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: Mar 5, 2025
While driving on a two-lane 40 MPH road in the left lane the vehicle suddenly lost power, stopped in traffic, and displayed a transmission warning message. Multiple warning lights were "on" and the car would not restart. Additionally, the vehicle would not come out of "Park." Occupants needed to await police who stopped traffic in order for occupants to be able to exit the vehicle safely. The v... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 17, 2026
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse and failed to properly shift gears. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 9 MPH. The vehicle was shifted to neutral and coasted to the residence. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
I bought the vehicle used from a Cadillac dealer in Orlando with 72700 miles on it. At approximately 75000 miles my wife and I noticed a faint whine coming from somewhere. As it worsened, I researched the issue to find that Toyota has a TSB for a manufacturing defect in the transmission. As I understand it, the transmission can fail suddenly causing a serious safety concern. I need to fix this pro... Read more
SUBARU
TRAILSEEKER
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 17, 2026
Incident date: Jul 5, 2026
My 2019 jeep Cherokee limited suffered a complete loss of power while driving down the highway and now has a service 4wd light on as well.
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 17, 2026
Incident date: Jun 8, 2026
Vehicle repeatedly entered limp mode / lost power at highway speed a few days after the dealer performing the remedy for NHTSA Recall 23V- 010 (FCA Recall 03A, transmission internal wiring connector short). The recall remedy did not correct the defect. Prior to the recall work, the van entered limp mode on 2 other occasions. Timeline: On 7/10/26, Park Chrysler Jeep in Burnsville, MN performed the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
At about 15000 mile (under warranty) I had to take it to the dealer for hard shifting. At around 58000 mile and still under warranty I started to have intermittent hard shifting and searching for gears. At 63000 (out of warranty) I had complete transmission failure with gear lockouts occuring on 2nd and 7th gear and hard shifting. Applied for to FORD for after warranty assistance and was told to k... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
I own a 2020 Ford Edge ST with approximately 62,460 miles. My vehicle has developed a loud noise coming from the rear differential, particularly when turning at low speeds. On July 6, 2026, I had the vehicle inspected by my independent mechanic, Kenny's Quick Service. Ford Motor Company has not inspected my vehicle. My mechanic documented the following: "Customer has a noise in the rear of vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Please contact Carvana and make them take that vehicle off the market. I purchased it and by chance found out that bottom parts like subframe and exhaust pipe were inadequately installed . The mechanic said eventually I was going to flip over myself on the highway in that car. He also stated that this repair cost would be around $8000 - more than half of this used car was offered for on Carvana. I... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
Vehicle transmission repaired at 77,000 along with a new torque converter. Torque converter and transmission both failed again at 115,000 miles. GMC currently replacing the 3rd torque converter with 130,000 miles. I have spent over $14,000 on 2 transmissions and 3 torque converters on a vehicle I've owned for 6 years.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
Transmission pops out of second gear after downshifting from third. This has left me stranded in the middle of an intersection in front of oncoming traffic at least five times while struggling to get the vehicle back into second gear. This is a widely reported problem with the 2020 JL model that dealers are attempting to write-off as a transmission failsafe to avoid repairing.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
My truck transmission beed jerking off and on for over a year. One time it lose power when i was driving and could have caused an accident. I took it to the dealership and they said i new a new transmission for $12000. Something just doesn’t seem right about this! I brought a brand new truck thats unsafe and its no recall for my model but other models with the same issue had a recall. I would ju... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
Transfer case failure, leakage, discovered after warranty expired. Took vehicle in describing seeming loss of AWD and tech informed me it was “normal” I Later discovered, during an oil change, a leak From the transmission or transfer case that covered the lower skid plate, which looking up, was directly related to a known failure of the Type S’s transfer case/Transmission causing a loss of ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
I have been having issues with my vehicle for the last 1,000 miles or so where it appears to be losing power while accelerating normally, i'm not sure if the issue lies with the engine or powertrain/transmission. I took to dealer last week and they were unable to reproduce. The issues have been getting more frequent and intially were only occuring after the vehicle warmed up, now it has started... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
On about 5 occasions, and at a stop light, the auto stop did not re-engage when I attempted to move forward. The first time it happened I only had about 28k miles on it and I was making a left at a light in [XXX]. On another occasion, about 7 months ago, I was driving in [XXX] and the vehicle shut down in the same manner - it went into Accessory mode and I then turned the car off and back on be... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
COMPONENT/SYSTEM: The 12-volt auxiliary battery system, the interior fuse box (Total Integrated Power Module) containing an auto-cutoff relay, and the high voltage battery system. All components are available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: The vehicle has lost power and died while being driven, and has left occupants stranded on multiple occasions. A sudden loss of motive power in traffic creates a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
