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 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the transmission had seized in first gear. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact stated that the fail... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 28, 2026
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
I was driving on the freeway in traffic, thankfully going about +/- 25 mph and had to stop/slow down. When I tapped the breaks, they completely failed. All warning lights in the car immediately came on including the warning 'Stop Safely Break Failure'. I pressed the breaks as hard as a I could and pulled off the shoulder to slow the car and not rear-end someone. When the car finally came to stop I... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
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 vehicle jerked back and forth and then ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 28, 2026
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 - 45 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted with the wrench warning light illuminated, with the number 6 displayed. The vehicle was coasted into a nearby parking lot, and the contact waited for her husband, who was able to get the vehicle to the dealer. However, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
DEF heater failure will cause increased emissions. The warning light flashes. I have seen details where there are issues with the wiring harness for the DEF heater.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. While the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed from the scene of the failure. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with a transmission module failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with an unknown recall associated with the powertrain; however, the VIN was not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The drivetrain and passenger’s side air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurre... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the message “Service Transmission” was displayed. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into second gear. The message that the gear was not available was displayed. The message "Auto Stick Unavailable" was displayed. The local deale... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
My 2017 Kia Niro exhibits a dangerous low-speed engine surging hazard matching Safety Recall SC276. An authorized Kia dealership technician inspected the vehicle under RO #6115244 and formally documented 'seeping fluid residue' inside the clutch actuator housing. However, the dealership and Kia Corporate are refusing to honor the recall remedy and have released the car at a $0.00 balance while exp... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
While stopped at a traffic light, the engine began producing a loud metallic clattering and clanking sound, consistent with connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). There was no prior warning light or indication of this specific failure. When the light changed, the vehicle would not accelerate normally, leaving me stalled in a lane of moving traffic. I was forced to make an emergency turn to ge... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
Vehicle had an engine fire yesterday. Inner cv boot is burned. Luckily fire was put out quickly with a fire extinguisher.
Fire
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
Out of nowhere without any warning light all of a sudden couldn’t back up when geared into reverse to reverse. Turned the vehicle off and back on, then was able to reverse. Left parking lot and was on the road and vehicle started loosing speed, then put into park with hazard lights. When attempting to get off the road for safety reasons tried putting into drive and the car then drove in reverse.... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
On July 24th 2026, while operating my 2015 Dodge Dart, I was backing up in reverse and attempted to shift the vehicle into Park. During this normal shifting process, the transmission shift cable failed/broke, causing the vehicle to become stuck in Reverse and preventing me from safely shifting the vehicle into Park or another gear. The failed component is the transmission shift cable, which is th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
When making a slower turn mainly when turning to the right or backing up to the right the RS rear wheel is intermittently locking upor dragging and letting loose multiple times in a row. It does it turning to the left but not as bad. This issue causes the vehicle to not want to drive correctly or want to move especially when at an intersection turning right so I have to give it excessive gas to ge... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
The transmission is failing after about 65,000 miles (7 years from first use). It can be inspected upon request. My safety is at risk in that the transmission is steadily getting worse and could fail at any time or any speed. The transmission failure was diagnosed and confirmed by a local Toyota dealer. There are no warning lights. A high-pitched whine is heard while driving which gets higher... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 25, 2026
My EPB malfunction light goes off for no reason and kicks my cruise control off . My transmission is now making a crazy noise. Has happened MULTIPLE times since ownership.
