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: Dec 20, 2025
I own a 2019 Hyundai Elantra Value Edition . 2.0L 1999CC L4. A few weeks ago we started with really cold/snowy weather and as I’m driving I’ve noticed weird knocking sound that sounds like a Ford F250 starting up. Today while stopped in traffic with the vehicle idling, the 2019 Hyundai Elantra cut off into the battery mode as if I just have my car running off of my battery (ex: roll windows u... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
After years of driving like a grandma, my transmission unexpectedly failed while travelling down the freeway at 70mph. There were no warning signs, no vibrations, and I changed my transmission fluid at the dealer-recommended intervals. Huge bummer, really. I use my truck for work, and because of the time of year, it is unlikely that I'll be able to get it repaired for a few weeks. Certainly not go... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
While driving ~70mph on I-80 in central Wyoming, my truck suddenly and unexpectedly downshifted to a low gear, causing RPMs to spike to 8000+ and making me swerve and nearly go off the road. No warning lights or cautions appeared. I pulled over, turned off the ignition, and checked my engine compartment to see if I could find any issues but everything appeared normal. I resumed driving and everyth... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The incident occurred while traveling at 75 mph on the interstate. The car felt like it tried to put itself in park and slammed forward violently, at that time it came up with a shift fault light on the display, it shifted to neutral so there was no movement of the vehicle it was free wheeling, then it slammed itself back in a low gear where the vehicle slammed hard and the car engine was redlined... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
I moved my Genesis GV-70 to my home in Reno, NV. My complaint is in regard to my car becoming very dangerous! I'm giving you my move to Reno because its relevant to this complaint. I didn't need quick acceleration while I was living in Florida. In Reno, I have to merge onto Route 80 everywhere that I go. Acceleration during a merger is extremely important here in Reno. So what I've experienc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
I was driving on a busy street with a speed limit of around 45 mph and my torque converter failed causing my transmission to fail and my truck to become disabled in the middle of a busy road. It blocked traffic causing a potential danger to surrounding motorists and required assistance to be moved to a nearby parkin lot and later to be towed to the Chevrolet Dealership. The dealership confirmed t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
Driving through a parking lot, less than five miles an hour, and suddenly heard a horrible knocking sound. Stopped and looked under the car. Nothing. Drove it very slowly to mechanic less than a mile away. Front drive shaft had collapsed and fallen down, according to the mechanic.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
When driving at higher speeds (60-70mph) and needing to pass another vehicle the clutch slips which triggers the accelerator to shut down. Leaving you helpless in the passing lane. All you can do is hope there is space to safely pull off the road and shut the engine off. This puts it in limp mode.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
Electrical failure of the transmission. No inciting incident. Confirmed by the dealership who has done all maintenance on the vehicle. Vehicle suddenly cannot go above 25mph and will not shift gears. Vehicle has approx 60k miles on it.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
I'm pretty sure it's the ptu . I was driving up a hilly road and my jeep had no power all of a sudden. Then the service 4wheel drive light came on in the cluster,/ dash. Then when I stopped the tires would not quit spinning. But I could tell only one at a time was rolling. But it would switch to a different tire .each time it switched it would almost catapult me of to the side or towards the midd... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
My 2022 Model Y, 213k miles, battery health 77%, no issues until Beginning of November 2025. After Tesla’s update, BMS_a079 popped up, capped charge at 22%. No dead cells, no imbalance—pure software bug remotely triggered by Tesla. Service refused written diagnosis, only said ‘nine thousand dollars for new battery. Risk of stranding.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
My 2020 Ram 1500 exhaust manifold leak often causes a loud ticking noise, especially on startup, due to broken bolts or a cracked manifold.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
Sometime sudden decrease of power , f250 truck rpm goes high while parking with engine on and now pitman arm broke off causing no control of steering . Having it push safely off the road , contact dealership but no parts to fix and timely how long it takes to get part to fix problem. 2020 ford f250 start but very unsafe to operate with no control of the steering
