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: Jul 24, 2026
Purchased vehicle in question on 9/11/25 as a lease through the local Jeep dealership near my residence. Sometime around 4/26 to 5/26 my vehicle started to display odd operational patterns which were brought to my local dealerships attention. The first event where I was able to record any type of documentation was around 5/25/26. While driving, the vehicle would suddenly go into "limp mode" and ra... Read more
GOODYEAR
WRANGLER TRAILRUNNER AT
(9999) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
electrical, drivetrain, powertrain. While driving the vehicle a message popped up on the speedometer saying service battery chargeing system and battery saver mode. the is the second time that those messages have come up in the four years of ownership with the first time being in 2024. The second issue we have had with this vehicle was injectors going bad and causing a bad misfire making driveabi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
On-going issue with 1080R transmission acting weird. Hard downshifts when truck is cold, even slightly warmed up. Lazy shifts, like transmission gets lost shifting from 2nd to 3rd. It pauses the shift and takes about 5 or 6 seconds to find 3rd gear. Seems to be in line with tons of known Ford 1080r cdf drum issues based on info I read online. Dealer has noted and replicated some of the issue... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
My Palisade is burning oil at a rapid pace. I took it to the dealership and they said it was an acceptable level. I don't believe that to be correct. I have less than 100,000 miles on it.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2026
I am requesting that NHTSA document and investigate this issue, including the frequency of coolant intrusion and engine failure involving 2017 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. I would also like NHTSA to determine whether the existing Ford service programs, technical service bulletins, recalls, or other corrective actions adequately address affected owners. My VIN is [XX... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
Transmission was shifting erratically and harsh. Hesitation in shifting from a stop and when accelerating on highway. Shutter when starting from a complete stop in lower gears. The vehicle would not slam into gear but the hesitation was enough to jolt driver and passenger when it would finally shift through the higher gears. Gears 7-10 seemed ok but 3-6 had definite hesitation.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
VEHICLE & INCIDENT: 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL 2.0L Turbo. While climbing an extended grade on Hwy 87, vehicle experienced a sudden sluggish throttle anomaly and rapid coolant temperature spike from ~215F to 255F under load. Vehicle was pulled off and shut down within ~20 seconds. SUSPECTED FAILURE MODE & UNDERHOOD FIRE: Upon opening the hood, pressurized coolant had sprayed across the engine bay from... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
Engine misfires, lower engine power, and a lit check engine/Malfunction Indicator Lamp. Mercedes-Benz issued an Emission Service Campaign (No. 2021070006, internal code 21P1590208) to replace out-of-spec ignition coils on 657 vehicles from model year 2021, including the E-Class. My VIN was not included in the recall campaign but my vehicle is experiencing these exact symptoms as referenced in the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
My tuck downshifted to first going 42 mph, almost caused me to get rear ended, please make ford fix this
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
Previously reported that my vehicle was throwing the code for the 40D. I returned today, vehicle vehicle start to slam, jerk. Jeep Cares escalated after dealership tech confirmed active failure. Fuse pulled, but can't really drive my car to avoid damages. Now waiting for them to give dealership approval to order part. I still have the 5,/60 Warranty. It's red tape and leaving me driving a dange... Read more
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA GT
(2017) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 8, 2026
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
Transmission shudders and shifts very hard in lower gears. Going from drive to reverse the transmission shifts hard.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
The transmission is failing. It is a known issue. 2018 Ford F150 Lariat. The transmission shifts very hard; it's slipping out of gear. It is getting stuck in gears and not shifting as it should. It is flaring when shifting gears. My safety is at risk because I never know when the vehicle is going to move if I am stopped. It could happen in the middle of an intersection; it could go out when I'm go... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The high-voltage battery failed unexpectedly shortly after the warranty expired (with only 9,000 miles past warranty). Tesla Service confirmed a main high-voltage battery defect and quoted a full battery replacement. A sudden high-voltage battery failure causes a complete loss of propulsion/power, creating a severe collision and safety hazard on public roads. There were no prior warnings until the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
I was in an automatic car wash, approaching the end of the tunnel. The car was running but in neutral. I put my foot on the brake pedal and shifted into drive. As I moved the shifter, I heard a scraping sound followed by a clink sound, then the car surged forward and accelerated toward a stone wall directly ahead. I turned hard right as I hit and held the brakes. I missed the wall but hit a p... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
