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: Nov 25, 2025
The sunroof shattered while driving without any sort of impact.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
I am an automotive service technology teacher, retired. The ABS system on this vehicle failed without warning and without any trouble codes. No lights, no codes. The pedal sinks nearly to the floor, but does engage the brakes once the ABS chambers fill with fluid. But, by the time brakes begin to engage, one's heart skips a beat and it actually takes 1/2 second longer for the brakes to actually ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering violently, hesitated, and failed to accelerate to approximately 35 MPH. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with cool... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
Model: 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid VIN: [XXX] ]] Mileage: [78000 old motor | 25000 replaced motor] Issue Type: Engine Stalling / Rough Idle/ Low Operating Temperature / Warranty Denial Maintenance History: Dealer-maintained per schedule Dealer Name/Location: [American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Attn: Customer Relations / Warranty Department 1919 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90501] Manufacturer Contacted: Y... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, another vehicle stopped in front of the contact’s vehicle and the brake pedal was depressed to attempt to avoid a crash; however, the vehicle skidded and crashed into the rear of the other vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. During the crash the front end and the hood of the vehicle was se... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, another vehicle stopped in front of the contact’s vehicle and the brake pedal was depressed to attempt to avoid a crash; however, the vehicle skidded and crashed into the rear of the other vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. During the crash the front end and the hood of the vehicle was se... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
STEERING BECAME ERRATIC & UNCONTROLABLE WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH. STEERING WHEEL SHOOK . IT WAS A DEATH WOBBLE AND ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. THIS IS A 2013 FORD F-350 WITH 102,000 MILES. EACH TIME TRUCK HAD IT HAPPEN, IT WAS AFTER A EXPANSION JOINT IN ROAD WAS GONE OVER. TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO FORD DEALER & WE ARE WAITING FOR THEIR ASSEMENT OF... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
To: Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 USA Subject: Formal Safety Defect Claim Regarding Unaddressed Recalls — 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) From: [XXX] Email: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Vehicle Information: - VIN: * [XXX] ** - Make / Model: 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid - Mileage: approx. **... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
To: Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 USA Subject: Formal Safety Defect Claim Regarding Unaddressed Recalls — 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) From: [XXX] Email: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Vehicle Information: - VIN: * [XXX] ** - Make / Model: 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid - Mileage: approx. **... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
My car had a coolant leak last year a hose broke and I have a 2021. My son’s mercedes sis the same thing on 11/23/2025. I have researched ma y others with this same issue. There should be a recall on that hose or whatever the problem Is.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
Check Engine Light came on with message of "Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care". This same thing happened to my sister-in-laws 2019 Acadia 2 months earlier. Took it in right away to the dealership to find out it's the thermostat, it's a common/known issue and it isn't covered under my extended warranty and will cost ~$1300. I'm seeing this is a common issue for Acadia's and has not had a r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
My ABS module has an active recall. I have replaced brakes and rotors in the front and rear. I have had to resurface my rear rotors due to the issue. My breaks are locking up and causing issues. I can't back up my trailer without my breaks locking up. The recall has been active for almost a year without a resolution. This problem is unsafe and people's lives are at risk. Something needs to be done... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the driver's side windshield exterior A-Pillar trim made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure had started over 2 years ago. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); and contacted the dealer and the manufacturer about parts availability ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
System malfunctions for new all new 2025 Audi S5 including drive system malfunction, loose wheel, brakes limited functionality, parking break malfunction, stabilization control malfunction, driving dynamics system malfunction, hold assist malfunction.
