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.
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
Showing 137,132 complaints - component: POWER TRAIN
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
In March 2025, my 2022 Kia Soul developed a check engine light and drivability problems that progressed to rough idle, loss of power, reduced power with limited speed and an unresponsive throttle, and stalling after continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealership, and the dealer performed a major timing related repair (camshaft and related timing/CVVT components) under on 03/07/2025. I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
10R80 TRANSMISSION CDF DRUM FAILURE HARD SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS, SPORADIC GEAR CHANGING FROM 10TH TO 1ST GEAR. CAUSING TRUCK JERK LOOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING PUTTING DRIVER AND PASSENGER AT RISK. WENT TO A FORD DEAL FOR ASSEMANT AND CONFIRM THAT CDF DRUM BUSHING HAS SLIPPED AND OTHER ISSUE INTERNAL COMPONENTS FAILURE. NO ENGINE LIGHT SHOWING FROM ISSUE BUT THIS ISSUE STARTED IN 12/2025. FORD HAS KNOWN ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
Vehicle went into limp mode three times while driving on the highway, forcing us to pull over to the shoulder. Luckily there was a safe place to pull over but created a major safety concern. It triggered code P0A43-00. The dealer initially couldn't recreate the code on 12/18/25 at which point they cleared the code and returned the car to us. It happened again on 12/30/25 at which point the dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
Transmission jumped out of gear when I turned the corner. 2nd Ford edge I own that has done this. 1st car sitting in driveway waiting to get fixed.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Transmission has a shudder when shifting from first to second gear. The transmission exhibits a noticeable shudder during the transition from first to second gear, indicating potential issues that may need to be addressed. This shudder can affect the overall driving experience and should be inspected to ensure smooth and efficient gear shifts.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - It was ultimately diagnosed as an ICCU failure. The part is no longer in my possession. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Occurred on public street, fortunately a slow moving 25MPH speed limit several blocks from my workplace. I was able to limp the vehicle to a nearby park... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
This 2018 Honda Pilot has been taken to mechanic after a number of check engine and other dash lights came on while trying to accelerate to merge with freeway traffic. Mechanic pulled a P0369 code and I paid for replacement of the cam shaft sensor. Problems continued shortly after work and mechanic conducted further inspections and determined the sensor had been worn by a walking camshaft. Ther... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
Since purchasing this truck in 2023, the engine or transmission has exhibited a severe throttle lag/hesitation when cold—a 2–4 second delay in acceleration from a stop after pressing the gas pedal, followed by a sudden lurch, which creates a safety hazard when merging into traffic. No warning lights, error messages, or other fault indicators appear. The dealer has been unable to reproduce the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The gas pedal has no response when coming to a stop and pushing on the gas pedal. Multiple times I come to a stop, push the gas, no response, 1-3 seconds later; the vehicle jerks forward. On occasion it has nearly lead to an accident and I do not feel safe in my vehicle.
