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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints
140,173 Reported Crashes
56,794 Reported Fires
8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›
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Showing 62,191 complaints for KIA

KIA EV6 (2024) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
1. Hybrid system failure And check engine light on . 2. Car jerk while driving and gone to limp mode and my speed was reduced to 10 mph at traffic putting my self and other in danger . 3. My vehicle is currently at the dealership getting inspected this is the second time my hybrid warning light came on and the first time they told me nothing was wrong with my vehicle. 4. All of these symptoms ha... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2013) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
Heard a pop, followed by power failure and warning lights to stop operating the vehicle. The ICCU unit had blown.
KIA SORENTO (2013) - POWER TRAIN Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
Heard a pop, followed by power failure and warning lights to stop operating the vehicle. The ICCU unit had blown.
KIA SORENTO (2024) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
I took delivery of this vehicle on [XXX]. Unknown to me Tesla changed the frunk design of my model y premium juniper. It has no light or emergency open button as seen on all juniper models made up until the one I received. My understanding is if a three year old can fit in the trunk/frunk space it must have a light and a way to open it from the inside in an emergency situation. Please recall for a... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2024) - WHEELS Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
There wasn’t an accident. My ABS module has went out. Which has the traction control light, break light, power steering light, tire light, and ABS light all on, on my dash. After a lot of research it is a known issue in models from 2008-2017 so I feel like there should be a recall on this before something happens. I was driving down the hwy going about 50 when I seen a car pull out of a side r... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2020) - ENGINE Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Vehicle engine shutoff while driving which led to no acceleration. No warning lamps prior to failure. It just completely shutoff and on the message center it stated how to start the vehicle as if it was not already started and running. I was in electric mode.
KIA SORENTO (2016) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
I am reporting a serious safety defect involving my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 (lease vehicle, brand new). While driving on a highway in Massachusetts during snowy conditions, the vehicle suddenly displayed a critical warning message “Stop and Check Power Supply” and lost power, forcing us to stop on the highway. There were two children in the vehicle, and the situation was life-threatening due to... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2016) - POWER TRAIN Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
I am reporting a serious safety defect involving my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 (lease vehicle, brand new). While driving on a highway in Massachusetts during snowy conditions, the vehicle suddenly displayed a critical warning message “Stop and Check Power Supply” and lost power, forcing us to stop on the highway. There were two children in the vehicle, and the situation was life-threatening due to... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2025) - ENGINE Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
-The engine and related crankshaft components failed. The vehicle experienced complete engine shutdown while driving and later multiple no-start conditions. The vehicle has been inspected and repaired multiple times by an authorized Hyundai dealership and remains available for inspection upon request. -The engine shut down unexpectedly while driving at highway speed, resulting in loss of power and... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2024) - WHEELS Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Considering your experience of losing total control of the vehicle even while driving slowly while following a snowplow vehicle dispensing road deicer while plowing; I have a strong suspicion that his has happened in 2024 as well when the vehicle had registered a drive issue and the dealership found now existing reason for it. The compacted snow forms a large layer of snow and ice in the wheel we... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2024) - SEAT BELTS Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Rear seat belt indicator and alarm go off continuously when the seat is occupied and when the passenger is buckled by the seat belt. While the passenger is buckled, anytime they shift it causes the indicator light to come on and the alarm to sound. This defeats the purpose of having the indicator.
KIA TELLURIDE (2024) - SEATS Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
Rear seat belt indicator and alarm go off continuously when the seat is occupied and when the passenger is buckled by the seat belt. While the passenger is buckled, anytime they shift it causes the indicator light to come on and the alarm to sound. This defeats the purpose of having the indicator.
KIA CARNIVAL (2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The vehicle’s touchscreen activates functions on its own without being touched (“ghost touch”). While driving, the screen intermittently selects menus, changes settings, and activates features without driver input. This causes distraction and requires the driver to look away from the road to correct unintended changes. The issue occurs unpredictably and repeatedly, while in motion and standi... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2013) - ENGINE Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
Went to drive 18 minutes away from where I originally parked to get something to eat. When I came back to my original parking spot, I went into work. Thirty minutes later, my car was on fire and completely gone.
