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 379,511 complaints for FORD
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to get a diagnosis however, the failure cause was unidentifiable. The vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
subframe rot due to poor quality metal - 2 mechanics, including dealer said unsafe to drive with 140k miles on the automobile. If driven, the mechanics said the car can fail and cause an accident. Should be scrapped or pay $14k to replace Problem is confirmed by dealer and a 2nd mechanic's opinion No one else has inspected the car formally No warnings on the car, just when we went to get new br... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2015
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently shifted. The contact stated that the failure occurred when approaching a stop sign. The contact stated that the transmission shifted from first gear to fifth gear. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred only when the out... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The dealer stated my engine repair is not covered under the recall/warranty because an ECU software update was not performed. I was quoted $8500 for engine replacement (Long block). I have owned this vehicle for 2 months, going on 3. I am requesting a review of whether this vehicle qualifies for any engine recall or safety-related warranty coverage, as the explanation provided by the dealership ap... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Experiencing problems similar to recall 23V-43. Audio popping/crackling, radio unavailable, screen display issues- screen does not come on resulting in no rear camera, display says “network connection lost” while driving. Vehicle has been inspected by Hondo of Hot Springs Arkansas multiple times for radio/screen display issues.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Experiencing problems similar to recall 23V-43. Audio popping/crackling, radio unavailable, screen display issues- screen does not come on resulting in no rear camera, display says “network connection lost” while driving. Vehicle has been inspected by Hondo of Hot Springs Arkansas multiple times for radio/screen display issues.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2024
Vehicle is overheating, have had issues right after purchasing from carmax burbank and issues after the recall was worked on at van nuys jeep dealership.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
DESCRIPTION OF DEFECT: My 2017 Toyota Highlander experienced a complete transmission failure under normal driving conditions. The vehicle began showing symptoms including delayed shifting, hesitation when accelerating, and eventual loss of proper drivability. The issue was diagnosed by an authorized Toyota dealership, which confirmed internal transmission failure. The estimated repair cost provide... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Entire MMI including driving information, speed, milage and heads up including potential other systems went dark.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Entire MMI including driving information, speed, milage and heads up including potential other systems went dark.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
My 2017 Jeep Wrangler experienced repeated brake system failures beginning shortly after purchase. After extensive brake repairs, the vehicle was ultimately diagnosed with a failed ABS control module. The vehicle is unsafe to operate due to loss of ABS/stability safety systems. Jeep/Stellantis has the required OEM module on national backorder with no repair timeline (some other jeep owner reports ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Automatic Emergency Breaking sometimes occurs while driving in rainy weather even when there are no obstructions in the front of the vehicle. This causes spinouts and exccessive wear and tear on break pads and rotors. Also, many shops and dealerships are having issues with putting 2022 year model outlanders in "maintenance mode" to be able to change rear ebs brakes. Due to this you cannot drive yo... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 DODGE Charger. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 71,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 162,185.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
Recall 22V0820000, Ford recall 22S06 was completed in 2023. That recall failed. The dealership, and Ford corporate have refused to fix this under the recall which is required.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal ticking sound. In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel was hard to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed rear differential. The cont... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the rear seat warmer was active, a hole had burned through the seat due to the heat coming from the seat warmer. The contact stated that a blanket was placed over the seat which caused the blanket to melt and fuse into the seat. As a result of the failure, the contact had to tear apart the back of the seat where the failure occur... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the rearview camera became inoperable and the camera image appeared blurry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V732000 (Structure); however, the parts required to complete the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contac... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the rearview camera became inoperable and the camera image appeared blurry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V732000 (Structure); however, the parts required to complete the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contac... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) — ENGINE
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 6, 2026
I own a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali equipped with the 6.2L L87 engine. On or around December 31, 2025, the vehicle developed a loud knocking noise from the engine that became worse with RPM increase. The truck was taken to a GMC dealership for diagnosis and repair under warranty/service contract coverage. The dealership initially diagnosed valvetrain-related failure and replaced multiple top-end ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
Driving down the highway in heavy traffic and the truck shutoff unexpectedly, I came to a complete stop and luckily avoided being rear ended and had to go from Drive and Park and recycle the ignition to restart the truck and limp off to a safe place.
