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 27, 2009
MY 2007 KIA SORENTO WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS IN 2009-10. BOTH WERE AS A RESULT OF A FAULTY 4-WHEEL DRIVE MECHANISM. WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2007, WE REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT WHEN THE CAR WAS IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND STOPPED TO TURN, IT MADE A JERKING MOVEMENT THAT WAS DANGEROUS. WE WERE TOLD IT OPERATED AS DESIGNED. ON FEBRUARY 21, 2010, I WAS TURNING INTO MY GARAGE IN CENTRAL ORE... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2009) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 21, 2011
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
DSG TRANSMISSION IS GETTING MORE FREQUENT WITH THE HARD SHIFTING/SURGING BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE AND OCCURS USUALLY WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND THEN LETTING GO OF THE BRAKE UPON A GREEN LIGHT. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL ROLL BACK IF ON A SLIGHT INCLINE WHEN LETTING GO OF THE BRAKE. VW DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT THE DSG IS A VERY "ACTIVE" TRANSMISSION AND IT IS NORMAL. I WAS TOLD THIS ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
MY CAR LURCHES FORWARD IF MY FOOT IS NOT FULLY ON THE BRAKE OR WHEN I BEGIN TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOW ON. I WAS RUNNING MY AC IN 100 DEGREE WEATHER THIS LAST TIME. *KB
Incident date: Jul 19, 2011
WE HAVE AN 2005 FREESTYLE. MY WIFE WAS PICKING UP OUR GRANDSON FROM VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ON 7/19/2011. THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND ALMOST RAN OVER SOME OTHER KIDS CROSSING OVER THE ROAD IN FRONT OF HER. THE CROSSING GUARD FRANTICALLY WAVED HIS ARMS FOR MY WIFE TO STOP WHICH SHE WAS TRYING TO DO. BY LUCK THE ENGINE DIED. SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE FROM THIS YET AND THEN FORD WILL HAVE A BIG LAWSUIT ON... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
I GOT A RECALL ON MY DODGE AVENGER, DUE TO A PLATE ON THE SHIFTER, I TOOK IT TO DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE PART, AND LESS THEN 2 MO. MY CAR LOCKED IN PARK AND UNABLE TO GET TO GO INTO GEAR, HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALER AGAIN AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE SHIFTER, THEY CHARGE ME $100. AND SAID IT WAS DEDUCTIBLE , I FEEL IT WAS NOT MY PLACE TO HAVE TO PAY TO FIX A PART THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED, AND T... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
WHILE INCHING INTO MY GARAGE WITH MY FOOT NOT ON THE GAS, MY 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND RAN INTO MY GARAGES BACK WALL BEFORE I COULD BREAK. *KB
Crash
Incident date: Jun 6, 2011
NISSAN UNSAFE FAILURE PARTS TRANSMISSION AND RADIATORS HI MY NAME IS [XXX] MY STORY BEGINS AS A HAPPY ONE, BUT SOON TURNS OUT TO BE MY WORST NIGHTMARE BACK IN NOVEMBER 2007. I BOUGHT MY FIRST CAR A 2007 NISSAN XTERRA FROM AVONDALE NISSAN BRAND NEW WHICH IS NOW PAID OFF. IT WAS A VERY NICE VEHICLE, HAD REALLY SMALL ISSUES WITH NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND NORMAL MAINTENANCE WHICH I KEPT UP ON MYSELF. R... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
THE VEHICLE SURGES WHEN AT IDLE. COMMONLY HAPPENS WHEN BACKING UP OR MOVING FORWARD SLOWLY (IE, IN A PARKING LOT OR DRIVING INTO A GARAGE). BECAUSE THIS IS OCCURRING AT IDLE SPEEDS SO FAR MY FOOT HAS BEEN EITHER ON THE BRAKE OR CLOSE TO THE BRAKE TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. HOWEVER THIS WILL ALSO HAPPEN IF IN A TRAFFIC JAM OR SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC SITUATIONS (IE, DROPPING THE KIDS OFF AT SCHOOL, SLOWING... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2011
(AMONG OTHER PROBLEMS), THIS 2011 JEEP COMPASS HAS TRANSMISSION DIFFICULTIES. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED TO SHIFT FROM GEAR TO GEAR WITHOUT MANUAL ASSISTANCE. IT WILL WHINE AND STRAIN AND JUST NOT CHANGE, EVEN AS THE RPM CLIMB SKY HIGH, IT WILL NOT SHIFT WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. THIS FAILURE WAS FIRST DOCUMENTED ON 6/19/11 BUT THERE WERE MULTIPLE FAILURE BEFORE THIS DAT... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 21, 2011
Incident date: Jul 12, 2011
THROTTLE BODY BAD ALL MOST HAD WRECK CAR WOULD NOT GO JUST IDLED. *KB
Incident date: Mar 4, 2011
