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: Nov 1, 2025
“Shift to Park” message came on the dashboard. Car would not change gear or go into reverse or drive. Basically stuck in Park position. Car kept peeping sound nonstop for over 20 minutes. And it drained the battery. Car would not drive. Had to have it towed to the dealership I brought it from 45 miles away. I had to pay $656.72 at dealership to get it fixed. The dealership removed and r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Hesitation from vehicle when pressing gas coming from a rolling stop. Late response from vehicle which may increase risk of crash or injury when vehicle does not move.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
Throttle lags/hesitates at times when accelerating from a stop.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that on the same day that the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle experienced a failure. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to immediately start-up. The dealer, Flori Auto Sales LLC, was contacted, and the dealer towed the vehicle to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with starter failure. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
While driving the vehicles went into limp mode with a transmission issue. Vehicle was towed to the dealership where I was informed the transmission body valve has failed. Vehicle has been out of service for 3 week so far, still not fixed.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
My 2019 Ford Edge was having engine problems. I was experiencing shuttering at speeds 20-40 mph. My vehicle odometer is at about 104,000 miles. I took the vehicle into Kendall Ford of Marysville, in Marysville Washington. I requested a diagnostic to determine what was causing the shuttering. I offered a Technical Service Bulletin be performed, as it was a bulletin I found when googling the issues ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
This complaint is specifically about the transmission. The problem has been fixed, sort of, through Ford’s extended warranty. However, I think it’s still worthy of a complaint. My transmission was slipping out of and slamming into 4th and 8th gear. Turns out there is a TSB related to the issue. After multiple trips to the dealership, I finally received a completely rebuilt transmission. All ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
While driving, the vehicle experienced a serious steering malfunction. The right front wheel does not respond properly to steering input, while the left wheel responds normally, resulting in uneven steering and loss of directional control. The issue occurred without warning and created an immediate safety risk, especially during turns and lane changes. The vehicle became difficult to control and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
Previous issues with the 10r80 transmission with is holding onto 4th gear too long then dropping hard into 6th gear. Vehicle also slams into reverse from park or driv when cold. Reported to dealership at 20k miles, but they only did a computer reset before. This was before the CDF Drum issue TSB. Ford now refuses to acknowledge the issue and inspect it post warranty despite a history of the issue... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Transmission Failure Communication warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the diagnosis was not available. Fault code: P1894 was retrieved. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the same local dealer and another l... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
While decelerating from approximately 80 mph to 65 mph under very light throttle, the transmission in my vehicle unexpectedly shifted into 1st gear for a brief moment at highway speed, without any driver command. This caused a sudden and severe deceleration event and created a loss-of-control safety risk, especially in traffic. The transmission immediately corrected itself, however after the even... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
“My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4 has been experiencing severe oil consumption issues for a long time. I previously completed a combustion chamber cleaning service as recommended, but the problem continued. On November 10, the Hyundai dealership confirmed the engine oil was low and topped it off. On December 10, the oil was completely empty again with no warning lights. The dealer has document... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light, the wrench warning light, and the air bag warning light illuminated. In addition, the speedometer failed to function as intended. The speedometer indicated 0 MPH while driving. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. After the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and sputtered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where DTC: P17F1 (Internal CVT failure was retrieved). The contact was informed that the CVT transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
This is one of the cars that does not fail under the PTU recall. It currently has the exact issue as the recall but my vin is not in the recall. They performed the reprogramming which has not fix the issue. This and others should be included in the current recall due to the exact same issue and model year. This was bought because it’s 4wd and this is now not useable while others are having them ... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
Brought vehicle in for Recall-SC340 Theta II 2.4L GDI ECM S/W Upgrade. After service was performed I took my vehicle back home and noticed that my down shifting was different, jolty and clunky. Prior to the upgrade my vehicle shifted flawlessly. Took my vehicle back in to have them check it out and they told me that they couldn't feel it and that the upgrade wouldn't cause that. Called Kia Corpora... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: May 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to second or third gear. The contact stated that the vehicle felt like the brake pedal was depressed, and the engine revved to over 5,000 RPMs. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle shuddered, and felt like the vehi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
