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 71 of 44,908 (2,245,377 complaints)
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
On or about XXX, I was the authorized subscriber and driver of a 2026 Cadillac CT4 owned by Flexcar, VIN [XXX]. While driving near [XXX] and [XXX], multiple dashboard warning lamps suddenly illuminated and a brake-assist warning appeared. The braking response became abnormally stiff or limited, and I nearly rear-ended another vehicle. The suspected systems are the service-brake/brake-assist syste... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
On or about XXX, I was the authorized subscriber and driver of a 2026 Cadillac CT4 owned by Flexcar, VIN [XXX]. While driving near [XXX] and [XXX], multiple dashboard warning lamps suddenly illuminated and a brake-assist warning appeared. The braking response became abnormally stiff or limited, and I nearly rear-ended another vehicle. The suspected systems are the service-brake/brake-assist syste... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
On August 20, 2026, while driving my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete, and catastrophic loss of propulsion. The truck stopped abruptly while in motion on an active roadway. This immediate loss of power created an extremely hazardous situation, exposing myself, my passengers, and oncoming traffic to an immediate risk of a collision. The vehicle was towed directly... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
On August 20, 2026, while driving my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete, and catastrophic loss of propulsion. The truck stopped abruptly while in motion on an active roadway. This immediate loss of power created an extremely hazardous situation, exposing myself, my passengers, and oncoming traffic to an immediate risk of a collision. The vehicle was towed directly... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Had a engine failure at 93,000 miles and upon doing a vin report found out it also had a engine put it at 7,800 miles so it now has its third engine in it and also had the high pressure pump fail and the gauge cluster fail and had to be replaced
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Had a engine failure at 93,000 miles and upon doing a vin report found out it also had a engine put it at 7,800 miles so it now has its third engine in it and also had the high pressure pump fail and the gauge cluster fail and had to be replaced
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Had a engine failure at 93,000 miles and upon doing a vin report found out it also had a engine put it at 7,800 miles so it now has its third engine in it and also had the high pressure pump fail and the gauge cluster fail and had to be replaced
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
I own a 2019 Honda HR-V, VIN [XXX]. My vehicle required replacement of the fuel pump motor associated with Honda’s fuel-pump recall. On XXX, I had the fuel pump replaced at Firestone Complete Auto Care because the recall repair had not been performed on my vehicle. The fuel pump cost $969.77, and the total repair cost was approximately $1,200 including labor. I subsequently submitted a reimbur... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 450 4MATIC
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
My vehicle is subject to NHTSA Recall 26V216 involving the drive shaft universal joint. In March 2025, before the recall was announced, Mercedes-Benz of Carlsbad diagnosed my vehicle with a front driveline/drive shaft problem. I later paid $2,575 to have the drive shaft replaced using genuine Mercedes-Benz parts. Mercedes-Benz later sent me a recall notice stating that customers who already paid ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
On August 26, 2026, at approximately 8:56 AM, I entered a public parking garage in Washington, DC. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged and controlling the vehicle during a reversing maneuver. I remained attentive to the vehicle's surroundings, including pedestrians and surrounding traffic. While reversing under FSD (Supervised), the vehicle's right rear corner collided with the corner of a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
On August 26, 2026, at approximately 8:56 AM, I entered a public parking garage in Washington, DC. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged and controlling the vehicle during a reversing maneuver. I remained attentive to the vehicle's surroundings, including pedestrians and surrounding traffic. While reversing under FSD (Supervised), the vehicle's right rear corner collided with the corner of a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
On August 26, 2026, at approximately 8:56 AM, I entered a public parking garage in Washington, DC. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged and controlling the vehicle during a reversing maneuver. I remained attentive to the vehicle's surroundings, including pedestrians and surrounding traffic. While reversing under FSD (Supervised), the vehicle's right rear corner collided with the corner of a... Read more
Crash
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
I just had to put my 4th engine in my 22 Sierra at4 with the 6.2 V8. I currently have 103k miles
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
Car began making loud rattling noise which proceeded to a larger grinding noise in the engine. Car sudden wouldn’t accelerate and had to be shut off. It wouldn’t restart and once it did get jumped produced an intensely loud grinding rattling noise. Car had to be towed to Honda which upon diagnosis was found to have metal shards in the oil pan and diagnosis to replace entire engine. Honda is de... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
My 2024 Cadillac Escalade had the 6.2 v8 engine recall done in 6/25. I’ve put less than 8k miles on it since and just rolled 32400 miles total. While driving with my family in the car on 8/30 on the highway, it lost all power and just shut off while driving highway speeds. I was able to safely stop but very dangerous. Vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to dealer.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
My 2024 Cadillac Escalade had the 6.2 v8 engine recall done in 6/25. I’ve put less than 8k miles on it since and just rolled 32400 miles total. While driving with my family in the car on 8/30 on the highway, it lost all power and just shut off while driving highway speeds. I was able to safely stop but very dangerous. Vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to dealer.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
My 2024 Cadillac Escalade had the 6.2 v8 engine recall done in 6/25. I’ve put less than 8k miles on it since and just rolled 32400 miles total. While driving with my family in the car on 8/30 on the highway, it lost all power and just shut off while driving highway speeds. I was able to safely stop but very dangerous. Vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to dealer.
