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: Feb 4, 2010
I PURCHASED A 2001 HONDA CIVIC FOR MY DAUGHTER. SHE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THE TRANSMISSION WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC FOUR SPEED. IN PROCESS OF OF HAVING IT REPAIRED. I BELIEVE, AFTER TALKING WITH EXPERT MECHANICS, THIS TRANSMISSION IS DANGEROUS AND DEFECTIVE. *CN
Incident date: Oct 21, 2008
I HAVE A 2003 SABLE UPON DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, MY CAR JUST STOPPED GOING FORWARD. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A GARAGE AND HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. COME TO FIND OUT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WILL COST ME OVER $2700 TO REPLACE IT. I HAVE CONTACTED EVERY TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP IN A 75 MILE RADIUS AND THEY ALL GIVE ME THE SAME PRICE. THEY HAVE ALSO TOLD ME THAT EVERY SABLE THEY HAVE RUN ACROSS AROUN... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2009
MY 2005FREESTAR IS A VEY UNSAFE VEHICLE TO BEON THE MARKET.IN THE MIDDE OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE WILL JUST TURN OFF,LEAVING YOU WITH ABSOLUTELY NO POWER,AT ALL.NO STEERING ,NO WARNING OF ANY KIND.THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.UNSAFE VEHICLE BEING PUT ON MARKET.THIS WAS BOUGHT AS A FAMILY VEHICLE,I WOULD NEVER AGAIN PUT MY FAMILY IN THIS RISKY,UNSAFE PIECE OF CRAP.WORST FAMILY VEHICLE ON THE MARKET... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2010
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN LOST POWER TO THE TRANSMISSION. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS LEADING UP TO THIS LOSS. THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP AND NOW WILL NOT MOVE IN FORWARD OR REVERSE GEARS. I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED AND NOW CANNOT MOVE IT. *CN
Incident date: Jan 17, 2010
MY HUSBAND GOT INTO THE CAR THE LATE AFTERNOON OF JAN. 17, 2010. TURNED THE AUTO ON AND I THOUGHT THE ENGINE WAS EXPLODING. I WAS INSIDE THE HOUSE AND RAN OUTDOORS. SOMETHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS MAKING AN EXTREME LOUD RATTLE. IF YOU TOOK AN OLD COW BELL AND SHOOK IT FOR DEAR LIFE, YOU WOULD GET AN IDEAL OF WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT REGARDING THE SOUND. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE VSC LIGHT WAS ON.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2009
2003 SATURN VUE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS BECOME INCREASINGLY INOPERABLE. ON 75,000 MILE VEHICLE ON FOURTH TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE MAKES LOUD NOISES AND THEN CANNOT PUT IN GEAR AT ALL. TRANSMISSIONS ARE REPLACED BY REBUILT DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. CYCLE REPEATS ITSELF! *CN
Incident date: Nov 13, 2009
MY CAR STARTED JERKING WHEN I PUT IN REVERSE AND DRIVE. WHILE DRIVE I HEAR A RATTLING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE GEAR SHIFT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THE TRANSMISSION HAD A LOOSE SOLENOID BOX AND THAT IT NEEDED TIGHTENING FOR $900. ALSO AT LOWER SPEEDS I FEEL THE CAR SLIPPING ESPECIALLY ON TURNS. *TR
Incident date: Feb 4, 2010
I OWN A 2002 FORD EXPLORER SUV AND HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHING ON THE DASH, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLIP INTO AND OUT OF NEUTRAL. I EXECUTED AN ONLINE SEARCH AS MOST DO TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND WAS AMAZED AT THE THOUSANDS OF GOOD FOLKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. MOST CONTACTED FORD AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY NEEDED TO GO TO THE DEALER THAT RESULTED IN CHANGING THE TRANSMISSION A... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2009
MY 2009 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID ON ONE OCCASION WHEN STARTING OUT IN THE MORNING ACCELERATED FASTER THAN I WANTED TO GO, TO ABOUT 25-30 INSTEAD OF 15 MPH IN OUR CONDO AREA. IT WAS VERY BRIEF, AND HAS NEVER BEEN REPEATED. AFTER THE TOYOTA PROBLEMS RECENTLY, I WENT TO MY HONDA SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY ASSURED ME THAT THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS WITH HONDA ACCELERATION. THANK YOU. *TR
Incident date: Jan 6, 2009
MY BMW X3 2008 WAS 'BOUGHT BACK' BY BMW AFTER THREE MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP IN DEC 2008 DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AT RANDOM TIMES. IT HAPPENED ONCE AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM AN EZPASS BOOTH - THE CAR JUST FROZE AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS WAS SO SERIOUS THAT BMW RECOGNIZED IT AS A PROBLEM BUT ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2010
