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 62,191 complaints for KIA
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2012 Kia Rio, which currently has approximately 150,000 miles. I first became aware of these problems at approximately 120,000 miles. The vehicle has excessive oil consumption despite being consistently and properly maintained. I have been meticulous about maintenance because the vehicle has a lifetime powertrain warranty, and I have documentation and r... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
Main 12V electrical system failed completely. The engine stalled, the entire dashboard blacked out, and all auxiliary safety power was lost. The vehicle is currently located at Parkway Family Kia and is fully available for inspection. At rush hour freeway speeds, the engine stalled and total electrical failure occurred. Navigating across active lanes without engine power or power steering was extr... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, there was smoke coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the hood before the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that moments later there were flames coming from the underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was parked on the side of the road and flame... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
Vehicle flashes Auto Start Stop icon on the dashboard, which is not commonplace. When this occurs, the vehicle can not accelerate when the accelerator is actuated. The vehicle can not accelerate past 40mph and the RPM is sporadic. This happens randomly and can not be diagnosed by the dealership. Multiple dealerships have tried and none can duplicate this issue. This is a severe safety concern and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
Vehicle flashes Auto Start Stop icon on the dashboard, which is not commonplace. When this occurs, the vehicle can not accelerate when the accelerator is actuated. The vehicle can not accelerate past 40mph and the RPM is sporadic. This happens randomly and can not be diagnosed by the dealership. Multiple dealerships have tried and none can duplicate this issue. This is a severe safety concern and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
Vehicle flashes Auto Start Stop icon on the dashboard, which is not commonplace. When this occurs, the vehicle can not accelerate when the accelerator is actuated. The vehicle can not accelerate past 40mph and the RPM is sporadic. This happens randomly and can not be diagnosed by the dealership. Multiple dealerships have tried and none can duplicate this issue. This is a severe safety concern and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
I began to drive. The dashboard display read "Check low voltage supply" or something like that and on the opposite side of the display there was a small image that looks like a 12V battery. A moment later the dashboard display changed to read "DO NOT DRIVE." The car was towed to a dealer who reported a "failed ICCU and High Voltage Fuse." The vehicle was towed to a dealership where it is being rep... Read more
KIA
SORENTO PHEV
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 13, 2026
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating. While on the side of the road, the check engine warning light remained illuminat... Read more
KIA
SORENTO PHEV
(2025) - ENGINE
Aug 13, 2026
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating. While on the side of the road, the check engine warning light remained illuminat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
This is a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding a manufacturer's active refusal to remedy a known safety defect under an active recall campaign guidelines.My 2015 Kia Optima Turbo experienced an active internal mechanical engine knock, violent sputtering, and a complete engine seizure. The vehicle is currently sitting un-driveable at an authorized Kia dealership.The required Knock Sensor Detec... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
This is a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding a manufacturer's active refusal to remedy a known safety defect under an active recall campaign guidelines.My 2015 Kia Optima Turbo experienced an active internal mechanical engine knock, violent sputtering, and a complete engine seizure. The vehicle is currently sitting un-driveable at an authorized Kia dealership.The required Knock Sensor Detec... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
This is a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding a manufacturer's active refusal to remedy a known safety defect under an active recall campaign guidelines.My 2015 Kia Optima Turbo experienced an active internal mechanical engine knock, violent sputtering, and a complete engine seizure. The vehicle is currently sitting un-driveable at an authorized Kia dealership.The required Knock Sensor Detec... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
While driving on the expressway posted speed 65 was doing 70, left lane driving, suddenly my check engine light started flashing, my oil light came on and my vehicle started slowing down. Acceleration was not an option, causing hazardous conditions to have to put my hazards on and cross two lanes of heavy traffic. Vehicle went into limp mode. Vehicle was caught up on an oil change, and was regular... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. My 2014 Kia Forte, VIN [XXX] has approximately 118,000 miles. Since purchase in November2025 from Wondries Toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high RPM, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. It struggles to accelerate while merging into faster traffic, creating a saf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. My 2014 Kia Forte, VIN [XXX] has approximately 118,000 miles. Since purchase in November2025 from Wondries Toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high RPM, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. It struggles to accelerate while merging into faster traffic, creating a saf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. My 2014 Kia Forte, VIN [XXX] has approximately 118,000 miles. Since purchase in November2025 from Wondries Toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high RPM, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. It struggles to accelerate while merging into faster traffic, creating a saf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
My CX-5 has 25,000 miles and recently the a/c failed culminating in a distinct chemical smell in the cabin. The issue was identified as a leaking/failed evaporator which apparently is located behind the dashboard and in turn “dump” the leaking refrigerant into the cabin! The total cost of repair due to the location of the evaporator is between $3000-$4500 in my area, seems a high cost to be po... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The front driveshaft universal joint failed causing the drive shaft to bust a hole in the engine and crack the transmission. There was no knocking noise prior to failure. It suddenly failed, disengaged and caused damage. I was told by service manager the u-bolt must have been defective to have failed without warning.
