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: Jun 5, 2025
I purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra SR (VIN: [XXX] ) as a certified pre-owned vehicle from Star Nissan in Bayside, NY on [XXX]. Since the day of purchase, I have experienced repeated failures when trying to start the vehicle using the push-button ignition. Specifically, when pressing the brake pedal to start the car, nothing happens — the brake does not register, and the engine will not start. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
Hi I recently brought my car in for recall repairs involving the ABS fuse and brake pedal stopper. Right after the service, my traction control light came on, and the car struggled to move forward. I took it to a mechanic who said the front brakes were locked. When I brought it back to your service center, I was told the hydraulic calipers were bad and that the brake pads and rotors were rubbin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
While driving on the interstate I went to slow down to merge and my brakes failed. The following warning lights came on: Master Warning Light (yellow), Brake System Warning Light, Brake System warning light (red), ABS Warning Light, and the Slip Indicator light. My vehicle was towed to a Toyota Dealership and after running a diagnostic test, they confirmed that it was the "Break booster with acc... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2018) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 23, 2025
Incident date: May 19, 2025
My wrangler's brakes locked up repeatedly and I took it to the dealer. They said that it needs a new ABS module but that part is not made anymore. This is a safety issue and I now have a car that I can't sell, can't fix, and can't drive. My wife almost got into an accident.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
To Whom It May Concern, I am filing a complaint against Volvo Car USA for unresolved defects in my 2023 Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge, purchased in Indiana. The vehicle’s control systems—infotainment, climate control, navigation, backup camera, and reverse braking—are defective, impairing its use, value, and safety, despite maintenance and updates. Study and searches on owner forums and social med... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
For the second time in a year, I was pulling into a parking space and when I applied the brake, the car accelerated, seemed to be airborne and lurched forward. Though I firmly had my foot on the break, it would not stop until it hit a brick post about three feet away. This exact same scenario happened in July of last year. Then, I hit a stand of shrubs. Someone said, your foot must have slipped... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 28, 2025
After a recall on the emergency braking system was resolved, we’ve had frequent occurrences where the rear cross traffic alert system will report traffic that does not exist. The vehicle will then stop abruptly. Once this happens, the emergency brake doesn’t always completely disengage. This almost always happens in parking lots and can increase the likelihood of accidents. I’ve taken it ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
In January 2025, the “Check ABS” warning light illuminated in my 2016 RAM 1500 Laramie. I promptly brought the vehicle to the dealership where it was purchased. Upon inspection, I was informed that the required part for repairs was on back order. I was assured that I would receive an update from the dealership in March 2025 regarding the status of the part, but I did not receive any communicat... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
I was notified about a recall (NHTSA 24V-896) with the HCU being susceptible to failure around 1-15-2025. They have yet to fix the problem. They claim they are still working on a fix. I had the original replaced at 7336 miles and now the second unit is sending "check ABS system" lights. It has been 6 months of "chimes and warning lights" and they still claim they do not have a fix yet. Are they ev... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 23, 2025
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
ABS control module failure. The part is discontinued and no longer available. This makes my vehicle unsafe to drive for myself and others on the road. Thus, being unsafe to drive makes he vehicle useless!
Incident date: May 21, 2025
January of 2025 the vehicle was put in drive and the vehicle shut down. "Power steering low egine stopped" message appeared. I Put the vehicle in park and started the car back up. I took it to the dealership. The battery was low they charged it and released it back. The vehicle was brought back shortly after that due to the vehicle being put in park and shutting down displaying the same "low power... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
I am filing this complaint regarding an unresolved safety recall for the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) on my 2017 Dodge Ram 3500, VIN ending in [XXX] , under Recall Number C4B/NHTSA 24V-896. We received the recall notification months ago and have been waiting ever since for further instructions or a remedy from FCA US LLC. After more than six months, we still have no resolution. Recently, the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2025
I took my 2022 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 in for an oil change and a state inspection. The shop discovered that my left rear axle seal was leaking all over the brakes and rotors. As a result, it failed the inspection, and I had to spend $1,600 to get it repaired. The mechanic mentioned that it's unusual to see this issue on a 2022 model with only 27,000 miles. I figured I should report it, as it might... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
