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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 137,132 complaints - component: POWER TRAIN

Incident date: May 30, 2026

At low speeds 20-40 car shifts with a shudder. TSB 21-2389 was issued by Ford which describes problem I am experiencing. Took car to Ford and paid them to complete procedure per TSB. This did not correct problem and after reviewing other Ford Owners it appears or I expect my Torque Converter and/or transmission has gone bad.

Incident date: May 30, 2026

Manufacturer Recall Number: 23S65

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

1. Driving Conditions & Baseline State I was operating my new 2026 Porsche Cayenne (current mileage approx. 717 miles) at highway speeds inside a tunnel near LAX. The vehicle was functioning normally under normal driving conditions until the incident occurred suddenly and without any prior warning signs. 2. Onset of Failure & Dashboard Alerts - While maintaining speed, the vehicle suffered an im... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2026

Transmission failure caused my vehicle to jump/jerk and left me out of control of the speed of my truck at times. It has been confirmed that I need a new transmission. A service light came on only after issues started. Said light would turn off once the vehicle was turned off and not come back on until driven again.

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH on the highway, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 100 MPH, and the vehicle started to slow down independently. The contact removed the foot off the accelerator pedal for a second, depressed the accelerator pedal again, and the vehicle worked as intended. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and an independent... Read more

Incident date: May 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light and depressing the accelerator pedal, there was a clanging sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle then started to work as intended before coming to a complete stop at the second traffic light. The contact stated that once the traffic light turned green, the accelerator pedal was depressed... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

2018 Mazda CX-5 AWD with 2.5 L engine, non turbo. Car has 98,914 miles. Rear differential started leaking oil. Dealer stated that the differential needs to be replaced, for $5,003.33. Manual does not provide for oil change intervals. Lifetime oil. 98K must be the life expectancy. Has not been fixed yet. Sitting in the garage dripping oil onto a piece of cardboard. independent shop looking for a ... Read more

Incident date: May 3, 2026

Driving on the highway in Dallas, all of a sudden I didn’t have any acceleration. Foot all the way down on the pedal, barely holding 60mph on a 70mph highway. Service light came on and I got an alert on my phone. I had to carefully take side roads and take an hour to get home. It ended up being recall number 23S64. This recall has been in place since January 2024 and I have called multiple times... Read more

Incident date: Apr 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced hard shifts and the transmission was shuddering. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E070000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed b... Read more

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

I am submitting this complaint to report an unexpected transmission shift event that occurred while operating my 2025 Toyota Prius at highway speed which created an immediate and obvious safety risk. The event occurred on XXX. While driving my Prius at approximately 75mph on Interstate [XXX], I reached toward the center console area to retrieve my sunglasses. I did not intentionally move the shift... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia K5. The contact stated that the driver-side turn signal became inoperable. The vehicle was shifting hard and/or not shifting at all. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle shut down. The turn signal and brake lights were illuminated. The contact stated there was a recall for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the loc... Read more

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

The shift-by-wire system failed while the vehicle was being parked. The vehicle would not shift out of Drive; repeated attempts to engage Park resulted in Neutral only, with a "PARK malfunction. Engage parking brake when parking vehicle." warning displayed in the instrument cluster. Because this vehicle requires Park to be engaged before it can be powered off, the vehicle also could not be turned ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

Transmission malfunction. This has appeared several times at highway speeds and low speeds. Driver to limp along in the slow lane to exit ramp and take back roads to get back to base. The current problem has been confirmed with error codes P0747. Check engine light comes on with a screen prompt “Reduced Acceleration Drive with Care”.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Jul 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 30-70 MPH, the transmission was shuddering. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approxima... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

Delayed response to gas pedal, stalling, delayed shifting. Stalling when suppose to accelerate. No response from transmission for a few seconds when accelerating.