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 25, 2026
Vehicle exhibited a fluid leak at the rear of the engine near the transmission/transfer case junction. An independent shop is currently evaluating; suspected power take-off unit failure. This matches the failure pattern described in NHTSA Defect Petition DP26001 covering 2022-2023 Acura MDX and 2021-2023 Acura TLX for interfacing spline failure between the transmission and the rear-wheel-drive pow... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
Engine has a noise (chirp) when vehicle delivered. Found out after purchase that a known problem was present in the engine compartment that engineering has been unable to identify. Bulletin #PIP6045B (Oct20,2025) Document ID:7006702 With the engine failures General Motors have had I have concerned about operating. A failure could result in danger to the occupants.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
On July 21st while making a left turn the PTU of the Jeep failed. Vehicle was towed to a Dealership and is now waiting for repairs.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
MIL light came on in November 2025, OBD-II diagnostic trouble code P0613 - TCM processor fault. Volkswagen has had a nationwide backorder on the replacement (part no. 09H-927-158) for MONTHS. Last week, my car randomly went into Park while attempting to pull into my garage. Red transmission fault indicator lit up on dash. "Transmission faulty. Safely stop the vehicle!" Car would not shift into gea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 60-70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. Upon inspection, the contact became aware of a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred days later. The... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
In May 2025, I contacted Hyundai regarding excessive oil consumption in my 2021 Palisade. In June, Hyundai directed me to take the vehicle to a dealership for testing. Under TSB 23-EM-008H ([XXX]), a failed oil consumption test requires engine replacement. My vehicle is covered under Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. I have provided complete maintenance records and receipts fo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
I am submitting this complaint regarding Ford Recall 26S28 (NHTSA Recall 26V237). My truck exhibited the dangerous unintended downshift condition described in this recall for several weeks before the repair remedy became available. A few weeks weeks before April 27, 2026, the truck began unexpectedly downshifting from approximately 5th or 6th gear into a much lower gear while driving. Each event ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
On my 2007 Honda Civic SI sedan, the clutch pedal assembly bracket that mounts it to the firewall broke. This effectively disables the vehicle Wherever You Are. You are unable to shift into any gear to safely get off the road or anything of the sort. The clutch pedal assembly bracket cracked on the left side and made the clutch pedal useless. I had to turn off the car when I stopped in the middle ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2026
While stopped at a red light, my 2020 Mercedes-Benz A220 unexpectedly shut off and shifted into Neutral without warning. All warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and a message instructed me to release the brake and restart the engine. The vehicle restarted, but this has now happened twice. The check engine light remains illuminated most of the time. This unexpected engine shutdown creates... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
The vehicle has suffered a catastrophic structural manufacturing defect involving a transmission case half seal failure. The transmission is actively seeping/leaking fluid directly from the factory-mated case assembly line seal. This presents a severe, progressive safety hazard. Transmission fluid leaking from the case half migrates along the underbody of the vehicle and directly coats hot exhaust... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2026
Aluminum rear differential corroded, causing Haldex fluid to leak out resulting in Haldex pump, failure and loss of rear-wheel-drive ie.(4 motion) causing catastrophic failure of clutch pack.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
Transmission was recalled and supposedly fixed. The fix has now failed and dealer and Subaru are not willing to fix again.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Upon taking the vehicle to a collision repair shop, the contact was informed that the gear shifter had failed to shift out of park(P). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the rear wheels locked up, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle, and the vehicle stopped suddenly. The contact regained control of the vehicle after 3 attempts. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle's wheels locked up. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and whiplash and pain. The service 4WD warning light was illuminated after the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The dealer... Read more
1 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
I purchased my vehicle new in 2020. It presently has around 83,000 miles. From early on, it has occasionally hesitated, then jumped when putting the car in reverse. I spoke to the dealership years ago but they said it was nothing. On July 19, 2026, my car randomly would not shift above (probably) second gear on the highway. After parking, it would not shift into reverse at all. The vehicle was t... Read more
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA HYBRID
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
