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: Mar 10, 2026
We were driving on the highway when the service lights came on along with the check engine light started flashing. The truck sounded like it hesitated a little, but the lights turned off and it drove his normal. We exited the freeway as we were close to home came home, parked it turned it off and turned it back on to test it, and it hesitated to turn on so we took it straight to the dealership whe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2026
My transmission is defective and past 60,000 miles but only a little. I had a diagnosis and it needs replacing like many of these trailblazers in the ongoing lawsuit. I cannot pay for it and it should not be broken!
Incident date: Mar 7, 2026
Subject: Safety Defect / Recall Not Properly Completed – 2018 Ram 2500 Steering Drag Link Vehicle: 2018 Ram 2500 VIN: [XXX] Recall Campaign: 19V‑021 / V06 – Steering Drag Link Jam Nut Complaint Description: I am filing a safety complaint regarding a potential unresolved defect on my 2018 Ram 2500. This vehicle was included in Recall 19V‑021 / V06, issued to address a safety issue where... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Spontaneous headlight cracking and chipping.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds on several occasions, the message "Service 4WD" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power transfer unit and the shift actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts being on backorder. The vehicle was taken ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, a message that the rear tailgate was open was displayed. The vehicle was stopped and inspected, and discovered that the tailgate had erroneously opened while driving. After closing the tailgate and driving away, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure occurred several t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
I was pulling into my son's driveway to park, and my vehicle did not stop when using the brakes. I struck the rear of his vehicle parked in the driveway. When put in reverse, my vehicle would not stop when using the brakes. My vehicle crossed the street, hit a tree, and eventually stopped when it hit a house. A video of the incident was caught on my son's ring door camera. I will submit screen sho... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the message to “Shift to Park” was displayed while the vehicle was already shifted in park(P). The contact stated that several attempts to shift to park were needed to clear the message. On several occasions, the contact drove the vehicle and then shifted back to park(P) for the message to be... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
February 3, 2026 my 2022 Silverado ZR2 with 37,000 miles shut off on me while driving at a speed of 45 mph, i was able to pull over safely, I mentioned this to the dealership and they were unable to figure out why. 2 weeks later, my truck began to start making a loud knocking noise from the engine, I took it to the dealership and they stated that it was a failed engine and they would need to start... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
February 3, 2026 my 2022 Silverado ZR2 with 37,000 miles shut off on me while driving at a speed of 45 mph, i was able to pull over safely, I mentioned this to the dealership and they were unable to figure out why. 2 weeks later, my truck began to start making a loud knocking noise from the engine, I took it to the dealership and they stated that it was a failed engine and they would need to start... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
While driving a 2014 Ford Fusion during a snowstorm, the vehicle displayed the warning message “Steering Assist Fault – Service Required.” Immediately afterward, the steering became extremely difficult to turn, requiring significantly greater effort to control the vehicle. This sudden loss of power steering assist created a serious safety risk for myself and others on the road. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
My vehicle is affected by recall 25V695. Ford dealership confirmed no remedy parts are available and cannot provide a timeline. This vehicle is part of my commercial fleet and I am unable to operate it, resulting in significant financial loss. The manufacturer issued a recall with no available fix, leaving owners stranded indefinitely.
