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
Page 159 of 44,908 (2,245,377 complaints)
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the message “Service Transmission” was displayed, and the gear s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
My 2020 Hyundai Elantra SEL experienced a total transmission/IVT failure at 81,185 miles. I paid $4,804.14 out of pocket to have the vehicle repaired at a certified Hyundai dealership, Dick Smith Hyundai Genesis of Greenville, now known as Hyundai of Greenville. The transmission was replaced with a new replacement unit. The replacement transmission has now suffered a second total failure at 117,9... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
Our vehicle's check engine light came on, and we took it to the dealership as it is still under factory warranty. The dealership determined upper radiator blind slat was broken and detached due to an impact. I completely disagree as there is no signs of impact, and there are only signs that this is a poorly designed part. About two weeks after this first event, I was looking for a way to fix th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2026
The steering wheel was sticking when the wheel was turned. Problem for several months, progressively got worse. Checked for a recall and spoke to a Honda representative and was told my car was not manufactured at the facility that had the recalls for the Honda civic 2018 models. I had to pay $4578.90 out of pocket to have the same trouble as the other recalled models.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2026
The steering wheel was sticking when the wheel was turned. Problem for several months, progressively got worse. Checked for a recall and spoke to a Honda representative and was told my car was not manufactured at the facility that had the recalls for the Honda civic 2018 models. I had to pay $4578.90 out of pocket to have the same trouble as the other recalled models.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while driving. The lane departure feature also steered the vehicle in the opposite direction while there was construction on the road. The vehicle was not diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while driving. The lane departure feature also steered the vehicle in the opposite direction while there was construction on the road. The vehicle was not diagnos... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while the vehicle was receiving a routine oil change, the contact was informed that the oil pan was empty. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was informed about a possible oil consumption test. The contact was informed that there was carbon blowing out of the vehicle. The contact stated that three m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
The paint is starting to bubble and flake off from inside the vehichle doors by the seam where corrosion under the paint has started. I have looked at multiple complaints from other explorer owners and this is a common issue that ford does not want to fix. There sheet metal is contaminated with “white oxidized rust underneath the paint causing the bubbling and paint letting go resulting in furth... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
Paint peeing on roof and hood
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
On XXX, our 2018 Lexus RX 350L was involved in a high-speed collision in [XXX]. The vehicle struck a Jersey/concrete barrier with the left front of the vehicle. The collision caused extensive damage to the left-front corner of the vehicle. The left-front wheel and suspension were severely displaced, with substantial damage extending through the left-front body structure toward the driver's door a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2025) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
Tailgate just comes open itself
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
I purchased the car in October, 2023. The problem first happened in October, 2025 and not happened just once. The vehicle breaks unnecessarily and violently without any warning. Additionally the pre-sense collision indicator light displays when there is no apparent person, vehicle or object in the vicinity of the vehicle. The abrupt breaking is the most concerning since it has happened multiple ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
I purchased the car in October, 2023. The problem first happened in October, 2025 and not happened just once. The vehicle breaks unnecessarily and violently without any warning. Additionally the pre-sense collision indicator light displays when there is no apparent person, vehicle or object in the vicinity of the vehicle. The abrupt breaking is the most concerning since it has happened multiple ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
I purchased the car in October, 2023. The problem first happened in October, 2025 and not happened just once. The vehicle breaks unnecessarily and violently without any warning. Additionally the pre-sense collision indicator light displays when there is no apparent person, vehicle or object in the vicinity of the vehicle. The abrupt breaking is the most concerning since it has happened multiple ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with Mavis Tires, Tire Line: Mavis A/S HT, Tire Size: 255/70/R18, DOT Number: 1TB Y1PA5C 1322. The contact purchased the tires at a Mavis Tire Shop while on vacation. While driving the vehicle back to the residence, the vehicle was shaking abnormally rough at highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop where the tires were placed on a wheel... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with Mavis Tires, Tire Line: Mavis A/S HT, Tire Size: 255/70/R18, DOT Number: 1TB Y1PA5C 1322. The contact purchased the tires at a Mavis Tire Shop while on vacation. While driving the vehicle back to the residence, the vehicle was shaking abnormally rough at highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop where the tires were placed on a wheel... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with Mavis Tires, Tire Line: Mavis A/S HT, Tire Size: 255/70/R18, DOT Number: 1TB Y1PA5C 1322. The contact purchased the tires at a Mavis Tire Shop while on vacation. While driving the vehicle back to the residence, the vehicle was shaking abnormally rough at highway speeds. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop where the tires were placed on a wheel... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2026
While on the highway vehicles warning light illuminated and the vehicle immediately slowed down and would not go over 20 miles per hour. Prior to the warning lights illuminating there were no warning lights already illuminated and no drivability issues. You could hear a griding noise when driving at low speeds and the vehicle would not go above 20 miles per hour. Ended up pulling over and towing t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and then driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster intermittently went blank. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with brake hydraulic control unit failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The dealer performed a temporary fix and replaced the part with... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds and while stopped, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after each failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on several occasions, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagno... Read more
KIA
TELLURIDE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds and while stopped, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after each failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on several occasions, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
