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: Jun 24, 2026
During warmer months of the year the vehicle can have a long pause when shifted into drive. Most commonly occurs when you finish backing up and want to go forward. The vehicle will pause and not go anywhere for 2-3 seconds. It also happens by shifting out of park into drive. Again, the vehicle will pause for 2-3 seconds. Honda dealerships are aware of this issue on the Honda Ridgeline with a ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Transmission started to whine and act erratically during driving. These effects put safety of those in the vehicle at risk by causing distractions to whomever was driving the vehicle, taking their focus off driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the transmission needed to be replaced due to an internal failure. They said they were able to quickly diagnose this problem because "... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
Car was leased on 2/2025, at the end of May 2026 I drove the car for a couple of days when I began to notice there was an issue when turning left. Anytime I made a left turn, the car would get stuck and would pull back to the right. When the left turn was being made, there would be a clicking sound from the front left side of the car. When driving straight, the car felt like it needed to pull to t... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
2018 XSE Camry 4Cyl, 114k Miles, 2026. Transmission is failing, and I bought the car used in Oct of 2025, 86k Miles. As of 2026 the car has started to make a noise that sounds like a jet engine when accelerating, and the transmission fluid is black. Went to a local transmission shop, and they told me the transmission is on its way out. I'm disappointed in Toyota's engineering this time around. I ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
As of May 23, 2023 Ford issued a TSB 22-2428, TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 10R60/10R80/10R80 MHT Automatic Transmission - Harsh/Delayed Engagement And/Or Harsh/Delayed Shift - Built On Or Before 23-Dec-2022 " Ford issued a TSB and not a recall since they knew the affected vehicles would be out of warranty and they could then charge the owners pay for repair cost of $8,000- $12,000 for a new transmis... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG GLE53
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
The vehicle does not have linerar acceperation. At times from a start, cold or warn engine, the vehicle will abruptly accelerate harder than the gas pedal was pressed. at light throttle, the vehicle will surge, shutter or chug. Erattic acceperation. after the engine replacement for a connecting rod bearing failure, the engine was running rough, poor mileage and stalled on a wet and cold mor... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
Driving on the freeway at 70mph, vehicle lost power and slowed down with no warning. Gas pedal unresponsive. Received message on screen to start vehicle. was able to swerve to shoulder lane out of oncoming traffic's way just in time for it to come to a full stop and never start again. When attempted to start vehicle again, it was completely unresponsive. Had to call for police escort since car... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
I think that ford needs to a recall on these 10r80 transmissions, I was driving a week ago and suddenly I went to limp mode. Went to gear one now transmission is hesitating
Incident date: Jun 6, 2026
RE: SAFETY COMPLAINT FOLLOWING RECALL 68C (NHTSA Recall Number 24V-111 / Mopar 68C) I am the owner of a 2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe. Prior to having safety recall 68C performed, the hybrid system functioned flawlessly. Immediately upon receiving the vehicle back from the dealership after the 68C software flash, a severe drivability and safety hazard emerged. When driving in standard Hybrid/El... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Open recall on this vehicle [XXX] since 10/9/25. This issue has taken an unreasonable amount of time to fix This vehicle transmission issue make it unsafe to drive. Loaner vehicle has not been made available INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
Vehicle: 2023 Ford Explorer ST VIN: [XXX] I am reporting ongoing safety-related powertrain and drivability defects that continue despite numerous repair attempts, including complete engine and transmission replacement. Since approximately June 2025, my vehicle has experienced delayed acceleration, hesitation, erratic RPM behavior, harsh shifting, loss of power, and intermittent warning lights. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
Truck was shifting weird the day before incident got really bad. The next day on the way home from my newborns dr appointment it began shuddering really badly and would make a loud thud noise when shifting so I had to pull off to the side of the road. There was never a warning lamp or message prior. I took the truck to a reputable transmission shop and they found the issue to be the CDF drum that ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
The 10R80 transmission shifts extremely rough. For example, mine has 67,600 miles on it and has horrible shifting behavior in the lower gears (3,4 and 5) whether shifting up or down. This is a very common problem and Ford has yet to deal with it for recalls and improve safety. The fix is extremely expensive and needs to be addressed.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Known ford edge issue, coolant intrusion, that occurs due to bad design of the engine block and related cooling issue. Engine nearly locked up while driving without warning or notice on highway, bad stuttering.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
