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 117,775 complaints - component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Incident date: Oct 28, 2025
The truck exhibited the abrupt downshifting upon driving out of the parking lot, this caused great stress and possible accidents to me and family. The transmission continued to get worse and we were in fear of our lives to drive the vehicle on the highway. Once we got the vehicle home it literally would not shift into gear and has been disabled since the first week in XXX. We are plumbing and heat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The center console has cracked and has sharp corners causing an increased risk of injury. Also may cause one to jerk the wheel if placing their elbow down and not expecting the sharp corner. No accident occurred as of yet, but could if someone else were to be driving my car and place their arm down on the center console. I have to place my arm down a certain way to avoid getting poked. Just want... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I was backing out of the driveway. Pulled forward to a two-way stop and my driver side headrest exploded and shot my head forward and I almost went in a two-way traffic. Now I have whiplash
1 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 9, 2026
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I purchased vehicle used 2 years ago last year. I noticed the air conditioner was not cooling. I summed it up too, and extremely hot summer.This summer I did the same thing.I took it in immediately. Catastrophic, I think I bought it like this. It fell apart, the air conditioning compressor fell apart.There is like shrapnel through everything, and they have to go through and clean everything out.I... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
When the vehicle is shifted into Park and the ignition button is pressed, the vehicle fails to shut down. The dashboard displays a "Shift to Park" warning message, indicating the vehicle does not recognize that the gear selector is physically in the Park position.To shut the engine off, the driver must repeatedly wiggle, slam, or cycle the gear shifter back and forth into Park until the electrical... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
I am extremely disappointed with the way Ford has handled the recall on the rearview camera for my 2016 Ford Escape. I received the recall notice about a year ago. Six months ago, I contacted Chapman Ford and was told the replacement parts were not yet available and that I would be notified when they came in. Now, a full year later, my backup camera still does not work. This is a safety issue--not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Multiple times the engine has totally shut down due to the auto idle stop system power loss. I have had the battery replaced a couple times and had the Honda dealership do the software update and I'm still having issues. This is a major safety issue as the car unexpectedly shuts down and takes a minute or so to get started again causing traffice backups.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2026
Moon roof has been malfunctioning since 2019. I’ve had it repaired several times while under warranty. The track does not work properly and the roof does not open.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
I bought a 2012 silver Acura MDX on March 3rd in 2022 from our local Acura dealership. Exterior paint was great, hardly any dings, scratches anywhere. I spent over $20,000 for this USED CAR and as of the past two years, the clear coat has worn out in various places on front hood, near the moon roof, near the rear side door windows, near the rack on top, near the back hatch window. It's absolutely ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The handle on the sliding door and driver's side broke off. We have replaced it twice already and it keeps breaking. This has not happened to me with any of my other cars in the past or present until now. It's unkown to me and it shows the part was not done well. What caught my attention is that I saw another mazda5 minivan without a handle which made me think that this is a problem with this ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
On June 8, 2026, while driving home from work and actively entering the freeway, the vehicle experienced a sudden, severe, and catastrophic loss of propulsion. Despite pressing the accelerator, the vehicle completely refused to accelerate beyond 30 mph, forcing me to navigate active highway traffic at a dangerously low speed. This sudden failure to accelerate while merging onto a high-speed inters... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
I am reporting a possible power train/drivetrain issue with a 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. At steady highway speeds, most noticeably around 72–76 mph under light accelerator load, the vehicle produces a persistent high-frequency ringing/whining tone throughout the cabin. The noise stops when I lift off the accelerator and rarely occurs when traveling downhill, which suggests it may be relat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
This vehicle has now experienced the same severe, life-threatening defect on four separate occasions. While driving at approximately 45–50 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly loses power and rapidly decelerates. A red warning message first appears stating "Inability to Drive," followed within a few seconds by "Emergency Shutdown." The vehicle then initiates an uncommanded emergency stop on public roa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
My rear view camera hasn’t worked since October 2025 and I’ve had multiple incidents where I’m reversing and almost hit a pedestrian.. This is a big problem for me because im used to having my rear view camera.. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long to find a simple fix to this issue.. I’ve waited for almost a year and still nothing.. When will this issue be resolved?.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
All my husband purchases is mainly Fords and he has for over 20 years. The last 3 Fords we have purchases from years 2019-2025 have had the same issues. My husband had a 2019 Ford Escape that broke down on us in the mountains. Had to have transmission replaced twice before 100,000 miles. Then he got a 2020 escape and same thing plus a motor replaced..now I have a 2022 bronco sport outer banks and ... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2026) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
