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 39 of 44,303 (2,215,138 complaints)
Incident date: May 20, 2026
On May 20, 2026, at approximately 14,600 miles, I discovered a stress fracture in the windshield of my 2025 Toyota Camry XSE immediately after going through an automated car wash. There were no prior warning signs, unusual sounds, or visible stress marks before the crack appeared. The crack originated at the driver's side edge where the glass meets the roofline at the bonded perimeter — a locat... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2026) — LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The steering assist malfunctions. It almost always fails around curves. It also does it sometimes on a straightaway, but it is not as frequent as with curves. It gets too close to the line and overcompensates. It literally will drive you off of the road. I have been driving across country and if I had not been diligent, I would have crashed dozens of times. According to Grok, this is a common comp... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2026) — STEERING
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The steering assist malfunctions. It almost always fails around curves. It also does it sometimes on a straightaway, but it is not as frequent as with curves. It gets too close to the line and overcompensates. It literally will drive you off of the road. I have been driving across country and if I had not been diligent, I would have crashed dozens of times. According to Grok, this is a common comp... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
Air compressor and compression failed engine diagnostic test. Vehicle had high oil and gas consumption.
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
Loss of power from the engine while accelerating from a stop in heavy traffic. Car began shaking and sputtering with intermittent spurts of power, unable to exceed 10 mph on narrow bridge. Pulled over and the vehicle smelled heavily of gasoline near the engine. This issue is the Third instance of my engine sputtering and losing power. The first instance, injectors 2 & 4 were replaced. The second ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
Loss of power from the engine while accelerating from a stop in heavy traffic. Car began shaking and sputtering with intermittent spurts of power, unable to exceed 10 mph on narrow bridge. Pulled over and the vehicle smelled heavily of gasoline near the engine. This issue is the Third instance of my engine sputtering and losing power. The first instance, injectors 2 & 4 were replaced. The second ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle and an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with fuel injector failure. The vehicle was subsequently towed to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
ICCU failure. Car slowed ona busy street. Inspected by dealership service and confirmed ICCU failure. The pop sound and then check electrical system warnings.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) — ENGINE
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
Oil Change and Check Engine Light continuously appear. Have gotten oil changes during the prescribed timings and still after being within the timeframe of the oil change the sensor appears. The car has stalled while driving due to this and have on multiple occasions have had to buy oil to add to the vehicle even after getting a oil change at a dealership.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
Oil Change and Check Engine Light continuously appear. Have gotten oil changes during the prescribed timings and still after being within the timeframe of the oil change the sensor appears. The car has stalled while driving due to this and have on multiple occasions have had to buy oil to add to the vehicle even after getting a oil change at a dealership.
Incident date: May 26, 2026
The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that the windshield wipers had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the contact's auto repair shop, Tire-Rama, where the windshield wiper switch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V272000 (VISIBILITY); and... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
Shortly after a recall repair was completed, I experienced a sudden loss of motive power while driving approximately 45 mph on a public roadway. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had approximately half a tank of gasoline remaining. I observed the high-voltage battery gauge reach approximately 1% state of charge. Immediately after the battery gauge reached that level, the vehicle suddenly lo... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
Shortly after a recall repair was completed, I experienced a sudden loss of motive power while driving approximately 45 mph on a public roadway. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had approximately half a tank of gasoline remaining. I observed the high-voltage battery gauge reach approximately 1% state of charge. Immediately after the battery gauge reached that level, the vehicle suddenly lo... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2025) — POWER TRAIN
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
We have been documenting a oil leak on the timing chain cam shaft cover. When the motor heats up the engine seeps/leaks oil on the top of the side of engine. This has been documented for the past few months starting at 37,099 miles when we noticed it, date of first notice was on 4/29/2026. We have pic with time stamps and have taken it to dealership to inspect and have written many times of the is... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2025) — ENGINE
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
