Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 114,844 complaints — component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Incident date: May 20, 2026
The trim around the sunroof is cracked and causing a leak. I took the vehicle to South Hills Toyota in Cannonsburg PA, for maintenance and state inspection, specifically identifying this issue. The car is less than 2 years old still under warranty Initially I was told it was not a material defect and not covered by warranty, remedy would be replacement of entire sunroof. Discussion with the se... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
incident [XXX], Parking in front of Physical Therapy clinic, suddenly the motor revved and car shot across the sidewalk and went through the wall of the clinic. No one was there and no one was hurt. Insurance was notified. (Hartford) Googling Auro malfunctions for Ford Focus, I come across several things which could have malfunctioned and caused "unpredictable acceleration. Car had within... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 14, 2026
Unknown! sometimes the rear back up camera goes into a black screen and then once in drive the info screens stays black for about 30 seconds. the cars shifting is hard at times especially when going from slow to fast like for instance on a highway on ramp the shifting is very sluggish. the cupholder are a real hazard my cupholder bottomed out and my drink fell thru luckily there was no liquid in ... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
On 5/232026 .. there was a severe thunderstorm . No hail . No signs of cracked window prior or as I approached my Honda 2023 HRV . I got in car and noticed windshield were foggy so I turned on both defroster. 10 mins later I heard a loud “boom “ in the back of my car.. I was starteled and immediately turned around and noticed the rear windshield was shattered and had a circular shaped broken ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
While accelerating onto the highway in my 2016 Kia Optima 2.4L, the vehicle suddenly lost all engine power without warning. The vehicle would no longer accelerate and I was forced to coast and brake to safety. Immediately after the engine shut off, the check engine light, oil light, and battery light illuminated on the dashboard. After the incident, the vehicle would not restart or crank at all. ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 24, 2026
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
Upon purchase of my 2025 GMC Sierra, it did not come with a physical manual. I asked the dealer about this and they said they did away with them, only providing the digital version. I contacted GMC recently as I saw the a recall dor 2026 models with this exact issue, but they did not seem to care and it was for 2026 models only. I find this to be a loophole GMC is following, and would just like a ... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2026
The sunroof exploded. Nothing hit it, there was nothing wrong with it previously and it was not being used at the time it exploded. We were driving and it exploded with a loud boom.
Incident date: May 13, 2026
The outside door handles are defective, and Honda is aware of the issue. In warm or hot weather, the door opening mechanism binds up, and eventually the stress is too great and it causes the door handle to break. The problem has been reported by nearly every CR-Z owner. For more incidents, please visit [XXX] This defect creates a significant safety issue as if both door handles are inoperabl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
My pillar are coming off to the point when it rains water get inside my car. It’s messed up my system in my car. I can’t close my sun roof and water comes down from my lights that’s above my head where you put your sunny sunglasses in. I been calling around and still haven’t got no where.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The clicking and ratchet sounds that my vehicle make while driving, but especially while turning/reversing along with the looser feeling of the steering during these times. It seems very unsafe almost like the axle is going to break while driving. Only had vehicle for 3 months.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
When I went to change lanes on the highway, I went to look in the passenger side mirror to check for traffic. What I saw was my shirt. The mirrors have auto open and close. They malfunctioned and did not open,. This was a safety risk. I have an appointment with the service center at the dealership.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Thermostat fails resulting in steering power reduced, temperature goes to C and fan runs overtime. This thermostat or temp sensor fails intermittently and fixes itself. Car could be overheating and you wouldn't know. This part is recalled on 2021 Blazers already.
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 23, 2026
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Toyota is putting people who purchased their new vehicles at risk. They have my car sitting here with an extraordinarily dangerous recall which they promised to fix by march but they haven't & it is already nearly June. It literally says the car can blow up. The recall says there's a belt problem & it can blow up at certain speeds & it can be fatal. That is crazy. if they cant fix it then they sho... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Vehicle experienced two complete electrical failures (total battery drain) within two months. Both batteries were replaced in March 2026 but truck failed again in May 2026. Two open recall campaigns (71X010 and Campaign 25-239 — BCM software update) were identified in March and remain unresolved. Suspect unresolved BCM update is contributing to repeated battery drain. Vehicle required jump start... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2025) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 23, 2026
Incident date: May 20, 2026
My vehicle wasn’t reading my key fob when I was pressing the lock and unlock button, so I took out the hard key and unlock the doors. Then the alarm set off and I was using the key fob again trying to shut the alarm off no response so I took the key fob and press the start stop button and the engine turn over and the key was working again then I went to shut off the engine same way. The engine w... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
The lower corner of the driver's side door has an extremely sharp edge that caused a laceration to my lower leg during normal exit from the vehicle. No unusual movement or action was taken — I was simply closing the door after exiting. The sharp edge at the bottom corner of the door made contact with my leg, resulting in a bleeding laceration with surrounding bruising and ecchymosis requiring wo... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 22, 2026
My ignition key gets stuck when I shifted into park on my 2012 subaru impreza.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
I was driving on the freeway no where near an overpass going about 65mph when the front panel on my panaromaic sunroof exploded and glass went everywhere. There is no signs that a rock could have possibly hit it. My safety was at risk because I could have crashed and broken glass rained down on me. There were no warning signs and the vehicle has not been inspected yet, but it will be.
