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: Jan 11, 2025
The engine and cluster showed and made noises indicating that the hybrid system was malfunctioning. The cluster indicated a speed limit at high speeds, but never did so. The electric drivetrain was disconnected and the handling and power were severely affected. It was dangerous because the distracting and concerning issues were during a rapid speed and in dangerous conditions with no clear remed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
Water pump, that was just replaced in June at Ford dealership, is leaking. This is ridiculous that Ford cannot put quality products in there vehicles.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
[XXX] and [XXX] [XXX] President and chairman American Honda Motors Company 1919, Torrence Blvd, PO box 2215 Torrance, CA 90509-9870 Dear sir, /Madam Honda Accord Sedan 2024 Vehicle [XXX] WE are in receipt of your safety recall notice for this vehicle which we purchased recently the odometer millage was 8429 on date when we purchased and today it is 8585. This means we did not drive much. We... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
Vehicle purchased on September 7, 2022, with 16,182 miles. It was sold to me with an open recall. Late December 2023, I complained about car not starting on a frequent basis. Roadside assistance was called to jumpstart battery. Every time the vehicle was jumpstarted the check engine light remained on for days to up to two weeks. January 5, 2023, vehicle went to repair shop, techs claimed nothing w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Complaint about failure to execute recall and lack of solutions from the official dealer I, [XXX] , owner of a 2021 Acura RDX, VIN: [XXX] , am filing a complaint regarding the inadequate execution of a recall and the lack of solutions from the official dealer. What component or system failed or malfunctioned? The issue concerns the seat weight sensor, which is supposed to be replaced as part of ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Hello! I bought a car in the USA, I live in another country. Errors that appear in the car are similar to these: [XXX] Еrror appears then, the cogd I give more gas and let go of the pedal. When the engine is heated at different speeds. The scanner showed these errors: P1326 Ignition Control Module - Combustion Quality Input Signal; U0293 Lost Communication With Hybrid Powertrain Control Modul... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
My engine is using excessive oil consumption and want to know if my gas direct injection system is covered under manufacturer or a dealer.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
Design of the dashboard creates a glare on the windshield that makes it extremely difficult to see in bright sunlight. This leads to very dangerous driving conditions.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
When turning the vehicle on, it sometimes displays an error in the instrument panel of the”Brake system failure 43 MPH Top Speed” When this error is present, the vehicle has almost no braking capability. One pedal braking is also disabled when this happens. So the only way to stop the car is to mash the brake pedal to the floor like your life depends on it. Turning the vehicle off for 5 mi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
My engine is using excessive oil consumption and want to know if my gas direct injection system is covered under manufacturer or a dealer.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2022
The rear passenger door won’t latch when it is cold out. The dealership replaced the lock, but it is still happening. I have been stranded multiple times because my door is stuck open.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
For the past 3 weeks my check engine light would appear then disappear. On 01-09-25 I scheduled with a in town loco mechanic shop. Gave him my worries about how my check engine light sometimes comes on. I was advised to take my vehicle to the Ford dealership because they could not replace the sensors I needed, only Ford can?? I picked up my car and the check engine light was not on. Today [XXX] in... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
Purchased a brand new 2022 tucson. Within 2 months it went to the dealer with about 7 dash fault lights turning on (abs, Air bag, lane assist, check engine, just to name a few) and breaks engage on their own. Stayed at the dealership for over 2 months while they had the Hyundai engineers try to figure out the issue. They gave it back to me and said it was a connector in the rear door. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
I was driving along the express way when I heard a loud explosion, I look up to see my sunroof exploded and there was glass all over the kids and I. The explosion was so loud I lost control of the car and almost veered off the road. It was terrifying. It happened last year in the winter then happened this year as well. The temperature outside was about 30degrees, and I was driving about 70mph. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
Vehicle has hard shifting up and down. Loud clank when up shifting or down shifting at random times.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when starting the vehicle, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was vibrating. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
I started my bmw up one day after working 16 hours and white thick smoke came from the back tailpipe. Tok it to bmw and they said my car is leaking oil on to the turbo and I need to replace the pump, shocks, valves and others because of this leak. And the car started to issue a transmission fault code on the screen.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
