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: May 5, 2026
Vehicle developed a check engine light and camshaft sensor fault at approximately 48,000 miles. Engine began making abnormal ticking noise and later entered reduced power/limp mode condition. Vehicle was initially evaluated by an authorized Porsche dealership, where damage to the camshaft trigger/tone wheel and internal mechanical concerns within the valvetrain were identified through diagnostic ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while entering a highway from an off-ramp at 50 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as an unknown warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the RPM's began to rev to a high level as the "Transmission Fault Service Now" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. I... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
2025 Lexus TX350, approximately 27,000 miles. Vehicle exhibits rotational clicking/vibration from front drivetrain during acceleration while turning. Dealer is attributing issue to brake pad and rotor wear. Lexus TSB L-SB-0033-24 Rev1 documents a known front drive shaft assembly defect on this platform. TSB applicability check has not been performed. Requesting investigation into whether this defe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a red light, the vehicle stalled; the contact restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis however, the failure cause was unidentifiable. The contact did research and was made aware of an unk... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
For the past several weeks, I have experienced an ongoing issue with my truck’s transmission shifting unpredictably. At random times, it becomes stuck in third gear, and while driving it has downshifted from fifth to third and then to first without warning. Even when stopped at a red light, the vehicle will sometimes remain in third gear. These incidents have created multiple safety concerns whi... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2020) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 10, 2025
The contact owns 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his wife was driving 10 MPH, while depress the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact mention she put the vehicle gear shift in park and two mins later the vehicle began to work as intended. The contact mention once his wife returned to the residence depressing the accelerator pedal attempting to reverse th... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
I drove the vehicle stopped went to put the vehicle in reverse and it would not go into reverse. After further investigation the transmission throttle body failed and was not covered under warranty.
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2015) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
The dual clutch transmission on my 2020 C8 Corvette has a diagnostic code of p1955. This was determined after the service light on the vehicle illuminated and it was taken to service at the dealership. Other codes that stored included p0868 and p0869 which indicate low hydraulic pressure and high hydraulic pressure respectively. The p1955 code is an internal fault that requires complete replace... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
After doing some grocery shopping for about 20–30 minutes, I returned to my vehicle, put it in drive, pressed the accelerator, and received no response for approximately 3 to 4 seconds. I then pressed the brake and experienced the exact same issue — no response from the system for about 3 to 4 seconds. I decided to shut the vehicle down, wait approximately 10 seconds, and restart it. After re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
This vehicle burns oil excessively. From everything I've seen says this should be under recall but the Kia dealership tells me it's not because it's over 60,000 miles and I'm the second owner. They offered to do a oil consumption test for $900. I've already read complaints about this engine locking up and people being seriously injured. I have to put oil in it every thousand miles or so. For a new... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
Within two years of owning this jeep, the rear differential has failed, the battery has failed twice, they didn’t include the extra battery in this jeep that EVERY other model has so it needs a new battery every two years like clockwork to keep the power systems running normally. It’s needed new spark plugs after four failed at once. Now it has the service 4WD light back on even though suppose... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
2020 Chevrolet Traverse started to shudder and hard shift between 25 to 30 miles per hour. Vehicle only has 64,925 miles on it (4,925 miles above warranty). Vehicle was taken to garage and told the torque converter along with valve body was needed to be replaced. The torque converter malfunctioned right after warranty expired due to mileage and could have left my family stranded on the side of the... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The transmission has a history of harsh shifting and slipping. At 101,600 miles being told this is a known issue with the transmission and likely needs to be replaced.
