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 23,203 complaints for TESLA
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Weeks before the vehicle completely shut down, my car began stalling and shutting off in traffic without warning while driving. I was usually able to turn the vehicle off and restart it, and it would come back on temporarily. At red lights and stop signs, the vehicle would power down, stall, jerk forward, and then begin moving again when I pressed the accelerator. On 05/01/2026, while stopped at ... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was/was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was/was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the rearview camera intermitten... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
2021 M3 138,000 miles Alerted error code BMS_a074 & BMS_a079 After reading forums, this seems to be a known issue with 2021 in particular. I am reporting in hopes something can be done about it. Yesterday both codes alerted within hours of each other. First that the charging was limited to 50% and would only charge once <50%; then shortly thereafter it alerted with Unable to Charge. I attempted t... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when turning her steering wheel to either the left or right, an abnormal thumping noise would emit from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the rear differential was defective and needed to be repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer who inform... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
Tail light not working, was replaced, replacement also malfunctioning.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
I have went to the dealership where I bought the car More than a month and a half ago and requested the recall to be addressed. However Since then I been following and dealer is neglecting my request and keeps telling me they dont know if the order is delivered or not and now today he told me its on backorder. Keep in mind he had told me he had ordered it a month and a half ago.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the fuel failed to go into the tank. The seat failed to move. The engine light illuminated. The vehicle stalled. While driving, the fuel gauge went from full to empty. The contact received the NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local where it was diagnosed that the ... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
As I was leaving work and I went to pull out onto Hwy 45 in Columbus Ms and the transmission in my 2017 F150 jerked and hesitated between 1st and 2nd gear and almost got me hit on the driver side by oncoming traffic at a speed of 65+
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
my car is a 2018 we bought it used in 2020 we had to had the transmission flushed and coils replaced . that didn't work . we had drum issues and gear slippage . now i. have to put a new transmission in the car
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
my car is a 2018 we bought it used in 2020 we had to had the transmission flushed and coils replaced . that didn't work . we had drum issues and gear slippage . now i. have to put a new transmission in the car
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
I passed the recall inspection on 12/17/2025 and the higher viscosity oil was put into my vehicle. On 12/25/2025 my vehicle's engine shut off while I was traveling on the highway (I-25). The vehicle went into to neutral and I had to pull over to the side of the highway without power. The vehicle started again and as I was merging onto the highway it shut down again. The truck started again and I w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
While driving, the vehicle suddenly began knocking severely, smoking, leaking oil, and then shut off unexpectedly without adequate warning. This created a serious safety hazard and near fire risk. The engine assembly failed catastrophically. Dealership inspection documented: connecting rod punctured engine block bearing material found in oil pan broken piston components in oil pan oil leakage... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
I was driving on the freeway and a system warning came up “check hybrid system” and the car went limp. Thankfully I was able to get off safely from the momentum this time, but it has stopped in the middle of the street before. This is the second time it’s shut down this year. I took it in last year for the same problem. I took it to the Kia dealership and they stated there’s nothing no wro... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
Enterprise rental regional manager Amber Backman is allowing staff to release vehicles after having criminal damage to them and even on the release paperwork she allows techs to send it clearly states Windshield star and all her workers think that it is ok and "normal" to do these things. I repeatedly attempted to redirect staff and they are selling DW/CDW as insurance and making customer provid... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 8, 2026
There is an active Taillight (Lid Lights) Safety Recall (25V-259) on 2014-2020 Acura MDXs. When I enter my VIN it claims I am not part of this recall but there is sitting water inside my drivers side tailgate lid light assembly. It's only in the one, therefore I am unsure why my vehicle isn't listed/registered as part of this active recall.
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Vehicle sends cluster warnings about Auto Emergency Braking unavailable/inoperable, Electronic Stability Control needs service, Antilock Brake System needs service, Parksense Unavailable, and ultimately the Check Engine indicator illuminates after restarting the vehicle. An error code also is present in the computer, U1412. This has happened twice now in a two week period. These systems are critic... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
Complete engine failure with 62,500 miles. Truck appears to have the same problem as the 21-2024 which is currently recalled and engines are being exchanged.