Several warning lights, which included: ABS failure, Parking Assist Failure, Lane Avoidance Failure, Traction Control Failure, as well as having steering difficulty. ( mileage 24500 ). The problem was found by dealer to be an eletrical connector underneath the vehicle at the mid point, with their belief that it was corrosion, which I believe to be a defective component and design. I contacted For... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was started, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the right front wheel activated, and the ABS activated while making a hard right turn. The contact was not depressing the brake pedal during the failure. In addition, the contact wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2025
Driving at abut 10 mph, my brakes did not respond to pedal pressure... I had to stomp very hard on the brake pedal to have any slow down effect.... various warning messages flashed across the dashboard (see attached files)... After stopping, I turned off the car and turned it back on, the problem continued to exist..... then, after about 1 hour, I tried again and all systems were working fine. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2024
Incident Summary: While relocating from northern to southern Alabama, I experienced a sudden and concerning failure in the vehicle’s braking system. While driving, multiple dashboard warning indicators were triggered simultaneously, including: •Brake warning light •ABS light •VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) light •Additional system fault alerts This happened unexpectedly and severely im... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I own a 2022 Volkswagen Taos with about 45,000 miles. I have had to replace the rear brake pads and rotors THREE TIMES already within this mileage, which is extremely unusual. During the third replacement, a local independent shop discovered that the rear brake caliper was leaking brake fluid, so the caliper also had to be replaced along with the pads and rotors once again. The service shop dispo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2025
Electronic power steering has completely stopped all at once. 102000 miles on the truck. It’s also had an issue with the abs brake system.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
Vehicle shaking very badly when braking. Then “Service Brake Monitor” message displays. Took it to a Chevy dealership who said my rotors were warped. Turns out many people are complaining about it on Reddit. I purchased vehicle with less than 20k miles on it and it was a Chevy certified used vehicle. I don’t feel safe driving it and Chevy will not foot the bill. This could potentially be dan... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
I purchased a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee on [XXX] unaware that the vehicle was subject to a federal safety recall and stop-sale order. The recall (NHTSA 24V-838 / Manufacturer 94B) was issued on November 7, 2024, for a defect in the ABS control module that may disable the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and cause unintended vehicle movement even while stationary. ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 580
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 22, 2025
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
C1391 - Abnormal Leak in Accumulator
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 580
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 22, 2025
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
When going down hill while braking, the brakes will release causing the car to lurch forward and then they grab again. It’s intermittent and Toyota has a TSB on it but the dealership with not fix it because they can’t duplicate the problem. It can cause people to take their foot off and of the brake pedal and trying to apply it again. Which can cause someone to rear end another car.
Incident date: May 15, 2025
Emergency braking system and violent seat belt retraction activated in error with no other vehicle in front of on my car . As I have vertigo and a pacemaker the seat belt retraction snapped my head forward in tightening my body but not my head resulting in severe head movement causing extreme dizziness. Also the rapid seat belt retraction place strong pressure on my pacemaker
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The tail light on the drivers rear has condensation. Therefore, my brake lights flicker. When putting the parking lights/headlights on, the power to the gas pedal is cut. RPMs go down and the car simply does not have power to accelerate.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
I applied the brakes and pulled up to a light and as soon as my car came to a complete stop all of the lights just started going off. The light turned green and I couldn’t accelerate anymore and almost got rear ended. I tried turning the car off but it didn’t turn off. Instead, it just made a clicking sound and I was able to accelerate and pull into a parking lot and I was able to turn it off ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
A. The Emergency Brake system, The Anti-Collision Sensor, The vibrating Driver's seat Alert, The dashboard Collision Alert lightening......All of these gave no alert prior to the collision. B.The failure of the safety devices prevented from me from avoiding a collision that was cause by the other driver (Police report available for your peruse) C. They inspected and denied any liability for any fa... Read more
Crash
1 injured
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 22, 2025
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
There’s an issue with the anti-lock braking system when you drive over a bumpy surface like large gravel that causes the anti-lock system to kick in and apply pulsed braking resulting in the car having dangerously long stopping distances. I’ve had this occur twice. The first time was going downhill on a driveway with large gravel. I tried to apply the brakes to sow down, the anti-lock braking ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
Brake failure referenced in case # 11667897. See attached photos for reference to affected areas.
TOYOTA
LAND CRUISER HYBRID
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
Braking on rough road before cross street engaged what felt like anti-lock. Brake pedal vibrated under foot, went all the way to the floor and car failed to stop as expected. Has to release brake completely and reengage to stop. Was quick enough to do do before moving into oncoming traffic.