Incident date: May 14, 2025
Since 2020 the transmission does not shift properly from second to third gear. The power drops and the car shutters and makes noise like gear teeth are missing. This does not happen every time though. Sometimes multiple days will pass before the problem arises again. There have been a couple of times where I barely avoided a wreck because of the drop in power and underperformance of the transmissi... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Many times while pushing the gas pedal the truck lags and wont move and I have almost been hit by another vehichle trying to enter traffic. This happens when the engine is warm and has been running for some time. A couple of times the truck has done this and I have had to hit the gas pedal to the point of mushing it all the way to floor and the truck finally responds and then takes off out of con... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
Cvt transmission fails for no reason on a new car could be very dangerous for us and other on the road i think toyota should be responsible and resolve this issue
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
To my understand, the ICCU keeps shutting down and is causing issues with my car? This is apparently a huge issue with a bunch of Hyundai's from 2022.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
While at a stop with foot on brake, the vehicle surges forward powerfully making a loud noise despite having foot on brake. Forcefully pushing on brake pedal harder eventually stops the car. Most recent time the display screen showed "Transmission Deactivated". Dealership drove car once but did not perform service inspection. Dealership to pick up/tow vehicle for service inspection. This happ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V813000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), but the failure worsened. The contact stated that after the vehicle was retrieved from the dealer, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, a week after the vehicle was repaired, the traction control warning light, the check en... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The vehicle has a transmission (powertrain) malfunction that first appeared in July 2025, a few weeks after I purchased the vehicle and after the warranty had expired. At the time the issue began, the vehicle had well under 80,000 miles. The transmission slips, fails to properly engage, and cannot provide sufficient power, particularly when accelerating or driving uphill. The vehicle struggles to... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2012) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
I was driving on the highway and I heard a loud bang , with grinding and a jerk i assumed the rear axel or differential something in the rear area along with smoke and I was able to swerve to the side of the highway along the grass and jump out with my kids multiple cars where behind me but I turned on my emergency lights & got out just in time before causing a accident , this is all tied to a rec... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The transmission is shaky, Lower gears the truck seems to fight it way into the next gear, I feel this is happening around 3 to 5 gears. One garage told me the power converter was failing. I changed the transmission fluid and filter and it got better, but sill, this is an expensive truck. This is power train, this should be covered to 100,000 miles.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Oil filter housing assembly- Resulted in very low engine oil with no warning lights or engine lights potentially leading to engine damage. Yes the component was inspected and replaced by dealership. This was after getting the oil plan repaired for leaking oil as well
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Transmission has been whining. A P27137F Code appeared and the vehicle is only in 2WD mode currently. Concerned to drive vehicle due to further damaging transmission or getting stuck while on the road.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly jerked while driving and attempting to shift gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the catalytic converter and timing components had failed and needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
Like most other third gen tundra owners, I experience a significant delay at random between pressing the throttle and actual vehicle movement. Often in unsafe situations, such as in traffic or at intersections, the vehicle will not move for 1-5 seconds upon pressing the throttle/pedal. When it finally does move, it will jump forward, startling passengers. This is a clear safety concern that occ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V656000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle vibrated, jerked, and made abnormal whining and metallic sounds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a Toyota dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the failure was associated wit... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
While traveling straight at approximately 30 miles per hour, the front differential locked, causing the front wheels to lock and abruptly stopped the vehicle. Vehicle was towed to a Ford dealership, which verified the differential failed, and not due to lack of lubricant. There were no symptoms prior to failure. The abruptness of the stop caused the operator to suffer whiplash like symptoms.
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 16, 2023
While driving at normal speed, my Kia EV6 experienced a sudden and complete failure of the ICCU system with zero warning. The vehicle instantly lost all propulsion power and all 12V electrical power, rendering the car uncontrollable and unsafe. I was unable to accelerate, unable to place the vehicle in gear, and unable to activate hazard lights. This occurred despite the vehicle being at approxima... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon returning to the residence in another vehicle, the contact became aware that the vehicle was missing. The contact's son soon became aware that the vehicle was in the woods by the residence. Upon locating the vehicle, the contact noticed that the doors were locked and that the vehicle was still in park(P). The contact stated that the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power and failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the part... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
When pulling out on the highway I have lag in the powertrain
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The vehicle hesitates with apparent gear dragging and audible whining or grinding noises. The condition worsens when driving uphill and includes occasional sudden increases to high RPMs during normal acceleration. A slight burning odor is sometimes present after driving, along with lower-than-expected fuel economy in city and highway driving. The transmission exhibits harsh shifting, hesitation, a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The Car has over the last few years not turn off due to shift to park. This is concerning, due to we cannot turn the car off unless we strike the shifter few times assuming this is the remedy. It doesn't look like there is any type of recall but there should be.
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The transmission went out of my 2019 Toyota CHR due to bearing failure
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Transmission does not shift into gear after accelerating from a brief or rolling stop.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated, but the engine continued to rev, and the RPM was very elevated. The contact stated that during the 6th failure, the check engine warning light illuminated for sever... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
I am having the exact transmission issue for this truck that has been recalled, but when I call to get it serviced, I am told "there isn't any unrepaired recalls. This issue is persistent and unresolved. Please look into this and potentially recall the transmission issue. This truck has constant shifting troubles form 1st to 2nd with shuddering.
