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: Apr 1, 2024
Issue Summary: The Chevy Volt has experienced recurring electrical problems, including the "Shift to Park" message, loss of power, and dead 12V battery. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership three times due to these issues. One incident involved a power loss while driving at 65 mph, which caused a near-miss with a semi-truck, posing a significant safety risk. Warranty Status: The additi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
While driving my car a warning flashed stating "check electrical vehicle system." Pulled over, contacted Kia of Abilene and asked if we could drive the car to the dealership. While on the phone another warning flashed ""Stop vehicle and check power supply." Attempted to drive car, "Limp mode or turtle mode" occurred and the max speed for the car was 25mph, sudden loss of acceleration. Made it home... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
I am reporting multiple serious issues with my 2016 Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.0, which has only 30,000 miles. Despite the low mileage, the vehicle is experiencing major safety and quality problems. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light stays on constantly, indicating a system failure. On startup, the car sometimes applies the brakes by itself, and there’s a loud noise like something is stuc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
I am reporting multiple serious issues with my 2016 Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.0, which has only 30,000 miles. Despite the low mileage, the vehicle is experiencing major safety and quality problems. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) light stays on constantly, indicating a system failure. On startup, the car sometimes applies the brakes by itself, and there’s a loud noise like something is stuc... Read more
KIA
OPTIMA
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
Apr 2, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while her husband was driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate until the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with internal failure in an exhaust manifold. The vehicle was repaired... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Driving on the highway, moving to pass another vehicle, engine shut off forcing me to coast to the shoulder. No warnings and didn't notice loss of power until I saw that the vehicle had been shifted into neutral. Had 2 kids in the truck and could not get GMC service department on the phone, had to walk up an onramp in order to get my kids home with me in an Uber. This is a 2024 6.2L GMC with only ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Driving on the highway, moving to pass another vehicle, engine shut off forcing me to coast to the shoulder. No warnings and didn't notice loss of power until I saw that the vehicle had been shifted into neutral. Had 2 kids in the truck and could not get GMC service department on the phone, had to walk up an onramp in order to get my kids home with me in an Uber. This is a 2024 6.2L GMC with only ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission unexpectedly downshifted, and the power train and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for a while. The contact was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
American leasing updated my car's software form 2.1 to 2.2 (1 of 3), then 2.2.,2 then 2.2.1. My blind spot monitoring is no longer working, and I get a radar malfunction error. Also, they will not pay for labor on the recall parts, as agreed to by the court order
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
2022 Chevy Tahoe with 32,292 miles of in-town and highway driving, never any towing. Perfectly maintained on time. Suddenly started to not respond to acceleration, and jolting, then would not reverse. Transmission valve body has already gone out. GM acknowledged the problem. States there is a national shortage of this part. There is nothing they know of being done about. Park the vehicle and wai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Upon startup, power steering service needed, no AEB, no lane departure warning available. Power steering does not work.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
I went for my regular wheel alignment last week and was told my tires need to be replaced - the tread was down to 3/32. I only have 30000 miles on the vehicle. I called Continental and was told the tires are considered a "performance" tire and therefore have no tread warranty. I bought a new set o Michelin Defender tires today. When I look on line, Tire Rack for example says the tires should b... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
My engine just failed after over a year of having to put oil in. The car has 77K miles and has been regularly maintained. Audi used this as a "demo car" and after purchase we immediately had to put oil in and were told verbally this is not an issue. The excessive engine oil consumption caused this catastrophic engine failure our an independent and trusted mechanic reports the engine has failed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
Complete engine failure due to lifters going bad in return had to replace the entire thing
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the power steering became operable. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The dealer was notified of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
My vehichle will not go in reverse my wheels are locking up and also my car is going over 6000 rpm when going down the highway and not wanting to shift gears where it is a safety concern for myself and my kids well being
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
Engine died in the middle of the right of way suddenly and would not restart. Knocking sound ensued when restart was attempted. Within the previous 48 hours, the engine had been topped off with 2 quarts of oil. The dealership it was towed to to assess the issue confirmed they added an additional 3 quarts of oil during the assessment. They confirmed the engine would need to be replaced. Mileage a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
There is an intermittent smell of gas/exhaust fumes in the cabin since purchasing the car. Nissan says there is no issue and offers no fix but I have never owned a car that had this type of smell in the cabin unless there was something wrong. The smell can be so bad as to cause nausea and headaches.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
There is an intermittent smell of gas/exhaust fumes in the cabin since purchasing the car. Nissan says there is no issue and offers no fix but I have never owned a car that had this type of smell in the cabin unless there was something wrong. The smell can be so bad as to cause nausea and headaches.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
vehicle shutters when downshifting/slowing. Most commonly at cruising speeds between 40 and 50 mph, but does occur at lower speeds as well. Vehicle can be felt vibrating/shaking consistently every time it is driven. Was taken into a dealership, was not adequately diagnosed as it was only test driven 1 mile per the paperwork and they could not duplicate the issue and was told they were "in the busi... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