I. Vehicle Purchase and Maintenance History In September 2020, I purchased this 2020 Ford F-150 new. II. Chronology of Defect and Repair Attempts Around 33,000 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting severe excessive oil consumption, an audible engine noise, and visible blue/gray smoke puffs emitting from the exhaust system. The following timeline outlines my exhaustive efforts to have Ford remedy ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message "Transmission Shifter Failure" was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle independently accelerated. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a recall for the failure woul... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
Vehicle Safety Hazard & Recall Remedy Denial Recall: 26S28 / NHTSA Campaign 26V237 Summary of Issue: I am experiencing active, unsafe vehicle symptoms directly tied to Recall 26S28, including intermittent transmission signal loss, warning lights, and abrupt downshifts while driving. I initially contacted Ford in April/May 2026 immediately following the recall notice, but was informed no remedy ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2026
unable to go into 4wd, loss of park function
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
2018 Honda Pilot Transmission Failed at Only 34,726 Miles I want to share my experience so other Honda owners are aware of a very premature transmission failure. I am the original owner of a 2018 Honda Pilot with only 34,726 miles. My family has trusted Honda for many years, and my wife also drives a Honda HR-V. We believed Honda vehicles were reliable. While driving, my Pilot suddenly showed a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact called on behalf of his wife, who owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact researched online and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V164000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken back to the reside... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2026
Vehicle experienced severe, premature component failures posing direct safety hazards while operating a commercial work van: 1. Parking Brake Seizure (01/25/2025 @ 49,197 miles): The parking brake pivot assembly completely seized, causing the rear brake assembly to lock up and rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate on public roads. Replaced under Invoice #CHCS490962. 2. Catastrophic Transmissio... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
On several occasions the vehicle will act like it misses a gear when put under load. Example is when you go to pass a vehicle and accelerate the vehicle will just rev up and not speed up. You then have to let the vehicle slow down and sort of get itself back into the right gear and you can go. Another example is taking off from a stop it will also do the same thing causing you to be pulling out... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
Subject: Event of engine failure • While driving on a level paved road at 15 miles per hour in a busy area my 2019 GMC Sierra Denali pickup truck stalled in the middle of a busy street. • Truck stalled in a heavy traffic area at an intersection putting myself and passengers in a dangerous area and situation. This obstructed the normal flow of traffic causing a danger to pedestrians and normal... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the contact’s daughter was reversing the vehicle, the hybrid vehicle suddenly changed direction, and the vehicle drove forward approximately 3 feet and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The contact was informed that the part needed to repair the vehicle was on back order. No further information was available. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
On July 22, 2025, at 20,245 miles, I brought my 2019 Cadillac CT6-V to an authorized dealer while still under factory warranty, reporting hard shifting during both acceleration and deceleration — the exact symptom described in GM Special Coverage Bulletin N242480631, which addresses a defective transmission control valve subject to premature wear (P0747 diagnostic condition). The dealer was unab... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
Our 2017 Ford F150 Raptor is having issues with hard shifting. It does a clunking and jerking noise while changing into certain gears, 3rd and 4th. It sounds like the transmission is about to fall out. Ford has had to do a software diagnostic on it. It will work for a while then will hard shift again. It has been doing this on and off again since 2021. This issue is not remedy by a software update... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2026
My transmission is said to be failing. I plan to get it looked at again this week. Safety of me and my two children are at risk when driving. The car shakes and could lose control. An independent I tried reporting it to my insurance but they told me to go to a mechanic and they won’t do anything to help me. There are no warning signals or lights or anything. It just started shaking and it... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 27, 2026
Incident date: Jul 17, 2026
I have a problem with my truck with the Molded Lead Frame. It is shifting erratically and not shifting below 3rd gear. I has an open recall for it, 26N04, but Ford won't perform the service because they are not getting the correct code from the computer system. So I am now forced to drive this truck in this unsafe condition until I get the correct codes.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
Vehicle suffered a violent, un-commanded highway-speed downshift due to NHTSA Campaign 26V237000 / Ford Recall 26S28. The tachometer was redlined during the incident. The mechanical overspeed immediately damaged the engine's cam phasers. Eide Ford in Mandan, ND, applied the recall software patch after the structural failure already occurred, cleared the diagnostic trouble codes without providing a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle unexpectedly rolled forward while the vehicle was in park(P). Due to the failure, the contact was forced to engage the parking brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling forward while in park(P). The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V117000 (Visibility) and 26V402000(Power Trai... Read more