Fire
KIA SORENTO (2019) - STEERING Jan 1, 2026
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
Steering flexible coupler worn in the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) syste causing clicking noise and jittery steering
KIA SPORTAGE (2023) - STEERING Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
My Id 4 Pro S has this problem more going back almost 3 years with 8k miles when first reported to the dealership and [XXX] [XXX], [XXX],[XXX]. The correspondences are there as proof. Dealership never fixed this issue or diagnoses this properly since it only happens in wet weather or rainy mist or rain. The issues is the front tires in the front wheel wells make a thumping sound when backing up an... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2023) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
The vehicle has experienced recurring safety-related issues associated with the hybrid electrical and propulsion systems. During normal operation, warning messages related to the hybrid system appeared, and the vehicle entered reduced functionality or became unreliable to operate. These conditions created concern about potential loss of propulsion while driving. In addition to propulsion concerns,... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2023) - POWER TRAIN Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
The vehicle has experienced recurring safety-related issues associated with the hybrid electrical and propulsion systems. During normal operation, warning messages related to the hybrid system appeared, and the vehicle entered reduced functionality or became unreliable to operate. These conditions created concern about potential loss of propulsion while driving. In addition to propulsion concerns,... Read more
KIA NIRO (2017) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V586000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact also received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V510000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts), and the recall remedy was available; however, the de... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2014) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Picked up car from tesla service on 12/30/2025. On [XXX] at around [XXX] I had pressed the car break and suddenly accelerated and lead to crashing into the pole. I am concerned about the safety and if it is drivable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash 1 injured
KIA OPTIMA (2014) - SERVICE BRAKES Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
Picked up car from tesla service on 12/30/2025. On [XXX] at around [XXX] I had pressed the car break and suddenly accelerated and lead to crashing into the pole. I am concerned about the safety and if it is drivable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash 1 injured
KIA OPTIMA (2014) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The rear hatch interior trim that seals the hatch from exterior elements and sounds continuously comes off, even after having dealership to repair/replace. The trim will not remain in place and is a distraction while driving and hearing out of vechile noise. And the winter weather causes car not to maintain a constant heat temp
KIA SPORTAGE (2026) - POWER TRAIN Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
As I read the above comments/complaints on the 2014 Dodge Dart, I have realized that we all are having the same issues with the recall, the car not engaging in park, and the Keyfob not working properly where it takes from 5-30 minutes to turn the car off because it is still in the acc mode. Now the car has started yet ANOTHER problem that it doesn’t want to start. I paid for a tow to the repair ... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2018) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
digital dash cluster became erratic then blacked out entirely. Restarting vehicle didn't help. Cannot see fuel gage nor safety alerts any more.
KIA SORENTO (2016) - POWER TRAIN Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there were abnormal sounds coming from the rear end of the vehicle, and the driveshaft intermittently locked. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was unsafe to drive to a dealer because there was no local dealer. A... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2016) - ENGINE Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
I am reporting a recall remedy compliance concern related to NHTSA Recall 25V-437 for my 2023 Nissan Rogue. In Nissan’s Part 573 Safety Recall Report, Nissan states that dealers WILL inspect the engine oil pan for metal debris as part of the recall remedy. ECM reprogramming is described as a follow-up step when no debris is found. In my case, Nissan dealers were instructed under NTB 25-055B to... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2024) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
Passenger window will go down while LOCKED. Strange noise from front cabin
KIA SPORTAGE (2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 30, 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
KIA SPORTAGE (2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 30, 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
KIA K4 (2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Autopilot was engaged and active at the time of the incident. The vehicle failed to detect a stationary piece of road debris (appearing to be a dropped vehicle part) located in the driving lane. The system did not provide any warning, slow the vehicle, or attempt an avoidance maneuver. The vehicle drove directly over the debris, resulting in damage to the lower exterior/body panel. Road and traffi... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The vehicle’s high-voltage battery and charging system experienced repeated failures, preventing charging while the vehicle was parked. This issue occurred three times: January 2024: Charging error “BMS_a079. Unable to charge” appeared. Vehicle was stranded and required service intervention. Mileage ~28,125. November 2024: Same charging error during winter travel, vehicle stranded mid-trip... Read more
KIA SELTOS (2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 28, 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
KIA TELLURIDE (2021) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
I was driving (roughly about 30 MPH) when my automatic braking kicked on and caused my tires to squeal to a halt. There were no other cars around me (thankfully) - otherwise I would have been rear-ended. Right before it stopped, it flashed the warning lights for a quick second. I wanted to report this issue in case others are experiencing the same problem and to hopefully help prevent it from happ... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2019) - POWER TRAIN Dec 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to exceed 23 MPH. Additionally, the message “Shift to Park” was displayed upon parking the vehicle. The contact shifted out and in park (P) several times, and the vehicle responded as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to reve... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2017) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
I am submitting this complaint to formally report ongoing and unresolved vehicle safety defects involving a leased 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. These defects include persistent toxic or chemical odors inside the passenger cabin, electrical and body control system malfunctions, and unintended vehicle operations that present serious risks to occupant health, vehicle security, and public safety. Despite mu... Read more
KIA OPTIMA (2017) - BACK OVER PREVENTION Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear view camera displayed a distorted image and turned off. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the recall remedy parts were not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer w... Read more
KIA SORENTO (2019) - POWER TRAIN Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
KIA SEDONA (2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
Transmission was replaced at 20k miles it has still continue to stall while driving causing hard shift and stalling in the middle of the road almost causing accidents.
