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 250,088 complaints for CHEVROLET
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving at approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated with the message “Reduce Engine Power – Drive with Care” displayed, and the vehicle was unable to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer, where the failure was diagnosed as an active shutter system failure, not allowing air into the turbocharger... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
The following message was displayed on the dash "Steering Assist Fault Service Required". Immediately lost power assisted steering and the steering became difficult (manual steering), mostly at lower speeds. Could have resulted in an accident if it happened while making a turn, as I would not have expected to need that much effort to turn. Car is currently at a Ford Dealership for service. The ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
Water intrusion occurred inside the rear taillight assembly, resulting in visible moisture/condensation within the housing and subsequent taillight malfunction/failure. The affected taillight performs critical rear lighting functions, including brake and signaling illumination. The presence of water inside the sealed taillight assembly indicates a failure of the lens or housing seal. Over time, m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
I attempted to remote start my 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid from inside my home using the Toyota mobile app. I received a confirmation notification stating that the vehicle had started and would automatically shut off in 10 minutes. Approximately six minutes later, I exited my home and approached the vehicle, which was not running. After unlocking and entering the vehicle, the interior temperature conf... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
On [XXX], while driving approximately 30 mph, my vehicle displayed the warning “STOP SAFELY – ELECTRICAL FAULT DETECTED.” I immediately pulled over and restarted the vehicle, but the warning reappeared. Due to safety concerns and proximity to my home, I cautiously continued driving. Two blocks from my residence, I stopped briefly and received a message stating “BATTERY LOW – PLEASE STAR... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
When driving in reverse the front screen blacks out.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The driver information center suddenly indicated steering assist disabled, temperature gauge drops to below cold, air conditioning blows warm air. This issue has happened several times and is able to be reset by disconnecting/reconnecting the battery or using a scan tool. Temperature sensor is not the cause in my opinion, and I have read that the harness for the temperature sensor also includes ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
While driving at 35mph, downhill with no traffic in front, behind, or oncoming, the dash flashed red and immediately the brakes were instantly applied harshly causing occupants to lunge forward into seat belt restraint. Vehicle deceleration almost to a stop. Brakes then released . Driver continued home and was afraid to continue operating the vehicle. Dealer was called and picked up the vehicle.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
This vehicle has had multiple incidents of surging of the propulsion system both on battery power and when powered by the internal combustion engine, causing loss of propulsion and sudden acceleration almost causing collisions multiple times. We have paid for over $4,000 in repairs that are not covered under the propulsion system warranty, and these repairs have not remedied the issue.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
I bought a 2016 Ford Escape SE 2 Days ago and just found out it had no back Brake Pads of any measurable thickness, and the Front Brake Pads were nearly as thin. Does not meet Oregon Used Car Sales Laws. Can you help me ? Call the Dealer so they fix them ? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
On 17th of January, 2026, the backseat door, behind Driver's seat, failed and continues to fail to close and/or latch shut due to door/keyless latching mechanism/system. On January 17, 2026 backseat door, behind Driver's seat, swung open twice while driving and would not latch or shut close. Backseat door, behind Driver's seat, continues to fail to close or latch shut securely. Only warning of thi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
I experienced complete brake failure while coming up to an intersection during rush hour. To avoid crashing into the vehicles in front of me I went off the road onto the shoulder and coasted until I stopped. During this “brake failure” popped up on my dash. (I have a picture) I ended up turning the car off and then starting it back up. Everything appeared to be fine, however I was not fine. I ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
-I tried to use my horn to warn another driver ahead, but it was not producing any sound. -Everyone's safety was at risk because of a distracted driver that I was not able to get their attention due to the horn failing. -Yes, dealership verifies that the issue is present but refuses to repair. Many people online have experienced Hyundai horns failing. -Only dealership -No
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Jan 2, 2026. Vehicle made a popping sound and threw an error message. Took it to the dealer. Dealer diagnosed it with failed ICCU (integrated charge control unit?). Said that they had recently gotten 8 more failed units. Said that there are no more parts in stock in the US and Hyundai must manufacture and ship more. ETA is March but they are not sure. I do not believe Hyundai’s assertion that th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
My 2018 Traverse has had several issues the past few years such as the electrical components in the car turning on and off randomly, a shift to park message which has been fixed twice, and the most current problem is the transmission. I was out of town 160 miles away with my family of 6 and we were about to drive home when the engine started to sound forced while I was driving. It wouldn't go pas... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
