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 63 of 44,303 (2,215,138 complaints)
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
I have been put off every month for over a year to have this fixed. It is a safety risk. Not only does the recall state the trim can come off and cause a crash, the rubber around both sides also keep coming loose and flapping on my windshield which causes interference with my view of the road. I am not sure why a safety recall was issued in 2024 but has still not been able to be resolved by 202... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
I have been put off every month for over a year to have this fixed. It is a safety risk. Not only does the recall state the trim can come off and cause a crash, the rubber around both sides also keep coming loose and flapping on my windshield which causes interference with my view of the road. I am not sure why a safety recall was issued in 2024 but has still not been able to be resolved by 202... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The vehicle's smart entry door handle system was continuously drawing power even when the vehicle was off. This resulted in repeated battery drain and battery replacement (approximately 4 times). The ongoing electrical load also resulted in alternator failure. Once the issue was diagnosed (performed by the dealer), expense was required to resolve the parts. The issue caused repeated no-start condi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
The mechanical motor assembly inside the adaptive front-lighting headlamp unit has failed on my 2022 Mazda CX-5. This mechanical malfunction severely compromises nighttime driving illumination, creating a direct road hazard by reducing forward visibility during essential evening commutes. An initial repair and parts request was submitted to Mazda several months ago, but no corporate response or ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
The mechanical motor assembly inside the adaptive front-lighting headlamp unit has failed on my 2022 Mazda CX-5. This mechanical malfunction severely compromises nighttime driving illumination, creating a direct road hazard by reducing forward visibility during essential evening commutes. An initial repair and parts request was submitted to Mazda several months ago, but no corporate response or ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
The harness adjustment button on my Nuna RAVA car seat has failed, preventing the harness from being properly tightened. This makes it impossible to securely restrain my child. This issue involves the same harness adjustment mechanism that Nuna previously addressed in a voluntary recall, where debris could cause the adjuster to malfunction and result in a loose harness. The seat has not been mis... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
The harness adjustment button on my Nuna RAVA car seat has failed, preventing the harness from being properly tightened. This makes it impossible to securely restrain my child. This issue involves the same harness adjustment mechanism that Nuna previously addressed in a voluntary recall, where debris could cause the adjuster to malfunction and result in a loose harness. The seat has not been mis... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Coolant empty, found overheating. Coolant refilled. No noticeable leaks. Mechanic found failure of thermostat. Replaced and car found to be overheating again. Coolant leaking into hood covering engine components.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
The vehicle is new Porsche Certified pre-owned 2025 Porsche Panamera turbo with Porsche active suspension management. Vehicle has 2000 miles on the odometer. The car was at the dealer for an issue related to its online connectivity. As this was worked upon, I was allowed to pick up the car. At that time, I noticed a Chassis error(Image attached). The car's suspension. was inactive and the ride was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
The vehicle is new Porsche Certified pre-owned 2025 Porsche Panamera turbo with Porsche active suspension management. Vehicle has 2000 miles on the odometer. The car was at the dealer for an issue related to its online connectivity. As this was worked upon, I was allowed to pick up the car. At that time, I noticed a Chassis error(Image attached). The car's suspension. was inactive and the ride was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Transmission is broken at 110,000 miles. It's happening to everyone that owns Toyota's.
Incident date: May 26, 2026
DRIVING ON RTE 81 SOUTH IN THE AREA OF WILKES - BARRE WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY ENTIRE DASH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WENT COMPLETELY BLACK, NOTHINGWAS SHOWING, NO GAS, NO SPEED OMETER, DATE,TIME , BLINKERS, LANE CHANGE ETC. AND THE NAVIGATION SCREEN TURNED LIME GREE. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER THE LIME GREEN TURNED BLACK. I HAD NO ELECTRONICS AT ALL. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE DOING 55-65 AND COULD NOT SIGN... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
On or around March 20, 2026, my 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid experienced a complete failure of the high-voltage hybrid battery system, rendering the vehicle undriveable. The vehicle was towed to Kia of South Austin. As of the date of this complaint (74 days later), no diagnosis has been provided, no parts have been ordered with trackable confirmation, and no repair timeline has been given. Kia Techline co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2026
On or around March 20, 2026, my 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid experienced a complete failure of the high-voltage hybrid battery system, rendering the vehicle undriveable. The vehicle was towed to Kia of South Austin. As of the date of this complaint (74 days later), no diagnosis has been provided, no parts have been ordered with trackable confirmation, and no repair timeline has been given. Kia Techline co... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Same complaint as others with ABS Module failing. I’ve been going to Honda dealerships for the past 4 years feeling like my car just wasn’t riding right. No one ever mentioned anything about this problem. Last visit was 3 weeks ago at Walker Honda in Alexandria La. and same thing…car is perfect no problems found. 2 weeks later all these lights came on the dash same as the others and they nev... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Armed truck in driveway set e brake went in my home heard coule bangs came out and e brake didn't hold and truck hit my 96 explorer causing damage to rear passenger lights and body continues down the hill hits my 12' utility trailer while tearing down approximately 200' chin link fencing pushing trailer over riding lawnmower before stopping against trees. Taking on frontal damage as well Also ex... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Armed truck in driveway set e brake went in my home heard coule bangs came out and e brake didn't hold and truck hit my 96 explorer causing damage to rear passenger lights and body continues down the hill hits my 12' utility trailer while tearing down approximately 200' chin link fencing pushing trailer over riding lawnmower before stopping against trees. Taking on frontal damage as well Also ex... Read more