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Tesla replaced the windshield on my 2021 Model 3 at the Tesla Service Center in Schaumburg, IL. Days after the installation, following a light rain, a film appeared on the exterior surface of the glass. In the presence of moisture the film hazes over and substantially obscures forward visibility from the driver's seat. The first occurrence was on 8/22/2026 while leaving a venue in heavy pedestria... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Tesla replaced the windshield on my 2021 Model 3 at the Tesla Service Center in Schaumburg, IL. Days after the installation, following a light rain, a film appeared on the exterior surface of the glass. In the presence of moisture the film hazes over and substantially obscures forward visibility from the driver's seat. The first occurrence was on 8/22/2026 while leaving a venue in heavy pedestria... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2026
Tesla replaced the windshield on my 2021 Model 3 at the Tesla Service Center in Schaumburg, IL. Days after the installation, following a light rain, a film appeared on the exterior surface of the glass. In the presence of moisture the film hazes over and substantially obscures forward visibility from the driver's seat. The first occurrence was on 8/22/2026 while leaving a venue in heavy pedestria... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2025) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
The engine has been using atleast 1 quart of oil every 2000 miles. This is put my maintenance cost way above the estimated maintenance cost projected by the manufacturer This oil usage is also causing premature engine wear as it's a quart low every 2000 miles. Dealer responses was this is normal for this engine. I went back and forth with the about estimated maintenance cost and ofcourse there r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
My 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo (1.6L Turbo engine) is experiencing severe, excessive oil consumption, burning (and heavy smoke ) approximately 1 to 2 quarts, (Kia dealer oil change standard amount) of oil every 1,000 miles without any external visual leaks. A formal diagnosis by a certified Kia dealership confirms that heavy carbon buildup has accumulated around the piston rings, causing severe ring ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
My 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo (1.6L Turbo engine) is experiencing severe, excessive oil consumption, burning (and heavy smoke ) approximately 1 to 2 quarts, (Kia dealer oil change standard amount) of oil every 1,000 miles without any external visual leaks. A formal diagnosis by a certified Kia dealership confirms that heavy carbon buildup has accumulated around the piston rings, causing severe ring ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
My 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo (1.6L Turbo engine) is experiencing severe, excessive oil consumption, burning (and heavy smoke ) approximately 1 to 2 quarts, (Kia dealer oil change standard amount) of oil every 1,000 miles without any external visual leaks. A formal diagnosis by a certified Kia dealership confirms that heavy carbon buildup has accumulated around the piston rings, causing severe ring ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
I purchased a new 2027 Infiniti QX80 Autograph, VIN [XXX], from Infiniti of [XXX] on XXX with approximately 10 miles. On XXX, the day after purchase, I contacted the dealer because I noticed a strong raw gasoline/fuel-vapor odor after driving the vehicle, shutting it off, and parking it inside my garage. The dealer initially advised me to wait 4-5 days because the vehicle was new and suggested the... Read more
MERCEDES BENZ
ML350
(2006) - SERVICE BRAKES
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 31, 2026
While my vehicle was having a mandatory safety recall performed on the brake booster, my brake line was damaged and now the dealership is asking for $7,000 to repair something caused by them and directly related to a safety recall. The car was in working condition prior to being brought to the dealership and now it is at the dealership and inoperable.
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
Pirelli Tires on F150 prematurely cracking & failing w/only 16,700 miles on the tire. Tread barely has any wear. On Saturday evening XXX Left rear tire wall blew out & PSI on tire went from 35 to 0 in less than 1 second. Upon closer inspection, all tires have premature cracks in the walls & the concern is that they could also fail and explode at any moment. We were not traveling at a high sp... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 30, 2026
I was driving home from family’s house 2 hrs away and got home late. When I got home I noticed the upper front grille assembly or top chrome trim piece for the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate flew off at some point while driving. That could have caused an accident for others and myself but luckily no one is harmed.
