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: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
While driving my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, VIN [XXX] , the car would start exhibiting rough engine feels, and all of the dashboard lights would come on. The car would lose power at highway speeds, and I’d have to pull over to turn the car off and on. When checking on OBDII meter, getting P0301 codes. I have replaced the coils and plugs twice and still not better. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
My 2013 Kia Optima caught fire while my [XXX] son and his friends were driving it. The car burnt up. Some truck drivers flagged my son down to let him know the car was on fire. They could have been killed if it wasn’t for the truck drivers warning him that the car was on fire while driving down the highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
My 2013 Kia Optima caught fire while my [XXX] son and his friends were driving it. The car burnt up. Some truck drivers flagged my son down to let him know the car was on fire. They could have been killed if it wasn’t for the truck drivers warning him that the car was on fire while driving down the highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
When using cruise control the Driver Warning Alert sends visible and audible alerts (Keep your eyes on the road) even when I'm looking straight ahead, not wearing glasses, and not blocking the camera. I have tried multiple steering wheel angles and seat positions. At times I can drive for 30 minutes with no alarms but at other times it goes off every 30 seconds. This takes my attention away fro... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Basically stated, death wobble, after looking up symptoms. At 65 mph on the highway, hit a bump and the entire jeep shook uncontrollably. I just purchased it used not 10 minutes prior to the incident. The dealership failed to mention this and sold it as-is.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The vehicle experiences severe stalling and loss of power while driving. When attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitates, shakes violently, and will not accelerate beyond approximately 10–20 mph. The vehicle then stalls completely and shuts off. These failures occur both after the vehicle has been parked and while actively driving. When placed in drive, the vehicle shakes aggressively and s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The vehicle experiences severe stalling and loss of power while driving. When attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitates, shakes violently, and will not accelerate beyond approximately 10–20 mph. The vehicle then stalls completely and shuts off. These failures occur both after the vehicle has been parked and while actively driving. When placed in drive, the vehicle shakes aggressively and s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
I purchased a vehicle August 2, 2024 from Kingdom auto sales. The car was inspected July 2024 in which it passed shortly after the car wouldn’t go over 40 mph. It would say it’s an over speed. The car runs hot and the parking assist light won’t go off May 25, 2025 I was driving on the highway in the car lost power and the speed was reduced after getting off the highway lost control of the st... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Ever since I bought my car in July of 2025 cash I’ve been having issues. Shortly after purchasing my car began to stall , lose power repeatedly. I then took to southwest kia in Dallas they told me I had contaminated gas. They charged me $2,000 to clean my fuel lines , replace spark plugs & replace a fuel pressure sensor. Shortly after i got my car I had the same issues. I explained my concerns a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Ever since I bought my car in July of 2025 cash I’ve been having issues. Shortly after purchasing my car began to stall , lose power repeatedly. I then took to southwest kia in Dallas they told me I had contaminated gas. They charged me $2,000 to clean my fuel lines , replace spark plugs & replace a fuel pressure sensor. Shortly after i got my car I had the same issues. I explained my concerns a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
Vehicle: 2017 Honda Pilot VIN: [XXX] Mileage at incident: ~137,800 miles Description of the problem: My 2017 Honda Pilot has experienced repeated engine misfire issues involving cylinder 5 following a major engine repair performed by an authorized Honda dealership. On September 22, 2025, Honda of Kenosha, WI performed a camshaft and camshaft thrust cover repair on my vehicle at a cost of appro... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The vehicle experienced a sudden failure of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) while in operation. The failure occurred at a four-way stop during snowy conditions when I attempted to proceed through the intersection and the vehicle would not initially move or transmit power to the wheels, leaving me stopped in the roadway and unable to clear the intersection, creating a safety risk due t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Fuel door will not open, there is no manual override, vehicle cannot be refueled and since there is no emergency release it caused me to be stranded at a gas station at night with my 4 kids which is a huge safety concern and should be taken seriously as this is a safety and drivability issue that I should not be held responsible to pay for when it is at no fault to me it is a design/system failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Fuel door will not open, there is no manual override, vehicle cannot be refueled and since there is no emergency release it caused me to be stranded at a gas station at night with my 4 kids which is a huge safety concern and should be taken seriously as this is a safety and drivability issue that I should not be held responsible to pay for when it is at no fault to me it is a design/system failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
My cars rack and pinion went out with the mileage just over 100,000 miles and I was told that this is a problematic something to do with the inappropriate silicone. Spending $85,000 on a car you would think that this is not something you would have to experience. The car was making a little bit of noise, turning left or right couple days later than it completely went out on me and had to drive the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
