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: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, several unknown transmission codes were displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that a transmission flush was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The rear passenger door actuators have both failed. The rear hatch will not unlock using the touch button. We just received notice that our transmission/transfer case needs replacing. $13K for this.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that the instrument panel was blank at startup. Due to the failure, the speedometer, fuel gauge, mileage, and other features were not visible. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V652000 (Electrical System); which was associated with the failure. A dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was info... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the repair failed to prevent a failure from occurring. The day after the recall repair was completed at a local authorized dealer, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to maintain automotive power while the accelerator ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2013) - POWER TRAIN
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
My 2020 Toyota Highlander experiences transmission jerking and hesitation during low speed acceleration. The issue was first reported to the dealership while under warranty but was not diagnosed. The vehicle now requires transmission replacement 7k miles over the warranty despite the issue being reported during the warranty. Toyota has refused a repair under warranty and has violated their terms... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
While traveling at approximately 80 mph on the highway, my vehicle suddenly lost all response to the accelerator pedal. Despite continued pressure on the gas, the vehicle rapidly decelerated to approximately 40 mph on its own. There were no warning lights, unusual noises, or physical indicators of a problem before, during, or after the event. I was able to safely navigate the vehicle off the highw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The car locked with the keys inside. This has happened multiple times. My young children were strapped into their car seats outside in the summer heat when the door locked with the keys inside. We had to have firemen/police come help. Thankfully we were able to locate the second set of keys within 15 minutes and the children were wet from swimming and stayed cool because we were parked in the sh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while attempting to refuel the vehicle, the contact was unable to pump more than one gallon at a time. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the roll-over valve was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V142000 (Fuel System... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
While driving a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado on Interstate 95 in Florida, the vehicle suddenly experienced a loss of brake assist. The brake pedal became extremely hard and very difficult to press. The driver had difficulty slowing the vehicle and had to use the emergency brake to help bring the vehicle to a stop. This occurred on Interstate 95, which is a very busy highway with high-speed traffic. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
1. The transmission warning symptoms first appeared on March 9, including a transmission warning light, delayed gear engagement, slipping gears, and loud mechanical noise. 2.5-liter turbo engine use an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). It has been in McGrath City Hyundai since March 10 for inspecton. 2. We were not harmed, but were very concerned about the safety of the car. 3. We only tried... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The steering column in this car has a known defect in the steering column nut resulting in knocking/rattling/clunking. Mazda is aware of this issue and has redesigned the steering column and issued multiple TSBs for specific models, years, and even VINs. Mazda is not classifying this a a safety issue to avoid recall but if the part is to fail it can result in loss of vehicle control and a crash.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
This concerns my 2025 Subaru Outback Touring XT- with a turbo charges engine and standardd CVT transmission. When I get to street speed and brake to slow down, as the car slows and the tach decreases to 1000 rpm +/- a bit, the car shows an obvious power surge that can be felt through the accelerator and brake pedal and can be clearly seen on the tach as a jump to about 1100 rpm + . I had the fi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
On 3 separate occasions between August 20 2025 to October 1 2025 and on one occasion in January 2026, while driving at highway speed, the drivers console and information display on the dash of the vehicle completely stopped responding and went dark. At that moment there was no information displayed on the dash at all. After approximately 10 seconds the displays began returning to operation a few ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
Drivers door latch takes a long time to unlatch/latch there have been numerous times where the door won’t close and stay closed. My door has also had to be left open as it won’t latch. This is a serious safety hazard there was a recall but my vin was not included.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
Drivers door latch takes a long time to unlatch/latch there have been numerous times where the door won’t close and stay closed. My door has also had to be left open as it won’t latch. This is a serious safety hazard there was a recall but my vin was not included.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ram Promaster 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); 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 not made aware of the issue. The c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