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
After extensive research, this seems to be a very widespread issue spanning across many years of production. I am experiencing a very sharp/sudden jerk or lurch when accelerating at slower speeds. It is not as noticeable / doesn't happen at highway speeds. It's as if the transmission is trying to decide what gear it wants to be in. It has almost caused an accident I would have been claimed at fau... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
My 2019 Toyota Camry experienced a progressive transmission failure that created a safety concern. The issue began with intermittent loss of shifting on cold starts, where the vehicle became stuck in 3rd gear. Engine RPM would increase but the vehicle would not accelerate normally. Shifting into Park and back into Drive would temporarily restore operation. Over time, the condition worsened and the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
My wife was going at about 10 - 15 mph coming up about 2 car lengths to a small curve in a residential area when all of a sudden she heard a pop or snap and the Rav4 went to a super high speed by itself. The acceleration could not be stopped even though she had her feet on the brakes. She had both hands on the steering wheel to avoid hitting a house and ended up going through a wall in the yard.... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
No warning lights or symptoms prior to issue. Driving on the highway and vehicle suddenly started revving like it was in neutral, failing to accelerate, then died on the side of the highway.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Bad transmission shifting at 80k miles. Apearently is a known problems. There has been a few times it shifted so hard that my neck hurts the rest of the day also take a minute to accelerate sometimes leaving in in front of oncoming traffic. No codes or anything, I’ve been told that it’s normal
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Park to shift keeps popping up on dash while driving. Vehicle will not recognise when in park at times to allow vehicle to be shut off properly. The stability track warning pops up on dash now as well. The check emits comes on with codes for all going back to transmission control module system and when replaced spark plugs we found that the PCV (cam cvr to turbo) tube was cracked all the way throu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
7/30/2025 The vehicle experienced a confirmed TOTAL loss of function to include steering, restraint, and braking functionality at approximately 60 to 65 miles per hour. This catastrophic failure placed myself and and others at severe risk. Although Tesla’s service notes confirm the event occurred, no corrective repair was performed. The vehicle was completely inoperative with a matter of seconds... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
Transmission would downshift unexpectedly causing me to brake and panic, the tool icon will come on dash, speedometer stops working and backup camaras failed, transmission locked up on highway and caused driveshaft to lock back tires. All around dangerous situation
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The auto stop/start feature caused my vehicle to stall in the middle of the road. I had stopped at an intersection and just as the engine shut off, traffic cleared and I went to accelerate, and the engine shut off completely. I had to shift to Park to start the engine.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
There is a severe throttle lag that is random. It has caused near collisions due to the response time. The truck will also randomly jerk forward. I reported it to dealer and they said it was normal and to drive the truck in sport mode. This not a solution and will cause an accident if not resolved soon
DOONA
CAR SEAT/ STROLLER
(9999) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 19, 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: Dec 4, 2025
My transmission is slipping jerking sometimes won't go in gear I have it at the Ford dealership now. It's a 10 speed and it should be in the recall like all the others. It's doing the exact same thing
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Torque converter coming apart inside housing. Metal making its way into the transmission at about 87,000 miles. Dealership inspection was concluded and transmission replacement was recommended. No lights or messages due to problem. This issue results in shuddering and poor shifting along with potential transmission failure while driving, making it extremely unsafe.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
Brought vehicle in with check engine light on and vehicle codes P0741 and P1744 appeared. Torque converter needs to be replaced along with transmission.
