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
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
My vehicle continues to sporadically lose power steering, power and braking. “4wd temporarily disabled” light keeps coming on but then goes off. I have taken to dealer and they say it doesn’t throw a code and there is nothing they can do. It’s a safety issue. Other Jeep Cherokee years and models keep getting recalled but not mine. Mine needs to be recalled. Very dangerous.has been happenin... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
I was driving on the freeway and suddenly my ABE brake activated and I was almost being hit in the back . It was happening many times in the past but when I brought the attention to the Honda dealer and it said nothing was wrong with it
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
On [XXX] at approximately [XXX] in 35 degree weather I finished refueling My 2021 Dodge Ram limited Hemi Etorque at conserve fuel in buellton Ca . Another car was at the pump in front of me so I put the truck into reverse to back up from pump and exit . When truck started in reverse it felt like the Emergency brake automatically engaged itself as it made a loud brake rubbing sound in and completel... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
Initially, the dash light would not go off once the door was closed. It killed the battery therefore had to take it to dealership and leave it, was told it was the auxiliary battery that was causing this. Batteries were charged but not replaced. The next incident was with fog lights. Carrying it to dealership over 6 times to find out from last dealership that the feature on the car was which was... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
Have been forced to drive my truck without ABS and also with all the ABS, Brake and Check Engine lights on due to a faulty ABS Module. RAM has been saying for years they had a fix coming and still nothing. Several components will not work due to this issue. Ram service said its ok to drive even without Anti-Lock Brakes. When I said the thousands of owners who are forced to do this are committing i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
Vehicle has been in and out of service for the past 5 months with multiple alerts including "Brake system failure 43mph top speed," "service esc," "service brake assist." On major interstate car would not accelerate past 43mph putting myself, infant, toddler, and wife in danger. Multiple attempts have been made to repair the vehicle and nothing has been successful. Lifters, CAM, torque converter, ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2024
According to the driver of the vehicle at the time, for no reason while on a Freeway approaching a construction area at 60 miles per hour with cruse control OFF, the vehicle brakes were applied by (I suspect) the Emergency Braking System (EBS)of the car. The Car, due to the breaking, slowed down to 50 miles per hour and then released the brakes. No one was behind the car at the time. A warning... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
My ABS system is not working Anti-traction control and cruise control. Dealer says parts not available for last 2 years. No reasons for manufacturer delays. dealer says part cannot be ordered.
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
After a snowstorm, I shoveled my driveway in front of the car which was facing toward the road (the driveway is on an incline, not steep), cleared the snow off the car and then pulled the car forward/put it in park so that I could shovel the rest of the snow. It took me and my 15 year old son 10 or so minutes to clear the snow behind the car. Then I started to salt the driveway behind the car and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
On July 21st, 2024, the electronic parking brake on our 2021 Acura RDX seized and would not release. The vehicle had not sustained any damage and only had 63,270 miles on the odometer. The vehicle was in the garage but the brake seizure rendered the otherwise functioning vehicle unusable. The vehicle is available for inspection. There was nothing to indicate a problem prior to failure on the 21st... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
I have had this truck for about 3 weeks and the first day I brought it home the Parking brake was engaged upon starting the truck along with the collision light. It finally came off and drove the truck. Took it to the dealer they checked it and said it was fine per their assessment. Couple days later it happened again took back to dealer as the collision and parking brake light and brakes were stu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
1) On 3 occasions the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) has self activated and the car attempted to come to a complete stop. The 1st incident, 10/19/24, happened while driving 35-40 mph while changing lanes, a red BRAKE light and alarms sounded bringing the car to a complete stop. While there was traffic around me, no one was directly in front of me or close enough to have required this to activ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
I was driving my 2018 Toyota Camry SE and the brakes went out on me. I managed to keep pumping the brake and slowly apply the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a stop. After a look by a mechanic, it turned out that the problem was with the brake vacuum pump. The internal parts were completely destroyed. I had to go to a Toyota dealership (Longo Toyota of Prosper) to get a replacement part. I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
ABS light came on end of July, 2024 Had truck checked at local dealership 08/07/2024 and was told I'd need to replace ABS Module. Been over 5 months, part is STILL not available, and, now my ABS light, Electronic Stability Control Light, and Brake Light are all on. Dealership told me nothing can be done. Next proposed date for release of needed part is in February, which from recent history, wll p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
