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
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA GT
(2017) - ENGINE
May 14, 2026
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
The valve body on these cars are useless. Driving down a highway and cant shift out of 3rd gear almost had a car re-end me. Today I am driving and the ECU is not responding I see the check engine light on then I'm like not again. This would be the 3rd valve body I replaced. First I replaced the whole transmission thinking that is what I needed and advised that the valve body and the transmission ... Read more
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA GT
(2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 14, 2026
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
The valve body on these cars are useless. Driving down a highway and cant shift out of 3rd gear almost had a car re-end me. Today I am driving and the ECU is not responding I see the check engine light on then I'm like not again. This would be the 3rd valve body I replaced. First I replaced the whole transmission thinking that is what I needed and advised that the valve body and the transmission ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
I nearly had a collision with an autonomous Waymo vehicle in [XXX] due to the Waymo vehicle's failure to yield at an intersection. No emergency vehicles responded to the scene. There were no warning lamps, sounds or other symptoms prior to the failure to yield by the Waymo vehicle There was no collision. The Waymo vehicle failed to yield to my vehicle as I was traveling through an intersecti... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Purchased vehicle 8/27/2025 within 1 day and 1 month of 2 separate class action lawsuits. Purchased from CarMax Wilmington. Car produced electrical shock to my hand first time I attempted to pair the vehicle. Parkway stated at that time I was under an additional warranty but the vehicle would require constant “updates”. This was an intentional deception to prevent me from pursuing what is requ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Purchased vehicle 8/27/2025 within 1 day and 1 month of 2 separate class action lawsuits. Purchased from CarMax Wilmington. Car produced electrical shock to my hand first time I attempted to pair the vehicle. Parkway stated at that time I was under an additional warranty but the vehicle would require constant “updates”. This was an intentional deception to prevent me from pursuing what is requ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 14, 2026
I was driving down the hwy and all of a sudden the car went into reduced power mode and the dealership is saying it’s a high pressure fuel pump which is not covered under the standard warranty My vehicle only has 46000 miles Fennigan GMC Rosenberg tx
Incident date: May 14, 2026
I was driving down the highway going 70 mph on my way home from work and my cars engine shut down and I pulled to the side of the road as safe as I could. Went into limp mode and I was not able to drive it home. Gave a check engine light. I had to pull the car home with a truck. I bought an OBD code reader and it was giving the code POO87. Doing research this code is for low pressure at the f... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving rotating noise coming from and louder when accelerating. The was taken to local mechanic transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to the be replaced. A transmission software update was performed but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
On at least 3 occasions in the past nine months, when the cruise control was ON, the adaptive cruise control feature suddenly applied the brakes on our 2025 Kia Telluride. The last incident happened in May when there was NO vehicle in front of or on either side of our vehicle. Another time the brakes were suddenly applied while attempting to pass a vehicle at about 70 mph. As soon as our vehicle e... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2026
NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT Vehicle Information: - Year/Make/Model: 2024 RAM 1500 (V6 eTorque) - VIN: [XXX] - Current Mileage: ~70,000 miles - Warranty Expired: 60,000 miles - Purchased/Serviced at: Smithhaven Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, [XXX] Complaint Summary: I am reporting multiple recurring safety-related electrical, lighting, and drivability issues involving my 2024 RAM 1500. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V869000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount ... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
-Thermostat -car died in traffic -not that I know of -it was diagnosed by the dealer -no warning lights or lamps -not that I’m aware if
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2016) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 14, 2026
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
My car has put itself into park and shut completely off three times in the last week while driving. The cruise control shut off while driving on the interstate. There was a message pop up twice saying service electronic throttle system. I don’t feel safe driving my jeep wagoneer at all, let alone with my three children. The first time it shut off I was in the middle of a busy intersection with m... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) - ENGINE
May 14, 2026
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
VERIFIED CONCERN, FOUND VEHICLE TO RUN VERY ROUGH AND DOES NOT IDLE CLEANLY. PERFORMED MISFIRE MONITOR AND NOTED NO MISFIRES AT THIS TIME. INSPECT SPARK PLUGS, COILS AND CYLINDER BORES FOR CONCERN, NOTED LOW COMPRESSION ON CYL #2 (150, 105, 145, 150). INSPECT CYL BORE WITH CAMERA, NOTED EXCESSIVE SCOURING AND DAMAGE TO CYLINDER WALLS CAUSING MISFIRE. ADVISE LONGBLOCK OR COMPLETE ASSEMBLY REPLACEME... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
Cold start rattle lasting a second or more. Ford dealer diagnosed it as being bad cam phaser (TSB 23-2143). This is a very common issue with 3.5L engines from 2017-2020 - well documented on forums and youtube (even by ford technicians). I contacted Ford to see if they would assist in covering cost (my vehicle was a previous fleet vehicle and sold certified used in Dec 2020 with warranty running... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