One bank of lifters went out while under warranty and were repaired then the other ones went out shortly there after.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of Manufacturer Recall Number: 25S31; NHTSA Campaign Number: (AWAITING); regarding seat belts; however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Left brake lamp and Tailgate light malfunction" was displayed and while depressing the brake pedal the driver’s side rear brake light failed to illuminate. Additionally, the left turn signal was blinking quickly while activated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a ticking sound coming from the vehicle. Later, on the same day, while pulling into a friend’s driveway, the engine began making a knocking sound. The contact decided to drive to the residence nearby, and the engine started knocking again, eventually causing the engine to fail and the vehicle to lose mo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Received a warning on my dashboard when trying to turn off vehicle that vehicle was not in park. The vehicle however was in park. Vehicle would not turn completely off. Had to keep turning vehicle on and messing with shifting, turning it back off until it finally recognize it was in park. Have not taken it to a shop yet.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Hi I keep needed a oil change on this vehicle please have Kia to check why thanks and I sometimes smell oil out of no where thanks [XXX] [XXX] and I have had serval oil changes at Walmart only since I got the vehicle from carmax INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while reversing into a parking space at 2 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became significantly difficult to turn. The contact could not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Tire Kingdom, where it was diagnosed. The m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, and the vehicle was running rough. On one occasion during the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally, on another occasion the en... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, and jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, and the RPM fluctuated, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65-70 MPH on the highway, the radio panel went blank. The vehicle was blowing cold air on the driver's side while the passenger’s side was blowing hot air. The contact stated that there was slush on the driveway and the vehicle slid. There was a triangle symbol with an exclamation mark displayed. The message... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump had failed, causing damages to the engine. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed on a steep hill, the engine braking system failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the engine braking system failed to activate, and the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the failure was confirmed. The contact was informed that no repair was available... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Oil is getting into cylinders causing spark plugs to misfire. Very high oil consumption so I have to put oil in it every other day in between oil changes. I’ve been to Kia Service department several times in the past 2 months.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Vehicle suddenly lost power at 70mph in heavy traffic. This was after a very brief flash of the electrical system off and then back on. Vehicle was safely pulled to the side of the road (luckily). The electrical system kept demanding to “push start” and then would shut off and then immediately come back on, but without the engine starting. The vehicle would not completely turn off, or turn bac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Three year old vehicle with regular dealership maintenance. Spring broke, dealership stated that this is very common in the 6.2 L engine. Caused the Lifters to fail and scarring to happen on the camshafts. It was less expensive to replace the engine. This vehicle was of course out of warranty. Happened suddenly almost caused an accident as I was driving down the road and lost the ability to d... Read more
KIA
OPTIMA PHEV
(2017) — SERVICE BRAKES
Mar 31, 2025
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the brakes. The contact stated that the brakes were metal-on-metal after a brake replacement the month prior. There were no warning lights illuminated. The rear driver’s side brake pads were extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the brakes wer... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
ICCU failed while driving. Causing the car to dangerously decelerate with little to no warning. The car then bricked itself on the side of the road. Diagnoses is a failed ICCU. This failure was insanely dangerous as the car lost all power and would not accelerate.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
High temperatures catalytic converter code went on the car was stalling on the highway as soon as I hit 60 MPH as I was getting on the car will not accelerate like if the engine was going to come out which also caused my car to overheat which was smelling like burnt oil called the dealer regarding this issue and compared to the recalls on the other KIA which is exactly what's happening to my car.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Ram Rebel suffers from “Service Shifter” warning frequently; occasionally pits itself into neutral and requires to be put into park; front and rear park assist seem to be associated with this fault as well as it disables and enables randomly. Major electrical issue with shifter/transmission issues and parking sensors.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Ram Rebel suffers from “Service Shifter” warning frequently; occasionally pits itself into neutral and requires to be put into park; front and rear park assist seem to be associated with this fault as well as it disables and enables randomly. Major electrical issue with shifter/transmission issues and parking sensors.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 75 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter pulled over and restarted the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normal operation. In addition, the contact stated that during cold starts, the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The stop go feature is not working correctly, when it does cut off at a light after releasing the brake to move forward it takes 3-5 seconds to start. when the cars behind me see that i release the brake they assume im going to move which doesnt happen at first. some occasions the stop n go just doesnt work at all.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The panoramic sun roof opens but will not close. it takes 6-12 attempts to get it to close, it will move to where its an inch away from closing then reopen. Kia has recalls for this make and year but says my car is not affected. attempting to get it to close is very distracting and frustrating taking focus away from driving.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The panoramic sun roof opens but will not close. it takes 6-12 attempts to get it to close, it will move to where its an inch away from closing then reopen. Kia has recalls for this make and year but says my car is not affected. attempting to get it to close is very distracting and frustrating taking focus away from driving.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
The panoramic sun roof opens but will not close. it takes 6-12 attempts to get it to close, it will move to where its an inch away from closing then reopen. Kia has recalls for this make and year but says my car is not affected. attempting to get it to close is very distracting and frustrating taking focus away from driving.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
ABS, Brake, and Traction Control light came up had dealer review these and got error code C1391 and P0441. Initially they said its covered by Toyota customer service program which covered upto 150k miles as my vehicle only has 98k miles. Later they said only 10 years from the vehicle service which ended in 2023 and quoted $4500 to fix. Previously i asked them to check before expiration since it w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
While entering highway from a start the cvt shook the the car violently. Unable to get up to speed in safe manner. hit head on river door glass.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the air bags warning light illuminated and the message "Front Passenger Safety Restraint Fault - Service Required" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the front passenger seat occupancy system had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
Months after a bought the car brand new my engine failed, GMC took months to replace the engine leaving me without a car for months, while paid out of pocket for a rental. Further I’ve had numerous transmission issues that and other issues leaving the car in the dealership shop for months.