Incident date: May 7, 2026
I am getting the 'SHIFT TO PARK' error message when I put the vehicle in park. When I looked up the error this is what I got... but I don't see a recall for my vehicle. The "Shift to Park" message in GMC Acadias (2017–2019, primarily) is a common, known issue caused by a faulty microswitch in the shifter assembly that fails to recognize when the car is in Park. This defect prevents the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The hood latch release mechanism inside the vehicle cab broke when I was trying to open the hood to add coolant. I cannot open the hood at this point without a repair persons assistance. When I investigated this online I discovered that there are thousands of people experiencing the same issue with the car. It can become dangerous for a person if there is a failed battery and the person cannot acc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
I was driving down the freeway at 75 miles an hour. All of a sudden the press start popped up pulled over. On the shoulder and the motor would not start.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The blind spot system was a problem when I purchased the car, it spent 15 days in service in the first 30 days of ownership to address the issues. Now, I after another light came on I discovered 9 open recalls on the vehicle that were not disclosed prior to purchase.
Incident date: May 1, 2026
We were told by the mechanic that the engine was locked up after the car refused to drive faster than approximately 23 mph. We had to have the car towed from Boone, NC which was about 200 miles. The car is at our house and is available for inspection upon request. I have made repeated calls to different Kia dealers asking for a call back to assist me with direction but there will never be a retu... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I am reporting a systemic safety fraud involving three critical points:1. INHERENT DEFECT & CRASH LINK: This vehicle has a pathological history of 6 transmission fluid changes starting from 308 miles and multiple alignment failures. There is strong suspicion of inherent defects in both the POWERTRAIN and REAR DRIVETRAIN/STEERING systems. These defects likely contributed to the previous owner's 5-s... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I am reporting a systemic safety fraud involving three critical points:1. INHERENT DEFECT & CRASH LINK: This vehicle has a pathological history of 6 transmission fluid changes starting from 308 miles and multiple alignment failures. There is strong suspicion of inherent defects in both the POWERTRAIN and REAR DRIVETRAIN/STEERING systems. These defects likely contributed to the previous owner's 5-s... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 7, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I am reporting a systemic safety fraud involving three critical points:1. INHERENT DEFECT & CRASH LINK: This vehicle has a pathological history of 6 transmission fluid changes starting from 308 miles and multiple alignment failures. There is strong suspicion of inherent defects in both the POWERTRAIN and REAR DRIVETRAIN/STEERING systems. These defects likely contributed to the previous owner's 5-s... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Airbag light staying on dash and the passenger seat does not register a person sitting in it. The passage seat bag alert does not making a sound
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Automatic Emergency Breaking sometimes occurs while driving in rainy weather even when there are no obstructions in the front of the vehicle. This causes spinouts and exccessive wear and tear on break pads and rotors. Also, many shops and dealerships are having issues with putting 2022 year model outlanders in "maintenance mode" to be able to change rear ebs brakes. Due to this you cannot drive yo... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The car gives two messages, "Front Camera Fault Service Required" and "Pre-Collision assist not available." The cruise control does not work, however, the front camera does work. I had the vehicle scan done at the Ford dealer and was told it needs a 7 hour software update, after which it may need cables replaced. I do not understand how software goes bad. I do understand something may have hap... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
The vehicle would jerk when changing gears and would have a rattle and vibration when accelerating.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
The engine catastrophically failed on an 45 mph road. There was no warning leading up to this incident at any time previously. The engine lost all power and the car shut off on this road. My husband was able to pull it over and tow it into a mechanic. The mechanic said the oil was disappearing somewhere without any residue, and without triggering any warning light of any kind. In essence the oil i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
Check engine light appeared, Car began shaking and struggling to accelerate. Independent mechanic and OReileys test stated cylinder 3 misfirw. Dealership stated GDI fuel injectors were leaking and is a known issue in several 2022 Hyundai Tuscon and needed to be replaced.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
2019 Honda Odyssey began having intermittent display, that progressed to constant display, of multiple warning messages regarding safety features related to multiocular/multipurpose camera unit. Vehicle is unable to perform LKAS, ACC, lane departure assist, autobraking, etc. Honda dealership states this is a well known issue related to a faulty camera that has to be replaced to utilize these safet... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
The contact owned a 2006 Kia Sedona. The vehicle was bought used close to four years ago. The contact was unaware that the vehicle had received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers 20V088000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), 16V389000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES), and 16V387000 (SUSPENSION). The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, an abnormal pop sound was heard coming from the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
I was driving home from work and I came upon a red light as I was slowing down the car started jilting as I went to take off I started jilting again but then smoothed out. The check engine light, ABS brake light and speed traction off light came on.They just all popped on. At the next light it did the same thing , it started to shutter and loss of power on taking off. It was sputtery at the same t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
Transmission went out at 100k
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado LD Crew. The contact stated that while driving and going up hill, the vehicle will not accelerate over 60 mph. when the vehicle goes down hill the RPMs rapidly increase. When driving on a straight road, the vehicle hesitated to move forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and it was not able to be duplicated. The vehicle was not r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
When I purchased my vehicle new, it was equipped with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires, sized 285/30/20 in the front and 305/30/20 in the rear. After approximately 2,000 miles, the tires began exhibiting what appeared to be belt or tread separation. By approximately 5,000 miles, the vehicle had become unsafe to drive. The handling deteriorated significantly, and the car felt unstable, as though ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
transmission cable bushing failed. I see there is a recall for older models. The shift cable came off the transmission just like the recall problem had. this left my car stuck in reverse so i could not move the car or start it after I turned it off and I could not get it off the street.