We bought a 2022 Polaris Slingshot R with Roll Cage and Canvas Top from Private Club Motors. The rims were a little beat up, but as far as we knew, that was just cosmetic. It was closing time and pouring down rain when we left the dealership. I was driving behind the Slingshot and could tell there was a definite problem with the wheels, as they looked like they were wobbling. When we stopped to ge... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
- Component/ System: (UNKNOWN). Possible Powertrain / Transmission . - YES available for inspection. - My Safety @RISK: mine and my child (passenger) - Problem Confirmed : YES at local mechanic shop and FORD dealer service shop. - Has the vehicle been inspected : YES - Any Warning Lights or Messages prior to Failure: Check Engine (appeared at time of incident) and “Engine Fault: Serv... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
My check engine light came on, and my car was also feeling "sluggish" and slow to accelerate. I scheduled a service appointment at my local dealer 4 days later. At the appointment, the technician stated everything checked out okay and the check engine light was likely an "anomaly" or "outlier" but otherwise nothing to be concerned about since everything checked out "okay" and no problems were iden... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The orange wrench symbol was displayed. The contact pulled over for five minutes, and the computer was reset. After the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle operated normally. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
Our 2025 Honda Odyssey has now experienced three failures for the same defect, including two starter replacements within two weeks, without resolution. The most recent repair, overseen by Honda Tech Line, happened after the vehicle died June 2 while in traffic and it had to be towed to the local dealership using our insurance. On June 15 the vehicle died again, just five days after I picked it u... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
Vehicle stalled and shut off while driving in moving traffic on multiple occasions, resulting in sudden loss of power steering and brake assist — a significant safety hazard. Battery failed at 32,860 miles (September 2025) with all low voltage codes. Battery replaced by dealer. Vehicle continued to exhibit stalling, no-start, and Battery Saver Active warnings. Dealer has been unable to resolve t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The transmission is in the whining stage of transmission failure. It has been confirmed by Cumberland Toyota in Cookeville, TN. There were no warning lamps, etc. however Toyota did post a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on February 09, 2021 that my vehicle would have transmission issues. My warranty expired the last of April 2026 and I am over the mileage warranty by 800 miles. I recognized th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly shift into gear. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who determined that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer who confirmed the coolant leak into the cylinders and ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to 1st and 2nd gear, shifted back to a higher gear, and then lost automotive power. The contact pulled off the roadway and turned off then restarted the vehicle to resume normal driving. The orange wrench warning light was illuminated during the failure. The ... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the message “Service 4WD” was displayed. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate in 2WD. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed with PTU failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts being on back order. The contact associated the failure with NHT... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
While driving at highway cruising speeds, the vehicle began showing abnormal RPM fluctuation/surging at steady speed. The RPM would repeatedly move up and down even while maintaining a constant speed, including when cruise control was used. There were no warning lights or dashboard messages at the time the symptoms first appeared. The suspected failure is the torque converter/torque converter clu... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
TONALE
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Dart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in park, the vehicle failed to immediately turn off. The contact had to move the gear... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
The vehicle was parked in my parking garage and rolled away causing a collision. There were no warning lights indicating an issue. The vehicle is currently sitting at a shop awaiting warranty paperwork for a transmission replacement that was done last year.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
We have a 2021 Chevy. Tahoe, and we just had an inspection done because a light kept coming on saying that our engine might fail. The shop initially said it needed cam shaft replacement, but now are saying the entire engine needs to be replaced. The care has ~ 67,000 miles on it and is 5 years old.
