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 2, 2025
Radiator is failing between 60k and 70k miles with no check engine lights. Leaking an entire reservoir of coolant within a 24hr time period. Even when the temperature gage went above the middle mark and to the 3/4 mark the check engine light never came on.
KIA
SORENTO HYBRID
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2025
Incident date: May 26, 2025
I had placed my personal items - purse, keys, phone, etc. in my unlocked vehicle in a safe location behind my condo building. I was running across to mail something and come right back. When I returned a short time later, the car had locked itself with my items inside. I found out after googling this later, that multiple people have had this issue -- when their key fobs have gotten low on battery,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2020
So I was driving down the highway and I went to pass a car, (I never get close when passing) I was probably at least a quarter mile away from the car I was passing. I have every safety feature turned off, as I have, since buying the car almost 2 years ago. All of a sudden, I’m not sure if my sensor was off or what, but I’m assuming it thought I was too close to that car and it just started swe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
The Honda CRV is skipping/stuttering/juddering when accelerating between 25-45 mph. This has caused an issue when pulling out onto a highway. The mechanic advised me to have the VTC Actuator checked. Looking on line there is not a recall, but there are several safety bulletins and lawsuits connected to this issue. My vehicle was purchased used.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
Lights malfunction. Headlights dim intermittently, turn signal causes headlights to turn off, dashboard lights do not work, running lights work intermittently. The splice pack in the fuse box is burnt and so are the wires connected to it.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
Ford is saying that there is no remedy for the rear view camera recall at the moment. I took my van in and they inspected the rear view camera and said it was fine and that there was no problem with my vehicle. This recall has caused me several damages including losing several thousands of dollars in sales revenue as I use the van to transport goods for my business.
Incident date: May 31, 2025
I was driving home when I noticed that the check engine light was on. I stopped and checked the dash, infotainment display and VW app for what the problem was, the app showed no faults and all parameters had green checks. Only message on the dash was "Start Stop Error". Car ran fine and didn't seem to have any issue other than the auto start feature not working so I finished my drive home. When I ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V252000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that shortly after the vehicle was repaired the vehicle experience electrical failures. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the navigation system and radio bec... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2025
The Ford 10R80 transmission in my 2021 F-150 removes all confidence in the dependability of this truck. The transmission will slip and not engage for about 3-5 seconds and then lurch forward after finally finding the gear. This happened multiple times now and the 2 most dangerous were while taking an unprotected, but authorized left turn on a busy highway. Vehicles in the opposing lane had to slow... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
Whenever it rains in DFW, vehicle emits a foul/musty odor from the HVAC system. Only happens when it rains. HVAC setting has always been the same, "Lo" temp, AC Mode ON, Recirculation mode ON, fan speed varies. Taken vehicle to two different dealerships and techs unable to duplicate. It doesnt rain much here in TX so it is hard to get it taken care of while still within warranty. My family an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
Whenever it rains in DFW, vehicle emits a foul/musty odor from the HVAC system. Only happens when it rains. HVAC setting has always been the same, "Lo" temp, AC Mode ON, Recirculation mode ON, fan speed varies. Taken vehicle to two different dealerships and techs unable to duplicate. It doesnt rain much here in TX so it is hard to get it taken care of while still within warranty. My family an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – Office of Defects Investigation From: [XXX] Date: 2 June 2025Vehicle: 2014 Hyundai Equus Location: Columbus, GA (Other driven locations: Buford, GA; Alpharetta, GA; Duluth GA)1. Summary of Vehicle Cyber Incident:My 2014 Hyundai Equus has been compromised through what I believe to be a remote cyberattack targeting the vehicle’s i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. Additionally, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the engine seized. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and the failure reoccurre... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
I am writing to formally report a serious safety concern with my 2018 Chevy Malibu related to the brake booster vacuum pump. My vehicle has exhibited dangerous symptoms, including a hard brake pedal and reduced braking power, which I’ve now learned may be connected to a known defect affecting 2013–2022 Malibu models. These issues have significantly compromised my safety and that of others on ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2025
