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 19, 2026
The fuel door actuator failed. The gas door would not open due to the actuator being seized shut, preventing access to the fuel tank. This vehicle does not have a manual release mechanism, so there was no alternative way to open the fuel door. The dealership confirmed the actuator malfunction. My family’s safety was put at risk because we were unable to refuel the vehicle. The incident occurre... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
The fuel door actuator failed. The gas door would not open due to the actuator being seized shut, preventing access to the fuel tank. This vehicle does not have a manual release mechanism, so there was no alternative way to open the fuel door. The dealership confirmed the actuator malfunction. My family’s safety was put at risk because we were unable to refuel the vehicle. The incident occurre... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
The vehicle’s transmission failed. While driving on the highway, the transmission began slipping and then would not allow the vehicle to accelerate beyond approximately 10 mph. The vehicle also lost the ability to reverse. My family’s safety was put at significant risk. The incident occurred on a highway with a speed limit of 70 mph and low visibility. Due to the sudden loss of acceleration,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
KIA has created a safety hazard by removing the ability for the driver to select LIGHT or DARK mode for the two 7" data and infotainment screens in their 2025 and forward EV6 electric cars. Like many, I have to drive in very fast busy commuter traffic on highway I-66. (exaserbated by driving into the sun in the AM) The DARK mode screens have insufficient contrast even with the screen lighting t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, and while the vehicle was parked, there was a loud banging sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The RPM failed to operate as intended while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that there were me... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to pull off to the side of the road, and the vehicle shut off. The contact attempted to jumpstart the vehicle, but after several attempts, the vehicle failed to start. Due to the failure, the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2026
My vehicle was having engine problems in 2024. It was towed to the dealership because it was a recall on it. The new engine is malfunctioning as well causing me to lose power while driving. I have only put 2,000 miles on the car since the engine was replaced.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Windshield cracks so easily, slightest road debris creates a chip then crack
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
The contact called on behalf of her mother, who owned a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while the contact's mother was approaching a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact's mother noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact's mother stated that the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact's mother enabled the em... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to a dealer for several recall repairs, and repair under Manufacturer Recall Number: SC165A. After the recall repairs were performed, while driving approximately 60 MPH on the highway with the clutch engaged and the vehicle in gear, the vehicle started jerking and unexpectedly decelerated. The contact moved over to the sid... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Sunroof exploded when driving sounded like a shotgun. This is a known issue by kia.the glass blow upward.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Sunroof exploded when driving sounded like a shotgun. This is a known issue by kia.the glass blow upward.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while driving at 60 MPH on the expressway. No warning lights illuminated. The contact had some wires replaced prior to the failure. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or crash. The driver was able to pull over safely. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte with a five-speed transmission. The contact received notifications for NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000(Air Bags) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulics), as well as other manufacturer recalls. The contact made an appointment at a dealer and had the vehicle serviced for the recalls. The contact had to make a second appointment as not all p... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte with a five-speed transmission. The contact received notifications for NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000(Air Bags) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulics), as well as other manufacturer recalls. The contact made an appointment at a dealer and had the vehicle serviced for the recalls. The contact had to make a second appointment as not all p... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
My 2019 Kia Stinger GT2 with approximately 25,000 miles has been out of service since February 12, 2026 for diagnosis and repair of a system issue. The vehicle has remained at the dealership for over two months. Multiple repair attempts have been made, including escalation to Kia corporate engineering. Despite these efforts, the issue has not been clearly diagnosed and no permanent repair has bee... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
My 2019 Kia Stinger GT2 with approximately 25,000 miles has been out of service since February 12, 2026 for diagnosis and repair of a system issue. The vehicle has remained at the dealership for over two months. Multiple repair attempts have been made, including escalation to Kia corporate engineering. Despite these efforts, the issue has not been clearly diagnosed and no permanent repair has bee... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
