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 98 of 44,908 (2,245,377 complaints)
Incident date: May 1, 2026
The car radio / infotainment system caused dangerously loud, painful, pulsating static noise to play from all speakers. The noise starts at a lower decibel and gets louder to the point where conversation is impossible. High pitched digital noise is also present and creates additional, painful damage to hearing. Driver concentration is severely impacted and situational awareness is affected due to ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
The vehicle disengages and loses power, feels like it shifts to park and won’t go.
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
2016 Acura MDX. The red LED section of the inner tailgate taillight (lid light) has failed and no longer illuminates. The white backup bulb in the same assembly still works. The LED section is sealed inside the assembly and cannot be serviced, so the entire lid light must be replaced. This vehicle received safety recall M49 (NHTSA 19V-256) in 2019 for moisture intrusion into the inner taillights... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The vehicle was recalled and when they reprogrammed the ECM, a code P11a9 appeared which led to the VCR actuator. They had to perform a VCR base position learning procedure. Initially, the service tech and service manager told us we needed a new engine.also, the ADAS and lane departure parts needed to be replaced as the crash malfunction light came on at about 65 miles.
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The vehicle was recalled and when they reprogrammed the ECM, a code P11a9 appeared which led to the VCR actuator. They had to perform a VCR base position learning procedure. Initially, the service tech and service manager told us we needed a new engine.also, the ADAS and lane departure parts needed to be replaced as the crash malfunction light came on at about 65 miles.
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The vehicle was recalled and when they reprogrammed the ECM, a code P11a9 appeared which led to the VCR actuator. They had to perform a VCR base position learning procedure. Initially, the service tech and service manager told us we needed a new engine.also, the ADAS and lane departure parts needed to be replaced as the crash malfunction light came on at about 65 miles.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 23, 2026
This complaint is in relation to the investigation into the GM L87 (6.2L engine) investigation. I own a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado with the L87 engine. I had my truck inspected through the recall a few months ago and the engine passed at that time. The engine oil was changed by the dealer per the recall at that time. On August 23, 2026, I was traveling at highway speeds on an interstate highwa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle immediately. The "Service 4WD" warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train), which was previous... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
There is an active recall on my vehicle related to anti-lock brake system with no remediation plan at the moment due to a part shortage. My vehicle is displaying anti-lock brake service warnings several times during drives which ultimately go away. I'm being told that the warnings are tied to the recall. How can I get the issue remediated without any support from the recall? This seems very da... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
There is an active recall on my vehicle related to anti-lock brake system with no remediation plan at the moment due to a part shortage. My vehicle is displaying anti-lock brake service warnings several times during drives which ultimately go away. I'm being told that the warnings are tied to the recall. How can I get the issue remediated without any support from the recall? This seems very da... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and cruise control warning lights illuminated. On one occasion, while approaching a traffic light and attempting to brake, a total brake failure occurred, causing the vehicle to travel through the intersection. The failure was not preceded by a warning light; however, the ABS and cruise control... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt locked up, preventing the passenger from using the seat belt. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the seat belt assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
Steering sticks when turning at a lower speed which causes me to have to over steer in the opposite direction and have to steer back fast when it frees up so I do not swerve. This happens frequently.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2026
I was told that my vehicle has a bent exhaust valve, which has caused irreparable damage to the engine and requires a complete engine replacement. The dealership could not determine what caused the valve to bend, but they indicated that it could potentially be a manufacturing defect, although they could not confirm that. My vehicle has now been at the Chevy dealership for more than 30 days, and I ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
On XXX while traveling at approximately 50 mph on a smooth highway, both front airbags and the seatbelt pretensioners spontaneously deployed and exploded without warning. There was absolutely no collision, crash, road debris, or pothole impact. There were no vehichles in front or behind me. The vehicle continued smoothly for 100 yards post-blast. The vehicle's exterior and undercarriage remain com... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