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH to work, the vehicle shifted into neutral and into low and failed to drive at about 20 MPH. The check engine light was flashing. The front collision was unavailable. The contact left the vehicle at a gas station. Upon research, the contact located NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V374000 (Power Train), which was similar to ... Read more

Incident date: May 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal loud clicking sound. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the transmission was in the lower gear. In addition, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on a slanted hill surface, the vehicle rolled backwards significantly. The contact stated that the emergenc... Read more

Incident date: May 22, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Sep 4, 2023

I've been experiencing throttle lag on my 2022 Tundra in certain situations during rolling stops (I've also had it occur from a dead stop, though more frequent in rolling stops). Sometimes there is a significant delay in throttle response, and the other day while pulling out into traffic the delay was perhaps 2-3 seconds. This nearly created an accident as the engine had zero response and greatly ... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

Message on dash "Service High Voltage charging system" . Code cleared by inexperienced mechanic. Stalled on the side of the road with "Engine not available" , "Low propulsion" . My local Chevy dealership confirmed a high volt battery leak its now at risk for catching on fire

Incident date: Sep 9, 2025

When continuing forward from a stop sign, the car has a slight shutter when accelerating. This was confirmed by an independent service center. Has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No visual warnings or prior symptoms. There was a recall for this particular issue for a 2014 Nissan Versa, but my VIN number was not included for which I believe should have been. My current mileage to date is 3... Read more

Incident date: May 7, 2026

There was a complete failure of the CVT transmission. It left my daughter completely stranded in a parking lot. The car was inspected at the local Toyota dealership and that is where the transmission failure was confirmed. There were no lamps or messages until my daughter tried to start the car again and every light on the dashboard lit up. Before that, there had been a slight whining sound bu... Read more

Incident date: Jun 3, 2026

The failure involved the transmission valve body control valve within the automatic transmission system of the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, a critical component responsible for regulating hydraulic pressure and controlling gear shifting. The malfunction caused erratic and unreliable shifting behavior, including hesitation, harsh engagement, and loss of proper acceleration; the failed component is in t... Read more

Incident date: Sep 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted independently, the dashboard flashed on and off, a wrench icon appeared on the instrument panel, and the vehicle stalled. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Several loc... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated and shuddered. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a transmission specialist, where it was diagnosed with an unknown transmission failure. The... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

Within the past three years of owning I have had an unfortunate circumstance where my transmission twice now; once at 90,000 and now at 110,000. My vehicle has decided to unexpectedly shift WITHOUT my input from 10th to 1st resulting in the transmission needing to be serviced due to the fact it will dump transmission fluid (a quart or two) and reach temperatures of 215 to 230 degrees Fahrenheit wh... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently down shifted. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the transmission independently accelerated into a higher gear. The power train warning light illuminated. In addition, opening the front driv... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2025

I own a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid SEL, VIN [XXX]. The vehicle currently has approximately 104,708 miles. The vehicle has developed a shuddering, vibration, and chatter condition during low-speed turns, parking maneuvers, backing up, and other tight turning situations. The condition is most noticeable while turning in parking lots and at low speeds. The vehicle was inspected by a Ford dealership wh... Read more

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at 30 to 40 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was hard to shift. The TPMS was illuminated. The contact indicated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V668000 (Power Train). The local dealer was contacted, who informed about the diagnostic fees. The contact called another local dealer, Starling Bu... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2025

At the end of April, 2026, I was using the 'Reverse Gear' function to assist with parking the motorcycle. I needed to move back about 15 feet into the parking spot. As I was moving backward, at approximately 3 to 5 feet, the reverse function suddenly stopped propelling the motorcycle backward causing me to loose balance. I tipped and had to lay the bike down to prevent injury. The lay down ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2025

The Transmission Controm Module (TCM) has gone bad on my car. Ford has recalled other cars of the same Make, Model and Year, but they refuse to repair the same problem on mine, because my VIN was not included in the initial recall

Incident date: Jul 3, 2025

I received a voluntary emissions update letter from kia, and although it was voluntary, the letter said failure to update could be considered lack of maintenance. The update was performed on XXX at Dorsch Ford/Kia in [XXX]. The vehicle ran poorly from that day forward. I gave it a couple of weeks to insure that the system could learn my driving habits. I then went to the Dorsch service department ... Read more

Incident date: May 26, 2026

Engine shuts off while idling and also while driving. While driving, the condition most commonly occurs at speeds under 10 mph, but it has occurred on public roads and highways. When the engine shuts off, the truck violently engages Auto Park while the vehicle is still in motion. The condition occurs multiple times per day. There are no warning lights or messages prior to the shutdown. The condit... Read more

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

Transmission blew on a 7 year old vehicle. Was replaced entirely and is NOW having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM AGAIN!

