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: Dec 30, 2025
The hybrid system malfunction, does not allow the car to start. This stranded us with children [XXX] in the car. This is the second time this has happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Purchased car from Premier Auto in Kansas City, KS in January of 2023. The car had 70,000 miles on it. In July of 2023 I was driving on a 4 lane HWY with a speedlimit of 65. The car suddenly jerked to and slowed to 35 MPH. The car behind me nearly hit me. I had it towed to Midas to have it checked out. They informed me the engine had failed and it was because of a manufacturer recall. I th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
My INSTRUMENT GAUGE CLUSTER WENT OUT. Black! No speedometer, no gas gauge and it didn’t increase the mileage when I drive the vehicle. No safety gauges working. Kia dealerships will not accommodate me that day to fix it.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
My INSTRUMENT GAUGE CLUSTER WENT OUT. Black! No speedometer, no gas gauge and it didn’t increase the mileage when I drive the vehicle. No safety gauges working. Kia dealerships will not accommodate me that day to fix it.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
On December 31, on my way to work driving 58mph on the highway, the car slows down in traffic on the highway and the dashboard lights up. I avoided a wreck, narrowly. I put on my flashers and coast to the nearest gas station. I turned the car off and waited 10 minutes or so and proceed to drive home with the flashers on, the car seemed to be ok and I was 10 minutes from my house then the car slows... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
There is a yellow triangle on my dash and when the dealer did the troubleshooting they indicated that there is a fault in the system with the transmission shifter and a part is needed to correct the issue. The vehicle is just beyond the warrantee period with 39,000 miles.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
I was on the freeway, going 65mph. Suddenly, i felt my car partially brake. Thank God I was close to an exit and got off safely. My car partially braked again while i was going 35mph down the street. As i cautiously drove home, the FCW kept blinking, even though there was ample distance between me and other cars, and at times, no car in front of me. It's winter time and there's snow on the ground.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
Apparently many vehicles like mine and including mine have defective radiator hoses or a poor set up with routing causing issues with the hoses. They are developing cracks/leaks causing poor circulation in the cooling system as well as possible engine failure. In speaking to mechanics and reading forum posts, it is evident that this is a large scale issue.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
Frequently while driving my 2023 Kia shortage Hybrid will accelerate on its own. This happens randomly while driving straight as well as making turns. My suv also has a vary hard time driving uphill. If im driving at 25 mph when approaching the hill, my car then gradually drops down to 10-15 mph.This is extremely scary especially when driving with my children in the car. I haven’t owned the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
Frequently while driving my 2023 Kia shortage Hybrid will accelerate on its own. This happens randomly while driving straight as well as making turns. My suv also has a vary hard time driving uphill. If im driving at 25 mph when approaching the hill, my car then gradually drops down to 10-15 mph.This is extremely scary especially when driving with my children in the car. I haven’t owned the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal to come to a stop, the contact heard an abnormal metal-to-metal sound coming from the front passenger-side brakes. Additionally, the vehicle was delayed in responding, causing the braking distance to be extended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the deal... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The vehicle's infotainment system displays error code TT04 on every startup, preventing over-the-air software updates, including any potential safety-related updates delivered through this system. The TT04 telematics error appeared immediately following dealer service department completion of fuel pump recall service (NHTSA campaign 24V-763) on 4/12/2025. The vehicle exhibited no infotainment or t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Check engine light was flashing and the car wouldn’t accelerate up to speed, wouldn’t turn over when tried to start.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Check engine light was flashing and the car wouldn’t accelerate up to speed, wouldn’t turn over when tried to start.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
I was driving down the road in my 2018 Mustang ecoboost. When all of the sudden slowing down it locked the rear wheels up. I slid off the road and fortunately I didn’t hit anything but it did pop my side skirt off in the rear of the car. Thankfully the person behind me reacted in quick enough time to get around me considering the rainy weather conditions. This is very dangerous. It’s throwing... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the intake valve covers and the cylinder #5 intake camshaft lobe were damaged. Additionally, the front camshaft and cylinder head had p... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Window will not go back up. Also when the windows are Locked ( Light indicator on) THEY STILL GO DOWN. My driver window was half way down and would not go back up. The Fuse was checked and Did not need to be replaced. Approximately 6 hours later window went back up.. WEIRD
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle speed decreased. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot safely. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart as intended. An independent mechanic and a dealer were contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
Total failure of transmission. The transmission on this car failed while driving making it unable to move and creating a risk of collision with other vehicles. No warning displayed on dash until after failure. Noticed some minor vibrations when decelerating at speed was at 25mph. Mileage was approx 80,000 miles. Mechanic diagnosed the possible cause as the failure of the transmission f... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
Blank Instrument Panel Screen. abnormal CAN message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4.2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of FMVSS 101, §§ S5.1.2 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
Blank Instrument Panel Screen. abnormal CAN message which can cause certain instrument clusters with a 4.2” screen to reboot while driving. During this rebooting, the cluster will not show information such as the speedometer or telltales for approximately five (5) seconds. As a result, the subject vehicles do not comply with the visibility and illumination requirements of FMVSS 101, §§ S5.1.2 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Battery system still malfunctions after both 73C and 68C were performed by dealer. After these "updates to software" my battery discharges to unusable levels. This occurs after a full charge and the vehicle sets for three to four days locked and parked. I have not had the use of my hybrid system now for over three months. I'm having to drive using engine only and getting only 22 miles to the ga... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the engine stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a busy highway, and the contact's wife and four minor children were also occupants of the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while the local dealer was performing preventive maintenance on the vehicle, there was an abnormal winding sound detected. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had not experienced a failure prior to the service appointment. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
KIA
TELLURIDE
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:UREA INJECTION SYSTEM (DEF)
Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact stated that while driving 70-75 MPH, the DEF warning light was illuminated. The contact added DEF fluid to the tank and continued driving; however, a message indicating that the vehicle was in countdown mode or LIMP mode was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer had informed the contact that the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while at a complete stop in a construction zone, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound. There was no w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
