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: Oct 14, 2025
While driving my 2024 Jeep Rubicon 4xe, both the Check Engine and “Service Battery” lights came on, and the vehicle suddenly shut down completely in the middle of a busy intersection. I lost all ability to accelerate, steer, or brake — the steering wheel locked, and the vehicle was inoperable in heavy traffic. I was trapped in the lane with vehicles approaching from all directions, unable to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
We placed our child in her car seat to go to a store. When buckling her in, we secured the 5-point harness and tugged on it to ensure it was tight and stable. At that time, the seat was functioning properly. Later, when leaving the store, we did the same to buckle her in again. This time, the 5-point harness failed and would not lock. We attempted to uninstall the car seat, shake out any possible... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
Vehicle intermittently has power steering failures. Will not turn to the left.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
Car accident. My car was T-boned on the passenger side, the side airbag did deploy. The impact from the accident pushed my car into on coming traffic and I hit 2 other cars. One in the front grill and the other in the left rear quarter panel. The front airbag did not deploy and my chest hit the steering wheel. My car was totaled and I was taken to the hospital and had 5 CT scans. The one for my c... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The brake pedals felt very soft with no resistance and barely had braking power. Was taken to dealership and they said it’s the brake booster which was a common thing on these cars, but there’s no recall to fix it and they won’t replace it.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Engine malfunction putting my safety at risk. This is a known issue under Hyundai’s active campaign, and the issue was verified by the manufacturer. A PA was required and Hyundai is refusing to repair vehicle due to service records prior to my ownership not being available. This issue was identified on 9/4/2025.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Paint is bubbling and peeling off in large sections down to the primer coat. The paint is shedding. Paint does not appear to have adhered to the E-coat.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
Two issues that I've taken to dealership 3 times since purchasing vehicle January 2024. 1. Adaptive cruise control -- I was in right lane of 4 lane highway with cruise control on. A car in left lane took a turn to cut through median and my car thought it was a collision and hard braked and took my vehicle from 60mph to 35mph in a few seconds. If a car had been behind me, I would have been rear... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Put a brand new battery in my vehicle - 3 days later driving on the highway had full loss of power - if said to service the charging system, and to put the car in park, then to press the brake and start button to start the vehicle. Went from 75MPH to 25MPH - rolled off the highway.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
While driving the cars speedometer and all gages will stop working, or they will constantly move up and down on their own, it will also not accelerate to speed limit in a timely manner.. when stopping the car it will brake extremely hard on its own and throw me forward it will also give a warning message on the dash that the power steering isn’t working and to drive with caution. When parking th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the trim pieces on the liftgate partially detached. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle received an unknown recall repair and was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking, and the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that her brother had replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
The car vibrates when it drives over 65-70 mph. Passengers feel car sick. Many Wagoneer drivers experience the same problem, but there is no remedy.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
The car vibrates when it drives over 65-70 mph. Passengers feel car sick. Many Wagoneer drivers experience the same problem, but there is no remedy.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2025
During multiple drives the vehicle completely shuts off when driving or at lower speeds. When this occurs (4 times over the last 3 months) the vehicle has no power or ability to restart creating a major safety issue. You cannot turn on the hazards or anything in the vehicle. The vehicle is still in drive (because you were driving when it occurred) and so you're unable to shift back into park to re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2025
We are aware of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe software update which basically disables the wrangler and have been diligent about selecting the red X to not accept the update. This morning on my son’s way to work the update went through anyway resulting in a loss of power forcing him to stop the vehicle. Thankfully he was able to limp the Jeep to our local service station where the firmware over the ai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
On October 04/2025 The vehicle was parked and stationary when it suddenly accelerated forward on its own. The brakes were completely unresponsive. I had a passenger in the front seat, and both she and I are certain that I was pressing the brake, but the car did not slow down at all. Within a few seconds, the vehicle gained speed, and I lost control. There was no space to maneuver, and I could do ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
