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: Sep 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Grand Design Momentum RV. The contact stated that there was an excessive frame flex in the body of the RV. The contact stated that the walls were separating, and the doors were opening unintendedly while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and the lag bolts were replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Front driver side door is not locking remotely or with manual door lock button. Door lock is open when driving. And need to be locked with finger.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds between 2nd and 5th gears, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was scanned with an OBD2 scanner; however, no failure codes were retrieved. The independent mechanic associated the failure with the transmission and d... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Forest River Wildwood. The contact stated that the door on the trailer could be wiggled from the inside and was not properly secured to the trailer. The contact saw sawdust near the heating system after removing the propane service cover, and the water heater overheated. The front left side of the trailer was fractured due to the screws rusting and fracturing from water lea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2026
The infotainment and vehicle information system randomly goes black, resets itself while driving. There are no error messages or warnings. The system reboots and the screens come back after about 10-20 seconds. There was a recall issued for this back in May of 2026 and I had Mercedes Benz of Asheville, NC perform the required system update on June 17, 2026. Obviously the update did not correct... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle sputtered and intermittently lost motive power. The message "Transmission Fault" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to drive to her sister's residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with burnt transmission fluid, and t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I bought the vehicle new in November 2025. 2026 Toyota Tubdra TRD SR5. In the first week I noticed a lot of jerking and shaking. I brought it to the dealer and was told it was a break in period and it should go away. I’ve had the truck in the shop 5-6 times since and the jerking and shaking hasn’t gone away. I’m at 6300 miles now. The dealer won’t even respond to me anymore. The only way t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I was driving on [XXX] and I noticed the battery meter started going down from 13 and ended at 9 and the vehicle shut of and put itself in Park while the vehicle was still moving. There were other cars behind me and the car would not restart. I had to get a jump and it restarted. The 48volt battery is faulty INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I was driving on [XXX] and I noticed the battery meter started going down from 13 and ended at 9 and the vehicle shut of and put itself in Park while the vehicle was still moving. There were other cars behind me and the car would not restart. I had to get a jump and it restarted. The 48volt battery is faulty INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
At least 4 times since we bought this vehicle in 2025, it has suddenly braked very hard, and very suddenly at highway speeds. This has always happened when using the car's adaptive cruise control, and when I am passing a large vehicle (semi truck, pickup with large camper, etc). This has happened at relatively high highway speeds (85 mph) when vehicles are behind me in the passing lane. The proble... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
VEHICLE: 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, VIN [XXX] DEFECT: Transmission suddenly, violently downshifts from a high gear to a much lower gear with no driver input, at highway speed. Causes RPM spike, violent jerking, Check Engine Light, loss of vehicle control. Occurred 5 times. Not fixed despite 4 dealer repairs, 61 days out of service. 5/12/26 - 1st failure, 70+ mph on I-5, stuck in low gear. 5/... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2026
My 2019 Honda Civic has been driven for only 35, 775 miles. The steering has become "sticky" or "notchy" and poses a safety risk since it seems to get stuck particularly when making left turns. The dealership's service center has diagnosed the problem as internal failure of the rack steering gearbox causing binding and stickiness in the steering feel. No warning messages were indicated. The p... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
I have not the slightest idea what is going on with the vehicle that I just bought on June 25th 2026. I have a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas crossover and the car stopped on me three times today. And when I arrived in my garage it said that the engine was hot. I will be taking it to the dealership tomorrow.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
I have not the slightest idea what is going on with the vehicle that I just bought on June 25th 2026. I have a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas crossover and the car stopped on me three times today. And when I arrived in my garage it said that the engine was hot. I will be taking it to the dealership tomorrow.
