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
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 15, 2025
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the contact stated that a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the message “AWD Unavailable” was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the power transfer unit (PTU) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact rel... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
I am trying to file a complaint about no parts for recalls. I have had three recalls on this vehicle and none of them has been rectified due to no parts available. I'm trying to find out why we cannot get parts to fix the transmission bell housing or the brake hoses on these recall notices? I also have a recall for the rear camera. I'm not sure if these recalls are just for my information, or if... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
In June 2024, my 2014 Kia Soul (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced a sudden engine failure without warning. I was driving on a busy road when the engine began sputtering and quickly stalled. The vehicle became inoperable and had to be towed. I had it inspected at a Kia dealership, who diagnosed the issue as complete engine failure but have not provided me with a full diagnostic report despite multiple reque... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I turned into a restaurant’s parking lot, found a spot and slowly drove into the lot, I eased off the gas pedal and gently applying the brake as the lot has a slight downward slope. When I reach the chunk (the parking block), I added more force to the brake, but I felt the brake pedal just sank, and the car lurched ahead, jumped over the chunk, and stopped at the curb which startled me. After I ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. While the vehicle was still on ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
After an OTA update, while driving, the vehicle abruptly stopped working and I was forced to pull over. The check engine light went on and a message requesting service to the electric charging module was shown. After cycling power a few times the car worked again. This happened again on the way home. The manufacturer JeepCares account advised that the car needs to be towed to a dealer immediately.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
No warner went out to head to work. Car moved very rough. Stopped parked car. Had car towed to a mechanic to be told Transmission was shot. 102,000 miles
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Transmission is failing at 101,000 miles. Toyota will do nothing, they quoted me at $10,600 to replace it. This is an ongoing issue with all the CHR’s and as of September 25th they have extended the warranties in Canada due to all the transmission failures. On the APA website for Canada they are reporting that they have a defective bearing inside the transmission that fails over time. The APA al... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
At 70K automatic transmission stated to cause jerking motions while in lower speeds when starting to drive from lower speeds. Took car to dealership and i need a new transmission. I have read on Bronco Forum from other Bronco Sport BADLANDS edition, that their transmission has failed too at various mileage, ranging from 30K-66K. Of course this is dangerous if there is a complete failure of tran... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
While driving the vehicle under normal conditions the transmission will shift itself into 'Neutral'. The unloaded engine will rev-up and the vehicle speed will decrease. 'Drive' must be re-selected on the shifter to resume driving normally. This has occurred a few times in various climates and engine temperatures(cold vs. warmed-up). Primarily taking place at speeds below 40mph. On one occasi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
On [XXX] I was driving out of state on the highway and abruptly I received an engine warning on my dashboard, my car immediately went into "limp" mode. Pulled over on the highway as car was now un operable. The car received 2 diagnostic tests via the closest mechanic on 10/6 which stated my engine has gone. The car than was towed to Victory Nissan of Mechanicsville who completed the second diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
At 67,000 miles the transmission was lurching when shifting in 4th gear. Took it to Honda dealership who found code p0736 stored in TCM. Transmission fluid flushed January 2024 by same dealer. No warning lights ever appeared. Body shop said this requires a new transmission at $10k+
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at speeds between 30 and 50 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started wobbling and vibrating severely. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front half shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
MY STARTER MOTOR OVERHEATED AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND MY CAR INDICATED THE FLUIDS AND COMPONENTS WERE OVERHEATED - MY DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM WITH A VIDEO THEY SENT ME. IF I WAS STILL DRIVING THE CAR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME MY DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND IN THE VEHICLE. i CALLED MY SERVICE REP AND THE DEALERSHIP IS LOOKING INTO IT AS MY VIN DOES NOT HAVE THE RECALL. NO... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
My 2016 Kia Sorento SX AWD shows a noticeable delay in the powertrain when shifting from Park into first gear. The car hesitates before moving, which affects drivability and feels like a transmission lag. I consider this a safety issue because the delay could cause the car to stall unexpectedly. I’m especially worried about driving with my children or merging onto highways, where a stall or hesi... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 15, 2025
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