On XXX while traveling at approximately 50 mph on a smooth highway, both front airbags and the seatbelt pretensioners spontaneously deployed and exploded without warning. There was absolutely no collision, crash, road debris, or pothole impact. There were no vehichles in front or behind me. The vehicle continued smoothly for 100 yards post-blast. The vehicle's exterior and undercarriage remain com... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2027 Infiniti QX80. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormal fuel odor was present. The odor became stronger after the vehicle was parked. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank and evaporative emission control canister needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
My car has 79k miles and it just went in for a new transmission. I was out of town and the transmission went out along with starter
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
The digital instrument panel display on the right side that shows map direction goes blank or start flickering. Audio also fails to function. When it goes blank, the rear camera also stops showing and causes difficulting in reversing the car. This happens randomly, but mostly once car has driven 10-15 mins or more and not right away. Points to some effect due to heat or vibration since the screen ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2026
Driving down highway the engine made a squeeling noise. The engine shuttered and kept making noise then said to reduce speed. Then quit running all together.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2016) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn from a complete stop, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal and was stranded in the middle of traffic. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was placed in neutral(N) and pushed to the shoulder of the road. The contact's husband arrived at the scene and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
Steering wheel got hard while I was driving home. Warning light came on. I pulled off of highway and got on access road to drive home. It was hard to turn steering wheel. The next day I took it to dealership and they said my van was not covered under recall but yet there is a recall on this problem. Not sure why my van is not covered thru this recall. I would like to know why if yall can respond t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
The lifter rod associated with the DoD/AFM system failed, causing catastrophic failure in the engine. This isn't an age issue, this isn't a part that wore out and failed. This car would still be running and driving if that system was never installed. The lifters for these systems are known weakpoints that'll eventually fail. Because of this we lost immediate power in the vehicle and had to immedi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the odometer and Carfax report listed the mileage at 119,293; however, the mileage on the title was 124,544. The police was contacted.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2026
Description of Incident and Safety Defect:Failed Component & Inspection Availability: The gateway control module, located in an unsealed floor compartment under the rear seat, failed due to liquid/moisture intrusion. The damaged module and vehicle are fully available for inspection upon request.Safety Risk: The sudden short-circuit of this module forced the vehicle into an immediate emergency "lim... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while parking or making right turns, a clicking noise was heard coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering hose was leaking and needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V184000 (Steering); however, the VIN... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
Had the recall service done , where they change the oil weight, to the 6.2 L engine and just a few months later the engine died while driving on the highway . It just stopped running. The car is only 3.5 years old and the engine died. They took it apart and said it was a non effected part that failed but i find that crazy. No warning just complete shut down. I was luck and only going about 30 ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
On XXX im driving my 2021 Kia Sorento sx it stalled while driving in the mist of traffic engine light comes on and I had my car towed contacted Kia of Bowie they are giving me a hassle contacted them because this is a safety issue from the beginning I have mentioned gas smell coming from the oil dipstick now the car has say and the gas has evaperated and they are saying no gas smell contacted corp... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
On XXX im driving my 2021 Kia Sorento sx it stalled while driving in the mist of traffic engine light comes on and I had my car towed contacted Kia of Bowie they are giving me a hassle contacted them because this is a safety issue from the beginning I have mentioned gas smell coming from the oil dipstick now the car has say and the gas has evaperated and they are saying no gas smell contacted corp... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2026
On XXX im driving my 2021 Kia Sorento sx it stalled while driving in the mist of traffic engine light comes on and I had my car towed contacted Kia of Bowie they are giving me a hassle contacted them because this is a safety issue from the beginning I have mentioned gas smell coming from the oil dipstick now the car has say and the gas has evaperated and they are saying no gas smell contacted corp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that after the son started the vehicle, white exhaust smoke suddenly emerged from the engine compartment and entered the vehicle's cabin. The engine was turned off, and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the engine had sustained a catastrophic failure; however, the cause of the failure had not been determined. The c... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C200
