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 41 of 44,908 (2,245,377 complaints)
Incident date: Aug 18, 2026
Was exiting I275 onto Westbound Route 32 when the brakes were unexpectedly applied by the vehicle’s safety system. No vehicles were in front or beside me. Very alarming when it happened. This also happed two other times at slower speeds.
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2025) - STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS:ACTIVE SHUTTERS/GRILL
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH on the highway with a three-year-old child in the vehicle, the message "Pull Over Immediately and Shut Off the Vehicle" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and waited for a tow truck in hot weather. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
After having a recall, performed on the emergency parking brake it would engage while parked, but when trying to put it in drive or reverse, it would not disengage this began happening approximately two weeks to one month after the recall was performed. It isn’t happening constantly, but it does happen often. On occasion, while driving, it will engage and pull the car to the side nearly pulling ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
After having a recall, performed on the emergency parking brake it would engage while parked, but when trying to put it in drive or reverse, it would not disengage this began happening approximately two weeks to one month after the recall was performed. It isn’t happening constantly, but it does happen often. On occasion, while driving, it will engage and pull the car to the side nearly pulling ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
After having a recall, performed on the emergency parking brake it would engage while parked, but when trying to put it in drive or reverse, it would not disengage this began happening approximately two weeks to one month after the recall was performed. It isn’t happening constantly, but it does happen often. On occasion, while driving, it will engage and pull the car to the side nearly pulling ... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2025) - ENGINE
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the contact observed a loud grinding noise emanating from the engine compartment and a burning odor coming from the vents into the cabin. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was no oil in the transfer box and the transfer box needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2025) - SUSPENSION
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the contact observed a loud grinding noise emanating from the engine compartment and a burning odor coming from the vents into the cabin. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was no oil in the transfer box and the transfer box needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The electronic power steering (EPAS) system/steering gear malfunctioned. Tesla diagnosed fault code EPAS3P_A072_mot and recommended replacement of the steering gear/rack, part number 1188832-00-B. The vehicle is currently available for inspection upon request. If the steering gear is replaced, I will request that the failed component be retained or otherwise made available for inspection if possib... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2026
During summer 2026 i began to notice a noise/whine above 30mph that would only occur when foot is on accelerator. my vehicle has 83k miles on it (me being only owner with routine maintenance). as a responsible owner, i had my dealer do an inspection. after a drive and a listen, they claimed it was a transmission bearing failure and only solution is a $11k transmission replacement, with the comm... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
2026 Genesis G70 2.5T RWD. The navigation system is completely gone. There is absolutely no way to get the maps or even the navigation settings menu up. On every startup, you can see a part of the screen which shows it tries to load navigation, but fails every time. There are a few critical safety issues with this. To start, a main feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control is relying on GPS map da... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
2026 Genesis G70 2.5T RWD. The navigation system is completely gone. There is absolutely no way to get the maps or even the navigation settings menu up. On every startup, you can see a part of the screen which shows it tries to load navigation, but fails every time. There are a few critical safety issues with this. To start, a main feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control is relying on GPS map da... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
2026 Genesis G70 2.5T RWD. The navigation system is completely gone. There is absolutely no way to get the maps or even the navigation settings menu up. On every startup, you can see a part of the screen which shows it tries to load navigation, but fails every time. There are a few critical safety issues with this. To start, a main feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control is relying on GPS map da... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
While my 2026 Honda Odyssey was parked and stationary, I operated the driver-side power sliding door normally. The door began opening but became stuck. When I activated the power sliding door again, there was a sudden mechanical failure involving the sliding-door mechanism. The sliding-door rail was severely damaged/deformed, the mechanism appeared to disengage from its normal track/rail path, and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
While my 2026 Honda Odyssey was parked and stationary, I operated the driver-side power sliding door normally. The door began opening but became stuck. When I activated the power sliding door again, there was a sudden mechanical failure involving the sliding-door mechanism. The sliding-door rail was severely damaged/deformed, the mechanism appeared to disengage from its normal track/rail path, and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
While my 2026 Honda Odyssey was parked and stationary, I operated the driver-side power sliding door normally. The door began opening but became stuck. When I activated the power sliding door again, there was a sudden mechanical failure involving the sliding-door mechanism. The sliding-door rail was severely damaged/deformed, the mechanism appeared to disengage from its normal track/rail path, and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was intermittently inoperable. The message "Rearview Camera Unavailable" was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the ma... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The vehicle was a private sale from Facebook Marketplace. The mileage was 98,776 miles on 1/5/26. The contact had decided that a larger vehicle was needed and brought the vehicle to the dealer to trade it. The contact received a Carfax report from the dealer indicating an odometer discrepancy. The report indicated that the third owner... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2024) - LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
