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: Aug 18, 2026

2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy less than 3 years old has a leaking factory radiator. Hyundai has TSBs for this on earlier models, but it is still happening.

Incident date: Jul 16, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

Transmission that's was replaced approx 3 yrs ago is hard shifting from park to drive and park to reverse on flat level surface.

Incident date: Dec 1, 2025

Vehicle makes a grinding noise when turning right or left

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

On the morning of 8-17, 2026, the vehicle experienced a total electrical power loss and high-voltage system deadlock immediately following an official Tesla Over-The-Air (OTA) software update pushed the previous night. Prior to this remote software update, the vehicle had zero operational issues or warning signs. Right after the update completed, the vehicle became completely unresponsive and undr... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

On August 19, 2026, my 2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i experienced multiple safety\-related warnings at approximately 50,411–50,427 miles\. The vehicle first displayed “Increased steering effort” and instructed me to drive carefully to a service center\. It then displayed a red power\-supply warning stating: “Stop carefully\. Do not continue driving\. Continued driving will lead to malfunction of s... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

Vehicle: 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 (3.0L LZ0 Duramax Diesel) Current Mileage: ~16,500 miles Check Engine Light Status: NO Check Engine Light active Description of Incident & Symptoms: •Interstate Incident: While driving at highway speeds, a severe drivetrain vibration occurred (felt like a rear wheel weight flew off). •Dashboard Warnings: Within 5 minutes, intermittent "Traction Control" and ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 20, 2026

While driving at highway speed, my vehicle developed a serious transmission problem. At approximately 75 mph, it suddenly lost the ability to maintain speed and dropped to about 55 mph despite throttle input. Engine RPM increased significantly and the vehicle had greatly reduced propulsion. Normal operation temporarily returned after the vehicle was shut off and restarted. The vehicle has also ex... Read more

Incident date: Aug 12, 2026

Component Failure I was driving on [XXX] in [XXX] at 70 miles per hour. My red oil indicator light came on, and within seconds the vehicle suffered a catastrophic power loss. I had zero control of the propulsion. I was in the right lane and managed to steer to the shoulder. I contacted Hyundai Roadside assistance/Hyundai care. They sent a wrecker in about an 45-1 hour as I sat on the side of the... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

The transmission failed suddenly and without warning. When I Went to pull out from a stop sign with cross traffic doing 55 mph, the vehicle shuddered and stopped pulling. We barely had enough momentum to get out of the way of oncoming traffic at the last second. The oncoming traffic had to brake and honked. After reading online, this is a common issue with the 6l80 transmission torque converte... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

When im driving sometimes it stalls. I give it gas and car wount go. It only idles.

Incident date: May 11, 2026

System/Component Failed & Inspection: The vehicle suffers from recurring failures across the engine, powertrain, electronic throttle control, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) control systems (DTCs P0524, P0642, P2118, P022100). The vehicle is fully available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: While driving, the vehicle suffered a complete, sudden loss of motive power on an active highwa... Read more

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

Failure of the PTU prevented vehicle from going into park. Gears in PRU stripped causing complete failure and vehicle would not move.

Incident date: Aug 1, 2025

The car shudders and jerks when in certain gears and mph. The transmission is failing I was told by the Ford Dealer, Steven’s Ford and that the transmission should be rebuilt and torque converters need to be repaired. The car has 37,000 miles only. I have an invoice from Steven’s Ford for a diagnostic check up on the car but not repairs.

Incident date: Feb 20, 2026

This 2020 Subaru Forester has experienced repeated failures involving the Auto Start/Stop system. When stopped in traffic, the system shuts the engine off as designed, but on multiple occasions the engine has failed to restart normally when the driver needed to proceed. This has left the vehicle unable to move in active traffic and created a serious risk of collision. The failures have occurred i... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that smoke was covering the roadway. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, there was ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 29, 2026

I am submitting this complaint regarding the handling of a safety recall on my 2023 Genesis GV80. During an approximately seven-week service visit at an authorized Genesis dealership, I was verbally informed that the applicable safety recall had been completed. Based on my subsequent interactions, Genesis Corporate also appeared to believe the recall had been performed. However, the recall was n... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

When driving the vehicle down the highway it just randomly hard shifted out of know where almost causing us to be rear-ended. The dash then said service transmission continue in drive do not shift or turn engine off until you reach a desired location. You may not be able to shift again until services. It then limited power to the vehicle. It was show codes U1003, U0101, and U0402 multiple times. T... Read more

