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 16,985 complaints for ACURA
Incident date: Mar 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V651000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The dealer stated that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving through a residential area at 35 MPH, the vehicle independently slowed down with the message "Engine Has Now Stopped" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle initially failed to restart after the first attempt; however, the vehicle restarted a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
When driving on the highway my car suddenly started to stall with me on the highway. It went from 80 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour and then completely shut off in the lane of the highway. Thankfully I was able to pull over to safety. I attempted to start again, and the engine started with a weird noise coming from it. I had it towed to my local Mechanic who told me that my engine is part of ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Airbag warning lights consistently flashing on and off. I was told it was a seat belt sensor or issue. Safety related. I know you have other rogues are on the recall list fir this same year however mine does not come up. This us so frustrating as to the rates your dealerships charge. Please advise on the highly safety issue. I want to feel safe in my suv again
Incident date: Mar 22, 2025
Was traveling 75 MPH while towing a trailer. Truck was in 6th gear cruising. No fault codes whatsoever, no warning lamps etc. Suddenly the truck briefly downshifted into 1st gear, then upshifted back to 6th gear again. Issue occurred during heavy rain. I cleaned the bulkhead connector on the transmission afterwards and put dielectric grease on the connector o-ring. Connector Did not appear dirty ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
Was traveling 75 MPH while towing a trailer. Truck was in 6th gear cruising. No fault codes whatsoever, no warning lamps etc. Suddenly the truck briefly downshifted into 1st gear, then upshifted back to 6th gear again. Issue occurred during heavy rain. I cleaned the bulkhead connector on the transmission afterwards and put dielectric grease on the connector o-ring. Connector Did not appear dirty ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
The Lifter failure, bent rod, and basically ruined the the cam shaft, the vehicle has had engine replaced and the current engine is now acting up. once again.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, engine oil nee... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
While driving my 10R80 automatic transmission shifted into neutral even though the shifter was positioned in drive. I was unable to accelerate and was forced to pull over on the side of the road to prevent an accident from occurring. I placed the shifter into park and turned the car off. I then started the vehicle back up and began driving. The transmission continuously shifted rough while driving... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2025
Driving on the highway speed limit 65-70 my truck started decelerating and breaks got hard and could not use break. Had to get home using emergency petal break and drive. My truck is only 2020 model for this type of problem. Want to see if I can get this fixed with the manufacture defect warranty. Took my truck to a Chevy dealer and they are saying it can be a faulty vacuum pump.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2025
The concern, is that Kia recently (2023) recalled the BMS (and potentially the HV Battery) for vehicles as old as 2015 on the Koa Soul EV, and their warranty on said parts is 10 yrs or 100k miles. The concern is that there is no extended warranty period FOR the cars. So if the cars fail again within a yr, you end up paying out of pocket for the repairs. There are plenty of forum posts that talk ab... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2025
Both screens went black while I was driving. This is after the fix from the recall.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
When vehicle is started, intermittently, rear view camera does not come on for approximately 45-60 seconds later. The screen remains completely black then appears to reboot The camera issue happens about once every two weeks
Incident date: Mar 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
With my child in the car, on a highway with no shoulder, I experienced lifter failure. It caused the vehicle shake and lose power with cars driving behind me at 55-60 MPH with nowhere to pull over. The engine just stopped as I was finally able to make it to a driveway safely. Problem was identified by dealership and my engine had to be rebuilt. I purchased the car second hand 3 months prior with n... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The transmission on my truck failed. My truck now requires a new transmission. A repair costing over $7000. The transmission gave out while pulling into a street with my wife and child in the car. The truck would struggle to go into gear and lurch violently. The dealer was able to replicate these problems.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
After placing vehicle in Park, vehicle rolled away and destroyed my mailbox. Luckily I was able to stop it inches away from neighbors car. There is a recall for other years, but none for this year. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer yet, however, after talking to the dealership service department, it is a common problem and would cost a lot to repair
Crash
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
After placing vehicle in Park, vehicle rolled away and destroyed my mailbox. Luckily I was able to stop it inches away from neighbors car. There is a recall for other years, but none for this year. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer yet, however, after talking to the dealership service department, it is a common problem and would cost a lot to repair
Crash
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The backup camera on the rear simply went blurry one day, it’s now impossible to see out the camera. It worked one day then failed the next, This is a safety hazard now. I think these cameras should be required to always function. This is the camera on the trunk. It’s unsafe for me to see when back up.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the front driver side seat belt did not buckle appropriately, another vehicle driving at an unknown speed moved to the left lane, then the other vehicle changed lanes again moving in front of the contact, and the other vehicle abruptly depressed on the brakes causing the contact to rear end him. The vehicle came... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the front driver side seat belt did not buckle appropriately, another vehicle driving at an unknown speed moved to the left lane, then the other vehicle changed lanes again moving in front of the contact, and the other vehicle abruptly depressed on the brakes causing the contact to rear end him. The vehicle came... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
I am writing to bring to your attention a serious safety issue I experienced with my Infiniti QX60, which I believe warrants immediate investigation and action. On 3/15/25, during a family trip for spring break, I was driving my 2017 Infiniti QX60 at approximately 75 mph on the highway when the sunroof suddenly exploded without warning. The sound was akin to gunfire, and the shock of the incident ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an oil leak coming from the upper oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the dealer attempted to repair the leak with a seal. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where an oil pan bolt was repl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
While driving down the highway, I heard a loud boom and my sunroof exploded sending glass everywhere all through the car with my kids in the backseat. Driving straight on the highway at 60 miles per hour and nothing to hit the glass, Something is definitely wrong with the pano sunroof on these cars.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shuddered and then stalled. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owned a 2024 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, an 18-wheeler crashed while driving approximately 85-90 MPH into the rear end of the vehicle and impacted the vehicle approximately 4 times including the passenger side. As a result, the vehicle ricocheted into a concrete barrier. The contact did not recollect where the vehicle came to a stop. The ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was conta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that upon arriving at her destination, the contact shifted into reverse to park the vehicle; however, after parking and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact became aware after several attempts that the transmission was stuck in park(P). The blank warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, wh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
The van stopped without any warning in the middle of a three lane highway. It could not be moved without a tow truck, We sat in a busy traffic lane at considerable risk. The Honda dealer that repaired the vehicle replaced the 06161-RLV-305 fuel pump. this was a very dangerous situation. The repair cost $1089.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
While driving started smelling something burning. Pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood to find the truck on fire. The truck burned completely and is a total loss.
