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
Showing 48,526 complaints — component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Incident date: Mar 24, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked more violently while accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the purge valve failed and needed to be replaced. The contact... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle started stalling and rumbling inadvertently. After several minutes of driving rough the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was stalling and jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely and waited for 30 minutes before continuing to drive. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked abnormally while driving. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started the vehicle failed to move as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact determined that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diag... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH the vehicle started jerking while shifting gears. After the vehicle accelerated above 10 MPH, the vehicle operated normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and a software update was performed; however, the f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after his wife set the vehicle to "Park" while the engine was running, as she exited, the vehicle lurched forward and crashed into the garage back wall. There was no damage to the vehicle, however, there was damage to the garage back wall. The contact stated his wife saw no warning lights were illuminated. The contact's wife got back i... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while parked in the parking lot and attempting to drive off, the vehicle failed to shift into gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,735.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while attempting to drive, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to move. The contact had the vehicle towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted and stalled. The contact shifted the vehicle into park(P) and restarted the vehicle however, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to move forward. The vehicle was towed the residence. The following day the vehicle started and drove as designed; however, the veh... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle made abnormal sounds while shifting gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle independently shifted to neutral and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was towed ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel during the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train) which she linked to the f... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate while the RPM increased. The contact pulled over to the side and notice the vehicle smoking but there was no fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer for unknown transmission repairs on two separate occasions; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made rattling sounds and hesitated during acceleration. Additionally, the gear shifter would not shift into the selected gear. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2014
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began to shake and failed to properly shift gears. The contact stated he was unaware of any warning lights were being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the driver made the service representative aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repair... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated the transmission had been seized in the park(P) position intermittently. The transmission would eventually release after manipulating the gear shifter several times. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2017
The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact stated that since purchasing the vehicle, the vehicle experienced stalling failures without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the contact also stated that she turned off the auto start option. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery to be replaced. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Rogue The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the highway, he started losing power, and the vehicle started to deaccelerate to 50 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to check the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
Loud grinding noise coming from transmission at 800 miles
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved while the vehicle hesitated during acceleration, causing the vehicle to overheat. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited until the engine cooled down and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the clutch arm was stuck. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2019
The contact's mother owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking space and as she shifted the vehicle into drive, the vehicle surged forward. The contact's mother lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several vehicles and then a curb and turned the vehicle ignition off. The contact's mother stated she had no brakes. The contact sustained bruises to her le... Read more
Crash
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jun 1, 2022
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was turned off using the Push START feature, the vehicle would start rolling away. The vehicle failed to shift to park(P) once the vehicle was turned off. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate f... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while parked in the driveway when the check engine light illuminated. The contact attempted to turn the vehicle on however the engine only revved. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the crankshaft failed and banded the transmission. The vehicle was involved in a previous recall for the same failure and... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
2018 FORD ECOSPORT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 45,000 MILES ON IT.
Incident date: May 30, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was on and parked, the vehicle rolled forward about 3MPH and crashed into the house. The air bags did not deploy and no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed and the house was slightly damaged. The police was not called. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle will be towed to a dealer. The manu... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 22, 2022
Esta es la segunda vez que se arruina la caja de la transmisión voy caminando y no agarra velocidad voy en el freeway y no avanza no hace los cambios al tratar de rebasar, aparece una luz roja y marca motor. Hoy apareció una advertencia en el tablero que dice transmisión caliente espere 5 minutos voy en freeway do de me parqueo??? Fui a la agencia y no me han ayudado dijeron que debo dejar el c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a traffic light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started shuddering while shifting gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the DPS6 clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2022
On May 23rd 2022 I was driving on interstate 45 the speed limit through where I was driving was 75 all of a sudden with no warning no engine light on my transmission stopped working and I could not break I was able to safely get over thank goodness but there is a recall on my transmission which almost killed me that needs to be replaced
Incident date: Aug 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, after releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle downshifted with a loud thud. The contact stated that the loud thud also occurred while shifting into reverse(R). Additionally, the contact stated that while driving through a puddle of water, the all-wheel drive feature engaged, and the transmission... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while pulling and attempting to park the vehicle at work, the vehicle was shifted into reverse(R) however, the vehicle failed to respond. The gear shift indicator showed the vehicle in park(P) however, the gear selector was in drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not towed and was not diagnosed nor re... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that when driving forward the vehicle fails to change gears. The vehicle was emitting a cranking/grinding noise when being driven. The contact stated the vehicle is now inoperable due to it no longer being able to go past 1st gear. The transmission failure warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle downshifted to 1st gear. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway, turned off, and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained normal operation. The powertrain malfunction indicator light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed t... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
CONSTITUENT EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON THEIR 2013 FORD FIESTA. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS APART OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, BUT THE CONSUMER WAS UNSATISFIED WITH THE SETTLEMENT.