When applying the brakes sometimes, particularly when breaking at the bottom of a hill, the car lunges forward before the brake catches and it stops. The transition is jarring and does not seem safe at all. I've been told by mechanics at the Toyota shop that it is normal for a hybrid vehicle, but if that is the case they need to not sell hybrid vehicles or find a way to avoid this problem. I've ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. After waiting a few minutes, the vehicle was restarted; however, the contact noticed an ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
THE FIRST WEEK OF BUYING THIS VECHILE THERE WAS A CHIP MALFUCTION ON THE AUDI Q3 2024. THE AUDI AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME IT WAS JUST A SENSOR. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE DIOS DONE AND EVERTHING COME BACK FINE. HOWEVER, WHEN WHEN THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECT THE START STOP SYSTEM HAD ISSUE THEN WENT AWAY. ALONG WITH AFTER MY PURCHASE OF THE Q3 THEIR WERE STRANGE STREAMING NOISES THAT WERE COMING OU... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
I recently got into an accident in my 2016 Jeep Wrangler. My airbags never deployed however. Also my buttons on the left side of my steering wheel do not work and my horn does not work. After realizing all this I believe it is an issue with the clock spring. I did research and found in 2024 there was a recall for the clock spring but only in the RHD model. My car is a LHD model but it seems the sa... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
I had a brake system failure of some sort happen today. My life and the lives of many others were put in extreme danger. I was driving at about 40 MPH and was approaching a red light. I pressed down on my brake pedal to begin slowing down, but I got absolutely nothing in response. Out of panic, I pumped my brake pedal. This again, did not slow me down at all and my brake pedal fell to the floor t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2020
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 25-35 MPH and passing a vehicle on the left side of the vehicle, the vehicle stopped independently. The contact stated that the failure occurred while another vehicle was driving on the lane that was on the right side of the vehicle. The brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or to an indep... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Driving on the freeway going approx 70 MPH and the ABS warning light, and Stabilitrak warning light suddenly turned on. I’m sure you can imagine how panicked I was going that fast on the freeway and having my brake warnings suddenly turn on. Especially with my entire family in the vehicle with me at the time. Could feel a difference when I was attempting to brake and exit the freeway. Had to... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
I am attempting to have my vehicle repaired for a defect in the rear axle that Recall U88 addresses and that my VIN falls within the range of. I am being told by the my local dealership and the FCA that my Vin has not active recalls. Does my vehicle fall within the recall? The recall is from 2018 the year it was built. Is it possible the system just doesnt go back that far anymore? Can someone ple... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
While driving the vehicle in high winds, wind and air can be heard entering the cabin near the front of the drivers side door. Multiple heavy gusts of wind caused the car to move into the other lane and had a negative effect on steering the vehicle. Toyota denies there is something wrong with the door seals or design of the vehicle, but this is a safety hazard when driving in high sustained winds ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
A month after buying my vehicle in February of 2024, while driving my vehicle the screen behind my steering wheel will black out and come back on and do a system check as if I had just turned my car on. It happens at all times of day, at all speeds. I kept a log of some of the incidences and there are no two that are the same. I have even been in park with the car on and it will happen. When you a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
A month after buying my vehicle in February of 2024, while driving my vehicle the screen behind my steering wheel will black out and come back on and do a system check as if I had just turned my car on. It happens at all times of day, at all speeds. I kept a log of some of the incidences and there are no two that are the same. I have even been in park with the car on and it will happen. When you a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
After driving for 2 hrs in single digit temperatures I entered the on ramp to interstate freeway. I lost power, couldn’t accelerate further and the Check engine light was flashing. I pulled over on the 4 lane interstate, turned off my car and restarted. CEL went away. This is the 2nd time in 2 Winters this has occurred during cold weather. Both on exit/entrance ramps when trying to accelerate af... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
Several times when I have honked my horn on my 2025 Camry SE cruise control has engaged. That is a dangerous situation if I'm trying to avoid a slow vehicle or accident and the vehicle goes into cruise control mode. Not sure what Toyota can do about this as the cruise control buttons are on the right side of the steering wheel behind the horn. Maybe it is overlapping or too close. There are auto b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
Two speed power transfer unit failure. It's been since July 1, 2025 y car has been unable to drive. The PTU unit went out on the highway going 65 MPH and immediately lost control of having power to the gas pedal and had to pull over quickly on the highway. They still have not developed the remedy, and are withholding money from rental reimbursement.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My Ram truck ( with extended manufacturer's warranty) has a faulty ABS module which has resulted in not having the ABS safety feature. In addition, this failed module renders speed control inoperative, thus increasing fatigue on long trips. The diagnosis was from July 29, 2025 by a Sulphur Springs dealer [very nice folks]. I have reached out to them several times and was told the part is still on... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
In May 2025, Tesla pushed an over-the-air (OTA) software update overnight while the vehicle was parked. When the vehicle was started the following morning, the update had failed mid-process and stalled at approximately 50%. Immediately upon startup, the backup camera and navigation/maps stopped functioning. The vehicle has been unable to complete subsequent software updates since. Tesla service ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
