Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 78,884 complaints - component: SERVICE BRAKES
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
Driving down busy highway and suddenly had no brakes!!! No lights came on dashboard as a warning. Found out it was a braking pump that broke and shot metal pieces into the engine. Now im facing a new engine for a 2020 terrain!!
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
Emergency brake engaged while driving in reverse causing the vehicle to abruptly stop 3 times leaving the driveway. This continues to occur as we left the house moving forward decelerating the vehicle. My [XXX] infants were in the vehicle causing them to scream, and this defect could have easily caused a crash. I no longer feel safe driving the suv. We proceed to call the dealership we purchased ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
I experienced a partial brake failure as I was attempting to leave a shopping center parking lot. The traffic light was red and there were no cars in front of me. I was traveling at approximately 10-15 mph. As I approached the light, I applied the brakes. The car started to shutter and the car kept moving forward. It’s as if the brakes were being applied off and on rapidly. The car kept moving f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
This issue happened 3 times in a matter of 2 months. All 3 happened in 3 different intersections. While turning left in the intersection (oncoming traffic also turning left) the vehicle jerks to a full stop in the middle of the intersection with a "Crash Detected" message flashing on the dashboard screen. The vehicle stayed in DRIVE and continued to drive after full stop the first 2 incidents. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned: Electronic/ABS-Anti-Lock Braking System, and is it available for inspection upon request? YES. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When the light comes on, brakes shake and when on a wet/slippery surface, pushing down on brake pedal, feels like there's no brakes and it's hitting metal. There's been a recall for other 2017-2018 ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
So I bought this Cadillac Escalade V 2023 with about 26k miles on it and I only had the vehicle for about 13 days and I got a light on my dash board and I had a mechanic check this for me and he told me that the whole entire break system was failing and needed to be replaced so I then took it back to the dealership I bought it from and they told me they had no idea since it was a certified pre own... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID. BUZZ
(2025) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 9, 2025
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
Master cylinder needing replaced confirmed by dealer. ABS. Traction control forward emergency braking system service lights appear on dash and the systems are disabled saying service soon. Adaptive cruise control disabled super cruise disabled.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
I've been dealing with an ongoing issue with my ABS kicking in when slowing down and driving over a bumpy surface since I purchased my car. I first reported this issue to Hyundai dealership and Hyundai Corporate Customer Care in July 2024.(As well as the NHTSA) At that time I had experienced this issue around 5 times. Since then, up to the present, I experience this issue on a regular basis and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
Hybrid system failure alert (red wrench)– the vehicle has shut down while driving, including on highways. When the light goes on – it has braked on its own without me touching the pedal. DCI- is the code the dealership says is coming up No fix for it
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
All warning lights and audible alarms started going off at the same time. EPS, ABS, Auto Hold, Collision warning, Air bags, All wheel drive, brake system, and more.1st time it happened was [XXX], while driving. The car was drivable but I did notice a difference in braking and acceleration. I parked and turned off the car. I did turn the car back on several times and the alarms continued. I finally... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 9, 2025
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
When going over a bump/rough pavement at a slow speed and applying the brakes, there is a loud grinding noise and vibration on the brake pedal. The vehicle does not brake as fast as normal. This leads to extended braking distance. This has happened three times to us and haven’t been able to recreate. We are taking it in to the dealership to be evaluated.