The instrument panel cluster of my 2020 Jeep Gladiator went blank a few months ago. Therefore, my odometer, fuel gage and several other notifications were not visible. The recall Campaign Number: 24V652000 for the instrument cluster panel does not include my vin #. I am looking to be refunded for the $$ I already had to spend to fix this and not sure how to go about getting my vehicle included i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
ABS shakes when crossing over different terrains. Car does not stop as fast as it should. I am afraid for the safety of my family and other drivers on the road if I can't stop. I have brought the car to the dealer several times since I bought it new and they say they can't recreate it. The last time, they recommended changing my brakes. I brought it to a private mechanic and they said it's not the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
Driver side view mirror shakes while driving making it unsafe to use the mirror to make s lane change. Nissan corporate refusing to fix the issue, they say it's normal.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 45 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power, causing the acceleration to be reduced to 25 MPH, while also causing the vehicle to shake aggressively. The vehicle was driven to the residence and then towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 10, 2025
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
loss of steering while driving, fluid loss multiple times since late september 2024(all while driving and no lights or warnings came on), 2 snapped serpentine belts, key ignition sticking(would not turn), dashboard not lighting up, rpm no longer rests below 1.5 - 2, car struggles to accelerate(especially uphill), car turns over and struggles to start, even though has newer battery. 1/9/25 driving ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
honor catalytic converter failure under manufacturer warranty which they refuse to honor after 90 days at the kia service center , and fail to replace the defective part
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
This first began when we went to Oregon from dry Central Valley in California and hit rain. Multiple error messages appeared: Service Advance Trac, Check 4x4, Hill Assist Not Available, ABS, Steering Assist Fault, etc. Power steering assist was lost and is now intermittent which creates a dangerous situation. The ABS brakes made load groaning noises. I went to O’Reilley’s and used their OBD2 s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
This first began when we went to Oregon from dry Central Valley in California and hit rain. Multiple error messages appeared: Service Advance Trac, Check 4x4, Hill Assist Not Available, ABS, Steering Assist Fault, etc. Power steering assist was lost and is now intermittent which creates a dangerous situation. The ABS brakes made load groaning noises. I went to O’Reilley’s and used their OBD2 s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
Back in late November 2024, Tesla pushed an Over-The-Air (OTA) update to my 2024 Tesla Model Y. Immediately after pushing this OTA, all of my car's cameras stopped working (INCLUDING my rear or "backup" camera). This is in violation of federal law as all new vehicles are required to have a backup camera. Additional safety-critical items were also impacted: the rear-view and both of the side mirror... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
My 2020 Honda Pilot steering wheel locks or sticks while driving, which terrifies me. After researching the problem online, I found that 2020 Honda vehicles have been recalled due to a manufacturing defect in the steering gearbox assembly. My vehicle is NOT on the list. Please advise. Thank you!
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
At 85,000mi my transmission failed while driving on the highway. The dealership kept the transmission so it can not be inspected. This was extremely dangerous with my whole family in the car too. No lights illuminated on the dash board just rpm flew up with the vehicle not moving. There were no indications that anything was going to fail. No stored or active codes were detected in the vehicle.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
started receiving 4 wd unstable notification. Took jeep to dealership who advised that my PTU Component was at fault. the cost is $3700 to repair. Only certain VIN numbers are eligible for repair through Jeep. I have read many complaints from other Jeep Cherokee customers that also were not covered by 2017 PTU recall. This jeep only has 71 K miles and 4wd barely used mostly highway driving.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and attempting to overtake the vehicle ahead, the message "Charging System Needs Service" was displayed. The contact stated that during the first failure, the "Charging System Needs Service" and "Shut the Vehicle Off" messages were displayed. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle fai... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
I have a wrench 🔧 showing up in the screen, the gears downshift,the gears shift from 3 to 6
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Vehicle shutoff at high rate of speed causing me to not have power steering or brakes. This was very frightening and lucky to not cause a major accident. This was due to the High Pressure Fuel Pump failing that has extended warranty but should be a recall as this is very dangerous.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Got code C1391, a common issue with the Prius. Brake Booster Assembly is defective due in no part to owner/driver of vehicle. This creates a serious safety issue with braking. Traction control light, brake light, and ABC light are all on and repair is ridiculously expensive.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