When I'm driving my truck, usually when I have come to a stop on an incline, the parking/emergency brake will engage on its own. For example, most recently I was pulling out of a driveway with an incline. I was stopped at the bottom of the driveway to wait for the roadway to clear before I pulled out. When I hit the gas to go, the rear wheels skidded and the truck came to a stop in the oncoming tr... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
The front driver door lock/latch actuator is failing. The driver door does not lock or unlock using the key fob or the interior power lock button. The only way to lock or unlock the door is manually with the key or by pushing/pulling the lock from inside the vehicle. This issue started shortly after we had a historic/unusual cold freeze in Florida. The vehicle is kept outside, so it was exposed t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
While driving, transmission will randomly shift gears from a higher gear all the way down to first gear regardless of travel speed. When traveling at highway speeds, this results in a loss of traction on the rear wheels, causing fishtailing and a momentary loss of control. This problem is getting worse, and is the result of a known defect in the transmission speed sensor that has been acknowledg... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
In January of 2026 the vehicle had a 4WD system unavailable/ Service required message pop up. It would come on and go back off. At the time there was also a whining/ grinding noise present especially at high speeds on the highway along with vibrations. We had the vehicle checked with. Code reader and was told it was sending a false code, and that a fuse probably needed replaced for it to go off. T... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
COMPONENT: 2.5L T-GDI engine failed completely at 102,971 miles, requiring full replacement (~$8,000). Vehicle available for inspection at [XXX] Kia, [XXX] . SAFETY RISK: Engine lost power during normal operation. Sudden, uncontrolled loss of engine power creates a direct collision risk at highway speeds for the driver, passengers, and surrounding vehicles. CONFIRMED BY DEALER: Mark Kia perform... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
Oil drains very fast even with regular oil changes and maintenance. The vehicle began shaking and then completely stopped with very little warning. Check engine light flashed for under 60 seconds then vehicle would not move forward on the highway creating a major safety hazard. Engine smelled hot and like burning rubber.
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
Oil drains very fast even with regular oil changes and maintenance. The vehicle began shaking and then completely stopped with very little warning. Check engine light flashed for under 60 seconds then vehicle would not move forward on the highway creating a major safety hazard. Engine smelled hot and like burning rubber.
Incident date: May 10, 2026
CMBS error again now having lane assist error
Incident date: May 10, 2026
CMBS error again now having lane assist error
Incident date: May 10, 2026
On Sunday, April 12, 2026, at approximately 5:00 PM, I experienced a sudden and complete engine failure while driving my 2019 Chevy Silverado equipped with the 6.2L V8 engine. Without warning, the vehicle lost all ability to accelerate, creating an immediate and dangerous situation for myself, my family, and surrounding drivers. I was forced to rely on the vehicle’s remaining momentum to maneuve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
The engine in my 2015 Chevy Siverado 1500 5.3 AFM lost propulsion, began to shudder and stall on the highhway as I was pulling out of my hometown. Speed limit 60 MPH. I returned home and the flashing engine light came on before I could get home. Sputtering I pulled into the drive but was concerned about mine and my passengers safety as I turned around on the highway and headed back home! This i... Read more
HYUNDAI
IONIQ PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2018) - ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2023
Check engine light came on and I noticed that the cooling fan would continue running for several minutes even after turning vehicle off. Had a mechanic run the diagnostics and the code came back as a thermostat/cooling issue. Although when I called to make an appointment and told him the issue and that it was a 2021 Traverse, he knew exactly what the issue was. He said that is a very common issue ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Subsequent to the 68C recall software update, my vehicle is suffering from intermittent loss of acceleration. Even with a full charge of battery, when driving the 2025 jeep wrangler 4xe in EV mode, occasionally the car will shut of EV mode and transition to gas/hybrid mode. The problem is the vehicle changes from EV mode to gas/hybrid it can take 10 seconds. In the meantime there is no abilit... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while parked and idling in his driveway , he observed a squealing noise emanating from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned off and when the vehicle was turned on the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was lifer and camshaft failu... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic Sedan. The contact stated while stopped at red light , another crashed into the read end of her vehicle. The contact stated that no air bags were deployed. The contact stated that she sustained whiplash and injuries to the right rib and mild concession. No medical attention was required. The contact mention she able to drive the emergency room from the scene. T... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she felt an imbalance in her rear driver side tire. The vehicle was taken to both a dealer and an independent mechanic where they inspected the vehicle and discovered that the toe links were defective on both the rear driver side and rear passenger side tires. The contact was given an estimate for ... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
Fuel pump recall performed. Since repair, check engine light appears every time fuel is added. Issue did not exist prior to recall service
Incident date: May 13, 2026
