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: May 12, 2026
Power train automatic transmission park/neutral start interlock Reverse lights not illuminating increasing risk of collision Recall was issued not listed here WRQ-23 Recall issued 1/8/23 My issue started in 2026 off and on Why is this Recall not listed Subaru service department states not able to provide service without the recall on file Car purchased August 2025
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Power train automatic transmission park/neutral start interlock Reverse lights not illuminating increasing risk of collision Recall was issued not listed here WRQ-23 Recall issued 1/8/23 My issue started in 2026 off and on Why is this Recall not listed Subaru service department states not able to provide service without the recall on file Car purchased August 2025
Incident date: May 12, 2026
My 2018 Nissan Armada has had SO MANY issues (probably 15-20) with not starting when cranked. Something is draining its battery. We have had to change the battery so many times (usually 2-3 times every year or two.) This happens without any notice! We have been stranded in other cities, stores, &/or at work. We have tried having it checked out by different repair shops, replacing batteries in key ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while parked in his driveway, the rear hatch glass exploded without any contact. The contact stated that the window explosion was caught on video. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,252.
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Please see attached complaint letter. Overall, this is related to the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid electronic hybrid system. This issue related to campaign 25TD01. The issue can cause the car to not start at any time because of the vehicle's start/stop hybrid system. If this happens in traffic, you could cause a safety issue that could lead to an accident and possibly fatalities.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
ongoing electrical and ECM communication issues with my 2018 Nissan NV2500. The vehicle is experiencing serious fault codes involving loss of communication with the ECM/PCM and transmission control systems, creating a potential safety concern and reliability issue. The diagnostic scan produced the following active codes: U0100 – Lost Communication With ECM/PCM A U1000 – CAN Communication Circu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and failed to accelerate with the low oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the contact’s spouse had added oil to the vehicle. The vehicle was able to restart, and additional oil had to be delivered to the contact to refill the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Original Fuel pump stated intermittent long cracks about 35,000 miles. And continues to do so. It seems like FORD uses the all time favorite “ we cannot recreate the issue” in order to send the customer on their way and not take ANY responsibility whatsoever ,WOW! Its rediculous that they don’t want to acknowledge the issue after thousands of customers complain. Our whole family has been ri... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
While cruising at 36mph, we decided to initiate the cruise control. Upon reaching a slow-down traffic ahead, the brakes were applied to slow the vehicle, however the cruise control did not disengage and the brakes did not stop the vehicle. The brakes were pressed three times and still the car could not stop. We were in a two-lane road with an opposite direction lane on the other side of the grassy... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
While cruising at 36mph, we decided to initiate the cruise control. Upon reaching a slow-down traffic ahead, the brakes were applied to slow the vehicle, however the cruise control did not disengage and the brakes did not stop the vehicle. The brakes were pressed three times and still the car could not stop. We were in a two-lane road with an opposite direction lane on the other side of the grassy... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2021
Vehicle primarily failed while parked at owner residence [XXX] and remained inoperable for approximately three weeks prior to tow to Cadillac dealership. The ignition key became trapped and could not be removed. A manual override release beneath the driver-side steering column was required to free the key — confirming the lock was held electronically, not mechanically jammed. Fault confirmed by... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Second time !!!! during ownership of car that brakes fail. Same problem as before Brake Actuator/Booster Failures: Multiple reports indicate issues with the ABS actuator or brake booster pump, leading to warning lights ("Braking power low", "ABS system malfunction").