Incident date: Aug 16, 2026

While traveling at highway speed on the freeway, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of motive power/engine shutdown without prior warning. The instrument cluster immediately displayed a vehicle graphic outlined with red lines alongside an alert message instructing to shift the vehicle into Park and turn the engine off. > The sudden loss of propulsion in live freeway traffic created... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

I have experienced harsh shifting from gear 1 to 2 and as well from 2nd to 3rd gear. This results in delayed acceleration at expressway onramps and when turning into forward traffic. This is a known risk with unresolved recall 26S48 related to transmission parking system dammage and related transmission damage. As well, there is a TSB 22-2248 related to this year/make/model transmission problem.

Incident date: Aug 10, 2026

The vehicle exhibits an unaddressed factory programming defect where the Plug-In Charge Control ECU fails to enter sleep mode while plugged in or resting. This causes continuous, heavy parasitic drain on the 12V auxiliary battery, causing chronic low-voltage state across critical systems. The 12V auxiliary network supplies power to the primary control units, CAN-bus communication modules, and dyna... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train), 25V093000 (Seat Belts), 26V402000 (Power Train), and 26V451000 (Seats) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.

Incident date: Oct 11, 2025

When driving in fully electric mode on the highway, my 4xe lit up an error message of “electric mode temporarily unavailable” and lost all power and momentum. I went from 70mph to 50 mph in heavy traffic before the hybrid motor came back to provide power after approximately 4-5 seconds. This is a repeating occurrence when attempting to drive in fully electric mode, even at low speeds. I have n... Read more

Incident date: Jul 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle stalled. The message "Power Train" was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the auxiliary battery needed to be replace... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2025

Torque Converter- The torque converter on my 2019 Nissan Titan -4X failed at approximately 68,000. Symptoms began as cold-start shudder lasting several minutes, progressing to pronounced shudder under light throttle acceleration between 25–50 MPH, erratic shifting at the 3-4 and 4-5 gear transitions, and TCC (torque converter clutch) slip. These symptoms created unpredictable drivetrain behavior... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

Vehicle bucks upon acceleration in the rear end. Dealer recommends replacing the transmission.

Incident date: May 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road and the vehicle shut off. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on four separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure or find a fault code associated with the fa... Read more

Incident date: Jul 21, 2026

When using electric mode, repeatedly and consistently, when I try to accelerate (for example to get onto a highway) despite having the acceleration fully depressed, the car does not accelerate. After some time, the gas powered engine will rev, the RPM will shoot up and then the car will start to accelerate. If I slow down the electric engine will take back over, but then if I try to accelerate a... Read more

Incident date: Aug 12, 2026

Ford Motor sent notice 26s28 to me regarding a possible problem with my transmission/powertrain. On August 12 they reprogrammed my Powertrain Control Module. In the letter regarding this upgrade they also stated, and I quote: " If your dashboard displays a Malfunction Indicator Lamp(MIL)or Powertrain Warning Lamp(wrench symbol) either before or after the software update is installed, your dealer w... Read more

Incident date: Aug 4, 2026

The cooling system cracked, malfunctioned and caused a domino effect of multiple repair issues costing at least $5,200. My car is currently at a Volvo dealer. My Safety: The possibility of the hot engine and hot wires could have resulted in a fire. This problem HAS been reproduced and confirmed by a Volvo dealer. The vehicle overheating was witnessed by the Fire Department and local police.. As fa... Read more

Incident date: Aug 20, 2019

Transmission has jerked and shuttered ever since I bought the truck. Sometime when you push on the gas the truck doesn’t immediate go, then suddenly jerks into gear and speeds off! It has gone in several times but all they do is software updates. They also said I needed a transmission flush at only 43,000 miles stating an inferior trans fluid was originally used; however they wouldn’t covered ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

I bought a 2021 Ford Edge SEL in April 2024. I had problems with the car jurking at low speeds pretty much the whole time I had it. I just recently had to replace my transmission due to the whole thing failing. It just randomly went out while driving.

