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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 384,293 complaints for FORD

Incident date: Jul 17, 2026

The Full Self Driving software does not allow the user to limit the maximum speed of the vehicle while in use. The car frequently drives 15-20 MPH over the actual limits in typical driving modes with no ability for the user to safely and precisely restrict its speed to a more safe and appropriate level. The car may begin a journey at an appropriate speed, and continue at that speed for miles, but ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 17, 2026

My 2017 Kia Niro exhibits a dangerous low-speed engine surging hazard matching Safety Recall SC276. An authorized Kia dealership technician inspected the vehicle under RO #6115244 and formally documented 'seeping fluid residue' inside the clutch actuator housing. However, the dealership and Kia Corporate are refusing to honor the recall remedy and have released the car at a $0.00 balance while exp... Read more

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Audi A5. The contact stated that after activating the AC system, there was hot air and a burning odor coming from the passenger’s side vents. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V002000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called an independent mechanic and referenced the recall campaign. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was... Read more

Incident date: Jul 25, 2026

The vehicle was running when it overheated and started smoking from the gasket area, with no warning lights appearing on the dashboard; the car will not start now.

Incident date: Jun 12, 2024

While driving to work, my brake pedal went to the floor and I lost 90% of braking power. After managing to get the car back home, and topping up brake fluid, I noticed a puddle of it right in front of the passenger rear wheel. After doing research, found that this was a problem for this car, covered under recall WQK-47. Having bought this car used a few months ago, I checked and apparently this re... Read more

Incident date: Oct 4, 2025

My drivers side seat belt is getting stuck while pulling it out. It clicks and becomes stuck and I can’t put it on. When I do finally get it on I became stuck on 3 separate occasions and couldn’t physically get it off without help. I haven’t brought it to be inspected because my vin is not listed in the recall of driver side seatbelt. No lamps or messages prior.

Incident date: Jul 22, 2026

Out of nowhere without any warning light all of a sudden couldn’t back up when geared into reverse to reverse. Turned the vehicle off and back on, then was able to reverse. Left parking lot and was on the road and vehicle started loosing speed, then put into park with hazard lights. When attempting to get off the road for safety reasons tried putting into drive and the car then drove in reverse.... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

This malfunction started in August of 2025 within 12 months of buying this new vehicle. A airbag sensor was replaced, then a national bbb case found the same malfunction only this time it includes the whole safty system failure. I gave the manufacturer a year and they have not corrected the malfunction. I am forced to drive a unsafe car *if I get hit my airbags will NOT DEPLOY*

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

The stereo/infotainment system starts making an extremely loud static sound which comes through the speakers. It can be ear piercing at times. Sometimes this triggers the infotainmnet system controls not to work. I have to stop the car, turn off the engine and open the door to hopefully reset the system. This can be extremely dangerous in traffic.

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

Coolant leak from faulty engine design into cylinder 2.

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

On July 24th 2026, while operating my 2015 Dodge Dart, I was backing up in reverse and attempted to shift the vehicle into Park. During this normal shifting process, the transmission shift cable failed/broke, causing the vehicle to become stuck in Reverse and preventing me from safely shifting the vehicle into Park or another gear. The failed component is the transmission shift cable, which is th... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2025

Vehicles accelerated on its own when going under 10mph and no pressure on pedals.

Incident date: Jul 3, 2026

IT FEEL AS IF THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. RAN CODE REPLACED THE Steering wheel angle sensor AND THAT DIDN’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CANNOT STAIR THE STEERING WHEEL GETS LOCKED UP ..