My 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Bison ZR2 (VIN [XXX] ) suddenly lost all power steering, acceleration, and propulsion while driving my children to school at approximately 8:00 AM on March 16, 2026. The truck came to a complete stop with no warning lights or prior indication. This matches the exact ‘critical issue with the engine and transmission system’ alert I received from OnStar Advanced... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Friday, March 13, 2025, at approximately 11:50 AM PST while driving on Interstate 5 northbound, heard a loud explosion like a gunshot, with no vehicles in close proximity, then hearing the rush of wind, opened the interior sunroof cover, discovered the sunroof glass shattered.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Forest River Sandpiper. The contact stated that while the RV was parked, the rear of the RV became detached and inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The RV was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The passenger door has now twice started to close on its own without a button being pushed and when I've been standing there buckling a kid in. It does not stop when it encounters an object (me, a human) and kept trying to get me stuck into the door. I tried pushing back but it kept moving and eventually I had to back out of the way. If this had been a child, they would have had a broken limb or ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back-over prevention intermittently displayed a black screen. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V900000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
Power steering seems to have stopped all fuses have been checked. Wiring is checked steering is underwhelming and very hard to turn at low and high speeds.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The vehicle has no power going up hills or accelerating and just stops and doesn't move. To get the car to move again you have to turn the car off and back on. Even if you put the car in L it can still just go back in regular drive on its own an cut out with no acceleration.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The vehicle has no power going up hills or accelerating and just stops and doesn't move. To get the car to move again you have to turn the car off and back on. Even if you put the car in L it can still just go back in regular drive on its own an cut out with no acceleration.
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
I own a 2023 Hyundai Palisade Limited that currently has confirmed active safety recalls affecting critical passenger safety systems, including the third-row side-curtain airbag recall and the second-row seat belt buckle recall. We have experienced firsthand the seat belts coming unbuckled during driving. These recalls affect hundreds of thousands of Palisade vehicles and involve defects where t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The man... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
I am filing this complaint regarding the service department at Vaden Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram. My complaint concerns a failure to properly diagnose a mechanical issue with my vehicle, misleading statements about the condition of the vehicle after repairs, and poor communication during the repair process. The vehicle is a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. Before bringing it to the dealership, the vehicle wa... Read more
HYUNDAI
PALISADE
(2022) - LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH:EMERGENCY MECHANICAL RELEASE
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
While my 2025 Lexus TX was parked in my residential garage, the vehicle suddenly locked itself with my [XXX] and [XXX] children and my phone inside. The doors had been unlocked prior to placing them in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle locked all doors and windows. The key fob failed to unlock the vehicle electronically or manually. My husband and I attempted for over 30 minutes to gain ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
This vehicle qualified for the Volkswagen Emissions Recall, yet from the start of the recall through 2018 settlement lawsuit dates , no correspondence was sent (by Porsche nor VW). According to all recall regulations, my vehicle should have among the ‘recall’ with the 85K plus others, yet no correspondence was sent (by Porsche nor VW) & now the local Porsche dealership is denying in, Accordin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
I purchased the car new and three times since then, the latest last week, the automatic brakes kicked in briefly for no apparent reason. I feel that if a vehicle would have been directly behind me this could very well have caused an accident. Each time it happened it was during daylight and fair weather although I can't remember if the sun was shinning. After the second time it happened I reported... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Hello, My 2018 Acura MDX has moisture and water inside the inner tailgate (trunk) tail light assembly, which caused the light to stop working. I understand there is a recall affecting some 2014–2020 Acura MDX vehicles related to moisture entering the tailgate light assembly, and my vehicle appears to have the same issue. Recall link: [XXX] Last week I visited the Acura dealership(Acura Colum... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Previous recall for my vehicle seemed to have been reported as fixed with out an actual fix. My locks/handles are getting water in them and when the weather gets below freezing it causes them not to lock. I asked one of my local dealerships to fix while I was able to see active recall on my app and they were unable to because they said the issue had to be occurring when I brought it in. Since the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Loss of engine oil pressure. Just had engine replaced with used 6 months ago for the same issue. This new to me motor had 40k miles on it. So two motors under 121k miles oil pressure failure. Causing total engine replacement