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA JERKS VIOLENTLY AND SKIPS GEARS WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN IT GOES BACK INTO GEAR IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME ISSUE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE NISSAN HASN'T BEEN FORCED TO DO A RECALL YET. THIS PROBLEM STARTED AT ABOUT 75,000 MILES AND IS ONLY GETTING WORSE. *KB
Incident date: Jun 5, 2011
THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ACCELERATE AND THEN SOMETHING SUDDENLY "KICKS IN" AND THE TRUCK WILL GO- NEARLY BEEN REAR-ENDED NUMEROUS TIMES- THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE- TOLD IT'S GOING TO BE A $4,000 TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT- ONLY 102K MILES, LIKE NEW. ALSO, AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS, WON'T ACCELERATE AND PEOPLE GET TICKED AND NEED TO PASS AND CAN'T- NUMEROUS ONLINE COMPLAINTS- ADD THIS. UNACCEPTABLE FOR T... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2011
MY 2006 FORD FREESTYLE HAS HAD A LUNGING PROBLEM FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES THAT IT HAS LUNGED IN REVERSE/DRIVE AND ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR OR OBJECT. *KB
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, CAUSING HER TO LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING 53 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE DIAGNOSTICS STATED THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS THE SAME.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2011
MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE "SURGES" WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING BUT MY CAR IS NOT MOVING. I HAVE TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN STARTING UP THE CAR FOR FEAR IT WILL LUNGE FORWARD, OR BACKWARD, WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE PUT ON THE GAS PEDAL. I AM AFRAID TO LET ANYONE DRIVE THE CAR, EVEN WITH ME TELLING THE PERSON ABOUT THE SURGES, SINCE IT IS NOT WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY BE THINKING ABOUT WHEN STARTING A... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2011
THE PROBLEM VEHICLE IS A 2011 FWD JEEP COMPASS. ON 5/31/11 WITHIN THE FIRST 10 (TEN) MILES OF OWNERSHIP THE VEHICLE STALLED OUT ON ME WHILE STROPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY. ON 6/19/11 (WHILE IN MOTION), WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE INDICATION OF A PROBLEM THE VEHICLE TOTALLY LOST POWER. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND WAS ABLE TO ROLL IT OUT ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2011
TURNED THE VEHICLE ON AND IMMEDIATELY IT SURGED. THOUGHT IT WAS ME BUT THEN IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. SEEMS TO ONLY HAPPEN WHEN FOOT IS ON BRAKE AND/OR WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY. JUST STARTED HAPPENING THIS MONTH. TOOK THE MECHANIC TO CHECK, BUT HE COULD NO REPRODUCE ISSUE. I AM NOT SURPRISED THOUGH, AS IT SEEMS TO BE INTERMITTENT. PROBLEM BEST DESCRIBED AS VEHICLE SEEMS TO HAVE SO... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHRYSLER 300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY AND THE CABLE GEAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY AT A COST TO THE CONTACT WHICH WAS $662. THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED WHO STATED TO CALL NHTSA AND FILE A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
MY 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS WILL NOT STAY IN D WHEN SHIFTING OR R IT POPS BACK INTO N IT DOES IT ON HOT DAYS. NEED TO REPLACE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER ASSEMBLY. WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE IT BINDS UP AND GOES BACK INTO N WHILE SHIFTING OR DRIVING. HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES SO FAR IN THE LAST WEEK. IN ORDER TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE YOU HAVE TO HOLD THE LEVER IN R OR D TO GO ANYWHERE. *KB
Incident date: Jul 19, 2011
MY WIFE & I BOUGHT A USED 03 SATURN VUE WITH ONLY 39,000 MILES ON JUN 20. GREAT CONDITION UNTIL JUL 19, THE CAR STARTED ACTING STRANGE. WE TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY THOUGH IT MAY BE THE TRANSMISSION TO TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. WE DID & SURE ENOUGH IT IS. WE ARE ON A TIGHT BUDGET AND UNABLE TO EVEN GET ANOTHER LOAN. WE CAME ACROSS A WEBSITE THAT THE 03 SATURN VUE HAD A RECALL AND ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2011