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The front driveshaft universal joint failed causing the drive shaft to bust a hole in the engine and crack the transmission. There was no knocking noise prior to failure. It suddenly failed, disengaged and caused damage. I was told by service manager the u-bolt must have been defective to have failed without warning.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Tacoma. While inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact discovered that the vehicle was only equipped with three leaf springs instead of four. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall for the failure associated with the VIN. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
I WAS DRIVING DURING DAYLIGHT AND THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY BECAME BARELY VISIBLE, AND THEN ALTERNATED BETWEEN VISIBLE AND BARELY VISIBLE SEVERAL TIMES. IF IT WERE NIGHTTIME THE DISPLAY WOULD BE UNREADABLE AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE MY SPEED OR OTHER IMPORTANT INDICATORS WHICH WOULD PUT ME AND OTHER DRIVERS AT RISK.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
I WAS DRIVING DURING DAYLIGHT AND THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY BECAME BARELY VISIBLE, AND THEN ALTERNATED BETWEEN VISIBLE AND BARELY VISIBLE SEVERAL TIMES. IF IT WERE NIGHTTIME THE DISPLAY WOULD BE UNREADABLE AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE MY SPEED OR OTHER IMPORTANT INDICATORS WHICH WOULD PUT ME AND OTHER DRIVERS AT RISK.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2026) - ENGINE
Aug 12, 2026
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
Complete unmitigated loss of acceleration and power while traveling at highway speeds, creating an immediate life-threatening road hazard. Following a warranty engine replacement and mandatory dealer software flash at Clay Cooley Hyundai (Sherman, TX), the vehicle began experiencing powertrain communication issues. While operating the vehicle at 65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle completely failed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Vehicle caused a SEVERE drivability condition while at highway speeds by sputtering, losing power and auxiliary driver's systems becoming degraded. We were able to drive the vehicle in limp mode to a near service station. They ran diagnostics and determined that there were multiple secondary events affecting the ADAS system. They also checked the battery and determined it was marginally good. We... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
Electronic parking brake switch has failed. Yes the switch is available for inspection. Electronic parking brake can no longer be manually activated. Failure of the electronic parking brake switch has been confirmed by a dealer (Citrus Kia, Ontario, CA). Electronic parking brake switch has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warnings have bee... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) - VISIBILITY/WIPER
Aug 11, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
The vehicle's Connectivity Master Unit (CMU) / infotainment system has experienced a complete, permanent internal electronic failure, logged by Diagnostic Trouble Code DTC U3000:49 (Control Module Internal Electronic Failure). The main display screen is completely dark at all times and never powers on or responds. The unit is available for inspection upon request. This total hardware failure crea... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
1. Transmission is going out dealership never said a word about the 6 recalls on it one being transmission 2. Front seat belts are in backwards and the child safety hook in back seat has a recall on it that the 3 of the 6 I know of Ford had told alm to replace the entire transmission before they ever sold it they did not do that they didn't take care of any of the recalls
Incident date: Aug 11, 2020
As I pulled up to stop, in electric mode, at a stop light, the display screen pulled up a message to pull over safely because the engine would stop soon, within about 10 seconds the screen showed the engine stopped. I was still at the light. I tried restarting the vehicle, moving the shifter from drive to park and back, pressing the park button several times with no success. With cars honking b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2020
The contact owns a 2022 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally rough grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle operated normally for a while. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determine... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2020
Software update for the vehicle. Since we have completed the update we have had issues with the Radio unit flashing in and out intermittenly and finally the unit went black and will not work at all. This is now showing multiple fault codes including. Engine control module 1 (U105400), Brakes 1(C102D00), Adaptive Cruise Control (U112100), Dash Board (U111000), Gateway (U105400), Telematics Communic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Nearly 25% of the total time I have owned this Certified Pre-Owned vehicle (146 out of 564 days), it has been non-functional and in the shop — roughly 1 out of every 4 days of ownership. I am a [XXX} with a [XXX] child, and I purchased this vehicle as a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Porsche — expecting the manufacturer's rigorous inspection and warranty to ensure reliability and safety. Instead, t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the messages "Parking Brake Failure", "Transmission Failure”, and "ABS Failure" were displayed with an audible alarm. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure might be associated with the battery. The contact replaced the battery; however, the failure persiste... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
Tailgate keeps randomly opening when driving down the road. Vehicle was taken to a Chevrolet dealership for them to address. GM denied warranty claim and will not provide anything in writing. This is a huge safety concern for a work truck that hauls tools and equipment on a daily basis. And the fact that GM will not give anything in writing on the denial is absolute BS.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
Tailgate keeps randomly opening when driving down the road. Vehicle was taken to a Chevrolet dealership for them to address. GM denied warranty claim and will not provide anything in writing. This is a huge safety concern for a work truck that hauls tools and equipment on a daily basis. And the fact that GM will not give anything in writing on the denial is absolute BS.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
I am reporting a chronic manufacturing defect on my 2020 BMW X3 that poses an immediate electrical short-circuit and vehicle safety hazard. The passenger-side panoramic sunroof drainage system/roof structure leaks water heavily through the side panel joint of the door frame, directly saturating the front passenger floor carpet. This issue has been ongoing since I received the vehicle in 2020.The v... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
Unknown which system failed. While driving on the freeway, truck lost power for a few seconds. Dash lights turned off and back on. Our safety and the safety of others on the freeway were at risk as we had no control of the vehicle. Have not had the truck checked for the problem. Scared to drive it. No warnings appeared.