(2015) - SUSPENSION
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
I am a mechanic speaking on the behalf of a customer; this customer is experiencing problems with her rear subframe. The older generation of her car has a famous issue with rear subframe rusting out. Her car uses an updated part number that is almost identical in construction to the failure prone part that was famous for rusting out, although they are NOT the same number. The failure prone number... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
While driving my 2020 Ford Ranger, the transmission has repeatedly exhibited unexpected and unintended gear changes, including sudden downshifts or gear changes without driver input, hesitation, and abrupt loss of power during acceleration. These problems have occurred during highway merging, pulling into traffic, and city driving. On 08/14/2026, while accelerating to pull into traffic, the vehicl... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
Purchased used in 02/2022. Pickup started to shutter when shifting at 35-45 MPH. Took it to Turnpike Chevy who found thrust bearing in reaction carrier broken and damaged planetary gear set. They replaced the reaction carrier ASM and Reconditioned the transmission ASM. Replaced the valve body ASM. Took to John Sauder Chevy numerous times between July 19 2024 and July 7 2025 due to the shutter whe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2026
Yukon would not idle without turning off on its own. Check engine light came on. Took it to my mechanic. Check engine light was flashing which indicated an active misfire. A running compression test found little to no compression from cylinder 6. Further investigation found that cylinder 5 had been repaired in 2022. Mechanic recommends engine replacement.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the instrument cluster display had become blank and failed to operate as intended. The failure prevented the contact from viewing critical vehicle information, including the speedometer, fuel gauge, and turn signal indicators. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the instrument cluster failed and needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
The vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of motive power due to an internal engine failure while stopped at an idle in active traffic. The engine stalled completely and would not restart, creating an immediate safety hazard as the vehicle was stranded in the roadway. This failure is directly related to the known issue where the 1.0L EcoBoost wet timing belt degrades, shedding debris that... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
Fuel pump is leaking, just as all the other 2018-2020 fuel pumps but mine doesn’t qualify for the recall.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
Fuel pump is leaking, just as all the other 2018-2020 fuel pumps but mine doesn’t qualify for the recall.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
My Second motor blew up while towing my camper with my entire family in the vehicle, leaving us stranded 1 foot from interstate traffic for over an hour as we waited for a tow truck—this was GM's 3rd attempt to fix the problem. There were no warning signs. The motor had roughly 4 thousand miles on it. I have since gotten rid of this truck (and suffered financial loss) before it gets me or som... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) remedy was completed with an oil change and oil cap replacement. Approximately three months later, while the contact's wife was driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine stalled. The driver was able to coast to the side of the roa... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
I am the owner of a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD equipped with the 6.2L L87 V8, VIN [XXX], currently at 177,271 miles. On [ADD DATE] while driving 40-45 mph westbound on [XXX] near XXX in [XXX], in a school zone, the engine suffered sudden catastrophic internal failure with complete loss of propulsion and would not restart. No prior warning lights or low oil pressure warning. Vehicle required tow from... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
I am the owner of a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD equipped with the 6.2L L87 V8, VIN [XXX], currently at 177,271 miles. On [ADD DATE] while driving 40-45 mph westbound on [XXX] near XXX in [XXX], in a school zone, the engine suffered sudden catastrophic internal failure with complete loss of propulsion and would not restart. No prior warning lights or low oil pressure warning. Vehicle required tow from... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 28, 2026
I am the owner of a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD equipped with the 6.2L L87 V8, VIN [XXX], currently at 177,271 miles. On [ADD DATE] while driving 40-45 mph westbound on [XXX] near XXX in [XXX], in a school zone, the engine suffered sudden catastrophic internal failure with complete loss of propulsion and would not restart. No prior warning lights or low oil pressure warning. Vehicle required tow from... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2017) - STEERING
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: Aug 25, 2026
The rack and pinion has failed twice within 2 and a half years. The steering has completely gone out twice while driving, causing extremely unsafe circumstances that could put multiple people in danger. After doing some research this is a common issue with Ford Fusions which is putting a lot of people in danger since it is a loss of steering issue. My wheel completely locked up while driving on th... Read more