Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 62,191 complaints for KIA
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
The drivers side door latch does not allow the driver to exist the vehicle as the door lock on the drivers door has only worked intermittently. When the lock doesn’t unlock on the drivers door, I have to use the passenger or rear doors to enter and/or exit the vehicle. The drivers door won’t even allow me to manually unlock the door using the latch—when I grip the latch tight enough to gr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact disabled the stop-to-start feature, and the failure ceased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. In addition, the contact was informed that the vehicle ne... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2021
Failed/Malfunctioned Component: Rear subframe (structural/chassis component) exhibited advanced corrosion (perforation/rust-through), compromising structural integrity and alignment/handling. Availability for Inspection: Yes. The vehicle and the subframe are available for inspection upon request. I can provide photos, videos, and repair estimates if needed. The corroded subframe is fracture and d... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
Complete engine failure @100,600 miles Engine power reduced and lost compression transmission module failure Will not exceed 20mph
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the brake warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal needed to be depressed with more force. The contact stated that the brake pedal was soft and there was no pressure on the pedal. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC. The contact stated that while riding at various speeds, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the front of the motorcycle. There was no warning light illuminated. The motorcycle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the squeak was coming from the judder spring. The contact was shown a photo of the clu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
Spontaneous Panoramic Sunroof Shattering on 2025 VW Tiguan
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The rearview camera intermittently fails when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. The image flickers, becomes distorted, upside down, or goes completely blank. This is a known issue covered under Recall #59C, but the dealer stated there is currently no available remedy. The failure makes backing up unsafe and unpredictable.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while attempting to park in a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a 2012 Cadillac in front of her. There were no reported injuries, fire, air bag deployment, or police report filed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an auto body shop. The local dealer was contacted, who refer... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
The 2017 Hyundai Sonata has had an ongoing engine malfunction defect that is causing engine knocking, stalling, and smell and rapid depletion of oil. The continuous issues are concerning especially when the car is not driven on a regular basis as it is utilized as a second vehicle. This has been a noticeable issue for quite sometime now. I have taken the car to the Hyundai dealership on multiple ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
On Monday, January 12, I was driving down the highway with 2 of my coworkers, when all of a sudden there was a loud pop and glass shattered. My sunroof had exploded. It was a sunny clear day, there were no vehicles in front of us and we were not going under an overpass. We pulled over to take pictures and drove the vehicle straight to Ford. We have since read that this type of incident has occurre... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
January 2026, NY, in normal winter conditions with windshield defroster on, fan speed high, temperature set at 76, the vehicle is unable to prevent the wipers from freezing. The wipers are unable to clear windshield even after 30 minutes or one hour of vehicle operation. I have never, ever, had a vehicle that was unable to deal with a normal Northeastern winter. This is unsafe in the extreme.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
Vehicle: 2025 BMW X3 Complaint Description: I am reporting a serious safety defect involving sudden unintended acceleration, braking abnormalities, steering looseness, and electronic system failures. Within days of purchase, the vehicle began experiencing infotainment system freezing and electronic malfunctions. Over time, steering looseness and abnormal brake behavior developed. These issues w... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
Dash Delamination: The leather dashboard is experiencing severe delamination and pulling away from the substrate, specifically in the area surrounding the passenger-side airbag. I believe this condition poses two significant safety risks: Airbag Interference: The detached and warped material may obstruct, delay, or alter the deployment path of the passenger-side airbag during a collision. Visibi... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE
Jan 19, 2026
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Car driving down highway at ~70 MPH with wife and our three young kids. Engine spontaneously shut off while driving. Electronic and other systems continued to function (power steering, brakes, lights, screens etc). Dangerous situation but was able to stop car in shoulder. Tried turning car on and off but car would not restart. Police were notified but did not come. Tow truck came and tuck car to a... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2024) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jan 19, 2026
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
I left my house this am in below zero temperatures. I drove to my daughter's apartment complex 41 miles away. I pulled into her underground parking garage and then heard a loud pop, followed by the rear hatch window imploding into thousands of pieces.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE
Jan 19, 2026
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