Incident date: May 12, 2026
First incident, I purchased my vehicle in November 2022 in March 2023 my transmission failed. When replaced, the dealer didn't connect all hoses causing more issues and now my car struggles to shift. Dealerships made aware several time. Second incident, over the past year my infotainment system has been glitching. Switching between all settings, from the radio to the Bluetooth, screen freezing, et... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Two different incidents involving the transmission. The first was going at a moderate speed, it’s a nine speed transmission. It shifted down into second gear, revving the engine horribly and throwing me forward somewhat. If this had happened at highway speeds it could have locked up the back wheels causing me to loose control of the vehicle. I have picture of the dash panel showing it shifted do... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Car has started whining while driving. Mechanic says the whole transmission will need replaced due to cvt bearing failure. It only has 94392 miles on it.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
Vehicle driving at highway speeds and put itself into park while at speed without operator intervention. Vehicle became uncontrollable and an extreme hazard.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
When starting the vehicle, a transmission system error occurs because goes away when the car is shut off then restarted. When the error occurs the vehicle does not accelerate properly.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 12, 2026
The car has always had an issue where it would just get stuck in a low gear and RPMs would go high. Does this every single day. But recently it also started acting like it was put into neutral for a few seconds and then back into drive.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Vehicle started randomly displaying service, four-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive unavailable. Eventually, the service light remained on consistently. The car went to a mechanic who checked with the dealer and they confirmed an undocumented issue with the PTU board on the transfer case. My mechanic was informed that there is a warranty extension that the dealer implements if this issue occurs, ho... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 4, 2026
Right after i bought the car I had a very bad misfire on cylinder 1, the car would shake at idle. Took to dealership and they said they replaced all the spark plugs and replaced cylinder 1 coil. about a week later the misfire and shaking started again but this time it would come and go. the check engine light would be on then it would go away for a bit and then come back on over and over again. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
My 2024 Volkswagen Atlas began displaying multiple warning messages involving the engine, drive system, and powertrain. Warning messages included “Engine: error start/stop,” “Drive system, please service vehicle,” and other engine/powertrain alerts. The vehicle has had intermittent check engine lights, shaking, rough operation, abnormal noises, and repeated warning messages that disappear ... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Mar 28, 2026
Sudden unintended deceleration on highway Complete loss of propulsion Thermal warning / overheating Date: May 11, 2026 Mileage: approximately 18,966+ Vehicle: 2014 BMW i3 REx, VIN [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) — POWER TRAIN
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I've sent earlier not sure if it went through transmission dropingvout of gear at any time putting my. Life in danger, and family, hope I don't end up needing a lawyer if a major fatality happens
Incident date: May 6, 2026
UA80F Transmission failure at 100k miles for the 2018 Toyota highlander SE. No warning lights, engine noise (high pitched whine while driving). Took to the dealer and was told the transmission needed to be replaced.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
There has been an ongoing issue! Changed the sparks plugs, coils everything. The car will shake. It will be fine then the acceleration was slow, pressed the gas again then the check engine light will come on and blink. There has been many issues with this car. My engine is blown!
HYUNDAI
SONATA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2017) — POWER TRAIN
May 11, 2026
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
While driving my 2016 RAM 1500 Eco diesel, the vehicle suddenly lost power and would not accelerate beyond 40 mph. The malfunction occurred while driving under normal road conditions and created a safety concern because the truck was unable to maintain normal traffic speed. Prior to failure, a warning light appeared on the dashboard related to emissions/exhaust system. The truck entered into a ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Severe transmission shuttering destroyed my transmission and I need a new one according to a local body shop and a GMC service center. This is a KNOWN issue with these 10 speed transmissions, but they will not recall the ones from this year, they only recalled newer models. Car has been inspected by a local autobody shop, a 3rd party warranty company, and a GMC dealership service center. Shudderin... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Had to replace transmission at 133k miles. It was jolting sometimes providing a hard jolt at times will driving. There are also times of what feels like a cylinder misfire. Oil is constantly leaking and have to replace oil every 1k Miles. Have had multiple shops look at it and not able to find anything. Now during acceleration there is a huge grey smoke cloud coming from the exhaust. Looking at th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership tha... Read more
HYUNDAI
VELOSTER N
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
May 11, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Transmission down shifting when driving 50 mph or faster
Incident date: May 10, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding Ford Recall 26S28 involving my 2015 Ford F-150. Ford has acknowledged a defect serious enough to issue a formal safety recall; however, there is currently no repair remedy available and no clear timeline for when repairs will be completed. As a result, affected owners are left operating vehicles with an acknowledged defect or are left without reliable trans... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I was driving and noticed a very strong smell of an electrical fire. The truck popped up a High Voltage Battery warning and several warning lights came on. We stopped, restarted the truck and the lights came on again, the smell returned as soon as we started driving. We drove the truck to Cable Dahmer GMC in Kansas City, MO. Service advisor Kracinda asked us to exit the vehicle as quickly as po... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 24, 2026
