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 78,021 complaints for HYUNDAI
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
the CMBS activated when driving when no other vehicle was in front of my vehicle. the car came to a stop.
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Nov 18, 2025
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
After having fuel pump replaced by recall at random times dashboard will light up with all system lights, car will go into limp mode and loose power for a few seconds and then I am able to resume driving. Extremely scary as there is no warning. This has happened both on the freeway at high rates of speed and on neighborhood roadways. Safety has been compromised several times and Honda dealer is no... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
The contact's mother owns a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the contact stated that the vehicle was wobbling. The contact stated that the wobbling started at 50 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that several ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
The contact's mother owns a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the contact stated that the vehicle was wobbling. The contact stated that the wobbling started at 50 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that several ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
Car stalls and shuts down while shifting to park or reverse and when slowing to turn or stopping. Also the media screen will black out and not work at times.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
shift to park issue and at times could not turn engine off
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH in rainy weather, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. The ESC warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull into the parking lot, and a day later, the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and p... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
I have not had an accident. The headlights on the vehicle are extremely dim. I drive with my bright lights on and they still are not very bright. I have changed the headlights out 3x since I bought the vehicle, in may 2025. They have been balanced by a repair shop owner and changed. I can not see more than 10ft ahead of me. I’m scared I will get into an accident is how dim they are. I read it ha... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
While driving my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, I experienced a strong chemical/fume smell entering the cabin, which caused headache and nausea. I later found that the battery installed in the vehicle had vent holes with visible liquid residue indicating leakage. I did not authorize or install this battery — it appears the battery was changed without my knowledge while the vehicle was in a lender’s p... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
While driving my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, I experienced a strong chemical/fume smell entering the cabin, which caused headache and nausea. I later found that the battery installed in the vehicle had vent holes with visible liquid residue indicating leakage. I did not authorize or install this battery — it appears the battery was changed without my knowledge while the vehicle was in a lender’s p... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2016) - STEERING
Nov 17, 2025
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
The brake peddle keeps jamming and sticking . The steering wheel is now very lose and a lot of play . There is a steering wheel with exclamation point flashing on the dash . When the card turns off it makes electrical noises . It is consuming oil . A pint a week . It’s been towed twice in three weeks
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
Over the last 45 days, my Jeep has suffered repeated breakdowns that required towing to the Jeep dealership—It is now the fourth tow in this short window for the same issue. On November 10th, I was informed it was a wiring harness issue. On November 17th, they completed the work with the wiring harness and mentioned that now shifter assembly now has internal failure. Respectfully, this situa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
When using the backseat armrest and cup holders, if you have a hot coffee, to go, from let’s say Starbucks, no matter the size, it will come out of the cup holder in certain turns, when the car is moving. It’s spilled multiple times on my kids and a friend, who had scalding on their hands. This is very unsafe and the cup holders need to be deeper, they are very shallow, to hold to go cups, eve... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
The fuel pump on my 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen failed approximately three months after a safety recall repair for the suction jet pump (recall 20Y6). My independent mechanic explained that failure of the suction jet pump can cause fuel leakage or vapor transfer into the EVAP system, which may create pressure or vacuum imbalance inside the fuel tank. This can potentially damage other fuel-syst... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge started to indicate that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a misfire in cylinders #2 and #3. The c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
[XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] 2022 Kia Seltos [XXX] 54,000 mileage I am reporting two serious safety defects with my 2022 Kia Seltos: Engine Shut Off / “Push Engine to Start” Warning: Date(s) of occurrence:[XXX] Location: Throughout Portland, OR Description: While slowing down and stopping at intersections, the vehicle starts beeping very fast, then displays the “Push Engine to Start” w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was running rough. The message "Service ECM" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where diagnostic trouble codes displayed fuel injector misfiring on cylinders 1 and 4. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2024