I HAVE A 2005 ACURA MDX 140K MILES. I HAVE HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST YEAR OR SO. YESTERDAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHEN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. I WOULD PRESS ON THE GAS AND THERE WOULD BE HESITATION. SEEMED TO HAVE A MIND OF IT'S OWN. RPM'S WOULD GO UP BUT THE CAR WOULD KEEP SPEED. HAD TO GET IT TOWED FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO SAN DIEGO. *KB
Incident date: Jun 9, 2011
WE PURCHASED A 2010 FORD EDGE BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY TESTS OF THESE VEHICLES. IT HAS SINCE DEVELOPED A DELAY IN TAKE OFF ABOUT TWICE PER MONTH. IT IS ALMOST LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT ENGAGED, THEN VIOLENTLY ENGAGES AND LURCHES THE VEHICLE FORWARD. LAST MONTH A CAR HAD TO SLAM IT'S BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING MY WIFE AND CHILDREN AS THE CAR DELAYED, AND BEFORE MY WIFE COULD GET ON THE BRAKE, IT ENG... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SHIFTING INTO DIFFERENT GEARS, IT WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFED AND THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 92,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2011
ON SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2011, I HAD JUST DRIVEN ONTO THE FREEWAY, AND WAS GETTING UP TO FREEWAY SPEEDS OF ABOUT 50, WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE VAN FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT WANTING TO ACCELERATE AND THE TRANSAXLE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CONTROL PANEL. THE VAN FELT LIKE IT WAS STUCK IN MUD AND DIDN'T WANT TO PICK UP SPEED, AND WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT, TO MAINTA... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2011
WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL AND THE RPMS RACE. IF I LET UP FROM THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FEW SECONDS IT WILL RESUME NORMAL DRIVING. MECHANIC SUGGESTS IT IS EITHER THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR OR THE CLUTCH PISTON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS I LOSE SPEED RAPIDLY AND THE ROADS I TRAVEL MOST DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH SHOULDER TO PULL OVER SAFELY... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2010
2006 FORD EXPLORER XLT SPORT UTILITY 4X4 4.6L AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OR HESITATES GOING INTO GEAR. AT STOPS IT HAS A TENDENCY TO SLAM DOWN SHIFT HARD. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS SO MUCH BETWEEN GEARS IT AFFECTS THE MILEAGE SO I GET REALLY BAD GAS MILEAGE LESS THEN THE 13 LOW END OF THE 13/18 MPG SUGGESTED. IT WILL TAKE ABOUT $2,000.00 TO GET ANOTHER TRANSMISSION. I STILL O... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHEN MOVING TRANSMISSION OUT OF PARK. CAR LURCHES AND ACCELERATES COVERING DISTANCES OF 5-20 FEET DEPENDING UPON TERRAIN. MOVEMENT CAN BE ARRESTED WITH BRAKING, BUT IS VERY SUDDEN AND INTERMITTENT SO DIFFICULT TO EXPECT AND CONTROL. *KB
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
RECURRENT ACCELERATOR PEDAL FAILURE (DRIVE BY WIRE) WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WARNING. OCCASIONALLY, WHEN ACCELERATING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE PEDAL DEPRESSING ACTION INITIALLY HAS NO EFFECT FOR SEVERAL DEPRESSIONS AND THEN IT WORKS MINIMALLY. THIS MAY LAST FOR A WHILE OR FOR JUST A SHORT PERIOD. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. I DID A SEARCH ONLINE AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SA... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 21, 2011
Incident date: Jun 15, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN PATHFINDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT RADIATOR FLUID LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND A SENSOR WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A FULL DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF TH... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE CONTACT NOTICED A SMALL LEAK UNDERNEATH THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V453000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES). THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PE... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4
(2008) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 21, 2011
Incident date: Jun 23, 2011
I BOUGHT A USED 2008 4 DOOR JEEP WRANGLER JUST OVER 2 MONTHS AGO. IN THIS TIME I HAVE NOTICED EVERY TIME WE FILL UP WITH GAS, NO MATTER WHAT GAS STATION WE USE, GAS SPILLS EVERYWHERE. ALSO, THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED AFTER A MONTH OF HAVING THE JEEP. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY. WE HAD TO PAY THE FOR THE TEST AND THEN WE REPLACE... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