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 9, 2025
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
All major braking and safety systems have failed, including the parking brake, 4-wheel drive, cruise and adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, blind spot monitoring, and parking collision alerts. These failures occurred at the same time, and we believe there may be additional issues not yet identified. Our local dealership (Barry Sanders Supercenter, Stillwater, OK) attempted multiple ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
The salespeople are very unprofessional and don’t take the wellbeing and safety of their customers or the surrounding public seriously. My husband and I went to Stark to test drive a couple of their cars. The first car that we test drove the Honda Civic should have been properly repaired first before ever being placed on the lot. To even get the parking brake lowered, my husband had to disassemb... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
Master cylinder went out with only 5400 miles
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
2010 FORD F150 ONLY OWNER - Brake Calipers and break line failed. Took it into Ford Dealership and they were unable to provide a diagnosis. Truck still shakes when in idle. All maintenance and needed care for the truck has been maintained. Repair cost over $4k to repair for 6 months in with the issue. Camera does not work and has not since 2014. Heated seats stopped working and burned out i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
Date: [XXX] Time: 12:00 PM Location: [XXX] (heading toward [XXX] ). - Turned left into the second entrance to the parking lot between [XXX] and [XXX]. My Vehicle: 2024 Hyundai Palisade Night Edition Incident Summary While entering the parking lot, the vehicle in front of me braked. When I attempted to brake (approx. 10 mph), my vehicle: - Began pulsing/jerking, consistent with ABS engaging. No ma... Read more
Crash
TOYOTA
RAV4 PRIME
(2021) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 9, 2025
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
my 2018 MAZDA CX-9 safety issue SCBS / SBS, LAS / LDWS, MASTER AND/OR HBC WARNING LIGHTS Forward sensing camera (FSC) stops functioning cause my car run rough even depress accelration and those light came on dashbaord -Forworad smart city brake support malfunction -smart brake system -front camera sensor malfunction
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The car has a grinding sound and a brake slipping feeling that occurs while traveling and braking over rough pavement. It does not happen consistently, but it does happen fairly regularly (every 2-4 weeks). Note, the grinding sound can range from subtle to quite loud, depending on bump/timing of braking. This has been happening since I purchased the car and continues to happen, which is why I put ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
The vehicle intermittently thinks it is about to be involved with a collision. It illuminates the brake warning lights and slams on the brakes on its own and brings the car to a complete stop. We almost got rear ended by a semi truck the first time this happened and we were on a highway. Traffic had to take evasive action to prevent an accident. Honda is aware of this issue and admits their is a p... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
Test DSC hydronic unit. Drive carefully! Take to your nearest dealer! Brake booster malfunction on recall but my vin number doesn’t show up on recall
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
To:BMW of North America, LLC Customer Relations & Services P.O. Box 1227 Westwood, NJ 07675 Subject: Request for Compensation Due to Prolonged Safety Recall – 2025 BMW X7 (VIN: [XXX] ) Dear BMW Customer Relations, I am writing to formally raise my concern regarding my 2025 BMW X7, which has been subject to an open safety recall since August 2024. It has now been over 13 months without a remedy f... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
I am experiencing ABS issues on my truck. After visiting a local auto parts store to get an OBD scan, the code says it’s a bad ABS module. I called the dealership to share this information and they confirmed the code from the auto parts store is a bad ABS module. They said “oh no, you got that code huh? You’re not the only one.” The reason for my visit was because three lights were illumin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2025
While trying to accelerate the car loses power. This has happened many times. The Honda dealership has said the system is on back order and they will call me when it’s available. It’s been months. The “jerks”a few times then the check engine light comes on then the car loses power. The dashboard lights are brake system, emission system, electric power steering, hill assist and ACC system p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
on [XXX], I was trying to park under the shade of a tree when the vehicle suddenly surged forward, ran through the back of a big concrete dumpster retaining wall, pushed the dumpster at least 3 to 4 feet forward. It all happened so fast, I was left puzzled about why the brake failed and caused the accident and property damage. Luckily there was no personal injury to me nor anyone else, my car vi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 7, 2025
Brakes failed with unintened acceleration. We were stopped behind a truck at a stoplight when the the vehicle accelerated with a foot on the brake. We had it towed from the scene of the accident to our local dealership for testing. They had the vehicle for 4 weeks. Kia customer care was not responsive to our calls and emails or the dealerships. The dealership could not confirm the cause without th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