When driving using cruise control, the vehicle will alarm if the driver is not holding the steering. If the driver does not take control of the steering wheel, a secondary alarm will alert the driver on the dashboard to take over steering. If the driver does not take over steering, the vehicle will aggressively pulse the brakes to alert the driver. In this vehicle, the alarm may trigger when hol... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2024) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
When driving using cruise control, the vehicle will alarm if the driver is not holding the steering. If the driver does not take control of the steering wheel, a secondary alarm will alert the driver on the dashboard to take over steering. If the driver does not take over steering, the vehicle will aggressively pulse the brakes to alert the driver. In this vehicle, the alarm may trigger when hol... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2024) - STEERING
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
When driving using cruise control, the vehicle will alarm if the driver is not holding the steering. If the driver does not take control of the steering wheel, a secondary alarm will alert the driver on the dashboard to take over steering. If the driver does not take over steering, the vehicle will aggressively pulse the brakes to alert the driver. In this vehicle, the alarm may trigger when hol... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
Beginning 4/2025 undercarriage parts of the splash guard began breaking loose and flying off my vehicle while driving. 6/2025 the passenger wheel surround flew off while driving 60 MPH over a bridge, thank God there was no oncoming traffic. It caused damage to my tires however that I replaced. Over the last year more parts, including the drivers side wheel surround have come off while driving. I w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2026
We broke down because the fuel pump broke, which has a recall out there. We had stopped at Buc-ee’s for a break and when we got back to the truck, it wouldn’t start back up. We got it fixed at Banner Ford and were forced to pay $1822.50 for a fix that a known recall is out for that they claim there’s no remedy for. But, then you’re telling me you can fix it for $1800. It makes no sense tha... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Toyota Camry. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 113,000. It was later discovered upon checking a Carfax report that the mileage was 168,000.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The dealership said the Cam Phasers were bad, and I saw that there was a NHTSA report on it. The manufacturer paid a percentage of the cost to fix, but not the entire thing. This is a vehicle that an elderly woman purchased before her husband passed and now runs her grand kids around in. Although the problem was fixed it was bothersome to not have this known issue addressed and risk stranding the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal almost went down to the floorboard, and the braking distance became extended. The vehicle was driven to supermarket parking lot and gradually slowed down before slowly being driven back to the residence. The brakes, VSA and ro... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
THE BACKUP CAMERA HAS STOPPED WORKING, THE BEEPING SENSOR STILL ALARMS WHEN TO CLOSE BUT THE CAMERA DOES NOT WORK AT ALL.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
THE BACKUP CAMERA HAS STOPPED WORKING, THE BEEPING SENSOR STILL ALARMS WHEN TO CLOSE BUT THE CAMERA DOES NOT WORK AT ALL.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
Driving home near my apartment, I had to join a busy highway from a full stop. I found a small gap and tried to accelerate to quickly merge into traffic, when my car made a high pitched alert noise and noticably did not accelerate beyond about 25 miles per hour on a 45-50mph highway with heavy traffic. I turned on my hazards and still ended up with a line up of cars honking behind me. Flooring the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
Driving home near my apartment, I had to join a busy highway from a full stop. I found a small gap and tried to accelerate to quickly merge into traffic, when my car made a high pitched alert noise and noticably did not accelerate beyond about 25 miles per hour on a 45-50mph highway with heavy traffic. I turned on my hazards and still ended up with a line up of cars honking behind me. Flooring the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
Driving home near my apartment, I had to join a busy highway from a full stop. I found a small gap and tried to accelerate to quickly merge into traffic, when my car made a high pitched alert noise and noticably did not accelerate beyond about 25 miles per hour on a 45-50mph highway with heavy traffic. I turned on my hazards and still ended up with a line up of cars honking behind me. Flooring the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
My 2020 Acura MDX has experienced repeated Auto Idle Stop system malfunctions. When the system activates at a stop, the engine shuts off and does not return to normal operation as expected. The incidents are becoming more frequent and create a safety concern when the vehicle is stopped in traffic. This problem has been reported by telephone on multiple prior occasions. The 12-volt battery has als... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2020 Ford Escape, which currently has an unrepaired safety recall involving the fuel injectors. Recall Information: Manufacturer Recall Number: 25S76 NHTSA Recall Number: 25V467 Recall Date: July 16, 2025 According to the recall notice, a fuel injector may crack and cause fuel to accumulate on top of the engine. The notice states that liquid fuel a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2020 Ford Escape, which currently has an unrepaired safety recall involving the fuel injectors. Recall Information: Manufacturer Recall Number: 25S76 NHTSA Recall Number: 25V467 Recall Date: July 16, 2025 According to the recall notice, a fuel injector may crack and cause fuel to accumulate on top of the engine. The notice states that liquid fuel a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