We have been documenting a oil leak on the timing chain cam shaft cover. When the motor heats up the engine seeps/leaks oil on the top of the side of engine. This has been documented for the past few months starting at 37,099 miles when we noticed it, date of first notice was on 4/29/2026. We have pic with time stamps and have taken it to dealership to inspect and have written many times of the is... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Since November 2025, multiple safety warning lights have illuminated upon starting the vehicle, indicating malfunctions within the Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Keeping Assist systems. Two separate dealerships, Reseda Honda and Woodland Hills Honda, conducted independent diagnostic tests. Both service centers confirmed the root cause is an internal failure of the fro... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Since November 2025, multiple safety warning lights have illuminated upon starting the vehicle, indicating malfunctions within the Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Keeping Assist systems. Two separate dealerships, Reseda Honda and Woodland Hills Honda, conducted independent diagnostic tests. Both service centers confirmed the root cause is an internal failure of the fro... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Since November 2025, multiple safety warning lights have illuminated upon starting the vehicle, indicating malfunctions within the Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Keeping Assist systems. Two separate dealerships, Reseda Honda and Woodland Hills Honda, conducted independent diagnostic tests. Both service centers confirmed the root cause is an internal failure of the fro... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Component: Drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: Most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decele... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Component: Drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: Most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decele... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Component: Drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: Most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decele... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 450 4MATIC
(2024) — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: May 5, 2026
My auto assist emergency braking function has triggered 3 times over the last few months with no other cars or hazzards near me. There was not warning. Each time it caused sudden unexpected severe jerking. More importantly, had there been a car behind me, it would have run into me and caused an collision. I reported this to the dealer who was unable to replicate the problem so it returned my c... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Electronic Shifter goes out when exposed to moisture.. We had the vehicle detailed and it will not move after apparently some moisture got into the shift know that is located next to cup holders.. BMW will not warranty the part and acknowledge it is an issue.. Luckily we have an extended warranty that is covering the 2500.00 part
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
While attempting to operate my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5, the vehicle abruptly displayed a 'Check Electric Vehicle System' warning accompanied by a critical red master service light on the dashboard. A diagnostic scan via the factory Bluelink app revealed a hard fault code: DTC P1A9096 (ICCU / DC-DC Converter malfunction). This failure occurred under 7,000 miles, following a previous total 12-volt batt... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
My wife was driving the vehicle when the emergency lights started going off. She had to pull over because the car wouldn't run and said it was overheated. All the maintenance has been done to the car. We took it to the dealership and they said it is a cracked head and it is a known issue. They even issued a extended warranty for it. It is TSB 01-002/23. There should be a recall on this not just a ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
I have recently become aware of a website ([XXX]) that is selling multiple illuminated puddle lights and illuminated center wheel caps that project red and blue lights. The center caps are particularly alarming to me, as they can project red and blue light while the vehicle is in motion. I believe that passenger vehicles are not allowed to project red and blue light while the vehicle is in motion,... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at nighttime, the vehicle failed to detect a nearby vehicle, the interior lights failed to illuminate, and the high-beam headlight failed to illuminate as intended. An unknown message associated with the Blind Spot Monitoring system. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2026
Recently purchased this Hyundai Pallisade Calligraphy from Pohanka Hyundai in Maryland. At the time I asked whether the vehicle had the seat recall issue fixed . Was assured by the sales agent it had. Now when I activate the seat memory button, the driver's seat collapses and does not recognize a person is sitting there. I've called Pohanka Hyundai multiple times with an assurance of a call back... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2026) — POWER TRAIN
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving up an incline and while driving on a flat road surface. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failur... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2026) — ENGINE
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: May 12, 2026
I own a new 2026 KIA Sportage Hybrid VIN: [XXX] Odometer reading 1,200 miles On XXX while accelerating at freeway speeds the vehicle suddenly lost power and went into “reduced power mode” which slows the vehicle to a near stop. A Check engine light came on and two messages appeared. One message read:” Follow-up check required 1” and the other read: ”There may be a problem with the engine... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Acura RLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle pulled to the right, with a creaking sound while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right. The contact replaced the brake pads and rotors every year, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure persisted after the wheels were rotated. The vehicle was taken to the de... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Acura RLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle pulled to the right, with a creaking sound while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right. The contact replaced the brake pads and rotors every year, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure persisted after the wheels were rotated. The vehicle was taken to the de... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and hauling a trailer, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact drove the vehicle into a ditch to stop it. The message "Low Brake Fluid" was displayed, and the brake warning light was illuminated. The front driver's side tire was damaged from the dit... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
This vehicle stalls while on the road and it also stops driving, and the vehicle remains stationary. It's random and I never know when it will happen. There was a recall issued for this very problem in 2019. When I type in Mt Vin # it says no recalls on this vehicle. I feel this vehicle meets the same safety issues as the recall. I've contacted Chrysler with no progress.
