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 76,133 complaints for HYUNDAI
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
I have a 2020 palisade limited with the self leveling shocks. I have about 78,000 miles on the car. I am on my second set of replacement of the rear shocks. Well, guess what? I’m starting to hear that clunking noise again. I love my palisade but quickly becoming tired of this issue. I relaced the shocks last summer (Aug 2025). So, just less than one year after the replacement the noise is back... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
Vehicle (2019 Kona) is subject to Recall 203 (piston ring/bore defect). On XXX Puente Hills Hyundai refused the mandatory physcial inspection, instead attempting to charge $1,100 for 'leak repairs.' An independent inspection by Valvoline on XXX confirmed the engine is dry with no leaks, proving the dealer's claim was fraudulent. Following a recent ECU update, the vehicle triggered a P0420 code—... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
Vehicle (2019 Kona) is subject to Recall 203 (piston ring/bore defect). On XXX Puente Hills Hyundai refused the mandatory physcial inspection, instead attempting to charge $1,100 for 'leak repairs.' An independent inspection by Valvoline on XXX confirmed the engine is dry with no leaks, proving the dealer's claim was fraudulent. Following a recent ECU update, the vehicle triggered a P0420 code—... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
My 2009 Hyundai Sonata was taken to the Hyundai of Lincolnwood dealership on May 19th. The certified technician formally diagnosed severe structural corrosion on both front and rear subframes (engine cradles), declaring the vehicle completely unsafe to drive. The dealership is withholding the vehicle under safety custody but refuses to provide a loaner or rental car. Hyundai Motor America states t... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
My 2009 Hyundai Sonata was taken to the Hyundai of Lincolnwood dealership on May 19th. The certified technician formally diagnosed severe structural corrosion on both front and rear subframes (engine cradles), declaring the vehicle completely unsafe to drive. The dealership is withholding the vehicle under safety custody but refuses to provide a loaner or rental car. Hyundai Motor America states t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while idling at a stop light the vehicle suddenly stalled. The engine did not restart and the vehicle was pushed to a nearby parking space. During the failure no warning lights or messages had displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted regarding the failure. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
Beginning on 04/17/2026, my vehicle began displaying multiple safety-related dashboard warnings simultaneously, accompanied by audible alerts. The warnings included the Forward Collision Safety System, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB), Stability and Traction Control, Lane Keep Assist, and AUTO HOLD — all activating at the same time. These warnings reappeared on several occas... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
Beginning on 04/17/2026, my vehicle began displaying multiple safety-related dashboard warnings simultaneously, accompanied by audible alerts. The warnings included the Forward Collision Safety System, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB), Stability and Traction Control, Lane Keep Assist, and AUTO HOLD — all activating at the same time. These warnings reappeared on several occas... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
Beginning on 04/17/2026, my vehicle began displaying multiple safety-related dashboard warnings simultaneously, accompanied by audible alerts. The warnings included the Forward Collision Safety System, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB), Stability and Traction Control, Lane Keep Assist, and AUTO HOLD — all activating at the same time. These warnings reappeared on several occas... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while in reverse (R) on several occasions the rearview camera went completely white and the camera did not come on at all. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,500.
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA GT
(2019) — ENGINE
Jun 4, 2026
Incident date: May 17, 2026
The vehicle is experiencing excessive engine oil consumption. The engine burns approximately one quart of oil per week during normal driving conditions. There are no visible oil leaks, and no warning lights, check engine light, or other dashboard messages have appeared. The oil level drops rapidly between oil changes and requires frequent topping off to prevent the engine from running low on oil. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
On XXX, my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 displayed a battery fault warning (DTC P1AAF00). I was instructed by Hyundai to bring the vehicle to a dealership immediately as other Ioniq 9 owners had experienced sudden and complete loss of motive power during highway operation. The vehicle has been at Pacifico Hyundai in [XXX] since that date. I was initially told the battery control module required replacement... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2024) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Contact owns 2024 Honda Santa Cruz. The contact stated while driving 45 mph on the highway vehicle wasn't responding while accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated there was no warning lights on vehicle before incident happen and that contact had to turn off and on the vehicle to make it function. correctly. The contact was able to contact dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
For the last year or so when driving my Equus the signal lights left or right side has been working intermittently. I can go months without any issues but lately it seems to be worsening. I transport my Mom that has dementia around and its scary because it seems never know when the lights may not work at all. People drive so crazy and if its dark or light they dont see my arm out the window. Pleas... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Sunroof exploded I was driving at high speed on a highway. sounded like a gun fired. glass must have flown back towards other cars. Noise was terrifying and I slowed to gain my composure before pulling to the side of the highway and calling the police. Car is currently at a local dealership. My initial thought was that something like a rock hit the sunroof, but on my own inspection it appears the... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
The vehicle has gone into a limp mode unexpectedly while driving on the highway at 60+ mph. The first issue was on May 13, 2026. 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,... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
1. The engine architecture suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. Specifically, severe, systemic internal oil consumption/vaporization starved the hydraulic timing chain tensioner of critical hydrostatic pressure. This caused the tensioner to collapse, creating slack in the steel timing chain, which then "jumped time" (skipped a tooth on the camshaft sprockets), causing the engine to instantl... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