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

This has happened to me a total of three times now And I have had the car one month. It stopped on me again in the middle of traffic Just driving without warning without any indicating lights on on June 25th. It stopped on me prior on July 21st and I just got it out of the shop July 24th. This is very dangerous and a dangerous situation especially to be driving one minute and the car just stop on ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2026

my BSD sensor would go on and off for the last several months when no one was around me. I work early and even when I was alone on the road the BSD would flash for 2-3 mins and go off.. then my fan for my air conditioner stopped. When I removed the glove compartment to see the wire connecting to the fan is "melted". When i called bob king hyundai, I was informed there was no recall. So, I attempte... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2026

My 2025 Sierra 2500HD repeatedly displays “Trailer Brakes Disabled—Service Required” with a lithium- and solar-equipped trailer. The truck passes the EL-52641 simulator, but the failure occurs intermittently while towing and resets after Park or reconnecting the trailer. This closely matches the higher-trailer-battery-voltage/backfeed condition described in N232414840. Please open a TAC case... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

The climate control system suffered a sudden, complete failure due to an engineering defect documented in Mazda Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) ID: MC-10203760-0001. The factory evaporator core leaked refrigerant rapidly starving the A/C compressor of essential lubricating oil. This caused the compressor to overheat and complete seize. This failure occurred during extreme summer heat exceeding 10... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

Ford Recall 26S28 NHTSA Recall - 26V237 Dealership has run the update. 2 codes NOT LISTED by Ford (regarding the Lead Frame in which they have 4 listed), are not covered by Ford according to the mechanics. The Valve Body is part of the lead frame but not covered under recall?? They don’t want to replace the lead frame as required by this safety recall. They want to charge us to replace the v... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I own a 2022 Dodge Durango. During normal loading and unloading of cargo with the liftgate open, I have sustained three separate lacerations to my forearm and wrist from the exposed, sharp inside corners of the rear taillight assemblies. The injuries have occurred on both the driver-side and passenger-side taillights during ordinary use of the cargo area. Each incident resulted from simply reachi... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I am writing to express my disappointment with the quality and reliability of my vehicle. Since purchasing it, I have had to return it to the dealership on five separate occasions due to ongoing defects and mechanical issues. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, the Super Cruise system failed to function properly and required service. At approximately 15,000 miles, I was informed that the brake ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

Active head restraint on driver seat deployed today for no reason. No collision, just deployed on its own.

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

On July 21st while making a left turn the PTU of the Jeep failed. Vehicle was towed to a Dealership and is now waiting for repairs.

Incident date: Jun 11, 2026

The Telluride was parked in my driveway on a hill. When the car was started by pushing the ignition all of the lights on the dash panel started flashing. The car was shifted into reverse to back down the driveway however the brakes didn’t work. We captured this on video via CCTV footage. You can see the vehicle reversing and the brake lights are on as the pedal was pushed but not responding. As ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 22, 2026

I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding a recent PTU failure associated with a recall on my Jeep vehicle. This issue nearly cost me my life when the vehicle abruptly stopped in the middle of a highway. Unfortunately, Jeep has refused to cover rental expenses related to this incident. Initially, the company did not acknowledge the problem, and now it appears they are purposefully del... Read more

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

Subject: Manufacturer and Dealer Non-Compliance / Obstruction of Federal Safety Recalls Vehicle: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Description of Problem: I am filing a formal complaint against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)/Mopar and its authorized dealer network for active non-compliance, negligence, and obstruction regarding 7 open federal safety recalls on my vehicle. Authorized franchise dealerships... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

In May 2025, I contacted Hyundai regarding excessive oil consumption in my 2021 Palisade. In June, Hyundai directed me to take the vehicle to a dealership for testing. Under TSB 23-EM-008H ([XXX]), a failed oil consumption test requires engine replacement. My vehicle is covered under Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. I have provided complete maintenance records and receipts fo... Read more

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

I was driving on Hwy 41 in Lutz, Fl in middle lane (out of 3 lanes) at around 50 miles per hour, then suddenly a warning came up on my infotainment consule that noted that my driver assistance system was not functional. My car then slowed down to 20 mph and would not accelerate. The line of cars going fast behind me started to honk at me. I had to put on my hazards and slowly get into far right la... Read more