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
Since March of 2025 I have identified a critical safety defect with my vehicle. When driving and without warning, the vehicle unexpectedly shifts to neutral, experiences a loss of propulsion, and the engine shuts off. This has occurred multiple times in which I narrowly escaped collisions with other vehicles or objects. If this would occur at a high rate of speed, it would certainly result in se... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Since March of 2025 I have identified a critical safety defect with my vehicle. When driving and without warning, the vehicle unexpectedly shifts to neutral, experiences a loss of propulsion, and the engine shuts off. This has occurred multiple times in which I narrowly escaped collisions with other vehicles or objects. If this would occur at a high rate of speed, it would certainly result in se... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
The systems that failed included the shifter, which causes the car to lock so that it cannot shift out of park . This is most likely due to a shifter assembly and/or sensor malfunction. Several months prior to this event occurring (i.e., the car would not start, despite a new battery and consistent scheduled maintenance), this operator of the vehicle complained to the dealership that the car start... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
My Honda CRV EX-L traveling roughly 40 mph along a straight and clear road did a sudden hard break once it reached an intersection that had a green signal light. I noticed there was a car stopped on the right side of the intersection. I saw in my console “Braking” pop up message then it disappeared. My foot wasn’t on the brake pedal at all. I felt I was closed to being rear ended because ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
My Honda CRV EX-L traveling roughly 40 mph along a straight and clear road did a sudden hard break once it reached an intersection that had a green signal light. I noticed there was a car stopped on the right side of the intersection. I saw in my console “Braking” pop up message then it disappeared. My foot wasn’t on the brake pedal at all. I felt I was closed to being rear ended because ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
Rear right passenger seatbelt came apart at the webbing. When my granddaughter tried to buckle her seatbelt it came apart in her hands. This has been confirmed by the dealer, it appears to have been severed but there has been no accidents.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
I have already reported a crash due to sudden loos of power and submitted everything except the info that the air bags did not deploy and they should definitely
Crash
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
I have already reported a crash due to sudden loos of power and submitted everything except the info that the air bags did not deploy and they should definitely
Crash
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
My vehicle has had recurring interior water intrusion and related safety concerns. The most serious symptom was interior window fogging on the inside of the vehicle for multiple days during or following rainy, snowy, and cold conditions, which significantly reduced visibility while driving and made it difficult to see out of the windshield and side windows. To clear the fogging quickly, I have had... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I am reporting a recurring safety and reliability issue with my 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line (VIN: [XXX] ). The vehicle currently has approximately 63,100 miles. The vehicle repeatedly displays a “Check Electric Vehicle System” warning message. This problem has occurred three separate times. On at least two occasions, the vehicle became undriveable and required towing. The failure appears to affect ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Vehicles of previous model years, this model year, and future model years have all experienced this issue. Issue was reported on thru a youTube channel in order to let the public know and understand the issue and how to fix/repair the issue. It was then discovered thru view time and the linking of the part to repair that this was a rempent issue of concern for possible recall. Issue of hesitati... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I had just left my house and pulled onto a 5 lane road when the ICCU died. The car lost power while underway. This posed great danger as the vehicle became unable to safely navigate traffic and pull off to safety. Kia is well aware of this hardware problem, tried to fix it with software updates, and deflates the affected number of vehicles. To make matters worse, they tried to deny this was a reca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
A recall was issued for a roof leak defect that allowed water intrusion into my vehicle. The recall repair was performed at Autonation Toyota of Weston dealership, where the roof was replaced due to water staining. However, water intrusion which led to black mold growth into the interior carpeting and floor board remained after the repair. The dealership stated that the remaining water intrusion a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
Vehicle “wobble” under moderate acceleration and in corners, can be felt in the seats and steering wheel.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
Vehicle “wobble” under moderate acceleration and in corners, can be felt in the seats and steering wheel.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
My vehicle was performing as expected, but there was a smell of burning oil or rubber. When I took the car into the dealership the found that the transmission was slipping and the transfer box was failing. In the video they sent of the initial inspection there is obvious brown sludge leaking from the transmission. I was told that a complete transmission and transfer case was required.