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
A barring in the CVT transmission went out and I was told by the dealer I need to replace the transmission. This is a common failure with this vehicle
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
My 2022 Toyota Platinum hesitates on acceleration. This happens constantly. I pull out of my neighborhood street onto a busy street, the truck moves forward then hesitates in a busy lane, then will surge ahead. This leaves me exposed to oncoming traffic. I have just missed being hit many times. This happens at intersections, where it will hesitate and the car behind me almost hits me. Thank you.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
I have 2017 Ford Focus that is experiencing transmission issues related to the DPS6 Powershift transmission and TCM recall but my VIN number is [XXX] was not included. I am experiencing issues with the car shifting into 1st and 2nd gears, it will revv up at a stop but not accelerate immediately. I have been to a mechanic multiple times and had the lower actuator replaced, new radiator fan install... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2020
The transmission is slipping and making clunking noises and I'm worried it fails while driving it could be a safety issue. I noticed other people online mention the same problem. This should be a manufacture recall to get repaired not a consumer.
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact became aware of puddles of oil on the driveway while the vehicle was parked. Additionally, the transmission warning light was displayed, and the vehicle hesitated to start while pressing the Push to Start button. The vehicle was ... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The vehicle has experienced repeated automatic transmission malfunctions, including harsh and delayed shifting and hesitation. These issues caused unpredictable acceleration/deceleration and hesitation when starting from a stop or merging, creating a safety risk. The condition has been confirmed by authorized Ford dealers with repairs attempted and service bulletin referenced. The transmission is ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
See Attached Documents: 1.) NHTSA- Questions Answered 2.) Service 2016 Dodge Grand caravan Note: The Dodge Dealership is not compliying with the mandated repairs. The diagnostic summary provided by [XXX] on December 17, 2025, significantly mischaracterizes my complaints and omits the relevant factory campaigns. It has been over 30 days and it is apparent that they have no intention of complying ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
Driving turned, left in the vehicle paused like the engine paused yesterday and this morning I turned right in my engine stalled out completely turned off. It was hard to get it. Restarted again. I had codes run on it and the battery was fine. It finally started again after
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 3
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: May 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The contact also stated that while stopped, the vehicle failed to shift into the proper gear, and the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numb... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
My vehicle has experienced repeated and unresolved software/firmware failures that cause loss of essential vehicle functionality and repeated vehicle immobilization. Since purchase, the vehicle has been taken out of service multiple times for software-related repairs, including firmware updates and system resets, yet the problems persist and the vehicle cannot be relied upon to operate normally. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
My 2022 Toyota Highlander experienced transmission-related issues that affected the vehicle’s performance, reliability, and overall value. These problems caused inconvenience, safety concerns, and additional stress, and in some cases required diagnostic visits, repairs, or time without use of the vehicle. As a consumer who purchased the vehicle with the reasonable expectation of dependable opera... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving with my family on a busy freeway at approximately 70 mph, our vehicle suddenly displayed a loud, urgent warning: “Hybrid System Warning – Safely Stop and Do Not Drive!” At the same moment, the car lost the ability to accelerate without any prior signs of trouble. We were extremely fortunate to have enough momentum to coast to the shoulder and shut the vehicle off, unsure of how... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While riding at 15 to 20 miles an hour, the motorcycle engine installed without warning, causing a loss of power. This required an emergency maneuver to avoid being hit from behind. This is a recurring issue documented by the dealer.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Truck would randomly go into limp mode while driving. Highways, country roads, middle of town, making it difficult to pull off the road with no ability to accelerate to safely merge off the roadway. The cause was from the lead frame in the transmission which was under an “expired” recall 19N01. Dealership charged me $1,500 to fix this. How is this not a safety issue that should have been taken... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
Throttle Lag: when stopped at a stop light/stop sign, there is significant delay from when the gas is depressed and the vehicle moves. This sometimes causes the vehicle to jolt forward and has almost caused accidents.