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
DEATH TRAP! Point blank~Engine will STILL Jerk, Skip, Not Do Anything Or even Shut Off Without Warning!!! The Driver's Screen will still Flash and go out but only once in a while now. Dealership didn't understand that. They told me Radio was Fine Now. I told them Screen Directly in Front of Driver's with Speedometer on it. IT'S HARD TO FIND GOOD HELP. EVEN HARDER, to FIND a SAFE RELIABLE VEHICLE ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
DEATH TRAP! Point blank~Engine will STILL Jerk, Skip, Not Do Anything Or even Shut Off Without Warning!!! The Driver's Screen will still Flash and go out but only once in a while now. Dealership didn't understand that. They told me Radio was Fine Now. I told them Screen Directly in Front of Driver's with Speedometer on it. IT'S HARD TO FIND GOOD HELP. EVEN HARDER, to FIND a SAFE RELIABLE VEHICLE ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
My 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid has a safety-critical transmission defect. The vehicle slips violently from 1st to 2nd gear, loses acceleration, and causes unpredictable hesitation. This creates a danger when merging onto highways or crossing intersections. Hyundai refused goodwill assistance, denied escalation, and directed me to BBB Auto Line, but BBB does not accept 2018 vehicles. This defect mat... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
In November 2023, our SUV started to over heat and engine shut off. We noticed the coolant reservoir was bone dry. We added coolant. It was bone dry again within a couple days. We had a mechanic friend diagnose and he told us it is the water pump. We took it to the Ford dealership and we were quoted $3000 to repair it. We could not afford this, so thankfully we met a mechanic that works at dealers... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
Coolant temperature gauge stops working and shows cold temperature reading. The radiator fan runs for about 2 minutes as if the engine is overheating. I think it's a temperature sensor issue or thermostat issue or both.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
My 2018 Ford Escape SE is on its SECOND engine and has started with coolant intrusion AGAIN. The same issue has doomed the same car twice.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
Check engine light came on all of a sudden. Smell of exhaust/gas coming from car. Took car to the dealership to get the cause of the check engine light coming on. Dealership said it came back 02 sensor bank 2 and exhaust gasket to header.
Incident date: Oct 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear windshield shattered without impact. The contact's husband was outside and heard an abnormal cracking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact's husband witnessed the rear windshield shattering and bulging outwards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
I was driving along and the truck shifted out of gear. Throttled to high rpm’s and went back into gear causing me to temporarily loose control and it repeated itself 2 more times before I got it stopped and towed home.
Incident date: Nov 17, 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 while driving 50 MPH, the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
When starting up the vehicle, the headlight system malfunctioned light came on and a pre-collision system light came on. After shutting it off and restarting the vehicle. The lights were off.
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
After stopping the vehicle to run an errand, the vehicle locked up. The steering wheel would not turn. The vehicle would not shift into any gear. The vehicle was inoperable and I found myself stranded 25 miles from home. The vehicle was towed to our local Ford dealership where it has been for the past two weeks. This failure could just as occurred on the road causing a dangerous situation.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
Purchased vehicle in July 2025. Started having the engine failure issues described in recall "L87 Engine Loss of Propulsion (Related field action: See Special Coverage N252494003)". GM says that the recall work was completed in May of 2025, however, the same exact issue as described in the recall exists. Engine fails during vehicle operation, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the ris... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Summit Reserve which is affected by recalls 78C and 68C. These recalls have no remedy, no timeline, and no clear information from Stellantis. I no longer feel safe driving my daily driver, and the lack of progress has created a serious safety and reliability issue. Stellantis has instructed owners not to recharge the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
My wife of [XXX] and grandson were driving our Chevrolet Bolt, crossing a busy 4 lane highway when suddenly and w/o any prior warning, the Bolt lost propulsion. Caught blocking 2 of those lanes, she was fortunate that men stopped their trucks and pushed her car up hill and into a church parking lot. She called me and I tried resetting everything to factory settings, and the Bolt seemed okay-for a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where it was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
On November 24, 2025, I remote started my car for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, I opened the driver's side door, pressed the tailgate button to open the tailgate, opened a rear door, and my rear windshield shattered. There was no impact and no accident.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The vehicle intermittently fails to shift gears and loses acceleration without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. The problem began in October 2024 when the check-engine light first appeared and has continued since. Despite multiple repair attempts by the Kia dealership—including replacement of the fuel pump, fuel pressure sensors, and ECU—the root cause remains undiagnosed, and the de... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The vehicle intermittently fails to shift gears and loses acceleration without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. The problem began in October 2024 when the check-engine light first appeared and has continued since. Despite multiple repair attempts by the Kia dealership—including replacement of the fuel pump, fuel pressure sensors, and ECU—the root cause remains undiagnosed, and the de... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The vehicle has experienced ongoing engine performance and safety-related warning events. The first major issue was a single occurrence of an overheating condition that displayed an “Engine Overheating – Idle Engine” warning. After that event, the vehicle was taken in for repairs. Following the repair attempt, the vehicle began displaying repeated check-engine warnings and multiple occurren... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
