Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 78,021 complaints for HYUNDAI
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Both Front headlamp assemblies broken hi beam mechanism. My cars headlights burn out every couple months and the bright lights will not work. I took to a Hyundai dealership on 03/28/2026 who told me it would be $5,333.30 to fix. I have done nothing to cause this electrical problem on both headlamps and when searching the internet; this issue seems to be a big problem on this vehicle year. This is ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Car just turns off randomly. This has happened at least 6 times within a month. Once on a highway. Last time it turned off a strange sound was coming out of the car also.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
Noise underwood sounds like valve spring, dealer says high pressure fuel pump. Emissions system problem trouble code on dash. Rough start, vehicle sluggish sometimes, hesitates. Noise gets louder upon acceleration.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
Gas Motor is not engaging to assist electric drivetrain on a hybrid AWD 2025 Santa Fe. This resulted in a dangerous situation crossing a busy road from a stop sign. The Santa Fe rolled into the intersection at the drivers request, but did not accelerate normally (only to a maximum of a few miles per hour) and felt like an eternity to cross the road. Fortunately oncoming drivers from left and right... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
While driving at highway speed, in traffic, the transmission down-shifted without warning almost causing me to lose control and almost rear ended by another vehicle. The vehicle then lost power and would barely make it uphill. After parking safely and shutting it off, the check engine light came on and it would not crank and would not show what gear it was in. According to the Ford dealer, whe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2026
My vehicle has been throwing codes that the shifter cable is misaligned or misadjusted for a long time now. The dash flashes between neutral and drive while im driving. It says shift system fault all the time. I have to shut the car off and turn it back on to get it to work. I stalled out on a hill the other day and was almost rear ended by someone behind me. The steering wheel has physical play.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2026
My vehicle constantly stalls at idle or while stopped at a traffic light or stop sign. I was so bothersome is that the vehicle rolls back during these endeavors. It usually happens 3 or 4 times a day. I've taken in to the dealer for the recall they replaced the recall parts, but it still continues to stall. It's more frustrating when i'm at a stoplight and I have people behind me honking beca... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
Vehicle repeatedly loses power steering and adaptive steering while driving. It happens randomly and can be at high speeds and low speeds.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
On February 23, 2026, while driving my 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV home from Folsom Chevrolet following a prior repair visit, the “Service Park Assist System” warning illuminated, first intermittently, then after a few miles, continuously for the remainder of the 11-mile drive home. During the same drive, while reversing with no objects present behind or around the vehicle, the automatic emergen... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2026
Incident Date: February 10, 2026 Mileage: 1,260 On the morning of February 10, 2026, my 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV (1,260 miles) would not start. The instrument cluster simultaneously displayed three warning messages: 1)“Service Battery Fault — Vehicle Won’t Restart,” 2)“Charging is unavailable,” and 3)“Charge Vehicle Soon.” The vehicle could not be placed in neutral and required do... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2026
Incident Date: February 10, 2026 Mileage: 1,260 On the morning of February 10, 2026, my 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV (1,260 miles) would not start. The instrument cluster simultaneously displayed three warning messages: 1)“Service Battery Fault — Vehicle Won’t Restart,” 2)“Charging is unavailable,” and 3)“Charge Vehicle Soon.” The vehicle could not be placed in neutral and required do... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2026
Incident Date: February 10, 2026 Mileage: 1,260 On the morning of February 10, 2026, my 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV (1,260 miles) would not start. The instrument cluster simultaneously displayed three warning messages: 1)“Service Battery Fault — Vehicle Won’t Restart,” 2)“Charging is unavailable,” and 3)“Charge Vehicle Soon.” The vehicle could not be placed in neutral and required do... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Auto start/stop system - yes, it is available for inspection. The vehicle turned off at a buy intersection and it was a couple of minutes before it would restart. The vehicle will be inspected my a dealer on Monday. No manufacturer, police, insurance representative has inspected the vehicle. There was a message when the vehicle turned off but I can't recall what it said as other drivers were blowi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
WHILE RECALL WAS PUT OUT AND REPAIRED IM CURRENTLY EXPERIANCING THE SAME ISSUE WHERE THE TRUCKS SHIFTING DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, SLAMS GEARS, CAUSING A JOLT AND SEEMS THE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
WHILE RECALL WAS PUT OUT AND REPAIRED IM CURRENTLY EXPERIANCING THE SAME ISSUE WHERE THE TRUCKS SHIFTING DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, SLAMS GEARS, CAUSING A JOLT AND SEEMS THE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
While backing up, my backup camera screen changed to a solid color of bright pink, causing difficulty in safely proceeding. Since then, the backup camera will randomly display a colored screen (different colors each time) or display a picture of when the van was remote started. Camera functions very rarely as it is supposed to. I know a relative"s Pacifica has a recall for this but not my Voyag... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