Incident date: May 3, 2026
On March 14 2026 i was driving from [XXX] . To [XXX] to have my tires checked because i felt a strong vibration on my steering column and truck itself, it was getting worse so i took it to my mechanic who does my regular maintenance on truck. After inspecting tire ( [XXX] 55 R20) was called over and shown that my front passenger side tire had a flat spot, it looked deformed mechanic informed me ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
On March 14 2026 i was driving from [XXX] . To [XXX] to have my tires checked because i felt a strong vibration on my steering column and truck itself, it was getting worse so i took it to my mechanic who does my regular maintenance on truck. After inspecting tire ( [XXX] 55 R20) was called over and shown that my front passenger side tire had a flat spot, it looked deformed mechanic informed me ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
On March 14 2026 i was driving from [XXX] . To [XXX] to have my tires checked because i felt a strong vibration on my steering column and truck itself, it was getting worse so i took it to my mechanic who does my regular maintenance on truck. After inspecting tire ( [XXX] 55 R20) was called over and shown that my front passenger side tire had a flat spot, it looked deformed mechanic informed me ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The window pillars on the passenger side deformed on exposure to sunlight reflected from our house windows; in less than 6 months of ownership! We are the original owners and took possession in June 2025. Both the local Subaru dealer and Subaru USA have been involved. Subaru USA Case number is: 251230 - 1500232. Subaru will NOT cover this despite us having owned a Subaru DL, a Subaru Forester, and... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I recently purchased this vehicle, and shortly after, it began having serious powertrain issues. When I accelerate, the vehicle intermittently loses power and starts shaking violently. It feels like the engine or transmission is slipping or failing. The RPMs surge and drop rapidly, and the vehicle hesitates, jerks, and sometimes briefly slows down before suddenly accelerating again. This creates ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
I recently purchased this vehicle, and shortly after, it began having serious powertrain issues. When I accelerate, the vehicle intermittently loses power and starts shaking violently. It feels like the engine or transmission is slipping or failing. The RPMs surge and drop rapidly, and the vehicle hesitates, jerks, and sometimes briefly slows down before suddenly accelerating again. This creates ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
I recently purchased this vehicle, and shortly after, it began having serious powertrain issues. When I accelerate, the vehicle intermittently loses power and starts shaking violently. It feels like the engine or transmission is slipping or failing. The RPMs surge and drop rapidly, and the vehicle hesitates, jerks, and sometimes briefly slows down before suddenly accelerating again. This creates ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
I own a 2021 Nissan Leaf with an open safety recall (NHTSA Recall 25V-655, Nissan Recall R25C8) issued on September 30, 2025. The recall involves a battery defect that creates a safety risk during DC fast charging (Level 3). As a result, I am unable to use public fast-charging networks such as EVgo. The recall currently has no remedy available and has been unresolved for over 7 months. I do not... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
I own a 2021 Nissan Leaf with an open safety recall (NHTSA Recall 25V-655, Nissan Recall R25C8) issued on September 30, 2025. The recall involves a battery defect that creates a safety risk during DC fast charging (Level 3). As a result, I am unable to use public fast-charging networks such as EVgo. The recall currently has no remedy available and has been unresolved for over 7 months. I do not... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Genesis GV70. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH on a toll road, the vehicle suddenly stalled and stopped on the on-ramp. The contact pressed the accelerator pedal and the drove forward and operated as normal. The cause of the temperary failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was... Read more