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: Feb 11, 2026

Transmission shifting issues even with regular fluid changes. Struggles to find gear and occasional slip especially when its colder outside. Seems to be a widespread issue that needs to be addressed.

Incident date: Feb 10, 2026

During a red-light, as I was coming to a stop, the vehicle gave the warning saying “service power-steering now” and “traction control off.” I was unable to turn the steering wheel much due to it being so heavy. My official complaint: Vehicle: 2011 Ford Escape XLT Safety Recall: NHTSA Campaign Number 14V284000 (Ford Recall 14S05) Issue: Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist (EPS) / Stee... Read more

Incident date: Dec 27, 2025

ICCU needs to be replaced.

Incident date: May 21, 2025

There is a hard jerk that happens when moving from a dead stop and then it will shift into gear. Its been reproduced by a maintenance shop. They stated it was the transmission. It has not been inspected by a manufacturer. There was no warning lamps which causes a high risk of safety, including a possibility of accident while on the road.

Incident date: Feb 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2009 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there were two open recalls on the VIN, NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V038000 (Power Train) and 17V821000 (Power Train). The contact scheduled an appointment with a dealer, and the vehicle was repaired under the recall. Upon picking the vehicle and exiting the parking lot, the contact heard an ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 8, 2025

Gear shifter gets stuck. Car jerks back when trying to speed up

Incident date: Feb 4, 2026

The cars engine vibrates when accelerating and hesitates. It is always dangerous to stall after hitting the gas. This issue causes many near accidents. It began to vibrate at less than 70k. It has 90k now. These engines have had issues and mine is no exception. They should recall this engine as it's dangerous. top of the line and poop.

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The bolt related to this recall inevitably broke on 11/23/25 at 43,842 miles. Ford of Upland took my truck and provided me with a loaner vehicle for about a month and a half, until demanding that I return the loaner vehicle. I had no choice but to take my truck back as I do not have a second vehicle, and they didn’t offer me a solution. At the time of writing this, I have put ~800 miles on the t... Read more

Incident date: Jan 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the ABS, traction control, and parking brake warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the brake pedal seized, and the transmission was shifting roughly. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with ABS module failure. The dealer was notified of the failure; howeve... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 2025

On January 29, 2026, at approximately 4:00 PM, the vehicle experienced unintended movement while in PARK and powered off. The vehicle had been placed in Park, the engine was turned off, and the driver exited. Shortly afterward, the vehicle rolled unexpectedly while unattended. The vehicle remained parked and was not driven due to safety concerns. Wheel blocks were placed behind the tires until th... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2025

My car totally stopped on me due to one of the 8 recalls I have undone related to my car. My insurance company verified that the recalls were open related to my car. I verified it to make sure by vin number at NHTSA.gov. up until today 2/13/2026 as I spoked with a representative at NHTSA my 8 recalls went from 8 to 0 recalls all of a sudden. I'm pretty sure the young lady went updated they websit... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

Will pulling camper, truck lurched with hard shift at around 35mph and caused a sudden slow down in traffic. Truck then went into limp mode with engine light illuminated. Pulled over to turn vehicle off and restart. Attempted to gain speed again and similar lurch with hard shift at around 35-40mph. Vehicle again in reduced power mode. Was able to ease truck to dealer where code reader showed ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 23, 2025

Vehicle shutting down while driving (3 incidents) Diagnostic codes P0A3F21, P1CAD49, P0A3F1F, and P1C5D19 Multiple failed repair attempts Toyota's refusal to address safety defect

Incident date: Feb 13, 2026

Vehicle did not go into park when the ignition was turned off. Car started to roll while passenger was getting out of the vehicle as another vehicle was parking beside us. The other vehicle could not avoid our rolling vehicle. Passenger had to quickly sit down to avoid being hit. The next day the vehicle was taken to the dealership, and they could not find anything wrong. They gave us a copy of bu... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 11, 2026

When driving, the truck will down shift or won’t to shift up at all. After turning the vehicle off, it seems to resolve itself after you turn it back on. Unless the orange light to indicate gear won’t appear. Then vehicle won’t start when the gear can’t be indicated, leaving myself or family members stranded. It refuses to start in neutral as well. I took the vehicle to Car x. I have no ch... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