10R80 transmission in the 2019 Ford F-150 is defective and dangerous. Hard/delayed shifting and shuddering causes vehicle to speed up, slow down and jerk unexpectedly while shifting gears.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
After an update on the vehicle it shut off while driving, I had no control of the steering. All the lights on the dash came one and I had to put it in park and restart the car. Then the check engine light came on.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
My 2018 Toyota CHR started making a whining noise which I initially thought was a wheel bearing but was later confirmed to be a transmission problem. The mileage was 62, 871, but as I stated earlier it could have been earlier because I thought the initial noise was a wheel bearing. I took the Toyota CHR to the Toyota dealership on 10/14/25 at which time they determine the transmission was bad and ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
After an automatic UConnect software update on Saturday 10/11/25, my vehicle stalled out multiple times while driving. Even though it's in drive, the vehicle automatically shifted into park, the dashboard lit up, and the vehicle dead stopped in the middle of traffic. I took it to a Jeep dealership near me where they said many drivers are having the same issue. Worst than that, is that I had to ca... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
tramsmission valve body failed causing lack of porpulsion and inability to put the pickup in park while in traffic. after coasting to the nearest chevy dealer they cleared the codes so i could drive home and take it to my local chevy dealer asap. the local chevy dealer refused to inspect it until the check engine light came back. one week later the transmission violentley down shifted into 5th gea... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
While driving on the road the vehicle suddenly loses power and shuts down. The check engine light illuminates and a message saying shift to park appears on the dashboard. You have no control of speed at this point. The vehicle stops and stalls in the middle of the road. Once you shift to park you have to completely shut off the vehicle while in the middle of the road and restart the engine. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
PTU (Power Transfer Unit) failure has been diagnosed by the dealership on 10/4/2025 my make model and year fall under the existing recall but my vin is not covered. I’ve brought the issue up with the manufacturer and they’ve stated nothing can be done. I’m experiencing a "Service 4WD" warning light and occasionally loud noises, and vibrations while driving with occasional temporary loss of p... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
Engine replacement KIA had it for 8 months got it back and engine blew up again.. now they want service records on the first when it is the second motor. Trying to get away from replacing the motor.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
On 10/10/25, my 2025 Jeep received an over-the-air (OTA) software update intended for the Uconnect infotainment system. Following the update, the vehicle experienced a complete powertrain failure. It became undrivable, shut off entirely, and refused to shift out of park. This occurred without warning and posed a serious safety risk, especially had it happened while driving. The issue appears to b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Coolant intrusion from a defective engine block.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
Completed OTA update previous day. Driving the next day 1 mile into the drive the check engine light, went off, a warning on the dash said something about electrical stability system failure, showed a picture of the jeep with red electrical highlighted. The car ran very poorly, could not accelerate and the car slowed from 35 to 15. During this time the car flashed instructions to put the car in... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
!!!ALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION WITH "TRANSMISSION ISSUES"!!! I will NEVER get a Ford again! I'm updating my previous issue #11688946 I received my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport in early 2023. I noticed a shutter when accelerating from a stop, I took it to the dealership and had the 3rd fuel injector recall completed (still waiting for a remedy to the most recent #25V467). The dealership stated my vehic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
My car "lurches" when increasing speed sometimes acting like it does not want to go at all. I am constantly on edge that I am going to get rear ended or hit. Especially when my children are with me. Occasionally the brake light will light up and my car will slow down and then accelerate again. Which also makes me worry about getting hit. Both of these things have happened multiple times and we've ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Slipping and Whining transmission while driving in the Ozark mountains on [xxx]. I didn't feel I had full control of the vehicle. No warnings of any kind. Took the vehicle to Saint Charles Toyota service department on 10/2/25 where a bad transmission diagnosis was confirmed. Regards, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the CVT after identifying a transmission judder. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
Transmission fluid pump has been really loud and now slipping. Dodge had a recall on pumps from the 2015-2016 grand caravan however it seems a very widespread problem that they are not including ALL the vehicles that have the issues. My issue is exact to what the recall was for and I am not sure how my vehicle does not qualify.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
