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: Jun 30, 2026
While driving a rented 2023 Kia EV6 on the freeway, the vehicle lost power and shut down completely, without warning, on multiple separate occasions during a single trip. This occurred at highway speed in live traffic, creating a serious risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic. The vehicle was a rental (Dollar Rent A Car); no external damage or collision was involved. The vehicle has sin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
The contact owned a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power while approaching a stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a Chevrolet Tahoe. The wrench symbol warning light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The air bags deployed as intended. A Poli... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
The contact owned a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power while approaching a stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a Chevrolet Tahoe. The wrench symbol warning light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The air bags deployed as intended. A Poli... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V212000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and 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 manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I was driving and the steering locked. I could not move steering wheel either way. Towed to ford repair… they replaced steering rack. Four times it was replaced..4 times it locked.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
There’s a safety recall issue on the backup camera it has gone out. It keeps saying backup camera unavailable.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
I was rear-ended by a truck in my prius and my seat laid back on impact. I'm unaware if that was an intended thing or not but it potentially could have injured my neck. My car is currently in a storage lot awaiting the adjustor's inspection so it is available for inspection if needed. No warning lights were available and it hasn't been recreated by the dealer
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 20, 2026
Repeated Check Engine light issue Ford failed to diagnosis and follow service bulletins regarding a defect in the engine block. Now Ford tells us that the engine block is cracked and wants us to pay full price for their faulty engine. Car was purchased with 31,388 on Dec. 4, 2020 as a Certified Pre-Owned Ford vehicle from a Ford dealership. 12/10/2022 with 46,728 miles Levittown Ford serviced t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
I drive a leased 2024 Porsche Macan that has been serviced exclusively by Porsche of [XXX]. In May 2026, I brought the vehicle in because the engine was revving/racing while I was driving locally at slow to normal speeds. I also reported that the vehicle initiated sudden collision-avoidance braking when no vehicles or obstacles were present. I was told no problem could be found or replicated. On ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
I drive a leased 2024 Porsche Macan that has been serviced exclusively by Porsche of [XXX]. In May 2026, I brought the vehicle in because the engine was revving/racing while I was driving locally at slow to normal speeds. I also reported that the vehicle initiated sudden collision-avoidance braking when no vehicles or obstacles were present. I was told no problem could be found or replicated. On ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
I've had a Blindspot warning light alert, told by dealership this is an electrical issue, after a web search, I see this is a common and known issue for Ford, yet no recall has been issued. I also have another know, common powertrain issue with my rear differential. The vehicle makes noise when turning, unstable when driving. The vehicle is less than 5yrs old and under 60k miles. Both issues are s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
I've had a Blindspot warning light alert, told by dealership this is an electrical issue, after a web search, I see this is a common and known issue for Ford, yet no recall has been issued. I also have another know, common powertrain issue with my rear differential. The vehicle makes noise when turning, unstable when driving. The vehicle is less than 5yrs old and under 60k miles. Both issues are s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking erratically. In addition, the oil light and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
The OEM Hankook iON tires (285/45R21) on my 2026 Kia EV9 GT Line experienced acoustic foam delamination — the sound-dampening foam bonded to the interior liner of the tire separated and is moving freely inside the tire at highway speeds. At speeds above 55mph the steering wheel and car start to vibrate. At 70mph the vehicle becomes undrivable and feels as though the wheels may detach. This crea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
On my expedition I started having issues with my transmission staying in gear while driving. I will be going up a hill and all of a sudden boom it starts down shifting or not accelerating at all. I had a few times when me and my wife will be driving, and we would be going through a intersection or a area where you don't want to slow down and then the transmission would forget which gear it would b... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
My child does not eat in his car seat. Every day debris dust etc gets under the release mechanism button causing the harness straps to randomly loosen. Huge safety issue that could lead to a fatal accident. Cybex’s solution is to tell you to clean out the mechanism but there’s no telling when or where the straps will stop tightening again. It’s not feasible to clean the strap every time I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
My child does not eat in his car seat. Every day debris dust etc gets under the release mechanism button causing the harness straps to randomly loosen. Huge safety issue that could lead to a fatal accident. Cybex’s solution is to tell you to clean out the mechanism but there’s no telling when or where the straps will stop tightening again. It’s not feasible to clean the strap every time I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud bang coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the sunroof windshield visor had shattered. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it remained for further inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-55 MPH and coming to a stop, the vehicle shuddered and jerked. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving from a complete stop. The de... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
A front wheel of this vehicle and/or its suspension is undergoing extremely dangerous vibrations at highway speeds (65-70+ mph). It is enough to shake the entire vehicle multiple times per second. The local service center, without looking at the vehicle, stated it "would be fine to drive on until your appointment" and scheduled an appointment nearly a month out into the future after I brought up c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
While stopped at a traffic light, the engine began producing a loud metallic clattering and clanking sound, consistent with connecting rod bearing failure (rod knock). There was no prior warning light or indication of this specific failure. When the light changed, the vehicle would not accelerate normally, leaving me stalled in a lane of moving traffic. I was forced to make an emergency turn to ge... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
While I was driving the vehicle on the freeway there a single popping noise that sounded to be below the vehicle. Immediately after there was a big trail of white smoke coming from beneath the vehicle. When I was able to pull over and got out of the vehicle there were flames visible and the fire quickly grew.