HONDA CIVIC 2001 LX, 106,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, CAR JUST STOPPED. CONTACTED HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY WANTED THE CAR TAKEN TO A HONDA DEALER AFTER I HAD SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TOWING IT FROM VIRGINIA BACK TO DELAWARE TO MY SON'S SHOP, WHO IS A MECHANIC. HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR HAD TO BE DONE BY A HONDA DEALER... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2010
VARIABLE CYLINDER MANAGEMENT TRANSMISSION UNEXPECTEDLY SURGES IN TRAFFIC. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, OR SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS, A SUDDEN UNEXPECTED SURGE IN THE CAR COULD RESULT IN HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT. *TR
Incident date: Feb 4, 2010
I HAVE A 2006 PRIUS. WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, I EXPERIENCE A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER FOR 1 OR THREE SECONDS -GENERALLY. A YELLOW LIGHT ALSO COMES ON THE DASH BOARD. IT OFTEN HAPPENS DAILY. I HAVE ONLY HAD ONE OR TWO EXPERIENCES WHEN THE POWER DIDN'T RETURN SO QUICKLY AND THEN I WAS AFRAID BECAUSE I HAD NO BRAKES AND WAS JUST SKIDDING. I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM DISCUSSED BY OTHER PRIUS O... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2010
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH MY 2005 FORD FREESTAR VAN FELT LIKE IT HAD SLID INTO NEUTRAL. IN FACT THE CAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE BUT WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR REVERSE. IT FELT LIKE IT WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS "SLIPPING, OR LURCHING". I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD THAT I WILL NEED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS STRIPP... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2009
I BOUGHT A 2010 TOYOTA CAMRY THAT HAS THE NEW SIX SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHEN I WAS COASTING TO SLOW DOWN THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO DISENGAGE AND DID NOT HOLD BACK ANYMORE. I CAME WITHIN A FOOT OF RUNNING INTO THE REAR OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHICH WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THIS HAD HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE BUT NEVER THIS CLOSE TO AN ACCIDENT. WHEN THE CAR REACHES AROUND 20MPH THE TR... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2010
IT SEEMS AS IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. IT OCCASIONALLY HAPPENS BUT IS MORE FREQUENT WHEN IT'S RAINING. IT WAS RAINING LIGHTLY AND I WAS AT A DEAD STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND UPON IT TURNING GREEN I GAVE IT SOME GAS BUT IT BARELY MOVED BUT I DID SEE THE RPMS CLIMB LIKE NORMAL, THIS HAPPENED FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD A BIG METAL CLUNK NOISE FROM THE ENG... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2010
TOYOTA ISSUED A SECRET BULLETIN ON 3/3/2006 (TC006-02), BUT FAILED TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF 2001-2003 RAV4 VEHICLES REGARDING THEIR HARD SHIFTING, ECM PROBLEMS, AND TRANSMISSION FAILURES. DESPITE MY REPORTING THIS PROBLEM WITHIN WARRANTY PERIOD AT 54,000 MILES IN 2006, AND AGAIN IN 2007, TOYOTA CLAIMED UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW CHARGING ME 1/2 THE COST OF A NEW TRANSMISSION AT APPROXI... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2009
I HAVE A 2010 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, DRIVING IN A RAMP, THE CAR WILL SLIDE BACK DOWN TO THE BOTTOM IF I RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. MANY TIMES, IN A STOP AND GO SITUATION, I ALMOST HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME. *TR
Incident date: Feb 1, 2010
THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND THE "O/D OFF" STARTED BLINKING. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. *TR
Incident date: Nov 1, 2009
PROBLEM IS WITH TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND CAR LUNGES GO UPHILL OR AFTER SHIFTING FROM REVERSE AND BACK INTO DRIVE. AFTER INITIAL PURCHASE OF THE CAR I COMPLAINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT FEEL CORRECT AND CAR LUNGED AND SLIPPED BUT I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE INCIDENT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THE CAR HAS 99,000 ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2008) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: Dec 5, 2009
I AM LEASING TWO TOYOTA VEHICLES ... A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY. DURING DECEMBER 2009 I EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER TRANSMISSION AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE BRAKING. DETAILS INCLUDE A TRANSMISSION NOISE RATTLE WHILE DRIVING ON A CALIFORNIA FREEWAY AT ABOUT 60 MPH. THIS TRANSMISSION NOISE CONTINUED FOR 3-4 MINUTES, SOUNDING LOUDER AS IF A PART W... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2010
