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: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the parts were replaced; however, soon after the repairs, while her husband was driving 40 MPH, the transmission started slipping and failed to shift prope... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
FUEL DOOR UNABLE TO LOCK AFTER VEHICLE IS LOCKED Bought a new 2026 Range Rover velar about a week ago. I was surprised to see fuel door does not lock when vehicle is locked. I pressed the fuel door with my keys outside of vehicle reach and fuel door opened. This can lead to fuel theft and vandalism. Anybody can put anything in the fuel door because of its inability to lock and it can cause seriou... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
📌 NHTSA Complaint Description (Modify as Needed) 🚨 Safety Issue: I purchased a brand-new 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid on March 3, 2025, and within 5 minutes of driving and less than 20 miles, the vehicle stalled three times on a busy highway without warning. 🚨 Component/System Failure: The vehicle suffered a complete power loss, rendering it undrivable in the middle of the highway. The gas... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
📌 NHTSA Complaint Description (Modify as Needed) 🚨 Safety Issue: I purchased a brand-new 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid on March 3, 2025, and within 5 minutes of driving and less than 20 miles, the vehicle stalled three times on a busy highway without warning. 🚨 Component/System Failure: The vehicle suffered a complete power loss, rendering it undrivable in the middle of the highway. The gas... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
FRONT LEFTSAFTEY RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAULT/SERVICE IS REQUIRED TESLA WANT TO CHARGE $351 TO START FOR THE SERVICE
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
FRONT LEFTSAFTEY RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAULT/SERVICE IS REQUIRED TESLA WANT TO CHARGE $351 TO START FOR THE SERVICE
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
Driving in traffic when suddenly a large volume of smoke was pouring out from my vehicle obscuring the view of everyone behind me. Pulled over and shut down, found coolant all over engine bay and had vehicle towed to dealership. Dealership replaced hose assembly under warranty but was without vehicle for 6 weeks waiting on the part.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2025
Car shut off and the radio kept going on and off red light on dash board and steering was hard
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
I Have only had this truck for 2 months. I was driving and making a turn and the electrical power steering stopped working and the steering wheel locked. I almost crashed and drove into a ditch with my whole family in the truck. Including a [XXX]. I had to slam on the breaks and barely able to keep the truck from crashing. Dashboard said " Power Steering unavailable Service Required". I turned off... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
I Have only had this truck for 2 months. I was driving and making a turn and the electrical power steering stopped working and the steering wheel locked. I almost crashed and drove into a ditch with my whole family in the truck. Including a [XXX]. I had to slam on the breaks and barely able to keep the truck from crashing. Dashboard said " Power Steering unavailable Service Required". I turned off... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Maverick. The contact stated while her husband was driving at approximately 35 MPH approaching a light with the Auto STOP/START feature engaged, the vehicle shut off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact replaced the battery. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V019000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts n... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
Rear brake lines are known to corrode. Had to get my line replaced at 78xxx miles. This is a common problem for the w212 Mercedes, along with the rear sub-frame rusting away. If the brake lines bursted when I was driving, I could of lost my life.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 contact stated there was an abnormal roaring sound intermittently coming from the windshield while driving. Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
My driver side electrical seat will not recline to the forward position.... I reclined it back but now it won't recline forward.... Everything else works .... All other components of the seat except for the seat recliner back to the upward position.... My vehicle is only at 50, 000 miles...