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 ALFA ROMEO Stelvio. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle randomly shuts off and comes to a complete stop before restarting on its own. Additionally, the vehicle tends to stall randomly after fueling, and the contact noted flickering within the electronic system The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (25V586000 (FUEL... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Engine was replaced in 2023. In March 2026 there was a fuel line leak to include fuel misting near heat components. The vehicle was in a fender bender but Hyundai determined this did not cause the leak which eludes to this being a faulty installation of the engine replacement associated with the recall. I’ve reviewed my 2023 engine replacement invoice. I see the Service Kits were used to transf... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Unintended acceleration incident. I entered the parking lot of a business where the Salvation Army is located to drop off a donation. The parking spaces were on the left side. As I pulled into a parking space and was in the process of parking, the vehicle suddenly lurched/accelerated forward unexpectedly and struck the concrete wall of the building. The airbags did not deploy despite the frontal ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Unintended acceleration incident. I entered the parking lot of a business where the Salvation Army is located to drop off a donation. The parking spaces were on the left side. As I pulled into a parking space and was in the process of parking, the vehicle suddenly lurched/accelerated forward unexpectedly and struck the concrete wall of the building. The airbags did not deploy despite the frontal ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Faulty forward facing camera affixed internally on windshield. Adaptive Cruise Control will not function. Lane Keeping Assist will not function. Collision Mitigation Braking may be unavailable. Vehicle detects oncoming traffic in opposing lane as a potential collision, causing braking system to engage and causing a risk of a collision or being struck from the rear despite no vehicle ahead except... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
When slightly braking, steering becomes heavy and resistant. Steering is slightly vague. Sometimes the lane departing warning shows up stating “check lane departing warning system” on my dash.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
I was driving with trailer attacked coming from [XXX] , in the middle of the overseas highway (a two lane steet) the truck loss power and stalled and would not start. I was only able to move slightly to the side, with half the trailer with boat still sitting in the road. My family was on board and I am alive and an accident didn't happen. I called a tow truck (took an hour to get to me) and charg... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership tha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership tha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership tha... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The low beam visibility on this vehicle is extremely dangerous. It's as if you have no headlights on. They can inspect anytime. With low night visibility. Driver is not able to see the road or person which causes a delayed response because of visibility. Driver puts on highbeams to be able to see which blinds others or shouldn't be driven at night. Plenty of times, I could have been in an ac... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact purchased a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 71,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage on the title 43,655 and the DMV informed her after their research was tempe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
Rear brakes. Can place rider in extreme danger it the event of a crash when losing rear brakes due to a hole in the brake line caused by friction against the clutch cable in factory routing of the line and cable. I called Harley Davidson customer service to see is I could get help to resolve my issue due the fact that this issue is the same basic problem as the current Recall Number: The campaign ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
My cars check engine light keeps coming on and the first time it came on with an engine under boost failure and I took it to a 3rd party shop to get fixed and they had to replace the turbo charger. I paid $2500.00 for that. 2 weeks later the same light came on and they had to replace it again. Well now the light came on again after a month for the same thing and I am taking it back into the shop ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
All of my display screens went blank at 108 miles. I had no speedometer, no fuel level gauge, no warning indicators, and no audio alerts including turn signals. The vehicle was towed to the dealership since it was a safety issue for me to drive. It has been there since November 2025.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the tire well was filled with water. The contact stated that the unknown box on the side was filled with water. In addition, the contact stated that the water dripped onto the ground underneath the rear tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. ... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Passenger side grab handle physically separated from the body of the vehicle. Inspection confirmed the separation was caused by the failure of the factory welds securing the handle.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
With 94 Miles my brand new GMC Canyon AT4 I leased had a catastrophic failure while i was driving it, the front axle essentially exploded. The findings were that their was no oil/lubricant installed in it from the factory which made this happen. I now have to wait many months for the dealership to repair my vehicle while i have a "loaner" with a bunch of restrictions on it. And i have to pay my le... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
The control unit in my 2024 Mercedes 2580e triggers an increased number of system resets as part of fallback behavior. The increased number of resets resulted in the digital instrument cluster's display temporarily cutting out, and I had an entirely blank cluster. It came back on only after I stopped the vehicle, locked it, and waited approximately one hour to restart the car. A recall was just i... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
The center cluster instrument panel went completely black. This affects seeing any warning lights, tire pressure, speedometer, mileage, fuel amount, etc. The problem has been confirmed by auto shops. No way to fix except replacing the entire thing and my VIN has not been included in any recalls.
