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: Jan 14, 2026
Hyundai Sonata SEL - 2022 Both Leg break and hand break didnt work while driving. its a very severe issue in this model.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
Hyundai Sonata SEL - 2022 Both Leg break and hand break didnt work while driving. its a very severe issue in this model.
Crash
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
Supplemental Information to Existing NHTSA Complaint involving a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) While traveling at approximately 70 MPH on a heavily traveled highway, the vehicle suddenly and completely lost propulsion without warning. The vehicle rapidly decelerated in traffic, creating a significant safety hazard for my family and surrounding motorists and requiring emergency ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
Supplemental Information to Existing NHTSA Complaint involving a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) While traveling at approximately 70 MPH on a heavily traveled highway, the vehicle suddenly and completely lost propulsion without warning. The vehicle rapidly decelerated in traffic, creating a significant safety hazard for my family and surrounding motorists and requiring emergency ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
Supplemental Information to Existing NHTSA Complaint involving a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) While traveling at approximately 70 MPH on a heavily traveled highway, the vehicle suddenly and completely lost propulsion without warning. The vehicle rapidly decelerated in traffic, creating a significant safety hazard for my family and surrounding motorists and requiring emergency ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
2020 Hyundai Sonata SEL Plus, VIN [XXX] . A/C system fails due to refrigerant leak that empties the system completely within 1-2 weeks of recharge. Leak cannot be located through standard external inspection. First noticed reduced cooling summer 2025. Driver's side loses cooling first, then passenger side fails days later — pattern consistent with evaporator core leak in dual-zone system. In Sep... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety issue involving my Hyundai Sonata. While driving under normal conditions, my vehicle suddenly entered a low-power ("limp") mode without warning. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 30–35 mph, creating a potentially hazardous situation in traffic. At the same time, the check engine light began blinking. The sudden loss ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety issue involving my Hyundai Sonata. While driving under normal conditions, my vehicle suddenly entered a low-power ("limp") mode without warning. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 30–35 mph, creating a potentially hazardous situation in traffic. At the same time, the check engine light began blinking. The sudden loss ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety issue involving my Hyundai Sonata. While driving under normal conditions, my vehicle suddenly entered a low-power ("limp") mode without warning. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 30–35 mph, creating a potentially hazardous situation in traffic. At the same time, the check engine light began blinking. The sudden loss ... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 31, 2026
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Car is PhEV and it failed 4 times in 3 years due ac compressor failure, main reason identified was due to high voltage it was failing EV and other systems. Car stopped two times in the middle of highway. All 4 times Hyndai kept the car with dealers for major part replacement. Reported to Hyndai consumer affair for replacement and request denied with reason Lemon law.
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2024) — LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
May 31, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
Anytime I put it it in hands-free control on the highway. Even on the small highway normal strip the car swings left and right. And also when I'm getting off from the highway hello, Francis smells so close and there's a small bump the back of the car is sliding most of the time.
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2024) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 31, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
Anytime I put it it in hands-free control on the highway. Even on the small highway normal strip the car swings left and right. And also when I'm getting off from the highway hello, Francis smells so close and there's a small bump the back of the car is sliding most of the time.
Incident date: May 30, 2026
I have a 2026 Hyundai Tucson 2500 miles. It has slammed on the brakes. At least 6 times since I've owned the vehicle for forward collision to the point where it could have put me in danger. And I could have been in an accident one time it occurred when I was making a curve, there was oncoming traffic from the other side in the curve. And the vehicle slammed on the brakes bc of the other car going... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
I have taken my car to Jerry V’s Honolulu, and Tony’s Hyundai here on Oahu, neither dealership has been able to remedy this issue with my seatbelts. The recall has been out for a while and they cannot seam to get a part in stock. My seatbelts are not always locking, and this is an extreme safety issue. If I got i a wreck and it didn’t lock on the slip, I could fly out of the vehicle, or my c... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2026
Five days after I bought my vehicle, I was driving down the freeway that was very empty. A small rock hit my windshield, I think… I never saw anything. It caused an explosion on the right side of my windshield and glass shattered inside the vehicle. I made a claim with my insurance and pay the $500 deductible and got the windshield replaced. Two days after I replaced the windshield, a small some... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.4L Theta II GDI engine experienced complete failure due to connecting rod bearing defect. Vehicle was taken to a Hyundai dealership prior to failure to report engine knock symptoms. Dealer confirmed KSDS (Service Campaign 953) was installed but performed no inspection and provided no repair order. Engine subsequently failed with no warning light activation despite KSDS being ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
New vehicle purchased February 2026 with OEM Pirelli tires. Had puncture in tire, but on repair, tire found to have inside sidewall bubble. No history of any impacts or hard strikes to tires. Discount Tire said probable tire defect, unsafe to drive even a few miles, so placed spare and we took car to dealer. No extended warranty but less than 2400 miles on gently used tire. Hyundai denied cov... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
