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: Jul 15, 2010
I'D DRIVE DOWN THE FREEWAY OR UP A HILL TO GET TO A PARKING STRUCTURE AT SCHOOL AND THE CAR WOULD STALL AND SLIP GEARS WHERE I THOUGHT IT WOULD ROLL BACKWARDS OR PEOPLE BEHIND ME WOULD GET ANNOYED AND PASS AT RELATIVELY CLOSE AND HIGH SPEEDS. I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK ONE NIGHT WHEN THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY WENT OUT ON ME ROUGHLY 2 BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. I BARELY COULD MAKE IT OVER 10 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2010
2001 RX3000 TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 178,000 MILES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT OFF-RAMP OF HIGHWAY STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF RAMP AND ALMOST CAUSING CRASH AND WAS REPLACED TO THEN FAIL AGAIN AT 192,000 MILES. *TR
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA AND HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME PROBLEMS WITH IT. AFTER ABOUT A 2 MONTHS OF PURCHASING IT, IT STARTING JERKING WHILE DRIVING IT. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT SINCE IT STOPPED FOR A WHILE. THEN SOME WEEKS LATER IT DID IT AGAIN CAUSING ME TO ALMOST REAREND SOMEONE. HEAR IT IS MONTHS LATER AND I WAS HEADING HOME FROM WORK AND THE CAR JUST QUIT ON ME IN THE M... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2010
2003 FORD WINDSTAR REAR AXLE COMPLAINT AND TRANSMISSION. FIRST OF ALL, I WAS LEFT STRANDED WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON CHRISTMAS EVE. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME FROM FORD. FORD WANTS $3800 TO REPLACE IT. THE VAN IS ONLY WORTH THAT. THEN I FIND OUT THAT FORD HAS HAD MANY COMPLAINTS AND FAILURES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS. I TAKE CARE OF AND MAINTAIN MY VEHICLES AND I GE... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
UPON ACCELERATING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR (7-15) MILES AN HOUR, ESPECIALLY AFTER BREAKING, THE VEHICLE HESITATES AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE RPM'S GO UP BUT THE CAR DOES NOT MOVE. THIS MAINLY HAPPENS WHEN MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN WHEN NOT FULLY STOPPING. I ALSO HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN GOING ACROSS TRAFFIC TRYING TO GET ACROSS THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHIC... Read more
CHEVROLET
MALIBU MAXX
(2006) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jan 1, 2011
Incident date: Dec 22, 2010
LOOSE POWER STEERING DURING PARKING AND DRIVING. *TR
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
2004 HONDA PILOT SHUDDERS/VIBRATES VIOLENTLY AT 30-50MPH. RPM GAUGE MOVES UP AND DOWN. IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS AND HONDA SAYS THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT AND CAN'T REPLICATE IT. *TR
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2006) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jan 1, 2011
Incident date: Nov 30, 2010
2006 ML350 MERCEDES BENZ - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND THE GARAGE TELLS ME THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT GEARS HAVE WORN AND NEED TO BE REPLACED IN A CAR WITH JUST 67,000 MILES ON IT. THE PRICE IS 5500 AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE I'VE HEARD FROM WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. I THINK THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FLAW IN THIS BATCH OF ENGINES AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THIS IS SERIOUS IF THE CHAI... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2010
TOYOTA RAV4 2001 SUDDEN ACCELERATION, AND THROTTLE SURGE... NO WAY TO STOP CAR WITH BRAKE PEDAL. *TR
Crash
Incident date: Nov 15, 2010
CAR: 2007 LEXUS GS450H, FACTORY CERTIFIED. HAD A SERIOUS ISSUE WHICH WARRANTS A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED CARS, WHICH MAY NOT BE LIMITED TO THE GS HYBRID. THIS HAPPENED ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER BUYING THE CAR. PER LEXUS, IT IS A DEFECT WHICH WILL IMPACT ALL OF THEIR HYBRIDS, AND PROBABLY ALL TOYOTA HYBRIDS AS WELL. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT RUSH HOUR, THE CAR TURNED ITSELF OFF. NO POWE... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2004) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Jan 1, 2011