Fire
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, while driving or while reversing from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormally loud whining sound. Additionally, the contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle temporarily responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle then jerked, lost motive power, and failed to exceed 2-... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop and while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shuddered and hesitated to respond while the engine revved. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle made a dinging sound. The contact stated that the RPMs fluctuated while idling. Additional... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was briefly stranded in the middle of the roadway, but the vehicle was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the radiator fan was cycling on max, and the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. No warning lights were i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
Twice, without logically-relevant symptom or warning, when the vehicle attempted to accelerate from a low speed in the middle of a busy intersection, the AEB incorrectly activated, suddenly stopped the vehicle, startled the drivers, and nearly caused accidents. Turned out, this was known behavior caused by a design defect software bug in the "door control modules" for which a software update had ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle started to shake. The contact stated that after shifting into gear the vehicle became difficult to drive. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnos... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
Center lift gate racetrack light failed due to water getting into seam and shorting out that light and the license plate light. The whole unit needs to be replaced due to a faulty design which is going to cost over $2000
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
When I am coming to a stop or need to put on my brakes my car will accelerate at a jump ahead pace As if to take off instead of slowing down and stopping. Regardless whether I’m turning a corner or I’m continuing straight when I have to Put on the brakes it speeds up instead.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The transmission have a delay after you put in D after 2 of 3 minute it jump forward an another 10 feet does it again then drive ok until I stop the all stop when it restart it launch forward, I will have to hold brake down hard like emergency Stop to keep it rear in the vehicle in front of me. I have to be careful with somebody is in front me in crosswalk. The problem is in the center on some go ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
I have included here copies of correspondence between myself and General Motors relating to an issue with my 2014 Buick Verano. As stated in the emails, after some online research, I found that there was actually a class action lawsuit pending in the court with regard to the issue I was having. I did reach out to the attorneys office handling the class action suit and received an auto-reply that... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
I have included here copies of correspondence between myself and General Motors relating to an issue with my 2014 Buick Verano. As stated in the emails, after some online research, I found that there was actually a class action lawsuit pending in the court with regard to the issue I was having. I did reach out to the attorneys office handling the class action suit and received an auto-reply that... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to turn in either direction. The "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had worsened. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X7. The contact stated that upon a warm start of the engine, a "System Overheating re-starting engine possible after cooling" message intermittently appeared on the instrument panel. The contact would be forced to open the hood to allow the engine to cool for several minutes before the vehicle would start up and resume normal operation. The dealer was notified of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
Vehicle was involved in a collision with major front end damage and no airbags deployed. The brakes have been soft or spongy. I have not seen any leaks for the brake issue. I have bled the brakes several times the master was replaced by the original owner.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
When I turned the ignition on the car wouldn't start. But the ABS light and all other lights flickering when trying to start the car. The alarm kept going off. Passenger side front and rear windows won't function. Smell like something was burning. This is the second incident ([XXX]). Fuses had to be removed to silence the alarms on the first incident on [XXX] because the lights were still flickeri... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Unknown... I recently got an oil change and not even a week later my oil light came on. There's no leaks, I've been to midas several times and no leak was found. Was told to check to see if it had any recalls, my vin doesn't produce a recall but I know there's something wrong with my car.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Leaking anti freeze from back of motor
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The passenger side day time running light led halo is partially not working-Daytime Running Light defective. Several customers affected for the same reason all over internet.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
Brake system alarm. When the mechanic put the computer reader on it, it’s saying it’s a vacuum issue. This issue has been recalled on several 2011 FordF150’s, but when I look up my VIN, it says there isn’t a recall on mine
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
There was a mandate that an update be performed to address safety issues with braking. The update has been partially done which has not addressed the original issue and has created other safety issues (inability to see screen, no AC control, no rear camera, no blind spot, no emergency braking).