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: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion Energi. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V440000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the battery was unable to be recharged. The vehicle was taken to the de... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
I went off the road after my check engine light came on and my vehicle decided to jerk and wouldn’t go over 66 miles. It happened randomly
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
Transmission issues since purchase. Chokes, shifts in and out of gear. Service shifter light. Dash Lights go on and off.
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
Battery shifted in engine compartment and severed battery cable
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
While driving, the power steering in my car failed. I was unable to turn the steering wheel beyond 0.5” or so. Luckily, I was driving only 25mph on an empty road, so I was able to take my time and pull over. But had I been on the highway, this would have been a fatal crash for my wife, 2 year old, one 5 month old, who were in the car. When the power steering failed, I had 10+ failure messages ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
I have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with 50k miles and it is still covered under the powertrain warranty. 1. I had a check engine light with code as "misfire on cylinder 6" in August of 2024. I had all spark plugs and engine coils replaced. 2. I drove the vehicle for one week before the engine light came back on with the same code, and then the vehicle wouldn't start. It was towed to a dealer. 3. A de... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2024
On three separate occasions, the car started accelerating by itself while speed control was engaged. Once I noticed, I stepped on the brakes and the speed control was disengaged before any accidents happened.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
My headlights are dim and this started happening about 3 years ago when my car 7-years-old. I have to use my brights to drive at night. The Ron Tonkin Acura of Portland, OR told me the projectors are bad and that both headlights need to be placed for $2000. This is luxury vehicle and this situation is ridiculous. This needs to be a recall. Others have complained online about the same issue.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
My headlights are dim and this started happening about 3 years ago when my car 7-years-old. I have to use my brights to drive at night. The Ron Tonkin Acura of Portland, OR told me the projectors are bad and that both headlights need to be placed for $2000. This is luxury vehicle and this situation is ridiculous. This needs to be a recall. Others have complained online about the same issue.
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle took approximately three minutes to start. The vehicle started after several attempts. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the vehicle needed a tune u... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
There is a recall for the year after this when many Audi owners of this model have the same issue per the Audi forums. We have the coolant leaking issue as well and it should have been included in the recall
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The problem first started on 8-8-24 when I cranked up my car & the dashboard lit up with all of these different sensors. I called Leith Honda dealership in Aberdeen, due to that is where I take my car to be serviced at, my customer service rep (Brian) stated to wait to see if they would stay on, because of that type of car will reset itself. So later on, that day they did, go away after driving it... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while shifted to park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off with an error message displayed "Shift to Park" on the instrument panel. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechani... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
I was driving down the road and my vehicle stalled out and had little to no acceleration Was stuck in the middle of an intersection until I could move it to a parking lot putting my safety at risk. Dealer (Brondes Ford Toledo) ran codes, yet would not tell me the codes after they tried to charge $11,000. No Warning lights yet, had engine lights on until the dealer replaced Fuel vapor assembly and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
I was driving down the road and my vehicle stalled out and had little to no acceleration Was stuck in the middle of an intersection until I could move it to a parking lot putting my safety at risk. Dealer (Brondes Ford Toledo) ran codes, yet would not tell me the codes after they tried to charge $11,000. No Warning lights yet, had engine lights on until the dealer replaced Fuel vapor assembly and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
My 2017 Ford engine had a catastophic failure and required replacement. Sequence of events: January 8 2024, Check Engine light came on and at 99350, the spark plugs were replaced to correct . March 12 2024, Check Engine light came on again at 100900, the coils were replaced to correct. March 19 2024, Catastropic Engine light came while driving on interstate 75, the engine block cracked and was re... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Our display/cluster, indicators, sensors, emergency lights stopped working in the middle of the ride. Major safety hazard on highway. Have to turn off the car and wait 30-60 mins for things to start working again. I know this has happened with others and to us before but in that case display stopped working the moment you turn on the car. Can't see the car speed, or any other things on display.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that there was an abnormal growling sound coming from under the floorboard, and the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that the RPM gauge was revving high while depressing t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that there was an abnormal growling sound coming from under the floorboard, and the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that the RPM gauge was revving high while depressing t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jaguar I-Pace. The contact stated that the traction control system and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not charging over 75 percent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V183000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the l... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my Nissan Leaf that needs immediate attention. On two separate occasions, the brakes have failed completely without any warning while driving. A warning light appeared, stating "T/M System Malfunction Warning - See Dealer," but by that time, the brakes had already stopped working. The only way to stop the vehicle was by using the emergency brake, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
Engine has slowed itself for years, even while pressing gas pedal, the mph and engine would sound like it revved up then go dark on me while coming to an uncontrolled stop.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and turning, there was a popping sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The front-end popping sound also occurred while driving over bumps in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V844000 (Electrical System); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the " Power train malfunction and reduced power" and the "4-WD Power Train Fault" messages were displayed on the instrument panel; the power train fault warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V330000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not includ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
CMBS automatically and unexpectedly deploys for no reason: there is no car or obstacle in front of the car. This has happened multiple times. I have taken the car to the dealer twice with this complaint and they were unable to duplicate the issue, so I was told they couldn't find anything wrong. I now disable the system each and every time I start the car because if I don't, I foresee a circumstan... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that occasionally the front driver’s and front passenger’s side windows failed to respond while depressing the switch. The contact stated that the failure was recurring and was previously repaired by the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer and remained at the dealer for the repair. Additionally, the contact state... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
This vehicle is using insurmountable amount of engine oil.since I purchased the vehicle in 2024 I've had the oil changed once and twice the engine oil was down 3-4 quarts and when I started it,the engine was rattling because of oil disappearing.i purchased this nice looking car for.$5000.,so it's not junk to me it must be fixed.i think GM should be responsible for this problem.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
Turned car on to go to work and cluster infotainment screen with speedometer and gas gage was blank.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
The electric power steering has gone out. I am experiencing the exact same problem as other ford Taurus of the same year, make and model that have had recalls on the electric power steering.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
My truck started having issue(s) accelerating properly on-time over the past few months. The issue was only intermittent and occurred sometimes when needing to accelerate quickly in certain scenarios such as turning onto a busy road or merging in high traffic. It would also sometimes downshift very hard when driving at moderate speeds ~40 - 50 mph, and jarred the vehicle so hard it felt like the e... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
Driver Seat belt system(Front left safety restraint system fault) Error code: RCM_a021 with this error, there is a message/symbol showing as no air bag available on driver side. error message has been showing for a week now.