Incident date: Oct 10, 2010
2004 VOLKSWAGEN 'NEW BEETLE' HAS SERIOUS DESIGN / OEM-COMPONENT FLAWS IN THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, CREATING VERY-DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE 'STALLS' (STEP ON GAS, MOTOR REVS, BUT TRANSM. DOES NOT ENGAGE IMMEDIATELY) IN TRAFFIC. VW IS AWARE OF THIS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SENT A 'WARRANTY-EXTENSION / REPLACEMENT OFFER' LETTER FOR THE VALVE-BODY OF THE TRANSM., HOWEVER, DEALER... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2010
I HAVE A 2002 ACURA MDX. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE HAD NUMEROUS COMPONENTS ON IT REPLACED, HOWEVER THE ONE ITEM WHICH HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED IS A SHUDDER WHICH I GET IN THE VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN 30 - 40 MPH. IT APPEARS TO BE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT DEALT WITH THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 100K MILES ON IT, BUT THE ISSUE FIRST ARO... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2010
AT 2000 MILES ON MY 2009 DODGE JOURNEY I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW STICKING, AND BRAKES SQUEAKING. ALSO CAR NOT SHIFTING WHEN TAKING OFF AND WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN AND TRY TO SPEED BACK UP. I TOOK IT IN. THEY TOLD ME MAYBE SAP IN WINDOW AND BRAKES FINE. THREE DAYS LATER WINDOW ACTING UP AGAIN. TOOK IT IN. SAME REASON. CLEANED AND GREASED. THIS IS THE EIGHT TIME I'VE... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2010
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 FORD EXPLORER IS FAILING; IS WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR, AND THEN SHIFT BACK INTO GEAR HARD ENOUGH THAT IT MAKES THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHAKE AND LURCH FORWARD. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 68K MILES ON IT, AND IS ONLY USED AS A COMMUTER VEHICLE. IT HAS NEVER BEEN TAKEN OFF ROAD, AND I HAVE NEVER USED IT TO TOW ANYTHING. *TR
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 31, 2010
Incident date: Sep 18, 2010
IN MAY 2008, 15308 MI ON JEEP, SLOWING FOR RED LIGHT, DIES, ALL DASH LIGHTS COM ON, NO POWER TO STEER, NO WIPERS, ETC.; STARTS BACK ON IT'S OWN. TOOK TO DEALER, NO CODE, NO RE-ACT; HAS HAPPENED INTERMITTENT SINCE-SAFETY ISSUE IN TRAFFIC. NOW TRANNY PROBLEM, STARTED SEPT. 2010, 37,600 MI, CODE 750, CHANGED SOLENOID PK IN TRANNY, NOW CODE FOR LOW PRESSURE SEND CIRCUIT, DRIVES A FEW MILES THEN GOES A... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
MY 2006 VOLVO S60 WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD (AFTER SITTING OUTSIDE OVERNIGHT AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 45F). DEPENDING ON HOW COLD IT IS, IT TAKES FROM 5 TO 20 MINUTES FOR THE VEHICLE TO WARM ENOUGH THAT I CAN SHIFT IT INTO DRIVE. THE DEALER IS UNHELPFUL: I LEFT IT OVERNIGHT FOR THEM TO CHECK. EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD NOT SHIFT FOR THEM, A SERVICE REP STARTED IT, NOT THE TECHN... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2009
I PURCHASED MY 2009 4RUNNER NEW LAST YEAR. FROM THE MINUTE I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT I NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. ANY TIME THE VEHICLE SLOWS BELOW 15MPH AND THEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE REVS TO A HIGH RPM AS IF SEARCHING FOR A GEAR AND DOES NOT ACCELERATE AS COMMANDED. THIS IS VERY PREVALENT IN SLOW TRAFFIC, SLOWING FOR A YIELD SIGN OR TURNING CORNERS. THE BIGGEST SAFE... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
WE HAVE 2004 HONDA PILOT WITH 94000 MILES, TODAY WE HAD IT SERVICED AND THEY TOLD US THAT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR ABOUT $4450. WE HAVE TAKEN THIS CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. ALL SCHEDULE MAINTENANCES ON TIME AND ALL THE SUDDEN IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR
Incident date: Dec 26, 2010
FORD TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2003) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 31, 2010
Incident date: Dec 18, 2010
VW BEETLE 2003, 61,000 MILES, I NOTICED IT SHIFTED HARD SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED IT THIS PAST APRIL; JERKS WHILE SHIFTING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND, SECOND AND THIRD, ETC; WENT TO VW AFTER I RECEIVED THE WARRANTY EXTENSION - TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY LETTER (RECEIVED IN DECEMBER 2010, BUT THEY ARE UNWILLING TO COVER THE COST BECAUSE THE EXTENSION IS TO COVER 7 YEARS, AND MY CAR IS 6 MONTHS TOO OLD; ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2010
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2010 AND I DIDN'T START NOTICING PROBLEMS TILL AROUND SUMMER BUT THEY WERE NOT THAT BAD TILL SEPTEMBER WERE THE CAR STARTED SHOWING STRANGE ELECTRICAL AND STEERING ISSUE. I RECEIVED THE RECALL LETTER IN OCTOBER AND HAD THE POWER STEERING ISSUE FIXED BUT ITS STILL HAVE ISSUES WERE THE VEHICLE WILL SWERVE BACK AND FORTH IN RETURN I WILL HAVE TO KEEP MY HANDS ON TH... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2010
2002 HONDA ACCORD SE, 4 DOOR, AUTOMATIC; 1) CAR IS HAVING SEVERE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. RPMS INCREASE BUT CAR WILL NOT MOVE AND THEN IT VIOLENTLY SHIFTS INTO GEAR AND THEN STALLS AGAIN ON TAKE OFF BECAUSE IT WILL NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE. THIS PROBLEM BEGAN OCCURRING RECENTLY AT 118,000 MILES. CAR IS A ONE OWNER AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH ALL MAINTENANCE CONDUCTED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. CAR C... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2010
MY 2005 XTERRA WITH 82K MILES STARTED VIBRATING BADLY WHEN ACCELERATING OVER 50MPH. IT FELT LIKE I WAS DRIVING OVER RUMBLE STRIPS. I CALLED NISSAN ASSIST ON 12/29/2010 AND WAS TOLD MY RADIATOR HAD FAILED, LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND TOTALLY DESTROYED IT. MY ONLY OPTION WAS A $4600 REPLACEMENT OF THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. THE NISSAN ASSIST GUY THEN TOLD ME THAT NISSAN KNEW ABOUT THE PROBL... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML500
(2006) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 30, 2010
Incident date: Dec 24, 2010
2006 ML500 WAS PURCHASED IN JUNE, 2010 AS A CPO, ONE WEEK AFTER PURCHASE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LURCH FORWARD WHILE COMPLETELY STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. THE NEXT DAY VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES SERVICE AND MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. WAS TOLD FLUSHING TRANSMISSION WAS ANSWER, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUED FOR MONTHS. VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO STICK IN NEUTRAL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT TO DRIVE OR R... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2010
ON MY 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, THE TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SLIPS, THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR WITH SUCH FORCE THAT THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD, AND FEELS LIKE YOU ARE BEING REAR-ENDED. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING, HOWEVER HYUNDAI HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR SAME, AND THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. *TR
Incident date: Aug 15, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD FOCUS. WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED IT BEGAN TO SHAKE. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE STOPPED. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH LATER A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN ILLUMINATING ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WAS MISFIRING. THE CONTACT WAS LATER TOLD THAT THE FAILURE WAS WITHIN THE TRANSMIS... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD EXPLORER XLT. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO REVERSE GEAR THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR TO FIVE MINUTES. THE VEHICLE ALSO MADE A LOUD NOISE AND THEN MOVED IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN TO THE DEALER IN 2007 AND THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED PER THE WARRANTY. THE DEALER WANTED TO REPLACE THE SOLENOID A SECOND TIME FOR $1000 AT THE OWNE... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2010
