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
Page 105 of 44,303 (2,215,138 complaints)
Incident date: May 12, 2026
While driving in rush hour traffic, I heard an intermittent vibration/noise that seemed to come and go and became louder when I stopped. As I put my car in park when I got home, I heard a loud clunk and the battery light came on. When I popped the hood, we saw metal shavings flying around. The dealer diagnosed the alternator and provided a quote for replacement. I am concerned the failure could h... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
While driving in rush hour traffic, I heard an intermittent vibration/noise that seemed to come and go and became louder when I stopped. As I put my car in park when I got home, I heard a loud clunk and the battery light came on. When I popped the hood, we saw metal shavings flying around. The dealer diagnosed the alternator and provided a quote for replacement. I am concerned the failure could h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The transmission in my 2022 GMC Savana experiences severe harsh shifting during normal driving conditions. The issue is most noticeable between 1st–2nd gear and 2nd–3rd gear, with 2nd gear being especially problematic. The vehicle jerks and slams aggressively into gear during acceleration, causing unstable driving behavior and hesitation. In addition, when coming to a complete stop, the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
After the newest software update, the Tesla Model Y FSD now shows a pop-up menu every time you disengage full self-driving. The pop up menu is black, so it contrasts with the white screen and causes a visual distraction. Additionally, the pop up menu requires you to make a selection in order to make it disappear - there’s no way to swipe it away (which would still be problematic while driving). ... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
On May 14, 2026 at approx 6:00 PM, driving 2026 Hyundai Tucson on North Lamar Blvd, Austin TX at approx 30 mph, vehicle applied brakes suddenly with no obstacle ahead. Forward Collision Avoidance system activated unexpectedly. Vehicle was immediately struck from behind. Rear-end collision caused total loss ($54,295 repair estimate). No injuries. Police report filed. On May 23, 2026 discovered open... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 14, 2026
On May 14, 2026 at approx 6:00 PM, driving 2026 Hyundai Tucson on North Lamar Blvd, Austin TX at approx 30 mph, vehicle applied brakes suddenly with no obstacle ahead. Forward Collision Avoidance system activated unexpectedly. Vehicle was immediately struck from behind. Rear-end collision caused total loss ($54,295 repair estimate). No injuries. Police report filed. On May 23, 2026 discovered open... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 14, 2026
On May 14, 2026 at approx 6:00 PM, driving 2026 Hyundai Tucson on North Lamar Blvd, Austin TX at approx 30 mph, vehicle applied brakes suddenly with no obstacle ahead. Forward Collision Avoidance system activated unexpectedly. Vehicle was immediately struck from behind. Rear-end collision caused total loss ($54,295 repair estimate). No injuries. Police report filed. On May 23, 2026 discovered open... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 21, 2026
The vehicle was at the independent mechanic. For a repair and discovered that the bottom frame was rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was also notified of the failure; however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 330,000.
Incident date: May 26, 2026
This model lacks a well-tested turn signal lever, replacing it with arrows on the steering wheel. This method of activating turns signals is fundamentally unreliable and consequently dangerous. As an owner of the subject Tesla for just over one year, I find that I regularly fail to achieve correct activation, even with repeated attempts to do so. The steering wheel control may: Not activate at ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at lower speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to steer in either the left or right direction. The Traction Control, Power Steering, and the high-beam warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent service center, where it was diagnosed with error codes: C167286, C126008, C136008, C12... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at lower speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to steer in either the left or right direction. The Traction Control, Power Steering, and the high-beam warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent service center, where it was diagnosed with error codes: C167286, C126008, C136008, C12... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
May 26, 2026
Incident date: May 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V869000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not ma... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the infotainment system changed settings, made phone calls, and changed the distance for automatic braking, which caused the vehicle's brakes to be applied inadvertently while another vehicle was behind them. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the infot... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
I was trapped inside my car because the driver side door lock actuator was broken. I had the door lock actuator replaced at a Nissan dealership who verified the problem. There was an issue where the driver side door would not lock properly with the key fob. When I tried to unlock the door with the fob, the car horn would go off until I pressed the fob again.
