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: Sep 19, 2024
The Power Transfer Unit failed, needing repair. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety, and other's safety on the road, was put at risk because now the power can shut off while driving. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer, as we took it in when a warning light appeared. They confirmed it was a power transfer unit failure. They first appeared about a month ago, and today'... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally while depressing the accelerator pedal. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the technician informed the contact that the failure might be related to the engine or transmission; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be in... Read more
THOR MOTOR COACH
PALAZZO
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds in inclement weather, the ESC warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while making minor steering adjustments or turning to the right or the left, the vehicle skidded. The contact was able to make an adjustment to the steering wheel to regain control of the vehicle. Additionally, th... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 3
(2025) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
CVT code P17F4 Judder i have not drove 356 miles in the last 2 days.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact initially received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed. Recently, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift out of park(P), with the gear shift indicator on the instrument panel indicating that the vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
Shift cable malfunction unable to put into park. Unable to put into park meant it stuck in reverse. No warning lights noted until after problem occurred. Shift cable replaced by self
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
We have a 2021 Kia Seltos. It was purchased 09/2023 as a certified pre-owned vehicle. Purchased from Putnam Chrysler Doge Jeep Kia in Putnam CT. It started using oil, about a quart a week. No oil spill on garage floor. Received notice of recall. We took it to the dealer for the recall in May of 2025. We were told it passed their inspection and the recall was entered as completed. Oil continued to ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to Christian Brothers Automotive, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption and the coolant level was abnormally low. The mechanic referred the contact to the deale... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Aug 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine revved; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, and after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The contact was able to drive t... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was a crackling sound coming from the brake pedal while depressing the brake pedal, with the message a "Service All Wheel Drive System" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while the AWD feature was activated and driving up an incline, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal with th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
Like a lot of f-150 owners, my 10speed transmission stopped working not allowing me to accelerate or shift into reverse. I was stuck in the intersection luckily I didn’t get into an accident. The truck was stuck in 7th gear! This is dangerous and happens far too commonly, please investigate, this is dangerous and expensive for the average consumer. Please help.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
Like most people with the same model and year. My transmission stopped shifting, and stalled. I was fortunate since I was sitting in the intersection. You need to look into the 10speed transmission they are faulty and need to be investigated!
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated the vehicle failed to accelerate over 40 MPH, with the "Service Transmission" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had previously been included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train); for the clutch, and the reme... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
Vehicle engine shut off while driving approximately 50mph. No prior issues or warning lamps. The failure happened without any warning. I had over half a tank of fuel at the time of the stall. Loss of engine propulsion is extremely dangerous as I was in rush hour traffic on a major highway in Houston, TX. Luckily the stall occurred at an exit and I was able to safely get to a area to pull over... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
Cvt judder I was driving and then all of a sudden the car just stopped driving in the middle of the intersection. I was lucky enough to coast off the road into a parking lot safely but still a scary moment
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The primary component that failed is the turbocharger system, which has malfunctioned five times since October 2024. Additional failures include the catalytic converter, and there is now suspected motor damage. These components are currently in possession of the dealership and are available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself and my children was repeatedly put at risk. The first tur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
On 8/20/2025, my 2018 Volvo XC90 T8 suffered catastrophic failure of the Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD). The vehicle suddenly developed a loud whining noise from the rear and became undriveable. This ERAD had previously been replaced under warranty at Boston Volvo Cars. On 10/28/2025, Queens Volvo inspected the vehicle and confirmed the failure was caused by improper prior service. Their techn... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
Transmission failure at a little over 120,000 miles while towing a side by side on the highway. This highway has a speed limit of 80 which is dangerous when the vehicle stops working properly for myself and any other drivers in itself. Earlier this year the transmission had been updated due to a recall and was deemed to work good by the dealership but didn’t notice any difference. Had an engine... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
I took my vehicle in to have the transmission looked at. The dealership told me that the problem was resolved. While driving down the road the transmission went into park in the middle of a two lane road. When the vehicle came to a complete stop I was stopped in the middle of the lane and the vehicle transmission would not shift out of park. After getting it to another shop where it is currently l... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
CC
(2014) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
Was driving then car suddenly shut down and all panel lights turned on. The car would not start after an hour it started but was Perkins when driving. Mechanics were unable to diagnose the issue.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The vehicle started having a whining noise in the transmission around 60,000 mi we took it to the Toyota dealership they said they couldn't hear anything He called Toyota itself The customer support program several times they have neglected it and it's getting worse
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
My 2020 vehicle has 75,000 miles on it. It started making a high pitched sound when accelerating. I brought my vehicle to the dealership where I bought it, to have it inspected. I was assuming it would be a belt or an easy fix. The service agent walked over and cooly explained that I need a new transmission. He continued to say that this is a common issue with this make and model. He stated that a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
Defective Torque Converter at estimated 92k miles even after following all preventive maintenance schedule.
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine sputtered. While driving and attempting to stop the vehicle, the vehicle occasionally lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the battery, the front and rear brake pads and rotors, the ... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
I’ve had this vehicle for about a year or less the car ran fine with minor problems that come with having a vehicle. Up until last week the car never showed any signs of a failing transmission, it went from running fine to shuttering and suddenly I wasn’t able to reverse. The check engine light never came on, I’ve did all my routine checks and more with the dealership I bought it from and wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The vehicle experienced a premature failure of the head gasket; it was blown at 130,000 miles. I was close to home when I received a dash alert stating not to accelerate as the engine was nearing a critically high temperature. If I had not been able to get home so quickly, my safety may have been compromised as my car could have overheated forcing me to pull over on the shoulder of a busy bridge. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The PTU AND PTU Actuator have failed. The repair is estimated to be App $3000 at a local independent repair shop. The parts are unavailable to do a timely repair. We still have to drive it because it cannot be repaired until parts are available, we were told it could be months because there are so many jeeps failing from the same thing. ( "a similar repair was done today after waiting for 3 months... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The torque converter/flex plate is bad rattles and apoarently can cause an accident. There are recalls for this same year same motor and midel but my vehicle is not included but should be. I had it checked by undioendent mechanic who confirmed issue. I have read numerous post online with the same issue with theirs also saying it not included in recall how is thus posdible obviously there is an iss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
At highway speed the car erratically shifted and lost power most likely due to cdf drum failure in the transmission. It happens randomly due to a known transmission issue. Can you imagine loosing power at hwy speed with a vehicle full of children?