On or around [XXX], while driving at approximately 40 mph, the automatic emergency braking / auto collision assist system on my 2025 Cadillac OPTIQ (VIN: [XXX]) activated without warning and brought the vehicle to a sudden stop. There was no obstacle, pedestrian, or hazard present in the roadway ahead of the vehicle at the time of activation. The vehicle was brought to Moore Cadillac, Chantilly, ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
PASSPORT 10 SPEED HARSH SHIFTING AT LOW SPEEDS. DOES NOT SHIFT FROM LOWER GEARS SMOOTHLY. ENGINE REVS BETWEEN GEARS. IT'S A HYDRAULYIC SHIFT FLARE. IN ADDITION, HARSH DOWNSHIFTING AND ABRUPT DECELERATION WHEN LIFTING OFF THE GAS PEDAL.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
MAP hose/sensor failure. Issue causes motorcycle to repeatedly stall while in motion. Dealer has confirmed this is a repeat issue, even after initial MAP hose recall has been performed. Had been inspected by the dealer multiple times. Vehicle is at the dealership now for this issue again. They are working manufacturer to determine why the repeated issue. Symptoms are rough uneven idle, and rep... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
On August 8, 2026, at approximately 23,959 miles, my 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe experienced a significant loss of propulsion while accelerating in Hybrid mode to merge onto a highway. During acceleration, the check engine light began flashing, then remained illuminated, and the vehicle displayed a “Service Hybrid System Required” warning. The vehicle then provided little to no effective moti... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 8, 2026
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
My truck locks into a gear when driving, usually 3rd or 5th gear, but at times 1st or 6th gear. When I stop at an intersection it's difficult to start moving. At times it'll clear after driving awhile, but not always. Sometimes stopping and restarting the truck will help in the moment, but not always. This is a serious safety issue, especially when highway driving, or trying to start from a st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
The front left axle was replaced twice and the right axle replaced twice. Both have broken consistently. They were replaced by Nissan Dealer all times. My safety was put at risk by having to drive the vehicle with broken axles. There were no warning signs u til the axles started clicking and popping upon turning. The vehicle is available for inspection even though it is temporarily fixed.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
There is an intermittent issue that begins with the lane departure warning light followed by the power steering light flashing red. It leads to a complete and sudden loss of power steering. This has happened at low speeds as well as highway speeds with no discernable pattern for replicating the issue.
Incident date: May 19, 2026
While traveling at highway speeds with my family on our way to a college visit, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of propulsion due to a complete breach of the automatic transmission oil cooler lines (Part numbers: 3QF317801C and 3QF317820C). The breach caused hot, pressurized transmission fluid to violently spray out of the vehicle, covering the highway and completely coating the v... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
I own a 2014 Ford Focus Titanium with approximately 75,000 miles and the DPS6 automatic transmission. The transmission has developed a serious and recurring problem. The vehicle began violently jerking/shuddering while moving forward and suddenly would not go into reverse. A transmission warning light came on. After the battery was recharged, reverse temporarily returned, but the same transmissio... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
My fiancé was driving my 2018 Honda Accord when the vehicle suddenly jolted violently while accelerating up a bridge. Immediately afterward, multiple warning lights, including the check engine light, came on and the vehicle lost all power. Thankfully, she was able to coast down the bridge and pull into an empty parking lot. This was extremely dangerous because the vehicle lost power while being d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
Service 4 wheel drive light came on. Car loses acceleration randomly. Weird winding noise. Higher than normal rpm. See there is recall for this but states mine not included. Had mechanic look at it and was told it’s the PTU. Normal issue with these. Unfortunately over 10000 on back order. Hhmmm
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
On two occasions vehicle failed 3-4 upshift and abruptly shifted into first instead. Transmission harshness/flaring. I am experiencing intermittent flaring/slippage and harshness with the 3-4 upshift and 4-3 downshift, 4-5 upshift, and 7-8 upshift. Most of the time, it exhibits as a flare/slip/bogging down during the 3-4 upshift, sometimes accompanied by a slam once it catches. Less often there ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
Component/system failure. Engine shut off while driving @ 70 mph. The car first shifted into neutral all on its own, system shows AT MALFUNCTION. Vehicle was towed to nearest dealership so it is available for inspection. Safety concern is that the vehicle died in 2nd left hand side of road my had my husband not been able to essentially coast and cross 2 lanes of traffic to get to shoulder the v... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
My transmission is surging at low speeds all the way from takeoff to about 60mph. No engine or transmission codes.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
Driving along I-15 in vegas. Ambient temp was 112 degrees F. Engine stopped, check engine light came on and a 'stop safely' indicator appeared. Had to have the truck towed from the interstate to a Ford dealership.