I purchased a brand new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit in April 2026. At approximately 1,205 miles, while traveling with my wife and [XXX] child in [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly developed a flashing check engine light and severe engine misfire condition. The engine began shaking violently, idling rough, and lost smooth drivability during operation. I scanned the vehicle using an OBD-II scanner... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the interstate , the vehicle independently went into engine power reduce mode. The contact mention she pulled off the interstate, turned the vehicle off for five to ten minutes then turned the vehicle back on and the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Passenger seat will always become inflated and will not deflate at times. The vehicle is shut down and seat is properly deflated, overnight it will return to inflated. This seems very unsafe for any passenger.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The vehicle is experiencing an intermittent and unpredictable loss of power steering assist. The steering becomes extremely stiff and difficult to turn, often immediately upon startup or while at a standstill, then randomly becomes loose again before returning to a stiff state. This creates a significant safety hazard as the effort required to steer changes without warning during operation. Upon i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
I am a tall driver (6'4") and I need to wear sunglasses when driving most of the time. The eye tracking device seems generally incompatible with both of these conditions. When the eye tracker fails to recognize my eyes are looking at road it disables driver assist features such as lane centering which can occur unexpectedly and has almost caused me to wreck once. I have tried without sungla... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
I am a tall driver (6'4") and I need to wear sunglasses when driving most of the time. The eye tracking device seems generally incompatible with both of these conditions. When the eye tracker fails to recognize my eyes are looking at road it disables driver assist features such as lane centering which can occur unexpectedly and has almost caused me to wreck once. I have tried without sungla... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Venue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the horn was inoperable. The failure nearly caused a collision. Additionally, the theft alarm system was also inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a second dealer, Green Hyundai (601 W Stanford Ave, Springfield, IL 62704), who replaced the horn six times; however, the failure persis... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350. The contact stated while reversing, the rear view camera independently blanked on and off. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the recall repair was completed. The failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Hello, I purchased this truck new in November of 2025. Around 1500 miles and a few months later the truck developed what sounds like some sort of belt squeak or chirp upon startup, light acceleration and when the engine auto start/stops. I took it to my local dealer and they told me they “lubed the belt” the noise became faint but still didn’t go away. Around 3k miles the noise is back as lo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Recently my car's check engine light and the message "Service Stabilitrak" started coming up on my car, then my car started shaking while idling. I quickly took the car to my mechanic who assessed it, replaced my spark plugs, which did not solve the issue, and recommended I go to the dealership. In between these appointments my car was consistently shaking while idling and I would have difficultie... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (25V607000 (SEAT BELTS) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available although it states it is on the database. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Corsair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (Back Over Prevention) and NHTSA Campaign Number 26V117000(Visibility); 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 dealer was contacted and an appointment was made... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2021 Kia Telluride experiencing repeated and dangerous electronic system failures while driving. Kia of East Syracuse (NY) diagnosed the issue as related to the backup camera assembly and communication/network failures. While driving, the vehicle experienced loss of power steering assist, instrument cluster failure, speedometer malfunction, incorrect gea... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 13, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Vehicle Door Locks: -driver door lock failed to unlock. All other doors locks remained functional - 2 days later or 450+ miles later all doors locked, then when attempting to unlock all doors whether key fob or door lock/unlock buttons on both driver and passenger doors, door locks failed to respond to any button attempt. -manual lock/unlocking is needed to lock/unlock any doors. If i needed to... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) - POWER TRAIN
May 13, 2026
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Subject: Safety Complaint – 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV Transmission Failure After Recall Repair To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding my 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV. VIN: [XXX] My vehicle experienced a serious transmission malfunction where the vehicle would not properly engage in reverse. The “R” gear indicator blinked multiple times, and the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
Engine has a terrible shake, and I was informed by a mechanic that it has a misfire and no compression in piston number seven
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
Water pump failed after replacement in 2013 with 30k miles, car had only 93k miles when failed again in 2016. The potentiometer part failed, there is corrosion in the part. Was in freeway when it failed. I have reported this to different representatives. I was charged more 1.5k for a replacement of a faulty part that should last more than 50k miles.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
Evap purge valve stuck open, coolant pooling in spark plugs, and oil combusting rapidly causing fire and explosion fears. Heavy smell of gasoline to where i didn't feel safe to start or drive