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Vehicle experienced unintended transmission gear change without driver input from the gear selector. While driving, the transmission shifted unexpectedly into 4H even though the selector was not touched. This created a safety hazard due to sudden change in vehicle behavior, including: loss of acceleration, lurching and unexpected movement. Issue occurred at approximately 30 mph. Concern is potenti... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
The vehicle was involved in a rear and side impact collision and the car was totaled on 5/14/2026. The air bags did not deploy. There was a recall on the air bag system immediately after purchase 6/28/2025 and it was taken in July of 2025 to Mazda of Columbia, SC and it was “repaired.” The airbags of the truck that collided with the Mazda did deploy.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
regarding my 2022 BMW X3 due to ongoing issues involving low coolant warnings, coolant leaking, and repeated cooling system problems shortly after reaching approximately 55,000 miles. My vehicle began displaying “low coolant” warnings and has required frequent coolant refills despite normal driving conditions and regular maintenance.the vehicle appears to have an active coolant leak and ongoin... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2020) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 23, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Premature transmission failure due to factory defect. All maintenance was done on time and at dealership.
Incident date: May 12, 2026
We are VERY concerned about the failure of some very important safety features of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring Edition. We were involved in a bad car accident caused by a person under the influence who was in handcuffs when we were taken away by ambulance. As you can see by the photos, there was MAJOR damage to the other car and significant damage to ours. What is most concerning is the fact... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
ABS and Traction control lights keep coming on intermittently. I know this is a known problem and a recall has already been issued. I feel like this is too important of an issue for Ram to be allowed 18 months and still no remedy. I could understand if this was a part availability wait but to not have a remedy after 18 months should require some sort of punishment for them or something should b... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
The power window motor and regulator on the drivers side failed to roll up the window. It was raining and made it stessful driving home . The window was stuck down and the rain was soaking the inside of the car. Very distracting while driving.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 23, 2026
Incident date: May 14, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The vehicle developed a “Check Hybrid System” warning and was diagnosed by a Kia dealership as having a failure involving the high-voltage hybrid system, specifically the MCU (Motor Control Unit). The dealership informed me that the vehicle may be unsafe to drive due to the possibility of fire risk associated with the high... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The touch screen display malfunctions and is often either unresponsive or it has ghost touches and moves across various screens while you are driving and during navigation. The system will make calls, activate voice assistance, move the map when navigation is active to where you can no longer see your route, switch between audio sources, open random apps, etc while driving leading to distraction. ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 23, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Esc system Poor braking. Engine idling rough. Almost hit another car
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Back up camera works only intermittently.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a known exhaust manifold/flex pipe failure affecting my 2020 Subaru Ascent Touring (VIN: [XXX] ). My vehicle was diagnosed by a Subaru dealership with a “broken flex pipe on the header” causing excessive exhaust noise and exhaust leak concerns. Repair estimate was slightly over $2,000. After researching the issue, I discovered numerous reports from ot... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Vehicle serpentine belt is faulty and has required multiple replacements. The belt has cause multiple close calls with traffic accidents
GRAND DESIGN
MOMENTUM
(2021) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Scheduled appointment with dealer for the Grand Design Frame Flex recall today, 22 May 2026. Approximately 4 hours after dropping the trailer off the dealer called and said that the technician found significant frame flex and that the unit was unsafe to be towed. No other information was provided. I did ask for the measurements that the TSB 24-001 requires to be filled out ans submitted to Grand... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
If I leave the auto idle engine stop on,and come to a complete stop, the auto engine stop turns on, but as I release the brake to drive, the vehicle stalls in drive and engine shuts down. I will have to manually turn the car back on and restart the whole system before being allowed to continue. All while at a green light and a ton of traffic waiting behind me to move! Its very disappointing and em... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2012) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: May 22, 2026
They should be responsible for repairs or replacement of the cheap made frames that rust away so fast so u ain’t gotta worry about your truck fallling apart going down the rd and the lower control arms made of cast that rust from inside out and you don’t know until breaks while driving along with camber adjustments where they can throw alignment out with a single bump. Mostly the frame replace... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