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

While stopped at a red light, my 2020 Mercedes-Benz A220 unexpectedly shut off and shifted into Neutral without warning. All warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and a message instructed me to release the brake and restart the engine. The vehicle restarted, but this has now happened twice. The check engine light remains illuminated most of the time. This unexpected engine shutdown creates... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2026

While i was driving 65 MPH on the highway with several car length ahead of me I gently tried slowing down and the car jammed on the brakes forcefully causing my husband and I to be jolted forward and seatbelts locked. Thankfully, the person behind me did not hit me. This is a recall that was supposedly fixed by Hyundai dealer on 7/6/2026 a front view camera update however this incident happened on... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V430000 (Seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact needed to add a... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2025

Incident date: Jul 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on four occasions while stopped at an intersection with the engine idling, the idle stop feature activated, and the vehicle unexpectedly shut off. The mechanic was able to restart the vehicle. There were other drivers behind the vehicle who started honking their horns. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument p... Read more

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact stated that while driving 50-65 MPH, the vehicle was jerking and came to a sudden stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that there was an issue with the water pressure cooling system. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the message “Service Brake Assist” warning light illuminated twice. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed, causing the contact to engage the parking brake and manually shift the gear shifter to a lower gear to get the vehicle to come to... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

Due to the loss of power steering the tech at Rainier Dodge of Olympia performed electrical testing per diagnostic chart and found water intrusion into steering harness that has corroded wiring from the body harness into electric steering gear motor/module unit. The electric power steering gear assembly and harnesses must be replaced. The vehicle recieved a fault code U0140 stating loss of communi... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the B-pillar trim detached. The contact taped the trim to keep it from flopping around. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V829000 (Structure). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amoun... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

After getting recall work done last year regarding SC336 my sensor went off and now my car needs a new engine due to defective heat-treated Piston oil rings causing Catastrophic failure. Kia is declining responsibly because of lack of enough oil changes. They have not proved this failure was from neglect.

Incident date: Jul 20, 2022

I own a 2014 Kia Soul 2.0L GDI that consumes approximately one quart of engine oil every 1,500 miles. The engine oil became dangerously low between oil changes without any warning indicator. The vehicle has also experienced reduced engine performance, declining fuel economy, and previously displayed a P0420 catalytic converter efficiency fault code. Replacing the PCV valve did not improve the con... Read more

Incident date: Jun 24, 2026

Vehicle was not accelerating properly, so took to the dealership (Mike Shaw Subaru) to have work completed. Technicians indicated that the engine valves (shim valves) all had to be replaced and other work needed to be performed such as: Intake manifold, shim valves, gasket throt chamber. After dealership assured me that all work was performed and car was okay to take home, the next time it was dri... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Jun 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera was inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. 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 local dealer was contacted and stated that parts were availabl... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

While the car is in drive, it would power off in the middle of driving. Took the car to repair and advised regarding the engine. My safety was at risk because I loss power to operation the car in the middle of traffic, which could have called an accident for myself and others. The problem have been confirmed a repair shop. No, the manufacture stated since my vin # is not included in their recall,... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2025

Fire hazard with vehicle and Ford still has not fixed the issues this has been on going for over 2 years now

Incident date: Apr 14, 2025

Fire hazard with vehicle and Ford still has not fixed the issues this has been on going for over 2 years now

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70-75 MPH on the highway, after entering the highway uphill, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light flashing. The driver pulled over, and the vehicle was restarted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaire... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

SUBJECT: Fraudulent Recall Completion / Incomplete Remedy resulting in Component Failure (Recall 19S54 / NHTSA 19V904) I am writing to file an emergency safety complaint regarding a fraudulently cleared safety recall on my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. According to Ford's internal OASIS database, Safety Recall 19S54 (NHTSA Campaign 19V904) was marked as "completed" under a previous owner. However, p... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whistling sound of air coming through the A-p... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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