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: May 21, 2026
Vehicle has two open Toyota safety recalls that have remained unresolved for over a year. NHTSA campaign 25V322 (manufacturer no. 25TB06) covers reverse lamp assembly corrosion. NHTSA campaign 25V767 (manufacturer no. 25TB14) covers a V35A engine manufacturing defect where leftover machining debris can damage the main bearing, leading to engine knocking, rough running, no-start, or loss of drive p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The dashboard displayed a solid red brake light with a flashing warning “stop vehicle safely” light. A professional diagnostic scan confirmed a permanent hard fault on the ABS control Module (J104) and Hydraulic Unit (N55). The vehicle has only 66,755 miles. Independent repair shops cannot service this unit because it requires highly restricted, specialized Audi factory programming and coding ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The dashboard displayed a solid red brake light with a flashing warning “stop vehicle safely” light. A professional diagnostic scan confirmed a permanent hard fault on the ABS control Module (J104) and Hydraulic Unit (N55). The vehicle has only 66,755 miles. Independent repair shops cannot service this unit because it requires highly restricted, specialized Audi factory programming and coding ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
- Transmission Bearing is failing. Which is common in this make and model from what I can look up. - My safety is at risk because at any given moment my transmission can go out, from what the mechanic said is a faulty bearing Toyota has made in these cars before. - Yes, I saw a mechanic who stated this issue. - No, Toyota won’t do anything or give me an extended warranty on the transmission be... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
ABS and parking brake. Was confirmed by the dealer & tow truck driver. No warning when I parked it, only after putting it into reverse. There were flashing ABS & Parking Brake lights plus a beeping sound.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
Following a GM-initiated over-the-air (OTA) software update on May 18, 2026, my vehicle's windshield wipers became permanently inoperable — stuck in the "on" position with no ability to turn them off. This is not a gradual mechanical failure or wear-and-tear issue. The malfunction began immediately and directly as a result of a software update pushed by General Motors. Because the wipers cannot... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
Rear window area is leaking into cab of truck. Appears to be coming from above the rear window. Has lead to water intrusion and possible electrical issues within window motor and nearby. Headliner area is also getting wet/holding water.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle drove over a pothole in the road, and the steering wheel started shaking abnormally and pulled out of control. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by the local dealer, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mile... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 13, 2026
My vehicle is affected by Recall 93C / (NHTSA 25V-586 )for a fuel pump defect that can cause the engine to stall while driving. This safety issue has already occurred — my vehicle stalled while in motion, creating a dangerous situation. The car is currently unsafe to drive. Description of the Incident: I scheduled a recall appointment with the Englewood Cliffs Alfa Romeo dealer after reporting ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the reduced power mode and Check Engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant control valve failure. The contact was informed that the coolant control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the fuel pump was surging, and the vehicle was jerking while idling or while driving at undisclosed speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), which was previously rep... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2026
We received the safety recal 26V237 in May. Today 6/16/26, while driving the vehicle, it began acting like the recal said, however, the truck failed and will not start. My husband went and purchased a battery first because we didn't realize it was the recall at first. We cannot go without the vehicle. We will need to have someone tow the car once there is a repair available, however, in the mean t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
Often while driving the car loses power as if the power went off or I ran out of gas,,, studder for a moment then pick up power to continue to drive is the best way I can describe it. Immediately after I get a notification on the dashboard saying maintenance something
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
Often while driving the car loses power as if the power went off or I ran out of gas,,, studder for a moment then pick up power to continue to drive is the best way I can describe it. Immediately after I get a notification on the dashboard saying maintenance something
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the ABS, the trailer brakes, the speedometer, the odometer, and the fuel gauge had become inoperable. The ABS and traction control system warning lights were illuminated. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Components Affected: STRUCTURE:SUNROOF | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | VISIBILITY/WIPER Description of Safety Hazard: My 2022 Nissan Pathfinder suffers from a severe, chronic manufacturing defect causing substantial water intrusion into the vehicle's cabin through the sunroof assembly during rainfall. To date, the manufacturer’s authorized dealership network has attempted to repair this exact leak three ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
I purchased a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV and shortly thereafter experienced an engine malfunction. The vehicle developed a misfire, rough idle, loss of power, and produced significant blue/white exhaust smoke. The check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began running abnormally. An independent repair facility inspected the vehicle and reported oil-related issues affecting a cylinder and spa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2026
When accelerating the jeep lags to get between causing a jerking or launching feeling despite battery being charged or not. Difficultly getting to speed because the gears wont switch quickly making it scary to pull out of stops or merging