The vehicle experienced intermittent transmission-related drivability issues before the recall remedy was available. The vehicle had delayed/hard shifting, an intermittent wrench warning light, and a reduced power/limp mode condition where the transmission would not shift normally. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Ford dealer on multiple occasions, including diagnostic visits on 10/09/20... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
Lockhart Cadillac Service Department committed warranty fraud by charging me on multiple occasions for repairs that should have been covered under GM/Cadillac 2025 Transmission Recall & Special Extended Warranties. The transmission has continued to deteriorate. I took the vehicle in on July 1, 2026 for recall service and was told it needed a valve body replacement. However, they are demanding agai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2025
On Friday, July 10 at about 5 PM I was parking in front of one of my favorite restaurants in my new Jeep Wrangler. When shifting going to complete.the park job the gear shift locked the engine began revving and the vehicle lurched forward. I applied the brakes got push back the tevving increased the vehicle lurched forward again. I re applied the brakes the revving increased the shift was locked a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
On XXX and XXX, while driving on the highway, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete loss of motive power. Flashing warning lights appeared on the instrument cluster, accompanied by a safety warning message instructing the driver to pull over and "Check Hybrid System" immediately. This sudden, uncommanded drop in propulsion on active, high-speed roadways created an immediate safety hazard, for... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
Humming noise from drivetrain. Took vehicle to Acura dealer and was diagnosed as: Loss of all wheel drive due to interfacing spline failure between transmission and transfer case resulting in only front wheel drive. Found open investigation NHTSA with other vehicles experiencing the same failure. DP26001
Incident date: Oct 23, 2024
While driving, the vehicle displayed a "Service Shifter" warning with no prior warning lamps or symptoms. The transmission then dropped out of Drive into Neutral on its own while the vehicle was moving, causing it to roll before the vehicle automatically shifted itself into Park and applied the parking brake. The vehicle could be shifted back into Drive but repeatedly slipped out of gear into Neut... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
On [XXX], I purchased a brand-new vehicle 2026 Toyota Camry hybrid from Post Oak Toyota (located at 5800 Tinker Diagonal, Midwest City, OK 73110). The dealership delivered this vehicle to me with an open, active safety recall that had not been fixed. We discovered the recall June 20 2026 after setting up the new Toyota app. The dealership violated federal safety regulations by finalizing the sale ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
The vehicle first experienced severe, violent jerking and slipping when shifting between the 4th & 5th gears. The vehicle was held by a Ford dealership for 21 days for this issue, but the repair failed. Two months after being out of the shop the transmission has rapidly degraded and is now actively experiencing the same severe, violent jerking and failing to engage in every single gear except 10th... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 18, 2026
When starting the truck on XXX, the transmission was stuck in 7th gear and would not reverse. It was one day out of the 5 year warranty period. Had it towed to Kendall Ford in [XXX]. They "found TSB 22-2428" and suspected an issue with the cdf cylinder. They determined that it was more cost effective to replace the transmission with a reconditioned one instead of repairing it. The total cost was a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was making a clunking sound. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear draft shaft center bearing was not moving freely as the front shaft. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall and could not be repaired free ... Read more
TOYOTA
RAV4 HYBRID
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Service 4WD" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the power take-off unit(PTU) had experienced internal damage and the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NH... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
the 10 speed transmission at low transmission temps shifts extremley hard to the point where it will down shift in a slow acceleration back to first gear and chirp the tires, in the rain this could cause me to lose traction in adverse weather conditions. Somtimes it will shift into to neutral and not accelerate at all for a few seconds before shifting back into first gear, making it dangerous if I... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
The vehicle is a 2020 Honda Odyssey. A recurring and dangerous safety failure occurs involving the Auto Idle-Stop system. With the system enabled and the vehicle at a complete stop, the engine shuts off as designed. However, upon depressing the brake pedal to resume driving, the engine severely struggles to restart and completely fails. Simultaneously, the vehicle immediately and automatically shi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
When accelerating from first to second gear, there is a power boost into second gear whether I want the power or not. Example: if I am turning I am not accelerating but my engine will continue to go up in rpm’s and make me go into second gear. Dangerous
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Typical 10r80 transmission problems you’ve guys seen a million times and have yet to force ford to issue a recall . I can’t even make it through an intersection without it stopping suddenly and putting me in danger . Please do something. This is gonna cost me a lot of money to fix .