I rented a car from Avis on [XXX] (a Friday) for a 24-hour rental. I rented it in Manhattan, and the car (a Kia Telluride) had a New York license plate [XXX] ). I drove to Boston to pick up my daughter from college and then returned the car Saturday morning (XXX). The drive was fine. But when I returned the car, the attendant took the key and wrote on the window and windshield that the car ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
I have a 2023 Kia Sportage I purchased and I was driving one day and my entire cars power shut off & so did the engine while I was driving on the highway going 70mph + and when I’m driving on the regular roads as well I’ve almost gotten into an accident over this issue already once when I went to go take it into Jeffery Kia in Roseville Michigan and asked for it to be looked at i was immediate... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2026
The driver-side front door window developed a crack suddenly while the vehicle was in normal use. There was no known impact, and no object was seen or heard striking the glass. The crack originated near the edge of the window close to the side mirror and spread across the glass. There were no warning messages, alerts, or prior symptoms before the failure. The failure appeared spontaneous. This c... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
Formal Consumer Complaint Statement — GM / Crivelli Buick I am filing a formal consumer complaint against Crivelli Chevrolet Buick GMC and General Motors/Buick regarding what I believe was discriminatory and unfair treatment in connection with a warranty-covered vehicle repair. The customer is [XXX] , owner of a 2017 Buick Encore. The vehicle was serviced by Crivelli Chevrolet Buick GMC in Mt.... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid experienced a serious charging system failure during routine overnight charging using a standard Level 2 home charger that had previously worked without issue. In the morning, the charging connector was physically trapped in the vehicle charge port and could not be removed despite repeated normal troubleshooting attempts, including repeated unlock cycles, charger powe... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Ghost touch screen sudden changes in the volume to the maximum while driving. The Mazda dealership where I bought the car said I would need to pay for it, because the car is not under warranty. Mazda said they would not cover the repair.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Contacted ford about recalls 26S28 and 19V075 and they report that my vehicle is out of the warranty period for repair. They were advised that this is under a NHTSA recall and still refuse to honor the NHTSA safety recall stating that it is outside the window for replacement. Again advised them that this is a NHTSA recall and they still refuse to honor it. My vehicle is inoperable due to this.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: May 19, 2026
My 2019 Toyota Highlander has taken on water from a leaking Panoramic Sunroof. Both times the dealership ran it through a car wash and it did not leak after cleaning the sun roof drains. Took my car in on 5/4/2026 after a thunderstorm and they cleaned (Tom O’Brien Toyota) the roof drains. Then on the evening of [XXX], we had a heavy thunderstorm which resulted in 3 quarts of water that my hus... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
Automatic start stop completely turns off car when pulling up to a stop sign, light, or yield intersection. Car completely turned off and wouldn’t start on a bridge overpass causing a safety hazard. Took a solid minute for it to restart.
TOYOTA
RAV4 PRIME
(2021) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Something needs to be done because Toyota is stalling on sending out a critical safety component that has been recalled in thousands of vehicles. It is the HV floor wire connector, when the corrosion is beyond repair, the parts have been back ordered for months. Toyota and dealerships are not approving loaner vehicles. This is a serious safety issue because: If the wire corrodes or shorts out, the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2026) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: Apr 10, 2026
THE FIN ANTENNA ON TOP OF THE TRUCK HAS COME LOOSE, I GOT A CONTINOUS MESSAGE FOR THE LAST 2= MONTHS. SERVICE EMERGANCY CALLING MY TRUCK IS 6 MONTHS OLD NOW, BUT THIS HAPPENED 2 MONTHS AGO. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, FRIENDLY CHEVORLET WHERE I BOUGHT IT. TECH GUY SAYS I MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING. I CALLED GMC AND ASKED ABOUT PRODUCT DEFECT, WAS TOLD THATS NOT THE CASE.I ORDERED A NEW ANTENNA 4-12... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
while driving , simultaneously radio sound stops working randomly and cell phone connected to car play sound stops working
FOREST RIVER
CHEROKEE
(2023) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 22, 2026
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
Flex frame is failing: the front structural rv moves noticeable when pin box is pushed, which is leading to interior cracking and wall separation. Issues was not resolved with resolution fox in 2025. The flex Fram is still failing and Forrest River jas no resolution.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
On March 17, 2026, the sunroof of our Hyundai Sante Fe 2021 exploded. The driver and two passengers were not hurt because the sunroof was closed and the liner in place when the explosion took place. The incident occurred on an open country highway on a sunny afternoon with no other vehicles or flying objects sighted.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
changed from outside lane to inside lane, when I tried to turn right to stay in the middle lane the steering wheel locked sending me into the left hand turn lane and then into a car that was in the next lane, hitting their left rear tire. I told the insurance adjuster about the issue, he told me they would have the car checked, but I don't think he or my insurance company had the car issue inspect... Read more
Crash
1 injured