Incident date: May 8, 2026
I am writing to request assistance regarding a recurring issue with Recall SC276. Approximately two years ago, I had the hydraulic clutch actuator (HCA) replaced by a dealership as part of this recall. Since then, the vehicle has been driven only 10,000 miles, bringing the total mileage to about 45,000. The vehicle recently broke down, and the dealership confirmed that the replacement HCA has fai... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start. All the warning lights were illuminated. The contact indicated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximate... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start. All the warning lights were illuminated. The contact indicated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximate... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2024) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Sometimes the Ford Bronco will hesitate to move from a stop position especially when the auto start and stop has been engaged during periods of driving. Also the vehicle hesitated when trying to change lanes. I had to push gas peddle all the way down in order to get into another lane. Several times the light is green for me to go and there is several seconds of hesitation and then the vehicle wou... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2024) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Sometimes the Ford Bronco will hesitate to move from a stop position especially when the auto start and stop has been engaged during periods of driving. Also the vehicle hesitated when trying to change lanes. I had to push gas peddle all the way down in order to get into another lane. Several times the light is green for me to go and there is several seconds of hesitation and then the vehicle wou... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
THIRD RECALL - Just Issued May 20, 2026 NHTSA Campaign 26V320000 43,566 additional vehicles (2024 Tundras including mine) Brings total recalled to 272,566+ vehicles Remedy status: "Currently under development" Two years and three recalls later, Toyota STILL has no proven fix The Pattern: First Recall (24V-381) - May 2024: 102,000 vehicles (2022-2023) Second Recall (25V-767) - November 2025: 127,00... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
I and others have noticed that once UNsubscribed from FSD, lane departure alerts and automatic corrections occur much more often than when subscribed to FSD, even if car is being driven by user. The alerts and corrections happen on almost every drive despite being within normal lane spacing. It feels like this is intentional to push users to subscribe back to FSD. Driving other makes of vehicles d... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
I and others have noticed that once UNsubscribed from FSD, lane departure alerts and automatic corrections occur much more often than when subscribed to FSD, even if car is being driven by user. The alerts and corrections happen on almost every drive despite being within normal lane spacing. It feels like this is intentional to push users to subscribe back to FSD. Driving other makes of vehicles d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
My car is experiencing a harsh down shift from 3rd to 4th gear with lack of power on acceleration on my vehicle since 10/25/2024. I have taken it in to three service departments including Karl Flammer Ford in Tarpon Springs, FL. Each service department has said the only remedy is a New Transmission estimated to be $7,000-$8,000 (receipts of diagnostics can be provided). We have already spent $52... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The vehicle looses the display screen and or the camera screen while driving forward and reverse at times. It also freezes up and glitches which then makes the reverse camera not in real-time causing a minor accident. The screen sometimes turns black and sometimes blue. Secondly the trailer towing lights don't work properly and say that the trailer disconnected or not working properly. We tow or m... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 21, 2026
Car alarm keeps going off. Lights go crazy and car loses battery.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
UPDATE: I have been trying to work with Gresham Dodge to return my car and trade it. They refuse to help me and Stellantis refuses to help me. They want me to eat all the money. They refuse to meet me half way on a new car. DO NOT PURCHASE A VEHICLE FROM THIS DEALERSHIP. You will eventually regret it. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and the US Consumer Protection Agency. UPDATE: The car has ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The vehicle has intermittent hesitation/delayed acceleration from a stop and during low-speed stop-and-go driving. At times, engine RPM increases before the vehicle responds or accelerates normally. This creates a safety concern when entering traffic, turning, merging, or accelerating from a stopped position because the vehicle does not always respond predictably to throttle input. The concern wa... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The vehicle has intermittent hesitation/delayed acceleration from a stop and during low-speed stop-and-go driving. At times, engine RPM increases before the vehicle responds or accelerates normally. This creates a safety concern when entering traffic, turning, merging, or accelerating from a stopped position because the vehicle does not always respond predictably to throttle input. The concern wa... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The vehicle has intermittent hesitation/delayed acceleration from a stop and during low-speed stop-and-go driving. At times, engine RPM increases before the vehicle responds or accelerates normally. This creates a safety concern when entering traffic, turning, merging, or accelerating from a stopped position because the vehicle does not always respond predictably to throttle input. The concern wa... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
My 2016 Honda Civic's rack and pinion needs to be replaced due to sticky, stiff steering, and dead spots when turning. The vehicle has not been any accidents and has been regularly maintained and I only have 67,000 miles on it. I searched the internet and see that it is a common problem with Honda Civics. The repair is $4,000 to fix. Replacing a rack and pinion is not a normal wear and tear type... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle misfiring, white some, hesitation. The engine light illuminated. antifreeze leaking into the cylinder. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic code P0300 was read and an antifreeze leak into the cylinder and a design flaw in the Eco boost. The manufacturer was not notified of t... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 26, 2026
Incident date: May 26, 2026
The driver's window was left unrolled last night and it rained. When I got in the car, the electrical window control for the driver's window wouldn't roll up. But the others appeared to work normally. This was annoying, but it didn't stop my from driving to work. About half an hour into my drive, the window controls started smoking. I pulled to the shoulder and waited by the side of the highway un... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
My daughter owns a 2021 Ford Escape FWD equipped with the 1.5L turbocharged EcoBoost inline-3 engine, VIN [XXX] , with approximately 95,000 miles. The vehicle has been serviced almost exclusively by Ford dealerships and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. The vehicle recently began exhibiting significant drivability and transmission-related problems, including shuddering w... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the head rest detached and pooped off. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, it felt like a kick to the back of the head. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the repair coverage was for ten years of ownership of the vehicle. The contact stated that ownership w... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The vehicle prompted an update that needed the emergency parking brake engaged. Once updated, the parking break light goes off but the parking brake does not disengage. Can no longer move the car until the electrical issue is fixed.
