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 60,583 complaints for KIA
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
There appears to be leaking from the dipstick tube. Transmission lurches when accelerating and decelerating. Eddies Repair in Pagosa Springs Colorado looked at the vehicle and suggested there may be a recall on this issue. When looking up the vin my vehicle is not included in recall ZA3. I purchased this truck in March 2025 and it has been an issue from then.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
The ABS Sensor light, engine light, anti skid light and 4 matic malfunction, transmission malfunction all lit up on my dashboard on Tuesday July 22, 2025. The stearing would lock up and the brakes would not break it also shifted gears into neutral. The dashboard finally told me in bold red letters (transmission malfunction STOP). It would do this then all the lights would go away. I thought it... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
I am submitting this complaint based on recurring drivetrain and structural failures in my 2020 BMW X7 (VIN: [XXX] ), which raise serious concerns about reliability and safety. Most recently, the vehicle exhibited shuddering, power loss, and a “neutral-like” disengagement at low speeds. BMW of Pembroke Pines confirmed this through a test drive. However, instead of mechanical replacement, the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
Transmission stop working suddenly, no lights ON, the car just stopped in the middle of the road. Turbo system cause sudden acceleration . Heat shields get rusty and break.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
Sunroof spontaneously exploded on the highway. Was maintaining a good distance between my car and the car in front of me, so I doubt it was a rock that was kicked up that broke my sunroof. Glass looks like it broke from inside out.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
Catastrophic engine failure, engine died and was unable to shift into gear My 16 year old daughter was driving on a busy highway when the engine died, causing her to stop completely on a 55 MPH road. She was unable to get the car into a gear to have it pushed to the side of the road and had to sit in the car with traffic flying by her until we could get a tow truck (approximately 30 minutes). She ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
Subject: Urgent Safety Issue: Car Doors Locking While in Park and Running Date: [XXX] To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to report a serious safety concern I experienced today with my vehicle. While my car was parked in my driveway and running, the doors automatically locked, locking me out of the vehicle. There is no auto-lock button enabled in the car or on my remote, and due to a previous... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
I purchased my truck in December 2018 which is a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4 crew cab automatic from Servco Chevrolet Dealership in Waipahu, Hawaii and making monthly payments for my truck February of 2019 truck runs good and purchased the warranty also had my oil and service changed when time is due which I always kept up. [XXX] and mileage was 40k while leaving work to go home at a stop l... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
I am reporting a recurring coolant system issue that raises safety concerns. My 2022 VW Atlas has triggered the coolant warning light several times since new. A dealership eventually replaced the head gasket under warranty, yet the warning returned again months later. At the most recent service visit, a pressure test showed no leak, and I was told the problem was likely "air bubbles" — the same ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
FRONT FUEL TANK STRAP RUSTED AND BROKE. LUCKILY TRUCK WAS AT HOME WHEN I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM. FRONT OF TANK IS ONLY INCHES FROM THE GROUND AND COULD PRESENT A MAJOR HAZARD IF I CONTINUED TO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
It feels like the engine is starting to cut out and as soon as that happens, the electronics in the car seem to start fighting each other. They adaptive steering and the lane assist it feels like they don’t work together anymore and I’m always fighting it or it won’t stay in the right lane and the car jerks from line to line. If I turned the lane assist off then it drives OK but the engine s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
I am having a hybrid propulsion system issue due to a part that was recalled according to this ID number for the NHTSA 17V718000 that was posted NOV 14, 2017 and my car does seem to be affected because it is facing the same issues as other cars reported from that batch. I want to make sure that I can have it serviced properly at my dealership
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
I have never been in an accident. Airbags bag warning frequently turning on
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Large drive unit that has previously been replaced by Tesla failed due to coolant ingress leaking through rotor seal. Known issue per 3rd party technicians.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
When Driving I started noticing that my steering wheel what getting harder to turn and it felt like it was lagging control. I could still turn and maneuver the steering wheel but the control overall was defiantly not safe. I stopped in at our mechanic and they test drove it. He stated that yes something was definably wrong with the steering system and he said it was hopefully the u-joint for contr... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
MMI (infotainment), and the dashboard screen will turn off randomly and reboot every 2 minutes. This is incredibly dangerous as it turns all sound off, and driving visuals like directions, and freezes or reboots, not where you last had it but from a different check point. It has happened while I have been backing up and backup camera has rebooted during backup. Parking Collision has also malfunct... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
Numerous times over the life of the car all dash warning systems and lights activate while you are driving. Sometimes they persist after restarting engine. Numerous visits to dealer to address and finally they stated that fuel injectors need replaced. Searching this issue online seems to indicate this is a common event with 2017-18 CRVs like mine. I contacted Honda and they stated that there is no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
Numerous times over the life of the car all dash warning systems and lights activate while you are driving. Sometimes they persist after restarting engine. Numerous visits to dealer to address and finally they stated that fuel injectors need replaced. Searching this issue online seems to indicate this is a common event with 2017-18 CRVs like mine. I contacted Honda and they stated that there is no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
On or around [XXX] the rear occupant sensor warning light came on. We scheduled a service appointment with the dealership for 7/15/25 at 7:00 a.m.. We were informed later that morning that it was a defective module that could affect the air bags and it wasn’t safe to drive the car. It is 7/26/25 and we still wait on the part. Yesterday we were told by the service department that they didn’t kn... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
My 2025 Cadillac CT5 was stationary at a red light behind a red truck when a black truck traveling in the opposite direction struck the truck head-on. The red truck was pushed backward into the front of my CT5 with enough force to cause major front-end damage. Despite this, no airbags deployed. I believe the airbag system failed to detect or respond to a valid crash condition and there is a larger... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
Front windshield cracking.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
The MMI resets every 3-5 minutes. This problem started approximately 9 months ago and has continued to happen more frequently. Navigation, car play and the radio are affected. It is startling when the radio turns on when it was previously turned off. It is not possible to use the navigation system. The concern is that the MMI controls other important functions and it's unclear if they will ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached. In addition, the contact stated that the following week the driver's side A-pillar trim detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the processing module console had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
Brake getting stuck on the floor would have to press on brake really hard just to get a response, this will happen out of the blue! Driving in highway or just driving off the driveway. I almost hit a car in front of me due to lack of brake, i had to swerve to the side! First appear 1 day after buying the car..This issue needs to be worked on right away.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was veering to the right or to the left and was moving upwards and downwards. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was veering excessively to the left or to the right while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the front brakes were replaced, and the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
turbocharger failures, which can result in reduced acceleration, power loss causing problems while trying to merge onto traffic and also in hill climbing. My understanding this is a common problem with the Buick Encore and has not been recalled. My garage said they have repaired a "ton" of these turbo in Buick Encores. Why no recall???