I HAVE A 2010 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, GLS. WHILE DRIVING IT, THE TRANSMISSION BROKE. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER, AND PULL OVER. IT DID NOT MOVE AT ALL. IT JUST HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS OR PREVIOUS PROBLEMS, NOISES, ETC. IT HAS 21,082 MILES / 7MONTHS OF USE. *TR
Incident date: Dec 17, 2010
2005 FORD FREESTAR - 2ND TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IN MARCH 2009 THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON OUR 2005 FREESTAR. NO WARNING, LIKE ALL OTHERS WITH PROBLEMS, IT WAS LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL & WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. SERVICE TECH INFORMED US THAT 2005 FREESTARS HAVE TRANSMISSION ISSUES/TORQUE PROBLEMS. OUR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, & WE HAD TO PAY $3200 FOR NEW TRANSMISSION. COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH NHTSA. TH... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2010
TRANSMISSION BEGIN SLIPPING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD UNDER HARD ACCELERATION, AS IS TYPICAL FOR THIS YEAR ACCORD, INDICATING EMINENT TRANNY FAILURE. TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA DEALERSHIP AND ASKED FOR A GOODWILL REPAIR AFTER HEARING THE COST OF TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ($3700). HONDA OFFERED TO COVER 75% OF THE COST, WHICH I ACCEPTED. *TR
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 30, 2010
Incident date: Jan 15, 2010
CAR: 2007 FORD 500 LIMITED. MOVING SHIFT LEVER FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR TO DRIVE, AFTER ABOUT 1 SECOND THE CAR "LURCHES" FORWARD OR BACKWARD. I KEEP THE BRAKE LOCKED DOWN WHEN CHANGING GEARS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS UNTIL IM SURE IT WONT JUMP BUT I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO DO IT. THIS IS DANGEROUS. WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED HAPPENING, I ALMOST RAN OVER SOMEONE. I HOPE YOU CAN IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND LET ME KN... Read more
JEEP
COMMANDER 4X4
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 30, 2010
Incident date: Sep 25, 2010
WE HAVE A 2007 JEEP/COMMANDER SPORT THATS REALLY SOMEWHAT A PROBLE SINCE WE BOUGHT IT (USED) AND ITS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE GETTING IT. IT HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH LURCHING FORWARD WHILE IN PARK/DRIVE AND WHILE YOU'RE PRESSING THE BRAKES AT A STOP. IT DID IT AT THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL THEY DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. WE'VE REPLACED INNER PARTS TO THE TRANSMISSION THAT CHRYSLER REFUSED TO COVER UNDER THE ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 NISSAN XTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR. WHENEVER THE FAILURE OCCURRED IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE IN THE SAME GEAR AS SHOWN ON THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED, BUT THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA RECALL CAM... Read more
JEEP
COMMANDER 4X4
(2007) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 30, 2010
Incident date: Jul 20, 2010
AT INTERMITTENT TIMES THE VEHICLE WOULD DELAY UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AND NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. IT WAS TAKEN TO BE SERVICED AFTER THE TRANSMISSION REVERTED TO "SAFE MODE" WHILE DRIVING. DEALER RESET THE SYSTEM. ACCELERATION AND SHIFTING PROBLEMS CONTINUED UNTIL "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT ILLUMINATED TOGETHER WITH THE "SERVICE PARKING ASSIST SYSTEM" MESSAGE. WERE INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE A... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2010
