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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 78,884 complaints - component: SERVICE BRAKES

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

Front end collision and no front end collision warnings. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was still considered a total loss.

Crash

Incident date: Aug 5, 2026

On 8/5/2026, the power boost on the vehicle was lost while at a nearby shopping center. Braking became very difficult and it was dangerous to drive even a little distance. There were no warning lights from the vehicle. We had it towed to an independent repair shop where they determined the brake booster had failed. They did a recall check and saw that it didn't apply to our specific vehicle. They ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 2, 2026

I am reporting a serious and extremely concerning brake failure involving my 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Diesel. Traffic ahead of me began to slow down. I saw the traffic slowing and immediately began applying the brakes to slow my vehicle. Although I was pressing the brake pedal, the truck was not slowing or stopping as it should have. When I realized the vehicle was not going to stop, I presse... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 10, 2026

The vehicle has failed to start and left me stranded multiple times. The concerning thing here is, upon jumping the vehicle, there were no concerning lights just a single check engine light. I was driving directly to the dealer for a repair. All was fine for about 10 minutes. Then, I hit the brakes and all warning lights came up and the brakes STOPPED WORKING. The pedal was soft and going nearly t... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee with approximately 34,214 miles. The vehicle has an ongoing clicking noise during acceleration and deceleration that has been presented to an authorized Jeep dealership for repair on multiple occasions and remains unresolved. The vehicle was returned to the dealership again on September 4, 2026. The repair order documents “CLICKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AND SLOWING DOW... Read more

Incident date: Jun 30, 2026

multiple active faults, 12 active DTC codes, which have disabled the ABS, ESC and airbag communication lines, the dealer we took the car to refused to perform a full diagnostic and repair. I have been in contact with Kia corporate and they have consistently said that cannot make a dealer perform service. The dealer where we purchased the vehicle cannot see us until October.

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brakes failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that after taking the foot off the brake pedal, the brakes started working as intended. The vehicle was drivable. The vehicle was driven to the residence, and the contact researched and became aware that there were several owne... Read more

Incident date: Sep 6, 2026

The recall for the HCU is not being taken seriously. My "service ABS" alert is constantly on, as well as my service 4 wheel drive (which is part of the HCU). My brake pedal will randomly shake when applying. I am worried that this will cause an incident and don't understand why we can't get this fixed under the warranty. It has been 2 years and nothing has been done.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

Since day one from the purchase of this vehicle, I have been experiencing seatbelt issues. This car was purchased for my work. It’s a commercial Livery vehicle, but I am suffering each day with complaints from riders and every time it goes to the dealership I am losing time and income. I have lost my confidence in this car. This car was bought for peace of mind but all I have ever experienced ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2026

While traveling approximately 65 mph on a two-lane highway, I crested a hill and encountered a vehicle stopped in the roadway waiting to make a left turn. When I applied the brakes to avoid a collision, the vehicle's Anti-Lock Braking System failed to function properly, causing the wheels to lock and the truck to skid uncontrollably. To avoid striking the stopped vehicle, I was forced to take eva... Read more

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

Breaks failed almost crashed on a highway

Incident date: Sep 30, 2025

I am reporting an urgent potential safety defect involving my 2025 Honda Ridgeline Sport, in Puerto Rico. Since the first oil/filter service, the vehicle has repeatedly developed a grinding/growling/knocking-type noise and physical sensation through the steering wheel and cabin, especially on rough, porous or uneven pavement and during minor road irregularities or braking/load changes. The conditi... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

The component or system failed or malfunctioned, is the accelerator, brakes, stirring and electrical. The car is available for inspection upon your request. The car is having problems coming to a stop and it is very difficult to control the vehicle because the steering becomes so hard when the power shuts down on the vehicle as I'm driving it. I think and believe that that poses a high risk of som... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 31, 2026

Lifter failed due to AFM system. Cyl 8 misfire due to oil fouling. The onboard computer got confused and would not release the parking brake until repeated attemtps to release it. 5.3L V8 2020 model year 115250 miles. Isn't this the same problem as the 2021 and newer engines? 8spd transmission. AFM failure. $9k repair.

Incident date: Jul 1, 2024

I own a 2024 Honda HR-V. Since I purchased the vehicle, I have experienced recurring warning messages stating: "Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem - See Your Dealer" and "Road Departure Mitigation System Problem - See Your Dealer." I brought the vehicle to the Honda dealer and reported these problems. The dealer scanned the vehicle and told me that no fault codes were found. Despite this,... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

After taking the car on a short drive: Pre-collision malfunction; parking brake malf; ICS malf; chk eng reduced power; secondary collision brake malf; rough idle and driving; sometimes won't accelerate (revs only); cruise control won't work; battery drained when off (12.5 v to 10.5 in one day; battery just under 3 years old); after replacing battery: OBD 2:P0302

Incident date: Aug 21, 2026

I purchased my 2011 Jeep Patriot as a new vehicle on [XXX] in Fort Collins, Colorado. The vehicle has been appropriately maintained with the only one major repair (throttle body) to date. On [XXX], the ABS, traction control, and brake light on the dash board lit up upon cranking the vehicle and backing out of my driveway. I dropped the vehicle off the next morning for diagnostics at a local Meinek... Read more

