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: Jun 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. A passerby helped push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that the transmiss... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that upon entering her carport in an attempt to park(P), the vehicle surged forward without warning. The vehicle blew through the carport's back wall and crashed into her neighbor's fence before coming to an independent stop. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact did not seek medical attention but did sustain soreness in her ne... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
the cylinder head has a crack in it witch sprays oil all over the engine.it also sprays oil on to the very catalitic converter that's very hot .smoke is everywhere and iam afraid it will cause a fire
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
While driving on the interstate we were exiting to pull into a rest area while slowing down the rear wheels momentarily locked up and the truck downshifted hard and abruptly with that happening the check engine light came on along with a decreased power message. We pulled into a parking spot during so we tried to shift into reverse and it didn’t want to shift into reverse, we tried this for a wh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2025
Internal failure of the electronic shifter assembly. Essentially the shifter would lock into place in undesired gear-for example-attempt to move into D, would move to R and lock up so the only way we could get it to stop moving/into desired gear was to immediately power off (even though not in P) and try again on restart (which is very scary thinking your car may reverse or move foward w/no abilit... Read more
CONTINENTAL
PROCONTACT TX
(9999) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
Transmission valve body issue
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
See attached document for complaint. I took my 2013 Honda Accord in to my Honda Dealership due to leakage. I was informed the leak was in the intermediate drive shaft that was not under recall. Part Number: H,44500-T2A-A00 (Shaft Assy) Part Total : $871.38 I researched Honda recalls and found an article dated December15, 2020 that Honda was conducting 2 drive shaft recalls for 2013-2015 Honda Acc... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not not... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
This Jeep suddenly started smoking while driving. Driver immediately pulled over and noticed oil all over on ground. Towed to mechanic and the transfer case has a large crack and the rear differential is bad. Repairs exceeding $4000. Also, on a regular basis the car loses power while driving. Driver has to pull over and restart car. This has not been fixed yet. Not sure what it is. Both is... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
Random hard shifting and acceleration issue started after I had the vehicle put in service for recall, never had any issue like it before the recall was completed. My computer shows a P0720 and P0721 error. This makes me feel unsafe to drive the vehicle because of the random acceleration and shifting that occurs without any input from me as the driver. Crown motors of Redding Ca advising that t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
There are many thousands of Ford Escape owners with this same issue. The shifter knob will not shift out of park in hot weather, sometimes taking 20 to 30 minutes for the vehicle's interior to cool sufficiently to shift into drive. Ford is ignoring this problem. I don't understand why they are looking the other way and not fixing this well-known issue.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral. An unknown warning light flashed on the instrument panel. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
Based on driver/operator report, Vehicle suddenly stalls on the road/freeway. Dash panel indicates a warning message: "Engine Malfunction Power reduced Service now".
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
2018 Honda Odyssey gear shifting switch letters are rubbing off. This caused the drive to click wrong button as they do not have letters to identify the functionality of the each button. This can cause accidents. I see many online forums customers are discussing the same issue. [XXX] [XXX] / [XXX] [XXX] This is manufacture defect and please be kind to investigate it. INFORMATION REDA... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The transmission has exhibited signs of premature failure due to an internal component defect. The only indication was a whining noise when accelerating. This was first noticed around July 2025 when the car had about 78,000 miles on it. The car was later inspected by the Toyota dealer on 08/20/2025 with 79,253 miles on it. The Toyota dealer determined that "the noise being heard was the transm... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
I pulled the car into garage, and realized it's not inside enough. So I moved the car forward, but forgot to place the shift to P position. With the shift in D position, I shut off the engine, opened the door, ready to get out. I did not notice the car was moving backward, until the open door hit the garage frame. I file a claim with my insurance, had the front door replaced in a local body shop. ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 1, 2006
This is an amendment to campaign 11684444 as there is some inaccurate info as it pertains to the diagnostic- 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, Driving 25 MPH, in the neighborhood, my Tahoe kicked into neutral and abruptly stopped in the middle of the street. I immediately tried to restart it, however it would not start. After about 15 minutes, we tried again and it started enough to make it back to my in laws... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The transmission failed in October 2023 on my way home from work. Brought it to a transmission place and had another one put in. Cost $6k - The truck is now at another mechanic as it broke down again while driving home from work - transmission and engine this time. Mechanic says needs new transmission and timing chain kit - Cost $10k This is a truck that has 100k miles on it and only 6 years old. ... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle entered LIMP Mode with the image of a turtle displayed on the instrument panel. Soon after the failure, the instrument panel went blank. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power with a loud fan blowing sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and turned off the veh... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300 4MATIC
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and coming to a stop, the vehicle skidded or slid and felt like it had been rear-ended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the infotainment system was inoperable intermittently. Additi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
car flashes transmission low fluid and gives a code of p193b-79. when trans downshifts upshifts will not happened. to clear the problem you have to turn car off and on , and then normal operation resumes, but shifting is now slower. and sluggish. this is the second transmission to have this problem. Seem hyundai has not fixed it from the 2022 recall.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted without warning. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the transmission suddenly downshifted, and the contact lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle skidded. The contact regained control of the vehicle with the message to "Check Service Manual" flash... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the rear differential, with the vehicle vibrating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the drive axle, wheel hub assembly, and the hub splines needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously inc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
Premature HV Battery BMS Failure After Tesla Replacement – Safety Risk of Fire and Sudden Power Loss
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