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
My 2020 Ford F-250 King Ranch with a 6.7L V8 Turbo Diesel engine experienced severe engine failure while I was driving. The engine was completely destroyed and had to be replaced. My warranty company paid to install a new engine into the truck, but did not pay to have the remaining components fixed that were directly damaged by the engine failure. There was severe damage done to the fuel pump, DEF... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
Torque Converter failure confirmed by dealer: was driving at high way speeds when I noticed a slipping sensation from the transmission upon any sort of acceleration. No warning lights were illuminated or any symptoms leading up to the failure. This could have potentially caused me to lose any form of acceleration that would enable me to get off of the highway or away from a situation requiring su... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
GIULIA
(2018) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
Rear Differential transfer case on passenger side eroding. O-ring partially exposed.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his son was reversing out of a driveway, the vehicle shuddered and lost power with the check engine warning light illuminated, and the "Service 4WD" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who showed ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact's fiancée owns a 2015 Journey Dodge. The contact stated that while his fiancée was driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. The driver pulled to the side of the road, called, and notified the contact of the failure. The contact advised the driver to continue driving slowly. The driver was able to slowly drive to the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
My 2017 Chevrolet Volt is experiencing "a malfunction involving the battery energy control module (BECM)" as diagnosed by the Davis-Moore dealership. This failure of the BECM has now caused "a reduced power mode, a no start condition, or a no charge condition". The car currently does not start or charge. My vehicle has be diagnosed as needing a BECM replacement at a Chevrolet dealership. The v... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
1. Vehicle dash lights go out intermittently without warning. 2. Vehicle 4wheel system inoperable at times. Warning lights are present
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I have a carbon monoxide leak going on since I bought this vehicle. I have been complaining about noises I have been hearing from the drive train and got a diagnosis from the same dealer with well over 1k worth of work. This has caused me a lot of lost money since I have been from dr to dr and back and forth with the dealership and now I tested for carbon monoxide and it’s leaking into my vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The vehicle based in this report is a 2024 Ford F-150 Platinum with a Power Boost drivetrain, which is a hybrid system. I purchased this vehicle new in December of 2024 from Dewey Ford in Ankeny, IA and it has accumulated approximately 6,000 miles on the vehicle. I have been expeiriencing probems starting at around 900 miles on the vehicle. The issue is that the vehicle experiences a significant... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 24 MPH, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. After releasing the accelerator pedal and slowing down, the shuddering ceased. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the Auto STOP/START feature failed to activate as designed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while shifted in reverse, the vehicle failed to respond; however, the vehicle was able to drive forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic, who was a f... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
When the vehicle stops and the idle auto-start/ stop engages, the vehicle will automatically go into neutral and cannot be restarted until the vehicle is turned off then back on. This has happened at both stop lights and on the highway and almost caused a very serious rear end accident.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
Coasting (last time I was doing 45 on a side road with my foot barely on the gas) and the truck gauges all reset to zero at once and the D button for Drive starts flashing. Try pressing the gas and you are neutral. Everything comes back on instantly but you are now in a flashing D mode (basically neutral) rolling in traffic. Loss of powertrain. It has happened 4 times now. Someone will die over th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2019
The contact owns a 2025 BMW 1X. The contact stated while at an ATM, the vehicle was shifted into drive(D), but the vehicle unintendedly shifted into park(P) and failed to move. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred in an enclosed area. The contact was unable to exit the vehicle. The contact continued to restart the vehicle. The Police was contac... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
A defect in the 2018-2020 Ford F-150's 5.0-liter V8 "Coyote" engine that causes excessive oil consumption, potentially leading to engine failure, reduced efficiency, and increased emissions. Ford concealed this defect not letting owners know and didn’t issue a recall. The oil dip always reads as if there is not enough oil in the truck causing you to have to constantly top off oil which is always... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
Lost power temporarily traveling on highway. Recall exists but Mopar says they have no fix but aren't providing owners with alternative transportation or offering to take the vehicle back. If this issue is significant enough to warrant a recall and stop sale then the vehicles should not be on the road.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
2022 Kia sorento under 86,000 miles is jerks intermittently but no codes are being shown. Currently at the dealership and tech suspects transmission, which has been reported by numerous consumers of this issue but the recall was only applied to certain Kia sorentos and it should be broader.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
My wife was driving in auto on the shift knob. There was a load noise coming from under the car that sounded like medal was dragging. The dash had a warning come on that the 4wd was not working and need to be serviced. The warning disappeared but a warning light came on that t is 4wd/ser. We looked up and found there is a recall for this problem and could cause the unit to roll on its own when on ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2010
This is my wife's account which happen more than 5-10 times because she operates the vehicle. The car at time's will jump into neutral while operating and the accelerator is unresponsive when she shifts back into drive. She cuts the car off for it to reset and sometimes it does, and sometimes she has to do it more than once. It sometime happens when the car has set for a while and she starts it,... Read more