I HAVE A 2007 FORD FREESTYLE. WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON THE CAR WILL JUMP FORWARD. THE WRENCH LIGHT WILL COME ON AND I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON TO GET RID OF THE LIGHT. YESTERDAY IT DID THE SAME THING AND NOW THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STAYING ON AND WILL NOT GO OFF. SO FAR I HAVE KEPT FROM HITTING ANYTHING BY REACTING QUICKLY AND SLAMMING ON MY BRAKES OR TURNING THE AIR OFF OR SITT... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 21, 2011
Incident date: Jul 21, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS, WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STA... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
MY 2007 FORD FREESTYLE WILL LUNGE IN FORWARD AND REVERSE. IT STALLED LAST NIGHT WHEN IT WAS IN REVERSE AND THIS HAPPENED. IT IS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN. THIS IS VERY FRIGHTENING AND COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *KB
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 JEEP COMMANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE INTERIOR LIGHTING AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING BEGAN TO FLICKER ERRATICALLY, AND A WARNING LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED A MESSAGE INDICATING THAT THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT SHE PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT DE... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2011
I HAVE OWNED MY 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA FOR ONE YEAR. ON JULY 15, 2011, I WENT TO START THE CAR AND I COULD NOT DEPRESS THE BRAKE OR START THE CAR. THE ACC STUFF WOULD COME ON BUT NO IGNITION TO THE MOTOR. I TRIED AND TRIED TO START IT AND ENDED UP CALLING THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS TOLD TO "KICK" THE BRAKE PEDAL "HARD" SEVERAL TIMES; WHICH I DID. I FINALLY GOT IT STARTED AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHI... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2011
I WENT TO DRIVE MY 2007 DODGE CHARGER AND IT WAS STUCK IN PARK. NO OTHER PROBLEMS. I INVESTIGATED AND FOUND OUT THAT CHRYSLER HAS A DEFECTIVE PART IN THESE CARS. THEY WANT TO CHARGE THE CONSUMER TO FIX THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. (ITS A CHEAP PLASTIC PINK RELEASE BUTTON THAT GOES OUT AT ANY GIVEN TIME CAUSING THE CAR TO BE STUCK IN PARK) THIS IS NOT TH... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2011
I PURCHASED A 2007 FORD FREESTYLE ON MAY 05 2011 AND STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITHIN THE SECOND MONTH OF HAVING THE CAR BUT I ALSO HEARD A LOUD NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE WHEEL SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT, AND I TOLD THE FINANCE PERSON AND HE SAID OK WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT AND THEY NEVER DID. THEN NOW WE ARE IN THE THIRD MONTH OF HAVING THIS VEHICLE, AND NOW IT CUTS OFF RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ME BACKING UP ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
CAR LURCHES (IN DRIVE OR REVERSE) WHEN AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS ISSUE IS MUCH MORE PRONOUNCED WHILE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. ENGINE REVS FROM 1,000 RPM TO 2,500 RPM. ON OCCASION THE "FAIL-SAFE" WILL ENGAGE AND THE ENGINE WILL SHUTDOWN COMPLETELY WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED TO STOP THE CAR FROM LURCHING. THE ONLY UNUSUAL LIGHT THAT COMES ON IS "THROTTLE SYSTEM" LIGHT. *KB
Incident date: Apr 1, 2011
I HAVE A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE THAT HAS BEEN SURGING FORWARD WHEN I AM AT A COMPLETE STOP & THE ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE WITH A WRENCH HAS SHOWN UP. I HAVE 4 KIDS & THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THEM IN THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY & IT IS VERY SCARY TO LOSE POWER ON THE HIGHWAY & TRY TO GET TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT GETTING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. *KB
Incident date: Jul 16, 2011
STARTED CAR, PUT IT IN REVERSE, CAR LUNGED. NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS DONE THIS. EACH TIME THE LUNGE, EITHER IN REVERSE OR DRIVE, HAPPENS WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. IT JUST ABOUT ALWAYS STARTS WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED OR MOVED INTO GEAR AFTER IDLING. *KB
