOT rotate once the failure has occurred, I was stuck in middle of traffic for 2 hours awaiting a tow truck. Not even 3k miles after the 2nd engine failure I was told by the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 25 MPH and turning left onto another street, the instrument cluster illuminated with several unknown warning lights, and the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to coast the vehicle off the road. The engine was still running, but while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unexpectedly started rolling forward. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to immediately respond. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact referenced an unknown recall for the failure, but the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was driven to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the remedy was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The service shifter warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted into park, the vehicle rolled backwards. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
On October 31, 2020 (before our purchase of the van) the previous owner had to take the van to Chrysler for hesitation in the transmission shifting. On June 14, 2021 (only two weeks after purchase), we had to drop it off for intermittent shifting issues with what seemed like skipped gears. No engine light came on, and the van was returned stating an inability to reproduce the issue. On Februa... Read more
CHEVROLET
SUBURBAN 1500
(2025) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
Engine failed going 70mph on highway at 2k miles. Display said acceleration no longer available and app said transmission code was needing to be checked however once taking to dealer I was told it was an oil sensor then told there was shredded metal in my engine and I needed a full engine replacement. My car was in the dealership for over 50 days. I was pregnant and with two small children in the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to hesitate and lose power while driving, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. The problem involves the engine and powertrain. A Kia dealer inspected the vehicle and found a timing-related engine fault code (P0014). The dealer stated the condition is consistent with the Kia engine bearing failure recall and referenced recall SC200PS, but ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the “Service 4-WD” warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power transfer unit (PTU) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was hesitating and shuddering, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with a transmission fault and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the transmission failure was caused ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
My first incident with my 2019 Ford Escape happened when I had my [XXX] in the vehicle with me at a stop sign In November of 2024. As I proceeded to enter the intersection, the vehicle would not accelerate. I was able to reverse enough to get out of the intersection, but was still on the roadway, which is a safety hazard. While I waited for help, I was having to direct traffic around my vehicle, a... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
My 2024 Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax experienced a forced emissions derate event with a speed-limited countdown. The vehicle suddenly lost normal operating capability and became unsafe and undrivable. The truck was disabled in Enid, Oklahoma and had to be recovered and transported to a dealership. Prior to failure, the vehicle showed abnormal DEF/emissions behavior. The failure involves the SCR/DEF e... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
I have a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the 5.3ltr V8. The vehicle has 44,500 miles and has zero accident history. On 01/12/2026, the oil cooler line broke while driving, leaving 8 qts of oil covering the underside of the vehicle (exhaust, suspension and tires) creating a fire hazard along with possible loss of control with the rear tires coated in oil. Additionally, the vehicle is undrivable ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Vehicle alerted Electric Vehicle System problem on the dashboard. Dealer determined the ICCU and a fuse needs to be replaced again. Dealer has declined to replace the ICCU under the current recall stating it was already replaced 8 months prior. Vehicle is not usable in current condition due to a faulty ICCU.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
My 2022 Ram 1500 is experiencing a "lurching" or "bumping" forward and backwards when moving from park to drive or reverse. The issue is most apparent after coming to a stop and releasing the brake to accelerate. You can feel a "Bump" sensation as the drivetain re-engages. Have taken to dealer and been told this is "normal operation" but I refuse to accept it. Have been researching this a lot la... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
In July of 2025 the srv 4x4 warning light came on a clanking sound began happening while driving. Eventually my jeep would begin shifting gears really hard. My local jeep dealer service dept. diagnosed that the PTU was failing. There was a recall in the recent months but my VIN was not on the recall list. They offered a good faith repair estimate of $2,500 plus tax to fix it and ordered the parts ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQB 350 4MATIC
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
This safety recall is over six months old and is still unresolved. I have not felt safe driving the vehicle on the highway because of the possibility of complete power loss. I have been forced to keep paying lease payments on a car I can't drive and the manufacturer has been unresponsive. When I plug the car in to charge, all the lights in the house dim. My other EV does not do this so it must... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
I received a letter from Honda regarding a warranty extension on the torque converter of my 2017 Honda Pilot. When I took the vehicle into the dealership, their senior technician confirmed the mechanical issues happening with the vehicle are aligned with the description of the concerns outlined in the warranty extension. The only element of the extension condition that was not happening was a code... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
1.Since I bought the car it has needed oil on a weekly basis. I took it in for repair it had something to do with the oil consumption device $2270.00 to fix. 2. timing chain went out had to fix that too $$$$ 3. While driving along the car at rush hour the car suddenly died without any warning. Had to go off the road clipped a tree and all the cars behind me looked like billiard balls going in all ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken a dealer where it diagnosed and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred twice. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (POWER TRAIN); however,... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
My 2018 Ford F150 only has 30,500 miles on it. There is a well known issue with the 2018-2022 Ford 10 speed transmissions, where the CDF drum fails and causes many transmission related issues. I started to show symptoms of this failure, very rough shifts from 1-3 gear, transmission would hesitate and not shift into the next gear, sometimes it would even aggressively downshift while just maintain... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
While driving on highway the trouble light "Engine Fault Service Now" engaged and the engine started to lose power. Another trouble light came on saying to pull car over immediately and restart. By this time the car was dying of power and eventually lost all forward motion. After sitting for a couple hours the engine started with no trouble lights. Had towed to Ford dealer and they say there a... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon further inspection, the contact became aware of excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Since new vehicle vibrates when first started and placed in reverse
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has recurring powertrain communication failures starting at only 67 miles and continuing at 5,300 and 6,200 miles. Diagnostic trouble codes include U010100 (lost communication with engine control module) and multiple U100xxx codes related to transmission and CAN bus communication failures. These indicate loss of communication between critical control modules. The is... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The issue I’m having with my vehicle is my transmission. When I drive it doesn’t want to shift smoothly, grinds and whines when accelerating and braking. The safety on my 17 MONTH OLD daughter is the main one that I transport around and this definitely puts her safety at risk as we could be driving down that posts higher speeds or up hill and loose momentum to go and could be struck by another... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
Was driving shortly after starting the car and heard loud pop. Immediately received notification that I there was a problem with the electrical system. Received DAT code P1A9096. Car is undrivable. Had to pull over to side of the road and call for tow.