Most of the time, the car will not unlock when the unlock button is pressed on the key fobs. Most of the time, when the key fob is on the console and the start button is depressed, the car will not start. It can take multiple minutes and attempts before the car will finally start. Changing the batteries in the key fob did not resolve this issue. When we took it to the dealership, they say that ... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2025
We came from [XXX] to [XXX] at night. It was rainy in [XXX]. We parked the vehicle in the front of the garage door of the house and went to sleep. Around 8:00-9:00AM two police cars from [XXX] PD came to our house. The officer said that the vehicle calls to BMW or 911 as an emergency and they forwarder that call to FPD. The officers checked the vehicle and they figured that the vehicle did the e... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
I bought the car in 2017 with 7800 miles within the first few months. The rear camera began to freeze sometimes I once went to the dealer but they said they can’t find it because at that point in time it wasn’t freezing so they couldn’t do anything about it now at least 95% of the time the rear camera does not work either is upside down or it doesn’t work at all I see there has been a reca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 1983
Stopped in heavy traffic in a four lane highway. Auto start/stop shut the engine down as expected. Traffic ahead cleared. I took my foot off of the brake to step on the gas. The engine didn't start up, and the radio and all lights inside went blank. Traffic behind me approached at about 45 mph. and were swerving around to avoid hitting my dead vehicle from the rear. I pushed the start button. N... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2022) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Transmission misfiring.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
I am contacting Kia America Consumer Affairs to formally request a Goodwill Warranty Exception for the total failure of the factory infotainment and radio system in my 2024 Kia K5 LXS. The unit has completely lost Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay functionality. A certified technician has diagnosed the issue as an internal radio hardware failure requiring a complete replacement, quoted at an exorbitant ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
🚨 P0128 code, thermostat-related symptoms, Steering Assist Reduced warnings, increased steering effort, or other safety concerns while driving.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
Component/system: The gear selector system failed, triggering a “Gear Selector Service Required” warning. The vehicle is a plug-in hybrid and remains available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: During the first incident, the vehicle became disabled while being driven, losing the ability to shift gears. This created a risk of being stranded in traffic and loss of vehicle control/mobilit... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Brand new car just purchased the end of March 2026. Went through car wash multiple times with no issues until one day the shark fin antenna came off and broke the plastic anchors. Now the circuit board is exposed to weather hazards. I read online multiple times this is an ongoing issue with this specific make and model and still GM declines to cover this under warranty.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
The component ive seen fail on multiple 2018, 2019, 2020, honda civics is the rear camera allows water into the camera lens area. And it becomes permanently foggy but the lens its self does fail. Becomes hazy and the haziness is on the inside of the lens protector this starts happening when the car is 4 to 5 years old.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2026
The shift to park is defective on mine and many other GM vehicles. I had it previously repaired under manufacturer warranty and then again in just over 16,000 miles driven which fell outside of the manufacturer warranty. I had to pay out of pocket for the repairs and GM refused to reimburse me for the repairs. GM has a service bulletin recognizing the defective part and still refused reimbursem... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
On XXX, at approximately 12:30 PM, I was driving eastbound on XXX through [XXX]. The weather was mildly rainy, and I was traveling at approximately 65–70 mph. Without any input on my part, the vehicle suddenly steered sharply to the left, causing it to strike the center divider. The vehicle then crossed multiple lanes of traffic, slid toward the shoulder, and impacted barriers a second time. Th... Read more
Crash
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
I was traveling southbound on I-25 when the flatbed truck in front of me came to a sudden stop. I was unable to stop in time to avoid rear-ending the truck. The airbags did not deploy upon impact.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The AC evaporator has a leak. I am reporting as this is a well known issue on the Volvo's, especially the 2016 XC90 which has a large amount of issues that cause issues of safety and undue amount of financial burden on owners who operate the vehicle in normal conditions. I have been told by the dealer after they repaired a another issue of the engine (8 times this vehcile has been in for repair o... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The CVT failed at 62 miles per hour on a busy interstate, XXX. This caused the drivetrain to lock. The car has been repaired and traded locally in [XXX]. The car was very difficult to steer with locked wheels in traffic. This was a rapid evasive manuver on a busy interstate. An undrivable vehicle on an interstate is life threatening to many. Flat bed driver told me I was lucky to steer off of lan... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
While driving from [XXX] to [XXX], all of the safety systems started to fail. We had driven about 45 minutes from our starting point. As the system started to fail, they would flash across the screen on the dashboard saying each one that was failing. We pulled over to the side of the road, and my husband popped the hood and flames started coming out of the hood, closest to the dashboard and windsh... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
AWD Coupler is bad make noise and shaking at low turn speeds only
Incident date: Mar 6, 2026
2016 Hyundai Elantra (75k miles) experiences severe, un-commanded Loss of Propulsive Power and a Severe Drivetrain Instability Hazard. At steady highway speeds, the automatic transmission completely loses hydraulic pressure, slips out of gear, and unexpectedly drops into a temporary "neutral." The engine suddenly revs up to high RPM on its own while losing all forward acceleration. After coasting ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