I am reporting a serious engine defect in my 2017 Kia Sorento. The has failed and presents an ongoing safety concern. The issue is while driving on the interstate, the vehicle began shaking violently, started making a knocking noise and the check engine illuminated. The RPMs also began spiking so I slowed down and got off at the next exit. Now every time I start the vehicle it continues to shake... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
I am reporting a serious engine defect in my 2017 Kia Sorento. The has failed and presents an ongoing safety concern. The issue is while driving on the interstate, the vehicle began shaking violently, started making a knocking noise and the check engine illuminated. The RPMs also began spiking so I slowed down and got off at the next exit. Now every time I start the vehicle it continues to shake... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. Additionally, while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormally l... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
While driving my 2022 Kia Sportage, the brakes suddenly stopped responding. I pressed the brake pedal hard several times and the vehicle did not slow down or stop at all. There was no braking pressure and no warning lights. Because the brakes failed completely, I crashed directly into a guardrail. The airbags deployed on impact. This was not driver error, it was a sudden and total brake system fai... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
While driving my 2022 Kia Sportage, the brakes suddenly stopped responding. I pressed the brake pedal hard several times and the vehicle did not slow down or stop at all. There was no braking pressure and no warning lights. Because the brakes failed completely, I crashed directly into a guardrail. The airbags deployed on impact. This was not driver error, it was a sudden and total brake system fai... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
The contact leased a 2024 Fiat 500E. The contact stated that the windows failed to roll down and the brakes made an abnormal sound while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle required the Push to Start button to be pressed three times to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the A/C and heating system were inoperable, and the infotainment system screen occasionall... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
Vehicle: 2022 Kia Carnival Component: Liftgate — right-side support/strut (shoulder) failure Safety Issue: The right-hand side trunk strut/support has completely broken, causing the liftgate to drop unexpectedly. The trunk will not stay open and can fall abruptly during use. This creates a significant safety hazard for adults and children standing underneath, and while loading/unloading cargo. T... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
For the past 2 months every time I reach 40 mph service stabilitrak comes on and the car starts pulling to the left and having trouble accelerating. I have took it to 3 mechanics and they can't find the problem at all
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
My 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has become unsafe to drive due to strong gasoline fumes filling the cabin. The smell is overwhelming and makes it difficult — and frankly dangerous — to sit in the vehicle for more than a few minutes without feeling lightheaded. I have since learned that this issue is part of a known defect covered under NHTSA Recall #21V961, which affects 2016–2020 CLA 250 mode... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
TPMS Failure After IPMA Replacement – “After the dealership replaced the IPMA module on Nov 14, 2025 to address repeated ADAS system failures (BLIS, Cross-Traffic, Pre-Collision Assist, Park Aid, Front Camera Fault), the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) immediately stopped functioning. The FordPass app shows all four tire sensors missing (‘—’) and permanent ‘Tire Pressure Data D... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2025
Our OnStar Control Module on our 2025 Equinox started having connectivity issues. It failed to access apps and showed our location 100 miles from where we actually were, and drains the battery. We could not access OnStar to correct the issue. It continued to go off and on, until it completely failed. Researching this, hundreds of 2025 Equinox owners are experiencing the same issues. It is an extre... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
The check engine light came on on my Chevy Tahoe, November 2023. The system started to fail it would say for collision not able service ESC system. I would bring it into the shop. They would hook it up to the computer and they would say oh nothing wrong we just reset it. Then it started to shut down and it would say proceed with caution, low acceleration, no front and collision service ESC and I w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
*Component or System: Power window system / electrical system *What Happened? The manufacturer issued a recall for a defect in the power window system. When I brought my vehicle to the authorized service center, I was informed that the recall repair applies only to the front power windows, even though the same malfunction and defect are clearly present in the rear windows as well. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
My f150 lightning won't drive wben put in Drive. Then all the sudden it goes forward when not expecting it and we almost was in an accident. This happened many times and has been in service for over 3 months. They aren't able to fix it. We are trying to get them to take it back. The computer we noticed was defective the day after we bought it and inquired about it immediately. delayed enga... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
Unknown Sometimes when i stop the vehicle the engine shuts off and wont come back on until i put the car in park and turn the ignition off. Not safe at all when your in heavy traffic