Incident date: May 1, 2026
At 30,000 miles, the dealership replaced the right rear shock absorber because I noticed it was clunking when an adult sat in the third row. I just had it serviced at 40,000 miles and I mentioned to the tech that there was a slight clunking sound when making a right-hand turn and accelerating from a stop. The dealership did not notice any issues so did not make any repairs. Now, at 41,500 miles, t... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Telematic Modular Control is not working properly and part is on backorder. Dealership and GMC have refused to put into writing that my vehicle is safe to drive; however, they are refusing rental vehicle while awaiting arrival of part. Several of my safety features are not working correctly, my left turn signal went out randomly and my auto breaking has activated when there has been nothing near m... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Telematic Modular Control is not working properly and part is on backorder. Dealership and GMC have refused to put into writing that my vehicle is safe to drive; however, they are refusing rental vehicle while awaiting arrival of part. Several of my safety features are not working correctly, my left turn signal went out randomly and my auto breaking has activated when there has been nothing near m... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Telematic Modular Control is not working properly and part is on backorder. Dealership and GMC have refused to put into writing that my vehicle is safe to drive; however, they are refusing rental vehicle while awaiting arrival of part. Several of my safety features are not working correctly, my left turn signal went out randomly and my auto breaking has activated when there has been nothing near m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000(SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was ma... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
While driving, there is a loss of fuel pressure at random. It has happened when stopped at traffic light and while driving on the freeway, the vehicle does not respond to the gas pedal being pressed. This is unsafe for myself and my passengers, as I cannot confidently change lanes as I never know when it will happen. The problem has been reported to the dealership, but no confirmation on their abi... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
Transmission previously replaced after failed Judder test. Transmission is failing again: Last few days the car will accelerate to 15 then it attempts to shift and power drops and pressing the pedal has no response or very little then it changes into what feels like 4th or 5th gear at 20 mph and acceleration is very sluggish and also switching into manual gear control is completely unresponsive. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, water would intrude into the engine compartment and the vehicle would independently shift into Limp Mode. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the ignition coils and spark plugs were replaced at the consumer's expense; however, the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked and occupied in the vehicle, the contact noticed the trunk independently opens unintendedly causing the vehicle car alarm to engage. The contact mentioned this also happens while driving at various speeds. The contact also mention the trunk is open warning message illuminated. A independent mechanic or dealer was not conta... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
While traveling at 55mph yesterday, I experienced a full engine failure which shut the car off fully while traveling on a single lane double yellow road. I was able to coast to a secure location. The car will not start or go into neutral. There were no warning lights that occurred at any time prior to the failure. This all occurred while on vacation 2 hours away. I previously went to the deal... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The engine burns oil excessively and the oil light does NOT come on when the oil is low. Our car is right at 90k miles, it began to shudder and malfunction out of the blue while we were driving on the highway. There was absolutely no indication the oil was low. Now the car will not turn on at all. We were in between oil changes. The safety of myself and my family was put at risk because the engine... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
Had a car accident and hit a sand barrel at about 40 miles an hour without the airbags didn’t deploy. The grill and bumper were damaged with impact.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2026
CVT transmission failed and vehicle lost power while on Interstate I-88 65 MPH speed zone. f Momentum allowed me to reach an exit at which point I needed to push the vehicle by myself off the roadway. Vehicle mileage was slighlty over 60,000 miles and the $10,000 dollar repair was not covered by warranty. Dangerous and costly to consumers! Same CVT was recalled or warranty extended in earlier m... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
After buying as is, a few months later started having steering issues. After trying to self diagnose I finally took it to a ram dealership in Lexington, Ky. They determined it was the EPS Steering Rack. I found a used one for 1,000 that I’m going to replace it with because the dealership quoted me 4,500 and I just simply cannot afford it. Praying this used one resolves my problem. I really wish ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
The second row captain's chair seatbelt buckle stalks on the 2027 Kia Telluride are abnormally tall and rigid, with an angle causing the seatbelt webbing to kink and compress at a sharp angle around any forward-facing car seat base. This compromises the seatbelt's ability to lock and distribute crash forces correctly in the event of a collision. The third row seatbelts are too long to achieve the ... Read more