Yesterday again my 2024 I7 x50 bmw suddenly engaged its auto brakes. I have been in communication with different dealers trying to repair this problem as it almost cause another accident. Luckily there was no cars behind me and there was no cars ahead of me. The cars door also would not close. I have video evidence of this
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
On multiple instances at speeds varying for 5mph to 25mph while braking on uneven roads, the ABS system kicked on. The brakes were vibrating and the brake pedal was stiff causing increased brake time. On one occasion it nearly caused a car crash.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2025
Truck has been at Ford dealership since July 9th for this recall. After updating the computer as mentioned in the recall, a “trailer brake fault” was displayed and we were left with no trailer brakes while towing our camper. It has beyond a “reasonable amount of time” to get this safety issue fixed. Compaign recall number: 25S15/25V132
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2019) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING ASSIST REDUCED. My spouse was driving our 2023 MDX approximately 45mph when she ran over a recessed manhole cover which created a bump. The MDX lossed power steering and brake performance reduced. The vehicle was very difficult to turn at that point. The car began to cycle through errors that would not clear until the car's engine could be stopped and restarted: ... Read more
LINCOLN
CORSAIR PHEV
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
I went to stop at an intersection, and the car started vibrating, the antilock blocks engaged, but it would not slow the car down, depressing the brakes further would not cause the car to slow down, and I had to swerve off the road to keep from hitting the car in front of me. The power steering seem to be affected because the steering wheel was vibrating, and it was hard to steer it off the road ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
I am writing to formally report an issue with my vehicle involving a persistent parking brake malfunction. The yellow parking brake indicator light remains on and will not reset. After researching the issue, I’ve found that this is a common problem among other vehicle owners of the same make and model. The malfunction appears to be related either to a faulty sensor or the entire parking brake m... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: Sep 7, 2025
PASSENGER SIDE REAR BRAKE CALIPER FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKE TO SCRAPE INTO THE ROTOR. THE EMERGANCY BRAKE REMAINED IN THE LOCK POSTION WHEN THE CALIPER FAILED. LOCKING THE CALIPER IN THE UP POSITION AND RELEASING BRAKE FLUID. DRIVER SIDE BRAKES, CALIPER, AND ROTOR COMPLETLY INTACT AND DOES NOT NEED REPLACING.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: May 8, 2025
I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, IT TURNED GREEN AND I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE FORWARD THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED BRINING THE CAR TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. MY PASSENGER AND I WERE THRUST FORWARD INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND DASHBOARD RESPECTIVELY. THE CAR BEHIND ME HIT ME. BOTH CARS SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THERE WAS NOTHING IN ... Read more
Crash
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
This truck has had 4 different rubber brake lines fail in the last 3 years. Both lines at the master cylinder, one at the left front wheel and one in the rear.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: May 20, 2024
On rare occasions (about once every 500 miles), when uniformly applying force to the brake pedal, the deceleration suddenly ceases and the vehicle seems to jerk forward. To a passenger, it feels like the driver's foot slipped off the brake pedal, but the driver continued to provide the same uniform force to the brake pedal and lost all deceleration. Typically, the driver is startled and presses... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
I was driving my car on the highway doing 65 mph when all of a sudden my car started rapidly jerking losing the power to accelerate and entering “limp mode“ there was multiple cars behind me when my car lost the power to accelerate. I was in the far left lane and couldn’t even go higher than 7 miles an hour and had to cross across three lanes at 7 mph on a 65mph highway to pull over. I had m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
The contact owned a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, down a steep boat ramp with the boat and boat trailer attached, the braking system suddenly malfunctioned, causing the boat, boat trailer, and the vehicle to go into the water. The contact had to climb out of the front driver's window and swim to safety. The contact also sustained a minor knee injury that did not ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
On [XXX] when leaving a shopping center parking lot, the brake system suddenly failed. I was able to press hard on the foot brake to stop the vehicle near the middle of the intersection. I pulled over to a parking space and replicated the issue. The car was towed to West 40 Auto Care on 284 Montvue Lane in Frederick, MD. Today, they told me they could not fix the issue. I made an appointment... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
The ABS module on my vehicle is faulty. Jeep is no longer manufacturing the part needed for repair. My vehicle is drivable but no longer has ABS. This is affecting a very large number of Jeep wranglers and stallantis / Jeep refuses to make a replacement part available or issue a recall.
