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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints
140,173 Reported Crashes
56,794 Reported Fires
8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›
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Showing 62,191 complaints for KIA

KIA SORENTO (2016) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
The Panoramic Moonroof suddenly is stuck in the vented position. It wont open more or close. Just get a clicking noise. This appears to be a very common issue amongst buyers of this generation of toyota. It started raining/hailing when I had it opened and could not close it I had rain falling down on me getting in my eyes and hail hitting me while driving which was a big safety issue.
KIA SELTOS (2022) - SERVICE BRAKES Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 26, 2026
On 7/25/2026, the vehicle set DTC P1128 (Closed Loop Fueling Not Achieved, Bank 1) with a steady check engine light and no drivability symptoms. I cleared the code with an OBD2 scanner. My wife had driven the vehicle to a local store and back earlier with no issues. Shortly afterward, with the vehicle loaded for a trip, she applied the brakes at the end of our driveway and the vehicle did not com... Read more
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - ENGINE Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
We had a recall done, Campaign 92C, and every since then the car drives horrible. It's worse when cool, it sputters, and hesitates especially when excellerating. Even after warmed up it seems to slam in and out of gear at low speeds, even when foot is not on the gas. The drive is choppy. The dealership told us to drive it and let the transmission "learn" our driving patterns, but it has not resol... Read more
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
Hi, smell a very strong gas smell inside the cabin. And it doesn't matter if the fuel tank is full are nearly empty.
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - ENGINE Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
Hi, smell a very strong gas smell inside the cabin. And it doesn't matter if the fuel tank is full are nearly empty.
KIA SOUL (2014) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 18, 2026
The dashboard/instrument panel on my 2021 Ford Expedition is bubbling, warping, and peeling away directly above and around the front passenger airbag location. The dashboard has visibly separated from the underlying structure and continues to worsen. The defective component is available for inspection upon request. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this condition presents a potenti... Read more
KIA NIRO (2023) - VISIBILITY/WIPER Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 26V458 Manufacturer Name: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC Submission Date:XXX NHTSA Recall No.: 26V458 Manufacturer Recall No.: D145 Rear back up camera intermittently malfunctions. Says “camera not available” on screen. Which also affects the warning signals that tell you if anyone is behind you. I called the dealership to repair it, they said I need y... Read more
KIA NIRO (2023) - BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Part 573 Safety Recall Report 26V458 Manufacturer Name: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC Submission Date:XXX NHTSA Recall No.: 26V458 Manufacturer Recall No.: D145 Rear back up camera intermittently malfunctions. Says “camera not available” on screen. Which also affects the warning signals that tell you if anyone is behind you. I called the dealership to repair it, they said I need y... Read more
KIA NIRO (2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 26, 2026
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
The vehicle caught on fire with my [XXX] and me inside. Its currently located at a tow yard and Chrysler has not inspected the vehicle yet. I have a report from the fire department stating the fire was hotter on the left drive side which directly lines up with the current recall of the drivers side door switch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B... Read more
Fire
KIA EV9 (2026) - BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
On August 25, 2025, I was in a crowded Trader Joe's parking lot using the vehicle's FSD parking feature. The vehicle was moving backward into a parking position. A stationary vehicle was in the area. Instead of detecting the other vehicle and stopping, the Tesla kept backing up and made contact with the stationary vehicle. The other vehicle was not moving, and there was enough room for the Tesla t... Read more
Crash
KIA EV9 (2026) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
On August 25, 2025, I was in a crowded Trader Joe's parking lot using the vehicle's FSD parking feature. The vehicle was moving backward into a parking position. A stationary vehicle was in the area. Instead of detecting the other vehicle and stopping, the Tesla kept backing up and made contact with the stationary vehicle. The other vehicle was not moving, and there was enough room for the Tesla t... Read more
Crash
KIA SOUL (2018) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
The bronco sport was being driven, suddenly an gasoline odor was slightly noticed, it was almost dismissed because the intersection the vehicle was currently at has 4 gas stations. The SUV suddenly turned off, alerts popped up on the screen and smoke began to rise from underneath the hood. As the vehicle was exited, the gas odor was noticeable and flames began to shoot from the engine bay. Within ... Read more
Fire
KIA SOUL (2018) - AIR BAGS Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
Vehicle under mandatory recall for defective air bags. Called to get appt. with local dealer Fred Martin Motors. Have failed to call me back to set an appt. The dealer says they are waiting for parts. It has been 3 months. Still waiting. Concerned about safety if my vehicle.
KIA SOUL EV (2017) - STEERING Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
While driving, the front passenger side ball joint failed catastrophically. The wheel completely separated from the control arm and folded under the truck, causing the vehicle to drop hard onto the suspension and nearly lose control. I was extremely fortunate not to be involved in a crash or killed. Photos taken immediately after the failure show the wheel collapsed under the truck and the damaged... Read more
KIA SOUL EV (2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
When the van is turned off it does not want to start easily again. This has now happened approximatly 5 times. I had the battery checked at O'reilly's and the battery was fine but the starter was not.