HVAC system which provides cooling/heating for all the systems including the powertrain, battery, inverters, Full-Self Driving computer malfunctions randomly shutting itself off due to a known issue of failing pressure and temperature sensors. Tesla is aware of this issue where the sensors may fail prematurely and in 2021 they issued a service bulletin SB-21-18-002. I was told It would be fixed wi... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, there was an abnormal, repetitive thud sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the wheel bearings were replaced; however, after the repair, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, where a diagn... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions, while stopped, while the accelerator was depressed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact was almost rear-ended several times when the failure occurred. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle idled for longer than five minutes, the vehicle also hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was take... Read more

Incident date: Dec 17, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted into neutral(N) unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle after the failu... Read more

Incident date: Feb 6, 2026

A failure of the ICCU resulted in a maximum speed of about 25 mph and eventually a total loss of power.

Incident date: Aug 15, 2017

A failing alternator caused me to take my kia into a mechanic for OEM replacement. The mechanic informed me that the engine rattles. I got to talking with the mechanic and told him that my car has been experiencing high oil consumption with no 'low oil' warning light on the dash and ive checked my oil periodically between changes and have found the dip stick bone dry multiple times. A year later, ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 3, 2025

Slipping Gears: Many Yukon Denali owners report experiencing unexpected gear changes or loss of power while driving. Hard Shifting: This problem manifests as harsh or abrupt gear changes, often accompanied by noticeable jolts when shifting from one gear to another. Unusual Noises: Grinding, whining, or clunking sounds when shifting There has been a class action lawsuit for this. I'm not sure... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the ignition switch failed to turn over, and the catalytic converter failed and was replaced. T... Read more

Incident date: Jan 7, 2026

At only about 6,100 miles and during my vehicle’s first service, the technician found grease leaking from the left front CV boot. The dealer stated this was caused by an external puncture, but they were unable to provide clear evidence, detailed photos, or a written diagnosis proving that the damage was external. The mark they referenced was extremely small and not consistent with a clear impact... Read more

Incident date: Feb 9, 2026

The vehicle has experienced repeated incidents of sudden reduced engine power and loss of acceleration while driving. On multiple occasions, while traveling at highway speeds, the vehicle failed to respond normally to throttle input and would not accelerate as commanded and loss of power steering making it difficult to turn the steering wheel and apply brakes. One incident resulted in throwing my ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jan 2, 2024

Vehicle: 2025 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Mileage at first failure: ~6,000 miles Component: Front CV boot / axle assembly — loss of grease Safety Concern: Early-life component failure with unresolved uncertainty in root cause Description: At approximately 6,000 miles, the left front CV boot of my vehicle was found leaking grease. The dealership initially stated the failure was due to “external impact,... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle has not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the recall status. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2025

Went to Greenwood and dealer said you need that recalled PTU. Said, “ it is unsafe to drive Jeep with bad PTU and is leaking transmission fluid! Had to park it and bought different car! Still have and transmission is not smooth or sealed! This is a very long not solved jeep issue. Send me or my dealer the recalled PTU part already! Rediculous bad stellaris MOPAR company. Am very very angry. Spee... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2025

After 68C recall has been performed and "passed" the car will lose acceleration and power when trying to go up a hill. Will not accelerate when in electric mode.

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to slow down to approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact believed that the sound was caused by ice buildup on the mud flap, but shortly afterwards, the engine revved unexpectedly, with the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message “Red... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

I took my car to the dealer for the recalls. They are basically only putting a band aid on the issue. They are telling me they did both recalls but it didn't fix the issue. Klaben in Kent Ohio. They basically did just a flash on it but that didn't fix the issue (LOSS OF CRANKSHAFT POSITION). Everything I read said the reluctor wheel needs replaced and they are telling me the vehicle is too old an... Read more

Incident date: Jan 9, 2026

2021 toyota highlander AWD limited - Car started making a whirling (whirring, whining) noise upon acceleration. It ramps up as accelerating. There are no warning lights showing. It stops when you take foot off of gas. Problem had been confirmed by 2 toyota dealers as needing a new transmission. One said it was in last gear, the other simply said noise was coming from the transmission and based on ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 9, 2026

Transmission shift cable failure occurred on our 2016 Doge Dart. The vehicle was stuck in Drive and we were unable to shift the transmission to Park or Neutral, or to completely turn off or start the vehicle. I had to disconnect a battery to shut off the vehicle. This is part of an unrepaired Manufacturer recall A0C. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for repair; however, the dealer is refusi... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 2025

Vehicle "shakes and vibrates" when accelerating along with odd clicking noises when turning. The sunroof also leaks during car washes.

