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 384,293 complaints for FORD
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
Purchased NEW 2026 GMC Terrain Elevation, and it came with NO User Manual. I was told by the dealership (Al Serra GMC in Grand Blanc Michigan that i could either purchase one for $50.00+ dollars, PLUS TAX & $25.00 SHIPPING, or d/l it via the infotainment system in the car, WHICH DID NOT WORK! Talk about [XXX] A VIETNAM VET!!! We are both [XXX] old & need a manual, so bought a reproduction of the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to stop, the brakes failed to operate as needed. Additionally, while hauling a trailer downhill, the trailer brakes became inoperable, and only the brakes on the vehicle were working as designed. The warning light "Trailer Brakes Disconnected" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
I am reporting a serious safety defect involving unintended acceleration in my 2024 Mazda plug-in hybrid vehicle. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has suddenly accelerated without input from me, creating dangerous situations where I nearly lost control and risked a collision. This issue has occurred at least four times since January 2026. I previously brought the vehicle to an authorized Mazda d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
I am reporting a serious safety defect involving unintended acceleration in my 2024 Mazda plug-in hybrid vehicle. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has suddenly accelerated without input from me, creating dangerous situations where I nearly lost control and risked a collision. This issue has occurred at least four times since January 2026. I previously brought the vehicle to an authorized Mazda d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact was an insurance company that called on behalf of the previous owner. The contact's Insurance Company took possession of a 2025 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud popping noise was heard coming from the vehicle with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that following the failure, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact was an insurance company that called on behalf of the previous owner. The contact's Insurance Company took possession of a 2025 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud popping noise was heard coming from the vehicle with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that following the failure, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal, roaring sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact's husband discovered that the steel belts on the driver’s and passenger’s rear tires were prematurely worn. The contact then became aware of N... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
On oct. 26, 2025, I was in a bad car accident. I was coming home and came to a stop on Spring Street.In Marion. MA before entering Rte 6 . I looked both ways and the rte was clear. I looked again both ways and still was clear, so I moved my 2025 Bronco Badlands onto the Rte 6 and within seconds I was hit very hard on the front left quarter. My SUV spun around at least 270º and I was immediately... Read more
Crash
1 injured
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - ENGINE
Mar 19, 2026
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
While driving at highway speed, the engine suddenly stalled without warning, resulting in a complete loss of power. This created a dangerous situation as I was unable to maintain speed or safely maneuver with surrounding traffic. At the time of the incident, all electrical warning lights illuminated on the dashboard simultaneously. Prior to this event, there were no clear warnings indicating immin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The car had a recall repair to the steering system done due to it being sticky. But the issue has coma back again while driving on ramps and curvy roads. The steering requires significantly more effort and also has a feel of a ratchet. It also feels like a ratchet, when moving very slow and making tight turns. The car also had a recall battery replacement done for the MHEV battery and now the prob... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
The car had a recall repair to the steering system done due to it being sticky. But the issue has coma back again while driving on ramps and curvy roads. The steering requires significantly more effort and also has a feel of a ratchet. It also feels like a ratchet, when moving very slow and making tight turns. The car also had a recall battery replacement done for the MHEV battery and now the prob... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
While driving at 25 miles an hour on a smooth curving road out of a housing area my wife who was driving and my grand daughter in the front passenger seat heard a loud boom that sounded like somthing hit the roof. My grand daughter looked into the back passenger area and said she saw a large buldge in the headliner near the back window on the drivers side. My wife continued driving saftly to the n... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on a significantly windy day, the passenger's side exterior B-pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, wh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding the execution of NHTSA Recall 24-002 (Connecting Rod Bearing Replacement) by an authorized Acura dealership, and a fundamental safety flaw in Acura’s official Service Bulletin for this recall. My vehicle underwent "Repair #1" under this recall, which involved opening the engine block and replacing the rod bearings due to a factory defect that caus... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Mar 19, 2026
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
Transmission jumping through gears and lost ability to shift shortly after the jumping of gears. it jumps straight in to 5th gear when put in to Drive
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
A few weeks ago my adaptive cruise stopped working, as well as the automatic high beam system (not sure the technical name). As there was a warning light displayed, I brought it into the dealership to have them check it out. The technician jumped in really quick, made some changes within the control panel, and the light came off. As I drove out and tried to use the adaptive cruise control, it didn... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