In September of 2025 my 2022 GMC Yukon AT4 6.2L V8 passed the test for the 25V-274 recall. The dealer did necessary fix with the higher viscosity oil. As of January 6th my Yukon has been in the shop with engine failure. My Yukon needs a new engine, so clearly the fix with using higher viscosity oil did not work.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The rear backup camera system on my 2016 Ford Fusion S has failed and no longer displays an image when the vehicle is placed in reverse. The screen remains completely black and does not activate. The backup camera previously worked normally before this failure. The issue appears to be related to the backup camera or associated electrical/display system, and the component should be available for in... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The Anti-lock braking system and the electronic traction control system are both failing. There were previous recalls on both systems that say they have been repaired, but the lights for both are constantly on. The brakes do not work fully, and it has caused me to slide down the street from my workplace. The electronic traction control system not working has caused it so that my four-wheel drive d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Due to a leak in the rear axle that is connected to the differential, it caused the entire differential to fail. The bearing within the differential completely failed due to contaminated oil. The Q8s are known to have this occur but only in year models 2020-2022. My Q8 is a 2019 and Audi is aware of these issues given technical service bulletins available but doesnt want to take responsibility as ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
We bought the truck new 2018 and started having trans issues and leaf springs popping. So, we took back to dealership and all they did was change fluid in trans and pump grease in-between leaf springs. I did get them to finally change passenger side leaf spring out, but that does no good when leaf spring they put on has the same issue. The leaf springs have to much gap in between each leaf. I told... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
On 1/18 I was dropping my daughter off at Chicopee High School when I took left to front street I heard a snap and the car took me to the right direction causing my rim to be damaged. The Tired Rob broke. I called Roadside they tow the car to Curry Honda in Chicopee mass. Today when I called Cury Honda one of the managers insisted that I hit a poth hole without me explaining and saying this never ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
265/50R20 Cooper Evolution H/T, all 4 tires have cracks all the way around each tire, possibly sidewall defects. Tires were purchased new from Bob’s tire in Attalla, Alabama.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
first issue was around April-May 2025 when my engine started knocking and burning fuel. Warning light came on and it went right in to the dealer where I have all my maintenance done. They determined that it due to (2) faulty fuel injectors and I had them replaced at that time. In December of 2025 my engine started doing the same thing as before with the knocking and burning fuel and reduced spe... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2025
first issue was around April-May 2025 when my engine started knocking and burning fuel. Warning light came on and it went right in to the dealer where I have all my maintenance done. They determined that it due to (2) faulty fuel injectors and I had them replaced at that time. In December of 2025 my engine started doing the same thing as before with the knocking and burning fuel and reduced spe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
1.Please see my letter to Honda. 2.I drove for months with all of my warning lights on, not being able to tell what was actually wrong with my car/note being able to afford to fix my car that isn't even paid off. See letter to Honda. 3.Yes. It has been confirmed by my local Honda dealer as well as an independent service center. 4.I have filed a complaint with Honda. 5.Yes. All of my warning lights... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
I will be driving and there’s a click and suddenly no power just goes dead
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Guessing the date below Truck shuts off when trying to take off and go. This has happened a few times and even pulling onto a main highway. This is a very dangerous situation, and I have contacted Ford and they have stated there is no fix for this. I have contacted Carvana which is where I recently purchased the truck within the past month and they state the recall was listed and there's nothing t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
whenever we need to use the horn there isnt one to use. we have changed the fuse more than once still nothing.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
Manufacturer unable to remedy recall. No parts available nor timeline of when a replacement will be available.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
Passenger side headlight quit working, except on high beams. Also, dashboard warning came on about headlamp not working. Tried to get new bulbs and was told that the whole headlight assembly had to be replaced and dealership charges $1500+
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
1. **Component or System Failure:** - The malfunction occurred in the **automatic braking system** while the vehicle was in **snow mode**. The brakes engaged and locked the wheels, resulting in a loss of traction. - This system is available for inspection upon request to assess the failure, where the car was towed to. 2. **Safety Risk:** - The automatic brakes locking the wheels put the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
We had a new engine installed because of a recall. The dealership told us we needed a new catalytic converter because they were clogged due to the faulty engine. There is no recall and I am now in fear for my safety and my children's safety. I can smell exhaust extremely bad while driving and continue to smell it hours afterwards. Including feeling nauseous and developing a headache.