As you are driving the the car will just say (Brake) on the dash and will quickly apply the brakes when going slow and it's happened at speeds around 65 mph. With the cruise control on. Took car into Honda dealership no issues they said
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-25 MPH, the brakes suddenly activated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and continued driving. The contact stated the road was uneven due to construction and there was metal covering over the parts of the road being worked on. The brake light flashed on the instrument panel, advising the driver to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Unknown, I was pulling into a parking spot, at Sam's Club, and lightly tap the gas petal for the turn and the truck lunched forward in the one carlink, and hit a concrete parking pole (Sam's club in Southgate Michigan has security cameras) it warped around the pole and bent the frame as if though it was 90 mph and a telephone pole.. I had taken it in twice under warranty for the gas pedal not wor... Read more
Crash
1 injured
THOR MOTOR COACH
SANCTUARY
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 22, 2025
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
At speeds of 50 mph and above, my vehicle does the death wobble. Any time I hit a tiny crack in the road, going higher speeds. The person that sold he this car knew it did not pass emissions in September 2024 and I bought it in November 2024. A dealership checked car fax for me after I bought it. And this person rolled back the odometer also. I found this out after I purchased it.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
My car is at 89K total miles and last week I had three warning lights pop up on my dash (Traction control, brake, ABS) which indicates something wrong with the automatic break system. My car is under 100K miles and I purchased it used in 2016, under ten years ago, and this problem is way too early to happen in my make an model. I got a code read on the issue (C1391) which indicates that my ABS A... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
Brake pedal pad has completely disintegrated and fallen apart. Bare metal break pedal is only thing left and it is slippery and dangerous to use as is.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
We are currently experiencing very cold weather in my area. I have a Honda Passport that uses a camera for its braking, LKAS, ACC, and other features. During extreme cold, the camera shorts out causing safety systems to fail. Others report the same issue on Honda cars: [XXX] No accident or injury resulted - merely trying to avoid a future safety issue INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDO... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2025
Electric Parking Break and Auto Hold lights, with system disengage. History of electrical short in codes system. Falls under Hyundai technical service bulletin # 23-BR-001H. Dealer ship refuses to repair if lights are not currently on. According to bulletin must be repaired if on or in history. Same Issue as NHTSA # 11617668 and NHTSA# 11633119
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
I was driving around 60mph on a highway with cruise control. Heavy traffic resulted in a major accident in front of me. I slammed my brakes, which prevented me from getting involved in the altercation. However, the vacuum pump on the Colorado shattered, and I was forced to drive on the highway with a limited ability to brake. I recall the brake pedal being flushed against the floor. Luckily, I a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2024
When all the brake settings are set to factory and I back out of my vehicle onto the main road in front of my driveway the vehicle will occasionally detect something and lock the vehicle in park with emergency brake engaged. I then have to put the vehicle in drive all this while oncoming traffic may or may not be oncoming. The brake engagement happens if the corn in the field is blowing the righ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2021
Car will randomly stop while in reverse. This would happen even without obstructions or other vehicles in view. This happens at least every few days. I made sure to keep the camera free from debris and dry. The parking break will also enable as soon as it brakes.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Vacuum pump and vacuum pump belt replacement. Experiencing increased brake pedal effort, hard brake pedal, and increased stopping distance. Confirmed by an auto shop and mechanic that this is the issue. There was special coverage given by General Motors to this vehicle to address this issue that expired in November (but I did not know that this existed). The vehicle has not yet hit 150,000 mil... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
Brake System malfunctioned. Brakes making horrible grinding noise at 25000 miles. Took to dealership under warranty and was told "that is just the sound that GM brakes make" and they refused warranty repair. Assured noise wouldnt worse, but continued. Paid to have brakes replaced and the SAME exact noise continues today. Brake fluid leaked everywhere and totally disabled the entire braking system ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2024
Automatic brakes suddenly came on. Huge BRAKE busy road and could not get the car going
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The service Anti-lock brake system, and service electronic braking system, along with the lights come on. Also the electronic stability control (ESC) disables, and that light comes on as well. The cruise control does not work either. My truck year model is 2019, and a recall has been issued (reference number 75B/NHTSA/24V-653) for this same problem, but my vehicle was not included for whatever re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The car had an error with a front safety camera, the car stopped in the middle of an intersection and I had to coast into the nearest parking lot. The error cleared it self but Honda was of no help. The dealers do not know how to fix the cars.