Shift system fault in the middle of the road. Unable to shift to Park, vehicle stuck in middle of road unable to shift to Drive either. E-brake auto engaged on street. Vehicle tells me to shift to Park but is unable to shift. Vehicle odometer is under 900 miles. New lease.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
Auto start stop. This has happened on several occasions where I will be traveling at highway speeds and my 2018 F-150 10 speed 10R80 Transmisson with a 5.0-liter motor has died while traveling. I have talked to Ford Engineering reps, and they say they have never heard of this. I have done research into the subject and there have been hundreds of reports of the same issue. I have an appointment sch... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
Transmission malfunction. This has appeared several times at highway speeds and low speeds. We have dad to limp along in the slow lane to exit ramp and take back roads to the nearest dealership. The current problem has been confirmed with error codes P0747. The dealership has scanned this vehicle and detected error codes in the past on two different occasions and found P176C in TCM on 08/01/2... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
I started my car and it started shaking violently, and would jolt back and forth, I would be on the highway and the speed would decrease rapidly and overheat slightly to pick up speed
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
Unknown which component exactly as it does not throw a fault. I believe it to be transmission related as the behavior seems like a clutch to me, but dealership has not been able to confirm. Vehicle rolls freely in directions other than what is selected and does not respond to throttle input. Described the issue to dealer numerous times and they claim to have seen it. I do not believe they actual... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
I went to leave my workplace and got into my car with a message of “Only Exit Vehicle in a P Position. Please Service Vehicle”. I turned off my vehicle and restarted it and the message went away The next morning I got in my vehicle and the same message came back. Leaving my workplace it shut itself off again I found that this year and model has been affected by a recall for that same issue b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
I was driving home Friday August 29th 2025 around 10:30 am on I-70 W when I began to have trouble accelerating my vehicle. There were vehicles trailing closely behind me so I increased pressure on the gas pedal. I would feel my car forcibly trying to compensate and the RPMs on the vehicle increased significantly. The check engine light then illuminated and the car stedily beagan to decelerate alth... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2025
Fords 10r80 transmission is a known failure point. Why are they not recalling it?????? I bought my vehicle used from a ford dealership with 36k miles. Quickly realized it was a lemon but nothing I could do. The biggest issue is the transmission. The transmission does not shift properly, it slips, it has major clunking and hard downshifts sometimes pushing through brake pressure, etc. I fought wit... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
Unknown but it seems like the car is skipping gears, will be running fine then slows to a crawl and if I press on the accelerator harder the car will go wide open and has almost wrecked me across the road in a ditch! It don’t run well the rpm’s jump up and down when I am driving it! I have seen multiple complaints in this same issue! There are accidents reported about this issue why hasn’t i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
Engine started smoking, burning smell, exhaust smoking, stopped working, won't drive anymore, won't start , if do get it started it idles high then crashes. No warning lights. Coolant isn't leaking but it's using all reserve coolant. No longer drivable.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
I was driving my 2015 F150 with the 5.0 liter engine and 6 speed transmission at approximately 60 mph in 6th gear when without warning the transmission downshifted into 1st gear causing a sudden deceleration causing my passengers and myself to be thrown forward being caught by our seatbelts. The transmission then worked its way back up the gears into 2nd and then 3rd and so on. I took the truck t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
Vehicle Malfunction Report What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle's transmission and/or gear shifter system has failed to function as intended. When the gear shifter is set to "Reverse," the transmission has repeatedly shifted into "Drive" or "Neutral" instead. Concurrently, the vehicle's electronic backup camera system and au... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
While driving my 2023 Nissan Rogue, the engine suddenly stalled as I approached a stop sign. The dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights, including the oil pressure warning. When I attempted to restart, the vehicle made a loud grinding/knocking sound, failed to start properly, and then shut off again. I was unable to restart the vehicle myself. Later, at the dealership, they reported that t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
Transmission slipping and motor making a grind sound since like 120k and dash problems and paint chips every were paint is coming off on its own. I did not about that i can do a complete here.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and waited for several minutes before the vehicle started working as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a deale... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked, with the check engine and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that an unknown part was replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while drivi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Took my vehicle into a local Ford dealership and told them that there was rattling coming out of the engine bay. Provided the service advisor with multiple videos as well as took him for a drive to show him the sound. Advised that it happens at startup and on deceleration after the turbo has spooled. Technician who worked on it left it out in a hail storm which caused over $8K in damages and then ... Read more
BF GOODRICH
ADVANTAGE CONTROL
(9999) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
I am the owner of a 2017 INFINITI Q50 purchased in 2019. My vehicle has suffered three separate turbocharger failures in four years: 2021 (~75,000 miles): turbocharger failure; replaced under my extended warranty (~$6,000 authorization). 2023 (~98,000 miles): turbocharger failure; replaced again under extended warranty (~$6,000 authorization). 2025 (143,000 miles): diagnostic confirms another turb... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact’s husband owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted and hesitated. The contact also stated that the vehicle began to shake abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be repl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
Randomly, the car have a delay of approximately 2 seconds when I hit the gas pedal. It happened multiple times, 2-3 times per day. The gas pedal can pe pressed to the floor, it won’t react. After 2 seconds or so it will react and drive normally. I noticed this is happening when the car is in EV mode ( I’m either stopped at red light, or I’m slowing down a bit/taking a turn. This is a hazardo... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The Entune 3.0 System governs navigation, calls etc. The system on my car has been replaced 4 times and still does not work. This is a life safety issue as the system grabs phone calls while driving without being able to answer. It also makes it frequently impossible to use hands free on the phone as it grabs calls. In order to avoid it grabbing calls I have to disable bluetooth on my phone which ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
We brought the car to the dealership for oil change and recall fixes. After picking the vehicle up, the transmission failed the next day. The dealership nor Ford customer service have been any help and claim that they didn’t do anything that could have impacted the transmission. They are wanting us to pay $13k to replace the transmission