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2020) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Jun 3, 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: Nov 1, 2025
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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while parking, the transmission was shifted into park(P), but the vehicle continue... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle experienced a loss of power and decelerated. The vehicle was driven to a nearby service station. After restarting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was later towed to the local me... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The automatic transmission has failed. The vehicle exhibits slipping, hard or delayed shifting, intermittent loss of drive, and most critically, the car completely shut off while I was driving on the highway, creating an immediate risk of a serious accident. Hard shifting and gear slipping began approximately 11/04/2025. The transmission warning light hasn't even come on. Sudden hesitation during... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
This is a 2020 Malibu with only 18,000 miles on it now. We are having intermittent loss of power. Car will be moving fine when suddenly it looses power when pulling into traffic from a stop. It has also happened on the highway(right after leaving the dealer service department) when going to pass a vehicle…all of a sudden power drops and rpms go up and car slows up. When it suddenly happens, pul... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
4wd service light came on. The code was c14a7-97. A well known PTU problem. There was a previous recall for the same problem. It can be a dangerous situation if it completely fails while driving. Also a very expensive repair bill. My 2020 Jeep Cherokee only has 72k miles and a has a major known failure already.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Dec of 2022 I took my truck into the dealer (under warranty) because I felt the transmission would slip when trying to get it into gear while cold. They said they could not replicate it. The slipping and clunking into gear persisted when you started it in cold weather only. Last weekend (Dec 2025) in a snow storm in rural Michigan we put it into four wheel drive. It kept slipping and clunking ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while on a construction site at work, the vehicle drove over a piece of rebar which damaged the front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that after the issue the rearview camera failed to operate as needed with a blank or distorted image on the screen. The failure persisted and the traction control, check engine, and other various w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
Reporting a failure of the engine cooling system on my 2019 BMW X3 that developed over time despite repeated repair attempts and ultimately resulted in complete engine failure. Over the past year, the vehicle has experienced ongoing coolant loss and overheating warnings despite multiple coolant-related repairs. When the problem continued, I brought the vehicle to a BMW dealership, where the servic... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram ProMaster 2500. The contact stated that the same day that the vehicle was purchased, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after shifting to park(P) and the parking brake was engaged, the vehicle rolled backwards. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with an unknown sensor failure. The sensor and the brakes were re... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
The powertrain/transmission is not receiving the signal from the engine to accelerate. It can be inspected. The vehicle is slow to accelerate or will not accelerate at all, causing lurching motions and slow movement of the vehicle. This can cause my vehicle to rapidly accelerate or me to slowly decelerate, causing me to possibly run into others or be hit by others. No one has reproduced or assesse... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the engine revved, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was turned off; however, wh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
10r80 transmission failure at 67,000 miles. My wife drove the vehicle with our 6 month old daughter in her carseat. The vehicle would not shift out of 3rd gear while getting onto the highway. Two days later, I was driving and it would not shift out of first gear. Extremely dangerous and will (not if) lead to injuries and death. Dealership confirmed the entire transmission will need to be replaced
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
While has had the transmission recall work done x 2 and was told by the mechanics that to recync “drive it like you stole it” when you can prior to the last recall fix in Feb and just had the cpv recall replacement done in February it was not driven a lot and I am in my late 60’s so I do not drive it like a teenager. During that recall repair they said I needed to replace the engine bolts ( ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
Ford F150 10 speed transmission failure. Trying to cross intersection and transmission failed. I avoided an accident. Transmission had to be replaced at dealership. No warning lights or messages. Vehicle worked perfect until time of failure.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2025
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) has failed for the SECOND TIME in this vehicles history. This problem disables the four wheel drive feature of the vehicle, causing a dashboard warning light to illuminate, and may lead to other serious drivetrain safety issues. According to the dealer service technician, the splines on the unit are wearing out and causing disengagement of the rear drive wheels. Thi... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal while driving uphill or making a left or right turn, the tires were skipping, and there was a clicking and whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a friend test-drove the vehicle and informed that the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train). While driving approximately 50-65 MPH, the rear axle bolt fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the parts were replaced with the original defective part on the rear axle hub assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The d... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
Power Transfer Unit needs to be replaced. I took vehicle to repair shop for noise in left front tire. They informed me that the unit needs to be replaced. They checked for recall will a Chrysler Dealer. The recall does not apply to this vehicle. I purchased this vehicle new from a Chrysler Dealer in CT. The repair shop informed me that the PTU unit in my car is a used one from a Junkyard, the sai... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that soon after the engine was replaced by the dealer under warranty, the vehicle started to hesitate and jerk while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure worsened, and the contact initially called the dealer and was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact had the vehicle towed t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Vehicle shudders while accelerating and a constant speed from 1000-3000 rpm. Vehicle will shudder/shake for hundreds of miles at highway speed. Vehicle shakes violently going up steep grade. Vehicle shake is so consistently random it makes passengers ill. Warranty claim denied by GM after issue was recognized by technician.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2025
Transmission whines in low gear.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
I bring my car for a recall notice on the 11/28/25 , and on Saturday 11/29/25 my car lost power he couldn't go faster than 45 mph. and the engine light on and 3 other lights was on to, I bring my car back to the dealer and they told me it was the oil cooler thermostat and bled system they charged me 1203.20 for the fix. and they keep my car for 3 days. finally , they returned the car to me on 12/2... Read more