- Automatic Emergency breaking system unavailable - service required alert -Blind spot unavailable - service required alert - car was sold with these lights coming on. Dealership told us it was just tightening up some wires. They ended up replacing two modules. After 5 trips to the dealership the service fixed it for approximately 3 days before it came back.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound, the cruise control was inoperative, the infotainment screen darkened, and the charging outlet was inoperative. The Check Engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the contact's residence, ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving through a construction zone at an undisclosed speed, the lane-keeping assist malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to become erratic, which required the contact to forcefully engage the steering wheel to regain control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diag... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with instrument cluster failure. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were orde... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that after parking in his driveway, there was white smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact is handicapped and was assisted by his wife to exit the vehicle safely. The vehicle later caught on fire, and flames were visible in the front passenger side that spread to the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated before o... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
Driving at normal highway speed the antenna dislodged. Dealership claims it is damaged and not a defect.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
While driving my 2020 Subaru Forester at approximately 15 mph, the engine unexpectedly shut off, resulting in an immediate loss of propulsion (vehicle stall while in motion). This created a safety risk because the vehicle was in traffic and could have been struck from behind or lost the ability to accelerate out of danger. No crash occurred and there were no injuries. There were no warning lamps, ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
With no warning lamps or lights, heard a pop, car stopped generating power, there was no place to pull over so we put on our hazards and kept driving. Car warning light on batter and it was telling us to stop driving as soon as possible, cars were honking and driving around us. We called AAA and they towed to the dealership we bought the car (it's a new car 8,000 miles). The ICCU failed, they rep... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
Recall number (25V796000) There is No remedy available. I am Experiencing fuel system issues that may relate. Dealer and corporate refusing meaningful support and expecting me to pay $1,600 to replace fuel assembly. I feel unsafe driving my vehicle at this time.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2025
DRL failure is widespread across ford vehicles and should be addressed by the manufacturer.
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
When attempting to pass a slow moving vehicle on a 2 lane highway when driving up a hill the transmission failed to properly shift instead making a loud clunking and grinding sound before eventually managing to shift into a gear. This failure to shift properly meant that the vehicle was unexpectedly without power when trying to change lanes leading to a dangerous situation.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Grand Design Reflection RV. The contact stated that while pulling the RV, the contact noticed abnormal sounds coming from the hitch location, and the RV displayed excessive up and down movements. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that both the driver's side and passenger's side frames had sustained 3 cracks on each side. The vehicle was serviced at the local RV dealer fo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
I would also like to highlight the serious safety concern due to cell deviation (imbalance) along with SOC (State of Charge) mismatch as per my car's BMS (Battery management system) which is present in my vehicle and shared with Kia corporate. In an electric vehicle, the high-voltage battery cells, the Battery Management System, and the battery coolant system function as a single integrated safet... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the vehicle made an abnormal, loud knocking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V514000(Steering); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Porsche leather dashboard shrunk and is loose; I was told airbags may not deploy correctly. Porche recommended replacing the dashboard. This is a very common issue.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
I purchased the 2021 Telluride (former owner of a Sportage, Rio and Sorento). I have our local mechanic handle maintenance and service. After paying $1,400 for a tune up to address misfiring, we quickly concluded the transmission was shot and my engine was burning theough every drop of oil before it was due for a change. I went to Kia of Des Moines, since it is covered under a 200k/20-year warr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-350 SD. The contact received the recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 25V686000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact expressed safety concerns about driving the recalled vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts to do the recall repairs were not available. The manufacturer was contacted by mail reg... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The collision alert system is out of wack. The system is at a glitch era where as no cause prompts the alert. I am now responsible to disable all systems prior to each drive to avoid unnecessary automatic braking. The following are of concern: Automatic Emergency Braking Blind Spot Warning Forward Collision Warning Lane Departure Warning Lane Keeping Assistance Parking Collision Warning R... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The collision alert system is out of wack. The system is at a glitch era where as no cause prompts the alert. I am now responsible to disable all systems prior to each drive to avoid unnecessary automatic braking. The following are of concern: Automatic Emergency Braking Blind Spot Warning Forward Collision Warning Lane Departure Warning Lane Keeping Assistance Parking Collision Warning R... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The component not functioning properly in the steering gear box. It is available for inspection. The steering sticks. With my hand at 12:00, it takes the width of my hand to unstick while driving. The component has been inspected and was determined the gears inside the gear box are binding. Causing the steering to stick. There was no warning and there is no damage present. I have had the car ins... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
Day after bought car, battery dead and all lights lit up on the dash when tried to start. Dealership gave a 256 point inspection and said car passed all elements. Jumped battery with a jump pack then battery started smoking and leaking fluid. Had dealership tow and diagnose problem, replaced the battery. Two days later started car on a cold day and check engine light started flashing and car went ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
I was driving with my family on 12/26/2025 and heard a very loud "pop" and then received a warning of "stop vehicle and check power supply." The car went into turtle mode and then stopped working entirely. It was a terrifying situation because there was no place to pull over immediately and the car was not operating. We were stranded as a storm was approaching, could not get a tow, etc. On 12/30/2... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Shift gear was not engaging then i noticed the knob was slightly sticking out so I pushed it back in. The car changed gear then but it happened again a couple days later but this time the knob fell off while i was trying to push it back in. Brought to the dealers for inspection in September within a week after the problem started. Followed up twice now with no update as to when it will be fixed, I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
Paint peeling issues with the snow white paint