Incident date: May 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into neutral causing the vehicle to slow down and stop in traffic. The contact was able to pull over and call a tow truck to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the emissions warning light was illuminated. The ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 350
(2018) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
May 13, 2022
Incident date: Dec 8, 2021
The contact owned a 2018 Mercedes-Benz 350 GLE. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light at an intersection, the vehicle began to lunge forward while the brake pedal was still depressed. The vehicle lurched into the intersection and struck another vehicle. The contact stated he did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact's vehicle struck a vehicle on the driver's si... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 13, 2022
2019 TOYOTA RAV4. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NOISE COMING FROM VEHICLE WHILE IN REVERSE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SOUND WAS AN ALERT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE. THE CONSUMER INQUIRED WHY THE SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE INSTEAD OF THE BACK.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
Automatic transmission on 2012 Ford Focus SEL hatchback has been stalling. I drive on heavily traveled highways, leading me to be at risk of a major traffic accident if my car loses power. Transmission also whine and grinds really hard. Dealership is aware of the issue, but refuses to recall these faulty transmissions, leaving several thousands of people at risk of losing power and getting hit. Ha... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission became inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the c... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Torque converter issues / shuddering when going from 2nd to 3rd gear
Incident date: Jan 1, 2017
My transmission has issues shifting between 1st and 2nd gear. It has for several years. I have brought it into the dealership several times. They fix a part but when I get the car back, it’s still experiencing the same problem. When Accelerating, the car jerks between 1st and 2nd gear right around 10 miles per hour. It is a hard jerk that feels like you’ve been hit from behind.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, she heard a sound like metal breaking coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the "Transmission Fault, Service Now" warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over safely and left the vehicle running. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle to her residence and had it towed t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to drive, the transmission failed to shift properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to vibrate abnormally. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle started shuddering. The contact was eventually able to drive the vehicle without the failur... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2022
CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO POWER SHIFT 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE IN THE RECALL AFTER THE ALLOTTED 100,000 MILES.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
May 2, 2022
Incident date: Apr 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the RPM redlined however, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was coasted off the highway safely. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, and later drove the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed with needing... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact called on behalf of the driver who was his daughter. The contact stated while the driver was driving at approximately 45 MPH the performance shifted activated causing her to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle drifted and caused it to hit a vehicle in front. There was a performance shift warning light illuminated. There were no air bags de... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2018
Transmission slips jerks shakes when trying to take off. It will not pick up speed until it's in third gear,. This car is not a manual it's an automatic transmission. It was taken to a Ford dealer and we were charged money and told that it was fixed. This Is a 78-year-old womans car. She was unaware that the vehicle had an issue. The car only has 62,000 miles on it and is a 2015. And it also has ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated when the vehicle was taken for another recall repair two months ago, she was informed of a transmission recall for her vehicle from the manufacturer; however, there was no failure experienced. The contact also stated that recently the reverse gear functionality was inoperable and the oxygen sensor light was illuminated. The vehicle was not di... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Apr 28, 2022
Incident date: Mar 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway. The contact stated that the tire pressure and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic and diagnosed with transmission failure. The transmission was rebuilt. The contact then had the vehicle towed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model-X. The contact stated while parked in a parking lot, the contact depressed the brake pedal and was not sure if she had placed the vehicle into reverse, the vehicle accelerated backward and hit the back wall across from her parked vehicle. The vehicle trunk lid and the bumper were damaged and crumpled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The cont... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
2019 HONDA CIVIC. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO KEYLESS CVT TRANSMISSION. THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE POWERED OFF WHILE IN REVERSE. THIS COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED BUT, DID NOT OFFER A SOLUTION.