Incident date: May 17, 2026

Shortly after my warranty ended the transmission needed a full replacement and left the vehicle undriveable at 100k miles. There were no signs leading up to it , no lights coming on, nothing. Went from driving around just fine to completely stuck until fixed. Then Ford quoted me to fix it for about $10,000 dollars. It was shocking, disappointing and left me feeling helpless and betrayed due to lac... Read more

Incident date: Apr 25, 2026

Vehicle suddenly shifts to 1st gear while travelling at 45MPH or more causing immediate jerking and slowing of vehicle, placing driver, occupants and other drivers at risk of crash. In this condition, the speedometer reads 0MPH while still travelling and other warnings on dash are: Airbag Failure, Blindspot system fault, Cross traffic system fault, and See manual. Vehicle then appears stuck in 3... Read more

Incident date: Jun 3, 2026

The driveshaft boot fell apart or came loose and contacted the emission system exhaust piping and eventually caught on fire. The whole underside was in flames and it was extinguished by the passengers. The unit could have completely caught on fire as the gas tank is close by. Killing the passengers and igniting the mountainside on fire. The vehicle will be towed to a dealership for inspection... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Jul 15, 2023

On 05.28.2026 my car veered sporadically to the right causing my tire to hit the curb as I was going under a viaduct with a high curb I lost my hub cap and damaged my rim slightly. Now my wheel is at a constant angle to the left, and veers sporadically left and right. After being in a reddit forum and seeing other people had this problem and it should be covered under warranty. However, I was ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 3, 2026

Vehicle had history of hard shifting from 1st drive. On January 24, 2026 we heard a ringing sound as we were driving. Approximately 10 minutes after the noise began, the Check Engine light illuminated. We drove back home and connected our code reader to find P0741, P2714 and P2757. Had the vehicle towed to my Toyota Service Center and upon inspection, was informed that the transmission had failed ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 24, 2026

While driving my 2022 Honda CRV at highway speeds and at operating temperature, the steering sticks and/or pauses then releases causing the steering to jerk back in the opposite direction. This creates a major safety issue while driving on the highway and can potentially cause an accident. Additionally, when turning the vehicle left at slow speeds, we would periodically hear a clicking noise. Thes... Read more

Incident date: Apr 16, 2026

Component Failure: The vehicle is equipped with the M274 2.0L turbocharged engine, which suffered a major internal mechanical defect. An authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership diagnosed the vehicle at 79,504 miles with a malfunction in the crankcase ventilation system alongside severe internal defects, quoting a total repair estimate of $9,851 to perform extensive engine work. Safety Risk: This known... Read more

Incident date: Jun 21, 2023

Whining sound, when acceleration

Incident date: May 23, 2026

Vehicle: 2019 Nissan Versa SV VIN: [XXX] My vehicle experienced intermittent transmission problems including hesitation during acceleration, shuddering, rough deceleration, loss of the Drive ("D") indicator, unexpected rear-view camera activation, and entry into fail-safe (limp) mode. Diagnostic code P0705 (Transmission Range Sensor / PRNDL Input) was stored. A Nissan dealership determined that... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

When I bought the car it stuttered it ended up being the clutch then my transmission went out The bolt in my engine mount broke and my engine was basically on the ground

Incident date: May 17, 2026

The truck side toy down shift and the accelerator was very high…. When I was going to park the reverse was not shifting…

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

Lost power to transmission at 36k miles. Transmission replaced by GM. Currently, the vehicle lost transmission power while driving and had to be towed to dealership. Notified that the transmission needs replaced again

Incident date: May 29, 2026

My in city driving car has had it's transmission fail and continues to not be drivable. I am the only owner of this car and have completed all repairs and upkeep according to schedule. In October 2025, my 2014 Escape "slipped" out of gear while in drive and would not engage again. Had it towed to Mel Hamilton Ford where I was informed my transmission had failed. I was given the option to overhaul... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2025

Vehicle has been recalled for a speed sensor issue that still persists. Recall repair was NOT properly executed. Vehicle engine still randomly shuts off while in idle at stoplights and during travel. Engine won’t start at this point.

Incident date: May 29, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned? Engine and Transission System Fuel Management system, How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While driving the vehicle it would just shut off, when you tried to restart vehicle it would not start all you could smell was gas. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? This happened on ... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog