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 21,107 complaints for CADILLAC
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
On February 12, 2026, while driving my 2026 Cadillac Escalade from Corpus Christi to Portland, Texas, I encountered a severe safety issue. While driving on the bridge, the engine started making a loud knocking noise and then abruptly stopped working, causing the vehicle to turn off in the middle of traffic. I have only had my vehicle for a total of 55 days, and the mileage on my vehicle is 2,455 m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
On February 12, 2026, while driving my 2026 Cadillac Escalade from Corpus Christi to Portland, Texas, I encountered a severe safety issue. While driving on the bridge, the engine started making a loud knocking noise and then abruptly stopped working, causing the vehicle to turn off in the middle of traffic. I have only had my vehicle for a total of 55 days, and the mileage on my vehicle is 2,455 m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
I am writing to formally report that the safety recall repair on my 2012 Ford Fusion has failed to resolve the dangerous loss of power steering. My vehicle underwent the 15S18 recall update only at Tom's Ford back in 2015. On January 20 2026, the steering failed again while driving, creating an immediate safety risk. The dealer has failed to provide a permanent remedy at Jim Hudson Ford in Lexingt... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while his wife was driving out of the driveway and driving approximately 20 MPH, the driver became aware of an abnormal flapping sound that became louder as the vehicle accelerated. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 60-65 MPH on another occasion, the check engine warning light illuminated. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
On September 8, 2024, while traveling approximately 75 mph on Interstate 4 with my wife and five children, this 2023 Cadillac Escalade experienced a sudden catastrophic loss of engine power following a hard shift. Steering, braking assist, and acceleration were effectively lost and the vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. We were nearly struck by a tractor-trailer while attempting to reac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
On September 8, 2024, while traveling approximately 75 mph on Interstate 4 with my wife and five children, this 2023 Cadillac Escalade experienced a sudden catastrophic loss of engine power following a hard shift. Steering, braking assist, and acceleration were effectively lost and the vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. We were nearly struck by a tractor-trailer while attempting to reac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
Either closing the moonroof or the wipers activating caused the screen to flicker off and back on. Sustained usage or frequent usage caused the screen to completely deactivate for 10+ minutes and the Driver's HUD to deactivate and retract. During this time, the car was operating on the highway in rain conditions with zero driver's instrumentation, including speed, navigation, fuel, battery, safety... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
Water has infiltrated the lower trunk area and fried the sound amplifier. The result is no sounds can be heard from the speakers. This includes sounds and warnings from the safety systems. Seat belt, ADAS, BLIS, OnStar, Turn Signals, Radio. The rear hatch seals seem to be intact and it is unclear how water is entering this lower area as there is no evidence of water anywhere else in the rear car... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
Horn stops working and needs to be replaced within a year or less. I reported the first time my horn stopped working and it took 4 months until I can have an appointment and order the part. The second time it stopped working was within a year and scheduling an appointment was difficult. I was almost in an accident and unable to use to both to alert the other driver.
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Feb 10, 2026
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
Brakes were being applied when no cars were around me. Now, 5 warnings were given to me as I drove down the highway. The warnings were as follows: Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Collision Mitigation System Problem Road Departure Mitigation System Problem Lane Keeping Assist ProblemAuto High-Beam Problem Brake System Light
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — ENGINE
Feb 10, 2026
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Excessive Engine Oil Consumption. Audi Corp is attempting to rebuild the engine vs replacement leading to increased customer risk and downtime. My SQ8 has been in the shop for 250 days due to serval rebuild attempts with the dealer requesting a new engine and Audi denying forcing the rebuild even after several failed attempts. Vehicle will abruptly apply full force braking- Without waring or oth... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Instrument cluster panel and all warning lights, fuel gage, speedometer, tire pressure, temperature sensor, etc. as well as all info on app unable to access. no warning lights which could cause crash without prior warning. controls and displays failed to illuminate and were not visible. unable to see in daylight or at night. Dealer verified internal failure in IPC, would not repair under recall, s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Cadillac XT6 – VIN: [XXX] echanical Failures, Ignored Transmission Recall(s), and Dealer Negligence I write this letter to formally place General Motors Company on notice of a pattern of serious mechanical failures, ignored safety recalls, and dealership indifference involving my Cadillac XT6, referenced above. This vehicle has been presented to Sam Leman Cadillac of Champaign on multiple occ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that upon further inspection, the driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trims became loosened. The contact attempted to use epoxy and duct tape to temporarily repair the vehicle; however, t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V331000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power, and smoke was coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
The Kia was traveling approximately 45 - 50 mph and struck another vehicle that had pulled out from a stop sign. I had my hand on the horn and the airbags did not deploy on impact.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
I am reporting a complete" transmission failure on my 2018 Toyota Camry (2.5L Gas, UB80E 8-speed). The vehicle suddenly failed to engage 'Drive' or 'Reverse' properly. Even after a professional fluid service at a transmission is stuck in a 'limp mode' or high gear, requiring high RPMs just to move slowly. This is a well-documented issue among 2018 Camry owners involving harsh shifting and prem... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