IT APPEARS AS IF THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IN THIS VEHICLE. WHEN YOU COME TO A STOP THE TRANSMISSION HAS A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM LEFT SIDE OF VEHICLE. THE CLUNKING OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTS. IT CLUNKS FROM D4 TO D3, THEN D3 TO D2 , AND AGAIN AT D2 TO D1. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THE SERVICE MGR WENY FOR S TEST DRIVE WITH ME ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal while at complete stop at a red traffic light or while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the transmission software was reset; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle would shift roughly and would hesitate before accelerating. The failure would occur at various speeds. There were no warning lights. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at 40 MPH, and the vehicle stalled. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed. A m... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
Component malfunctioned: Power Transfer Unit (PTU); Safety risk: failure risks loss of drive power of the vehicle, putting driver and surrounding individuals at risk; Problem reproduced: Yes - dealer; Component inspected: Yes - dealer; Messages: Yes - SVC 4WD. Upon purchasing the vehicle, I was informed that the PTU fluid is not meant to be changed - that it is meant to be "lifetime". However, at... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
was crossing an intersection when the truck suddenly and without warning stopped (engine). Unable to shift the truck into neutral in order to move the truck out of the flow of traffic. This is because the truck has the electronic shifter which requires the truck to be running in order to shift. There is not a manual override. So basically the truck was in the middle of an intersection with cars an... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
When I attempted to turn left onto the highway from a complete stop on an incline, I pressed the accelerator and the car made a loud grinding noise. The vehicle would not move forward or reverse. The parking brake engaged on its own and would not disengage. After exiting the vehicle, I found a loose bearing behind the car. The vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic. I was informed by the mechanic t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
I was having intermittent starting issues. After a starter recall was done, things got worse. Idrive will not turn off and car wont start draining battery. Battery was replaced and car still having idrive and start issues. It would not start after being hot. I was told extended warranty is not covered and that the center console was the problem after diagnostic. They want approximately $3000 to re... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
Transmission shifting issues. Will shift out of gear or delay shifting several seconds and sometimes limited power. The 1080r 10 speed transmission has a know design flaw that was finally fixed in 2023. My 2019 is now having the issue and is $8000 to fix for a bushing that moves out of place
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
At the time an oil change is needed, there is a warning light that says "low oil pressure and low oil." There also has been a "slipping" of the engine at around 60mph. GMC dealer states it is a torque converter. I am worried that the engine will fail or stall while driving The fuel pump control module has been replaced. Motor is not covered under the current motor recall and taking vehicle to t... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2026) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
CDF drum failed, caused lurching and sporadic speeds on highway while traveling. Transmission was low on fluid from factory and was remedied - possibly led to premature wear on the transmission that ultimately failed.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
Noisy engine when starting up, told by dealership this is known problem that Ford took care of until 2023. I was told needs to be fixed for catastrophic engine failure could occur. The repair is about $5000. This is my [XXX] sons truck he bought in August, and I am concerned that it is not safe to drive. A truck should last more than 100000 miles. It also has a known transmission problem that cou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The 10R80 automatic transmission exhibits harsh/delayed shifts, gear-slipping, and occasional unintended downshifts, especially at highway speeds. More specifically, gears 3 and 5 exhibit hard shifts at lower speeds in heavy traffic, such as stop-and-go city driving. The 8th gear specifically will have issues at higher speeds on the highway when you apply more gas, and the vehicle will drop out of... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
8-speed automatic transmission failing. Noticeable whining sound that increases with acceleration, however no warning lights or messages. Metal shavings found in fluid upon inspection by independent mechanic. This is exactly in line with the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by plaintiff [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFOR... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
In October I brought my car in due to my car not correctly going into park. It almost fully gave out the time the recall started for dodge darts gear shifter, though there were times my car wouldn’t go into park and release the key months before. The shop ran codes that mentioned the ignition switch. They replaced the ignition switch hoping that’d fix the problem, but it didn’t. They brough... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
DTC P0336 crankcase position sensor A circuit range/performance code truck lost power for several seconds at 50mph in traffic almost causing a collision, then power returned causing fast acceleration almost lost control of vehicle. truck is now in limp mode. there is a recall for DTC P0336 is a known defective reluctor wheel problem on Ran eco-diesel trucks made between 2014-2018. I have a 2017 m... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 350
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Original owner of a 2021 GLE, purchased on April 21, 2021. The vehicle is currently 4 years and 6 months and 22 days old with approximately 49,000 miles. Despite meticulous adherence to all scheduled maintenance performed and no warning lights activated the vehicle suddenly shutdown and would not restart. According to MB maintenance department it suffered a catastrophic and complete engine failur... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
Vechicle shudders during acceleration. Especially between 20 - 40 mph's. Checy dealership recommended transmission flush. Problem persists after transmission flush. Torque converter replacement suggested.