All of the bolts that hold the CVVT assembly backed out and one came completely out. It punctured a hole in my valve cover. Oil sprayed all underneath my hood and leaked out on the road. The car went into limp mode while I was driving, and had I not already pulled off the street, this would have caused a multiple vehicle accident. I had the vehicle towed to the manufacturer dealer and they confirm... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality, making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The failure persisted and became a complete failure. The contact stated that the “Service Power Steering” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Firestone Certified mechanic, who informed the contact that t... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse, the rearview camera failed to display a clear review image. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that occasionally the digital screen displayed an upside-down image or a black screen. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that the back over prevention c... Read more
KIA
FORTE
(2012) - EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:LINES AND FITTINGS
Jun 2, 2025
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
I setup my camper and turn the hot water heater on using the propane setting. I left the camper and came back and could smell something hot/burning inside the camper. I looked at the rubber propane line connected to the hot water heater was on fire. I opened the cover to the hot water heater and blew the flame out. Propane was leaking from the rubber line that was cracked. I turned the gas of... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
• The airbag system failed to deploy during a collision that resulted in the total loss of the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle was operating with a 17” spare tire (undersized compared to the standard 20” wheels), which may have contributed to the accident. The vehicle has been totaled and is currently in the possession of the insurance company, but may be available for inspection upon req... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
Fuel gauge showed close to empty and we filled up the tank. The fuel gauge is still reading empty and not properly reporting the gas level in the tank.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
Fuel gauge showed close to empty and we filled up the tank. The fuel gauge is still reading empty and not properly reporting the gas level in the tank.
Incident date: May 24, 2025
I am writing to formally report the theft of a sensor that occurred on 05/20/2025, which I believe was a direct result of its insecure placement. Unfortunately, its position left it vulnerable to unauthorized access and theft. I would like to raise the concern that the placement and securing method of the sensor did not adequately consider the risk of theft, especially in an area with public or e... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2025
Vehicle indicates a misfire on cylinder number 2 . Diagnosis of the issue appoint to a leak of coolant into the cylinder bore.
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2020) - AIR BAGS
Jun 2, 2025
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side air bag unintendedly deployed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2020) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 2, 2025
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
Transmission shifting hard while pulling lawn trailer. Truck goes into limp mode, exhaust brake shuts off, and check engine light comes on P0747. Dealer said bad valve body which could have damaged transmission. No parts in sight. Known GM issue bot my 2023 3500HD is not covered in recall????
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2020) - STRUCTURE
Jun 2, 2025
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim detached. No waring light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the engine had overheated, and there was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact performed an inspection of the vehicle. The contact became aware that the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine and other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle was driving rough. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where to was diagnosed and determined that rodents had eaten through the wires, and all the wiring harnessed in the e... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Sudden Unintended Acceleration occurred when turning vehicle onto a roadway from a standing stop at an intersection. It occurred at night, [XXX] at the [XXX] . The vehicle was headed west on [XXX] turning from the far left lane while stopped at the intersection of [XXX] and [XXX] when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed. The car eventually came to a stop when applying fi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
BMW have designed the steering wheel adjustment with a feature that is a fundamental flaw and safety issue.They claim " to ease entering and exiting the vehicle, the steering wheel moves to the upper position - this is true and good. HOWEVER, THE DO NOT MENTION THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO RETRACTS INTO THE DASHBOARD TRAPPING THE DRIVERS LEGS UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL - THIS WOULD CAUSE A SERIOUS SAFETY... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
We bought this in 2022 from clek, and a few months before we were transferring our daughter from the infant seat to a convertible seat, our infant seat became stuck on the base. Absolutely impossible to get off and my husband and I both tried many times. I reached out to Clek because I was very concerned that in an emergency situation it would take much longer to unstrap and get baby out instead o... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2025
The rear backup camera is either a blank black screen, or has distorted display. The directional guides do not display combined with a reverse presentation. Sometimes displays, system is malfunctioning, contact your manufacturer.
