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: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owned a 2011 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while he was driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle that was speeding caused a multiple vehicle collision. During the collision, the contact was in the middle lane when the speeding vehicle crashed into a vehicle in the left lane, and that vehicle merged violently into the middle lane, causing the contact to rear-end the vehicle in front... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
Steering wheel still sticks, even after multiple recalls and replacement of steering rack.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
While driving approximately 35–40 mph, the steering wheel locked unexpectedly. My [XXX] child was in the vehicle at the time. I was nearly unable to control the vehicle, creating a serious risk of a crash or fatal injury. The vehicle has a long history of electrical problems including repeated battery failures and a prior transmission replacement. Due to the steering failure, the vehicle is un... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
While driving approximately 35–40 mph, the steering wheel locked unexpectedly. My [XXX] child was in the vehicle at the time. I was nearly unable to control the vehicle, creating a serious risk of a crash or fatal injury. The vehicle has a long history of electrical problems including repeated battery failures and a prior transmission replacement. Due to the steering failure, the vehicle is un... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
Rear backup camera continues to not function reliably, even after updating to the latest firmware 4.2.13
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
While driving, the vehicle displayed a “Check Electrical System” warning and experienced loss of propulsion power. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. The Hyundai dealer diagnosed failure of the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU), a known failure point on this platform. The ICCU is currently on backorder with no confirmed repair date. This failure creates a serious safety r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
While driving, the vehicle displayed a “Check Electrical System” warning and experienced loss of propulsion power. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. The Hyundai dealer diagnosed failure of the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU), a known failure point on this platform. The ICCU is currently on backorder with no confirmed repair date. This failure creates a serious safety r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius C. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to cold-start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle was started; however, the instrument cluster and other electrical devices failed to operate as needed. The contact replaced the auxiliary battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoc... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
Stable track control failed to work, the driver seatbelt did not tighten & stayed loose, & air bags did not deploy upon hitting the ditch & small trees resulting after hitting ice/water upon coming to a stop sign at a “T” cross road.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
I was driving and all of a sudden out of the blue the gas pedal accelerated and I hit a curb doing damage to the tire and fender. the tire was pushed back. i asked the car dealer who i took it to check it out. they won't check it out till the car is repaired. It's at a body collision now.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
I was driving and all of a sudden out of the blue the gas pedal accelerated and I hit a curb doing damage to the tire and fender. the tire was pushed back. i asked the car dealer who i took it to check it out. they won't check it out till the car is repaired. It's at a body collision now.
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
The same issue has happened twice. I'm driving on the highway, going maybe 60 or 65, and with no warning, the check engine light starts flashing and the car won't respond to the gas pedal. The car immediately starts to rapidly decelerate, and I can only try to get to the breakdown lane before I get rear-ended. I've been lucky (especially since my child was in the backseat both times). But when I s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2025
Car caught fire while parked. No signal on car indicating any problem. Car caught fire in front of my child's community center exposing children to smoke inhalation. I had to call the fire department to put out the fire. My car year and model was recalled for this but not my VIN. This has never happened to any of my cars in my life I'm just thinking how bad it could of been if I was one the highwa... Read more
Crash
Fire
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
GHCA Failure that resulted in inability to charge the car.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
My recently purchased 2008 was taken to the local chevy dealer for gas fumes in the garage. The technician reported "The smell is coming from the sending unit on the driver side. There was fuel dripping down the side of the tank and the tank was wet. So the sending unit needs to be replaced" The car has only 16,427 miles on it and has been garage kept. I believe that leaking fuel is a very ser... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the engine was running and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact made several attempts to move the vehicle; however, the steering wheel and the gear shifter were seized. The contact called a neighbor to the scene for assistance, and after several attempts, the vehicle r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
When driving the gas pedal will go dead or not work at all. I will be driving along then try to push the gas at a left hand turn and nothing will happen. I push the pedal to the floor many times and after a period of time it starts to work again. The issue never puts out a code or check engine light. This is a safety issue for not only me and my family but others on the road as well. If the gas pe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
The ICCU system's fuse failed.The car is currently with the dealership for repairs and could be available for inspection there if needed. The car was rendered inoperable and shut down while operating the vehicle. The abrupt breakdown could have been a hazard to the driver, passengers of the vehicle, and other drivers on the road. The issue was confirmed by the dealership's service technician. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
The ICCU system's fuse failed.The car is currently with the dealership for repairs and could be available for inspection there if needed. The car was rendered inoperable and shut down while operating the vehicle. The abrupt breakdown could have been a hazard to the driver, passengers of the vehicle, and other drivers on the road. The issue was confirmed by the dealership's service technician. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
Rear windshield shattered on its own.
