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: Oct 7, 2021
Transmission quit working and the vehicle stopped forward progress abruptly. There were no warnings on the dash. Vehicle will not shift and transmission disengages with no warning. Repair shop quoted a complete replacement at $7000.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2021
I purchased the vehicle in June. On a trip in July the transmission stopped functioning in the middle of a major highway. There was no warning and the car just stopped. After getting it to a service dealer in the state we were traveling in, we were told it was the transmission. The car had less than 34,000 miles on it. Fast forward to today and 4 garage visits later, I know own a vehicle that I a... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450
(2020) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Oct 21, 2021
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact leased a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and yielding to make a right turn, the vehicle would shut off with several warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the “Active blind spot assist inoperable" and "Inoperable - See Owner’s Manual" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the deale... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2015) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Oct 20, 2021
Incident date: Oct 16, 2021
The contact's sister owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while his sister was driving and following him on the highway at 60 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. His sister managed to pull the vehicle off to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. Prior to the failure, the contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where she had the vehicle ser... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. She also stated that the vehicle would stall upon the depression of the accelerator pedal to the floorboard with an unknown red warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. Additionally, she mentioned that the tr... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, an abnormal banging sound was coming from the engine without warning. Her daughter had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who repaired the transmission housing; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was brought back to the mechanic who then notified t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while at a complete stop, the vehicle shut-off as the stability control and service shifter warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed twice to the dealer after each failure. The first time the dealer replaced the shifter assembly; however, the failure returned two months later. The seco... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 750I. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic, a wildfire began to approach his vehicle. The contact then stated that white smoke obstructed his vision on the highway. As the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled with the transmission disengaged message on the instrument panel. The contact restarted the vehicle three times before the tran... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2020
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact had to depress the brake pedal aggressively and the vehicle would lurch forward. The failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while his son was driving the vehicle at slow speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. His son then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that there was an issue with the transmission; he was then referred to the dealer for assista... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that soon after the restart, the vehicle again stalled without warning. She also stated that the vehicle would hesitate while in reverse with an abnormal, clunking sound coming from the engine. The contact then took the vehicle to a dealer where the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2021
On September 28, 2021 we found out the hard way that our minivan's gear shift could be moved from the parked position to reverse, neutral and forward without having the car turned on and without needing to have a foot pressed on the break. While the car was parked (off) on our home's driveway, my three year old and his brother were in the car getting ready to drive to school and my wife was at the... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
Transmission stopped working after overheating of engine. Clutch stopped working as well.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
Transmission stalled on highway. Have had this car three days and already have stalling out and no power problems! This car is a dangerous vehicle! My 17 year old grandson was almost hit by a truck. The dealership said no problems with the transmission on this car, but after reading all the information about the transmission and many other safety issues, all of these cars should be removed and rep... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at a low rate of speed, the vehicle began to jerk as the check engine light illuminated the instrument panel. As the contact continued to drive, the vehicle would not accelerate above 5 MPH. Once the contact and her husband made it home she had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle shifted into neutral independently and there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The contact shifted the gear shifter back into drive to resume normal driving. The contact stated that the failure was experienced twice. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer test dr... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled upon the depression of the accelerator after coming to a complete stop. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights appeared during the failure. The contact was able to pull the vehicle off the road and into the entrance of a parking lot. She then stated that the vehicle independently lurched forward through a f... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 1, 2015
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission would intermittently hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that there were no defects with the vehicle and that the hesitation was normal vehicle operation. The manufacturer had also bee... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact has had multiple repairs performed on the engine; however, the failure persisted. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that an unknown transmission warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact called the dealer where she purchased the vehicle but was placed on an extended hold. The manufacturer had yet to be notified... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective gear shifter. The contact was then referred to a dealer for assistance where they diagnosed the vehicle with a cl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2021
2011 CADILLAC SRX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO GM SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE BEING ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. ON THE THIRD DAY OF OWNING THE VEHICLE, IT BEGAN ROLLING BACKWARDS WHILE THE DRIVER WAS APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE, BUT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
The contact owned a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby fence causing the vehicle to flip. The air bags did deploy. The contact received injuries to their right shoulder and left knee. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the 4-Wheel drive warning light had illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and diagnosed with a defective power transfer unit. The dealer also informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was also notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2021