Incident date: May 31, 2025
The rear backup camera is either a blank black screen, or has distorted display. The directional guides do not display combined with a reverse presentation. Sometimes displays, system is malfunctioning, contact your manufacturer.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The cars steering is very stiff and won’t return to center without assistance. The vehicles steering is not working as intended. Unfortunately I am unable to see a dealership as the cost to repair is over $4000. The car only has 62k miles and should not be failing so early. This a danger to myself and other drivers
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
Is all on google this particular vehicle Lincoln Navigator 2019 L have problems on the transmission gear malfunctioning…I barely purchase this exactly model a few days ago and I have this issues concern safety so dealer said is purchase with no warranty but this vehicle have 75000 miles only … we should have the attention on this matter because is safety and costly to repair
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The Traction control light comes on while driving, once that happens it changes the performance of the vehicle it stays in one and it doesn’t allow you to do more then 43 at the most.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
On Saturday, May 24, 2025. I had my foot on the break as I was turning into the driveway of the building. Suddenly the car engine reved and the car acceletated toward the building wall. As this was happening I began to pump on the break and the car only stopped because it it hit the curb. This cause my passenger and me to lunge forward. My passenger hurt their wrist putting their hands on th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
Getting a Shift to park message on dash screen also getting radio to be unresponsive (like the screen is frozen) also puts a message of no information detected
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The vehicle is subject to manufacturer recall #127. I brought it to two different dealerships for the recall repair after confirming in advance that they had the necessary parts. However, after dropping off my vehicle, I was informed a few hours later that the dealership did not actually have the parts needed for the repair. I contacted Hyundai’s service center to escalate the issue, but they r... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2025
The transmission shifts from 10th gear to 1st when I’m going 70mph. Then it leaves me with no throttle control. If I get to 7th gear and approach a stop sign, it will stay in 7th gear and I can’t accelerate until it shifts down to 4th, to 1st, then back up to 3rd. It’s extremely dangerous, I can’t drive like it’s a normal car
Incident date: May 14, 2025
Breaks keep making noises and all four tires need to be forced balanced dealership won’t fix the issues
Incident date: May 29, 2025
Electronic throttle control Vehicle light came on my 2016 jeep compass dash as I was on vacation vehicle would not accelerate and turned off causing us to almost wreck and having to leave it on the side of the road and call a Uber and get a tow. There is many reports of this issue it needs to be a recall.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
2023 Fisker SUV Door Handle Malfunction, I am submitting this complaint regarding a critical safety issue with my 2023 Fisker SUV involving the interior and exterior door handles failing to open. This malfunction has resulted in passengers, including myself, being locked inside the vehicle, unable to exit manually or from the outside. Details of the Issue: Component Failure: The door handles fai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
2023 Fisker SUV Door Handle Malfunction, I am submitting this complaint regarding a critical safety issue with my 2023 Fisker SUV involving the interior and exterior door handles failing to open. This malfunction has resulted in passengers, including myself, being locked inside the vehicle, unable to exit manually or from the outside. Details of the Issue: Component Failure: The door handles fai... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact became aware that the seat belt had independently unbuckled from the seat belt buckle. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twelve times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
I was on my way to work and was in a neighborhood going 25 mph and came to a stop. My engine cut off and would not restart. I bought the car with somewhere around 120,000 miles in 2021.. it is the end of May 2015 and the car has a little less than 152,000 on it. I kept up with required oil changes and I have been told that the engine is siezed. As well as the torque converter being stuck... sounds... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2025
Hesitation when trying to accelerate. When I start my truck in the morning And hit the gas there’s a hesitation before it will move and When I come to a stop sign and hit the gas there’s always a hesitation. When the truck finally starts to move it jumps quickly forward from pressing down on the gas pedal and it’s almost caused me to rear end someone multiple times.
Incident date: May 22, 2025
Hesitation when trying to accelerate. When I start my truck in the morning And hit the gas there’s a hesitation before it will move and When I come to a stop sign and hit the gas there’s always a hesitation. When the truck finally starts to move it jumps quickly forward from pressing down on the gas pedal and it’s almost caused me to rear end someone multiple times.
Incident date: May 22, 2025
Harley Davidson did not coat the inside of the Fuel Tanks on the Panamerica from the 1st model year in 2021 until the mid-2024 model year. Because of these uncoated fuel tanks, people are experiencing a high rate of fuel pump failures at low mileage (5-10K) due to the interaction of the ethanol in today's fuels, and the uncoated aluminum motorcycle gas tanks. Harley Davidson essentially acknowledg... Read more