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
While driving the vehicle(speed does not matter as this has occurred while standing at a stop light) all safety warning lights illuminate on the dash and render all of my safety features inoperative. This includes: ABS, Forward Collision Avoidance, Rear Collision Avoidance, and Park assist. Once this happens the vehicle becomes extremely difficult to operate and to stop. The remedy is to pull ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Tailgate opened/unlocked while parked during rain and light snow. The tonneau cover disguised that the tailgate was open (held it up just enough so it was not visable). The tailgate fell open while driving but went unnoticed. Several large and expensive items were lost out of the back of the truck which is used as a work truck for electrical services. This has happened twice on the roads. Now the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Tailgate opened/unlocked while parked during rain and light snow. The tonneau cover disguised that the tailgate was open (held it up just enough so it was not visable). The tailgate fell open while driving but went unnoticed. Several large and expensive items were lost out of the back of the truck which is used as a work truck for electrical services. This has happened twice on the roads. Now the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
It was raining when I drove my 2013 Prius to pick up my daughter from school on March 11, 2025. I suddenly felt the brake of the car was very weird, it was hard to stop at the stop sign, and when I stepped the brake paddle I had to make more effort to control the car to stop. The brake light and ABS light were both on. I drove the car to the local dealer next morning they said the brake booster w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
On January 28, 2025, I filed an online complaint #11639036 with you regarding Jaguar Land Rover of North America's (JLRNA) failure to comply with mandated Recall #23V637 concerning my 2019 Jaguar I-Pace (VIN [XXX] ------). During a follow-up call with your office on February 5, I emphasized the urgent nature of my complaint due to the safety risk at hand and attempted to clarify that this was not ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
I am the second owner of the vehicle and there were no disclosed repairs or issues provided at the time of purchased. The 2012 Ford F-150, is shifting sporadically and harsh. Throwing out code P0722. Which directly relates to the below previous recall. Recall Reference Number: 24S37. Issue: An intermittent failure of the output shaft speed (OSS) sensor in the transmission can lead to an unintend... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the Service 4WD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power transfer unit had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
Tesla cars use loudspeaker that mimics the car horn when used. In rainy conditions this speaker becomes very muted and the horn is barely heard even when right next to the vehicle. When reaching out to Tesla they say this is a normal occurrence and the will sound normal again once the speaker dries out. This shouldn’t be normalized and poses safety concerns in rainy conditions.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
I was backing up in traffic and when I turned the truck to drive it would not shift into drive. The truck reved up like it was in neutral or park and wouldn’t move forward. I had to put the truck in reverse again and then back in drive a second time to get it to shift into drive. This incident almost caused a wreck, because the truck would not shift into drive and move. The traffic coming from b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
I was backing up in traffic and when I turned the truck to drive it would not shift into drive. The truck reved up like it was in neutral or park and wouldn’t move forward. I had to put the truck in reverse again and then back in drive a second time to get it to shift into drive. This incident almost caused a wreck, because the truck would not shift into drive and move. The traffic coming from b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
I was backing up in traffic and when I turned the truck to drive it would not shift into drive. The truck reved up like it was in neutral or park and wouldn’t move forward. I had to put the truck in reverse again and then back in drive a second time to get it to shift into drive. This incident almost caused a wreck, because the truck would not shift into drive and move. The traffic coming from b... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle jerked while in first gear and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the f... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
While attempting to accelerate to get onto the expressway with no warning, the vehicle went into limp mode. Traction control, front end warning collision, auto/stop start functionality was all disabled and the engine light warning light on came on. The vehicle locked out and reduced acceleration. An attempt to pull over and turn the vehicle off for a few seconds was made. Once restarted, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering assist assembly was faulty and needed to be repla... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
I will turn my car on and drive my car and then I will place the car into park and turn off the vehicle as soon as that is done a error message pops up and states that I need to shift to park, but it is in park, and I have to move up the gear shifter slightly and the car turns completely off.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact stated that once the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The contact manually depressed the button under the gear shifter to move the gear shifter. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure pe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Lifters in engine failed at beginning of March 2025 and destroyed inside of engine. Transmission failed in summer of 2024 and had to be replaced