I purchased a CPO 2017 Hyundai Tucson in June'22 and brought it in for engine stuttering, the car stalling in intersections and was told they couldn't duplicate the problem. I emailed and brought the car in again and still noting was rectified. I've made the oil changes, changed spark plugs, flushed the engine in July and got new oil and everything looked at and in October the engine seized while ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
My vehicle has started to have problems shifting in some gears(3rd & 7th). I have been doing research, and this seems to be a recurring problem for vehicles with the 10r80 transmission. Where this has caused a big safety risk, is that a few times, the vehicle wouldn't move when pushing on the gas after having the foot on the brake after I had already left and been driving it for 5-10 minutes. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
While driving my 2018 Subaru Outback on the freeway, the sunroof spontaneously shattered without warning. At the time of the incident, there were no nearby vehicles, road debris, or external factors that could explain the failure. This appears to be a dangerous and unexpected defect.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
The contact rented a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that there was damage to the rear bumper upon retrieval. While using lane assist, traveling around a curve at 55 MPH, the steering wheel was pushing and pulling, and failed to turn and continued going straight; the vehicle crossed the highway and crashed into a ditch. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact sustained injur... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel locked up while attempting to make a left or right turn. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact there wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
My 2024 honda prologue was brought in to service a battery failure light and get a clicking noise in the front axel looked at when turning. The light was a red on the dash shaped like a car with an exclamation point. Dealer claimed that the multiple codes were nothing and that the car needs a new audio system. Not sure how audio systems = battery failure but i digress. I was told my car is safe to... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — SERVICE BRAKES
Dec 15, 2025
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Red brake light came on, traction control light came on, ABS light came on, Toyota says my brake pump needs replaced. That my brake will fail.
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE
Dec 15, 2025
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
While driving around, the van will go into "limp mode" effecting my speed and acceleration. Then the battery will become drained and the car alarms me to "Check Hybrid System. Stop safely." It seems the hybrid system fails to switch from battery to engine when the battery gets too low, creating the alert. While the vehicle is still running, I will check the diagnostics on the dashboard and it show... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
While driving around, the van will go into "limp mode" effecting my speed and acceleration. Then the battery will become drained and the car alarms me to "Check Hybrid System. Stop safely." It seems the hybrid system fails to switch from battery to engine when the battery gets too low, creating the alert. While the vehicle is still running, I will check the diagnostics on the dashboard and it show... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
While driving at about 55 mph my Wrangler shut down and dash read to put car in park to calibrate battery. I had to bring vehicle to side of road and try to restart. It did restart. I had a recall addressed at Marc Motors Sanford Maine service dept back in April 18, 2025. For recall for high voltage. Not sure why recall is showing incomplete? I am very scared to drive this car. I called the deale... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
First year of ownership rear engine needed to be replaced. The car literally stopped where I was on the road and had to be towed to dealer. It took a month to get the motor replaced. After that, my car stopped while I was leaving my house driving it out of my driveway. There were red warining lights and sounds and then it just suddenly died seconds later. It had to be towed to the dealer. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2025
This is a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. It currently has 22,700 miles on it. These issues began prior to 20,000 miles. The car stops driving with out warning. This has occurred on three occasions, while driving in traffic. It locks up, but power is still working. A message pops up that says put the vehicle in Drive...which it already is. It comes to an abrupt stop. It will not regain power. You hav... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2025
While driving from Phoenix to Tucson in midday traffic, the vehicle displayed a "Check Transmission" error message. Immediately following this warning, the vehicle experienced a significant loss of motive power while navigating a busy intersection. The car would not shift gears appropriately to maintain speed or move out of the path of traffic, which created an immediate risk of a collision. I was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2025
While driving from Phoenix to Tucson in midday traffic, the vehicle displayed a "Check Transmission" error message. Immediately following this warning, the vehicle experienced a significant loss of motive power while navigating a busy intersection. The car would not shift gears appropriately to maintain speed or move out of the path of traffic, which created an immediate risk of a collision. I was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
While I was driving on the highway, the brakes of my car suddenly were violently activated and I had not touched the brakes. If there had been a car behind me, it would have been a major rear end collision. It was over quickly and I accelerated back to the normal speed. I talked to the Honda Service Mgr where I purchased the car and he said he was unaware of the problem although I see that th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
This car has a feature that will automatically detect the speed limit and sets the cruise control to an amount relative to it. If speed limit detected is 45, for example, it can automatically set the cruise setting to a configurable amount, say +5mph, and when detected, sets the limit to 50mph. Generally that works fine. However, near us is hwy 190 and is marked with road signs as a junction. ... Read more