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: Mar 6, 2026
The ICCU failed and had to be replaced. This is a known issue.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
I currently have a complaint 11709255 regarding the electric thermostat. I just had that part replaced in November of 2025 for the 3rd time. Last week, again I had a warning of engine problem. The next day there was cold air blowing when the heat was on. The dash thermostat immediately began to move to hot. I was thankfully close to home. I turned car off and fan continues to run under the hood. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
1. Panoramic sunroof 2. Sunroof exploded while parked sounding like a gun shot. 3. Dealer/Kia Customer Care has informed me this is a known issue. 4. Dealer said they looked at my car but never looked at it. I confirmed this with the service manager at University Kia in Waco Tx. He admitted to falsifying the paperwork, I had him redo the paperwork showing nothing was inspected. Now Kia won't look ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Vehicle: 2013 Kia Optima SXL VIN: [XXX] While driving on a highway at approximately 55–58 mph, the rear driver-side electronic parking brake (EPB) motor housing failed with a loud bang. Immediately after, there was heavy smoke and a strong burning smell. The vehicle became very difficult to drive, and the wheel began screeching and dragging as if the brake had locked. The failure appears to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Vehicle: 2013 Kia Optima SXL VIN: [XXX] While driving on a highway at approximately 55–58 mph, the rear driver-side electronic parking brake (EPB) motor housing failed with a loud bang. Immediately after, there was heavy smoke and a strong burning smell. The vehicle became very difficult to drive, and the wheel began screeching and dragging as if the brake had locked. The failure appears to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Vehicle: 2013 Kia Optima SXL VIN: [XXX] While driving on a highway at approximately 55–58 mph, the rear driver-side electronic parking brake (EPB) motor housing failed with a loud bang. Immediately after, there was heavy smoke and a strong burning smell. The vehicle became very difficult to drive, and the wheel began screeching and dragging as if the brake had locked. The failure appears to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
This has been occurring intermittently since my 2021 Kia Sorento reached approx. 15k miles and now has 26,600 miles. There are no lights or indicators on the dash letting me know anything is wrong. When the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or stopped in heavy traffic, the vehicle will start idling high and shaking and the engine will seize up. I am not able to steer, the brakes lock up, I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
This has been occurring intermittently since my 2021 Kia Sorento reached approx. 15k miles and now has 26,600 miles. There are no lights or indicators on the dash letting me know anything is wrong. When the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or stopped in heavy traffic, the vehicle will start idling high and shaking and the engine will seize up. I am not able to steer, the brakes lock up, I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
This has been occurring intermittently since my 2021 Kia Sorento reached approx. 15k miles and now has 26,600 miles. There are no lights or indicators on the dash letting me know anything is wrong. When the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or stopped in heavy traffic, the vehicle will start idling high and shaking and the engine will seize up. I am not able to steer, the brakes lock up, I ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
At 4,000 miles the car had an electrical warning failure that required Kia to replace the gear reduction unit.
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
At 4,000 miles the car had an electrical warning failure that required Kia to replace the gear reduction unit.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The vehicle’s ignition system began malfunctioning immediately after a recall-related service (Campaign CS2312 – ignition cylinder protector installation) performed on January 9, 2026. Prior to this service, the vehicle had no ignition or electrical issues. After the repair, the ignition key became difficult to turn, and the vehicle intermittently failed to start. Additionally, multiple electr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The vehicle’s ignition system began malfunctioning immediately after a recall-related service (Campaign CS2312 – ignition cylinder protector installation) performed on January 9, 2026. Prior to this service, the vehicle had no ignition or electrical issues. After the repair, the ignition key became difficult to turn, and the vehicle intermittently failed to start. Additionally, multiple electr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The vehicle’s ignition system began malfunctioning immediately after a recall-related service (Campaign CS2312 – ignition cylinder protector installation) performed on January 9, 2026. Prior to this service, the vehicle had no ignition or electrical issues. After the repair, the ignition key became difficult to turn, and the vehicle intermittently failed to start. Additionally, multiple electr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
Was driving then suddenly the engine shut off I was able to pull to the side Tried to restart it I saw smoke coming out from the hood I did tow it to my apartment looks like the engine is locked I contacted kia they said I have a branded title they can’t do anything about it Even if the car title was branded to a rear ending collision And the engine had oil in it
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
On March 9, 2026, I brought my vehicle to a Kia dealership in Alexandria, Virginia after experiencing a loud thump noise from the rear of the vehicle while stopped at a red light. (3/08/2026) Immediately following the incident, I smelled gasoline, noticed a significant drop in fuel economy, and heard persistent road noise as if a window were open. I explained these concerns in detail to the serv... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