Fire
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
While I was driving the vehicle on the freeway there a single popping noise that sounded to be below the vehicle. Immediately after there was a big trail of white smoke coming from beneath the vehicle. When I was able to pull over and got out of the vehicle there were flames visible and the fire quickly grew.
Fire
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
This malfunction started in August of 2025 within 12 months of buying this new vehicle. A airbag sensor was replaced, then a national bbb case found the same malfunction only this time it includes the whole safty system failure. I gave the manufacturer a year and they have not corrected the malfunction. I am forced to drive a unsafe car *if I get hit my airbags will NOT DEPLOY*
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
When making a slower turn mainly when turning to the right or backing up to the right the RS rear wheel is intermittently locking upor dragging and letting loose multiple times in a row. It does it turning to the left but not as bad. This issue causes the vehicle to not want to drive correctly or want to move especially when at an intersection turning right so I have to give it excessive gas to ge... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
My EPB malfunction light goes off for no reason and kicks my cruise control off . My transmission is now making a crazy noise. Has happened MULTIPLE times since ownership.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
Three days before leaving for a trip from [XXX] to [XXX] my Land Rover Defender gave me a Low Battery warning. There was no time to take it to the dealership so I bought a new battery and put it in myself, then drove the 700 miles to [XXX]. My family and I were traveling in a remote area 6 miles from our vacation rental, with no cellular service, when our Defender suddenly threw an electrical fau... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
Subject: Manufacturer and Dealer Non-Compliance / Obstruction of Federal Safety Recalls Vehicle: 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan Description of Problem: I am filing a formal complaint against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)/Mopar and its authorized dealer network for active non-compliance, negligence, and obstruction regarding 7 open federal safety recalls on my vehicle. Authorized franchise dealerships... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2026
Vehicle: 2021 Honda Civic Hatchback Current Mileage: ~24,400 miles Component: Steering / Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Gearbox / Steering Rack Summary of Issue: Vehicle is experiencing severe "sticky steering" (mechanical binding) in the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) assembly while driving, most noticeably at highway speeds. The steering wheel feels stuck when trying to make minor lane adjustm... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
The fuel pump failed in a way that it soaked my left leg with fuel while riding the motorcycle. My safety was at risk from major burns if the fuel had ignited on the exhaust. No warning lights came on.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
The vehicle displayed a check engine light with a message stating an emissions issue. The car would accelerate on its own up to 10-15mph without any input to the throttle. Braking was extremely difficult and the car could not accelerate over 40 mph. My wife was driving and my 6 week old daughter was in the car.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
My windshield wipers come on when you start the car, or when you just click the switch to put windows up, but the wiper switch is off. The wipers stay operating from 5 to 10 minutes before they shut off, and I am concerned the windshield and/or wipers may become damaged. This issue has just started to occur within the last week. There have been no warning messages of any type displayed.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Upon taking the vehicle to a collision repair shop, the contact was informed that the gear shifter had failed to shift out of park(P). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The vehicle is currently at Kayser Automotive Group located at 2303 West Beltline Hwy Madison, WI 53713, their direct line is [XXX], since the diagnoses of the corrosion of the DCN. SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS THAT FAILED: A faulty or clogged engine bay drain plug failed to divert water, causing significant water accumulation that routed into the interior cabin. This water intrusion directly soaked inte... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The vehicle is currently at Kayser Automotive Group located at 2303 West Beltline Hwy Madison, WI 53713, their direct line is [XXX], since the diagnoses of the corrosion of the DCN. SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS THAT FAILED: A faulty or clogged engine bay drain plug failed to divert water, causing significant water accumulation that routed into the interior cabin. This water intrusion directly soaked inte... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2026