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
Both pilars flew off, right and left. There is a recall and i went to Ford in San Bruno and Fullerton, both were giving me the run around and supposedly in late 2024 parts were available and its now 2026 and i am still waiting for both to be replaced. I need this case to be expedited from Ford. Thank you
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The failure was intermittent. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
I was at the grocery store and when I returned to my car and started it, I had an error message on the dashboard regarding the vehicle battery. When I put it into reverse, I heard a loud pop and received another error message. The car would only drive at 25 mph after that. I tried to drive home but the car died after a few miles and I was stranded at the side of the road. It was towed to a dealers... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
I was at the grocery store and when I returned to my car and started it, I had an error message on the dashboard regarding the vehicle battery. When I put it into reverse, I heard a loud pop and received another error message. The car would only drive at 25 mph after that. I tried to drive home but the car died after a few miles and I was stranded at the side of the road. It was towed to a dealers... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that with the traction control feature deactivated and while driving up the snowy and icy inclined gravel drive way, the traction control light suddenly began to flash off and on, the vehicle stopped accelerating and began to slide backwards and off the gravel driveway, down a 30-foot embankment, rolling over several times and landing on t... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact was able to pull into a nearby parking lot where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the cause of the failure and repaired the vehicle. The contact believed that the battery and drive train were repaired. Approximately... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
It stalls to turn on even when I changed everything from, fuel pump, fuel pump relay, heater pumps, alternator, new battery. And it still won’t turn on it’s been happening for 4 months now. And I changed things that were recommended. I do my oil change every time I need as well.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
My cam phasers failed. I had a 6 year, 72k mile warranty. All maintenance was done at the dealership at the correct time. The parts failed at 7 years, 75,600 miles. Had to replace the engine. Dealer wanted to charge me $19000. Found a local shop to do it with new Ford engine for $14000. The cam phasers are a known issue. There are hundreds of vehicles out there that have had the same problem.
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
Incident #1: Car suddenly and without warning had complete loss of power, with gas engine shutting off and only using battery power. Car was traveling at 45mph in morning traffic. Pedal was pushed to the floor, but car would only go a maximum of 20mph. Warning dash lights then appeared saying "Hybrid Malfunction/Pull Over Immediately/Turn off car". I was able to pull off road and turn off car and ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" Alert engine light while driving in "Normal" mode on the freeway at around 60mph with 8-9 miles of Battery capacity, it showed 0 miles of Battery forcing the Gas Engine on and the vehicle hesitated upon applying the accelerator for the remainder of the drive. My safety and that was others was at risk because the acceleration dropped quickly and I was on... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Burns oil and I have to change it every 3K-5K miles. I add oil throughout to keep it topped off, but by around 5K miles it’s nearly black. It would be completely dry by 10K miles. Yesterday I noticed an oil drip from what I assume is a faulty gasket, which is new.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
ABS module internal electrical failure. Causes traction control, antilock brakes, and trailer brakes to fail. Brakes could lose power and cause a collision. Parts are unavailable new. No remedy available from manufacturer.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Piston slap issues. The manufacturer is aware of the engine failure issues. They extended the engine warranty coverage from 50k to 80k miles knowing that the engine piston slap is an extreme issue but they won’t issue a total and complete recall. Owners have to identify that issue and have to specifically bring it in to have it bore scoped. If an owner isn’t aware of the noise and goes over th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
My Elantra has 25000 miles and has had issues with an inoperative horn. It appears that the horn pad switch/clockspring has an intermittent contact issue. It has progressed to the point where the horn is inoperative now. My vehicle is under factory warranty, so I will need to return the vehicle to the dealership to correct this problem. My goal is to leave a record of the failure of this critical ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Hit a tree head-on going 30+mph. Impact point on the vehicle was next to the airbag sensor. Air bags did not deploy
Crash
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Ford has failed to complete the pending recall after 6 months. Ford states on their app and the letter they sent that they have a remedy and theparts to complete the safety recall. However, when you actually talk to someone at Ford or the dealer they have no parts and can not give an eta of when they will have parts. The dealer, Group 1 Ford of Pensacola, has advised in December that they had 125 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Transmission (10r80) down shifts hard and shifts hard between 3-4 and 7-8 gears. And front differential makes a noise.