I HAVE A NEW 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS, PURCHASED 15 JAN. 2010. I HAVE SINCE PUT 3,292 MILES ON THE VEHICLE ON A TRIP FROM WASHINGTON TO CALIFORNIA AND BACK, DURING WHICH CONDITIONS FROM MOUNTAINS, SNOW AND ICE, AND DRY FREEWAY CONDITIONS WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE RANDOM PROBLEM OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WHEN USING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO DISCONNECT THE CRUISE CONTROL TO SLOW DOWN. THE PROBLEM IS MOST PRONOUNCED ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2009
I AM WRITING TODAY TO ALERT YOU TO A POTENTIAL ACCELERATOR PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SUV. IN MID-DECEMBER, MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR INEXPLICABLY ACCELERATED, GOING FROM APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH TO ABOUT 60 MPH WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS. MY HUSBAND, WHO HAS HAD PROFESSIONAL DRIVING INSTRUCTION, PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN, AT W... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2009
I ALSO HAD TO SHELL OUT $3000 TO REPLACE A FAULTY ECM FOR THE TOYOTA RAV4 2001. THE CAR HAD LOW MILEAGE AND JUST PAST THE 7 YEAR WARRANTY. THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING AND THE CAR ALMOST DIED ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP. I FOUND THOUSANDS OF REPORTED CASES OF PEOPLE SHARING THE SAME GRIEF AND APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ECM EXTENDS TO 2002-2003 RAV4 AND COROLLAS AS WELL. TOYOTA... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2010
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY DAUGHTER'S 2001 TOYATA RAV STARTED SLIPPING TWO WEEKS AGO. MY DAUGHTER STILL IS A COLLEGE STUDENT AND STILL RESIDES AT HOME COMMUTING TO SCHOOL (15 MILES ONE WAY) EVERYDAY. I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER AND HAVE RELIGIOUSLY MAINTAINED ALL OUR VEHICLES AND KNOW THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT GIVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH JUST OVER 100,000 MILES. I HAVE DRIVEN ALL MY VEHICLES WAY ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: May 20, 2008
MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED [2007] HAS A PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION. IT IS NOT IN THE CURRENT RECALL. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM 6/5/08. WHEN I AM IN CRUISE CONTROL, THEN BRAKE, THEN PRESS THE CRUISE CONTROL MECHANISM TO RETURN TO CRUISE CONTROL, THE CAR SOMETIMES SURGES AHEAD AT SPEEDS MUCH FASTER THAN THE SET CRUISE CONTROL SPEED. I DO NOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT ALL WHEN THIS HAPPENS. H... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2010
TRANSMISSION BURN AT 90 000 MILES. AND THE DEALER TELL ME OF ALL AUDI WITH CVT TRANSMISSION BURN BETWEEN 80,000 TO 90,000 MILES. THAT A REPAIR COST OF 7,000$... *TR
Incident date: Sep 28, 2009
I PURCHASED A NEW TOYOTA TACOMA SR5 PICKUP 8/27/09. IMMEDIATELY I NOTICED A PROBLEM WHEN I SLOWED DOWN AT SPEED BUMPS AND TO TURN CORNERS AND THEN STARTED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE THEN SURGE FORWARD. I CAN STOP THE HESITATION SOMEWHAT BY VERY LIGHTLY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AFTER I SLOW DOWN AND THEN SLOWLY ACCELERATING. IF I FORGET TO VERY LIGHTLY ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE WIL... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2004) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: Jan 2, 2010
WE HAVE A 2004 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER AND GOING HOME ONE NIGHT IT KEPT DOWN SHIFTING DURING RUSH HOUR CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV UP SO WE FIGURED IT WAS SOME SORT OF LIMP HOME MODE. THE NEXT MORNING IT STARTED FINE, WE BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND WHEN WE SHIFTED TO DRIVE A TRANSMISSION FAILSAFE CAME ON AND WE COULD NOT EVEN MOVE FORWARD. WE HAD TO BACK OWN THE STREET TO PARK AND THEN CALL A TOW ... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: Jan 7, 2010
I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON A CITY ROAD DOING 30MPH WHEN THE CAR MADE A HORRIBLE EXPLODING SOUND. AFTER THAT POINT THE CAR WAS MAKING NUMEROUS GRINDING NOISES AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I STOPPED AND HAD THE CAR TOWED. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS ELECTRONIC AND WANTED $1800 TO FIX IT, BUT WOULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD FIX THE CAR. I GOT A SECOND OPINION AND THEY SHOWED ME THE INSIDE OF THE TR... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2009
