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 4, 2025
I am reporting a serious safety hazard involving a 2010 Toyota Camry purchased from GA Carz 4 Less, LLC through the GovDeals.com platform. The seller provided no disclosures of mechanical issues. Immediately upon receiving the vehicle, it exhibited violent engine knocking, shaking, heavy oil leakage, and repeated engine shutdowns. Two certified mechanics inspected the vehicle and confirmed that th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
I was Driving the car and the sunroof exploded out of the blue.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
Regarding Recall Repair on My Truck To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally express my frustration and concern regarding the recent service performed on my truck, which I purchased pre-owned from Tropical Chevrolet with only 4,700 miles. 9 months after my purchase, the vehicle received a manufacturer recall involving the motor, requiring a full engine replacement. I brought the truck to B... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2025 Kia K4. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the dashboard. Additionally, the contact stated that while his daughter was driving to the dealer, the speedometer displayed 70 MPH; however, the driver was pulled over by the Police and informed the driver that the vehicle was driving 90 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, whe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
After driving my car from the dealer after purchase all the safety features have warning lights on the dash. Break system error ,electric power steering problem ,road departure mitigation problem, collision mitigation problem, lane keep assist problem, adaptive cruise control problem, tsa problem, hill start assist problem, vsa problem, abs problem, electric parking brake problem. Its seems like ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
Vehicle: 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Mileage at Failure: ~129,000 miles Issue Type: Engine Failure / Valve / PCV-Related Defect Manufacturer & Dealer Both Denied Repair My 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe suffered a sudden engine failure at around 129,000 miles. The Hyundai dealer verbally told me the failure was caused by a faulty PCV valve, which is a known issue in Hyundai engines and can lead to severe oil lo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings
Crash
Fire
1 deaths
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings
Crash
Fire
1 deaths
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
Describe: • Rear camera froze • Parking assist warning did not activate • Auto-brake did not engage • Accident occurred before recall update I backed into my Neighbors car which was parked opposite my driveway. Searched and found Lexus safety recall notice 25LA06
Crash
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
“I need to file a complaint because two dealerships refused to perform the required diagnostic for federal safety recall 19S07 on my F-150. They stated they will not replace the lead frame under ANY circumstance, even if the recall-related OSS failure damaged it. Both dealers refused the mandatory recall procedure. My truck is showing ALL recall symptoms, including speedometer dropouts, PRNDL f... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim was flapping while driving. The contact stated that the windshield exterior A-pillar trims were loose. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
My 2023 Ram 1500 TRX has recurring safety-related failures of the infotainment system affecting both Uconnect 5 (12” screen) and earlier Uconnect 4 units. These issues are widespread in 2021–2024 Ram TRX and Ram 1500 models and began or worsened after forced over-the-air updates. The primary defect is black-screen failures while driving. When the screen goes black or freezes, the truck loses ... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — STRUCTURE
Dec 4, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The engine light continues to come on and the only reading it gives off is that the engine is running lean. Nothing seems to be smoking or wrong with the vehicle. It continues to drive well. Then the backup cameras started to go on a blink. It comes off and on intermittently sometimes on while driving forward and less frequently on when in reverse.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
My 2019 BMW X7 is under Safety Recall 25V-644 for an overheating/fire-risk defect, but the recall remedy is unavailable. The vehicle has now experienced multiple safety-related failures that appear to be progressing. BMW diagnosed the following failures: • Emergency Call System Malfunction • GPS and maps not working • Failure of the TCB telematics module • Failure of the antenna and TCB ba... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
I was driving down the highway at 65 mph and went to slow down and I had no brakes. Resulting in me having to go into the ditch to avoid a collision. After I was able to get the truck to slow down and to a stop I inspected my braking system to find all of my brake lines were rusted out and I had ruptured my brake lines. Since the incident I have had to replace all my brake lines and both of my bra... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while attempting to activate the HVAC system, there was an abnormal burning plastic odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the blower motor relay had short circuited and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; h... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that there was a coolant leak coming from the bottom plate while driving. There was coolant on the ground and in the garage. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. Additional coolant was added but leaked from the vehicle. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V221000 (Engine and Engine Cooli... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Vehicle suffers from throttle lag when accelerating from a stop. Issue does not occur often enough to reproduce at dealer service center but has almost resulted in an accident multiple times over the past 3.5yrs. No warning lamps or messages when the issue occurs.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
My car misfired, then the heat wouldn't work then started to overheat. The car is 2019 MKC 2.0L engine. Only 64k miles on it. I am the original owner. Took it to the dealership and they said the coolant has back up into the engine. I read that this has been a known issue with these engines and was never notified. It is going to cost 10k to replace this engine.