Brake/abs system locked up on me and I couldn’t stop. I accidentally hit someone from behind and was proven to be an accident. My traction light my abs light and my brake light all came on at the same time right before I wrecked. The suv swerves over to the other lane randomly while on the interstate and does stop on time. Every time I fuel up gas leaks out from somewhere and its pumps gas reall... Read more
Crash
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — ENGINE
Feb 7, 2026
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
Auto idle malfunctioned. At a stop light the engine turned off and it took 5 minutes to restart the engine. No warning lights or messages appeared before it happened. Had the PGM-Fl Idle stop software update done 9/16/23 at 17,582 miles. Took to dealer they could not re create , the car has 46,359 miles now. This is 2nd vehicle this has happened to me , other vehicle same exact auto idle problem s... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Feb 7, 2026
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
I am experiencing an ongoing issue with my vehicle’s rear passenger door. The door frequently cannot be opened from either the inside or the outside. At first, I believed the problem was related to the child safety lock. However, even after confirming that the child safety lock is fully disengaged, the door still fails to open from both inside and outside. Occasionally, after turning the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
The vehicle experiences a persistent stutter/hesitation while driving, which is especially pronounced during acceleration from a stop or at low to moderate speeds. This condition occurs consistently during normal operation and is not a one-time or intermittent event. The hesitation creates a safety concern when accelerating from intersections, merging into traffic, or maintaining smooth vehicle s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2020
While driving my 2017 Ford F150, on or about 10/16/2025 the vehicle began jerking significantly. It was intermittent smoothing out then jerking severely again. The problem persisted so I took it to Ford of Spartanburg, SC. They diagnosed a slip found with the torque converter under load. they recommended replacing the torque converter and replacing the transmission filter. I only had 80,006.0 mile... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2015
Stellantis has a recall for Loss of Crankshaft Position, Reference: 66A / NHTSA 23V-411. They did not include my truck in the recall but I have the exact same problem as verified by the dealer. The Recall Center will not answer the phone and reports errors when I call. The warranty center will not deal with this as it's a recall issue. The cost to repair all the parts is $8,745.75 without any c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
Feb 2026 My airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the radio/cd information. Jan 2025 My seat belt (driver ) lock is broken ,to attach the seat belt in place..I have to just keep it clicked in, and put it over my shoulder (over a yr now) A... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
I bought my car from a dealership. Owned it for 2yrs 2mo. 107k miles First issue came up after 3-4 months. Faulty power steering. Took it to service at a dealership they said I would need my wire harness assembly replaced as well as a steering gear. Problem still persists. Also one of the mechanics there showed me that the previous owner glued harness connector components together which is why I s... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — ENGINE
Feb 5, 2026
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
Purchased 9/5/25 at 76,280 and oil change light shown by 10/1/25 when i received an oil change at Valvoline and was told of my engine issues at 77,733 miles. Car then looked at by Elizabeth Auto Sales [XXX] and confirmed oil consumption at no fault of my own and metal shavings in oil. Car then towed to #1 Cochran Hyundai Monroeville [XXX] and looked at by Dale. Oil change and oil consumption tes... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — SERVICE BRAKES
Feb 5, 2026
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
On 12/18/2025 at approximately 73,097 miles, while driving on I-75 near Wildwood, Florida at about 75 mph, the vehicle experienced a sudden powertrain failure. The engine became seized/locked, the vehicle progressively lost power, and there were abnormal/loud mechanical noises. I was able to avoid a crash, but the event created a safety risk due to loss of propulsion at interstate speed. No accide... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — ENGINE
Feb 5, 2026
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
On 12/18/2025 at approximately 73,097 miles, while driving on I-75 near Wildwood, Florida at about 75 mph, the vehicle experienced a sudden powertrain failure. The engine became seized/locked, the vehicle progressively lost power, and there were abnormal/loud mechanical noises. I was able to avoid a crash, but the event created a safety risk due to loss of propulsion at interstate speed. No accide... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving between with the RPM between 2,000 and 2,500, the vehicle bucked. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a transmission triple flush was performed; however, the failure recurred within 1-2 months. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission was service... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
seatbelt has come undone on its own multiple times on the drivers seat. nothing was touching or near the red release button when this has occurred. it is not immediately happening but happens while driving. i think its happened five times in the past 1-2 months. i cannot figure out a rhyme or reason. i have never experienced this happen on any vehicle previously.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
On November 26, 2025, while traveling in stop-and-go freeway traffic, I experienced a severe braking failure that led to a rear-end collision. Despite applying maximum force to the brake pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate as expected. Objective technical evidence from the Bosch CDR report (Case #1105768) confirms a critical system failure: Extreme Driver Input: At -0.5 seconds before impact, D... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
On November 26, 2025, while traveling in stop-and-go freeway traffic, I experienced a severe braking failure that led to a rear-end collision. Despite applying maximum force to the brake pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate as expected. Objective technical evidence from the Bosch CDR report (Case #1105768) confirms a critical system failure: Extreme Driver Input: At -0.5 seconds before impact, D... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