Incident date: Jun 13, 2026
I have only owned the truck since mid April of 2026. The truck has 12000 miles on it. I have only put 200 miles on the truck... 150 miles are driving to the dealership. Engine recall notification was sent out last week of May 2026. Still an open recall for reverse lights with no remedy. Took Tundra into dealer at the beginning of May 2026 to get two other "electronic/infotainment" system recalls ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
I was driving on the highway and there was traffic I was good 2-3 feet goin away from the car infront of me and going 10 mph and the automatic emergency break went off giving whiplash and anxiety since the breaking is so impactful. I had turned of about a month ago so I don’t understand how it turned back on
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
I was driving on the highway and there was traffic I was good 2-3 feet goin away from the car infront of me and going 10 mph and the automatic emergency break went off giving whiplash and anxiety since the breaking is so impactful. I had turned of about a month ago so I don’t understand how it turned back on
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
On May 25, 2026, while driving my 2016 Acura RDX AWD on the interstate at highway speed, it suddenly began running rough and felt as if I was driving over low, spaced-out speed bumps. The check engine light started flashing, and multiple safety-system warnings appeared, including AWD System Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Electric Power Steering (EPS) Pr... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
On May 25, 2026, while driving my 2016 Acura RDX AWD on the interstate at highway speed, it suddenly began running rough and felt as if I was driving over low, spaced-out speed bumps. The check engine light started flashing, and multiple safety-system warnings appeared, including AWD System Problem, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Electric Power Steering (EPS) Pr... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
Using Tesla FSD 14.3.3. It began raining hard, causing standing water to pool on the road. The standing water was making the car lose traction and started sliding within the lane, it did change its speed or driving to account for the rain. FSD was doing over the speed limit and would not slow down slower than the speed limit. Changing the Tesla speed profile from Standard to Sloth slowed it down t... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Using Tesla FSD 14.3.3. It began raining hard, causing standing water to pool on the road. The standing water was making the car lose traction and started sliding within the lane, it did change its speed or driving to account for the rain. FSD was doing over the speed limit and would not slow down slower than the speed limit. Changing the Tesla speed profile from Standard to Sloth slowed it down t... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
Description On your vehicle, the integrated park module ipm may not properly engage the park pawl, preventing the vehicle from locking into park when park p is selected. If this condition occurs, a wrench light and shift system fault message will be displayed in the instrument panel cluster. Additionally, the vehicles electronic parking brake epb will automatically apply. Safety Risk If the par... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Description On your vehicle, the integrated park module ipm may not properly engage the park pawl, preventing the vehicle from locking into park when park p is selected. If this condition occurs, a wrench light and shift system fault message will be displayed in the instrument panel cluster. Additionally, the vehicles electronic parking brake epb will automatically apply. Safety Risk If the par... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
2026 BMW X5 plug-in hybrid. Driver front and rear-left doors unexpectedly opened/unlatched while driving at freeway speeds. No dashboard warning before event. Problem has occurred multiple times. Vehicle presents serious occupant safety hazard. Dealer has not permanently resolved issue. 2 times dropped off at dealer but issues still there . Happened multiple times in the first monh after we bought... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Description On your vehicles engine, one or more of the clips that retain the engines pistons to their connecting rods may be mis-installed or missing. Safety Risk A mis-installed clip may result in an audible knocking noise that increases over time. Progression of this issue can lead to piston failure and engine damage, resulting in a loss of motive power and increasing the risk of a crash. R... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
My 2017 had the passenger airbag sensor recall in 2020. It went into for repair. It began going off again where the passenger seat airbag is off when a passenger is in the seat in 2023 on and off. It consistently began going off again in August 2024. I spoke to subaru corporate and they said they needed to replace the whole seat and wouldn't cover the cost of the whole repair of 1600. The part had... Read more
KIA
SORENTO HYBRID
(2025) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jun 15, 2026
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
My Jeep will not operate correctly in the electric mode after a software update that was required to resolve a recall. The vehicle loses power in the electric mode and surges into the gasoline mode suddenly. This occurs after the vehicle has been driven a while and when the battery level drops below 50%. See these forums for others experiencing the same issue. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED... Read more
KIA
SORENTO HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE
Jun 15, 2026
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
My Jeep will not operate correctly in the electric mode after a software update that was required to resolve a recall. The vehicle loses power in the electric mode and surges into the gasoline mode suddenly. This occurs after the vehicle has been driven a while and when the battery level drops below 50%. See these forums for others experiencing the same issue. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
the LDW, FCW, power steering, traction control, abs, steering keep faulting out. I am being told the issue is with the abs module. all the safety systems shut off with a warning message. these are major safety systems to have shut down by a single module.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