Incident date: May 11, 2026
In mid-March 2026, the airbag error light came on in my vehicle. I took the car into the dealership I leased it from for service. They were ale to replicate the issue and discovered "a fault for passenger seat belt tensioner igniter". After this discovery it was recommended that no one sit in the passenger seat until the igniter was replaced. The dealership claimed they ordered a replacement p... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
The fuel tank shield has rusted completely through exposing the tank to damage, puncture, etc. The reason this problem occurs is because of a process called galvanic corrosion. The fuel tank shield is bolted onto an aluminum heat shield, and the pairing of these two different metals accelerates the corrosion. Land Rover has acknowledged this problem and it’s given priority due to the fact tha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
I contacted ford about my molded lead frame because my truck has a issue with the transmission and they denied my coverage to repair the problem and it’s is expired so the won’t fix the issue.
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
I turned my car on one day and warning lights for all of my safety sensing features came up. Intermittently they work for a little bit. I brought it to the dealer, and they said that there was damage to the sensor, but there has been no damage to the front end of the car. Their reply was perhaps a pebble came up from the road while I was driving. It seems to me that that is a fault in the manufact... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Coolant temperature sensor failed - it is still in the engine. the fan stays on high all the time. And the AC does not want to turn on. The car is extremely hot to drive in during the summer months. I have to transport persons who are seniors and in their mid 80s. It is not safe to drive this car in the summer. I can't tell if its over heating or what is happening. The coolant temperature gau... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
STRONG SMELL OF GAS WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. ALSO STRONG SMELL OF GAS WHILE PARKED. GETTING WORSE!!! LOOKED UP THIS ISSUE ON YOU TUBE. FOUND THAT THIS IS A DEFECT IN AUDI Q7 YEARS 2007-2012. I OWN AN AUDI 2007 Q7. CALLED NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH REPAIR DEPARTMENT. THEY STATED THIS WAS AN ISSUE NOT ON A RECALL LIST FOR MY VEHICLE. VIN# [XXX] PURCHASED USED 2018 FROM PRIVATE DEALERSHIP IN ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Mileage (~124k) * RPM behavior * Loss of power uphill * Can cause a crash on highway with the cvt promblems nissian sentras sv has been cause of loss of power out of no where needs to be addressed as a recall maintenance has been don great on vechile it has history and need to be addressed. It goes from 70 to 55 issues of cvt
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Rear Subframe rust, sudden excessive suspension instability and excessive vibration while driving. A “recall” issue in UK but not the US ??
Incident date: May 6, 2026
The inflation screen keeps going on and off
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
Factory windshield has what looks to be micro sized cracks clustered throughout the glass and when the sun or other bright light hits at certain angles makes it look like a star field and drastically obscures forward vision.
Incident date: May 1, 2023
On three separate occasions, the brake pedal has gone all the way to the floor, with braking power reduced to a scary, dangerous level. An independent mechanic ran a diagnostic scan on one of those occasions and received an ABS Module fault. They bled the system, and the brakes worked well (fault went away) -- until the next incident, in which the car decided to randomly 'fix' itself about 20 minu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
While driving to store for errands today, 09May26, I came to a stop at a red light with intent to turn right next. I turned on my right blinker and turned a bit to the right and rolled forward to gain visibility to my left as I came to a complete stop. There was a car coming from the left that was preparing to turn left. I observed that car turn on its left blinker, and slow down while entering ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
While driving to store for errands today, 09May26, I came to a stop at a red light with intent to turn right next. I turned on my right blinker and turned a bit to the right and rolled forward to gain visibility to my left as I came to a complete stop. There was a car coming from the left that was preparing to turn left. I observed that car turn on its left blinker, and slow down while entering ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
The backup Camera goes upside down. The car hesitates when accelerated when needing a boost like getting on freeway Parking brake won’t catch. This is 2nd time and needs to be fixed again
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
Airbag/seatbelt dashboard light on.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
Airbag/seatbelt dashboard light on.
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The car had no warning signs showing. We were on the highway and this was the longest trip we’ve taken in this car. We were at about 100 miles into the trip, we were at mile 115 on I-95 in [XXX] coming from [XXX] . Suddenly the rubber around the tire ripped off completely, the car started to slow in the middle of the highway. We pulled over to the right side of the road and found the tire compl... Read more