The windshield wipers will only go up once they have fully gone down all the way. Therefore, when snow (or something else) gets stuck below the windshield wipers while they are in use, they cannot go all the way down, and they will therefore not go back up again. The wipers become inoperable while trying to complete their cycle, and stay stuck in place creating extremely unsafe conditions. This ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I initiated a turn and the steering wheel suddenly and forcefully moved in the opposite direction of my steering input. The steering wheel was pulled out of my hand. I was unable to maintain the intended steering direction and the vehicle was involved in a collision. This was not an intentional steering maneuver or ordinary loss of traction.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I initiated a turn and the steering wheel suddenly and forcefully moved in the opposite direction of my steering input. The steering wheel was pulled out of my hand. I was unable to maintain the intended steering direction and the vehicle was involved in a collision. This was not an intentional steering maneuver or ordinary loss of traction.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I initiated a turn and the steering wheel suddenly and forcefully moved in the opposite direction of my steering input. The steering wheel was pulled out of my hand. I was unable to maintain the intended steering direction and the vehicle was involved in a collision. This was not an intentional steering maneuver or ordinary loss of traction.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a recall repair, and the contact was informed that the brake line had suddenly ruptured while reversing out of the service bay. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 94,221.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that all three brake lights failed to illuminate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the brake light switch assembly multi-connector wiring harness needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The contact found information on other Kia recalls for other years, makes, and models that described the same part... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Engine power reduced Car will not accelerate Jerks after a long stop Have replaced engine and transmission same problem occurred
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Engine power reduced Car will not accelerate Jerks after a long stop Have replaced engine and transmission same problem occurred
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Engine power reduced Car will not accelerate Jerks after a long stop Have replaced engine and transmission same problem occurred
Incident date: May 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4Matic equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Primacy Tour AS, Tire Size: 275/50/R20, DOT Number: 1B9RF011X0925. While the contact's wife was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle drove over a speed bump and the rear tires jumped away from the vehicle 10–12 inches. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the issue was normal for the... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450 4MATIC
(2025) - TIRES
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: May 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4Matic equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Primacy Tour AS, Tire Size: 275/50/R20, DOT Number: 1B9RF011X0925. While the contact's wife was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle drove over a speed bump and the rear tires jumped away from the vehicle 10–12 inches. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the issue was normal for the... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA 250+ (EV)
(2026) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
While driving at 50mph, the vehicle came to a full stop in 2 seconds by auto breaking (to avoid collision) when there was no object or vehicle in front of the car. I almost got rear-ended as stopping from 50mph to 0 mph on a highway was extremely dangerous but luckily the car behind me was able to use the lane to my right to avoid the collision. When the vehicle was taken to the service center, th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA 250+ (EV)
(2026) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
While driving at 50mph, the vehicle came to a full stop in 2 seconds by auto breaking (to avoid collision) when there was no object or vehicle in front of the car. I almost got rear-ended as stopping from 50mph to 0 mph on a highway was extremely dangerous but luckily the car behind me was able to use the lane to my right to avoid the collision. When the vehicle was taken to the service center, th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA 250+ (EV)
(2026) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
While driving at 50mph, the vehicle came to a full stop in 2 seconds by auto breaking (to avoid collision) when there was no object or vehicle in front of the car. I almost got rear-ended as stopping from 50mph to 0 mph on a highway was extremely dangerous but luckily the car behind me was able to use the lane to my right to avoid the collision. When the vehicle was taken to the service center, th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
I own a Prologue Touring on a lease and it has defective drive axles and every time I brought it to Honda Service Dept they said that Honda said that the will not repair or replace them. The Vin# is [XXX].Any question feel free to contact me at [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
I own a Prologue Touring on a lease and it has defective drive axles and every time I brought it to Honda Service Dept they said that Honda said that the will not repair or replace them. The Vin# is [XXX].Any question feel free to contact me at [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The “4WD Failure” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown recall; how... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
I purchased this vehicle new on July 28, 2026. NHTSA Recall 26V-452 / Hyundai Recall 306 was dated July 13, 2026, and the VIN showed the recall as incomplete when I discovered it. The dealer states that it was unaware of the recall at the time of sale. I am reporting this to document that a new vehicle was delivered to me while this safety recall was unrepaired. I intend to have the recall repair ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Genesis G80. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, three seconds later the vehicle hesitated, and the vehicle lost power. The contact was able to turn off and restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started working as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure only occurred in hot weather. A dealer was contacted. The veh... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - SEAT BELTS
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: May 31, 2026
My son was driving down the road going 30 and both curtain liner airbags deployed and the left side hit him in the head . GMC is denied my claim twice after careful consideration. That was the explanation and we have an undriveable truck with a truck note . Incident happened may 31 and they denied me July 23.
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Aug 20, 2026
Incident date: May 31, 2026
My son was driving down the road going 30 and both curtain liner airbags deployed and the left side hit him in the head . GMC is denied my claim twice after careful consideration. That was the explanation and we have an undriveable truck with a truck note . Incident happened may 31 and they denied me July 23.
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2020
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, almost causing the wheels to lock up. The power train warning light illuminated, and the instrument cluster became inoperable; however, the tachometer was operational. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA Camp... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2026
On July 30, 2026, while operating my 2014 F-150 under normal driving conditions, the dash cluster information screen displayed a "Brake Fluid Level Low" warning. Moments later, the brake system experienced a sudden/catastrophic loss of front braking performance. The brake pedal became severely spongy and traveled completely to the floorboard, requiring drastically increased distance to bring the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
my vehicle has experienced a potentially catastrophic steering failure while driving, Volvo's authorized service attempts have not corrected it, and I no longer consider the vehicle safe.
Incident date: May 20, 2025
In May 2025, my 2021 Tesla Model Y, with approximately 50,600 miles, developed a squeaking/groaning noise from the front suspension, especially while turning. I brought the vehicle to a Tesla Service Center because of the noise. Tesla inspected and road-tested the vehicle and confirmed the squeaking/groaning from the front suspension. According to the Tesla service invoice, the noise was caused b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
I believe there’s an ongoing lawsuit against Ford regarding these truck models, specifically their gearboxes, which are failing and slipping gears. After the initial recall for the new software gearbox mapping, my gearbox has started slipping, causing issues during downshifting, acceleration, and upshifting. There are frequent loud bangs