KIA SELTOS (2021) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 25, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) failed. Before repair, the check-engine light appeared intermittently, the vehicle sometimes had difficulty starting, and the indicated electric range could suddenly drop from about 30 miles to zero despite a charged high-voltage battery. When this occurred, the gasoline engine started unexpectedly. The air conditioning also intermittently blew warm air unt... Read more
KIA SOUL (2012) - ENGINE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
On June 24, 2026, Safety Recall 20UF (Suction Jet Pump) was completed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer. Upon leaving the dealership, the vehicle immediately experienced a severe engine stall and extended no-start condition. During the recall service, liquid fuel flooded the EVAP lines and charcoal canister, saturating the intake with raw fuel. This caused an immediate safety hazard, stalling the... Read more
KIA K5 (2023) - SERVICE BRAKES Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
The failure was when I hit the brakes hard in an emergency braking situation and the car very eratically and violently veered to the left. There was no warning and thank God there was no car coming in the left lane otherwise it would have been a broad side hit. I was doing 55 mph. We had the car inspected at a local shop and the left rear tie rod link was completely severed from the suspension ... Read more
KIA NIRO EV (2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the vehicle independently started, and the contact was alerted by the audible sound coming from the horn. The contact exited the residence and became aware that the windshield wipers and interior and exterior lights were flashing. The contact stated that the key fob was used to lock and unlock the vehi... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID (2023) - STEERING Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while turning into a parking space, the steering wheel locked up, and the contact was unable to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a corroded ground strap. While diagnosing the vehicle the dealer became aware that the ground strap in the passenger’s side whee... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE HYBRID (2023) - SUSPENSION Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
Vehicle: 2021 GMC Sierra SLT | VIN: [XXX] Dealership: Carl Black GMC Roswell, GA (11225 Alpharetta Hwy, 30076) | Invoice #[XXX] | Service Date: [XXX] Paragraph 1 – Suspension Hazard: Dealership diagnosed a worn left upper ball joint (popping sound on left turns) and installed Rough Country aftermarket upper control arms on my stock-height Sierra SLT. These arms are designed for lifted suspensio... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2021) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jul 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with an inoperable low-pressure fuel pump. The contact was informed that the low-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the f... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2021) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 14, 2026
The contact called on behalf of an insurer who owns a 2026 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that 15 minutes after the vehicle was parked and turned off, a neighbor informed the owner that the vehicle had caught on fire. The owner and the neighbor extinguished the fire using water hoses. The contact stated that the fire originated under the rear passenger’s side seat and was caused by an overh... Read more
Fire
KIA SPORTAGE (2021) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 14, 2026
Transmission slipping
KIA SPORTAGE (2021) - ENGINE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 14, 2026
The transmission belt deteriorated. I had noticed my gears slightly delayed over past couple months. On July 10th, i was on freeway during morning commute traffic and the car lost all power. All the dash warning lights came on and I luckily got to side of road. I towed to dealer and they confirmed that it was premature belt deterioration. I sent a claim to honda and they agreed that was the issue... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2027) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL:SOFTWARE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving with the adaptive cruise control activated, the cruise control became inoperative after being used for a while. The message "Clean Radar Sensor" was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that after the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the adaptive cruise co... Read more
KIA FORTE (2023) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Multipurpose camera stopped working and most of the safety systems alerts are on now and don’t work
KIA CARNIVAL (2023) - STEERING Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not ma... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2014) - ENGINE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: May 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
KIA TELLURIDE (2027) - STEERING Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm and was sticking while driving. The contact used excessive force to turn the steering wheel while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - ENGINE Jul 24, 2026
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
While driving, my 2020 Chevrolet Equinox suddenly lost power and shut off without warning while I was pulling into traffic. The vehicle would buzz not crank afterward but would not restart. This created a safety hazard because the unexpected engine shutdown occurred while the vehicle was in motion. This is the second brake vacuum pump failure I have experienced with this vehicle. In 2022, the brak... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2011) - POWER TRAIN Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
Transmission is slipping/jerking when stopping and then when accelerating again. Multiple other owners have reported this same issue.
KIA SORENTO (2014) - ENGINE Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned: On 6/12/2026 While drive on the highway with our daughter in the car and we experienced a high speed stall. The engine failed and we lost power. We barely got the car of the highway and coasted into a parking lot. 2) Life threating for Father, Mother and daughter and other drivers on the highway. 3) The Mazda dealer stated they were unable... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2014) - POWER TRAIN Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
Our transmission is going out. We started having issues without any warning lights coming on. The car jumps heavily at stops lights when we are coming to a stop. The car then doesn't want to accelerate from a stopped position. When we hit the accelerator, the car starts skipping/jumping and the gas pedal feels like it doesn't have any grip. We had an independent mechanic ride in the vehicle and ho... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2014) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
The instrument cluster in my 2021 Mazda CX-3 failed at approximately 50,000 miles. While driving, the vehicle displayed multiple warning lights, including Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), traction control, and front camera/safety system warnings. These safety systems became unavailable due to the instrument cluster failure. An authorized Mazda dealership inspected... Read more
KIA CARNIVAL (2023) - STEERING Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
The steering wheel is physically sticking at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions during gradual turns, requiring extra effort to return to center, very scary with my kids in the car. Please investigate, dealership acting like I’m making things up.
