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: Feb 20, 2025
Vehicle only has 93,000 miles and has been well maintained. I was was working and the transmission pump failed. It kicked out of gear going 55mph down a road. Could have caused me to have a major accident. Why are these not part of the 2015-2016 transmission recall?
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Had a recall for the engine , went in for the pick scope test and it passed they switched the oil from 0w-20 to 0w-40 and not even 500 miles and the engine failed lucky I wasted driving it when it did
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The ICCU failed after having the safety recall done on it. The car went into warning mode and I luckily had just enough time to pull it into a parking lot to get towed. another few minutes I would have been stuck on a road with no where to pull off. The dealer did replace the ICCU and said that they were familiar with the part blowing randomly on people and that Kia is aware but not making good fi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving in traffIc on the freeway, my car began to shake, like driving was a struggle. Then, the car stalled and stopped working, with the display still lit and the car still in Drive. Traffic was moving at about 15 miles per hour. I had to hold the brakes to prevent my car from rolling backwards into the cars behind me. I shifted the car into Park. I turned the car off and back on, and it j... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
I have reached out to Acura on three separate occasions to try and get them to inspect and possibly replace my recalled airbags. They have failed to contact us back every time and this is our only mode of transportation. I've expressed my concerns to them each time and let them know I'm forced to drive this vehicle until it's fixed.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The oil filter housing is made of plastic but holds hot oil, over time it cracks since plastic is not made to handle hot (oil) and cold (weather) cycles
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
While driving we received a notification on our dash board stating “reduced acceleration drive with caution”. We had it towed to the dealership where they said we needed a full engine replacement. It took 22 days to get the vehicle back
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
I am reporting a safety issue with my vehicle’s electronic door locking system. Vehicle: 2022 Kia Telluride SX Prestige with Nightfall Edition Issue: The door locks randomly unlock on their own multiple times without any input. This behavior happens specifically when the child safety lock is enabled. While driving or after locking the vehicle, the locks will unexpectedly unlock, creating a ser... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 1969
A car lot sold me a vehicle with an unresolved dangerous recall
Incident date: May 5, 1969
My backup camera works intermittently, it has been tested at the dealership and supposed to be faulty, but if faulty why does it sometimes work, this causes danger when reversing the vehicle! The dealership wants $821 to replace the camera, I feel it should be a recall, as a whole bunch of Ford vehicles are recalled for the same issue! I have had several close calls even using my mirrors and lo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
This car (and many other Hyundai Ioniq5's) has stopped with very little warning twice in the two years that I have owned it. The first time was on a two lane highway with no shoulder. when it stopped there was no way to warn cars coming from behind because there was electricity at all and therefore no emergency flashers. This particular car is six months too old for the Washington State Lemon Law... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
As I was traveling on freeway at 65 mph cruise control disengaged. After I was notified to service engine soon and check engine light came on. Throttle was unresponsive forcing me to cross 4 lanes of the 5 freeway. Pulled over and shut off vehicle checked fluids. Nothing out of spec.restarted vehicle and would not get out of limp mode.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine, Yes. There is a known coolant intrusion engine fault with ford escapes. ford has issued TSBs over this How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Engine abruptly died. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
I purchased this vehicle in July 2025 from Porsche Delaware. The car had 7000 miles on it certified preowned after owning it for one week I started having yellow lights come on for parking lien changer detections driving assistance brought it into Porsche in Clifton Park New York, they recorded the car got the car back. Same incident occurred several days later brought it again. Recorded car again... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
I purchased this vehicle on [XXX], with approximately 170,150 miles. On [XXX], during a routine oil change at approximately 172,636 miles, it was discovered that the engine had no oil present. Shortly afterward, the oil warning light began flickering intermittently while driving. On November 4, 2025, at approximately 175,495 miles, a certified mechanic again confirmed that there was no oil presen... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
I came up to a stop sign on a snow cover highway. When I applied the brakes my ABS brakes came on, but instead of slowing down, I felt the vehicle accelerating instead. I was pushed into the middle of the intersection and involved in an accident. An accident report was filed with the state of Wisconsin. No injuries occurred. I mentioned the problem to the Ford dealer, but they said there was no ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The drivers back seat seatbelt failed. My daughter and I were driving, and I had to stop suddenly, her car seat had been secured with the seatbelt and the seatbelt unlatched and sent her car seat flying through the cab of the truck.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to hesitate and lose power while driving, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. The problem involves the engine and powertrain. A Kia dealer inspected the vehicle and found a timing-related engine fault code (P0014). The dealer stated the condition is consistent with the Kia engine bearing failure recall and referenced recall SC200PS, but ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to hesitate and lose power while driving, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. The problem involves the engine and powertrain. A Kia dealer inspected the vehicle and found a timing-related engine fault code (P0014). The dealer stated the condition is consistent with the Kia engine bearing failure recall and referenced recall SC200PS, but ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the roadway, turned off the vehicle for approximately 30-minutes before restarting the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The failure had occurr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
2024 Kia EV9 has destroyed two complete tire sets in 4 months (October 2025, January 2026) despite two professional alignments (May 2025, October 2025). Dealer service manager admitted on recorded call (1/7/26) seeing multiple EV9s "under 18,000 miles" destroy tires, confirming fleet-wide pattern. Multiple owner forums report the exact same issue. MY CASE: - [XXX] (11,860 mi): Steering misalignm... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the “Service 4-WD” warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power transfer unit (PTU) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
I was driving down a very busy road and with no warning my car lost power. It would turn over but not start back up. I was stuck in the middle of a busy road way causing traffic’s to back up. I had to call the police to sit behind me so I wouldn’t get hit from behind.