FOREST RIVER
FLAGSTAFF
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
Vehicle: 2019 Honda Accord Sport 1.5L VIN: [XXX] Mileage: Approximately 122,497 My vehicle experienced a cylinder head gasket failure accompanied by coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders, injector-related issues, fuel trim failures, and cylinder misfires as diagnosed by an authorized Honda dealership. Prior to diagnosis, the vehicle experienced engine performance concerns associated with t... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden internal mechanical and electronic transmission failure. Without warning, the vehicle shifted itself directly into Park while navigating the busy intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. This caused a complete loss of propulsion and left the vehicle entirely immobilized in the middle of a high-speed junction. The vehicle could not be moved, creating an immed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
I started smelling gasoline coming from the rear outside part of the car. I took the car to the local Ford dealership and they found a canister purge valve stuck open. They fixed it and I paid $414. A few days later and still smelling gasoline, I took it to tire place so they can lift it up to check the bottom where the fuel tank is located and the immediately saw fuel/gasoline leaking from the ta... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle went forward. While in neutral, the vehicle moved forward. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V236000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagn... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Mazda MX-5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 - 80 MPH, the vehicle was erroneously swaying from left to right. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the road crown needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, parts were unavailable for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted, and the contact stated that parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the parts had not been available for almost a year. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair had caused a fina... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
Transmission is failing. Up shifting it misses gears and slams into random gears. It has sent me off the road buy at 50 mph in 7th gear it randomly shifts to first gear locks the rear tires up and spins the truck out. The problem can be reproduced anytime you start driving the truck after its been off for a while. But that doesn't mean it can't start up at any time. no warning light. problem star... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: May 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift into 2nd gear, causing the transmission to slip, and the vehicle shuddered heavily while accelerating forward. Additionally, the contact stated that the backup camera failed to function since the vehicle was purchased in 2022. The vehicle possessed a long history of i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist, the speedometer was inoperable, and the transmission failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who inspected the brakes and reset the check engine warning light, ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting into gear, the vehicle failed to respond and became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the rear axle was replaced, the transmission fluid was flushed and refilled, and a shift analyzer software update was performed; however, the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
Upon attempting to charge the vehicle with factory supplied Level 1 charger, a dashboard message appeared stating "Service Charging System" and the vehicle would not charge. Took the vehicle to a service station and scanned the vehicle. Listed error code is p0d27-00. The code could not be cleared and the vehicle was unable to be charged. Vehicle had to be taken to a Chrysler dealer for the code... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
When I come to a full stop and the Idle Stop feature engages, sometimes the engine will not restart. I get a message saying to press the button to start the engine, but it does not start after doing that either, so I have to shut the car off and restart it. There are a bunch of lights that flash when this happens.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The transmission cooling system failed causing immediate failure of the transmission. The vehicle has less than 60k miles and is still covered by the manufacturer powertrain warranty. Dash lights for service engine and service transmission only came on at the immediate time of failure (10 min prior to full transmission failure). No issues were noted in the vehicles prior service 7 months prior to ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 24, 2026
Incident date: Apr 24, 2026
The Transmission has developed a leak around the torque converter. The front pump seal has failed, a worn pump bushing and or the torque converter hub is damaged. The risk of the transmission failing and leaving me stranded on the highway puts me at risk and also the oil leaking causing a slip hazard and ruining my driveway! Independent Service (Rhode island state inspection station (#901fea) ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
My 2020 Nissan versa kept hesitating when being put in reverse the engine light kept coming on every few months I kept being told it was other issues until the transmission went out. I got it checked on multiple occasions because of the way it was hesitating and seemed like it was heating up.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
UA80 transmission issues. High pitched whining Erratic and hard shifting shuttering and hesitation Issue has been diagnosed by dealership Toyota Technician and independent service center ASE Certified technicians. Car is still drivable, with no warning lamps as of yet. Issue became more noticeable after I had the transmission fluid changed by dealership.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
1. The vehicle caught fire during normal operation. It is a 2021 Jeep Wrangler (VIN [XXX]) subject to FCA US Recall 21D / NHTSA Campaign 26V363000, which identifies the electric hydraulic power steering (EHPS) pump and its wiring as a fire source that can overheat and ignite. The exact failed component has not yet been confirmed by diagnostic, but the fire is consistent with the defect described i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
Our 2016 Acura MDX SH-AWD has the exact same engine problem/damage caused by the Connecting Rod Bearing recall. Our vehicle displayed the exact symptoms described by countless other MDX owners including owners who have vehicles both on & not included on the current recall list.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
The engine stalled when I was exiting the freeway due to the charging system failure. This is the second time the charging system failed. The first failure has been documented on NHTSA complaint number 11746092. I paid the Harley Davidson SLC dealership in April 2024 to have the charging system repaired and replaced. Harley Davidson had released a service bulletin acknowledging charging system def... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The charging system for the battery failed when I was on an out of state road trip. The voltage of the bike would drop between 11 and 12 volts when slowing down. I slowed down to make a tight turn on a canyon highway when the bike lost power and stalled. The motorcycle continued to stall several more times while in motion on the highway and I had a difficult time restarting the motorcycle on the s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
Rear Door / lift gate will not go all the way up or stay up without manual assistance, causing 2 head injuries and 2 arm injuries on recent occasions. We have confirmed with the dealer & one Nissan Certified Mechanic that this is a common problem. The dealer & 2 mechanics have said they do not know how to fix this without replacing the entire lifting assembly. We did not ask for estimates. We shou... Read more