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
Failure of brake pump and brake cylinder assembly system, resulting in reduced braking ability and stiff brake pedal. Per Toyota's diagnostic: trouble code C1391 is present, abnormal leak in accumulator, replaced brake ABS actuator assembly, along with brake master cylinder, and bleed the brake hydraulic system. No warning lamps or safety indicators prior to failure. Upon failure (while on freeway... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
1 forward collision unexpectedly slammed on the brakes when I was trying to go forward to make a left turn. There was no one in front of me nor each side of me. I had 2x4’s in my car that were thrusted forward damaging my dashboard and display. I was told to take it to the dealership on Monday 2 I was fine just hooked up, but the driver was pissed off at me thinking I was stopping short on him... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
Car simply started for me after work this past Thursday @4 pm I dove down the street and for about 5 mins and had to turn around due to me leaving something at work. When I arrived back at work I parked and cut my car off as I normally do and when I returned to start it back up it never did. I have previously been having to add 5 quarts of oil frequently at least once or twice a month for the pa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
I was in stop and go traffic on a side road. I was traveling about 5-15 mph on an uneven road surface. The traffic stopped in front of me and I applied my brakes. I heard the grinding sound of the anti-lock brakes but my car did not stop. My foot was to the ground on the brake and it didn’t even slow down. I ended up hitting the car in front of me. This has happened before but I never hit anythi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
ABS system alarms appeared June 2023, dealership says it is abs controller and needs to be replaced. There were none available. I have checked back periodically for last two years and they still have no clue when they will have parts available. The dealer has told me to continue driving the truck.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
When braking on an off ramp, the vehicle began to shudder. The steering wheel and brake pedal were shuddering as well. The vehicle came to slower stop than usual almost causing us to rear end the vehicle in front of us. This has happened prior on uneven roads when slowing/coming to a stop. The dealership does not have an answer and couldn’t reproduce it
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
When I have gone to slow down and try to stop, the vehicle has slide forward a fee times. I thought it was a little weird, but didn't think to much of it. After a while, my transmission started acting up as well. I will be driving down the road about 50-60mph and it will shift to 4th gear and not come out of 4th gear until stopped and shut off and restarted. I recently heard about the recall wh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The car just keep doing weird stuff with the lights. It want go off all the time the key went work the cv joints are popping. Have to trigger the battery sometimes to start up
Incident date: Jun 17, 2025
Rear brake pads and rotors failed prematurely at 17,000 miles and again at 34,981 miles. Both times the brakes wore down to metal-on-metal with no dashboard warning light. The front brakes remain nearly new, suggesting an issue with brake balance or failure of the front braking system. First repair was performed under warranty, but second failure occurred outside VW's 24k rear brake warranty limit... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
Front brake calipers get hot and started smoking. During simple highway travel No hard bracing and cruise control set. I’m not sure if the issue is with the two front calipers themselves or with the master cylinder or some other components that would cause both front brake calipers do this at the same time!
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
While driving northbound on [XXX] between the [XXX] exit and [XXX] exit, I turned my cruise control on and set it at 70 mph shortly after setting the cruise control I put on the brakes to slow down and instead of slowing down and turning the cruise control off it started accelerating real fast and shot up to 90 mph. I kept hitting. the brakes trying to slow down and all that did was make it accel... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
My 2025 BMW X5e was repaired under recall 24V‑104 for the integrated brake system. Before this recall, the vehicle did NOT have any braking hesitation or drag issues. After the recall repair was done (replacement and reprogramming), the vehicle now shows hesitation to move forward after releasing the brake pedal from a complete stop, as if the brakes are still dragging. This creates a safety con... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The forward collision warming sign just activated when there is no danger. The car will suddenly apply sharp brakes when you are even on the high with a speed over 65 miles per hour. It is very dangerous and scary and can lead to accidents. My car false alarms get activated more than three times a day. I hope Hyundai will recall this and fix this issue.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
Either the brake calipers or the soft brake lines feeding the calipers are sticking/collapsing internally causing the brakes to drag/lock up. This has drastically decreased the driveability of the vehicle as brakes dragging is dangerous. Based on internet searches and forums this appears to be a consistent problem with these pickups as this is the most common issue mentioned. Ford needs to address... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 3
(2025) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jun 20, 2025
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
Brake booster failed while driving down the mountains back from big bear. Nearly wrecked several times, had no idea why my brakes weren't working properly. Go to AutoZone to scam the code, and I got the dreaded ABS failure. Sadly the extended warranty for this known issue from Toyota conveniently expired 2 weeks before the failure. Toyota should be held accountable and pay for my repair, that ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
I was driving my Polestar 3 2025 Performance into a gated garage. The car was on one pedal mode, I slowed down to come to a stop to open the gate. When the clicker for the garage door was clicked the car lunged forward and full speed rammed into the opening gate. Realizing the car is not stopping I pressed harder on the brakes, lifted my foot up and looked down to insure that I was pressing on the... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 5, 2024
Every car I’ve ever owned the cruise control disengages once you touch the brakes and does not reengage without pushing the button to say resume. On several occasions, this car has reengaged sometimes many minutes after I’ve touched the brakes multiple times such as in a parking lot or parking garage going around the corner The car resumes cruise, and rapidly accelerates, which is very dangero... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2025
While towing my fifth wheel trailer, the truck intermittently disconnects the trailer brakes while in motion. This results in a sudden loss of roughly 75% of my braking capability, creating an extremely dangerous situation. I have a professional driving background, which has helped me avoid an accident so far, but this issue could easily result in a collision, especially under emergency braking or... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
Good afternoon This is [XXX] The car wholesale auto Naugatuck CT number We got a Nissan versa 2020 picked it up on [XXX] the car is having same issues twice it is drifting to one side mostly when braking I first got it fixed myself with new control arm in the front because the car was favoring the the passenger side and wheels would get locked we got it fixed form the dealership first then the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2025
I got a code for the electronic brake control module, and my front brakes kept locking up. took it to the dealership and they kept telling me that it’s fine. My safety was put at risk when I was going 60 down the interstate and the brakes locked up. The service stabilitrak light came on too.