On the day of purchase, while traveling at approximately 70mph on the Florida Turnpike, a large section of the lower dashboard assembly detached and fell onto my feet, obstructing access to the pedals., the vehicle displayed a "Powertrain Failure" warning light. Subsequent inspection of the tires revealed extreme pressure variances (ranging from 33 to 41 PSI) and multiple "sticky" or stuck tire va... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
My transmission has unpredictable and harsh downshifts as well as downshifts to a to low of gear
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact called for the owner of the 2021 BMW 430I. The owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The ... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2017) — POWER TRAIN
Feb 3, 2026
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
Vehicle is at 88k miles. Vehicle has hard shifting/delayed shifting between 1-3 and 5-7 gears. At highway speeds, vehicle tries to downshift from top gear. Have lost rpm's while driving-lasting about 3-5 seconds before engaging the gears again. Took to a dealer, was informed it was a "known" issue and would need the transmission replaced. Extended warranty will not cover since it is a known issue.... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2024) — Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
Feb 2, 2026
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
One part of the strap is 3/4 of the way frayed
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2018) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Feb 2, 2026
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
While driving, the center infotainment display repeatedly goes completely black and reboots without warning. This occurs while the vehicle is in motion. During these events, the touchscreen-based climate controls and infotainment functions are unavailable until the system restarts. The driver display (speedometer) remains active. This has happened multiple times under normal driving conditions. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
On or about December 2, 2025, I discovered that multiple connected and safety-related systems on my 2025 Cadillac Optiq had stopped functioning. We believe a GM over-the-air software update was installed the weekend prior, and the dealer has inferred that the update may have caused the failure. We brought the car into the dealership on December 16th. The car was "fixed" and I picked up later that ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
On or about December 2, 2025, I discovered that multiple connected and safety-related systems on my 2025 Cadillac Optiq had stopped functioning. We believe a GM over-the-air software update was installed the weekend prior, and the dealer has inferred that the update may have caused the failure. We brought the car into the dealership on December 16th. The car was "fixed" and I picked up later that ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2026
Vehichle completely shut off while driving in middle of road. All power was cut to vehicle, luckily I had foot on the break at the time at a stop light. Was dead in the intersection, required a tow to dealership. The dealer confirmed it was a DC/DC electrical failure that had my mild hybrid engine not working. Basically communication with the gas engine stopped and vehicle died after drainin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the contact was informed that the wiring harness also needed to be replaced, but was not covered under the recall. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2026
Lincoln 2019 MKC reserve head gasket problem check engine light on. Took to dealership and confirmed with compression test that it was TSB – 22–2229 had to replace engine with new long block. Lincoln Corporate Assistance paid some 2835.10 I paid $4265.05
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 31, 2026
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
Infotainment screen is blank most of the time. Backup camera works intermittently. Dealer confirmed head unit failure and stated software updates cannot be performed. Quoted approximately $7,500 for full replacement. Issue has been occurring for over two years, beginning while vehicle was still relatively new. Creates unsafe reversing conditions due to unreliable federally required backup camera ... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 31, 2026
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
While driving my 2023 Cadillac Escalade (approx. 42,308 miles), the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of power while accelerating on a busy highway. Engine power shut down without warning. I was able to pull to the shoulder, but the vehicle then became non-responsive and would not restart. The failure appears related to the electrical/charging system (12V battery, battery management s... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 31, 2026
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
While driving my 2023 Cadillac Escalade (approx. 42,308 miles), the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of power while accelerating on a busy highway. Engine power shut down without warning. I was able to pull to the shoulder, but the vehicle then became non-responsive and would not restart. The failure appears related to the electrical/charging system (12V battery, battery management s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
On 1/27/26, at or about 1:00 AM driving NB on Hwy 99,south of Bakersfield, Ca.i encountered dense fog with visibility down to zero. While driving cautiously my steering wheel became locked up and I had no control of steering and the vehicle kept slowly going forward. I finally managed to stop vehicle as traffic had come to a stop. The driver in vehicle in front of me yelled out what’s wrong with... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2026
Immediately after delivery, the instrument/infotainment display malfunctioned, froze, and became unresponsive. Apple CarPlay failed, and phone calls distorted or dropped. After reporting the issue, I discovered that this VIN is subject to Safety Recall SC359B, with a recall date of December 17, 2025, and a status of RECALL INCOMPLETE / NO REMEDY AVAILABLE. This recall existed prior to the sale. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
While driving on the highway the car lost complete power. I could not even turn on my hazards. After a few minutes, the car made a sound and the screen turned back and I was able to turn the car back on. But it was extremely dangerous and I could have been hurt of killed. I have read this was an issue with the 2024 Trax but it appears this is an ongoing issue.