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
Vehicle: 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Recall: 78C / NHTSA 25V-766 Mileage: 6,975 miles Location: California Complaint: My 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe is under safety recall 78C (NHTSA 25V-766) for catastrophic engine failure, fire risk, and unexpected/unrecoverable loss of propulsion. The recall notice states that the engine may contain sand contamination from the casting process, which can cause sudden eng... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
My 2022 Kia Seltos repeatedly stalls and shuts off while driving, including in traffic and at stop signs. The vehicle has also had multiple electrical failures and an emergency brake malfunction. A few weeks ago, October 26th, while going through a Starbucks drive-through, My car completely stopped. I got stuck in the Starbucks line and multiple people had to help me push my car out of the driv... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
My 2022 Kia Seltos repeatedly stalls and shuts off while driving, including in traffic and at stop signs. The vehicle has also had multiple electrical failures and an emergency brake malfunction. A few weeks ago, October 26th, while going through a Starbucks drive-through, My car completely stopped. I got stuck in the Starbucks line and multiple people had to help me push my car out of the driv... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
On 09-15-25, My 2023 Cadillac Escalade passed the PicoScope test that was performed at the Randy Marion Cadillac Dealership, located at 4700 Southside Blvd., Jacksonville, Fl., in reference to the 6.2 engine recall. After the engine oil change and oil filler cap replacement, the dealership failed to provide the insert for the owner's manual and had no idea what I was talking about. As a result, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
My 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 experienced a complete engine failure at ~51,000 miles, shortly after a major repair for a known defect. Initially, the vehicle showed a misfire on cylinder #3, which was diagnosed at RBM of Alpharetta as low compression due to valve seat damage, matching MB TSB LI01.30-P-072328. The cylinder head was replaced in Aug 2025. About two months later, while driving under ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
My 202 pathfinder started misfiring with sever knocking, Nissan said there is metal saving in my oil which is caused because of the long block engine failure and timing chain loosening. I had my oil changes done every 4K, and I also had the fluids flushed twice in 5 years because of excessive build up. How does this happen.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The power tailgate on my 2021 Honda Odyssey suddenly failed. A “power tailgate problem” warning appeared, and the tailgate became completely inoperable. It would not latch manually or automatically, even when applying force. The latch would spring back open, and no mechanical sound came from the door. Because the tailgate would not latch, the interior lights stayed on, and the vehicle continu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
The front bumper of the vehicle is falling off, it seems to be too heavy for the vehicle. I went to the dealership and was informed this is a common reported issue with the 2025 Toyota Camry but as there is no open recall the warranty is unable to provide any assistance. This is a safety hazard and the bumper could fall off during anytime and cause a serious hazard and or accident can occur. I inf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer refused to repair the vehicle. The c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
My vehicle is experiencing multiple dangerous electrical and drivetrain failures that occur intermittently and without warning. The issues began the day of purchase purchase and continue to worsen. Documented defects include: Vehicle randomly will not start Vehicle randomly will not turn off Dashboard/electronic systems reset intermittently (gauges go blank or restart, Bluetooth disconnects, w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
While driving and turning left and right, and while cold and turning It does a grinding/groan noice, and recently while driving it did that, and It started losing speed and the grinding worsening and I was losing control of the vehicle. Putting the vehicle in Auto makes the groan/grind worse.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 92,985. While attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that the title mileage was approximately 215,000.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
At night when I am driving, the headlight goes off. The light switch does not work on some settings. I never know when or where this dangerous situation is going to happen. Therefore, I try to avoid driving at night, as much as possible. This problem was addressed to Kia more than a year ago. They keep saying that they don't see a problem.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
2019 Hyundai Elantra - White paint job has peeled on the hood, fender, roof, door, trunk, & along windows. Hyundai has extended the paint warranty for 2015-2018 Elantra's for this exact issue under Hyundai Extended Warranty Reference: Z05. I am requesting the warranty extension to include the 2019 Elantra. --References-- Extended Warranty Notification for Z05: [XXX] Hyundai Extended Warranty R... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