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway of the residence at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated related to the trailer control module; however, a trailer was not attached to the vehicle during the failure. The warning lights were continuously illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, an... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a pharmacy parking lot with the hold feature engaged, the driver released the brake pedal. Immediately afterward, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward approximately 75 feet. The driver attempted to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to respond. The vehi... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 17, 2024
Master Brake Cylinder failed according to dealership. This however is the second time this issue has occurred. This system failure caused brakes to not respond correctly leading to risk of collision. My safety and my kid's safety was put at risk due to issue happening while vehicle was in drive. Part was initially replaced in April of 2025 and issue has occurred two more times since then in Decemb... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. While driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle with unknown warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was drivable during the failure. On another occasion, the brake warning light flashed on the instrument panel, and the brakes slightly depressed independently, and the driver then fully depressed the b... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
My 2019 Mazda CX-5 with approximately 78,000 miles developed a sudden major engine oil leak. The Mazda dealership diagnosed the issue as a cracked cylinder head and quoted approximately $5,600 for repair. The vehicle was properly maintained and this failure occurred without warning. A cylinder head failure at this mileage appears premature and may represent a defect. The oil leak created a large p... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The instrument cluster no longer displays any information, it is blank. My safety is at risk as I can not see how much gas I have, mileage, oil pressure or any other warnings that are used by the display. Prior to going completely blank intermittently it would show a greenish color. Other Jeep Wranglers have had this problem, but my VIN was not part of the recall.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
While merging onto [XXX] toward [XXX] , my 2016 Nissan Versa suffered a total loss of power while crossing active railroad tracks. The car stuttered and jerked before completely stalling and stopped responding. I was stranded in a high-traffic zone around [XXX] PM. I was worried that the vehicles coming behind me would not see my small car right away, as I was positioned past the railroad tracks ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
225/60R17 tire purchased new started going flat in the first week. Walmart tire said there was no warranty. Receipt says otherwise. P&M tire of Blackwell, OK found defects in the interior sidewall and told us the tire had manufacturing defects. Reported to Nexen by making an account and filing a warranty request which they denied. They keep saying we are lying to deflect blame. We have the tire, i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
I went to Chevy in Warwick Rhode Island a few months back after all my adaptive cruise control and lane departure stuff stopped working. They reset it and it was fine for a couple months and now it isn’t working again. I went there and they said that my camera is not getting enough power and they have seen so many of these problems happening with these trucks but still no recall. Was waiting to ... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at 76 MPH, the vehicle was driving abnormally rough. The RPM increased, and the message to shut-off engine and restart the vehicle was displayed. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the two minor children and their friends were inside the vehicle. The contact's daughter stated that the vehicle was in neut... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
- The car loses coolant while the engine is running. This coolant loss is nearly imperceptible, except that the car's heat stopped working reliably. If the car is left idling with the heat on, it does not become warm. It only begins to become warm at higher speeds, then loses heat after slowing down.There are no easily visible coolant leaks. - If I had not caught it in time, the car could have ove... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
This recall has no parts issued in well over a year the safety of the vehicle is a worry to my family and the dinging of the bell the whole time your driving as well as no use of the cruise control is an uncomfortable situation we would like this resolved.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was approximately 27,300. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for software updates months after it was purchased. A technician performed software updates and informed the contact of a mileage discr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 22 MPH in full self-driving mode, the vehicle inadvertently crashed into the rear driver's side of a parked vehicle on the shoulder lane. No warning light was illuminated. The other vehicle was unoccupied. The contact's front passenger side sustained damage. The contact stated that the automatic emergency braking sys... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The check engine light came on and car started to over heat when taken into shop was told need to replace entire engine this is a known issue in these make / model cars with these engines and it is not being addressed
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the tailgate opened unexpectedly and was crushed by an attached trailer. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V060000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
While the vehicle was in park and still running it started sputtering and idling erratically and the engine shut off. While trying to restart, the car was having a hard time starting, eventually starting with the same problem. While driving, the car was sputtering, had reduced engine power, and felt like it was going to shut down. The check engine light was on the entire duration of the incident. ... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
While driving on the highway at approximately 65-70 mph the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged for no apparent reason, no vehicles were around or near our vehicle. The sudden and unexpected braking could have cause a major accident resulting in serious injuries or worst had our vehicle been rear ended.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