Incident date: Jan 20, 2026

The above vechile was taken to a Ford dealership when the trouble started with the transmission. Understanding the problem was and still related to the transmission, with the recall for reason for the recall. They took it in and "fixed" said problem. Now some 3 yrs later I still have the problems. They said they reprogrammed the computer on the transmission which they said was the problem. Which t... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

When the truck is put into reverse especially when cold the transmission does not initially go into gear. When it finally does the vehicle lurches rearward violently and I have to slam on the brakes to not hit anything. The transmission was just "bench" rebuilt under the Ford powertrain warranty supposedly with a CDF drum and valve body replacement along with software updates including adaptive re... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

Transmission jerking and has become unsafe to drive. Will have to go back to the dealership for this issue. This will be the third time 4 same issue.

Incident date: Feb 9, 2026

While driving my 2022 Tesla Model X at highway speed, I experienced a sudden loss of steering assist shortly after Supercharging. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn, and I had to use significant force to maintain control. The vehicle displayed a ‘Steering Assist Reduced’ alert, FSD became unavailable, and the suspension behaved unexpectedly. After the incident, the vehicle w... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

Vehicle transmission failed at 60k miles and again at 146k miles. Had to pay around $4000 each time the transmission broke. This is a nightmare and these vehicles have constant transmission problems that are expensive and cause heartache. I have spent so much money on towing, dealership diagnostics, and drain and fills/flushes for the transmission to keep the fluid clean. The fluid gets dark and d... Read more

Incident date: Dec 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with premature wear in the transmission, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 11, 2026

Radiator hose failed in under 1.5 Years on 2024 Chevy Colorado. Parts are back ordered for months, this is clearly a manufacture defect that could lead to overheating the engine and engine damage and failure

Incident date: Mar 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and failed to respond immediately. The contact stated that several seconds later, the vehicle operated as intended. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that th... Read more

Incident date: Dec 11, 2025

I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring transmission issue in my vehicle. The transmission consistently jerks and shifts erratically, particularly in the morning during initial operation when at cruising speeds of about 50-75 mph. This behavior occurs when the transmission temperature is below approximately 100°F and happens on a daily basis. The gear changes feel harsh and abrupt, ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 8, 2026

The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of motive power and became inoperable due to failure of the high-pressure fuel system. This VIN is subject to an active safety recall (NHTSA 24V957 / Ford 24S78) addressing high-pressure fuel pump failure that can result in loss of motive power while driving. Prior to failure, the vehicle exhibited reduced engine performance and drivability issues consistent ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2022

A victim of the fault cvt transmissions. Known and recorded faulty transmissions but into these models and these year Toyotas. Dealership wants $12000 to change whole trans with no support.

Incident date: Jan 14, 2026

I keep loosing power and get the message "Engine Power Reduced" and the car stops while driving down the road, sometimes it just stutters and won't maintain speed without the warning. I've had 2 shops check it out and can't find anything wrong. This vehicle has had all required maintenance done by the dealer since it was new.

Incident date: Nov 11, 2024

Transmission failure after 145k miles; confirmed by 3 independent service centers. ICS Malfunction appeared two days prior to car being sent to mechanic shop

Incident date: Nov 11, 2024

1. The vehicle's transmission does not operate consistently and safely. 2. At times, the transmission will not engage, and this has placed my family in very dangerous situations when changing lanes. 3. At red lights, at times, the transmission will not engage to drive. 4. When slowing in traffic at times , the transmission will not adjust to the slower speed, although the operator is applying th... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Jan 30, 2026

When driving you could smell fumes, it would jerk, and kick in and out of gear and would have no heat. Coolant was always low with no visible leaks to the mechanic.

Incident date: Feb 7, 2026

HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE ----- 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid (blue trim) The instrument panel showed Hybrid System Failure, and the ENGINE DIED on the freeway at 70 mph. Luckily, I was able to pull to the right shoulder on a busy freeway. I tried restarting the car, but the instrument panel turned off after one second for the first two tries, and then nothing would turn on. I had it towed to Lithi... Read more

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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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