I believe my emmisons had malfunctioning part # 77740-21011 called used auto sales agent 5 mins after purchasing on 3/1 because I was at gas station having unusual fuel pumping problems that made it very difficult to put gas in had a constant clicking happen and the dealer on the phone told me there was no issues with my new vehicle and after checking my warning lights to see if any were signaling... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
August 1, 2025 I was trying to get to [XXX] from [XXX] to see my mother, before Kansas City, Mo. Before getting to KC while cruise was engaged car RPM’s began amping but car did not speed up. I put it park and turned motor off and tried to drive again, but did the same thing. I called my mechanic in XXX and he suggested I try to come back but I couldn’t go over 30mph driving on the should... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2026
My leased 2020 Ford EcoSport is at Merchant Ford of Selma, AL for three safety recalls: airbag system, engine oil pump failure, and rearview camera failure. The dealership told me they do not know how to fix the recalls, installed wrong parts, and the vehicle has been sitting for weeks without repair and without a loaner vehicle. They have stopped returning my calls. Ford has had years to remedy t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V467000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, or while driving at undisclosed speeds, there ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
NHTSA Complaint Description — This complaint concerns two unrepaired safety recalls (23V591 and 25V375) on a 2021 Harley-Davidson Low Rider S (FXLRS) Softail motorcycle that were never remedied prior to a fatal crash on April 12, 2023. Recall 23V591 (issued August 2023) involves a fastener that may fracture, allowing the rear shock absorber adjuster to contact the rear tire, creating a groove a... Read more
1 deaths
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
There is a transmission recall for 2009 to 2017 Chevrolet traverses. My traverse has the exact same transmission and engine as the recall but for some reason GM decided not to add my Vin to the recall. My vehicle is experiencing the exact same issues recorded in the recall. I called the GM dealership who could not help. I called [XXX] directly who told me that customers can’t make any decisions... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
The vehicle was involved in a side impact collision at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss after the accident, as the side impact was the drivers side door and wheel well. The air bags never deployed, despite the high rate of speed and the entire front drivers side of the vehicle being affected.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the vehicle was test-driven for two days prior to being purchased. The vehicle was then purchased brand new and was driven for 30 minutes to the residence, and was parked in the garage with the windows rolled up. The contact noticed that there was an abnormally strong odor coming from the inside and the outside of the vehicle. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
Vehicle acting as a non conforming testing asset running in Factory Debug Mode (Unit ID: 01). This also shows and caused systemic U1000 Electrical Network Jam from an obsolete/unconfigured 2G TCU. Critical Failures: Airbags disabled showing current codes B0022-13(Left), B002A-13(Right) prove the primary curtain airbags are open/offline and won't deploy. Adaptive System Failure: Around View Monito... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
There is a stress fracture to the windshield starting at the bottom of the glass where it attaches to the body of the car, below the wipers. It’s not a chip nor was it caused by an object. It’s a semi circle crack. Two employees at the dealer glass department concurred that it’s not damage from a foreign object hitting and that it’s a stress crack. Yet dealer refuses to cover hands warrant... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while a family member was driving the vehicle at 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine and transmissio... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
ICCU and its fuse blew randomly while reversing out of a parking spot. A warning light appeared on the dashboard saying "check electric vehicle system" after a loud pop noise came from the rear passenger side. The ICCU charges the 12V battery on board, and when the 12V dies the whole car dies, resulting in the car shutting down suddenly. It's a known issue with this model car. The service center c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train) and 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact was informed that parts needed to be ordered and was later informed that... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota IM. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH or faster, the engine started choking and the vehicle hesitated and started losing automotive power. While the vehicle was idling at a stoplight, the RPM fluctuated between 700 and 500, and the vehicle vibrated as if it was about to stall. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V105000 (Seats); 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 experienced a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
While the vehicle was off and in my garage, the vehicle started on its own and was idling at an extremely high RPM. I was the only person home, the keys were out of reach on a key rack and had not been driven yet for the day. I walked into the garage and found my vehicles engine running at a high RPM and all the electrical displays within the vehicle were compleltely off with only the engine runni... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
Every once in a while, on a regular basis, ALL the dash warning lights will light up and alarm, as if every single feature of the car is in an emergency state. This may continue (every time the car is started) for days, or weeks, and then it resolves of its own accord, with no predictability. The safety issue is that if something really *IS* wrong with one of these systems, we would be unaware of... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