1. The engine architecture suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. Specifically, severe, systemic internal oil consumption/vaporization starved the hydraulic timing chain tensioner of critical hydrostatic pressure. This caused the tensioner to collapse, creating slack in the steel timing chain, which then "jumped time" (skipped a tooth on the camshaft sprockets), causing the engine to instantl... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
My wife was driving and braked on a hill, not in park. The emergency brake auto-engaged while she was in park, then the emergency brake disengaged automatically. The care starts rolling down the hill, the regular brakes fail and do not work after pumping them multiple times. The emergency brake won't engage either. She tries reversing and that won't work. She shifted the car into drive, car ke... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
My wife was driving and braked on a hill, not in park. The emergency brake auto-engaged while she was in park, then the emergency brake disengaged automatically. The care starts rolling down the hill, the regular brakes fail and do not work after pumping them multiple times. The emergency brake won't engage either. She tries reversing and that won't work. She shifted the car into drive, car ke... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2025
The digital instrument cluster on my 2021 Hyundai Palisade completely and intermittently fails while the vehicle is in motion, dropping the speedometer, fuel gauge, and all safety indicators to zero. The system also issues erroneous audio warnings such as 'wrong way driving detected' while the cluster is blank. I have documented this severe safety hazard on video multiple times over the last 14 mo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
NHTSA recall number 25V-607. I've been trying to have this recall service performed but have been notified since NOVEMBER 2025 the parts are on backorder. Was scheduled to have the recall service performed today and upon arrival was informed that the parts were not available after being told that the parts were in?????? 6 months is a reasonable amount of time to has this performed, why is Hyund... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, where the contact restarted the vehicle. The contact drove to his workplace and parted the vehicle. However, the vehicle later failed to start. The vehicle was to... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2023) — SUSPENSION
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
I am submitting this formal safety complaint regarding a structural defect in my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid that I believe poses a safety concern and warrants federal investigation under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (49 U.S.C. § 30101 et seq.). The vehicle exhibits a persistent and recurring structural creak originating from the pinch weld area adjacent to the hybrid batter... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
I am submitting this formal safety complaint regarding a structural defect in my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid that I believe poses a safety concern and warrants federal investigation under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (49 U.S.C. § 30101 et seq.). The vehicle exhibits a persistent and recurring structural creak originating from the pinch weld area adjacent to the hybrid batter... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
I was driving along a 40 mile an hour road and there was a fork in the road and a car in the opposite lane waiting to turn onto that fork to the right and the car just slammed on the brakes and I was injured very badly. My neck back and hips are hurt very bad.
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
I was driving along a 40 mile an hour road and there was a fork in the road and a car in the opposite lane waiting to turn onto that fork to the right and the car just slammed on the brakes and I was injured very badly. My neck back and hips are hurt very bad.
1 injured
Incident date: May 19, 2026
I was driving down the road and came to a stop at a stop light. After accelerating again my car lost the ability to increase speed above 20 miles/hour and would not shift gears. I was heading to the turn lane to get on the interstate and quickly had to change lanes to find an area to pull over as I could not reach highway speeds. I turned the car off. I turned the car back on and the problem resol... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
I was driving down the road and came to a stop at a stop light. After accelerating again my car lost the ability to increase speed above 20 miles/hour and would not shift gears. I was heading to the turn lane to get on the interstate and quickly had to change lanes to find an area to pull over as I could not reach highway speeds. I turned the car off. I turned the car back on and the problem resol... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
I was driving down the road and came to a stop at a stop light. After accelerating again my car lost the ability to increase speed above 20 miles/hour and would not shift gears. I was heading to the turn lane to get on the interstate and quickly had to change lanes to find an area to pull over as I could not reach highway speeds. I turned the car off. I turned the car back on and the problem resol... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
While using Highway Driving Assist/Lane Following Assist on Interstate highways, lane markings frequently disappear on overpasses and in construction areas. When this occurs, lane-centering assistance silently disengages. The only indication is a small dashboard icon changing color. There is no audible warning, steering wheel vibration, or other prominent alert. The vehicle may begin drifting befo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
While using Highway Driving Assist/Lane Following Assist on Interstate highways, lane markings frequently disappear on overpasses and in construction areas. When this occurs, lane-centering assistance silently disengages. The only indication is a small dashboard icon changing color. There is no audible warning, steering wheel vibration, or other prominent alert. The vehicle may begin drifting befo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
While using Highway Driving Assist/Lane Following Assist on Interstate highways, lane markings frequently disappear on overpasses and in construction areas. When this occurs, lane-centering assistance silently disengages. The only indication is a small dashboard icon changing color. There is no audible warning, steering wheel vibration, or other prominent alert. The vehicle may begin drifting befo... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Charging port door will not open. Not sure if it is an issue with acuator, which employee in service dept at dealer said that is common problem. Seems like if this issue with less than 20k, perhaps should also be recall item.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Recall with car regarding coolant. Last year Hyundai apparently addressed; however, coolant light came on, despite coolant being full. Told by different dealership that with these issues, it needs to be checked and rechecked multiple times; otherwise, issues arise again (as in my case). Want this addressed by dealership. They are charging me a diagnostic fee of $198. Previously, when brought car i... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2026
Driving over railroad tracks the brakes would not engage. Emergency brake assist engaged at last second before rear ending vehicle in front.