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Truck fails to accelerate when transmission is in second gear, travelling at low speed (typically under 10 MPH) and at low RPMs (typically ~1,500). Regardless of amount of pressure applied to accelerator, the truck will remain at low RPM and speed for up to 10 seconds. This problem occurs frequently and has been reproduced by a Ford dealer. Ford TSB 25-2302 describes this problem, but in my case... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
At highway speeds there is a vibration. Had at the dealership for road test, balance, and alignment. Did not fix the problem. Discovered that many more are having the same issue.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
When driving the Front windshield spontaneous cracked. There was a loud cracking noise, prior to the AC and vent being turned on. The crack is formed from the driver side bottom edge of the window shield and across horrizontally three feet towards passenger side same crack ending upwards slightly diagonally. There is NO Evidence of impact, crack line is smooth to touch from the outside windshi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the infotainment screen was darkened and inoperative. There were several different unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (example: 26V185000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact’s spouse stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power with no warning lights illuminated. The contact's spouse noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle, prompting the contact’s spouse to pull over to the side of the roadway. Moments later, the front of the vehicle caught fire. The local fi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
Actuator needs replacing, currently at 127k miles and displaying traction control, brake and ABS warning lights. The repair will be a few thousand dollars, the cars market value is only around $6k. This is a known Toyota defect for this generation of Prius but Toyota hasn’t recalled these vehicles. I think Toyota should have to pay. The vehicle is out of warranty at 127k miles and it’s a 2013
Incident date: May 6, 2026
During acceleration from 40-60 miles per hour, there was a pronounced vibration/shudder through the front end of the vehicle. After taking it to the dealership, they advised both front axles would need to be replaced. The catastrophic failure of an axle is likely to cause a car crash. The problem has been identified by Ford Motor Company and also confirmed by the Ford Dealership where I got it ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2026) — SUSPENSION
May 7, 2026
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
I was slowly turning left into an alley when I heard a loud noise, the front of my car dropped, and the car immediately stopped and was immovable. Upon getting out of the car, it appears some joint separated from the wheel.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2026) — STEERING
May 7, 2026
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
I was slowly turning left into an alley when I heard a loud noise, the front of my car dropped, and the car immediately stopped and was immovable. Upon getting out of the car, it appears some joint separated from the wheel.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle was violently shaking. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred after driving over a bump in the road. The contact stated that the violent shaking felt like a tornado. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 25V695 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was/was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was/was not made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
Brake assist activates for no apparent reason
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
On May 2, 2026 I was operating the vehicle at 60 mph on the interstate. There were absolutely no other vehicles in my line of sight or on the roaway anywhere near me. The motorcycle went into automatic breaking and the brakes appeared to activate all on their own and almost locked up. I immediately was able to pull over and smell the very strong smell of burning brakes. I shut off the motorcycle ... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently shifted from sixth gear to fourth gear. In addition, the contact stated that an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The panoramic moonroof on the 2025 Toyota Sequoia spontaneously shattered while the vehicle was stationary. Nothing hit the moonroof. Was told by the dealership that it was caused by a pressure imbalance and although this is a know issue Toyota will not cover it as corporate doesn't see it as a issue. Was lucky the screen as deployed as it caught the glass from hitting the driver.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Using Tesla FSD (full self-driving supervised) I drove home, approximately 120 miles, from a family visit. From previous experience with Tesla FSD, I knew that the navigation system would navigate into the incorrect of 2 driveways (left, instead of the correct driveway, right) leading to my parking space. Therefore, upon arriving at the building address I endeavored to take over full control by... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The vehicle began experiencing repeated Autopilot/FSD failures while driving. Symptoms included sudden Autopilot disengagements, cruise control becoming unavailable, and loss of road visualization/navigation display functionality. The issue progressively worsened over time. The vehicle was first brought to Tesla service in 2025 for the same overheating-related concern. At that time, Tesla identi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2026
The vehicle began experiencing repeated Autopilot/FSD failures while driving. Symptoms included sudden Autopilot disengagements, cruise control becoming unavailable, and loss of road visualization/navigation display functionality. The issue progressively worsened over time. The vehicle was first brought to Tesla service in 2025 for the same overheating-related concern. At that time, Tesla identi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
Suspension and wheels do not stay aligned even after 7 attempts by Honda dealers to reset and realign. Suspension always jumps out of alignment.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Complete engine failure. Car stalled out at highway speeds and nearly caused collision. Would not turn over to be moved off freeway.
Incident date: Apr 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra Denali 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 73 MPH the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over safely. The driver was unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not avai... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The horn stops working, steering heat stop working, control functions and air bag warning. I changed the clock spring and it fixed all those issues the first time but within 6 months all those issues happened again. Is there something more wrong?
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
Zero warning lights, dash clusters only allowing two options to show, oil temperature reading 200degrees Fahrenheit or higher, floor board feels like the firewall is almost in the interior of the vehicle and not engine port. Upon performing a thorough investigation of my own, the manifold, intake valve and wires are visibly damaged and BURNT, coil two is visibly damaged and was smoking. The batter... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 6, 2026
I was driving my car was sputtering or trying to shut off while I press the gas and I let go of the gas and it catches and stayed on. I took it to the dealership and they said they found nothing wrong. May 3rd around 12pm im driving on the freeway and as im getting on the express lane going 60 it dies and I couldn't move the steering wheel and I slammed into a guardrail. After doing research my ca... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Vehicle sends cluster warnings about Auto Emergency Braking unavailable/inoperable, Electronic Stability Control needs service, Antilock Brake System needs service, Parksense Unavailable, and ultimately the Check Engine indicator illuminates after restarting the vehicle. An error code also is present in the computer, U1412. This has happened twice now in a two week period. These systems are critic... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2026
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) randomly quits working, produces a yellow warning light and digital message saying it has failed and service required. This failure happens at completely random times and last for hours to days and then randomly starts working again. This began happening after purchase in 2024 and was first sent into the dealership for repair in May 2024. The problem persisted with... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
Transmission shifts eradicate, jumps into gear (hard) Motor rpm raises high as transmission actually jumping , not smooth shifting into gear .
Incident date: May 4, 2026
I parked in a lot for about 30 minutes while taking a short hike. When I returned and started the truck the dash was black, no gauges, no PRND indication, nothing and the warning lights in the mirrors stayed illuminated continuously. We were in a National monument and decided to try and get back to the visitor center for someplace safe. When I placed the vehicle in what should have been reverse th... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
I parked in a lot for about 30 minutes while taking a short hike. When I returned and started the truck the dash was black, no gauges, no PRND indication, nothing and the warning lights in the mirrors stayed illuminated continuously. We were in a National monument and decided to try and get back to the visitor center for someplace safe. When I placed the vehicle in what should have been reverse th... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
On 05/05/2026 I was driving my 2026 Honda Passport, while driving I suddenly had multiple warning lights display. The following alerts popped up on my dash, electric power steering problem, hill start assist problem, road departure mitigation system problem, trailer assist system problem, collision mitigation system problem, hill descent system problem. Once these alerts popped up, I immediately t... Read more