On Dec 1, 2025 we were driving down the freeway at approx 70 MPH when we heard a loud bang. At first, we thought a tire had blown but that wasn't the case. We started hearing more road and wind noise from above the shade screen. We were close to our Kia dealership so we went directly there. The sunroof glass about the driver and front passenger seats had a large hole and the glass around it was sh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2019
While driving 4WD warning light appeared on dash display. I pulled over shortly after and checked for obvious clues such as leaking oil, loose belts and burning smells, nothing to be found. Currently, I was advised not to drive this vehicle due to causing additional damage or breakdown. I am still waiting for the part to be delivered so this could be repaired.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2019
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 64 MPH, the vehicle jerked and vibrated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. Multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact was assisted with jumpstarting the vehicle. The contact was able to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
Complaint Summary: Severe, dangerous steering oscillation (“death wobble”) while driving at highway speeds. Violent shaking after hitting a bump on Highway 94 in Minneapolis caused near loss of control. Forced to pull off the road to avoid an accident. Defect recurred continuously, requiring speeds of 25–55 mph for an 800-mile trip to Canada and the entire return trip. This is a known defect... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while shifted into park(P), there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a Product Improvement Code before the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
At approximately 33,188 miles, an “AWD System Problem” warning appeared on the instrument cluster of my 2019 Honda CR‑V AWD. Darrell Waltrip Honda in Nashville, TN scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC C1851‑1E, which indicates a rear differential pump motor high‑current fault. The dealer misinterpreted this code and advised that the AWD control unit (Part No. 48310‑5TG‑H52) needed r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the engine was revving, and the tachometer was showing an elevated RPM level before the vehicle slowly responded. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated on the in... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The Display stops working or goes blank. Speed sometimes shows incorrectly on display. Today with a full tank of fuel it showed the Telluride was empty. Dealer service is scheduled for next week. No warnings.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Question 1 - What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer 1 - The Engine Cylinder Head. The cylinder head developed a crack, causing a significant oil leak. The car is currently at the dealership but is available for inspection upon request. Question 2 - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer 2 - The defective ... Read more
KIA
SORENTO PHEV
(2023) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Dec 3, 2025
Incident date: May 26, 2025
The existing recall has now been outstanding for 15 months with no resolution proposed by the manufacturer and threats of disastrous consequences if the car is used as intended.
KIA
SORENTO PHEV
(2023) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Dec 3, 2025
Incident date: May 26, 2025
While driving my 2023 Sorento plug-in hybrid a msg appeared that Charging Stopped Check Cable. When you stop the car and try to drive it will not go into any gear, msg says Shifting Conditions Not Met and Unplug Vehicle to Start and the wheels are locked up (E-brake) and needs a tow truck with dollies in order to load. This happened in the middle of the Highway and it’s happened FOUR times. By t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
My headlights have deteriorated to the point that the vehicle can’t be driven at night. GM/Cadillac acknowledged this as a problem with this particular model. I sent an email to the Cadillac CEO, Rory Harvey. I received a call from an executive assistant stating that this issue was addressed prior to my report. I stated I could not use the vehicle at night due to safety issues. Her response was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The incident took place on Sunday, December 30th. I was driving to pick up my children from their father and on our way home my car stopped accelerating entirely. This had only happen one other time a few days prior. I was in a gas station parking lot and initially when I turned my car on and went to put it into drive it wouldn’t accelerate. I thought that was odd so I did the only thing I knew ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
On October 17, 2025, I was driving my 2014 Volkswagen Jetta at approximately 25–30 mph on the bypass in Muscatine, Iowa. Another vehicle cut into my lane and struck the front driver-side of my car. My vehicle suffered significant front-end impact, including wheel/tire damage, bumper and fender damage, and visible suspension impact. During the crash, the driver-side airbag did NOT deploy, even t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
My 2022 Kia Telluride is experiencing several serious safety-related defects. The backup camera does not work, the second-row bucket seats fold up on their own while driving, and the electronic parking brake becomes stuck on and will not disengage. The transmission hesitates and shifts harshly, creating a risk during acceleration and lane changes. The engine is consuming oil between changes. The h... Read more