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
I had three children in the vehicle getting out. Two in the second row and one in the third row. I walked away from the car with the key in my pocket and my two children in the second row closed the door on the child in the third row before she got out. Because my key was in my pocket and i was far away from the vehicle, the car locked when the doors shut. My child in the third row climbed int... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - SEATS
Aug 11, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Please refer to Problema Espaldar de Asiento -Jun 07, 2026 - Attached Safety Concern Description: The rear seat backrest has a manufacturing defect that prevents the seat from properly locking into the secured position. The seat backrest remains loose and does not provide confidence that it is fully latched. To close or secure the seat, excessive force is required. Even after applying force, t... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - STRUCTURE
Aug 11, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the recall repair was not performed because the A-pillar trim had not completely detached. While driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim detached. The dealer was contacted after the trim had fully det... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Truck downshifted to a gear too low for the travel speed, caused the rear tires to briefly lock up, very lucky to have kept control. Unsure why the truck did it, it’s happened twice now at 89,000 miles.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
When there is a seat belt fault, it disables the airbags from going off, even though the seat belts are all engaged
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
Left side headlight went dark. Started dimming now is full out
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
While driving safely on the highway at 55mph speeds, my 2018 Honda vehicle suddenly displayed multiple unexpected warning lights and alerts on the dashboard. The vehicle experienced an abrupt loss of normal operation behavior, posing an immediate safety hazard and risk of a collision in fast-moving traffic. I took the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership for diagnostics, paying a $200 diag... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2022
Driving on a public road with a 50 phone speed limit, I received an error message on my dash stating electrical failure, and then the car shut down and began to coast, I had use all my strength to turn the car towards the curb and coasted to a stop. I received an error message from multiple components and then the dash went blank.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2022
Driving on a public road with a 50 phone speed limit, I received an error message on my dash stating electrical failure, and then the car shut down and began to coast, I had use all my strength to turn the car towards the curb and coasted to a stop. I received an error message from multiple components and then the dash went blank.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2026
P 285 50 R20 Cooper Discoverer HT blew out on Mass Tpke I 90 EB on Aug 8 @ approx 7:00pm while driving. Whole center section came off right rear tire leaving only the sidewalls on the rim. was able to manuever vehicle off I 90 EB off to the shoulder. Vehicle was towed of Turnpike to safe location. Attempting to reach Cooper to advise and see if any recourse for reimbursement for blown tire and re... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - TIRES:SIDEWALL
Aug 10, 2026
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
P 285 50 R20 Cooper Discoverer HT blew out on Mass Tpke I 90 EB on Aug 8 @ approx 7:00pm while driving. Whole center section came off right rear tire leaving only the sidewalls on the rim. was able to manuever vehicle off I 90 EB off to the shoulder. Vehicle was towed of Turnpike to safe location. Attempting to reach Cooper to advise and see if any recourse for reimbursement for blown tire and re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
The contact's fiancée owns a 2023 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the rear tires showed severe inner wear and damage due to a misalignment, requiring three sets of rear tires to be replaced within a year. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who notified the manufacturer of the failure; however, the technical engineer denied assistance. The dealer informed the contact that the lower control a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
Regarding Nissan Safety Recall 24V-700 / Campaign R24B2. After the recall remedy was performed on my 2020 LEAF in June I experienced the "Service EV System" message during normal highway driving on 8/1/26. I have an invoice from the dealership that documented logged safety recall code P33ED along with EV system codes P317E-97 and P3180-97. The dealership improperly cleared the recall safety codes,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact pulled over to the shoulder lane to avoid a crash. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cracked... Read more