Incident date: Dec 23, 2023

My front and back auto collision breaking sensor keeps going off as if something is in front of me. It’s not in the back as well. Also will indicate on my dash that there is a vehicle following me too far fast or too close and there will be nothing behind me. This is very scary when I first started happening. I looked it up online and a lot of vehicles are having problems with this as well as th... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

from a stop during fast acceleration made a left turn and rear section or rear axle sounded like it went over a speed bump or wheels locked up, then transmission felt like it was in high gear, did not want to move , or very slowly , i accelerated rpm was 2k or 3k still moving very slowly, this was in heavy traffic. I notice that check engine light went on with TC, parking brake service , some pad ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

emergency Service Provider Harassment tampering with vehicle to require emergency services to stalk harass or intimidate DV VAWA subscriber 6th time happened whe used battery was given to customer and allege customer need other repairs to avoid service render..Placing unsual sharp objects such as nails in tire to track mileage and whereabouts of victim of vilent crime by proxy for nefarious group ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

Progressive and then complete brake failure, stopping only after engaging the park-brake. The incident occurred on a 'sidestreet', [XXX]. No additional traffic at that time minimized immediate risk; The park-brake engaged at our home and the vehicle stopped. The brake pedal went completely to the car floor when pressed. The "Low Brake Fluid" warning displayed on the dashboard. A puddle of fluid dr... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

When stopping on uneven ground ,or steeper down hill the breaks fail to stop. They don’t “catch “ to stop. In separate issue is the “emergency steering” alert flashes on dash randomly and takes over when there is no need to anything out of the normal happening, only happen in very short time maybe under a minute but it shouldn’t come on at all when it does happen

Incident date: Aug 18, 2026

Specifically, I need to highlight the following critical issues: Severe Rear Windshield Condensation & Zero Visibility: Every morning, a thick blanket of condensation forms on the inside of the rear windshield. Their is no wiper and rear windows are heated electronically by pressing a rear defroster button on infotainment display. Even after running the rear defroster/heating continuously for 15-... Read more

Incident date: Aug 20, 2026

2019 Kia Niro. While driving normally on the street, the driver attempted to brake & the brakes would not respond. This is a very scary situation and Kia needs to handle immediately!! The message "Stop the Vehicle and Check Regenerative Brakes" was displayed. Thankfully the driver was able to come to a stop without crashing but if this was during heavy traffic time it definitely would've resulted ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 6, 2026

My emergency parking brake keeps activating while I’m driving where it is engaging itself while I’m driving almost causing accidents

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

It is a well-known issue across Mustang forms that the brake pedal sensor switch goes bad as well as the small rubber pad that presses against the brake pedal switch. This has happened to me multiple friends in my Mustang group as well as tons online. This is a serious issue because either it will make your vehicle believe the brakes are constantly being pressed letting you shift into gears while ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

Clutch overheated and cause an immense amount of smoke during drive with no warning indication from hud. Dealer stated that clutch has gotten well passed 390°c Heat from clutch has also caused front driver caliper to lock up and damage rotors.

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit unexpectedly applied the brakes while traveling approximately 78 mph with Adaptive Cruise Control engaged. There was no vehicle, object, or obstruction directly ahead. The forward collision/ACC warning activated immediately before the vehicle braked. At approximately the same time, the driver had touched the power lumbar button to disengage the lumbar. The lumbar h... Read more

Incident date: Jun 12, 2026

My 2023 Kia Niro Hybrid has a recurring intermittent electrical defect. Warnings appear together: Check Hybrid System, Check Engine, Forward Collision, Rear Cross-Traffic, Lane Keeping, Driver Attention, ESC, Brake, Auto Hold. They appear and persist while driving, during which stability control, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, and related safety assists are disabled. Once, the vehicle ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

I have the active recall associated with the vehicle listed. It’s been nearly 2 years with the active abs service light, traction control light, and inoperative cruise control due to those lights. Stelantis is not very helpful. Will not fixit yet. But says I can pay myself and some or all may be reimbursed. There is no reason it should take this long. Endangering lives potentially. I sent tr... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

brake sleeps sometime when i press brake pedal i took car to dealer once,they said need time i did not have much time took another time, they reseted system still... my warranty is over now. rear seat,make shake noise and check rear seat sign on dealer can't find problem. did not do anything since new car. i do not know any other 2021 sienna drivers have same problem.

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

This report is an addendum to report 11762283 that was made yesterday. The vehicle allows driving with the rear liftgate ajar, however under some circumstances it engages the EPB when the vehicle comes to a stop while the gear state is still Drive. The gear state of the car remains in Drive when the EPB engages. This presents the driver with the choice, in the middle of the road and possibly in t... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

My vehicle does not currently show an open recall in the NHTSA VIN lookup, but the vehicle has experienced repeated and potentially catastrophic wheel and brake-related failures. I am requesting that NHTSA review these incidents for a possible safety defect and determine whether an investigation or safety action is warranted. I checked the NHTSA VIN recall database on XXX, and my vehicle, VIN [XX... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

ABS Contol module failure, highly known and documented issue with the ram 1500's. Mine is a 2016 with the 5.7L. Showing ABS code C2200-49. Parts are no where to be found and it is now impossible to have the module rebuilt due to Chrysler no longer producing the hardware. I have a very expensive paper weight sitting in my driveway!