Crash
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — POWER TRAIN
Jun 2, 2026
Incident date: May 16, 2026
New motor put in due to drive train seizing up sept 2025. “Oil pressure low” and died while stopping at a red light in May 2026. Would not crank back. New motor only had 40k miles. Supposedly GM will not cover tow or rental.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE
Jun 2, 2026
Incident date: May 16, 2026
New motor put in due to drive train seizing up sept 2025. “Oil pressure low” and died while stopping at a red light in May 2026. Would not crank back. New motor only had 40k miles. Supposedly GM will not cover tow or rental.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
As I was driving the Tesla Model X, I received a steering assist reduced error on the dash. There was no immediate noticeability, but after about 5 minutes, it felt like there was ZERO power steering, with no additional warnings in the car. With zero power steering, car required extreme forces required to get to the shoulder. If attempting any kind of turn, car would require forces in excess of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
As I was driving the Tesla Model X, I received a steering assist reduced error on the dash. There was no immediate noticeability, but after about 5 minutes, it felt like there was ZERO power steering, with no additional warnings in the car. With zero power steering, car required extreme forces required to get to the shoulder. If attempting any kind of turn, car would require forces in excess of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
As I was driving the Tesla Model X, I received a steering assist reduced error on the dash. There was no immediate noticeability, but after about 5 minutes, it felt like there was ZERO power steering, with no additional warnings in the car. With zero power steering, car required extreme forces required to get to the shoulder. If attempting any kind of turn, car would require forces in excess of... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2018) — POWER TRAIN
Jun 2, 2026
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
Complaint: I am writing to report a transmission defect in my 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD (UA80 8-speed automatic transmission). Prior to the check engine light illuminating, I noticed a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Subsequently, the following fault codes were retrieved: •P0741 – Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance/Stuck Off •P2714 – Pressure Control Solenoid “D” Perfo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
2017 Subaru Forester with heated seats. Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Campaign 19V701000 was completed in 2020 by previous owner, replacing the ODS sensor mat harness. The same passenger airbag OFF condition has now returned. Dealer has diagnosed failure of the ODS sensor mat (seat bottom subassembly), quoting $1,800 for repair. This is the same safety defect — same system, same symptom — that the rec... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
An accident occurred in my vehicle on 05/29/2026. It resulted in both air bags deploying even though the passenger side that was involved in the collision and damaged. It was considered a total loss due to the frame and passenger side as well as both air bags deployments. The driver sustained major lacerations on his forearm and was bleeding profusely from his arm during the time of the accident. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 29, 2026
An accident occurred in my vehicle on 05/29/2026. It resulted in both air bags deploying even though the passenger side that was involved in the collision and damaged. It was considered a total loss due to the frame and passenger side as well as both air bags deployments. The driver sustained major lacerations on his forearm and was bleeding profusely from his arm during the time of the accident. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 29, 2026
An accident occurred in my vehicle on 05/29/2026. It resulted in both air bags deploying even though the passenger side that was involved in the collision and damaged. It was considered a total loss due to the frame and passenger side as well as both air bags deployments. The driver sustained major lacerations on his forearm and was bleeding profusely from his arm during the time of the accident. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Engine failure due to leaking coolant. Leaked coolant into turbo and catalytic converter causing damage. Currently at Nissan of yuba city. Engine malfunction and check engine light came on after failure.
Incident date: May 23, 2026
The engine seized up and car will not start. Luckily, I was trying to start the car in my driveway when this happened, but it would have been dangerous had it happened while I was driving. All of the warning lamps and messages started when the issue begin. The vehicle was inspected and the problem has been reproduced by a service center AND a Honda dealer. I have attached the invoice from the s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
I pressed button to open back hatch. It started raising and then all of a sudden it closed down and almost knocked me out. My head is very sore where it hit me. I had not pressed button to close it. It just closed on it's own without warning. This happened once before right after I bought the car. I just thought it was a fluke, so i did not report it at that time. I have not taken it anywhere to ... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
Head gasket went bad after only 107,000 miles . A lot of other Honda accord owners have the same problem . Had to get it repaired . This should be a recall . Not safe to drive .