This vehicle had a engine replaced by the dealership Nov 2024.Has not run the same since.Getting worse and seems like transmission issues.I was told The first and the 2nd owner which I'm the 2nd owner has a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty.It's been 4 years and since I've had the vehicle I've driven round off 60,OOO miles .The vehicle had $84,000 something miles on it when I got it.It's becoming very... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
This vehicle had a engine replaced by the dealership Nov 2024.Has not run the same since.Getting worse and seems like transmission issues.I was told The first and the 2nd owner which I'm the 2nd owner has a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty.It's been 4 years and since I've had the vehicle I've driven round off 60,OOO miles .The vehicle had $84,000 something miles on it when I got it.It's becoming very... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
This vehicle had a engine replaced by the dealership Nov 2024.Has not run the same since.Getting worse and seems like transmission issues.I was told The first and the 2nd owner which I'm the 2nd owner has a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty.It's been 4 years and since I've had the vehicle I've driven round off 60,OOO miles .The vehicle had $84,000 something miles on it when I got it.It's becoming very... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
In December 2025, a Hyundai dealer performed Service Campaign 9C2 (TSB 25-01-087H), an ECU software update for the 2.4L GDI Theta II engine, during a routine annual NY state emissions inspection. Immediately following this update, the vehicle began exhibiting an RPM flare of approximately 1,200-1,500 RPM during upshifting under light acceleration. This behavior did not exist prior to the update. T... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
My 2013 Hyundai Tucson with 89,417 miles experienced complete engine failure due to severe rod knock from connecting rod bearing wear. This vehicle was brought to our local Hyundai dealership with confirmed diagnosis. This is a well-documented manufacturing defect in the 2.4L Theta II engine. This vehicle was bought 10/28/205 with 29,494 miles. The vehicle was properly maintained with regular o... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
Vehicle was parked in closed garage overnight. In the morning I tried to start the car and it was unresponsive. key fobs, digital keys, NFC cards none of them were able to open the car. Used a physical key to open the door, and then tried to turn the car on, nothing worked all screens remained black and car was unresponsive. AAA confirmed that the 12V battery was fully dead. When they jumped th... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
Vehicle was parked in closed garage overnight. In the morning I tried to start the car and it was unresponsive. key fobs, digital keys, NFC cards none of them were able to open the car. Used a physical key to open the door, and then tried to turn the car on, nothing worked all screens remained black and car was unresponsive. AAA confirmed that the 12V battery was fully dead. When they jumped th... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
Vehicle was parked in closed garage overnight. In the morning I tried to start the car and it was unresponsive. key fobs, digital keys, NFC cards none of them were able to open the car. Used a physical key to open the door, and then tried to turn the car on, nothing worked all screens remained black and car was unresponsive. AAA confirmed that the 12V battery was fully dead. When they jumped th... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
While driving to work, the rear driver-side window suddenly fell down into the door without warning. The power window/regulator system appears to have failed. The window would not stay up or operate normally afterward. The failed component is available for inspection upon request. This created a safety concern because the vehicle could not be secured, outside air/noise entered the vehicle while d... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2026
Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Description of Safety Defect:The Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist (PCA-R) system exhibits a severe software logic flaw that creates an immediate traffic hazard. When a standard, hitch-mounted bike rack is installed, the vehicle’s rear sensors detect the rack as an imminent collision obstacle while in reverse. The system responds by executing an abrupt, vi... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2026
Vehicle: 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Description of Safety Defect:The Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist (PCA-R) system exhibits a severe software logic flaw that creates an immediate traffic hazard. When a standard, hitch-mounted bike rack is installed, the vehicle’s rear sensors detect the rack as an imminent collision obstacle while in reverse. The system responds by executing an abrupt, vi... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
On XXX, my vehicle unexpectedly activated its automatic braking system while driving, resulting in a rear-end collision. My infant daughter was in the vehicle at the time. While we were fortunate to avoid catastrophic injuries, the incident placed both of us in significant danger and could easily have resulted in a much more serious outcome. The other driver may also have sustained injuries as a r... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 22, 2026
On XXX, my vehicle unexpectedly activated its automatic braking system while driving, resulting in a rear-end collision. My infant daughter was in the vehicle at the time. While we were fortunate to avoid catastrophic injuries, the incident placed both of us in significant danger and could easily have resulted in a much more serious outcome. The other driver may also have sustained injuries as a r... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 22, 2026
On XXX, my vehicle unexpectedly activated its automatic braking system while driving, resulting in a rear-end collision. My infant daughter was in the vehicle at the time. While we were fortunate to avoid catastrophic injuries, the incident placed both of us in significant danger and could easily have resulted in a much more serious outcome. The other driver may also have sustained injuries as a r... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 26, 2026
Driving on major highway during rush hour traffic the suv locked up due to the automatic front break system I couldn’t even turn to avoid the crash. I was rear ended from behind.