My 2019 Kia Stinger GT2 with approximately 25,000 miles has been out of service since February 12, 2026 for diagnosis and repair of a system issue. The vehicle has remained at the dealership for over two months. Multiple repair attempts have been made, including escalation to Kia corporate engineering. Despite these efforts, the issue has not been clearly diagnosed and no permanent repair has bee... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Engine shut off while making a turn. Took car to mechanic and he stated that the car did not display any error messages. The car also over heated while driving in freeway.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Engine shut off while making a turn. Took car to mechanic and he stated that the car did not display any error messages. The car also over heated while driving in freeway.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Engine shut off while making a turn. Took car to mechanic and he stated that the car did not display any error messages. The car also over heated while driving in freeway.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Recall of vehicle catching fire has not been taken care of even after contacting dealership.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Recall of vehicle catching fire has not been taken care of even after contacting dealership.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Recall of vehicle catching fire has not been taken care of even after contacting dealership.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
While driving, the silver siding flew off of my vehicle, the piece that covers the door handle manual key entry also fell off and I found it run over, crushed in a mall parking lot.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
On March 4, 2026, the engine in my 2021 Kia Sportage malfunctioned while I was driving on a local road on Long Island, NY. The check engine light illuminated, the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate normally, and the steering wheel became heavy and difficult to turn at the same time. This created a serious safety risk, as I was unable to maneuver or accelerate normally and could have been stran... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I was driving 20 mph when I heard a loud crack, shortly after I noticed my windshield had a huge crack toward the bottom that has gotten progressively worse and affects my vision while driving.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I was driving 20 mph when I heard a loud crack, shortly after I noticed my windshield had a huge crack toward the bottom that has gotten progressively worse and affects my vision while driving.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2022
Recall on my vehicle, dealership has not done anything about it despite me taking it to them.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
Engine has 86k miles and has been well maintained. Recently it started to consume oil rapidly as per last oil change report. We took it to dealership after oil change mechanic suggested needing to have problems looked at per Kias recent service bulletins on high oil consumption issues. I requested the car be evaluated for the oil issue and the dealership service tech confirmed "engine damage DUE ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
Recall appointment was set with Ken Ganley Kia auto iNew Port Richey , FL. It was set for two weeks out. They told us what the recall was before we got there. They didn’t order the part to fix it. Now It’s been since March 23rd and we have never heard from them. I feel they’ve had ample opportunity to get the part required to fix it. Since this is a safety issue I am very aggravated . On top... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
Recall appointment was set with Ken Ganley Kia auto iNew Port Richey , FL. It was set for two weeks out. They told us what the recall was before we got there. They didn’t order the part to fix it. Now It’s been since March 23rd and we have never heard from them. I feel they’ve had ample opportunity to get the part required to fix it. Since this is a safety issue I am very aggravated . On top... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
Recall appointment was set with Ken Ganley Kia auto iNew Port Richey , FL. It was set for two weeks out. They told us what the recall was before we got there. They didn’t order the part to fix it. Now It’s been since March 23rd and we have never heard from them. I feel they’ve had ample opportunity to get the part required to fix it. Since this is a safety issue I am very aggravated . On top... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
*ICCU assembly and ICCU fuse fault (a kia recall SC327( NHTSA ID: 24V867000) for ICCU was performed months early but does't help AND iccu crash) *yes - cars stop workind in the midle of nower at 317 mile away from home with 5 persons in) *yes ( kia already performed recall SC327 for our car but doest help and the ICCU crash) *yes *yes-vehicle broke down while driving.Had to be towed to closest Kia... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
*ICCU assembly and ICCU fuse fault (a kia recall SC327( NHTSA ID: 24V867000) for ICCU was performed months early but does't help AND iccu crash) *yes - cars stop workind in the midle of nower at 317 mile away from home with 5 persons in) *yes ( kia already performed recall SC327 for our car but doest help and the ICCU crash) *yes *yes-vehicle broke down while driving.Had to be towed to closest Kia... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
*ICCU assembly and ICCU fuse fault (a kia recall SC327( NHTSA ID: 24V867000) for ICCU was performed months early but does't help AND iccu crash) *yes - cars stop workind in the midle of nower at 317 mile away from home with 5 persons in) *yes ( kia already performed recall SC327 for our car but doest help and the ICCU crash) *yes *yes-vehicle broke down while driving.Had to be towed to closest Kia... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
My car stalled with no precursors. The engine and oil was maintain but the engined stall with out smoke or mixed oil. This error falls directly under the recall for pistion rings that cause engine failure. I brought my vehicle to Archer Kia and after two-three months of waited for the recall repair they stated that they could not repair the failed engine under the recall that causes failed engines... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
My car stalled with no precursors. The engine and oil was maintain but the engined stall with out smoke or mixed oil. This error falls directly under the recall for pistion rings that cause engine failure. I brought my vehicle to Archer Kia and after two-three months of waited for the recall repair they stated that they could not repair the failed engine under the recall that causes failed engines... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
The vehicle experienced an overheating condition involving the fuel system, which aligns with an active recall stating that a damaged check valve can allow air into the fuel tank, causing it to expand and come into contact with hot exhaust components, potentially melting the fuel tank. While operating the vehicle, this created a serious safety concern due to the risk of fuel tank damage, fuel leak... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
ICCU on my Kia EV6, this is a known issue, shouldn’t be bound by miles, as it’s not a mileage issue or concern! The warning was Stop Vehicle Check Power Supply!