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
I am writing to formally file a complaint and request resolution regarding a serious safety issue involving my 2012 Ford Fusion SEL (VIN: [XXX] ). I have been a loyal Ford customer for over 20 years and have owned only Ford vehicles. Unfortunately, my recent experience with Ford Customer Care and my local dealership has been extremely disappointing and concerning. A few weeks ago, my 2012 Ford F... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
Formal Complaint on Seized Headlight Sockets and Kia’s Obstruction of Essential Safety Maintenance 1. Incident & Discovery of Defect: I am the owner of a 2015 Kia Sorento. Recently, one of my headlights failed. Upon attempting a routine bulb replacement, I discovered a critical hardware defect: the bulb socket is physically seized. It cannot be rotated or removed by any standard manual force. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
On the morning of [XXX] I received an error message on my dashboard (attached) "Stop Vehicle and Check Power Supply". The car had started to lose acceleration power to no more than 30MPH. I contact the service department at my local dealer. They instructed me to bring it in or have it towed. I was about 2 miles from home so I headed back. While in transit the car lost all power i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
On the morning of [XXX] I received an error message on my dashboard (attached) "Stop Vehicle and Check Power Supply". The car had started to lose acceleration power to no more than 30MPH. I contact the service department at my local dealer. They instructed me to bring it in or have it towed. I was about 2 miles from home so I headed back. While in transit the car lost all power i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera was inoperable while reversing, causing the vehicle to slightly hit the trailer hitch of another parked and unoccupied vehicle on one occasion. There were no inju... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
On [XXX], the vehicle was unable to be started - no lights, no power, unable to open the doors. I called Hyundai Roadside Assist and they sent someone from AAA a few hours later who was able to "jump start" the vehicle. I took it to the dealer, Manly Hyundai, on December 17th, 2025 and they determined nothing to be wrong with either the battery or the electrical system. On [XXX], while driving ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
On [XXX], the vehicle was unable to be started - no lights, no power, unable to open the doors. I called Hyundai Roadside Assist and they sent someone from AAA a few hours later who was able to "jump start" the vehicle. I took it to the dealer, Manly Hyundai, on December 17th, 2025 and they determined nothing to be wrong with either the battery or the electrical system. On [XXX], while driving ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
1. Vehicle has a horrible squeaking sound coming from the brake pedal area. First dealer diagnosed it as the master cylinder needing replacement. Noise did not go away and GM said that it is normal. The noise is not normal and has never been on any other car I have owned. 2. When reversing, the car sometimes abruptly slams on the brakes as if it is avoiding a collision even though no collision is... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that in the first month after the vehicle was purchased, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the alert system warned about vehicles or objects too close, while there were no objects or vehicles around. The blind spot detector failed to func... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
BCI MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT ONE MILE AND WILL STAY LIKE THAT TILL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK DURING THIS TIME. ON OTHER ONLINE FORUM A LOT OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE BUT NISSAN DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. I DID PURCHASE NEW BRAKE SWITCHES BOTH OF THEM AND IT GOT WORSE. A BUNCH OF OTHER LIGHTS COME ON AND THE... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The car is a brand-new 2025 Ioniq 5 with only 2,949 miles. All of a sudden and without warning, it entered "limp mode" while driving and did not go past 25 miles per hour. I was close to home so luckily I was able to street park it safely. Called roadside assistance and the car completely powered off (died) in front of the tow truck. The dealership says it is an ICCU failure and need to be entirel... Read more