My 2018 Traverse has had several issues the past few years such as the electrical components in the car turning on and off randomly, a shift to park message which has been fixed twice, and the most current problem is the transmission. I was out of town 160 miles away with my family of 6 and we were about to drive home when the engine started to sound forced while I was driving. It wouldn't go pas... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera display glitched and switched between a black and a blue colored screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that a diagnostic test was needed. The contact referenced an unknown re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
I was driving along and my car went into a reduced engine power mode. Code came up as the gas pedal sensor.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2015) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the morning, and in the evening, the fire department knocked on the contact's door, advising that neighbors had called to report that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the contact's garage. The contact stated that the garage was detached and was located in the rear of the residence. The c... Read more
Fire
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO EV
(2024) — ENGINE
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 23, 2026
There has been an electrical issue with this car since it was purchased in May 2021. The start stop system has always said service it and each time the dealership has said the temperature in the car has to be prime. It still doesn’t work. The key fobs continue to disconnect even with new batteries. The screen at times delays and needs an upgrade. The battery or both batteries even in the summer ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floor, and the vehicle slowly came to a stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed with brake failure. The contact was informe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The vehicle went into limp mode! Everything associated with it happened so quickly,no brakes,no steering ,it was terrifying. We got safely to a gas station. We were advised to take it to a certified Chevrolet dealer which we did We had it towed to the certified Chevrolet dealer in Charlevoix, Michigan.They hooked it up to the diagnostics and said they found absolutely nothing wrong with the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The vehicle went into limp mode! Everything associated with it happened so quickly,no brakes,no steering ,it was terrifying. We got safely to a gas station. We were advised to take it to a certified Chevrolet dealer which we did We had it towed to the certified Chevrolet dealer in Charlevoix, Michigan.They hooked it up to the diagnostics and said they found absolutely nothing wrong with the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
Paint is peeling off my pearl white Kia telluride
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, while the roads were clear, dry, and the weather was good, the engine seized, and the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 55 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond and continued driving forward. While driving at 50 M... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, while the roads were clear, dry, and the weather was good, the engine seized, and the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 55 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond and continued driving forward. While driving at 50 M... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
Recently, purchased this vehicle for my daughter & on her 2nd day driving it, a warning indicator light with a yellow triangle around an exclamation symbol & malfunction, see owner's manual message. We hade it checked by the purchased dealer who stated that it was probably a faulty sensor that the rain/moisture may be the problem. The owner's manual said this could be a braking/traction warning is... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
In August 2025, AutoNation Toyota on Sahara, checked the VIN of my Toyota Sienna and contacted Toyota while I was present. Toyota confirmed a broken fuel-door hinge was covered under a Customer Support Program. Instead, AutoNation attempted to repair, rather than replace, the hinge. This caused the metal fuel cap door to end up bent, paint to be gouged out from the bottom of the fuel door area, mi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
As I was parked for about 10 minutes sitting and not moving, the rear windshield spontaneously imploded.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
OEM Running boards, non powered. It is available for inspection. The running boards are slippery evetime they are wet. Does not matter what shoes you have. I have slipped 4 times since owned the vehicle and even broke the interior panel of my driver side door in 2023 which lead to a$500 repair bill. My wife and I both slipped today (1/26/26) and bruised pretty bad. Kids have also slipped in t... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
On January 25, 2026, my 2016 Ford Edge experienced a catastrophic brake system failure corresponding to NHTSA Safety Recall 25V-544. The front brake jounce hose ruptured at the crimp, resulting in the immediate and total loss of brake fluid and zero braking pressure. The vehicle is effectively without brakes and is unsafe to operate. I attempted to schedule service with the authorized dealer (P... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The upper radiator hose on some huge percentage of these trucks fail (mine has failed at just over 37K miles). You can check the Colorado Chevy forum, youtube, etc., et al, and find plenty of instances where this has failed. As this is the cooling system, it can cause the engine to overheat and potentially ruin the engine. The flaw seems to be an engineering issue with the rubber seal they use (in... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the ABS and the traction control warning lights were intermittently illuminated. While driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a load in the snow, the traction control uninte... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) — ENGINE