Incident date: May 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the powertrain warning light illuminated. The transmission was stuck between third and fifth gear. In addition, the transmission failed to shift from park to drive until the vehicle was turned off. The failure was a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer,... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Lexus RX 500h. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically, and the vehicle stopped independently. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the message to “See the Dealer” was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure reocc... Read more

Incident date: Nov 23, 2025

On November 23, 2025, I was driving approximately 60 mph in the middle lane of I-495 near Exit 62 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, with a passenger in the vehicle. I signaled to change lanes to pass a slower vehicle, selected Sport Mode, and accelerated. The engine RPM increased sharply and, almost immediately, I heard an extremely loud bang from the engine area. Multiple warning lights began flashi... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

This vehicle experienced transmission failure at 43,000 miles. There is a technical bulletin regarding a known manufacturer defect for this Make/Model/Year (TSB-008-21) and we were told by our Toyota service technician that our vehicle displayed all of the same symptoms as those identified in the technical bulletin. Unfortunately the serial number for our vehicle was not included in the bulletin ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 14, 2026

My 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 4WD currently at 67659 miles was taken in to the dealer because of excessive jerk when accelerating or trying to reverse, diagnostic scan failed for check engine and ABS trouble codes. The scan return code PO747 indicating transmission pressure control solenoid “A” was stuck on for a predetermined period of time. The recommended repair is replacement of automatic ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

While driving my 2015 Jeep Cherokee on an interstate trip, we began noticing a strong unusual odor inside the vehicle. At first, we thought we were simply driving past a paper mill or another external source of the smell. A short time later, we noticed other vehicles beginning to merge out of our lane and realized something might be wrong with our vehicle. We exited the highway and pulled over as... Read more

Incident date: Aug 6, 2026

The vehicle developed a charging/electrical/high-voltage battery problem. Level 3 charging stopped first, then charging later stopped on all levels. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealer on 08/06/2026. The dealer referenced high-voltage battery/module and charging-system issues, including fault/code information involving P0BBD00 / J840 / 008C and campaign/action history involvin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

The 2025 Nissan Sentra lost control in the steering wheel or driveshaft while driving down hill. The vehicle lost power lost steering and crashed. The vehicle stated "malfunction " when the crash occured. There was a leaking fluid coming from the front left underside of the vehicle after the crash when it became undrivable due to loss of power and loss of driveshaft control. I felt unsafe with the... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

The shift assembly is going bad and causing a Shift to Park error that GM is aware of. They have issued a Technical Service Bulletin about this exact part. The error code will cause the battery to run down leaving me stranded. The dealer has inspected the vehichle and ordered the necessary part to replace it. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative... Read more

Incident date: Jul 5, 2026

I am reporting recurring safety-related shifting and vehicle gear/park-state concerns involving my 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has failed to transition properly from Reverse into Drive. I reported this Reverse-to-Drive issue to the manufacturer before later becoming aware of diagnostic information that I believed could potentially relate to the be... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

At around 75000 miles (less than 5 year old vehicle) the transmission exhibited a noticeable whine. After further research I presented the vehicle to the local Toyota dealer service department. An active technical service bulletin T-SB-0008-21 that describes a manufacturing defect with the front carrier assembly pinion shaft (essentially a catastrophic transmission failure) was matched to the sy... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

Had the Motor replaced under recall / warranty at a certified chevy dealer. ~41k miles. 6.2L L87. GRAFF chevy of Chesterton Indiana. After long lead times and getting the run around, the truck was "done". picked it up and many things were still wrong/incorrect. They were able to take care of it. A day later, the truck died in the road. towed to another GRAFF dealer. 2 days later it was found to b... Read more

Incident date: May 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and pulled to the right. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while driving over a bump in the road, the vehicle lost automotive power and shut off. The contact restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independe... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the message that the “4WD Disabled” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the powe... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

The transmission pump on my transmission just went out randomly last week. The power in my car went into limp mode and the car won't drive properly now. The car was being driven at the time this happened, and my husband had to pull over, as the car wouldn't work. I had this looked at by an auto body shop and they diagnosed it with this, which is to be found that there is a recall on my specific ye... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, causing the vehicle to suddenly decelerate. During the failure, the WRENCH icon was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the failure was self-corrected, but the failure persisted. The con... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

I own a 2018 Toyota. My transmission has died prematurely. The car has less than 140k miles and has been meticulously maintained. The only component that has not been serviced is the transmission because no one wanted to “take the liability” according to 5 different local shops. This clearly tells me that this issue has been known. Toyota in Canada has already acknowledged the issue and issued... Read more

Incident date: Aug 18, 2026

"The transmission valve body is failing, causing the rear wheels to violently lock up while Driving

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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

Read more from our blog