On March 9, 2026, I brought my vehicle to a Kia dealership in Alexandria, Virginia after experiencing a loud thump noise from the rear of the vehicle while stopped at a red light. (3/08/2026) Immediately following the incident, I smelled gasoline, noticed a significant drop in fuel economy, and heard persistent road noise as if a window were open. I explained these concerns in detail to the serv... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
On Feb. 11, 2026, while driving, the vehicle displayed a flashing check engine light and entered limp mode with major loss of power. A code reader recorded P1326. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. After the dealership returned the vehicle to me, the same problem happened again within about 30 miles. The last repair order listed 142,352 miles, and the v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an alignment, the contact was informed that an oil leak was found. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the oil gasket was replaced; however, the oil leak progressively worsened. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to p... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
My 2017 Kia Sorento with approximately 175,000 miles experienced engine failure involving the engine and engine cooling system. The vehicle began showing symptoms including engine shudder, reduced acceleration, and a check engine light. These symptoms worsened and were diagnosed by a Kia dealership as internal engine damage, specifically a failure in cylinder 4. The dealership advised that the eng... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
Anti theft ignition protector and another recall that makes the car have engine compartment fires. My car is at risk of being stolen as well as catching fire. Yes the problem has been confirmed from by Kia dealer. Yes the check engine light keeps coming on. It first appeared 02/10/2026. I purchased the car from b&g auto sales located at 3922 W Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85019 and they installed... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
Anti theft ignition protector and another recall that makes the car have engine compartment fires. My car is at risk of being stolen as well as catching fire. Yes the problem has been confirmed from by Kia dealer. Yes the check engine light keeps coming on. It first appeared 02/10/2026. I purchased the car from b&g auto sales located at 3922 W Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85019 and they installed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
My vehicle completely shut off while I was driving with my children in the car. The dealership replaced the battery but never identified the root cause. Since then my car has been experiencing RPM surging while in Park — the engine revs up and down repeatedly on its own. The vehicle also feels sluggish and does not want to accelerate properly while driving. Additionally since taking ownership of... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
My vehicle completely shut off while I was driving with my children in the car. The dealership replaced the battery but never identified the root cause. Since then my car has been experiencing RPM surging while in Park — the engine revs up and down repeatedly on its own. The vehicle also feels sluggish and does not want to accelerate properly while driving. Additionally since taking ownership of... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
My vehicle completely shut off while I was driving with my children in the car. The dealership replaced the battery but never identified the root cause. Since then my car has been experiencing RPM surging while in Park — the engine revs up and down repeatedly on its own. The vehicle also feels sluggish and does not want to accelerate properly while driving. Additionally since taking ownership of... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
On March 19, 2026, at approximately 1003 hours, I was traveling north on the [XXX] located in [XXX] . I was traveling in the number two lane and my speed was approximately 78 MPH when all of a sudden I had a loss acceleration power and my Kia EV9 began to decelerate rapidly and my dashboard began to flash a loss of power warning. I had no control over my accelerator and could not speed up. Due to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
On March 19, 2026, at approximately 1003 hours, I was traveling north on the [XXX] located in [XXX] . I was traveling in the number two lane and my speed was approximately 78 MPH when all of a sudden I had a loss acceleration power and my Kia EV9 began to decelerate rapidly and my dashboard began to flash a loss of power warning. I had no control over my accelerator and could not speed up. Due to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
Consumes more than 1 liter of oil per 1000 miles
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
My Oil Pressure Switch is diagnosed as faulty by independent service center as well as Kia. Kia is denying coverage. I have found information that it should be covered. My check engine light shows an oil can light.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
My Oil Pressure Switch is diagnosed as faulty by independent service center as well as Kia. Kia is denying coverage. I have found information that it should be covered. My check engine light shows an oil can light.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel became inoperable. The instrument panel went blank while operating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2022 Kia Soul LX with approximately 97,500 miles. The vehicle has experienced sudden and excessive oil consumption despite regular maintenance and a recent oil change about 1,500 miles prior to failure. While driving in normal traffic conditions, the vehicle suddenly began running rough, lost power, and entered limp mode. Shortly after, the engine stall... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
EV motor and drive train have a clattering noise, much like a playing card attached to a bicycle clattering against the wheel spokes. it speeds up and slows down with the acceleration of the motor.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
EV motor and drive train have a clattering noise, much like a playing card attached to a bicycle clattering against the wheel spokes. it speeds up and slows down with the acceleration of the motor.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The oil is mixing with the gas and their was smoke coming from the engine after that the engine has seized and the car stopped working. Also at the body shop i was told some wires were cut.