Passenger airbag safety intermittently turns on stating that the passenger airbag is not able to deploy. If I turn the car off and on it goes away and doesn't turn until another time I start the car. Also detects a passenger in the seat when there is no passenger or weight in that seat. Overall some sort of issue with the airbag safety system in the front passenger seat. I will state no liquids ha... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2024
Passenger airbag safety intermittently turns on stating that the passenger airbag is not able to deploy. If I turn the car off and on it goes away and doesn't turn until another time I start the car. Also detects a passenger in the seat when there is no passenger or weight in that seat. Overall some sort of issue with the airbag safety system in the front passenger seat. I will state no liquids ha... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact became aware of abnormal oil consumption and sound coming from under the hood. The local dealer was contacted; however, the warranty had expired. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (POWER TRAIN). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the 4WD warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Power Transfer Unit ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
there was a sunroof recall on my year of vehicle, with this being a used vehicle the previous owners did not know about the sunroof recall and this is why they sold the vehicle not knowing the issues it caused, so I purchased this vehicle wanting it to be my forever vehicle and still do, i am wanting the sunroof drain issue fixed as this has messed with all of my electronical functions in my vehic... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
there was a sunroof recall on my year of vehicle, with this being a used vehicle the previous owners did not know about the sunroof recall and this is why they sold the vehicle not knowing the issues it caused, so I purchased this vehicle wanting it to be my forever vehicle and still do, i am wanting the sunroof drain issue fixed as this has messed with all of my electronical functions in my vehic... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
My engine is currently being torn down at the dealership.I heard a ticking noise coming from my engine so I took to the dealership I bought it from and when they did their diagnostics and inspection they said it was a connecting rod bearing failure.
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
2 times, while driving 35-40 mph, the vehicle automatically slammed hard on brakes to full stop without any danger or other vehicle near, causing neck pain/whip lash. 3 days ago, I attempted a U-turn in busy intersection, suddenly the vehicle braked hard and came to full stop without any danger near. The dash lights lit up, the vehicle stalled. I was in middle of very busy intersection. It would ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
2 times, while driving 35-40 mph, the vehicle automatically slammed hard on brakes to full stop without any danger or other vehicle near, causing neck pain/whip lash. 3 days ago, I attempted a U-turn in busy intersection, suddenly the vehicle braked hard and came to full stop without any danger near. The dash lights lit up, the vehicle stalled. I was in middle of very busy intersection. It would ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
Started hearing a "knocking" sound from the engine compartment, whose frequency clearly was proportional to engine RPM. Took vehicle to local trusted mechanic who diagnosed that it was likely related to known crankshaft bearing issue, which is the subject of a widespread recall on Acura vehicles. Found that the vehicle does not fall within the recall window. Sent vehicle by tow truck to nearest de... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
In November 2024, while driving, my jeep began to lose power. Accelerator was not working and pulled over. It turned on but would unexpectedly turn off whenever I would drive it. It was in the shop 4 months. Last week, Nov 2025, while at a stop light it completely stopped working. When I tried to accelerate it wasn’t working. Break pedal was hard and I could not turn it back on. Dash lights were... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Engine light came on around 81k miles and I've replaced several components and it fixed then light would come back on. I kept up on oil changes frequently. I had the spark plugs, o2 sensors replaced twice. It would idle low and or stall. The engine started knocking at 135k I still owe 9k on loan and it's the 2.0L NU MPI M/T ENGINE. PLEASE RECALL IT ALREADY SO MANY OWNERS ARE BEING SCREWED ON THIS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine, and the vehicle shuddered violently. The contact stated that the failure increased while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The service manager at the dealer was contacted and informed the contact that he had remote access ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
Vehicle: 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE VIN: [XXX] Mileage: ~204,800 Incident Date: [XXX] Recent Service: Oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection, and multipoint inspection performed on November 10, 2025 at Fitzgerald Toyota Gaithersburg (Maryland). Description of the Defect: On [XXX] while driving with my child in the vehicle, my 2011 Toyota Sienna experienced a sudden and dangerous failure. A str... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V741000 (Electrical System) and 25V766000 (Engine); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V741000 (Electrical System) and 25V766000 (Engine); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The vehicle was being operated in 4-wheel-drive, mode 4H, and when turning to the left at low speed, there was a grinding noise from the front of the vehicle and it would not proceed. The vehicle had to be put back in 2-wheel-drive, mode 2H, put in reverse, backed up a short distance, and then put back in drive, and then it was able to proceed. This is likely the CV joint issue reported in other 2... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was made aware of the issue and stated that parts were not yet available. The contact was informed that a call would be received when parts became available; however, the contact had not yet received a call. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormally loud howling and winding sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The sound had progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the rear axle pin was faulty and might have caused the wheel... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