Incident date: May 6, 2026
While driving normally, I was in the middle of a busy highway/intersection when the vehicle suddenly lost power and came to a complete stop. The vehicle shut itself off without warning, leaving the Corvette disabled in the roadway and causing a complete blockage of the road/intersection. Traffic was actively traveling around me, creating a serious safety hazard and putting both myself and other mo... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2012) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 30, 2026
I pulled my 2019 BMW 740i out of a residential garage and stopped the vehicle. I opened the driver's door and exited the vehicle to enter the code on the exterior garage keypad to close the garage door. After entering the code, I turned around to return to the vehicle and observed that the BMW had begun moving unexpectedly. The vehicle continued moving and ultimately crashed into a tree, causing s... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 25, 2026
Underwent Ford safety recall 26S28 on 7/27. After safety recall, check engine light remained on. Mobile service returned on 7/29, and tech stated that "engine relearn process" was not completed. He stated that he completed the recall. One hour later (next time I drove the truck) while going over 70 mph on the interstate, truck shifted down and revolutions shot up. Loud bang from under the truck. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
While driving my vehicle, I have noticed a significant decrease in power and a corresponding slowdown, particularly in traffic conditions. This has resulted in a near-miss collision with another vehicle in the rear. Furthermore, attempting to accelerate the vehicle has proven futile. ps. The dealer where I brought the vehicle is kinda giving me a hard time & I fear for my family safety. honestly... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
Camshaft had to be replaced a couple years ago, followed by cam shaft sensor. Then another $6,300 of "critical" issu3s to be fixed. The vehicle is 5 1/2 y/o. Absolutely ridiculous that this amount of money is required for such a young vehicle.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
While driving my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas the vehicle unexpectedly shifted itself into neutral without any action from the driver. I was driving with my daughter when this occurred. After the vehicle shifted into neutral, it would no longer shift back into drive, and I was unable to continue driving normally. This resulted in an unexpected loss of propulsion while the vehicle was being operated on th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
Safety Issue. The raised cruise control speed set button on the steering wheel is prone to being touched when rotating the steering wheel while making sharp turns when driving through parking lots at low speed. If the distance cruise was previously set at say 45 mph the last time it was used, and the set button is very briefly hit upward when rotating the wheel through your hands to the left, it c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The vehicle veers towards the right, even though a wheel alignment was completed on 7/1/26. On 7/28/26 when driving the vehicle, it wouldn’t accelerate properly, it felt sluggish and although the gas pedal was depressed it was struggling to pick up speed. As the vehicle was attempting to shift between 2nd and 3rd gears the car jolted forward and the traction control and collision lights came on.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The dealer was contacted and offered a software update as the repair. The ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 7, 2026
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
While I was driving to drop my kids to school My Chrysler Pacifica PHEV dashboard chimed, the check engine light made an appearance, and the screen in my gauge cluster showed a large warning message. “Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon.” I kept my foot in it and guided the Pacifica Hybrid through the off-ramp and into the rest stop’s parking lot And turned off the ignition and engine fo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically, and the vehicle stopped independently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle restarted; however, the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, wh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe was brought to dealership on 3/27/26 for an oil change and a computer update was completed for Emissions Improvement. Upon picking the vehicle up after service, it was noticeable that it was not shifting correctly. I spoke to the service department and asked if the memory was cleared with the update an if it was having to relearn how I drive and the said it should not b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
The mechatronics unit failed in the automatic transmission. Vehicle was no longer in gear causing it to stall, and drivetrain warning message was produced. This happened twice in the same day July 6th 2026. BMW was contacted, they retrieved the vehicle. Since the problem was intermittent they scanned the vehicle logs and sent to BMW North America for diagnosis. Initial repair was reprogram. During... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting roughly. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The truck on multiple occasions shifts into lower gear unexpectedly.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the message on “Powertrain Malfunction – Reduced Engine Power” was displayed on the Ford App. After the message was displayed, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. A certified mechanic was contacted and stated that the failure was associated with the transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
Our 2020 Ford F150 transmission failed at 80k miles. Ford USA offered to pay half of the repair cost but is not willing to take full accountability on a transmission that was never was put under stress. Our truck never towed anything and was only use to drive from the shop to the job site and with only 1 up to 2 passenger only max. Per google research: The 2020 Ford F-150, equipped with the 10R8... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving on a ramp at 40-45 MPH, there was an abnormally loud grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle, and the vehicle lost drive power. No warning light was illuminated. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power while driving in active traffic due to a severe hybrid powertrain malfunction. Immediately prior to the failure, the dashboard displayed a critical warning message: "Stop Safely – Vehicle will shut off soon." The vehicle then lost all propulsion, leaving it completely disabled and forcing an emergency maneuver to the shoulder. ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
My 2023 Nissan Rogue SL FWD began exhibiting a jerking/kicking sensation from the transmission starting in approximately June 2026. Initially, the vehicle moved smoothly on level surfaces, but whenever I had to apply the accelerator pedal from a stop to start moving, a distinct kick or jerk would occur. I did not initially consider this a serious issue. In July 2026, an engine repair was performed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
The transmission is actively slipping and dropping out of gear while driving causing unexpected loss of acceleration on public roads. This represents an extreme road safety hazard. The manufacture was notified but refused to offer assistance or grace coverage immediately following a Premium CARE factory contract expiration.