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
while driving at approximately 45 miles per hour electronic power steering system failed and and it felt like the motor in the steering column was trying to pull the car hard right. the EPS warning light on the dash flashed red. Safely stopped the car on the shoulder of road. turned car on and off and resumed driving. problem repeated (this time with steering trying to lock at center) another 1/... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse, there was an abnormal popping and cracking sound coming from the driver’s side roof. The failure became worse over time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that there wer... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The vehicle has only 55k miles , but the Front subframe bushings and front lower control arm bushings are worn out causing safety issues.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
Auto leveling suspension failed 3 times under 40,000 miles traveled. Numerous online complaints point to design flow or parts quality issue.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
Honda has known for years that the 1.5L engines installed in 2018 or newer Honda Accords have issues with oil dilution causing major catastrophic engine failures, head gasket damage, fluids leaking into the cylinders, and costly repairs to cars with less than 86000 miles on them. Honda Corporation needs to address this concern before someone dies when the cars engine fails on the highway. My vehic... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE PHEV
(2023) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Jul 25, 2025
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
Driving through a green light, no car in front of me, collision avoidance activated and applied full brake. If a car had been close behind me I would have been rear ended.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
While driving down highway 65 mph, abs system activated causing right rear brakes to activate causing vehicle to activate steering control making truck head towards on coming traffic before able to control vehicle to shoulder of roadway. Would like to know if, when, and who and where any previous recall work has been performed to this vehicle, bought at a dealership in Oklahoma with check engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
While driving down highway 65 mph, abs system activated causing right rear brakes to activate causing vehicle to activate steering control making truck head towards on coming traffic before able to control vehicle to shoulder of roadway. Would like to know if, when, and who and where any previous recall work has been performed to this vehicle, bought at a dealership in Oklahoma with check engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
I have had issues with this car since a few months from me getting it. My rear camera wouldn't work half the time and sometimes turns the images upside down. My heat and cooling system started malfunctioning and the driver's side doesn't blow or temp the same as the passenger side. It has been like that at least 2 of the 4 years I have had this car and have taken it in multiple times and spent tho... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
Power Train Fault Indicator came on indicating that the Turbo Charger was in an underboost condition. This caused the vehicle to lose power on the highway which could have placed my family in a unsafe condition.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
Constantly getting warnings that Auto emergecy braking, blind spot monitoring, and forward collision is disabled and needs service. It flashes on and off on the dash at inconsistent rates and appears to be bad wiring connections or faulty equipment. Been to dealer numerous times and still not fixed. I feel like these systems are going to fail me and could cause a potential safety concern.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V720000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
This is the 5th time my cat suddenly brakes in the middle of traffic with no obstruction. I keep taking it to the dealership and they drive it for 1 mile and give it back. I am fed up and I have my family in the car. Last time I took it, they said something the car doesn’t recognize a driver This is a electric car.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
On July 9 while waiting at a red light car randomly turned off, had to put car in park and restart On July 19 while driving about 55mph on an extremely busy interstate highway car shut down completely. I could not restart or shut the car off, car was in drive and we had full power, no issue with battery, no warning signs, we were nearly killed by an 18-wheel truck traveling at normal high speed on... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, lost motive power, with smoke came from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact attempted to start the vehicle and noticed a knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being Emissions tested, the contact was informed that the OBD Port was inoperable, and the emissions test could to be performed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed OBD Port. The contact was informed that the OBD Port needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
My atlas forward collision system malfunctioned causing the automatic emergency braking to turn on when there was no one and nothing in front of me. I was then rear ended. Which ultimately totaled my vehicle. My car said airbag error as well. I called Volkswagen Perrysburg Ohio, to report the incident, was sent to the managers voicemail 7/16/2025. The manager never called me back.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that one and a half quarts of oil needed to be added every two days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the failure was caused by the timing belt sagging, and th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2020
I REALLY DONT REMEMBER THE DRIVER IMPACTED THE FRONT DOOR AREA OF MY VEHICLE.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 17, 2020
The vehicle was taken in for the oil level not registering on the dip stick 5235 miles on the odometer, they said it was 2 quart oils low. They said they would do an oil consumption test and to bringv it back in 2000 miles. We took it back with an odometer reading of 7451 and it was again 2 quarts oils low. There is an oil consumption issue on this vehicle.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2020
Vehicles MMI constantly cycling through reboot - inordinate amount of previous complaints about this exact issue - Dealer advised a min $1040 ($370 to diagnose + $670 new MMI) to diagnose and change MMI console with NO guarantee it will work and that's because: the dealer has not updated MIB2 (aka the MMI) using the instructions on a different bulletin, titled "TSB 2067021 - 91 MIB3: Garage open... Read more