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
The FSD (full self driving) failed when it backed into my garage. All passengers are safe, including my wife (pregnant), mother, and [XXX] child. I was following the supervised FSD requirement by supervising the FSD with hands on steering wheel and foot on brake the whole time. The FSD left very little amount of time for me to react. Tesla insurance judges it is my fault. INFORMATION REDACTED P... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
I bought a new 2024 Mustang in 11/2024 from Town & Country Ford in Port Arthur, Tx. Days after the purchase, I recieved a voicemail to return asap and was told by the owner that I would recieve a gift card if I did. I didn't understand why at the time, as it wasn't explained. Unfortunately, I was unable to return because the dealership is 4 hours drive from my residence. That was the last I hea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that over time the horn intermittently became inoperable; however, the horn operated while in the middle of making a turn. The contact was concerned about the failure because the horn and the air bag in the steering wheel were connected by the clockspring. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection and was nearly involved in a crash. The vehicle restarted after approximately three minutes. The contact stated that the failure recurred on a second occasion. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired u... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2013) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
While driving, the Instrument Cluster Display completely blanked out and ceased functioning. This sudden failure immediately disabled the digital speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature readings, oil gauge, and critical safety warning lights. In order to check my fuel levels, I have to log into an app on my phone, which is both unsafe and illegal to do while driving. The panel beeps a warnin... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
There is a known coolant intrusion into the engine that caused the engine to suddenly only go to a certain speed while on the freeway. It could have caused an accident on the freeway by suddenly going at such a slow speed. It is now found out that the problem is known by Ford and is part of a technical service bulletin, but no recall has been issued on this known problem. The TSB associated ar... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Intermittent Electronic issues are: 1) Rear view backup camera malfunction. Works sporadically. Camera some times clear as bell, and stays on when in drive moving forward. Other days camera fails to blue screen, then turns gray with message that camera is unavailable, contact dealership. Defect is not currently not listed for this vehicle as a recall. Definite safety hazard with camera staying on ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Intermittent Electronic issues are: 1) Rear view backup camera malfunction. Works sporadically. Camera some times clear as bell, and stays on when in drive moving forward. Other days camera fails to blue screen, then turns gray with message that camera is unavailable, contact dealership. Defect is not currently not listed for this vehicle as a recall. Definite safety hazard with camera staying on ... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
While driving northbound on [XXX] from [XXX] into [XXX] during heavy rain, my vehicle experienced an uncommanded Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) deployment just before the bridge. The sudden activation of the AEB system at highway speed on a wet surface caused the vehicle to lose traction, resulting in fishtailing and a subsequent head-on collision into the median. This malfunction not only put ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 30, 2026
I went to charge my car Sunday morning, and throughout the day it kept showing on the dashboard that the charge door was open. I stopped several times to check, and the charge door was actually closed, which was really strange. Later, I went into a store for less than 10 minutes. I locked my car before going inside, but when I came back out, all the windows were down. It honestly scared me becaus... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2025
My car was sitting in a parking lot facing the south. It was over 100 degrees that day. I had a front window shade in the front window, and both front windows were down about 2 inches. I went to my car to grab something around 1:30pm and all was fine. When I cam back around 2:45 pm, the back window was shattered, with small pieces of glass laying on the ground. I called the local Nissan dealer, an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2025
Shortly after purchasing this truck, the ABS, Traction Control, Electronic braking system, and trailer brake system lights all came on. Back then I did some research and learned it was just something I will have to live with. Fast forward 2 years and the other day I drove to work like normal but when I came back out to my truck the electronic power steering had gone out. Some research told me that... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2026
Electric oil pump for transmission failed at 16,000 miles -no immediate safety risk to my knowledge -the problem was reported by me and acknowledged by Toyota dealership (San Rafael) and replaced under factory warranty -I do not know if failed part was inspected by Toyota, police or insurance - was not to my knowledge -No warning prior to failure
Incident date: Jun 11, 2026
While braking from highway speeds or any other speed, the vehicle becomes unstable and pulls to the left, making it difficult to maintain control. During hard braking, the vehicle does not track straight and requires steering correction to remain in its lane, creating a significant safety hazard. To diagnose the problem, the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic. An alignment was perfo... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the message "Service ABS" was intermittently displayed. Two dealers were contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had ex... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I am writing to report a direct violation of the Theta II Class Action Settlement terms by Hyundai Motor America. This morning , I emailed an Executive Case Manager explicitly explaining that my 2017 Sonata has an active P1326 code, has the 2019 KSDS update, and requires a mandatory diagnostic under NHTSA Recall 17V226 that cannot be denied due to a salvage title. Instead of replying to my fact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
I am writing to report a direct violation of the Theta II Class Action Settlement terms by Hyundai Motor America. This morning , I emailed an Executive Case Manager explicitly explaining that my 2017 Sonata has an active P1326 code, has the 2019 KSDS update, and requires a mandatory diagnostic under NHTSA Recall 17V226 that cannot be denied due to a salvage title. Instead of replying to my fact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
Overall, we've been very happy with the EX90, but it's clear the vehicle is in desperate need of a comprehensive software update from Volvo. The issues we're experiencing don't appear to be hardware failures so much as recurring software-related problems. We've received intermittent propulsion system warnings, headlight system warnings, delayed accelerator response at times, and general electrica... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
This is the 2nd time I’m reporting that I was severely burnt on my thigh from my drivers seat heater, overheating. There are on going glass action law suits against Mazda for this issue. My 2024 CX-50 has not been in service at Olympia Mazda with no updates on repairs and when I will get my car back. Please help me!