Fire
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The oil is mixing with the gas and their was smoke coming from the engine after that the engine has seized and the car stopped working. Also at the body shop i was told some wires were cut.
Fire
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
When I turned my car on and started to drive, an orange a popped up and started blinking. It looked like the automatic stop and start light. My car would not shift and I could not go above 60 mph. I had to turn my car off and turn it back on for it to stop doing what it was doing.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
I am filing this complaint regarding Kia America's arbitrary denial of coverage for a suspected connecting-rod-bearing failure in my 2014 Kia Rio (85,000 miles). The vehicle exhibits classic symptoms of the Gamma 1.6L GDI defect: excessive oil consumption (bone-dry after ~1,200 miles post-January 2026 shop oil change), flashing CEL, and loud rod knock after oil starvation. Kia corporate denied al... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2026
Two sets of Kumho Solus TA 31's (195/65 R15 91T) experienced rapid tread wear issues. The problem and safety issue has been confirmed by Fred Beans Kia of Mechanicsburg, PA, but with hassles to do so. I believe this matter actually effects consumers nationwide, which leads to additional high replacement costs as a result of product quality. Consumers are effected by not just the manufacturer, b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
Driving on the highway when all the lights on the dashboard came on and heard a loud sound. Pulled over and noticed flames coming out. The front part of the car 911 was called. An incident report was made. The flames were out quickly. The car was towed and is at the dealership.
Fire
Incident date: Feb 22, 2026
I believe the issue is related to something connected to the AC system or a component underneath the hood. The exact part that malfunctioned has not been confirmed. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because some kind of leak or fumes were being sent into the car through the AC vents, causing myself and others in the vehicle t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
After starting the car, a message displayed on dashboard "Check Electrical System." I tried driving the car out of the garage and then a message displayed to the effect of "Stop the car and check battery." I called the dealer and they said to have the car towed to them. After having the car towed to the dealer, they ended up replacing the Integrated Charging Control System (ICCU) and fuse. The d... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
After starting the car, a message displayed on dashboard "Check Electrical System." I tried driving the car out of the garage and then a message displayed to the effect of "Stop the car and check battery." I called the dealer and they said to have the car towed to them. After having the car towed to the dealer, they ended up replacing the Integrated Charging Control System (ICCU) and fuse. The d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The roof trim panel separates from the vehicle while driving. Depending on the car's speed the metal, plastic and rubber strip is lifted up and off the car and into the slip stream behind the vehicle creating a serious hazard for cars behind us. We examined the strip and determined the plastic clips that hold this panel in place do not function as intended, or fail to adequately hold this large ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The engine seems to be stalling, more than likely being caused by the piston rings being defective. With the piston rings being defective, this can cause oil to be lost, and then in turn causing damage to the vehicle. This can put others at risk as this will stall the vehicle, and in any form of traffic, can cause an accident. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer, but they claim it is ano... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Our car paint started peeling out of no where and very bad. I just found out that it is a manufacturing issue with the bonding of the paint.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
ICCU failure. Car lost power while driving. I heard a "pop" sound and then the car displayed a warning light moments before losing power. Car was towed to the dealership where they diagnosed and replaced the ICCU and a fuse. This is a known problem since the 2022 model year and seems to be a very common failure that the manufacturer is unable definitively repair. Thankfully I was on a local s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
ICCU failure. Car lost power while driving. I heard a "pop" sound and then the car displayed a warning light moments before losing power. Car was towed to the dealership where they diagnosed and replaced the ICCU and a fuse. This is a known problem since the 2022 model year and seems to be a very common failure that the manufacturer is unable definitively repair. Thankfully I was on a local s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Shortly after a routine oil change performed at a Kia dealership, I discovered a significant oil leak underneath the vehicle the following day. Within a short period of time, the vehicle began experiencing engine-related issues including a cylinder misfire, noticeable shaking while driving, and loss of power, particularly when accelerating or driving on inclines. The vehicle also displayed a chec... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Shortly after a routine oil change performed at a Kia dealership, I discovered a significant oil leak underneath the vehicle the following day. Within a short period of time, the vehicle began experiencing engine-related issues including a cylinder misfire, noticeable shaking while driving, and loss of power, particularly when accelerating or driving on inclines. The vehicle also displayed a chec... Read more