the LDW, FCW, power steering, traction control, abs, steering keep faulting out. I am being told the issue is with the abs module. all the safety systems shut off with a warning message. these are major safety systems to have shut down by a single module.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
while the vehicle was being driven at highway speed, a large piece of roof trim detached from the vehicle and went airborne. The piece measures approximately 6 inches by 42 inches, and is stiff plastic. My jeep renegade has the MySky sunroof option, and this trim is a piece that sit just forward of those panels, filling the gap between the sunroof and the metal of the windshield frame. To be clear... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
On XXX, my 2012 Kia Sportage experienced a catastrophic engine failure while traveling on the interstate. The connecting rod failed, breaking through the engine block, causing sudden and sever oil leak and heavy smoke. The safety of the occupants was put at risk due to the sudden powefr loss in high-speed traffic. This vehicle has two active federal safety recalls, SC200 snd SC 284, which are unr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera went black and failed to display a clear view image. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
Total Engine failure due to coolant leaking into the engine. Car would sometimes not start requiring it to be jump started but I thought it was due to an old battery but after the car couldnt be started.agter replacement it was brought to the dealership who said it was the engine. We did have to keep adding coolent regularly which we thought was strange at the time but were unaware that this was a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
My car a distinct clicking or knocking noise from the front Constant Velocity (CV) joints during tight turns.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
On June 12, 2026, while operating my 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe, I experienced an apparent powertrain or transmission-related issue. At the time, the vehicle was already exhibiting another defect involving the air conditioning system, with the driver's side blowing hot air and the passenger side blowing cold air. While attempting to accelerate and pass another vehicle, the engine RPM suddenly increased... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
On June 12, 2026, while operating my 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe, I experienced an apparent powertrain or transmission-related issue. At the time, the vehicle was already exhibiting another defect involving the air conditioning system, with the driver's side blowing hot air and the passenger side blowing cold air. While attempting to accelerate and pass another vehicle, the engine RPM suddenly increased... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
The air conditioning/climate control system failed. I initially brought the vehicle to the dealership on June 4, 2026, because it was blowing hot air. The dealership replaced the condenser on June 5, 2026. On June 12, 2026, the driver's side again began blowing hot air while the passenger side remained cold. By June 13, 2026, both sides were blowing hot air. The vehicle is being returned to the de... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE PHEV
(2026) - ENGINE
Jun 15, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
The vehicle lost acceleration/propulsion while traveling at highway speed on a major bridge with limited safe shoulder space. The vehicle suddenly stopped providing power needed to maintain speed in fast-moving traffic. Passengers included an infant, young child, and other family members. This created a serious safety risk because there was little room to safely pull over while traffic continued a... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE PHEV
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Jun 15, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
The vehicle lost acceleration/propulsion while traveling at highway speed on a major bridge with limited safe shoulder space. The vehicle suddenly stopped providing power needed to maintain speed in fast-moving traffic. Passengers included an infant, young child, and other family members. This created a serious safety risk because there was little room to safely pull over while traffic continued a... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE PHEV
(2026) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jun 15, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
The vehicle lost acceleration/propulsion while traveling at highway speed on a major bridge with limited safe shoulder space. The vehicle suddenly stopped providing power needed to maintain speed in fast-moving traffic. Passengers included an infant, young child, and other family members. This created a serious safety risk because there was little room to safely pull over while traffic continued a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving, the odometer failed to exceed 299,999. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 299,999.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The Check Engine and powertrain warning lights were illuminated. The contact was frightened, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was almost i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2026
Engine will fail to start when shut off to stop light or when shut off at anytime when engine is hot. Very dangerous situation. Acts like starter is dragging. There is a clunking in the steering column when making a turn mainly to the left that can be felt in the steering wheel. Driver seat is splitting open on the side. Keeps setting code p0441 for evap system..
Incident date: Jun 8, 2026
Engine will fail to start when shut off to stop light or when shut off at anytime when engine is hot. Very dangerous situation. Acts like starter is dragging. There is a clunking in the steering column when making a turn mainly to the left that can be felt in the steering wheel. Driver seat is splitting open on the side. Keeps setting code p0441 for evap system..
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
I was involved in an accident while using Tesla FSD. Driving down the freeway my car hydroplaned and spun out and hit another car. My son who was with me said to me that it seemed the car was going a bit fast for the conditions.
Crash