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Unknown, vehicle was purchased from Insurance Auto Auctions with minor front collision damage that occurred in the State of Georgia. Suspension damage was not revealed until vehicle was delivered by a transporter to my home. Upon inspection of the vehicle it was determined that the McPherson shock absorber was defective and broke in 2 pieces causing the release of the spring tension. The Nissan ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
While parked in my residential garage with the engine shut off and car door closed, the vehicle suffered an un-commanded rollaway incident due to a suspected defect in the electronic parking brake or automatic-park transmission software. The vehicle was completely stopped, the driver exited the vehicle and the driver's door was closed. Moments later, the vehicle shifted out of its parked state or... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
While parked in my residential garage with the engine shut off and car door closed, the vehicle suffered an un-commanded rollaway incident due to a suspected defect in the electronic parking brake or automatic-park transmission software. The vehicle was completely stopped, the driver exited the vehicle and the driver's door was closed. Moments later, the vehicle shifted out of its parked state or... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
While parked in my residential garage with the engine shut off and car door closed, the vehicle suffered an un-commanded rollaway incident due to a suspected defect in the electronic parking brake or automatic-park transmission software. The vehicle was completely stopped, the driver exited the vehicle and the driver's door was closed. Moments later, the vehicle shifted out of its parked state or... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The HCU failed on my truck and the recall was issued over 18 months ago, still no repair in place, still no update. I have filed a complaint on here already once and no response or update on that either. I have no traction control, constant intermittent beeping on and off and no cruise control, for almost two years now and it's just unacceptable. The repairs were supposed to be started in early 20... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V808000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) and 26V218000 (SEAT BELTS). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V808000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) and 26V218000 (SEAT BELTS). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
The electric power steering (EPS) suddenly failed while driving. Loss of this system created an unsafe situation in which it was extremely difficult to hold the vehicle within the appropriate driving lanes and especially difficult to make any turns at intersections. The problem occurred on June 2, 2026, the failure was confirmed by an independent service center and the vehicle is currently at... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2026
WHILE DRIVING TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER MY HUDBAND WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. THE FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR BY AN INSURANCE COLLISION EXPERT THERE WAS NO COLLISION OR RODENTS THAT COULD HAVE AFFECTED THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DEEMED A MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL FAILURE/DEFECT. MY HUSBAND WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH HE COULD HAVE LOST... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Toyota Tundra. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 95,000. It was later discovered upon checking the Carfax report the mileage was 200,000.
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jun 5, 2026
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost drive powe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2020
My 2020 CR-v hybrid has suddenly lost power on the freeway a total of 4 times in the 6 years I've owned it. It is always at freeway speeds. The flashing engine light appears and the car loses power. After pulling over, turning off the car, and waiting a few minutes, the car can be turned on and driven with no more flashing engine light and no more problems for months. Each time I've taken it t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2020
My 2020 CR-v hybrid has suddenly lost power on the freeway a total of 4 times in the 6 years I've owned it. It is always at freeway speeds. The flashing engine light appears and the car loses power. After pulling over, turning off the car, and waiting a few minutes, the car can be turned on and driven with no more flashing engine light and no more problems for months. Each time I've taken it t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
-Engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. -This issue presents a significant safety hazard for my two small children and me. On multiple occasions, we have been unable to move due to severe traffic congestion, leaving us vulnerable to aggressive and hostile behavior from other drivers. The resulting situation is... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
-Engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. -This issue presents a significant safety hazard for my two small children and me. On multiple occasions, we have been unable to move due to severe traffic congestion, leaving us vulnerable to aggressive and hostile behavior from other drivers. The resulting situation is... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
When turning off the vehicle the key gets stuck in the ignition. I have to keep turning the vehicle several times and keep moving the shifter to get it to release at least 4 to six times before the key comes out. This happens daily. It started in May and continues to be a daily happening.