I’d like to file a complaint regarding Hyundai Recall#290, a potential fire hazard with my cars “trailer wiring harness accessory module”, which Hyundai has not offered a remedy at this time. I spoke to Hyundai’s customer service representative yesterday (3/18/26) about this recall that’s now over a month old, and asked if I could get reimbursed for my out of pocket costs to remove the h... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
I took my car in to diagnose low coolant and white exhaust smoke on cold start. The technician said he "observed the presence of coolant inside the cylinder walls which can lead to "serious damage...corrosion...failure and wear and could seize up and told me to get a new engine or car. The vehicle component was inspected by an independent service center. No warning lights prior to failure. Other s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
I was a front seat passenger in a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and was properly wearing my seatbelt at the time of the incident. The vehicle struck a deer, and during the collision, the passenger seatbelt failed to properly restrain me. I was thrown forward and struck the windshield. The seatbelt did not appear to lock or tighten as expected during impact. It is unknown whether the seatbelt pret... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
The 10L80 transmission had a catastrophic failure just outside of the GM warranty. At under 70K miles the pump gears came apart and sent metallic debris throughout the entire transmission and exhaust gaskets converter next to the transmission. These will need to be replaced. I have found multiple cases online with this 10L80 transmission where there has been significant problems with these trans... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
My front windshield is leaking from the top of the window. I can see little trails of dried drips on the inside of my windshield. I feel it could possibly be a safety issue of being loose. It has not been confirmed by a dealer, service center, police, insurance company, or anyone yet. Just found it about a month ago. Trying to see if a recall before I contact a glass company to repair.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The dashboard of our 2011 Lexus IS has begun to "melt," for lack of better words. We have owned the car since 2011 and it has approximately 162000 miles now. The problem has arisen over the last two years or so and is a known issue for cars of that period. Lexus claims they had an enhanced warranty program for this issue, but we were never contacted and the issue was not an issue then, but clea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The dashboard of our 2011 Lexus IS has begun to "melt," for lack of better words. We have owned the car since 2011 and it has approximately 162000 miles now. The problem has arisen over the last two years or so and is a known issue for cars of that period. Lexus claims they had an enhanced warranty program for this issue, but we were never contacted and the issue was not an issue then, but clea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Odometer Fraud: The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Versa. The contact stated that the vehicle jolted while driving. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been tampered with. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 172,480. It was later discovered that the mileage was 143,521 after taking the ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
Approximately 3 years ago we noticed water accumulating in the rear light. They refer to it as a race track light bar. Went to dealer who said not covered under warranty, and it would be $1,455 to replace. I did not have the money at that time to replace it. So we kept draining the water, as I noticed the light getting dimmer. I charged the $1455 and replaced it. 1/8/23. I did find that there wer... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
Approximately 3 years ago we noticed water accumulating in the rear light. They refer to it as a race track light bar. Went to dealer who said not covered under warranty, and it would be $1,455 to replace. I did not have the money at that time to replace it. So we kept draining the water, as I noticed the light getting dimmer. I charged the $1455 and replaced it. 1/8/23. I did find that there wer... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
I am reporting an ongoing and worsening defect condition involving a Volvo vehicle that has displayed repeated power steering / steering failure warnings and is now also showing additional symptoms consistent with a possible turbo / emissions-related failure. The steering-related warnings have remained active and unresolved over an extended period. The vehicle has displayed dashboard warnings for... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
I am reporting an ongoing and worsening defect condition involving a Volvo vehicle that has displayed repeated power steering / steering failure warnings and is now also showing additional symptoms consistent with a possible turbo / emissions-related failure. The steering-related warnings have remained active and unresolved over an extended period. The vehicle has displayed dashboard warnings for... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
I am reporting an ongoing and worsening defect condition involving a Volvo vehicle that has displayed repeated power steering / steering failure warnings and is now also showing additional symptoms consistent with a possible turbo / emissions-related failure. The steering-related warnings have remained active and unresolved over an extended period. The vehicle has displayed dashboard warnings for... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
THERE IS A WARNING ON MY DASH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE: REVERSE BRAKE ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE SEE MANUAL. THIS CONCERN HAS A TSB ATTACHED TO IT. MY CONCERN IS THAT GIVEN THE SAFETY NATURE OF THIS CONCERN AFFECTING F150S AND FORD MUSTANGS; THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND NOT THE CONSUMER. FORD WILL REPAIR, HOWEVER, INVOICE THE CUSTOMER FOR THE COST WHICH I DO NOT AGREE... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
engine failure from the connecting rod and/or crankshaft. There is a current recall for this and my vehicle should be a part of it. I broke down on the side of a highway and had the vehicle towed to GMC dealership. There are now warning lights on with code P0016 and P0324
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