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The engine and electrical/power train system malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to stall, shut off, and shake without warning. The failure results in complete loss of power and inability to move the vehicle. This defect has occurred multiple times and has been inspected by the dealership over five occasions, but the problem has not been fixed.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Vehicle lost power in the middle of a busy road, in the midst of a turn, with my child in the car. Vehicle was towed to Jeep dealership and diagnostics were performed. It was determined that the PTU failed. No error was transmitted prior to failure and it happened without warning.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300 4MATIC
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
CV shaft is clicking when turning the wheel.. 6,100 miles
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
The transmission for this vehicle is failing. When accelerating it shifts to a lower gear without warning. It appears to be slipping into gears that it should not be shifting into. When first putting the vehicle into drive it often lurches forward so a hard braking action is required when shifting from park to drive. Dealer is so overwhelmed by transmission issues they require months in adv... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
Fuel purge valve is malfunctioning. Vehicle loses power and is sluggish. Idles very rough and sometimes has a loss of power. My car has been at Ford twice in the last six months and problem still isn't fixed. Complete engine was replaced about a year and a half ago due to recall issue which I don't want happening again. I do not feel safe driving this car. I made an appointment with Ford a month ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Our 2016 Kia Sorento had 86k miles on it, loud knocking began and days later catastrophic engine failure. Rods and bearings are busted on my 3.3 Liter, V6 GDI engine. It died while my wife was driving it to the dealership. Estimated repair is 19k, metal shavings in the oil. It is available for inspection. My wife was driving it on the highway when the engine failed. Dealer confirmed the rods a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
I am reporting a serious safety defect regarding my 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid (Mileage: 91,661). The vehicle was diagnosed with an internal short in the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) Control Unit (Error codes P0404, P049D). Upon inspection, significant engine oil intrusion was found inside the EGR unit. The EGR system is designed to handle exhaust gases only; the presence of liquid engine oil ind... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The wheel locks in low speeds. It does not happen often, maybe about 3 times per year. I have brought this up to Ford dealer in Encinitas CA for several years and the problem is seldom that they did not find anything wrong with it. Recently I found the recall online and brought it to their attention. I never received the notice of recall back in 2015. They are refusing service because it has been... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2025
The transmission has started making a whining sound just like the cars/transmissions effected buy the TSB from Toyota related to 8-speed auto transmission failures. My dealer said they have seen a lot of them and mine sounds like it, but they claim I'm not part of the TSB allowing for replacement. Toyota has a real problem with the transmissions in 2018 highlanders but they refuse to fix the pro... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
While slowing down vehicle felt as if it was put into park momentarily, which cause car to slide on ice. After reading the recall, I am certain that the transmission failed. Car was towed to Ray Skillman cheverolet on south post road in Indianapolis, to which they already ran the vin and agreed to perform the recall. After they realized it was a more serious problem than software, they refused to ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
At about 120,000 miles, my transmission started searching for gears shattering going in limp mode while in drive and then ultimately dying while on the highway. Also, my leaf springs are completely loose. You can just pull them out when you have the truck up on the lift.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C 300
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Jan 12, 2026
Incident date: May 17, 2025
My vehicle has an open safety recall 25V785 related to improper software programming of the Integrated Control Module CPU, which can cause loss of drive power while driving. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Tempe Honda dealer (8030 South Autoplex Loop, Tempe, AZ 85284) to have the recall completed. The dealer confirmed the recall is a software ICM update, but refused to perform the recall u... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Transmission began to manifest gear shifting issues. Took to mechanic shop to have diagnosed and found premature wear. The recommendation was to replace this transmission. However there are no factory replacements for this transmission and the only alternative is a used transmission replacement. Parts can't be sourced for even a rebuild. This vehicle has 96k miles on it. In review of recommended, ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
When trying to park/shut off, the vehicle gives ‘shift to park’ error message upon shifting to park and won’t shut off or when starting will give ‘shift to park’ error message and not start. This seems to be a common issue with this vehicle model…we could really use a recall
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle vibrated abnormally while attempting to accelerate or decelerate. Additionally, while driving approximately 40 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact researched and discovered that the VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number:... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
Loss of power engine malfunction on 2022 Honda Accord sport 1.5 T experiencing repeated misfire codes, fuel injector failure, and suspected head gasket coolant intrusion. Vehicle has never overheated and maintenance has been performed as required. A second Honda service center advised, they have repaired multiple Accord Sport 1.5 vehicles with the same failure pattern. Honda Corporate opened case... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
Was never notified of the recall pertaining to my vehicle. Upon research I contacted the dealership to have the recall fixed. First issue was they offere complimentary pickup and delivery which I scheduled and they did not show up, aswell as the call that was supposed to happen, and they tell me the recall is out of its extended warranty. I contacted Ford service department and they said the same ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
My jeep will shut off unexpectedly, it will do a up and down idle increase and decrease while at a idle the abs will lock up my wheel tight to where itll drag while trying to move forward. The 4x4 low will not engage at all says service 4x4
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
The vehicle was sold with an outdated battery and later experienced repeated breakdowns. During the first repair visit, the dealership replaced the battery and alternator but failed to identify the root cause of the problem. The vehicle was returned, but the next day it broke down again. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the wiring harness was severely burnt and melted, creating a significan... Read more