The contact owned a 2014 Honda Crosstour. The contacat stated that after making a right turn and slowing down to about 15 mph when the contact noticed the vehicle began accelerating more than intended. The contact removed their foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal however the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle ended up crashing into a building nearby. The air bags did deploy. A poli... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power without warning. The contact coasted to the side of the road and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V821000 (Power Train). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was inspected and repaired. Years later, the contact stated that upon shifting the gear lever to DRIVE, the shifter moved to LOW and remained stuck in the LOW gear. After multiple attempts, the contact wa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate and jerk upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine and the transmission service now warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would not accelerate after multiple attempts to depress t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2021
While driving to work, my transmission started to slip. On the freeway, if I pressed the gas pedal, my car would NOT go faster. Instead, my engine would rev to almost redline and my car would continue to coast, but loose momentum. Once the transmission downshifted to a lower gear, then the transmission would begin to work. Once I got into the City, I almost rear ended someone when the transmissio... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2021
At approximately 100,000 miles, the transmission blew out while my son was driving the vehicle on a bridge of a freeway. The engine, sputtered, locked up, would not stay in drive and died. He had to maneuver to safety in the middle of the road on a dangerous bridge. We had the transmission supposedly replaced at Future Ford of Concord. This repair took close to three weeks. Upon return of the car,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q8. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shutoff as the electrical problem, see local dealer warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled off to the side of the highway and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and had yet to be diagnosed. The manufacturer had yet to be noti... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
The transmission is not shifting properly and looked online. Ford has had this issue with lots of the 2012 Ford Focus SEL’s and there is lots of opinions on how to fix it. But the issue is the same. There need to be a recall. I just bought this on 8/23/3021 and it has 53000 miles. Please get Ford to fix this issue. It is dangerous what if I was on the highway! I hope it’s not to late for Ford ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly jerked forward. The vehicle then would return to normal function. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2020
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the transmission remained stuck in 3rd gear. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road, where he attempted several times to switchgear until the transmission responded. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2021
Driving down the road when the transmission clutch suddenly stopped shifting, and it felt like it slammed on the brakes, when it didn't shift. Took it to ford they said their is a recall on that part but not for my vehicle. I contacted ford.com and they said the same thing.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2021
my car has 47,000 miles and the transmission went bad. the transmission does not shift to the first gear or 3 gear. according to local mechanic
Incident date: Aug 9, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact continued to experience intermittent hesitation while driving at various speeds without warning. She then ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle would shut off while driving at various speeds without warning. The contact also stated that the vehicle would start up and shut off independently without warning. Additionally, while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably without warning as the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact was able... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-50 MPH, the vehicle was jerking without warning. The contact’s husband who is a mechanic informed her that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they failed to provide a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The appro... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2008) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Aug 27, 2021
Incident date: Aug 27, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to make a left turn, and the vehicle shut-off without warning. She exited the vehicle and flagged down two fellow motorists for assistance. While they attempted to push the vehicle, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and resumed normal driving. Neither the dealer nor t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the service transmission message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a dealer where he was informed that the clutch had failed and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to NHTSA. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the engine as the vehicle independently downshifted. The contact also stated that the 4WD warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Despite the failure, the contact was able to resume normal driving operation and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was inform... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into reverse independently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the driver’s seat would go down and go forward while driving. The contact stated she could not readjust the seat after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-MAX. The contact stated that the transfer shaft assembly bearing had failed prematurely which caused an abnormal, grinding sound to come from the transmission while driving at various speeds without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and had the transmission replaced under warranty. Recently, the contact stated that the same failure recurred with ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2016) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Aug 16, 2021
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the service transmission warning light illuminated. The failure caused the gear to downshift inadvertently from 4th gear to 1st gear within seconds. The contact managed to pull over to attempt to regain control however, the transmission failed intermittently. The contact took the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2021
2010 Nissan Rogue SW pre-owned certified on 2/24/2012; Mileage: 13,403. Purchased SECURITY+PLUS service Warranty. The summer of 2014 Rogue started a whining noise going up hills or under a light load. There was no other indication from the vehicle that it was under distress, no warning lights appeared etc. Dealership mechanic test drove and confirmed the CVT was failing. 6/13/2014; Mileage 4422... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2021
I was driving when it felt like the vehicle was reving in park then the "wrench" icon appeared on my dash. I went a couple blocks & my vehicle felt like it wasn't shifting automatically as it should. I pulled over & turned it off. It started right back up with no lights on, I went half a block & stopped at a stop sign but while stopped the engine reved up. I was worried I was going to be in an acc... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA HYBRID
(2013) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Aug 13, 2021
Incident date: Jul 2, 2021
2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO MECHATRONIC ACCUMULATOR HOUSING SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF PARK AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED.
FORD
C-MAX HYBRID
(2013) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Aug 10, 2021
Incident date: Aug 10, 2020
The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut-off without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer on three separate occasions for service. Each time the vehicle was towed to the dealer, the vehicle would resume normal operation upon arrival and the failure could not be duplicated. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the contact noticed that the transmission was not operating smoothly causing the vehicle to lunge forward while shifting gears. The service transmission now warning light was illuminated. The clutch eventually failed. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that the clutch and shift release fo... Read more