Incident date: Mar 29, 2026
The car rpm fluctuated from 1000 to 5000 rpm while in cruise control going 65 mph. At a stop, thr transmission took 30 seconds to engage to low speed. The car was stuttering and bucking at 10mph to 45mph
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
Went to charge my vehicle in my garage on 4/15/26. When it was fully charged, I reached to disconnect the charger from the vehicle and the connector was hot to the touch; the charging hub on the vehicle was also hot, the charger had a slight plastic burning smell. I immediately tried to contact the company and learned that they had unbeknownst to me, ceased conducting operations in the US. So I ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
I have a 2025 KIA Sorento Hybrid and several months a go Car play stoped working correctly If car developers like to replace the car stereo with Car Play or a new Tecnology they better make shore that the Tecnology is working correctly before they Install it in people vehicle don't let the consumer develop the product for Tham, Car play is not working, at times sounds stop playing ,navigation stop... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Got in my car to leave a store and heard a loud pop and noticed a smell like an electric motor burning. Backed out of my space to drive home and the car displayed several error messages- Check electric vehicle system, turtle mode, power reduced. I was stranded and had to order a tow truck to be towed to the dealer and get a ride home.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Got in my car to leave a store and heard a loud pop and noticed a smell like an electric motor burning. Backed out of my space to drive home and the car displayed several error messages- Check electric vehicle system, turtle mode, power reduced. I was stranded and had to order a tow truck to be towed to the dealer and get a ride home.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) — POWER TRAIN
Apr 18, 2026
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The AC compressor failed on my 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid after 2 1/2 years of service and 59,800, mostly highway, miles. This affected the vehicle's drivetrain and it ground to a halt many times with a message "Check Hybrid System" displayed on the dashboard. The problem occured randomly and initially every few minutes when the vehicle was stopped at traffic lights, creating a real danger of being ... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE
Apr 18, 2026
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The AC compressor failed on my 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid after 2 1/2 years of service and 59,800, mostly highway, miles. This affected the vehicle's drivetrain and it ground to a halt many times with a message "Check Hybrid System" displayed on the dashboard. The problem occured randomly and initially every few minutes when the vehicle was stopped at traffic lights, creating a real danger of being ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
I was driving on the highway around 50 mph when my car sudden if turned off. The dash said something about loss of power and to pull over. It would not start again and I had to call a tow truck.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2026
This is supplemental information for my existing Complaint #XXX – 2021 Kia Seltos SC336 / 25V-099. Key facts and timeline: Purchased as Certified Pre-Owned on August 17, 2025 from Rairdon Kia of Burlington. Safety Recall SC336 / 25V-099 performed June 24, 2025 (mileage 61,378). January 15, 2026 oil change performed at Smith Kia of Bellingham (R.O. XXX). April 2, 2026: Sudden severe loss of powe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
Car Problems Purchased March of 2025 #1 First black out summer 2025-Driving at 10 PM and lost all electric driven items. Headlights turned off as well while driving 70 MPH in the dark Scheduled an appointment to get the car looked over. They said that there was a part that they were waiting on to help with electrical issues. #2 Next black out fall of 2025 Used the update part to see if that ... Read more