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
I’ve had nothing but problems with this car since about a year after getting it in 2021. Constant noises with the engine engine check light coming on all the time I would bring it in and no one would be able to figure out what was going on. And then it started to get worse and I had my catalytic converter replaced and not even a couple months later I had to have had another catalytic converter p... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while shifting into gear, the digital screen failed to illuminate, and the screen was black. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
On Saturday, 11/29/25 @ 3PM, while driving on I-75 from GA to MIA, our 2022 Suburban VIN: [XXX] sudden & unexpected had a mechanical failure. Without warning, vehicle stalled/ stop while traveling at highway speed, leaving us seconds to maneuver to the side. This failure created an extremely dangerous situation that could have resulted catastrophic or fatal accident for my family. Check engine li... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
At first it started with my brakes. I was at DQ and all of a sudden the brake peddle was hard and would barely go down. I then put my car in park. Now I have all new brakes, rotors, etc. Then now the car after 139,000 miles and only owning it for 3 years has this hesitation to go. It stumbles and once would go at all. I had to park right where I was, and restart the car. I have 5 kids, one at whic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
On full self driving, there is no way to change the follow distance and it follows way too close very often. This generates incidents that the car reports to Tesla insurance and we are penalized for something we can't always control. We also can't change our speed but I'm more concerned about the follow distance on highways. Last incident at 7:46PM on 1/25/2026.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Oct 24, 2025
Nissan issued a recall on my 2019 Nissan Leaf for unsafe level 3 charging. I understood the answer to be a software update. It has been almost two years and no solution. I can't drive from Colorado Springs to Denver and back without having to charge. I need to be able to do this and I even had to buy a cheap ICE to get back and forth. I need this car to do what I need or I need Nissan to re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned? The windshield wiper system failed. The design of the cowl area (under the hood) allows snow and sleet to accumulate and become compacted. This creates a physical obstruction that prevents the wiper linkage from moving, leading to total wiper failure. • Availability: The system is available for inspection upon request. 2. How was safety put at... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of fuel coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake pads were wearing abnormally quickly. The message speed reduced was displayed. The engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of fuel coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake pads were wearing abnormally quickly. The message speed reduced was displayed. The engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The ABS violently stops at random times in parking lots or reversing from my garage going FWD or backwards, screen has turned black, software updates won’t go through, charging issues/wont charge, premature inner tire wear notably in the right rear passenger side, doors, especially passenger doors, won’t open, the heat is nonexistent in the rear & barely works in the front, most recently a cod... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The engine light came on, later while driving the car shuts down engine reduced speed, engine power reduced. I have to restart the car and sometimes that dont help. Also the (ABS) light came on service stabilitrak, my anti brakes went out
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The engine light came on, later while driving the car shuts down engine reduced speed, engine power reduced. I have to restart the car and sometimes that dont help. Also the (ABS) light came on service stabilitrak, my anti brakes went out
Incident date: Jan 23, 2026
Most vehicles with ABS experience what I call “ABS shudder/jutter” when applying brakes across a road seam where the road surface is uneven or a rut in the road. In this particular case while applying the brakes across a long rut in the road, the “ABS shudder/jutter” was much worse. NOT SPEEDING and having plenty of distance to stop. With brake pedal to the floor several times, the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
On 1/22/25 took my car in for warranty repairs of the air induction system. The dealership claimed they fixed it, On 2/17/25 went back letting the dealership know the issue was not fixed but the told me that they didn’t see anything wrong. yet a year later to the date I am having the same issue visit the dealership for them to let the car thaw and cleared code for my check engine light to pop b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
I am submitting this complaint to report a potential vehicle safety defect involving the factory-installed running boards on a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The running boards become extremely slippery during light snow or minimal winter precipitation, creating a significant risk of slipping while entering or exiting the vehicle. This occurs during normal use and does not require heavy snow or ice. I hav... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
Radiator started leaking in <3000 miles of driving the brand new GLE 580 Mercedes Benz. Twice I got errors in the car that stated check coolant level I could hear liquid moving in the front of the car when I parked it. Once while driving, the AC totally stopped working and on the entire drive, I couldn't feel the cool air. I also got 48V battery issue during this drive. I called the dealer and t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
Due to cables being lined in soy in attracts rodents which cause damage to the car. Multiple electric malfunctions from power lift gate to automatic windows. It is a known issue and is very common.