At engine idle with vehicle parked or driving in heavy traffic, exhaust fumes are entering the passenger compartment. I am not aware of any apparent exhaust leak. The fumes seem to be entering by way of the fresh air intake. I have confirmed CO readings with 2 different detection devices. If the vehicle is moving the readings have been 3-96 ppm. If the vehicle remains stopped with engine running, ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
Every two months I have to change the bulb for the break lights. It burns out fast. Not only is it burning out fast but its melting and takes several days for pry the melted material out. Also smells like something is going to catch fire with this. This started over a year ago but I didnt know i can report it to be investigated as a recall.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
I was driving as normal in a 40mph zone when my car stalled, steering locked up, and it flashed to put it in park in the middle of traffic. I was able to move over to a safe space after putting it in park but it kept shutting off as I inched my way off the road with hazards on. There was an update that went out that was causing this to vehicles and i was declining the update as suggested by manuf... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the exterior of the vehicle, the contact became aware that the front bumper cover had detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the bumper fasteners. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The vehicle is shifting weird out of first, knocking sound. A code of p1326 skds is showing on diagnostic. This was supposedly repaired by kia a few months ago from a recall. I am questioning if they corrected and inspected the recall appropriately, due to this being the issue. The car is now unable to be driven because I do not want to do more damage.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
my Door Lock Actuator has failed on my passenger side front seat door. This poses a safety risk potentially trapping my family inside or allowing doors to swing open while driving. I could also think I locked my doors, however it did not lock and can lead to theft. In 2010, a different car I had was stolen and I still have anxiety about this, so this added level of potential theft has increased my... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
When I first got it, I would get on the highway and once I hit 80mph it would do a wobble. I was told by the dealership it was "normal" and they couldn't replicate it. Then it got worse, anytime I hit 60mph on the hwy it wobbles.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
When I first got it, I would get on the highway and once I hit 80mph it would do a wobble. I was told by the dealership it was "normal" and they couldn't replicate it. Then it got worse, anytime I hit 60mph on the hwy it wobbles.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
Both left and right front vertical LEDs which surround the headlights failed. Ford dealer advised both entire headlight assemblies would have to be replaced at a cost of approximately $3600.00
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 3500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated with an audible chime coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure either lasted throughout the duration of the drive or dissipated after several minutes at the beginning of the drive. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign N... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
I turned into a restaurant’s parking lot, found a spot and slowly drove into the lot, I eased off the gas pedal and gently applying the brake as the lot has a slight downward slope. When I reach the chunk (the parking block), I added more force to the brake, but I felt the brake pedal just sank, and the car lurched ahead, jumped over the chunk, and stopped at the curb which startled me. After I ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
My vehicle multipurpose camera unit failed. The entire advanced driver assistance system shut down and stopped working. This error randomly appeared. My vehicle has 48,000 miles on it. I received error codes for each of the components that they were not working. This meant no adaptive cruise control, no automatic emergency braking, no blind spot warning, no forward collision warning, no lane ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention) in 2024. The contact had been calling the local dealer but was informed that parts to repair the recall were not yet available. The contact stated that the rear-view camera had started failing intermittently. The contact stated that occasionally the image froze or flashed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
The infotainment system (radio) glitches, changes station automatically, turns-on and off, changes screen on its own and sometimes the touchscreen would not work if a screen option were selected.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
I am writing to formally express my concern regarding a persistent and potentially dangerous issue with the infotainment system in my 2022 Honda Accord. After 2.5 years of ownership, the system has begun malfunctioning on a daily basis while using Apple CarPlay. The issue presents as follows: the screen rapidly and uncontrollably cycles through applications, exits navigation, changes windows with... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Gridlines on the backup camera work intermittently when backing. The issue has been occurring since taking delivery. 20 June 2024. The dealer has made (3) attempts at repairing and has not resolved the issue. A Buy Back request was submitted 9/2025 and denied. GM advised it is a known problem they are working on. Back up cameras with gridlines became a mandatory safety feature in 2018.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
UConnect update was pushed and car shut off while driving saying to put in park and turn back on. Vehicles engine literally shut off twice while driving all due to a system update.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