AROUND 12/1/2009, I NOTICED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HAVE PROBLEMS SHIFTING, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN YOU WOULD THINK THAT THE CAR WOULD SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, IT WOULD NOT, OR WHEN YOU WERE AT A STOP LIGHT AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL SO STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING BUT CAUSE A LOUD "REVVING" SOUND. IN MOST CASES WITHIN ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2004) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: Feb 1, 2010
THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 VW BEETLE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY AT AROUND 60,000 MILES. WE HAVE OUR 04 VW AT A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND I AM BEING TOLD THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM THAT VW CHANGED THE DESIGN FROM 2004 TO 2005. VW DOES NOT ADMIT ANYTHING AND SAYS THAT THE CAR MUST BE TAKEN TO A VW DEALERSHIP IN ORDER THAT THEY CAN ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. *TR
Incident date: Dec 17, 2009
MY 2002 ACURA MDX HAS BEEN FAILING DUE TO A MALFUNCTION IN THERE TRANSMISSION. THEY WILL NOT ADMIT THERE WRONG. EVERY ONE WITH THIS TYPE OF SUV HAS EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. *TR
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 5, 2010
Incident date: Dec 31, 2009
OWN A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER WITH 64,000 RIGHT NOW.. WHICH IS OUT OF WARRANTY. HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON FOR COUPLE OF MONTHS.. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER AND ALSO PRIVATE MECHANICS... NOBODY COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR UNTIL IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN ON ME. WOULDN'T START HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC HE SAID THE CAR HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAD THE WHOLE FUSE BOX ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2010
CONSTANT "JUMPING" AT STOPLIGHTS. I ALWAYS HAVE TO CHECK TO SEE IF SOMEONE HAS BUMPED INTO ME FROM BEHIND. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2005. *TR
Incident date: Jan 1, 2010
2001 ACURA MDX TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND BANGING. TORQUE CONVERTER SURGING IN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. BAD DESIGN, TRANSMISSION FAILING TOO SOON. ONLY ABLE TO DRAIN 3 QUARTS OUT AT A TIME. FLUID GETS DIRTY AND OLD TOO SOON BETWEEN SERVICE DATES. *TR
Incident date: Dec 5, 2009
I HAVE A FORD EXPLORER XLT 2002, AND AT 160 000KLM THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THROUGH P-R-N-D-1-2-3, WITHOUT GOING THROUGH A HARD "CLUNK" AFTER LOOKING AT UNIVERSAL JOINTS, BUSHINGS, CROSSMEMBERS AND DIFF SLAKE I REALIZED ITS THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER 2000 KLM THE OD LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, AND IT'S GETTING WORST... THIS TRUCK IS LIKE A GM , WHEN PROBLEMS START THEY ALL FOL... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2010
2003 ACURA TL TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH OUT WARNING. UPON TRAVELING AT 50 MPH MY VEHICLE DROPPED GEARS CAUSING IT TO DECELERATE AT RAPID RATE. THE CAR TACKED UP TO APPROX 5000 RPM. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWN SHIFT RAPIDLY AND LOOSE SPEED AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TRANSMISSION FAILURE ADMITTED BY... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2010
WE OWN A 2008 FORD ESCAPE XLT. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER SUDDENLY BEGAN TO LEAK AND LEAKED OUT ALL OF THE FLUID. THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER THE 100K POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. WE RESEARCHED ON-LINE AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 3 YEARS. FORD WOULD NOT HONOR REPAIRS UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY SAYING IT IS "NOT AN INTERNAL PART." THI... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2010
WE HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SPORT. WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT ALWAYS GO INTO DRIVE. YOU PRESS THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS. YOU THEN HAVE TO PUT THE VEHICLE BACK INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN INTO DRIVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. TOOK TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY SAID IT WAS "NORMAL". THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS IF WE ARE BACKING UP ONTO A ROAD OR ANYWHERE BY ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2010
WE HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SPORT. WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT ALWAYS GO INTO DRIVE. YOU PRESS THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS. YOU THEN HAVE TO PUT THE VEHICLE BACK INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN INTO DRIVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. TOOK TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY SAID IT WAS "NORMAL". THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS IF WE ARE BACKING UP ONTO A ROAD OR ANYWHERE BY ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2010