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was hesitating and shuddering, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with a transmission fault and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the transmission failure was caused ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The Automatic Emergency Braking system, I think it may be called (or is a part of) the Forward Collision Avoidance system by Hyundai, triggered incorrectly while on Interstate 265. My car was travelling at about 35 MPH on the off ramp when the Automatic Emergency Braking system triggered and cause my car to rapidly decelerate to a near standstill. The vehicle following behind me had to swerve in... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Vehicle alerted Electric Vehicle System problem on the dashboard. Dealer determined the ICCU and a fuse needs to be replaced again. Dealer has declined to replace the ICCU under the current recall stating it was already replaced 8 months prior. Vehicle is not usable in current condition due to a faulty ICCU.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Vehicle alerted Electric Vehicle System problem on the dashboard. Dealer determined the ICCU and a fuse needs to be replaced again. Dealer has declined to replace the ICCU under the current recall stating it was already replaced 8 months prior. Vehicle is not usable in current condition due to a faulty ICCU.
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that intermittently, the back-over prevention camera... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle was sluggish and slow to accelerate before responding as needed. There was an abnormal, rotten odor coming from the vehicle. The ABS, engine, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle was sluggish and slow to accelerate before responding as needed. There was an abnormal, rotten odor coming from the vehicle. The ABS, engine, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
GMy name is Duane Willett and I filed a Lemon Law claim Dec 8th and was referred to make a complaint to NHTSA by the Texas DMV.The vehicle is coming up on three months of non use due to the Manufacturer issued stop ride which was issued on two separate occasions. I purchased the 2025 Kawasaki ZX-6R vin number [XXX] brand new with zero miles [XXX] and its been subject to NHTSA's recall campaign num... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while attempting to use the front driver's side seat belt, the seat belt failed to extend as needed, and the contact was unable to use the seat belt. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has recurring powertrain communication failures starting at only 67 miles and continuing at 5,300 and 6,200 miles. Diagnostic trouble codes include U010100 (lost communication with engine control module) and multiple U100xxx codes related to transmission and CAN bus communication failures. These indicate loss of communication between critical control modules. The is... Read more
KIA
SOUL
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. There were three clicks before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 10 minutes. The contact stated that on one occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled nea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
I am submitting this complaint regarding failure to complete a federally mandated safety recall and the subsequent release of my vehicle in an unsafe condition after prolonged dealer custody. Vehicle Information provided above Safety Recall Information Recall Type: Federal airbag safety recall Recall Notice Received: 2023 Summary of Safety Concern I delivered my vehicle to authorized Kia dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Fuel purge valve is malfunctioning. Vehicle loses power and is sluggish. Idles very rough and sometimes has a loss of power. My car has been at Ford twice in the last six months and problem still isn't fixed. Complete engine was replaced about a year and a half ago due to recall issue which I don't want happening again. I do not feel safe driving this car. I made an appointment with Ford a month ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Motor blew going down the road.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Motor blew going down the road.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
Coolant leak due to poorly made plastic part above the supercharger. High risk of fire and overheating due to land rover's poor design. OEM unwilling to help.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
Our 2016 Kia Sorento had 86k miles on it, loud knocking began and days later catastrophic engine failure. Rods and bearings are busted on my 3.3 Liter, V6 GDI engine. It died while my wife was driving it to the dealership. Estimated repair is 19k, metal shavings in the oil. It is available for inspection. My wife was driving it on the highway when the engine failed. Dealer confirmed the rods a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
[XXX] Please click link i have a 2016 honda crv that's doing the same thing as a 2015 honda crv excess Vibration While Driving and/or Stopped in Gear INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The wheel locks in low speeds. It does not happen often, maybe about 3 times per year. I have brought this up to Ford dealer in Encinitas CA for several years and the problem is seldom that they did not find anything wrong with it. Recently I found the recall online and brought it to their attention. I never received the notice of recall back in 2015. They are refusing service because it has been... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
I was driving my car on [XXX] and my car suddenly lost power and when I pressed the gas pedal the RPM quickly increased but the car was hesitating between gears and not engaging. Shortly thereafter a malfunction code showed up on my car screen along with an engine warning indicator. The code was DCT P193B79. That code indicates a High Pressure Electric Oil Pump Performance issue pointing to proble... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
When pulling out turning left across a busy street, my vehicle did not accelerate when I pressed the gas pedal for approximately one second. While only a short time, this was enough time to roll into the middle of traffic, but not get out of the way. This throttle hesitation/delay happened twice more in the same trip.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
My 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid produces externally audible audio while the vehicle is locked, with all doors and windows fully closed. Private phone calls, navigation instructions, and other in-vehicle audio can be clearly heard from outside the vehicle indefinitely, even after locking the car. This behavior occurs without warning to the driver and cannot be disabled or controlled through any user se... Read more