Good morning ! I am an owner of a 2013 ML 350 . I live in San Diego ,CA ,92103 . I was driving my car on [XXX] and it was raining a lot . After around 30 miles I got to my destination parking area and my car died 20 feet away from the parking zone .I tried to reignite it but it wouldn’t start . I checked it with a OBD2 scanner and it was indicating a code U0109 - Lost communication with fuel ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
Good morning ! I am an owner of a 2013 ML 350 . I live in San Diego ,CA ,92103 . I was driving my car on [XXX] and it was raining a lot . After around 30 miles I got to my destination parking area and my car died 20 feet away from the parking zone .I tried to reignite it but it wouldn’t start . I checked it with a OBD2 scanner and it was indicating a code U0109 - Lost communication with fuel ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Steering system can feel "sticky" during gradual turns, particularly when the steering wheel is held in specific positions (around the 11 or 1 o'clock position). This can be followed by a sudden, forceful return of power steering assistance, which could lead to oversteering. This is a reoccurring issue
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Brakes lights comes on while driving n the two wheel front makes a grinding sound while still driving… a friend of mine had the same problem took her rav4 2021 to windward toyota Kaneohe hawaii several times n finally on the 5th service was told that it’s her secondary brake system and in my Toyota the LTA DISPLAY WAS ON MY DASHBOARD DISPLAY
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
My vehicle lost power driving down the road while pulling my horse trailer. The engine began to vibrate and knock then shut down completely. I did not make it off the road entirely so the police had to assist with lights to ensure other motorists would avoid collision with me. The engine will not turn over, it makes a single click and is locked up completely.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
i am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall because this is a serious safety issue. One if the vehicle does not complet... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
When backing, the rear cameras are intermittently showing objects upside down and fuzzy making it difficult to decipher and recognize objects at the rear of the car, and frequently does not display anything on the in-dash screen, but instead saying the system isn't available. Sometimes the weather conditions seem to be sunny and sometimes raining and at other times it seems like it could be night ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
When backing, the rear cameras are intermittently showing objects upside down and fuzzy making it difficult to decipher and recognize objects at the rear of the car, and frequently does not display anything on the in-dash screen, but instead saying the system isn't available. Sometimes the weather conditions seem to be sunny and sometimes raining and at other times it seems like it could be night ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
This vehicle! It eats so much gas. Something is wrong. It makes a weird noise and puts itself into modes of sports, ice/snow, eco, slippery all by itself while I am driving. My RPMs will change and car makes a different sound and it is in a different driving mode without being put in it by me. It puts itself in auto mode and shuts off at red lights and starts back up when I put on the gas and this... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
On November 14, 2025, at approximately 0200 hours, in Fresno, California, I was driving southbound on Highway 99 at approximately 70 mph using cruise control. It was raining heavily at the time, and visibility was significantly reduced. I was traveling in the middle lane when I suddenly felt what I believed to be an impact on the driver side of my vehicle. Due to the weather conditions, I was unab... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
While driving in rain at night, the vehicle’s automated driving system attempted to make a turn at an intersection near active train tracks. Instead of remaining on the roadway, the system steered the vehicle directly onto the train tracks, where the vehicle became stuck between the tracks and the paved road surface. All four tires were damaged, and the vehicle could not return to the travel lan... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
I’ve had my Volkswagen Tiguen since 2021 fresh off the lot. I have been the only owner of the car at about 30,000 miles my head gasket blew, causing the engine to go into default after weeks in the dealer. They replaced the head gasket and stitched it up, the head gasket blew again at this point I was still under warranty so they agreed to replace the engine. It drove fine after the engine was r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
I’ve had my Volkswagen Tiguen since 2021 fresh off the lot. I have been the only owner of the car at about 30,000 miles my head gasket blew, causing the engine to go into default after weeks in the dealer. They replaced the head gasket and stitched it up, the head gasket blew again at this point I was still under warranty so they agreed to replace the engine. It drove fine after the engine was r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
There is no release button in the front trunk. 7 year old got inside and was unable to get out until someone got to the control on the car.