I am filing this complaint regarding my 2019 Kia Sorento and an engine failure related to Kia’s Product Improvement Campaign/KSDS (Knock Sensor Detection System) campaign. I purchased this vehicle used in 2022. Prior to the engine failure, I was never notified of any Product Improvement Campaign affecting my vehicle. Had I been notified, I would have immediately taken the vehicle to an authoriz... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
Engine seized per Kia Inspected by Kia after AAA TOWED AND COULD NOT START CAR warning lamps have been on for over 6 months. Kia inspected and ran diagnostics at that time and said it was nothing to fix just an annoying dashboard malfunction.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
Engine seized per Kia Inspected by Kia after AAA TOWED AND COULD NOT START CAR warning lamps have been on for over 6 months. Kia inspected and ran diagnostics at that time and said it was nothing to fix just an annoying dashboard malfunction.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
Engine seized per Kia Inspected by Kia after AAA TOWED AND COULD NOT START CAR warning lamps have been on for over 6 months. Kia inspected and ran diagnostics at that time and said it was nothing to fix just an annoying dashboard malfunction.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
Subject: Steering Rack Failure Reimbursement Request, VIN [XXX] To Whom It May Concern, I am requesting review and reimbursement for an electronic steering rack replacement on my 2021 Ford truck, VIN [XXX]. The electronic steering fault first appeared at start-up and when turning the wheel to full lock. Initially, I could pull over, shut the truck off, restart it, and the warning would clear. A... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
Recall 22S43 failed less than 5 months after completion, causing total vehicle immobilization in reverse on a live roadway.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2026) - ENGINE
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
Sparl Plug recall on Jeep Grand Cherokee 2026 L Laredo 4x4. While driving my 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Laredo 4x4, the vehicle occasionally jerks/shudders when I shift into Drive and begin moving. The vehicle feels sluggish and does not respond smoothly when accelerating. This has happened even after the vehicle has been running for several minutes. The vehicle is new, and I am concerned that thi... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) - POWER TRAIN
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
When ambient temperature are over ~90 the vehicle will lose power during acceleration. This happens typically in the speed range of ~20-35mph. The vehicle’s rpm will spike high but lose the ability to increase speed or shift gears. This occurs ~ 40-50% of the time when over 90 degrees. On several occasions we were forced to abandon merging onto the highway because the vehicle wasn’t safely abl... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Sep 1, 2026
Backup camera lens is defective and has UV damage / hazing. Makes reversing extremely difficult and dangerous as the lens is not giving a good image output to the infotainment screen to the point it is difficult to identify anything (cars, pedestrians, etc). Ford has a known recall on the fusions for 2013-2016, and have excluded 2017-2020 model years even though hardware is the same. I have order... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a black image. The vehicle was taken to two dealers, but the vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The internal spring inside my driver's side sun visor completely failed and now the visor hangs down and totally blocks my view of the road while driving. It is a major safety hazard because I literally have to duck to see traffic in front of me and I keep hitting my head on it. If I get into an accident and the airbags deploy, this loose plastic visor is going to smash right into my face. Acura k... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2020) - POWER TRAIN
Sep 4, 2026
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
My 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD developed a high-pitched whining noise from the drivetrain/transmission area while accelerating. The noise increases under acceleration and stops when the accelerator is released. The noise is not present when the vehicle is in neutral. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Toyota dealership for diagnosis. The dealership confirmed the condition and determined th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
Failure of the onboard AC charging component, known as the Grid to High Voltage Converter A (GHCA) or onboard charger module. This vehicle would not charge on AC current, but could only be charged on DC current. This is a safety issue, as you may get stranded without access to a DC capable charger, since AC is the primary source for a majority of EV owners. Problem has been confirmed by the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
Failure of the onboard AC charging component, known as the Grid to High Voltage Converter A (GHCA) or onboard charger module. This vehicle would not charge on AC current, but could only be charged on DC current. This is a safety issue, as you may get stranded without access to a DC capable charger, since AC is the primary source for a majority of EV owners. Problem has been confirmed by the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
I purchased a 2017 Lincoln MKZ and began experiencing serious engine problems, including repeated overheating and an engine misfire. The vehicle developed a check-engine light and a P0301 misfire code. I was advised by a repair shop that the vehicle has a serious engine problem and that the engine needs to be replaced. I am concerned that the overheating and engine problems could cause the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2026
I purchased a 2017 Lincoln MKZ and began experiencing serious engine problems, including repeated overheating and an engine misfire. The vehicle developed a check-engine light and a P0301 misfire code. I was advised by a repair shop that the vehicle has a serious engine problem and that the engine needs to be replaced. I am concerned that the overheating and engine problems could cause the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
Component Failure & Inspection Availability: Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) / Audio Module (AUD) running Android Automotive OS. The vehicle and its components are available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The audio system completely crashes approximately every 3 drive cycles. This failure disables all safety-critical audio features, including turn signal clicks, backup camera and parking ... Read more