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Sunroof shade blocking rear visibility when open, when open it’s not rolling up into cavity
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Sunroof shade blocking rear visibility when open, when open it’s not rolling up into cavity
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
symptoms: 1. P0A7D hybrid battery failure. 2. Heat from the eTorque motor after 1min run time. 3. Unstable voltage. 4. 12‑volt drain (replaced battery last year June 2025) 5. Risk of sudden loss of assist. 6. Auto‑park behavior. 7. Unpredictable drivability. I don't feel this is safe when I stop at a stop sign the truck applied auto-park and I could not move, had to press the auto-stop... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
On my way home in December 2025, my car started to sputter and make noises. All of a sudden the car started going about 10-15 miles. I almost go hit by several vehicles, because they had to put on brakes, I was trying to go up then down a hilly road. I finally was able to get to an Auto Advance Shop, I had to tow the car to Honda then to Buick for a diagnostic test. It had been over a month and I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
I have a 6.2 engine that failed just recently had to get it rebuilt after hearing all the recalls for the other 612’s also have a 2023 GMC Denali Yukon also what does 6.2 on the recall
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
Front driver side door unable to open from the outside. Faulty door handle pad. Initially randomly wouldn’t work, would have to press the pressure pad multiple times or press on specific part of the pad. Eventually, stopped working all together. It’s a safety issue if unable to open the door during an emergency. Pretty common issue on Cadillac CT5s regardless of trim. Affects all 4 door... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
On December 22, 2025, I purchased a brand-new Chevrolet Blazer EV SS from a dealership located approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes away from my home. Immediately after leaving the dealership lot, I noticed a grinding / grunting noise coming from the vehicle. This was not a minor rattle or normal “new car” sound—this was an alarming mechanical noise in a vehicle that had just been sold to me ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
Since purchasing this truck in 2023, the engine or transmission has exhibited a severe throttle lag/hesitation when cold—a 2–4 second delay in acceleration from a stop after pressing the gas pedal, followed by a sudden lurch, which creates a safety hazard when merging into traffic. No warning lights, error messages, or other fault indicators appear. The dealer has been unable to reproduce the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Engine losing power and metal shavings in oil and engining shutting off
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
Defected brake booster hard brake suddenly car less than 100 000 miles many vehicles with the problem
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
Drivers side LED headlight cooling fan is making a loud buzzing noise 100% of the time when the headlight is turned on which indicates that the fan is failing. If fan fails, it will lead to overheating and failure of the headlight. Vehicle was inspected by Mazda to confirm the issue. Mazda issues Service Alert SA-013/23 and Technical Service Bulletin 09-015/23 have been issued for this problem.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
The Anti-Lock Brake module has prematurely failed in the vehicle. The dealership can and will inspect the fault but they will say they are not trained or authorizes to fix the module. I was directed to an ABS module rebuilder and was simply told by the rebuilder that they could not fix it due to a computer chip shortage. The problem has been reproduced many times as seen with the RAM truck recall... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
ICCU (Integrated Charging Control Unit) failure. The car had been working perfectly up until the failure and had about 70% charge on the main battery. As I started driving, I received a warning to check the electrical system but not really providing instructions on what to check. Car was not able to exceed 25 mph, then 15 mph and subsequently was completely dead after parking without ability to e... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly jerked while driving and attempting to shift gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the catalytic converter and timing components had failed and needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The check engine light came on and it would run rough when started. It was determined the number four cylinder head was cracked, allowing antifreeze to leak into the engine block. I bought the car new in January 2019. The problem appeared with under 57,000 actual miles. The car has always been serviced on time at the dealership. The cost to fix the problem with a new engine is approximately $... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V656000 (POWER TRAIN); 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 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that the infotainment system was intermittently inoperable; however, the infotainment system and the instrument cluster had become inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty or a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more