KIA SOUL (2016) - ENGINE Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Transmission was replaced at 20k miles it has still continue to stall while driving causing hard shift and stalling in the middle of the road almost causing accidents.
KIA SORENTO (2012) - STRUCTURE Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck. The contact stated that while driving at a moderate speed on a windy day, a metal piece, approximately 2-3 ft. long and located on the side of the sunroof, detached from the vehicle. The contact managed to recover the piece that detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a Tesla service center, where the failure was acknowledged the failure, and ... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2020) - AIR BAGS Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
A vehicle turned in front of me as I was going down the highway and I collided with the vehicle at 44 mph. The airbags of my car did not deploy but the airbags of the other vehicle did deploy.
Crash
KIA SPORTAGE (2024) - ENGINE Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
My 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe Premier equipped with the 6.2L V8 engine has experienced a major internal engine failure. The dealership diagnosed camshaft bearing failure with a recorded misfire on cylinder #5. The engine oil was drained and inspected and no significant metallic debris was found, and the dealership noted no evidence of abuse or neglect. Intermittent drivability concerns were present ove... Read more
KIA SPORTAGE (2020) - ENGINE Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
On [XXX], while idling in my driveway the engine abruptly stopped with a loud clunk and refused to turn over when I attempted to restart it. The vehicle was towed to Bergstrom GMC in Appleton WI. Upon inspection it was determined that a connecting rod and crankshaft bearing had failed requiring replacement of the engine. The vehicle has a 6.2-litre V-8 engine with 106,000 miles on it. The vehicle ... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Jun 7, 2025
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 12th 2025 I was preparing my car for a trip an hour north and back to drop my daughter off with her grandmother. I was charging my car with my Level 2 charger and preheating my car. Upon leaving for the trip, within a half mile I heard a loud popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle and immediately had a warning on the vehicle stating "Stop Vehicle ... Read more
KIA FORTE (2023) - POWER TRAIN Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Was driving car after a recent oil change. The oil change was performed early because the car was ticking and found oil to be low. Was going to take into dealer to be looked into but the car made a loud sound and stopped immediately and turned off. Luckily I was not driving too fast but had I been this could have posed a risk to myself, my passengers and other drivers. This complaint is consistent... Read more
KIA EV9 (2024) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
High Oil Consumption
KIA EV9 (2024) - POWER TRAIN Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift to park(P) as intended and could not be turned off. The message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact was able to turn off the vehicle after shifting to low gear. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufact... Read more
KIA SELTOS (2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Nov 30, 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
KIA TELLURIDE (2021) - ENGINE Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
My 2022 KIA Seltos with 52000 miles shut down on me completely in the middle of a road while I was going full speed limit causing the car behind me promptly to change lanes to avoid the collision. It happened 2 more times until I got to my destination l. After I googled what could cause the issue I saw the recall info which I didn’t get any notification about. I brought my car to a dealership an... Read more
KIA TELLURIDE (2021) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
Vehicle - will power up but will not move/drive. Error showing “service Electrical system” Problem has been confirmed by the dealer This is the 3rd instance of this issue
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