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
The Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is severely malfunctioning. When driving on stone roads, gravel, or uneven terrain, the brakes either fail to engage properly, over-react, or cause sudden grinding and shaking. This results in an unpredictable stopping distance. The issue creates an immediate risk of collision, particularly when braking on gravel, uneven surfaces, or potentially snow and ice. The... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 8, 2025
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
While driving the vehicle the shifter link bushing detached from the cable and came off the transmission causing the shifter to start floating and I lost all control of the shifter so I could not take my car out of the gear it got stuck in
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
This is the third complaint I have filed. Now the steering is stiff and makes noise. A mechanic advised that the issue is the ABS module. Dealers still say the ABS module is still unavailable. NHTSA needs to order a recall based on uncertain dependability of steering. Owners are presuming that trucks with faulty modules are safe to operate until NHTSB orders a recall.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 7, 2025
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
The vehicle presented multiple malfunctions in the high-voltage electrical system, braking system, and charging system. Errors included: high voltage electrical system malfunction, failure to shift gears (stuck in Drive), inaccurate battery level reporting, brake system malfunction, and air conditioning failure. The vehicle lost braking capability and acceleration while in motion, representing an... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
The brake booster assembly has developed a leak in the pressure accumulator resulting in constant actuation to keep the pressure sufficient. Complete failure is impending with a C1391 code and loss of power brakes. Toyota has offered a CSP to address this issue but only for a very limited time and at the time of creation of said TSP only covered model years up to 10 years old. 2011-2013 CT200h m... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 7, 2025
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The ABS system in my 2024 Hyundai Palisade Limited engaged abnormally while making a slow turn. I was going about <10mph when my Palisade started to shake violently and I could not brake nor control the vehicle. I had two other passengers and if I was unable to gain control I would have jumped a curb and possibly rolled over since I was in a turn. I have not reported this nor spoken to a dealershi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 7, 2025
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
When going around town or on the highway the steering wheel will start shaking badly and when going to break even after the breaks have been changed the parking break will not stay on and the steering wheel will start shaking horribly to the point where your might crash your car I have had the car looked at multiple times by different manufacturers dealerships and auto shops and they all say to Ch... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
vehicle rear brake lines are corroded and leaking, while no corrosion was observed on surrounding parts
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
I purchased the car on [XXX]. Drove the car about 8000 miles and then all of a sudden the dash lights all lit up for the brakes, ABS, traction control. I pulled the car over and turned it off. When I restarted my car, the lights continued to stay on and it told me to service immediately. I called my dealer and they could not get me in within 2 weeks so I took it to another local GMC dealer who cou... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
UNKNOWN. I THINK THE ABS MODULE LIGHT APPEARED INSTANTLY ON THE DASHBOARD. IT'S THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES THAT AREN'T WORKING. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED MY HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP WHEN I SAW A BRAKE LIGHT COME UP ON MY DASHBOARD WHEN I WENT TO BRAKE BUT I HAD NONE AND THE BRAKES WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND I ALMOST WENT OVER A CLIFF AND DIED OR BADLY HURT OTHERS OR MYSELF IN A CAR ACCIDENT. I'M WILLING ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
When going over roads with small bumps that are spread a few feet apart, pressing the brakes unexpectedly engages the ABS. This causes the braking distance to increase drastically and also requires the brake pedal to be pressed with excessive pressure to even stop. This happens consistently and has nearly caused us to rear end the vehicle in front of us.