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X7. The contact stated that upon a warm start of the engine, a "System Overheating re-starting engine possible after cooling" message intermittently appeared on the instrument panel. The contact would be forced to open the hood to allow the engine to cool for several minutes before the vehicle would start up and resume normal operation. The dealer was notified of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
Hi. This is [XXX] My car has white paint peeling issue and complained to Hyundai but they denied my request. I saw so many white color hyundai and kia paint peeling issue. I can’t understand why they have not a recall service. This is a clearly manufacturer’s fault and responsibility. I think NHTSA should order hyundai to issue a recall immediately. Even if not a safty related issue, NHTSA mu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
On January 8, 2025 the battery in my car began to fail and had a message in the display to take it to my dealer. I drove it to the nearest dealer on January 10, 2025, about 10 miles (Billion Automotive in Iowa City.) While driving the power steering and braking began to fail. The dealer said that GM would need to replace the battery. It has been at the dealer for 2 months, and I was told today tha... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
I brought my vehicle in for the recall SC300 and they discovered that my oil pressure switch is leaking which is on top of the engine. This is causing a leak and oil pressure light to come on intermittently. Same part as the Kia Sorento, cadenza, and the Sedona that all had the warranty extended recall to 15 years or 150,000 miles. Every Kia forum has people complaining about the same issue and be... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the front passenger's side door panel was detaching. The contact stated that the infotainment system screen was delaminating, causing the screen touchpad to engage vehicle functions independently. Additionally, the contact stated that upon driving the vehicle out of the garage, the contact became aware that oil had leaked from the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
Multiple electrical issues related to dashboard controls, video sensors, head unit. Controls powering down while driving, sensors throwing multiple error messages. All since 1,500 miles. Ford could not figure out what the issue was so they replaced the wiring harness. After 2 months in the shop I got my vehicle back. 2 weeks later I am getting the same error messages in the dash and has to go... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
Backup camera stopped working. looks like many people have same issue with honda accords
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
I own a 2018 Ford F-150 with 56,000 miles, and I have been experiencing serious and unpredictable transmission issues. These problems first started around 48,000 miles, but at the time, I assumed it was normal behavior. However, the issues have progressively worsened, and by 55,000 miles, a wrench warning light started appearing intermittently. Symptoms: •While driving at highway speeds, the tr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The back up camera frequently does not work. When you put the car in reverse, the screen where the back up view should appear will state, “Camera is Temporarily Unavailable “. The dealer replaced the camera with no improvement. This fault occurs several times per week.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
My driver heating element in my seat stopped working. I went to get it fixed and that’s when they noticed the charred heating pad in the seat had burnet makers on it. I have picture showing that the electrical part in the heating pad indicator has black marks around the wires and burnt through the pad and the electrical coils. The seat under the leather part had damage to it. This would have cau... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 15, 2024
I was driving down the interstate and all of a sudden all the lights in the dash board came on. My Vehicle began to slow down on the interstate in a lot of traffic.
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
The manufacturer and their authorized dealer have been unable to fix this for me. VW Customer Care has no answers, and my local dealer (Southpoint Volkswagon) will not have the parts until May. Basically everyone is saying there's nothing to do but wait, while there's a part of my car that could explode causing injury or death.
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the engine experienced excessive oil consumption. Eventually, while at a stop light with the Auto START/STOP activated, the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer. The dealer indicated that the engine failed due to a loosened oil filte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
backup camera comes on when brakes are applied. Very dangerous at night time while driving as bright backup camera displayed on screen hinders your vision to see the road.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Excessive frame corrosion that has caused the bed of the truck to touch the cab which has made me apprehensive to drive it. The truck has ROT holes on the bottom sections of the frame where water collects. The truck is available for inspection upon request at any time. The problem has not been inspected by a dealer, independent service center, vehicle manufacturer, police or insurance representat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
I used Summon on [XXX] to bring my car to me because it was parked way at the end of the parking lot at Discount tire. There was only 1 car in the whole lot, which was parked next to my Tesla. While using the “come to Me” feature in Summon – My Tesla pulled forward and then turned and drove right in to the car parked next to mine. It did quite a bit of damage to my Tesla and the Mercede... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
Driving and slowing down accident brakes and frontal collision and airbags didn't go off
Crash