The car can't decide if it wants to use the battery or the engine. It shows zero charge even though it is full. It lurches at stop lights as it tries to decide whether to use battery or engine. It says "propulsion power reduced". "Not able to charge". "Shift to park". Check engine light is on.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission temperature message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with possible transmission failure. The contact was informed that the tr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that on one occasion, while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake was depressed and the rear wheels locked up, and the vehicle jerked extremely hard. The contact stated that when the vehicle jerked, it felt like another vehicle had crashed into the rear of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasion... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start as needed, with the "Service 4WD" warning light illuminated. The contact's son took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where a scanner was used, and DTC: C14A7-97 was retrieved for an issue related to the power transfer unit. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Car flashed “Shift to Park”, stalled in an intersection and now check engine light is on. This is related to Jeep’s ridiculous and unacceptable software issue. Despite a “fix” being allegedly issued by Jeep, this issue still happened today November 14th despite me never accepting their flawed software update. This is an ALARMING safety issue.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
6 months ago, I was driving on the interstate and the ESC system light came on, the vehicle lost power/ability to accelerate, and would only allow acceleration after pulling over and restarting the car. This happened several more times on the interstate, and when the ESC system kicked in it would suddenly lurch the car down about 15 mph and leave no ability to accelerate, causing near collisions a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
The transmission is experiencing harsh and sometimes delayed shifting and sometimes reduction of power. This can result in unpredictability when going from a stop and then crossing traffic. If the transmission fails while I am making an unprotected left turn it pups leave me vulnerable to side impact from on coming traffic. The dealer was able to reproduce the issue when I took it in and quoted me... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
My vehicle is a 2022 Polestar 2. For model years 2025 and below within the State of California, Polestar does NOT include the drive shafts (from electric motors to the wheels) as part of their 100K drive train warranty. And for model years 2026 on-wards within the State of California, Polestar will include the drive shafts (from electric motors to the wheels) as part of their 100K drive train wa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V446000 (Power Train) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer previously completed the recall remedy. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was sent confirmation of the VIN being clear of recalls. In addition, the contact stated that the VINTool ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly hesitated before shifting hard into gear. The contact stated that after the failure, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
My 2025 Ford Explorer ST-Line is up to date on recalls as of October 7, 2025. However, I am still experiencing engine "shudder" and hesitation at low RPMs (between idle and 1500 RPM) when accelerating. The 10 speed transmission is also continuing to shift harshly at times. I am very concerned that the hesitation and shudder could be an issue when pulling out into traffic. By comparison, my pre... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia K5. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 15-20 MPH, the engine revved and the gears in the transmission unexpectedly failed. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. D... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
DTC CODE P1098 PRESENT RELATED TO FAULTY COOLANT CONTROL VALVE ON 3.0 DURAMAX DIESEL ENGIINE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS ENGINE AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED UNDER THE 100K MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. PREVIOUSLY TOOK VEHICLE INTO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR INVOLVING REPLACEMENT OF THE COOLANT CONTROL VALVE BUT WAS TOLD REPROGRAMMING OF THE ECM WAS REQUIRED FIRST STEP PER GM REPAIR BULLETIN. REPR... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The transmission in our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has had issues with slipping, or not engaging as well as violent, hard gear shifts for at least the last 40K miles. We have taken it to the dealership several times, but the dealership said they drove the van and could not replicate the issues. It is important to note that the issues are intermittent and there is no obvious reason why it happens somet... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The jeep die while I was driving on CR530. Check engine light came on and stuff flashed I quickly pulled over rto the shoulder. After ten minutes I was able to drive it into a dunkin donut shop but it turned off three times risking my life each time. I had my hazard lights on but people dont care. Called dealership and waited for the jeep to be towed
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2016) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle returned to normal operation. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the output sh... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2015) — POWER TRAIN
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Vehicle lost complete power while driving almost causing an accident.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
There is an odd engine 'rattling', 'guzzling', 'slurping', type noise coming from the engine and the engine has begun to idle very rough even after fresh oil change. This is directly the issue cited from Nissan as recall with no current solution - which is unacceptable. We are not interested in waiting until the car malfunctions worse and in a dangerous way in order to get this recall addressed.