My backup camera is malfunctioning and Ford denied to fit it through their 15 year extended warranty on backup cameras.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
After turning the car on, engaging reverse, and then retuning back to park (driver stepped out of vehicle once in park) the vehicle reversed 60 feet on its on through a parking lot with 2 children inside of the car (disengaged from park on its own while vehicle was running). The vehicle was ultimately stopped by a tree with damage to the tailgate and rear. The gear shift selector remained in park ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The shifter cable bushing was broken. Car would not move out of Park. Same as Recall 22543 but this vehicle was not included. I have sent this before with the repair order from the dealership but the mileage was incorrect on that form by the service adviser. I am enclosing the corrected mileage with the receipt
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
When shutting the vehicle off, I repeatedly get a “shift to park” error message. The truck will not shut down fully until this message goes away and can drain the battery. I have read this is a common Chevy problem in other models and others who I have talked to have the same issue. The local dealer wanted $170 just to scan it even though I feel they know the issue. The problem started right a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
After starting the vehicle I noticed an unusual whine. After a few seconds of idling I noticed that it smelled like something was on fire. I turned off the vehicle and began looking for smoke. I did not find it. After a little research I discovered that it is a very well known failure that the Balmar alternator on Winnebago EKKOs fails catastrophically, sometimes catching on fire. I followed instr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
Driver side rear door electric latch is stop working and i tried to open the latch manually but the locked latch won't let me but remain locked. I have concerns with the situation because when door latch were broken due to accident, the door would remain locked and passengers would not be able to escape from inside of the car
Incident date: Jun 25, 2026
WHEN IT RAINS REALLY HARD, THE ROOF IN THE B PILLAR LEAKS ABOVE THE SEAT BELT AREA INTO THE HEADLINER. MY HUSBAND WHO IS AN AUTOBODY TECHNICIAN HAS MADE SURE MY SUNROOF LINES ARE CLEAR AND THE WINDSHIELD MOLDINGS AND SEALS ARE GOOD. HE HAD ANOTHER ONE AT HIS PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND IT WAS THE ROOF WELDS, WHICH ARE DONE BY THE MANUFACTURER. I AM HEARING MORE AND MORE TAHOE OWN... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
My dash cluster has gone black twice now, first time being on May 22, 2025, causing major safety concerns. 5 codes are popping up, one being the trailer-tow malfunction that comes on while driving stating that out trailer is not secured while there is not a trailer attached to the truck. The Dodge Dealership says that there are no remedies to fix these issues.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
The Uconnect system freezes up, produces a black screen, or will not allow carplay to work as should. The vehicle has been to the dealer three times this is a major safety issue- Uconnect controls essential safety operations(Back up cameras, climate control, hands free safety alerts, radio)
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
Sun roof top trim from down , top trim plastic not securely install. Top trim, It can be projectile to front driver or front passenger when car hid the break. Sun roof screen came down block the sign of center rear view mirror. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
Component or system that failed: The backup camera system failed and is completely inoperable. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: The failure of the backup camera creates a safety hazard when reversing the vehicle. Without the camera providing visibility behind the truck, there is an increased risk of striking a pedestrian, another vehicle, or an object that may no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
I bought my car last Feb and didn't know there was a recall on it was never told I have had shutter problems with it as well as sticking in gear when parked it ide high then battery jus goes dead get a jump n the check engine light comes on n have no reverse this hasn't been safe to drive my sister was perivous owner nnwhen she bought it they told her that when it would shutter she jus needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
I have paid for this vehicle, but the dealer won't release it to me due to the open recall (NHTSA Recall Number 26V-366). Neither Honda nor the dealer has given me any sense of when this will be resolved. I don't know how many owners fit this scenario, i.e. vehicle purchased, but not delivered due to the open recall, but it can't be that many. I get no sense or indication that Honda is prioritizin... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I have a 2024 Tesla Model Y and while parked, the rear windshield spontaneously shattered while defrosting my window. My kids were sitting in the back seat when the incident happened. This has not been confirmed by a dealer or service center but me, my wife and brother were standing outside our car when it happened and saw no signs or external impact or object. The vehicle has not been inspected b... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
The dash near the windshield driver side is coming undone out of the dash.
WAYMO
5TH GENERATION ADS
(9999) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
Ive noticed the horn is really quiet. I live in a smaller city but traffic does get busy still and often times people dont check there surroundings. Theres been multiple times where ive used my horn to honk at someone over taking my lane and most of the time it helps and the move away. Ive noticed in this car they never back off. After work one day i was honking my horn in the parking lot to get m... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 8, 2026
Incident date: Jun 29, 2026
!!Vehicle Safety Complaint!! I am experiencing a serious safety issue with my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado involving the power steering system. On a regular basis, I receive dashboard warnings including "StabiliTrak Not Working," and "Service Power Steering." Shortly after these warnings appear, the power steering fails while I am driving. When this occurs, I must use significant force to turn the ste... Read more