Auto start-stop feauture turned on at complete stop at traffic light. When light turned green and pressed the gas pedal to accelerate, engine did not turn back on. It had put vehicle into neutral and would not allow vehicle to shift into any other gear. Had to shut off engine and turn on vehicle an additional 3 times to get the engine to start again and into drive. This has happened twice befor... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
Component: Electric power steering system (steering column rack). Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: Loss of power steering assist renders the steering wheel virtually inoperable, creating an immediate risk of loss of vehicle control for the driver and danger to other road users. The vehicle required towing on November 27, 2025 — one month after purchase (October 25,... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The all wheel drive failed do to transfer case splines being sheered off between the transmission and transfer case. No warning lights are on to warn of the rear wheel tires not receiving power to them. I was not aware of this problem and this could have contributed to and accident, as I though the AWD was working, but it wasn't.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V607000 (Seat Belts) and 26V034000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, and the seat belt was rel... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the sun was reflecting on the dashboard, causing a glare on the windshield, which obstructed the driver's vision. The dashboard was disintegrating and was bubbling. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that a recall for the failure had expired. There w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2008 Mazda Tribute. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and inoperable, with the maintenance warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The f... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
On March 10, 2026, my 2017 Hyundai Tucson entered 'Limp Home Mode' while driving, a known safety defect that causes a sudden loss of engine power. Diagnostic testing confirmed error code P1326 (Knock Sensor Detection System - KSDS). Despite this vehicle being covered under the Theta II Engine Class Action Settlement (Recall 209), which provides a 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty for this spe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
I was merging into traffic on interstate. The car lagged as if it wasn't getting gas. I pulled over to get out of traffic. Scary situation. Please advise!
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The front camera mounted near the rear view mirror stopped working which caused several systems to fail. Acura was slow to respond and was not able to complete the repair because the camera was backordered for several months.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 19, 2026
Incident date: Mar 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Cadillac XT5. The vehicle was recently purchased, and while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 5 MPH with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified and sent a mobile mechanic to the residence to diagnose the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while reversing from the driveway, the back-up camera failed to operate normally. The Uconnect system became disabled, which caused other navigational functions to fail to operate as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to update the software, but at the owner's expense. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
On February 23, 2026, I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model Y under normal city conditions. While parallel parking at very low speed, I suddenly heard a loud metallic bang from the driver’s side of the vehicle. Immediately afterward, the vehicle lost mobility and the steering wheel became unresponsive and would not turn. I exited the vehicle and observed a detached metal suspension component and a b... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 Honda CR-V. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 137,000. It was later discovered upon registering the vehicle with the DMV that the mileage was 255,000.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2010) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Mar 19, 2026
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The automatic braking system will momentarily engage. This has happened during daytime in a high contrast environment - light painting on road surface or dark shadows on road surface. Vehicle will suddenly deaccellerate then resume normal operation. This randomly happens, even at same locations. Safety is a concern since this sudden and unexpected. This sudden braking has not been reproduce by dea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 40-45 MPH, the brakes and steering became inoperable, causing him to crash into an unknown vehicle. The air bags in the other vehicle did deploy. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployments, or fire for the contact's vehicle. A police report was filed. The traction control and ABS warning lights illuminated. The lo... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Reported issues of lag in acceleration and harsh shifting into reverse, the vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times stemming from shortly after previous, there are no warnings lights on. I requested the dealership provide in writing if the deemed the vehicle safe for operation. They would not do so. I requested a loaner while my vehicle is being reviewed for repurchase and was de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Reported issues of lag in acceleration and harsh shifting into reverse, the vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times stemming from shortly after previous, there are no warnings lights on. I requested the dealership provide in writing if the deemed the vehicle safe for operation. They would not do so. I requested a loaner while my vehicle is being reviewed for repurchase and was de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Electronic Power Steering just stopped all of a sudden while I was going up the mountain into North Carolina that almost caused an accident the only reason it didn’t is because of the pull off right after the curve I was going through when I lost all steering! With the truck already in the pull off I stopped to see if I had lost a serpentine belt unaware this Ram is equipped with the EPS System.... Read more