Cars Californians Say Caught Fire, Crashed or Caused Injuries (2026)
NHTSA complaints · California DMV registrations · Free to cite
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Home › Lemon Law Guides › Cars Californians Say Caught Fire, Crashed or Caused Injuries (2026)
We analyzed 19,632 NHTSA safety complaints from California drivers about 2019 and newer vehicles to find which models drew the most reports of crashes, fires and injuries.
Data report by America's Lemon Lawyer · Published October 21, 2026 · Data through early October 2026
Key findings:
- Of 19,632 NHTSA complaints from California drivers about 2019 and newer vehicles, 1,237 reported a crash, 227 reported a fire and 715 reported at least one injury (1,070 people injured in total, 31 deaths reported).
- The Tesla Model Y drew the most crash complaints (197), followed by the Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID.4.
- The Jeep Wrangler drew the most fire complaints (9).
- The problem areas most often named in crash complaints were brakes, airbags, driver-assist and collision warning.
These are complaints drivers filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that investigates vehicle defects and orders recalls. Each driver reports whether the problem involved a crash, a fire or an injury. These are reports, not findings: NHTSA has not confirmed the cause of each one. Popular models draw more complaints simply because more of them are on the road, so we also show each model's share.
Models With the Most Crash Complaints
| # | Model | Crash complaints | Share of model's complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 197 | 16.9% |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 115 | 12.6% |
| 3 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 41 | 14.5% |
| 4 | Honda Civic | 23 | 6.3% |
| 5 | Honda CR-V | 23 | 7.5% |
| 6 | Tesla Model X | 21 | 10.9% |
| 7 | Toyota RAV4 | 21 | 7.9% |
| 8 | Tesla Model S | 17 | 11.0% |
| 9 | Toyota Camry | 13 | 8.1% |
| 10 | Ram 1500 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 11 | BMW I4 | 12 | 34.3% |
| 12 | Rivian R1S | 12 | 19.4% |
| 13 | Subaru Forester | 11 | 5.7% |
| 14 | Toyota Corolla | 11 | 6.1% |
| 15 | Honda Accord | 10 | 3.8% |
Models With the Most Fire Complaints
| # | Model | Fire complaints | Share of model's complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeep Wrangler | 9 | 2.4% |
| 2 | Tesla Model Y | 6 | 0.5% |
| 3 | Ford F-250 SD | 6 | 4.3% |
| 4 | Jeep Gladiator | 6 | 9.7% |
| 5 | Subaru Outback | 5 | 1.5% |
| 6 | Tesla Model 3 | 5 | 0.5% |
| 7 | Nissan Altima | 5 | 9.6% |
| 8 | Ford Bronco Sport | 5 | 4.5% |
| 9 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 5 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Ford F-150 | 5 | 2.1% |
Models With the Most Injury Complaints
| # | Model | Injury complaints | Share of model's complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 67 | 5.8% |
| 2 | Tesla Model 3 | 58 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Honda CR-V | 21 | 6.9% |
| 4 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 18 | 6.4% |
| 5 | Toyota RAV4 | 15 | 5.7% |
| 6 | Honda Civic | 14 | 3.8% |
| 7 | Tesla Model X | 9 | 4.7% |
| 8 | Toyota Tacoma | 9 | 8.7% |
| 9 | Kia Telluride | 9 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Ram 1500 | 8 | 2.6% |
| 11 | Honda Prologue | 8 | 4.0% |
| 12 | Honda Accord | 7 | 2.7% |
| 13 | Toyota Corolla | 7 | 3.9% |
| 14 | Ford F-150 | 7 | 2.9% |
| 15 | Toyota Camry | 7 | 4.4% |
What Drivers Blame in Crash Complaints
| Problem area | Crash complaints |
|---|---|
| Brakes | 248 |
| Airbags | 213 |
| Driver-assist and collision warning | 148 |
| Speed control | 125 |
| Steering | 90 |
| Electrical system | 90 |
One complaint can name more than one problem area.
What Drivers Blame in Fire Complaints
| Problem area | Fire complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical system | 73 |
| Engine | 64 |
| Fuel and EV propulsion | 22 |
| Brakes | 8 |
| Steering | 7 |
| Airbags | 7 |
If Your Car Has a Dangerous Defect
- Stop driving it if it is unsafe, and have it towed to an authorized dealer.
- Check for open recalls on the NHTSA recall lookup, and report the problem to NHTSA.
- Keep every repair order. Under California law, a defect likely to cause death or serious injury that has been repaired 2 or more times within 18 months or 18,000 miles is presumed to qualify for a buyback or replacement (Civil Code 1793.22(b)).
- If you were hurt, talk to an attorney about both your lemon law and injury claims.
Methodology
- Data: all 19,632 NHTSA consumer complaints received January 2021 through early October 2026 from drivers who listed a California location, for model year 2019 and newer vehicles, counted once per complaint number.
- Crash, fire, injury: the yes/no and injury-count fields each driver completes on the NHTSA complaint form.
- Limits: complaints are self-reported and unverified. Counts reflect how many of each model are on the road as well as how often problems happen.
Download the full data (CSV) Free to use with a link to this page.
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Attorney advertising. Wynn Law Group, APC, 10850 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1010, Los Angeles, CA 90024. General information, not legal advice.
About the Reviewer
This report was reviewed by Jacob Shayesteh, Esq. (State Bar of California No. 362320), founding attorney of Wynn Law Group, APC (America's Lemon Lawyer).
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