My wife was driving and the horn started blowing and the rear wiper started ejecting all the wiper fluid. When I showed up to assist, it smelled super hot and I had to pull the fuse and negative lead to make the wiper pump and horn stop. It was towed to a Ford dealer, who found the main engine harness had MELTED going into the engine compartment fuse box. The horn and wiper fluid pump also had to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2026
2021 GLE350 - 4JGFB4KB7MA355768 purchased December 30, 2024 with 35,000. miles. Current milage 61,933. There is a critical electrical/software defect in the MBUX system which has completely blacked out. This VIN# has not been placed on recall but it is suffering the same failure as previous models (Including NHTSA campaign #21V354 and #26V281000 and I believe it warrants further investigation. ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
My Nissan rogue had a PCV valve recall and I'm still getting sick from the car. I've had it at the dealerships and they can't find anything wrong but the car is causing severe migraine headaches, severe neck pain and severe abdominal and pelvic pain. It doesnt always happen and there is no way for me to figure out what is causing It. I put a portable CO2 detector in the car and found nothing. It ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
We have had the car for 2 months and when I went out to start it the other day I noticed a large crack in the lower 1/3 of the windshield, starting at the edge/gasket of the passengers side and spreading horizontally all the way to the drivers side. There is no impact mark anywhere on the windshield leading us to believe it is a defect in the glass itself or it was not bonded properly when install... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
Ford refuses to fix this recall for over a year I am stuck with a car I cannot sell because dealer will not honor recall.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
Tire size P255/55R20. I purchased 4 new tires February 2023 from Jim Dobson Ford in Winamac, In. I've taken my car back there at least 4 if not 5 times because of vibration. I finally took my car to a different facility and they showed me where 2 of my tires that was in the rear are separating and need replaced. I feel these tires was defective from the start, my car was like riding on air before ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the contact’s daughter was reversing the vehicle, the hybrid vehicle suddenly changed direction, and the vehicle drove forward approximately 3 feet and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The contact was informed that the part needed to repair the vehicle was on back order. No further information was available. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked inside the garage, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact discovered that the rear hatch door had opened unintendedly and was continuously striking the garage door. After closing the hatch door, the door failed to reopen electronically or manually from the outside. The contact's sp... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2026
No Incident Occurred. Tire Size 275/65R20. Tire Pressure Fluctuating between 59 and 71 PSI. 3 of 4 tires appear to have a defect. Was detailing the vehicle on 7/26/26 and noticed a tear in the Side wall on the Passenger side rear tire. About 3/4" to 1 inch away from the rim along the sidewall. Running parallel with the rim for about 4". Found similar defects and indentation lines on the Passenger ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2026
Within the first month of ownership I began hearing a noise from the right front of the vehicle consistent with a brake or suspension issue. I reported this to the selling dealer repeatedly during that first month; it was not resolved. The noise continued and worsened over the following year, eventually also affecting the right rear. At approximately 20,000 miles, an independent licensed inspectio... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
Car stalls when I’m at a red light, very dangerous
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system failed to restart engine after automatic shutdown at high elevation (~10,000 ft), following a long sustained incline. Vehicle had been driven through extreme heat (100°F+) in foothills prior to the climb, then ascended into cooler mountain air (~70°F). Coolant temperature gauge read normal (under half) at time of incident. At a stop, AIS shut off the engine as design... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system failed to restart engine after automatic shutdown at high elevation (~10,000 ft), following a long sustained incline. Vehicle had been driven through extreme heat (100°F+) in foothills prior to the climb, then ascended into cooler mountain air (~70°F). Coolant temperature gauge read normal (under half) at time of incident. At a stop, AIS shut off the engine as design... Read more