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
This is the 2nd time I’m reporting that I was severely burnt on my thigh from my drivers seat heater, overheating. There are on going glass action law suits against Mazda for this issue. My 2024 CX-50 has not been in service at Olympia Mazda with no updates on repairs and when I will get my car back. Please help me!
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall rep... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Driving on the highway was side swiped then rearended at high speed causing my driver seat to fly backwards. So the locking mechanism on the manual seat adjuster either failed or never locked
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
While driving on a US highway, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle lost the ability to start/run normally, requiring the vehicle to be pulled off the road and towed to an authorized Hyundai dealership. Dealer diagnostic testing found the engine failed a bearing/performance test, consistent with connecting rod bearing wear. This failure mode — Check Engine light, DTC P1326, abnorm... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
My truck had safety recall 24V-729 done to fix a turn signal that will not shut off. Since the recall I have had to have the same problem fixed an additional two times. The dealership will not classify it under the recall and have charged me for the repairs. They say that it is not the SCCM, which the recall says is the issue. My problem is that the turn signal has been fixed 3 times total.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2026
Transmission hunts between gears at 25-30mph. Downshifts are delayed or hesitates during hard acceleration. Delayed shifting during slow turns.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
While driving my 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid, the vehicle suddenly displayed multiple warning messages, including a Check Engine Light, and immediately entered limp mode. Engine power was significantly reduced, making it difficult to accelerate and safely keep up with surrounding traffic. This unexpected loss of power created a potential safety hazard because the vehicle could not respond normally to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
While driving my 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid, the vehicle suddenly displayed multiple warning messages, including a Check Engine Light, and immediately entered limp mode. Engine power was significantly reduced, making it difficult to accelerate and safely keep up with surrounding traffic. This unexpected loss of power created a potential safety hazard because the vehicle could not respond normally to... Read more
HYUNDAI
IONIQ HYBRID
(2017) - ENGINE
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on, again driving on... Read more
HYUNDAI
IONIQ HYBRID
(2017) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The car immediately stopped driving and went into limp mode and cannot go over 30 mph. It was taken to a service dealer. They could not replicate the problem, therefore the vehicle was given back as undiagnosed. This next incident occurred and almost caused an accident, and that was on, again driving on... Read more
HYUNDAI
IONIQ HYBRID
(2017) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
Spot welds in both front doors are failing. How would these cars do in a side impact with failing spot welds? The drivers door has approximately a 4" tear/crack around the broken spot welds.
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2026) - AIR BAGS
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
The contact's wife owned a 2006 Ford Fusion. The owner received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V001000 (Air Bags) and 21V158000 (Air Bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The contact's wife no longer owned the vehicle. The manufacturer was unreachable.
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
I purchased the car on XXX. The car has been returned to the service department within the first 3 days. Sold to me without getting fully inspected. Service department did put new brakes and rotors on and I was told (no paperwork given to me) an oil change was done. On XXX in traffic on a dangerous highway, the car cut off. The car was not able to be jumped with AAA, was towed to [XXX]/GMC Servi... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
I purchased the car on XXX. The car has been returned to the service department within the first 3 days. Sold to me without getting fully inspected. Service department did put new brakes and rotors on and I was told (no paperwork given to me) an oil change was done. On XXX in traffic on a dangerous highway, the car cut off. The car was not able to be jumped with AAA, was towed to [XXX]/GMC Servi... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
SUMMARY OF ISSUE: Water intrusion from a defective factory rear window seal flooded the Radio Frequency (RF) Hub module, causing severe, dangerous network communication (CAN bus) failures while driving. The removed RF Hub has been retained by the owner and is available for physical inspection upon request. SAFETY RISKS: Power steering repeatedly seizes/locks up while driving. Vehicle complet... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
Took my 2015 Ford F150 XLT 4X4 to Peoria Ford for safety recall, they requested 30000 mile maintenance. I agreed. Upon picking up vehicle service advisor informs me engine light was on, it was safe bring it back when I have more time. They had my vehicle from July 13, 915am till that July 15, 545pm, closing at 6pm. On the way home almost had an accident,truck still shifting down bad and powert... Read more