Incident date: May 28, 2026
Driving over railroad tracks the brakes would not engage. Emergency brake assist engaged at last second before rear ending vehicle in front.
Incident date: May 26, 2026
I PUT MY VEHICLE IN PARK AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE, IT MOVED OVER A CURB AND INTO A WALL. I BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP NEXT DAY AND THEY STATED IT WAS A GEAR CONTROL ISSUE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO GET AN ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS AND ESTIMATE IS NEAR $7000. DEALERSHIP SAID THE PART IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND NO RECALLS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN CHE... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 26, 2026
I PUT MY VEHICLE IN PARK AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE, IT MOVED OVER A CURB AND INTO A WALL. I BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP NEXT DAY AND THEY STATED IT WAS A GEAR CONTROL ISSUE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO GET AN ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS AND ESTIMATE IS NEAR $7000. DEALERSHIP SAID THE PART IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND NO RECALLS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN CHE... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Hyundai - DAW - Driver Attention Warning / Forward Attention Warning System This issue warrants immediate consideration for a recall. Despite wearing glasses, sunglasses, or no glasses, the problem persists. I occasional do remove my glasses while driving, and the warning continues to sound. This occurs regardless of the time of day, weather conditions, or whether I am sitting upright or reclining... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Hyundai - DAW - Driver Attention Warning / Forward Attention Warning System This issue warrants immediate consideration for a recall. Despite wearing glasses, sunglasses, or no glasses, the problem persists. I occasional do remove my glasses while driving, and the warning continues to sound. This occurs regardless of the time of day, weather conditions, or whether I am sitting upright or reclining... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Hyundai - DAW - Driver Attention Warning / Forward Attention Warning System This issue warrants immediate consideration for a recall. Despite wearing glasses, sunglasses, or no glasses, the problem persists. I occasional do remove my glasses while driving, and the warning continues to sound. This occurs regardless of the time of day, weather conditions, or whether I am sitting upright or reclining... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
The Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) on this vehicle produces loud whirring noises when charging at 80% or above. This has been documented in writing to the service department. The ICCU defect is a known systemic issue across the Hyundai and Kia EV platform. The vehicle is currently scheduled to return to the dealer for this and other defects. This is the second major service visit on a... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
The Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) on this vehicle produces loud whirring noises when charging at 80% or above. This has been documented in writing to the service department. The ICCU defect is a known systemic issue across the Hyundai and Kia EV platform. The vehicle is currently scheduled to return to the dealer for this and other defects. This is the second major service visit on a... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
On May 14, 2026, while traveling at highway speed in a clear passing lane with no obstacles present, the autonomous emergency braking system activated without cause and brought the vehicle to a complete stop. A following vehicle nearly rear-ended me. I recorded a voice memo immediately after the incident. A third-party crash detection application on my phone independently logged the hard stop e... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
On May 14, 2026, while traveling at highway speed in a clear passing lane with no obstacles present, the autonomous emergency braking system activated without cause and brought the vehicle to a complete stop. A following vehicle nearly rear-ended me. I recorded a voice memo immediately after the incident. A third-party crash detection application on my phone independently logged the hard stop e... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
I was driving at night and my passenger headlights went out. About 2 years prior the same thing happened but it was the driver side headlight that went out. It was $1100 to get the driver side replaced and now here i am having to pay the same amount to replace the passenger side headlights. It was not a simple replacing the bulb. Something inside went broke causing the dealership to have to instal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
I pulled my car out of the garage and proceeded to drive up the street. I suddenly heard a weird sound and an emergency warning appeared on my dashboard stating to check vehicle electrical system. I immediately stopped the car and returned it to the garage. Upon turning the car on a second time to check the message a second message appeared saying “stop vehicle and check power supply”. I calle... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) — ENGINE
Jun 2, 2026
Incident date: May 8, 2026
I had my engine replaced in Nov 2024 due to excessive oil consumption. I was required to do an emissions update due to a recall on my car. Once the dealer did the update, it caused my check engine light to come on and now I need a new catalytic converter, which was all due to the excessive oil consumption. Hyundai dealer knows this but they are telling me I’m responsible for replacing it. It sho... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the fuel door had failed to open intermittently. The contact stated that the failure had progressively worsened, causing the contact to seek assistance to open the fuel door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was being repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.