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA HYBRID
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 21, 2025
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
On a cold day the vehicle's baking system failed. It was would not move more than 62MPH and would not function. When dealer was contacted no assistance was given until Honda Corporation got involved. The problem cleared up on its own and I was advised that it should be fine at this point.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
Whenever it gets cold, the car will being to experience brake systems failure, it was suddenly only go 62MPH. On this particular occasion, the car died in the middle of the street, thus blocking the street and causing a police response. Contacted Honda Support and they advised it would be up to 2 hours to get it towed out of there. Police called their own tow truck, the tow trucks had issues wi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
I am writing to bring attention to a critical safety issue affecting the 2012 Toyota Prius and other Toyota models equipped with the brake booster and actuator system. These components are failing at alarming rates, leaving vehicles with no functional brakes, ABS, or traction control. Additionally, this failure compromises the hybrid system due to the regenerative braking no longer working, potent... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
On January 16,2025 I was driving my Hyundai Santa Fe on the freeway with my three children when the automatic brake system suddenly failed, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. As a result, we spun off the road, and the vehicle flipped four times, causing us multiple injuries. Additionally, due to a known recall involving the failure of the airbag deployment system, the airbags did not deplo... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V802000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the in... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 21, 2025
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
I was driving down the street at about 35mph and brakes engaged.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2024) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 21, 2025
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
Upon entering a roadway from a parking lot I noticed my vehicle struggling to gain speed. I lifted my foot from the gas pedal and the truck rapidly reduced speed, dropping from 25 mph to less than 5mph in a couple of seconds. I then reapplied the gas pedal to attemp to avoid the vehicle approaching from the rear. The truck struggled again to gain speed. I went about 150 yards toward an intersecti... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. The contact stated that while in a parking space and reversing, the vehicle was then shifted into drive and the high gear message was displayed. The vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the brake pedal failed to bring the vehicle to a stop. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country where it came to a stop. No warning... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
The automatic braking on our 2018 Honda CRV EX-L has gone off erroneously several times. Recently was on an onramp on the highway going over 50mph, automatic braking went off for no reason, almost causing an accident in heavy traffic.
Incident date: Dec 31, 2024
I have warning lights stating that there is a problem with the antilock brake system, and another warning about the brakes. The electronic stability light is on , and the truck won't allow me to turn the ESL warning on or off. And also, my cruise control doesn't work, which stems from the ABS . There is an existing recall, which includes the year, make and model of my truck, but for whatever reaso... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The anti-lock brake module has been failing on hundreds of 2020 GTS300s. When it fails, the brake lever is locked or hard to pull, leading to the inability to brake. Vespa not only does not acknowledge this, the part is $1400 plus labor to repair.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
Brake booster pump assembly. Toyota has sent a notice of extended warranty for this vehicle which has expired. Without repair, the brakes will loose compression and stop working.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2016) - SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 21, 2025
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Audi SQ5. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, while the brake pedal was depressed, the brakes failed to engage; the contact had to initiate the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a halt. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis however, the diagnosis was pending. The vehicle was not repa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
Started my car and all brake lights came on. I had no brakes, brakes wouldn’t pump. Luckily I was a few miles from a Jeep dealer, they said it needed a brake module system, $1100 to repair. I have 56,000 miles and it is not under warranty.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2021
When starting my 2019 Jeep Compass an error message stated "coolant temperature high" and "service brake system." It then sputtered and shut down. I waited a minute and then restarted the vehicle. There was a lag for the car to start and then it went back to normal and no codes were present.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
On Oct 4, 2024, a driver rolled into my car on an incline. While waiting for the police, I looked inside my car and thought the engine was still on. (Flashers). I turned the power button and the car began to roll backwards. I jumped in and tried the break. Pedal went all the way to the floor and car rolled faster. Moved gear shift around and kept rolling faster and faster (incline). I had my left ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
On several occasions my automatic emergency braking has engaged when there is no car in front of me. Typically this happens when another car is in the left turn lane and my car is passing it. The other vehicle is completely in the other lane and I am in my lane. There is no visible obstruction to my vehicle's path. This posses a significant damage of me being rear ended by any car following too c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
For the past 3 winters since I had this vehicle when it is cold outside the vehicle starts hard or will not start at all requiring a jump. It will not shift gears, or accelerate. The battery light comes on after the vehicle is running. I have called the local dealership and was told this happens when it is cold. I was told to bring the car in and let it sit there when it's cold so they can try and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
I HAVE AN ON GOING UNREPAIRED RECALL ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, CHARGING SYSTEM AND POSSIBLY THE BATTERY. WHEN APPLY THE BRAKE TO START MY JEEP THE BRAKES SOMETIMES ARE LOCKED UP AND I HAVE TO PUSH THE START BUTTON A FEW TIMES TO RELEASE THEM. I WAS TOLD THAT WAS NORMAL AT THE DEALERSHIP.