Incident date: May 21, 2026
On occasion the car will not accelerate from a dead stop like it should. I think it’s turbo lag. There have been a few times I thought I was going be broadsided pulling out into traffic when normal acceleration would have been safe but with a dead pedal for a few seconds it was terrifying. I’ve brought this up to two different dealers and they say without being able to experience it there’s ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
Just had another incident where driving along about 30mph and all of a sudden vehicle slams into first gear from 4th gear. Luckily neither I or my dog was injured. And also lucky that another vehicle wasn’t following closely as this safety issue could easily cause a rear end collision. I have reported this to Ford customer support and their corporate office. This is a safety defect from years a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving our 2023 Ford Transit Connect (VIN [XXX]) van that resulted in an unintended vehicle movement and collision. While the incident resulted in only minor property damage and a minor injury, we believe the circumstances warrant review due to the potential for a much more severe outcome. The vehicle had been exhibiting operational issues prior ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
On April 17, 2026, while driving my 2022 Hyundai Palisade with approximately 167,000 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and was unable to maintain normal driving speed. The sudden loss of propulsion created a safety risk because the vehicle could no longer operate normally in traffic. I was able to move the vehicle out of traffic, but it would not restart. I also observed white smoke co... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with powertrain unit failure. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal whistling and dinging sound coming from the vehicle, and the powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle independently downshifted, and the rear driver’s side of the vehicle slid to the left, and the front passenger’s side of the ve... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Over the past 6/7 months, the following: ALL warning lights on dashboard flashing whenever car in running, strong smell of gasoline detected in home garage, and 5/6 times during the past 4/5 weeks engine "rough" when starting cold accompanied by loss of power. The lack of effective warning notices and/or the sudden loss of power increases the risk of crash and injury. I understand that these ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
I am filing a formal complaint regarding General Motors' handling of a critical vehicle component that has left my vehicle and many others in an unsafe condition. For more than over a one month, I have been waiting for a replacement gear shift module that is currently on backorder. During this time, I have learned that numerous General Motors customers are experiencing the same issue and are also... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
this recall has been in effect for nearly 1 year & puts my car @ risk but also doesn't allow me to charge beyond 80%, greatly effecting fuel efficiency. Ford has failed to address the issue in a timely manner or offered any compensation for my additional fuel consumption or offered a realistic deadline for repair
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
Two simultaenous problems happened: 1) loud clunking/thudding during low-speed turn. 2) Clunking/knocking/rattling noise from suspensions when going through uneven grounds. This both things happened before 20,000 miles. Had AWD coupling and rear differential unit replaced under warranty regarding problem 1). Had rear shocks replaced under warranty regarding problem 2). Found there has bben TSB i... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE PHEV
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S has unexpectedly lost propulsion and come to a complete stop while being driven on at least three separate occasions. When this occurs, the vehicle jolts, stops moving, and cannot be placed into Drive or Reverse. I am only able to shift it into Neutral. After the first incident, I took the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealership the following morning. The dealership state... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
66,500 miles transmission shudder. Scenic Chevrolet advised the torque converter failed and damaged the transmission.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
Vehicle has 67,000 miles and suffered a catastrophic CVT transmission failure, documented by dealership diagnostic code P2714. The transmission severely slips and exhibits a dangerous 15-second delay to engage forward gear after shifting into Drive. More critically, the vehicle suffers from unpredictable engine stalling. The car completely shut down and stalled in traffic while trying to accelerat... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
While driving my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited, the check engine light began flashing off and on. I was near an exit and drove off the freeway. I could feel the car (near the gas pedal) start shaking, then the power went down quickly... as I was trying to find a safe place to go. The farther I drove, there was less power until the car was going about 2 miles an hour. The check light continued fla... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator to make a left turn, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The transmission shifted into neutral, and the vehicle coasted forward. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and activated the hazard lights. The system was reset, and the vehicle was able to ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
Brought car into Honda of nanuet for lots of dashboard lights on. Was told that i need a airflow tube replaced. Milage was at 79048. Immediately after picking up car, same thing happened and was told that computer needs a reset. 2 months later same thing happened again and was told there is an internal error of Powertrain computer and needs to be replaced. Now milage is 81,147 and am being told t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Car went in to limp mode twice! (Vehicle speed wouldn’t get over 50 miles per hour.) The car was taken to the nearest O’Reilly to be diagnosed. The diagnosis said “ Powertain diagnosis troubled codes : P0012 Code Indicates that the Bank1intake camshaft position timing was retarded beyond limits for a predetermined time period of time. Also said replace engine variable valve time (vvt) soleno... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became inoperable and the vehicle stalled, and the gear shifter was inoperable. The contact exited the vehicle and was unable to re-enter the vehicle because the doors were locked and failed to unlock. The messages "Service Now" and "Battery Management" were displayed on the inst... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 16, 2026
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
While driving on the highway Vehicle appeared to downshift into to low of a gear range causing me to almost lose control of the vehicle