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a humming sound coming from the sunroof. Additionally, the contact noticed a fluttering sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the sunroof assembly needed to be adjusted. In addit... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon moving the gear shifter to the park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V513000 (AIR BAGS) and 23V707000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
While driving the car will not accelerate past 49mph in turbo mode and 61mph in regular mode and rpm will not go above 1800. And it jerks and studders. Blinking check engine light and consumes a ridiculous amount of oil even though regular maintenance performed. I have read several engine issues with this model and cannot find recall info
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Loss of Acceleration in 2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid I am writing to report a safety issue with my 2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid, which has been experiencing acceleration lag and loss of power during regular driving conditions. Component/System that Failed: The powertrain system, specifically related to the integration between the electric motor and gasoline engine, appears to be malfun... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Loss of Acceleration in 2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid I am writing to report a safety issue with my 2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid, which has been experiencing acceleration lag and loss of power during regular driving conditions. Component/System that Failed: The powertrain system, specifically related to the integration between the electric motor and gasoline engine, appears to be malfun... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, prompting the contact to drive the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer retrieved fault code for a cylinder #2 misfire. The contact was informed that the spark plugs, fuel injectors, and the engine needed to be replaced, due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder head. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, prompting the contact to drive the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer retrieved fault code for a cylinder #2 misfire. The contact was informed that the spark plugs, fuel injectors, and the engine needed to be replaced, due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder head. Th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
Enginge defect, ecoboost 2.0, Coolant intrusion
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
Car started and ran at idle for 5 minutes. 10 minutes later when attempting to restart, the engine churned for several seconds then ran for about 2 seconds and cut out. "Press to Start" button remained showing green and would not respond to being pressed. The car was stationary in my garage; this would have been extremely dangerous if it happened on the highway. It seems to be a complete failu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
While driving on my way home from work my , brakes became extremely hard to press down on and then my service engine light came on this all occurred on 7/31/2024. So the very next day I took my vehicle to a Kia dealership which was 8/1/ 2024 to find out what was causing this to happen. The technician stated that they would have to put it on a machine and run a diagnostic on it. I asked the t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The main display of the vehicle which shows Speed, Range, Blind Spot Cameras, etc - essentally all the critical vehicle information needed to drive - goes blank randomly. While the vehicle is driveable during this time, the driver does not know their speed, range, any other alerts/warnings that would typically be shown on the guage screen (including seatbelt warnings, mechanical failure warnings e... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The main display of the vehicle which shows Speed, Range, Blind Spot Cameras, etc - essentally all the critical vehicle information needed to drive - goes blank randomly. While the vehicle is driveable during this time, the driver does not know their speed, range, any other alerts/warnings that would typically be shown on the guage screen (including seatbelt warnings, mechanical failure warnings e... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
While driving on my way home from work my , brakes became extremely hard to press down on and then my service engine light came on this all occurred on 7/31/2024. So the very next day I took my vehicle to a Kia dealership which was 8/1/ 2024 to find out what was causing this to happen. The technician stated that they would have to put it on a machine and run a diagnostic on it. I asked the t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
The main display of the vehicle which shows Speed, Range, Blind Spot Cameras, etc - essentally all the critical vehicle information needed to drive - goes blank randomly. While the vehicle is driveable during this time, the driver does not know their speed, range, any other alerts/warnings that would typically be shown on the guage screen (including seatbelt warnings, mechanical failure warnings e... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
I was driving down the road going about 60mph and all of a sudden my transmission information on my instrument cluster started glitching like my 1-6 and my D for drive was flickering and just disappeared warning sign came up said see owner's manual next thing I know my transmission shifted from six gear down to first gear and locked up my back tires luckily I released the gas pedal right when I no... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
On [XXX] ford premier out of waveland evaluated my car after I had to have it towed in due to overheating. The high temperature warning notification was lock and wouldn't change to normal after it cooled. I was not fully aware of my car overheating due to no warning other the the temperature overheat warning. A couple of days prior without driving it for 10hrs I noticed a moist to the exhaust pipe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS APPEARED ON DASH PUTTING SYSTEM INTO DEFAULT MODE , APPEARS TO HAPPEN ON AND OFF AT WILL,