I tested the 3rd row in my Palisade Calligraphy 2022 after a death of a little girl happened in a 2026 model. I placed a case of water bottles in the seat, where my children have ridden so many times before on trips. Watched the seat go down, not one time did the sensor trigger. The water bottles were crushed. This is terrifying findings. It means its not just Hyundais 2026 problems, this is much ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that there was a transmission leak and ball joint failure. The vehicle was repaired. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine made an abnormal sound. The contact turned off the vehicle to let it cool down. The vehicle was restarted and taken to an independent mechanic, who de... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
This vehicle had an open safety recall at the time the dealership sold it to me. The recall existed before the sale and the dealership knew or should have known about it. The dealer submitted loan paperwork and accepted funding but never delivered the vehicle to me. I was not informed of the open recall before signing. This is a safety and compliance issue involving a dealer selling a vehicle with... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
Driving on highway, "Service Hybrid Electric Vehicle System" warning came on, vehicle lost all propulsion, needed to pull over on road and restart the engine. Almost got into accident with car behind me because of sudden power loss.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
I am writing to report a recurring safety issue with my vehicle’s transmission. When attempting to accelerate into traffic, the engine revs high but fails to deliver power to the wheels, acting as if it is in neutral. This failure to shift into gear has occurred several times and poses a significant safety risk. I have maintained the vehicle regularly, including recent fluid changes. My researc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing oil, and the engine was running rough. There was an abnormal burning odor after driving the vehicle. The vehicle received an oil change; however, two weeks later, the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was determined the oil level was approximately 2 quarts low, and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
A persistent humming/whining noise occurs at highway speeds (around 60–70 mph). The noise has been present for more than two years and has continued through multiple major repairs. The sound appears to come from the drivetrain area and raises concerns about a potential driveline or mechanical failure at speed. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by multiple authorized dealerships. The v... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
A persistent humming/whining noise occurs at highway speeds (around 60–70 mph). The noise has been present for more than two years and has continued through multiple major repairs. The sound appears to come from the drivetrain area and raises concerns about a potential driveline or mechanical failure at speed. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by multiple authorized dealerships. The v... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
A persistent humming/whining noise occurs at highway speeds (around 60–70 mph). The noise has been present for more than two years and has continued through multiple major repairs. The sound appears to come from the drivetrain area and raises concerns about a potential driveline or mechanical failure at speed. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by multiple authorized dealerships. The v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
I respectfully submit the following additional information.In connection with this matter, the dealer in question asserted in writing that I "should have refused to participate" in the manufacturer-authorized "Z05 Service Campaign"—a measure designed to prevent potential damage—and characterized the program as nothing more than "free paint work." Service campaigns administered by manufacturers... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
I was driving on the freewayin the night time on several occasions and the Emissions light and check engine light comes on and the car lost speed and would not accelerate. I had to put my hazards on to exit the freeway slowly to pull over turn the car off, sometimes this corrects the problems. but this has happened on several occasions. the vehicle is now at the dealer being diagnostic, they end u... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
I was driving on the freewayin the night time on several occasions and the Emissions light and check engine light comes on and the car lost speed and would not accelerate. I had to put my hazards on to exit the freeway slowly to pull over turn the car off, sometimes this corrects the problems. but this has happened on several occasions. the vehicle is now at the dealer being diagnostic, they end u... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
Transmission won't go into reverse at times, auto shifting back to park before check engine light comes on. Vehicle initially started with hard shifts at low speeds about 25 mph. Issue progressed to the point where vehicle has to be put into reverse. Otherwise vehicle would not shift at the same point about 25 mph and would be stuck in the low gear until vehicle is shut off and restarted then put ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
Subject: Safety Complaint – Loss of Drive Power Prior to Recall Resulting in Crash (2025 Honda Accord Hybrid) I am submitting a safety complaint regarding a 2025 Honda Accord Sport Hybrid (VIN: [XXX]) involved in a crash on [XXX], which we believe is related to a recall issued later in January 2026. At the time of the incident, the vehicle was being driven under normal conditions, below the sp... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light or stop sign, the vehicle experienced severely rough idling before it stalled. The contact believed that the high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) was the cause of the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failu... Read more