Crash
Incident date: May 26, 2026
Driving on major highway during rush hour traffic the suv locked up due to the automatic front break system I couldn’t even turn to avoid the crash. I was rear ended from behind.
Crash
Incident date: May 7, 2026
While driving, the check engine light began flashing and the vehicle shook severely due to engine misfiring. The vehicle has had a recurring cylinder 3 misfire throughout ownership. Spark plugs and ignition coils were first replaced around 40,000 miles and replaced again in December 2025 for the same recurring issue. A Hyundai dealership inspected the vehicle and found codes P0300 random misfire a... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
While driving, the check engine light began flashing and the vehicle shook severely due to engine misfiring. The vehicle has had a recurring cylinder 3 misfire throughout ownership. Spark plugs and ignition coils were first replaced around 40,000 miles and replaced again in December 2025 for the same recurring issue. A Hyundai dealership inspected the vehicle and found codes P0300 random misfire a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
My 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX] ) is suffering from a severe, systemic vehicle-wide electrical network failure. The main digital instrument cluster screen has suffered four separate total blackouts (XXX), completely eliminating all driver visibility of the speedometer, odometer, safety malfunction telltales, and critical warning alerts while operating the vehicle at highway speeds. The vehicl... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
My 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX] ) is suffering from a severe, systemic vehicle-wide electrical network failure. The main digital instrument cluster screen has suffered four separate total blackouts (XXX), completely eliminating all driver visibility of the speedometer, odometer, safety malfunction telltales, and critical warning alerts while operating the vehicle at highway speeds. The vehicl... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 29, 2026
My 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX] ) was manufactured on March 14, 2024, in [XXX] . The vehicle is currently experiencing dual-clutch transmission (8DCT) juddering, shuddering, and extreme hesitation when trying to accelerate from a complete stop at traffic lights and intersections. This creates a severe lag in acceleration, leaving the vehicle dangerously exposed to oncoming traffic. This compo... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
My 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: [XXX] ) was manufactured on March 14, 2024, in [XXX] . The vehicle is currently experiencing dual-clutch transmission (8DCT) juddering, shuddering, and extreme hesitation when trying to accelerate from a complete stop at traffic lights and intersections. This creates a severe lag in acceleration, leaving the vehicle dangerously exposed to oncoming traffic. This compo... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed through an intersection, the vehicle collided with another vehicle that was towing a trailer. The contact stated that during the crash, the driver's air bag, located in the steering wheel, deployed; however, the air bag became inoperable and deflated. The contact further stated that smoke emitted f... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 4, 2026
2 unrepaired recalls. Frame rusted and unsafe to lift to repair the other recall which is an oil leak onto the alternator. Car won't run now. Corporate asked if I had a lawyer. They have declared my car not fixable or drivable. Neither corporate nor dealer will return my calls. No info from them at all. No offer of a buyback. No anything.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
2 unrepaired recalls. Frame rusted and unsafe to lift to repair the other recall which is an oil leak onto the alternator. Car won't run now. Corporate asked if I had a lawyer. They have declared my car not fixable or drivable. Neither corporate nor dealer will return my calls. No info from them at all. No offer of a buyback. No anything.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the anchor in the third row detached. The vehicle rolled while in the drive position. The vehicle failed to accelerate. While reversing, the vehicle jerked. No warning lights The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on five occasions and was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the anchor in the third row detached. The vehicle rolled while in the drive position. The vehicle failed to accelerate. While reversing, the vehicle jerked. No warning lights The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on five occasions and was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the anchor in the third row detached. The vehicle rolled while in the drive position. The vehicle failed to accelerate. While reversing, the vehicle jerked. No warning lights The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on five occasions and was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Equus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights and both turn signals became inoperable and failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact further stated that the failure persisted after the ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Equus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights and both turn signals became inoperable and failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact further stated that the failure persisted after the ... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
While traveling along a high-speed highway, our 2026 Palisade unexpectedly suffered a severe loss of acceleration. Despite fully depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle struggled to exceed approximately 20 miles per hour. This alarming malfunction placed us in a precarious and potentially dangerous situation, as the drastic reduction in speed exposed us to the risk of being rear-ended by fas... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving it began to smoke, a noise was hear, put in neutral to coast down a hill and had to pull the parking break to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with defective piston oil rings, and the engine was rebuilt. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mi... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and nearly came to a complete stop. The contact stated that the automatic emergency braking system unexpectedly engaged while there were no roadway obstacles or vehicles near the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that they would ne... Read more