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The 2019 CX-5 AWD with the 2.5L NA engine (with Cylinder Deactivation) has an engine oil leak coming from the cylinder head area. The Mazda dealer confirmed the leak source and found burnt oil on the exhaust. The component is available for inspection. The leak location and symptoms are consistent with the known porous/cracked cylinder-head defect documented in this engine family. Full confirmation... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
Transmission shifted from 10th gear to 1st gear at highway speed. Transmission was rebuilt by ford, and is again exhibiting poor/harsh shifting.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
On 3 separate occasions, while idling, the engine will sputter as if it’s about to cut off. The RPM will rise and fall and the engine will rev up and down and finally it will quiet down. Once the light is green, It is able to drive as normal. At the next light the same thing happens and the engine revs up and down sounds like it’s about to die. At a certain point the car will lose propulsion,(... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
The vehicle stalls while driving without any notice. This van has a start/stop function and it malfunctions. There are two separate batteries that control this function and both of them have been replaced. The entire steering rack and steering column have had to be replaced. The front suspension has also had to be replaced because the tires wear out very quickly. The alternator, radiator, and moto... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the transmission downshifted between first and third gear. An abnormal sound could be heard coming from the transmission. After driving a short distance, the vehicle functioned as intended. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Transmission went out dropping daughter off at school.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2010) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated with a grinding sound coming from the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while driving and while accelerating from a stop. In addition, the contact noticed fuel leaking from the front end of the vehicle... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2010) — POWER TRAIN
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
With no warning truck just started jumping in neutral after take off from red light litterly almost getting hit from behind and on coming traffic and than I let off the gas pedal than it jerks back in gear and doesn’t want to stop and wants to jerk to keep moving like transmission won’t stop pulling had to turn truck off it is something electrical in transmission I can pull fuse and it resets... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, with an abnormal sound coming from the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle functioned as intended afterwards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at 65 M... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the stabili-trak warning light was previously intermittently illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon coming to a stop, the vehicle jolted back and forth. The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D), the vehicle jerked while re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after stopping at a red traffic light, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that another driver was behind and assisted the contact, and the contact noticed that the parking brake was unintendedly activated. No warning light was illuminated. Upon further ins... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
Date of Incident: December 8, 2025 Mileage at Failure: Approx. 580 miles Vehicle Status: At Tesla Service Center since December 9, 2025 (no repairs started; status shows “Preparing”) Failure Summary While driving 40–45 mph on a busy three-lane road in California, approaching a signalized intersection, the vehicle suddenly displayed multiple red warnings, a “Reduced Speed” alert, and num... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Vehicle shurtter cause toque converter issue with all Toyota Highlander
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
I was accelerating from a stop light at green. The RMP's revved up, truck jerked, and it would not shift or accelerate. I was almost rear ended on a busy street. There was not warning light prior. The service light then came on. I pulled over, turned the truck off. I turned it back on and put it in drive. It shifted to 30 mph, jerked, and would not shift. The message on the dash states it is in li... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
When I shift my car into park and turn off the engine, an error message appears-"Shift to Park." Although the dashboard displays that the vehicle is in park, the radio and lights remain active & I am unable to turn off my car. To resolve this issue, I must restart the car and cycle through park, reverse, or neutral before attempting to shift back into park again. It often takes multiple attempts ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The automatic transmission in my 2019 Ford Edge SEL, stumbles in the middle gears as it shifts through the 8 shift points of the transmission. My car has 68,000 miles on it.