KIA SORENTO (2021) - ENGINE Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
The contact owned a 2019 BMW 330I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence in the driveway, there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from outside the residence. The contact checked and became aware that the vehicle was on fire. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time. The contact stated that the residential camera showed that the fire had started by the front driver... Read more
Fire
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - POWER TRAIN Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
This is a fourth occurrence related to NHTSA complaints 11749893, 11750183, and 11751201. The vehicle was previously diagnosed and repaired under warranty for the same 'Shift System Fault: Service Required' condition (transmission main control valve body replacement, RO #609213, completed July 21, 2026). Approximately 14 hours after pickup, on July 22, 2026, the identical fault recurred, the Chec... Read more
KIA CARNIVAL HYBRID (2025) - ENGINE Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
This is a fourth occurrence related to NHTSA complaints 11749893, 11750183, and 11751201. The vehicle was previously diagnosed and repaired under warranty for the same 'Shift System Fault: Service Required' condition (transmission main control valve body replacement, RO #609213, completed July 21, 2026). Approximately 14 hours after pickup, on July 22, 2026, the identical fault recurred, the Chec... Read more
KIA SOUL (2015) - BACK OVER PREVENTION Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a blank or distorted image. Additionally, the rear-view camera error message was displayed on the screen. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact s... Read more
KIA SOUL (2017) - ENGINE Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: May 9, 2026
I own a 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle as a used vehicle in 2023, I began experiencing intermittent air conditioning performance. The A/C would gradually lose cooling capacity over time until it was no longer able to cool the cabin effectively. To temporarily restore operation, I added refrigerant approximately twice per year, believing the system had developed a m... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2024) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 23, 2026
I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas with approximately 61,000 miles. After a software update prompted by the vehicle, saying it will be done in 3 parts.the infotainment screen began malfunctioning the following day. Initially, the screen would repeatedly go black, restart, work for a short period of time, and then go black again. This issue continued for almost three weeks. The screen is now completely ... Read more
KIA NIRO (2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
ALTERNATOR FAILURE: My family and I were moving to [XXX] from [XXX]. A few hours into the drive, the vehicle battery light came on. It was intermittent though. It would be on for a little while 10-15 mins and then shut off and then repeat this process. I stopped at an Autozone and they tested the battery and it was showing a charge of 7%. I could not afford to get stranded somewhere so I went a... Read more
KIA NIRO (2025) - POWER TRAIN Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
I had two incidents with the Cadillac CT-4 in February and then again in April of 2026 of driving on I-75 at a highway speed of about 70 MPH when the vehicle suddenly downshifted and the engine revving at at very high RPM. The vehicle slowed down suddenly and it felt for a moment that I could not control the speed. The check engine light was on and the diagnostic indicated a transmission/enginee... Read more
KIA NIRO (2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The TIPMs system has been recalled in multiple vehicles and has causes a fuel pump relay failure and numerous other electrical issues . Chryslers recall has yet to include this year make and model despite the fact the identical part is used in the recalled vehicles. Chrysler is picking and choosing which vehicles this recall applies to and it’s putting families at risk of the TIPM failing and l... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2013) - ENGINE Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the engine surged and RPM revved above 7,000 RPM, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond, and the transmission failed to respond. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illumina... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2013) - POWER TRAIN Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the engine surged and RPM revved above 7,000 RPM, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond, and the transmission failed to respond. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illumina... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2013) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 2, 2026
In troubleshooting a power failure in the slide and leveling hydraulic system in this Class A RV, an electrical issue was discovered with the main powerline being frayed and corroded due to its placement next to the gas tank. It appears the power line may have been arching against the fuel tank. This seems like a very dangerous situation and should be reviewed. No incidents happened due to the dis... Read more
KIA SORENTO PHEV (2025) - STEERING Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Due to braking system electronic failure vehicle automatically disables safety features such as ABS, parking collision sensors disabled, traction control, and vehicle will automatically and abruptly go into P (park) when coming to a stop while braking. This can be caused by wheel speed sensors, brake control module, or communication failure to PCM. Engine codes U0418, U0415, and U1003 linked to pr... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2016) - LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST Jul 23, 2026
Incident date: Jul 18, 2026
On 7/22/2026 between 6pm and 7pm PST, I was driving my Tesla Model Y on I-405 southbound in Orange County, CA, between the Westminster Blvd exit and Exit 73, with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. The incident occurred at an express lane ingress/egress transition zone where a physical barrier separates the express and general-purpose lanes. While in FSD mode, the vehicle initiated a lane cha... Read more
Crash
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