Transmission keeps going into neutral when you put into drive or reverse
Incident date: Apr 13, 2026
1. The engine assembly failed — Piston 1 suffered catastrophic failure due to VCM-related piston ring wear and oil sludge buildup, generating DTCs P0301–P0304 (engine misfire, cylinders 1–4). Vehicle is completely non-operational. Failed engine is available for inspection in Mableton, GA 30126. 2. Progressive engine misfire created risk of sudden power loss and loss of vehicle control at hi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
The transmission shifted from 10th gear to 9th gear and then to 8th gear on a flat freeway going 70 mph. It quickly reduced our speed causing vehicles behind us to brake hard so as not to crash into the back of us. Ford and the dealership have been no help because of the transmission being out of warranty. Ford knows there is a problem but refuses to fix it. Customer service and safety is not more... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2026
My vehicle has abrupt unintended downshifts straight down to first gear at fast speeds, which is causing rear-wheel lockage near heart attack and near-loss of control spinout. The sudden downshifting causes a loud violent high extreme RPM engine over rev. sounding as if it is about to blow up or an internal explosion. This is occurring at highway speeds up to 70 mph. At these speeds, is an immedia... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding Safety Recall 01C (NHTSA 25V-011) and the handling of my vehicle by both the dealership and Stellantis. My vehicle exhibited fault codes and conditions consistent with the defect described in Recall 01C, including: DTC C1477-4B (Transfer Case Clutch Over Temperature) DTC C1440-64 (Transfer Case Clutch Pressure Sensor) Documented drivetrain control module ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
On Thursday May 7th, while driving the 2017 Honda Pilot Elite it lost power and all the dash lights started to come on. Once we limped it to our home, and the code information was obtained, it revealed number 3-cylinder misfire. After replacing all the spark plugs, I started the car to make sure all the codes were cleared and heard a "knocking noise". After further investigation noted the follo... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Car stopped in the middle of the road , with warning beeps and warning messages on the dashboard saying "Check Charging System" .Engine was still running but even though I did accelerate - car did not move . I put on the emergency lights and turned off the car . Turned on the car few seconds later and was able to drive then but the check engine light was on. Slowly drove back to the home as I was ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
first incident rear defrost tab would come on and get so hot it was burning the rear glass. major fire risk burning the components, reported to dealer, dealer replaced glass and component, no warnings, owner reported "smelling something burning". fire fighter found burned glass and component which was then unplugged. 2nd- hub centric ring loose and causing noise rubbing inside of wheel. owner stat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
I was driving down the highway when I lost all power to my engine and had to coast off and exit. Prior to the incident there was no indication of a problem. White smoke began coming out of my exhaust. I brought the car to a dealership and they told me that I would need a timing job and a new turbo. They said that my car was starved for oil, regular maintenance had been kept up with on the vehicle.
Incident date: May 1, 2026
SUBJECT: URGENT COMPLAINT: Deceptive Practices/Misrepresentation & Services Not Rendered (Woodhouse Ford of Omaha) I. Actionable Safety Issue Summary This complaint concerns fraudulent billing and dangerous misrepresentation by Woodhouse Ford of Omaha, which claimed a vehicle's 3rd rack and pinion system was "safe" on 2/19/2026 after a known safety issue, following a previous failure. They further... Read more
3 injured
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
My cars check engine light keeps coming on and the first time it came on with an engine under boost failure and I took it to a 3rd party shop to get fixed and they had to replace the turbo charger. I paid $2500.00 for that. 2 weeks later the same light came on and they had to replace it again. Well now the light came on again after a month for the same thing and I am taking it back into the shop ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2026
have a bad bearing in the transmission, which makes a whining noise when driving. Was notified that the transmission will go out at some point. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer. No warning lights have been triggered for the problem.
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) — POWER TRAIN
May 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my Cadillac Escalade due to a transmission/valve body failure occurring at approximately 77,100 miles. The vehicle began experiencing transmission-related issues including harsh shifting, hesitation, abnormal operation, and unsafe drivability concerns. The vehicle was diagnosed by the repair facility as requiring a transmission valve body replacement. I w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
The vehicle drove normally earlier in the day with no major drivability concerns. Later, reverse gear suddenly stopped functioning and the engine would rev abnormally without the vehicle moving properly while in reverse. Shortly afterward, while driving, the vehicle displayed the warning message “Reduce Acceleration – Drive with Care” and began losing acceleration and propulsion. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
Car is consuming oil every three weeks. Engine is going to burn if it does not stop. It’s not in a class action but probably should be. It’s been 4 months and over 1,000 spent.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4Runner. The vehicle lost motive power while attempting to access the freeway on three occasions. The reduced power mode message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and initially they were unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again, where it was diagnosed that the sensor needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was... Read more