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Acceleration is sluggish and vehicle struggles to maintain freeway speeds. Engine stalls (engine turns off, ACC still on) during normal operation. When reducing speed approaching a stop and for making a right angle turn, only the engine shuts off, all accessories (i.e. lights, climate control, radio and navigation screen) remain on. Tachometer intermittently indicates significant increase in RPM n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
There have been multiple instances where the engine has locked up in the middle of me driving (usually at stop lights) where the only fix is to completely shut the car off and on again which has resulted in me almost being in an accident. This poses an extreme safety risk.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
There have been multiple instances where the engine has locked up in the middle of me driving (usually at stop lights) where the only fix is to completely shut the car off and on again which has resulted in me almost being in an accident. This poses an extreme safety risk.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The driver side daytime running lamp no longer works after 55000 miles. The daytime running lamp (DRL) is an led light strip that requires the entire headlamp to be replaced. Anyone can inspect the issue at any time. The issue presents a risk to oncoming traffic who cannot see my entire vehicle especially at dawn / dusk and foggy days. The daytime running lamp is utilized to alert oncoming... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
First engine failed (6.2L) at 4900 miles and the was replaced. The second engine failed at 6000 miles and I am on my third engine now.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
This vehicle was subject to NHTSA Recall 22V-767 / Stellantis Recall Z96 for a defective Bosch CP4.2 high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) known to fail and release metal debris into the fuel system. The recall remedy (HPFP replacement) was performed at an authorized Stellantis/Ram dealership on 3/29/2024. On 8/9/2026, while driving the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and blocked the road in the left... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
This vehicle was subject to NHTSA Recall 22V-767 / Stellantis Recall Z96 for a defective Bosch CP4.2 high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) known to fail and release metal debris into the fuel system. The recall remedy (HPFP replacement) was performed at an authorized Stellantis/Ram dealership on 3/29/2024. On 8/9/2026, while driving the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and blocked the road in the left... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
All of a sudden for no reason, error messages starting showing up on the dashboard. Such as: blind spot info system problem, lane keeping assist problem, transmission system problem, and others. The car runs fine. I took it to my local shop and they put a new battery in. At first the lights went out but then they came back. So I took it to the Honda dealership. They ran diagnostics and tell me the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
This is a follow-up to a previously submitted complaint regarding the same issue. I am submitting this update to reference NHTSA's recently opened investigation into 2018-2019 Tesla Model 3 suspension failures. Previous complaint ID is 11732882.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
This is a follow-up to a previously submitted complaint regarding the same issue. I am submitting this update to reference NHTSA's recently opened investigation into 2018-2019 Tesla Model 3 suspension failures. Previous complaint ID is 11732882.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2026) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
I purchased the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado with a 6.2L motor "new" from the dealer with 5700 miles on XXX. Roughly a month and 2500 miles later, my family and I were in the vehicle, 750 miles from home, returning from a vacation to [XXX] from the [XXX]/[XXX] area. It was around 8:30 in the morning and we had been on the road since the 6 o'clock hour. We were towing our our 20' fishing boat at the t... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2026) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
I purchased the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado with a 6.2L motor "new" from the dealer with 5700 miles on XXX. Roughly a month and 2500 miles later, my family and I were in the vehicle, 750 miles from home, returning from a vacation to [XXX] from the [XXX]/[XXX] area. It was around 8:30 in the morning and we had been on the road since the 6 o'clock hour. We were towing our our 20' fishing boat at the t... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was idling rough and the vehicle vibrated violently. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle hesitate while responding. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2026
The vehicle experienced a complete loss of infotainment/audio functions immediately following a GM over-the-air software update. The OnStar indicator turned red, all vehicle audio including turn-signal sounds stopped functioning, and the rear backup camera stopped displaying an image. The backup camera failure creates a safety concern because it eliminates a federally required rear visibility safe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2026
The vehicle experienced a complete loss of infotainment/audio functions immediately following a GM over-the-air software update. The OnStar indicator turned red, all vehicle audio including turn-signal sounds stopped functioning, and the rear backup camera stopped displaying an image. The backup camera failure creates a safety concern because it eliminates a federally required rear visibility safe... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
Took it to the dealer for the L87 recall back at the end of April 2026. GM stated that my truck passed the inspection and “upgraded” my oil to the new 0w-40 oil. Now 8-27-2026, 6500miles after the inspection. Driving to work in the morning, and my engine failed. What I believe happened was a lifter got stuck and the engine shook and all lights on the dash were flashing. Vehicle is currently... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - ENGINE
Aug 31, 2026
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
6.2 motor failed in cylinder number 2
Incident date: Aug 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while in active traffic. There was no warning light illuminated. Prior to visiting the dealer, the vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics and the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the fuel tank had collapsed. The vehicle was subsequently taken to an authorized dealer for the repair. The deale... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
On or about XXX, my KIA Sorento LX FWD Auto 2.4-liter engine with an approximate mileage of 36,000, began having drivability problems, none of which occurred before that date. On XXX the vehicle was serviced at Ourisman Chantilly Kia (VA051) for a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign (SC340) THETA II 2.4L GDI ECM S/W Upgrade. Records reflect that it was a Theta II Emissions Logic Improvement 250A2... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
Truck fails to restart after the auto idle shut off. The battery goes dead and I cannot restart. This has happened several times so I now turn the Idle Off feature off. However, since it does not stay off permanently, if I forget to turn if off the truck may fail to restart. It has left me stuck at intersections unable to restart on several occasions.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
COMPONENT: Rubber cover running nearly the full length of the trailer roof, protecting the solar panel wiring. The trailer carries a solar array and a 45 kWh battery system. The trailer is available for inspection on request; the cover itself was lost on the road. After towing the trailer to Lake Casitas CA on 05/22/2026, the entire roof wiring cover was missing. Given when it was found, it most ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2026
While driving the button to engage shift gear came off causing me to not be able to switch gears to put vehicle in park. It fell off while driving