BOUGHT AN 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY IN APRIL, 2009. THE ENGINE WOULD RUN ROUGH AND THE IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK AND DID DOWNSHIFT AT RANDOM. I BOUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE MY WIFE AND I BOTH DRIVE THE CAR THE COMPUTER ON BOARD WAS ADJUSTING BACK AND FORTH TO OUR DRIVING HABITS. I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A SAFETY PROBLEM UNTIL THE RECALL WAS ANNOUNCED. NOW I ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2003) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 4, 2010
Incident date: Feb 4, 2010
I OWN A 2003 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, 4 CYL, 6 SP AUTO. IT HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT. WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, IT'S STARTED JERKING WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FIND I'M NOT ALONE. THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OTHERS IN THE SAME POSITION. ACCORDING TO VW, THE TRANSMISSION IS $6,800. WOW - I KNOW! YOU HAVE TO USE THE DEALER BE... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2008
2007 TOYOTA SIENNA: TRANSMISSION TEMPORARILY FAILS TO ENGAGE THE CORRECT GEAR AFTER DECELERATING THEN RE-ACCELERATING RESULTING IN A PAUSE OR HESITATION BEFORE CONTROL IS AGAIN REGAINED. THIS OCCURS MOST FREQUENTLY WHEN SLOWING FOR TURNS AT INTERSECTIONS OR BEHIND SLOWING TRAFFIC OR ATTEMPTING A LANE CHANGE. THREE SERVICE CALLS HAVE BEEN MADE ON THE VEHICLE WHICH WERE RECORDED AS A "BAD ECU PROGRA... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 55-65 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AND SUDDENLY SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY NO POWER RESPONSE. THE DRIVER PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHO STATED THAT THE ENGI... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 8, 2009
ON 09/04/09 I BOUGHT A NEW 2010 EQUINOX AND WITHIN 3,000 MILES I BEGAN EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT SHIFTING ISSUES AND ROUGH IDLING/STALLING AT STOPS. ON 01/08/10 I WILL BE TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE SERVICE SHOP FOR THE 4TH TIME IN 60 DAYS FOR THESE PROBLEMS. VERY CONCERNING IS THAT EVERY TIME I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE A NEW GM SERVICE BULLETIN EXISTS FOR THESE PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, GM ... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 4, 2010
Incident date: Jun 1, 2009
WE OWN A 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID WITH A "SLOW TO RETURN" GAS PEDAL. WE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO YUBA CITY TOYOTA (CALIFORNIA) IN EARLY TO MID 2009 (PRIOR TO THE TOYOTA RECALL). THE TECHNICIAN AT THAT TIME VERIFIED AND CONFIRMED THE "SLOW TO RETURN" GAS PEDAL AND SAID IT MUST BE COMMON WITH THE CAMRY HYBRID. WHEN THE CURRENT GAS PEDAL RECALL WAS ANNOUNCED WE CONTACTED YUBA CITY TOYOTA AND WAS T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2009
VEHICLE: LEXUS ES350 - 2007 PROBLEM: WHEN BACKING UP OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY OR ONTO A BUSY STREET, THE CAR STALLS WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. THE COMPUTER RESETS ITSELF WHICH COULD BE 5 SECONDS AND THE CAR NEEDS TO BE RESTARTED OR ENOUGH TIME TO BE CRASHED INTO. I HAVE HAD THREE NEAR MISSES AS THE CAR STALLED WHEN BACKED UP ONTO A BUSY ROAD. THE PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH MYSELF AND WIFE, SO IT ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2008
HONDA CIVIC HYBRIDS WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION DEVELOP WHAT HONDA REFERS TO AS A JUDDER. WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IS THE "START CLUTCH" IN THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS DURING TAKE OFF FROM A STOP AND CAUSES THE CAR TO JUDDER OR SHAKE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN ANY CONDITION OTHER THAN PERFECTLY DRY ROADS YOU CAN TEMPORARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS FRONT WHEEL DRIVE AND T... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Feb 4, 2010
Incident date: Mar 1, 2006
MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS CHRONIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHEN ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE REVS BUT THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES NOTICEABLY BEFORE GOING INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES THE HESITATION LASTS SO LONG THAT IT INTERFERES WITH MY ABILITY TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY AND THOSE ARE VERY SCARY SITUATIONS. SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION CANNOT DECIDE WHAT GEAR TO BE IN AND WHEN IT DOES ENGAGE THE WHOLE CAR BUC... Read more