Incident date: May 29, 2026
I was driving at the speed about 30~ miles/per hour on the city road, as I was slowing down to turn into the Penera Bread where I plan to, and I pressure the break paddle, the break paddle was stocked, it cannot pressed down. It was extremely dangerous situation, I cannot stop the vehicle, and it was very scary. I finally switch the driving to 'P" to stop the vehicle, and route the vehicle to curb... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
While driving on interstate 380 south,with cruise on ,my engine failed with loud knocikng, Ihad two tractor trailors behind me ,i was lucky to get off road onto side of shoulder this was on May 5,2026. this was the second 2.4 liter theta 2 motor in my sorento, first motor failed at 58.000 miles, second motor failed at 138,000miles. auto was taken to kia dealership in Blakely ,Pa. a NEW MOTER HAS B... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
On May 27, 2026 at around 7:30pm my 2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali engined failed. I was exiting E-470 southwest bound at Gartrell Road in Aurora and the engine started knocking loudly and completely quit. As I rolled to a stop I correctly suspected that the engine seized. It would not turn over, a bad odor was present, and smoke was coming from the top of the motor. It was hard to tell exactly from ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
While driving, the Forward Collision Warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. I was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy roadway, creating a dangerous situation and nearly resulting in a collision with su... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
While driving, the Forward Collision Warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. I was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy roadway, creating a dangerous situation and nearly resulting in a collision with su... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
While driving, the Forward Collision Warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. I was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy roadway, creating a dangerous situation and nearly resulting in a collision with su... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
El problema es exactamente en el tanque de la gasolina, se está saliendo la gasolina en la unión de la manguera de llenado con el tanque de gasolina. Esto representa un riesgo no solo para mi seguridad sino también para cualquier persona.
Incident date: May 30, 2026
I was travelling on a two lane surface road with a speed of 45 mph, travelling at or below posted speed and just starting to slow to make a right hand turn when I encountered / wandered over the solid white line into a pothole at the edge of the road where there is no shoulder. Airbags on the passenger side including the sidecurtain and airbag inside the passenger seat deployed instantly. There w... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 30, 2026
I was travelling on a two lane surface road with a speed of 45 mph, travelling at or below posted speed and just starting to slow to make a right hand turn when I encountered / wandered over the solid white line into a pothole at the edge of the road where there is no shoulder. Airbags on the passenger side including the sidecurtain and airbag inside the passenger seat deployed instantly. There w... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The steering wheel gets stuck when doing gentle turns at moderate speeds (30-50mph). This is a safety issue because you have to fight hard to return the steering to neutral, leading to the possible to overcorrect. The problem seems to get worse when the vehicle is hotter, or after driving for several minutes. The problem has happened for several years and is getting worse and more frequent. Changi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Pulled up in my drive way turned car off and when I went to start ut to go to work it just would not start anymore
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Pulled up in my drive way turned car off and when I went to start ut to go to work it just would not start anymore
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
My 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with a factory-installed rearview backup camera system and SYNC infotainment system. Beginning on or around February 2026. I began experiencing a series of recurring, intermittent, and worsening failures with the rearview camera and the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) that controls it. These failures render the backup camera system unreliable or completel... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
I DROPPED OFF MY CAR AT THE COVINA KIA DEALERSHIP EXPLAINING THE RECALL AND THE ISSUES I NOTICE SUCH AS A BULGE IN THE VERTICAL PORTION OF THE SEAT NEAR WHERE THE CALVES TOUCH. THE SEAT ALSO FEELS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAR. THEY SAID THERE IS A 3 BUSINESS DAY WAIT TO EVEN BE DIAGNOSED AND DID NOT ALLOW A RENTAL CAR. I HAD TO FIGURE OUT TRANSPORTATION. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN UPDATE O... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
For my 2019 BMW X5 SDRIVE40i, The A/C evaporator core failed and began leaking refrigerant, resulting in complete loss of cold air from the A/C system. The vehicle had approximately 50,000 miles. The repair required full dashboard removal and cost approximately $4,500 including a rental vehicle. This appears to be a widespread issue on 2019–2025 BMW X5/X6/X7 models, suspected to be caused by R-... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
For my 2019 BMW X5 SDRIVE40i, The A/C evaporator core failed and began leaking refrigerant, resulting in complete loss of cold air from the A/C system. The vehicle had approximately 50,000 miles. The repair required full dashboard removal and cost approximately $4,500 including a rental vehicle. This appears to be a widespread issue on 2019–2025 BMW X5/X6/X7 models, suspected to be caused by R-... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
I was driving on the highway and I wanted to pass someone the car cut power and was not accelerating and the car slowed down. I went to a mechanic shop and they said there was an internal brake sensor failed and brake booster failure.