Incident date: Jul 12, 2011
2006 CHEVY UPLANDER. TRANSMISSION SLIPPING IN LOW GEAR. MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND STARTING AGAIN. NOT RECOMMENDED TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE OR NOT. ALSO NOTICEABLE WHEN GOING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE A DAY FOR THE LAST WEEK NOW. DUMPED SOME LUCAS TRANSMISSION TREATMENT INTO IT THE OTHER DAY, SEEMS TO BE ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE LUNGES WHEN PLACED IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, IT HAPPENS BEFORE THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED AND I MUST STOMP THE BRAKE TO STOP IT. I HAVE HAD MANY CLOSE CALLS IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. TODAY A "FAIL SAFE ENGINE MODE" MESSAGE CAME ON. *KB
Incident date: Jul 16, 2011
DRIVING THE CAR NO PROBLEM TILL RECENTLY IN JULY WHEN MY TRANSMISSION DECIDE IT WONT GO INTO GEAR EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. GIVE ME SUDDEN STOPS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS, SINCE THE LAST STOP I HAVE STOPPED DRIVING IT AND STARTED RESEARCHING ONLY TO FIND IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. KNOWINGLY PRODUCING INADEQUATE UNSAFE PRODUCTS. THANKS ALOT HONDA *KB
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
WHEN MY FORD FREESTYLE IDLES (IT SEEMS MOSTLY IN HOT WEATHER) FOR MORE THAN EVEN 2 MINUTES WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR FORWARD AND REVERSE THE CAR LUNGES EVEN IF MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME THE WEATHER IS HOT OR IF MY CAR IDLES FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME. I HAVE JUST BEGAN RESEARCHING WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE AND SEE MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE NOT YET REPLACED ANY PARTS... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2010
EARLY JULY 2010 CAR WOULD SURGE AFTER STARTED WHEN PLACED INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. JULY 17,2010 ABOUT 95 DEGREES AMBIENT. DRIVING 55 MPH CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND STALL. RESTARTED AND IT WENT INTO LIMP MODE WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND OCCASIONAL SURGES. I FOUND A FORD DEALER ABOUT 5 MILES AWAY. DIAGNOSIS WAS A BAD MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. REPLACED AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY AGAIN. EARLY JUNE 2011 IT WA... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2011
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ABOUT A MILE OUTSIDE OF RAWLINS, WY AND THE RPM INDICATOR SUDDENLY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP AND THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I DECIDED TO DRIVE IT INTO RAWLINS ALTHOUGH IT WAS SLIPPING GEARS AND I HAD A HARD TIME GETTING IT TO SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. I HAD TO DRIVE VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY AND WHEN I GOT TO THE GAS STATION IN RAWLINS, THER... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A VIOLENT JERKING WHEN SHIFTING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED HIM THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND HAVE NOT RETURNED HIS CALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE W... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GTI
(2011) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 20, 2011
Incident date: Jun 18, 2011
THE VEHICLE IS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN GTI EQUIPPED WITH A DSG TRANSMISSION. THE GTI IS NOT OFFERED AS CHOICE WHEN SELECTING VEHICLE MODEL USING THIS ON-LINE COMPLIANT FORM. OCCASIONALLY THE VEHICLE FAILS TO ACCELERATE OR ACCELERATES VERY SLOWLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MOVE FORWARD FROM A COMPLETE STOP. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE ENGINE REVOLUTIONS WILL INCREASE BUT WITH LITTLE OR NO FORWARD MOTION, AS IF THE TRA... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2005) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jul 20, 2011
Incident date: Jul 20, 2011
BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY IN A 2005 FORD 500 AWD, CAR STUMBLES THEN LAUNCHED BACKWARD VIOLENTLY. LUCKILY I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE OR THE CAR WOULD HAVE KEPT GOING. "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE" APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR. *KB