Incident date: Aug 25, 2025

RE: Safety Recall MFG No. 25S87, NHTSA No. 25V544, 08/25/2025 Rear Brake Lines - Potential Failure. It has been OVER ONE YEAR and my car has not been repaired due to lack of parts. This is unacceptable - This Safety Recall is NOT being addressed in a timely manner.

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

My 2024 Kia Sorento has experienced a dangerous brake failure on three separate occasions in which the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle lost normal braking capability. The first failure occurred on 7/1/2026 and was confirmed by the Kia dealer; the master cylinder was found leaking brake fluid into the brake booster, and the brake master cylinder and brake booster assembly were replace... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

I own a 2019 Honda Accord Sport 1.5T. While operating my vehicle, multiple safety-system warnings appeared on the dashboard at the same time. The vehicle displayed “Brake Hold System Problem,” “Adaptive Cruise Control System Problem,” “Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem,” and “Road Departure Mitigation System Problem,” each instructing me to see my dealer. These warnings ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 2, 2026

On XXX around 6:30pm: Car would not go into reverse. Upon pressing the gas a 2nd time, a loud pop was heard from the back of the car. The car was then able to drive forward, however, when pressing on the brakes, the rear end of the car would wobble, and the brakes were rubbing and making a loud noise. I contacted Rich Ford, explained that my car is brand new (2 months), with less than 4,000 mil... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

This report is on a new vehicle. The incident occurred within one week of purchase. While driving on a freeway at constant speed, with the closest vehicle in front of me approximately 25 yards away and with no warning, the car slammed on the brakes in an emergency fashion and aggressively tightened the seat belt shoulder harness. This was followed by a notice "emergency call cancelled". It is clea... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

After coming to a stop at a stop sign, and while the gear state was in Drive, the vehicle auto-applied the electronic parking brake because the tailgate was ajar. Gear state remained in Drive. Upon accelerator input, the parking brake did not release, and the vehicle delivered propulsion torque overcoming the parking brake. As a result, the vehicle accelerated and drove several blocks with the rea... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

While waiting at a drive thru, the brakes did not respond when pressed and the car kept moving forward. The emergency braking system also did not respond. The car was placed into park and the car still did not stop. This resulted in hitting the car in front of us in line.

Crash

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

1. 50% of my braking results in grinding stop where it jumps and doesn’t stop all the way at first, this is even driving at slow speeds of 25 mph. 2. When my truck was set on cruise control approx 70mph and all of a sudden started decelerating on its own and nothing I did made it accelerate. I had to coast/slow brake to pull over, cut the car off and then restart it to begin driving again.

Incident date: Aug 10, 2026

Anti-Lock Brake Module Internal Failure - Code C2200-49 The truck ABS does not work, tractions control is disabled, and Cruise Control does not work. There were no lights or warning until the day I went to start the vehicle and then the abs, traction control, and brake light came on and stayed on once the truck was started. With researching this issue, it seems to be a widely known issue for sev... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

While driving my 2019 GMC Terrain with three children as passengers, the vehicle developed a braking/engine problem. The brake pedal became very hard, and the vehicle subsequently became undrivable and would not start. I received no advance warning through the GMC app indicating that the vacuum pump was failing. The vehicle was towed to a GMC dealership. The dealership diagnosed a failed vacuum p... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

On September 4, 2026, I experienced an extremely serious and frightening braking failure while driving my 2020 Chevrolet Colorado 2.5L. I was driving my granddaughter to school and was pulling into the school's carpool/drop-off area at approximately 20 mph. This was an especially dangerous location because children, parents, vehicles, and school personnel were in the immediate area. As I attempted... Read more

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

At approximately 5pm EST, my wife stopped the EV vehicle after backing out of the garage and put the vehicle in park. After exiting the driver's seat, she was outside the open driver's door, had both feet on the ground and cleared the door enough that she was preparing to close it, when the vehicle began moving with no one in the driver's seat. The vehicle traveled down our inclined driveway, acro... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 27, 2026

2014 Jeep JK with 53,000 miles has a code C2200 abs module internal failure. The ABS module needs to be replaced. Part cannot be located as there is a national backorder. This is a known safety issue with no resolution by Stellantis.

Incident date: Sep 3, 2026

When my car starts up, engine rpm is around 1500 or above 1000. If I would switch to reverse, the car sudden jerks back stronger and quicker than I expected even though my foot isn’t on the accelerator pedal and have pressed the brake lightly.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

The multipurpose windshield camera module in my 2019 Honda Odyssey experiences an internal electronic/power failure (Diagnostic Trouble Code U3000-49) while driving. This failure triggers a cascade of warning lights across the dashboard, instantly and without warning disabling the entire Honda Sensing driver-assist suite—including Collision Mitigation Braking (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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