While driving on the highway, the panoramic roof shattered on its own with no outside or inside influence. This put the safety of myself and others at risk as the noise was similar to a weapon being fired at point-blank range. Additionally, had the panoramic roof curtain not been closed, glass would have fallen onto my children. This problem has been reported by others online, and there is a class... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
I drove to Pittsburgh on [XXX]. I got back in the car, pulled down the driveway and when I tried to enter traffic the car lost power, the dashboard went crazy with error messages and the car was useless. Had it towed to the nearest Honda dealer, they suspected fuel. The high pressure fuel pump was the part that fixed the problem. Fault code dtcp0087 was found in the ECU. I obtained a fuel sampl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
Due to the freezing (around 20 degrees F) temperatures, the latch of the front-driver’s side door was frozen and was unable to close. The door would initially open, but any attempt to close it afterwards became unsuccessful.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
My engine light came on and within a three day time span my engine overheated. I kept up with all maintenance on my vehicle and even had a previous diagnostic ran on the vehicle a month prior. I was told there was a customer satisfactory warranty that expired in November 2022 on my vehicle but information was given to first owner that stated what would happen to my vehicle. I bought my car in Marc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The children message that the radar is obstructed, I did the clean where is the radar is but the issue still.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2024
The electric power-steering assist is failing while my vehicle is in motion. I lose power steering and have to use significantly more effort and may lead to a crash, at any speeds. I was driving on the highway when this happened, although it has happened at slower, neighborhood speeds. When this happens, I see a warning message on the dashboard stating the power-steering assist failed and service ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
On 12/30/2024 my wife was returning home when all of the instrument lights went out. She stopped to make attemps to get the lights to come on but nothing worked. She had to drive home with no instruments for speed, directions, service, etc. When she got home ( very upset ) she only wanted to know why e new car with only 1400 miles would have this problem. I checked all the obvious cause for this ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
Was driving down a busy road with my [XXX] and [XXX] , when all of a sudden my steering wheel got super tight and the car shut down. A message stating "power steering assist fault" popped up on my dashboard. There was ZERO warning before it happened. I just bought this car 3 months ago from a facebook marketplace car dealer. When this incident happened 2 weeks ago, I googled 2011 ford fusion reca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in unt... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
While driving approximately 40mph down straight roadway without anything around, the vehicle has unexpectedly slammed on the brakes. This has happened four times to date (11/13/24 - 12/25/24). During two of the instance's lights flashed on the dashboard and indicated the front right corner sensor of vehicle. During the other two occurrences, lights flashed on the dashboard and indicated the sensor... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
2012 Toyota Highlander Blizzard white paint peeling I need help!!! I noticed paint peeling on a side panel 2 months ago and then followed up the peeling to find the entire top of my car is totally peeled! Please, help!!! [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
Kia Sportage 2021- The service department at the dealership ran basic inspection of fault codes and found fault in system for knock sensor and camshaft b position sensor. These codes have relation to engine failure or possible timing chain failure. My safety was put at risk as I was driving down the highway and my car would not go over 40 miles per hour and cars were serving from hitting me from ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The sunroof headliner came separated from a component and the entire headliner fell.. hitting my child and not allowing me to visibly see while on the interstate. My entire vision behind me was impacted. I had to pull over and eventually just let the whole shade get stuck on the roller in the back section of the sunroof.
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE (#24V-744). I HAVE TWICE SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS WITH HONDA OF MENTOR (OHIO) TO SERVICE THE RECALL, AND I HAVE TWICE BEEN CANCELLED, IN THAT A "PART" WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS PROMISED TO PERSONALLY CALL ME WHEN THE PART IS AVAILABLE. MEANWHILE, I AM DRIVING A CAR WITH A "STEERING" PROBLEM, AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY. I ASSUME THAT A RECALL FOR A S... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
My husband was driving on a highway going 55 mph when the engine light came on and then the car completely shut off and died and would not start. It left him stranded on the highway with no shoulder at -35F. Ford now tells me they cant even look at the vehicle to see what is wrong until April 2025.