While driving on the highway at approximately 65-70 mph the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged for no apparent reason, no vehicles were around or near our vehicle. The sudden and unexpected braking could have cause a major accident resulting in serious injuries or worst had our vehicle been rear ended.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
While driving on the highway at approximately 65-70 mph the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged for no apparent reason, no vehicles were around or near our vehicle. The sudden and unexpected braking could have cause a major accident resulting in serious injuries or worst had our vehicle been rear ended.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal odor inside and outside the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two dealers several times; however, the failure was not duplicated. The dealers performed several diagnostic tests, but no leaks were evident. The vehicle was not diagnosed or re... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Mar 10, 2026
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
My sister was driving my 2006 Ford Focus along a highway. Out of nowhere, the airbag in the side of the driver's seat deployed. This was the only airbag that deployed. The airbag deployed into the side of my sister emitting a white smoke or powder substance. She saw black from the trauma of the airbag impact. She was able to then gain control of the vehicle as no other vehicles were around. She go... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
When driving on ice the car mistakes a lack of steering resistance for hands being off the wheel (especially when both hands are on the wheel providing even resistance to both sides). It will sound an alarm and jerk the wheel to the side to get the driver's attention, but that sideways jerk causes a loss of steering in icy conditions. This happens multiple times per drive, sometimes within a seco... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the vehicle failed to restart. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was jumpstarted by AAA Roadside Assistance to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact replaced the battery. The manufacturer was made a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
While driving on interstate 4 in Florida with our grandchildren going approximately 70 mph the sunroof on our 2018 Mercedes GLC just exploded no object came into the vehicle and while glass came into the vehiclenot all the glass that made up the sunroof came into vehicle suggesting a pressure issue as apparently blew out
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
Kia has a known wiring‑harness defect that causes the low engine oil sensor to trigger incorrectly. Despite this, there has been no recall, and new vehicles are still being sold with the issue. The wiring harness is now on back order, leaving me without a car for weeks or longer. The vehicle has plenty of oil, and the dealership confirmed there are no engine problems, yet the warning light keeps... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she discovered that the driver's side window was shattered. The sunroof was brown, and there was a hole in the dashboard showing the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle had caught fire; however, the fire extinguished on its own. There were no prior warning lights illuminated. There were n... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 27, 2026
driving 70mph on highway when engine suddenly failed. engine turned off and kicked into neutral. had to pull over on busy highway in a powerless car and have car towed. it is now getting a full engine replacement at 42k miles.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
Basically, the instrument cluster lighting is very, very poor. Very difficult to read when driving, especially in a day break. You must turn off your daylight running lights to make it a little bit brighter. This is a problem.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
Upon stepping on brakes, the car shifts into Neutral and says “press start Button again.” This happened to me 2x now.
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
ICCU failure within three (3) days of buying vehicle. Only 300 miles on it. Failed to charge with known working Level 1 charger on day 1, successfully charged with Level 3 charger on day 2, and then failed to charge at same Level 3 charger on day 3. Simply connecting the Level 3 charger on day 3 had the car emitting "charger errors", and then followed that up with an "On board charger" fault. Vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
ICCU failure within three (3) days of buying vehicle. Only 300 miles on it. Failed to charge with known working Level 1 charger on day 1, successfully charged with Level 3 charger on day 2, and then failed to charge at same Level 3 charger on day 3. Simply connecting the Level 3 charger on day 3 had the car emitting "charger errors", and then followed that up with an "On board charger" fault. Vehi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Vehicle does NOT come to a complete stop. It moves forward about an inch after I stop and park. It's being going on since I got the car. I assumed it was normal until I drove another car and it didn't happen.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2020
2019 Mazda CX5 has a cracked cylinder head. This is causing oil to leak out. The oil is leaking out onto the exhaust manifold which is causing the manifold to smoke and has the possibility to catch fire. Mazda is aware of this issue and issued CSP 11( customer service program). This does not cover the oil leak, only coolant leak. Several Class Action Lawsuits have been filed. Local Mazda dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed or making a turn, the vehicle stalled. In addition, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. There was an unknown code displayed on the instrument panel. Most recently, the engine started consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding oil every other week to the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
About every 45 days the car will not turn off. Safety items like the rear view camera will not work. The main viewing screen will go dead. I called the dealership. They said this was a common problem with my car. The only fix is to attempt a full system reboot with a paper clip. This has now happened three times to me. Once the car started without me pushing the start button. Twice while I was dr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
Collision Mitigation Braking System camera failure indictions appeared in the dashboard control center. I took the vehicle to the Honda dealership who stated there is not an active recall and that this was not a covered expense. Out of caution because I have read of the system failues causing brake lock-up related to over 40 vehicular crashes and almost twice that number of injuries, I decided ... Read more