PREMATURE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE...IT FELL APART AND TORE UP THE TRANSMISSION. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THAT HAPPENING ON A CA FREEWAY CAN BE POTENTIALLY DEADLY. IT'S A KNOWN DEFECT IN THE CARS. MY DAUGHTER WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT STARTED TO SLIP AND BANG, FORTUNATELY THE WERE ABLE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY BEFORE IT GOT WORSE. *TR
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2006) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 30, 2010
Incident date: Nov 2, 2010
THERE ARE ACKNOWLEDGED TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN THE 2003-2008 VW JETTAS. THEY HARD SHIFT FROM 1/2 AND 2/3. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO BE UNPREDICTABLE DURING ACCELERATION, ESPECIALLY DURING MERGING WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. VW SENT NOTICES OF "WARRANTY EXTENSIONS" TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT COVER A MAJORITY OF EFFECTED VEHICLES. 2003'S WOULD ALREADY BE OVER 7 YEARS OLD... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2010
MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION FAILED. I WAS TRAVELING ON AN ON RAMP. WHEN THE O/D LIGHT STARTED TO FLICKER AND THERE WAS A SUDDEN POWERFUL JERK. IT WAS SIMILAR TO GETTING REAR ENDED. THE FAILURE OCCURS ABOVE 35 MPH. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE SUDDEN UNCONTROLLABLE JERKS. IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE FAILURE THE TRANSMISSION MUST BE REBUILT FOR A VEHICLE UNDER 80,000 MILES. *TR
Incident date: Jul 28, 2007
WHEN STOPPED SUDDENLY THE CAR WILL REMAIN IDLE FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS BEFORE IT WILL KICK BACK INTO GEAR. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, CAR WILL ROLL BACKWARDS IN DRIVE. IF YOU TRY TO PRESS THE GAS TO FORCE THE CAR TO MOVE IT WILL STALL COMPLETELY. CAR HAS BEEN DOING IT SINCE 2007. FORD DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. CAR CURRENTLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. ALSO GAS, TEMP AND SPEEDOMETER GAU... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2010
2007 DODGE RAM 1500 4X4. TRANSFER CASE PARTIALLY LOCKS IN CAUSING RIGHT FRONT TIRE TO LOCK UP. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE DOES NOT ENGAGE FULLY. THIS CAN BE CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC TRANSFER CASE MOTOR. THIS WAS OBSERVED AT A SPEED OF 30 MILES PER HOUR AND LOWER. HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ON INTERNET ABOUT THIS FAILURE. HAVE ONLY 52000 MILES ON VEHICLE AND FOUR WHEEL DRIVE RARELY USED. VEHICLE BECOMES UNDR... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2010
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING MY 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY AROUND THE PERIMETER OF OUR LOCAL MALL. SUDDENLY THE VAN SLOWED, AND SHE NOTICED THE TACHOMETER SHOWED THE RPMS INCREASING AS THE PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. THE VAN STOPPED DEAD. SHE HAD TO CALL ME TO PUSH THE VAN INTO A PARKING SPACE UNTIL WE COULD HAVE IT TOWED THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE A HANDICAP... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2010
*PLEASE NOTE...THE INCIDENT DATE IS APPROXIMATE. WE HAVE A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT SEDAN THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE RECALL FOR THE POWER STEERING MOTOR INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. WE HAD NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING PRIOR TO THE RECALL BEING PERFORMED. AFTER THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED, WE BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WITH INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE - PLUS ADDITIONAL FAILURES. ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
CC
(2010) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 29, 2010
Incident date: Sep 1, 2010