No warner went out to head to work. Car moved very rough. Stopped parked car. Had car towed to a mechanic to be told Transmission was shot. 102,000 miles
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
Oil filter gets stripped on oil cooler housing and cracks and leaks damaging engine.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
My car is equipped with Full Self Driving. When I use that mode the car drives over , on, or dangerously close to the middle yellow line. Basically it drives you into oncoming traffic every single time I use it. It also has erratic fluctuations in throttle control that would confuse other drivers and possibly cause an accident. It’s constantly increasing and decreasing the throttle and feels jer... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Good afternoon! My car started having issues going in reverse before I received the recall notification. It would nearly stall out and happened a couple times prior to getting the notice. Once I got the notice, I reached out to the dealer to see if anything could be done and was told no, not yet. Now, months later, it has gotten so bad that I am having to leave my house when it's cool (it doesn't... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Good afternoon! My car started having issues going in reverse before I received the recall notification. It would nearly stall out and happened a couple times prior to getting the notice. Once I got the notice, I reached out to the dealer to see if anything could be done and was told no, not yet. Now, months later, it has gotten so bad that I am having to leave my house when it's cool (it doesn't... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
Good afternoon! My car started having issues going in reverse before I received the recall notification. It would nearly stall out and happened a couple times prior to getting the notice. Once I got the notice, I reached out to the dealer to see if anything could be done and was told no, not yet. Now, months later, it has gotten so bad that I am having to leave my house when it's cool (it doesn't... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
MY STARTER MOTOR OVERHEATED AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND MY CAR INDICATED THE FLUIDS AND COMPONENTS WERE OVERHEATED - MY DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM WITH A VIDEO THEY SENT ME. IF I WAS STILL DRIVING THE CAR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME MY DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND IN THE VEHICLE. i CALLED MY SERVICE REP AND THE DEALERSHIP IS LOOKING INTO IT AS MY VIN DOES NOT HAVE THE RECALL. NO... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
Dodge has a "safety" feature to keep the vehicle from driving off if the driver exits the vehicle with it in gear. The safety mechanism detects the seatbelt undone, the driver seat sensor and the driver door open. If someone gets out of the vehicle while it is in Drive, the parking brake is automatically applied, the engine put in park then powered off. My problem is this "safety" mechanism has ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
9/8/25 Airbag light is on dealership states it's the occupancy sensor. Must replace the seat frame $7k just for the part. I seen that the QX50 and 60 had same issue and a recall was issued. Could you please help us resolve this issue.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
While driving the tailgate released on its own. The warning lamp came on after the tailgate released, however if I had items in the back they could have been thrown out onto the highway. Other VIN numbers with this tailgate has a recall but for some reason my VIN was not included.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the liftgate independently unlatched and fell midway down, and then independently closed and latched. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
While driving on the road the vehicle suddenly loses power and shuts down. The check engine light illuminates and a message saying shift to park appears on the dashboard. You have no control of speed at this point. The vehicle stops and stalls in the middle of the road. Once you shift to park you have to completely shut off the vehicle while in the middle of the road and restart the engine. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
While driving on the road the vehicle suddenly loses power and shuts down. The check engine light illuminates and a message saying shift to park appears on the dashboard. You have no control of speed at this point. The vehicle stops and stalls in the middle of the road. Once you shift to park you have to completely shut off the vehicle while in the middle of the road and restart the engine. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
Backup camera is not working at all; there is a blank blue screen that appears with a warning that states: camera is unavailable. There is an open recall #NHTSA #24V951 and #24S75. Walker Ford Dealership was called today 10/14/2025 and stated there are no cameras available at this time for the recall. The parking sensors are no longer working because the backup camera is not working. My safety an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Received a Uconnect update on 10/10/2025 OTA. Vehicle is no longer opperating correctly and e-save mode will no longer turn on. Vehicle is randomly shutting off while driving and check engine light is now present. Dropping at a jeep location to investigate as vehicle is not save to opperate when driving due to issue of randomly dying while in motion.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
After an automatic UConnect software update on Saturday 10/11/25, my vehicle stalled out multiple times while driving. Even though it's in drive, the vehicle automatically shifted into park, the dashboard lit up, and the vehicle dead stopped in the middle of traffic. I took it to a Jeep dealership near me where they said many drivers are having the same issue. Worst than that, is that I had to ca... Read more