MECHATRONIC UNIT MALFUNCTION AFTER 6000MI-CAR MOVES FORWARD BUT NOT BACKWARD; HARSH AND JUMPING STOP AND GO; RATTLES OR SPARK-LIKE NOISE INSIDE FRONT PANEL AND GETTING WORSE WHEN ROAD IS ROUGH. *TR
Incident date: Dec 25, 2010
I HAVE A 2003 ACURA MDX WITH 108K MILES AS OF DEC 29, 2010. TWO YEARS AGO AROUND 80K MILES, WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR KID, SUDDENLY THE ENGINE LOST POWER ON HIGHWAY 95. SHE HAD TO REV UP TO 6000 RPM TO KEEP THE SPEED AT 30 MPH. ACURA DEALER CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION AND SAID THEY FOUND METALLIC PARTICLES IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND THE FLUID WAS CHARRED. THEY ALSO SAID GEAR ... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2006) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 29, 2010
Incident date: Nov 23, 2010
STARTING SINCE FEBRUARY 2010. MY CAR LUNGES FORWARD WHENEVER AT A DEAD STOP. WHEN SHIFTING TO DRIVE AND REVERSE. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE MY FOOT ON BRAKE AND EVEN ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHILE PARKING AND HIT THE WALL. WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND FIRST THEY SAID IT WAS MY ENGINE MOUNT THAT WAS CAUSING IT. THEN WENT AGAIN BECAUSE THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY. THEN THEY CLAIM... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS RX300. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND WOULD NOT MOVE IN REVERSE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE ALTHOUGH THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE FOLLOWED THE GUIDELINES ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MEC... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV. THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP. WHILE SHIFTED IN DRIVE, THE VEHICLE MOVED IN REVERSE AND VICE VERSA. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FA... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2002) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 29, 2010
Incident date: Dec 15, 2010
ACCORDING TO CARFAX REPORT, MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN REGULAR. I MAINTAINED CAR APPROPRIATELY. ALL OF SUDDEN MAJOR SPORADIC SHIFTING ISSUES BEGAN OCCURRING AROUND 140,000K WITH 3RD GEAR CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK AND LOSE POWER EACH TIME IT ATTEMPTS 3RD GEAR. THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH ME AT NUMEROUS STOP LIGHTS IN CITY CAUSING TRAFFIC BEHIND ME TO SLAM ON BRAKES TO AVOID A COLLISION. *TR
Incident date: Dec 24, 2010
2004 FREESTAR- TRAVELING DOWN ROAD WHEN CAR'S ENGINE JUST STARTED REVVING AND CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR BACKWARDS- HAD TO CALL TOW TRUCK TO TOW US TO SHOP. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN WORSE IF WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY, OR IN BAD WEATHER- AS MY HUSBAND IS DISABLED UNABLE TO WALK VERY WELL!!! CAR DID NOT HAVE ALOT OF MILEAGE FOR THIS TO HAVE HAPPENED- VERY DISAPPOINTED WILL COST US OVER $2000... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
EOS
(2008) — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Dec 29, 2010
Incident date: May 31, 2008
I HAVE HAD A 2008 EOS FOR LESS THAN 3 YEARS. I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AFTER 4 MONTHS, IT HAS HAD SEVERAL REPAIRS INCLUDING ELECTRICAL SEAT NOT WORKING PROPERLY, LEAKS IN WINDOW, CHEAP MATERIALS FALLING OFF NEEDING REPLACEMENT, BRAKES NEEDING SOONER THAN MOST CARS (BRAKES ARE VERY LONG,TAKES FOREVER TO COME TO STOP). AT ABOUT 1YR I STARTED HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH HOW IT DROVE. IT ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2002
WE PURCHASED A USED 2002 EXPLORER LTD. IN JULY 2010. THE CAR HAD 62,500 MILES ON IT AND LOOKED TO BE IN GREAT SHAPE. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD ALL THE SERVICE PAPERS AND WE CHECKED CARFAX AND WE SAW NO REASON NOT TO PURCHASE THE CAR. WE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED CARCOMPLAINTS.COM THOUGH. AS I WRITE THIS, THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED. ACCORDING TO WHAT I READ ON THE INTERNET THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM... Read more