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 77,487 complaints — component: SERVICE BRAKES
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Brake system sets a high tone pitch indicating failure accompanied by all Brake, ABS, PS, Traction Control Lights. This is an know failure for Hybrid systems. It can occur completely random, while driving without notice. Complete brake pressure is lost with exception of a hard feel to the pedal that allows some incomplete breaking to occur and can also cause locking of the brakes at slower speeds.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking while depressing the brake pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V514000 (Steering). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The brake lines in our 2011 Hyundai Elantra have rusted out and no longer hold brake fluid, which means the car is not safe to drive. Luckily we were able to get the car to our sidewalk and park it without injury. We found that Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a potential class action lawsuit against Hyundai for underbody corrosion and brake line failure in 2011-2016 Hyundai Elantra vehicles. It... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
The system that failed was the brakes, The car is availble for inspection. My saftey and others was put at risk due to not having brakes to stop. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer as a master brake cylinder failer The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer. There were warning lamps, message and other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. They first appearead on December 4 2... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
On [XXX], the vehicle was started and there were no brakes, the pedal went down to the floor. The car was turned off, restarted and again there were no brakes. The third time the car was restarted, the pedal went to the floor and then the brake pedal came back up with pressure in the brake lines. The vehicle displayed the warning "check brake system". The car was not driven. The next day, [XX... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
We have had a suspension clunk since we bought this in April 2025. Something is loose in the right rear. They have replace the right and left rear shock mount, the right rear shock and it still persists. There is a clunk or grabbing noise when the brakes are applied as it almost comes to a stop, it appears to be in the front. This has not been found, the last mechanic that looked at this said al... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
ABS,BRAKE Warning lights on. Brakes locked up during emergency stop which resulted in loss of steering control. Cleared ABS code and it immediately reappears. Appears ABS Module is defective. When I called dealership to order ABS module was told not available due to engineering hold. I know other year Ram models have active recall on same issue and component.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Component/System: Brake system – specifically brake pedal assembly / braking performance. Description: The vehicle experienced recurring issues with braking performance, including inconsistent or reduced deceleration during braking. Availability for inspection: The vehicle is currently in my possession and available for inspection upon request. The braking issue reduced the vehicle’s abilit... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
I have experienced 4 repeated issues within 4 months with my vehicle. Starting in September 2025 and the 4th and current issue today 1/12/26. Driving when all of a sudden all of my brake components lamps come on dash oard, forward collision alert, and check engine, my vehicle struggles to accelerate accurately. Blue Link diagnostic throws various codes such as ECM, Transmission Control System, eve... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2018) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 12, 2026
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
No accident occurred. I just believe that the symptoms our car has are the exact same issues that caused a recall. I’m just relaying information to help set the parameters of the recall. Secondly I am curious why the service manager didn’t mention about a recall possibly concerning our car. Even though it isn’t in the window of the recall ( but shows all symptoms). Guess I’m feeling a litt... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
I installed (2) identical Advance Auto Parts Platinum rear brake rotors on my vehicle. Both rotors were installed at the same time, in the same manner, and under normal conditions. After approximately (1) mile of normal driving on of the rear brake rotors catastrophically failed by completely separating at the hat (the center mounting section). The opposite side rear rotor, installed at the same t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
While driving, my brakes became mushy and ineffective. Brake warning lights came on, also. It was very scary driving in rush hour traffic with little to no brakes. There was no reliability. Just keeping as much as possible space between cars, using Hazard lights &prayer.
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2019) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 12, 2026
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
I received notice of this brake master cylinder recall on 12/20/25 and tried to schedule it at my local dealership (1/5/26) Edmonds, WA. They told me they could not perform the recall because they did not have the parts. I was in the dealership on 1/10/26 and they told me they would check into it. Today I received a VM saying they would not perform the recall because the brake booster has not yet ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
My van began with the brake sticking and it was not only the brake (with my van with only 34,000 miles on it) 2019 year, so I took it to Les Schwab to find out that it was a known default of the years of my van 2012 to 2019 that there have been countless replacement of the defect ABS Pump (costing me 2,000.00 to fix), and finding out that this same problem was where the did a recall on the 2016 F... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Every month I am receiving a check engine light for abs / traction control / failure. Dealer states HPU unit is bad, however I noticed all the fuses in the fuse box were loose. I pushed them in to reseat and the error cleared. This happens monthly. This last time happened during a snow storm and disabled abs.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
My father's Honda CRV, which I was driving, suffered a computer reset due to a low voltage drop. This was, in turn, due to a failing fuel injector. The computer reset disabled many safety systems and core systems, including the parking brake (which is electronic), as well as adaptive cruise control, the tire monitoring system and blind spot sensors, tire inflation warning, hill start feature, an... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 12, 2026
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
I experienced the brakes squeaking on and off for a few weeks this past summer. When at the dealership for an oil change, I was told the brakes pads were still good and the squeaking is common, especially during hot humid weather. Since then, I have lost the brakes twice. Both times, the pedal went all the way to the floor without resistance and after a few seconds, they came back like nothing hap... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
My jeep will shut off unexpectedly, it will do a up and down idle increase and decrease while at a idle the abs will lock up my wheel tight to where itll drag while trying to move forward. The 4x4 low will not engage at all says service 4x4
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
We had a sudden heavy wet snow that accumulated a couple inches on the roadway. This made the roadway very slippery. The vehicle could not be driven safely. Upon lifting my foot off the gas pedal, the rear wheels would enter regenerative braking and cause the rear wheels to skid (no matter the drive mode or speed down to less than 5 mph), leading to fishtailing and no ability to control the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
My vehicle had no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms before driving that day. Vehicle was well maintained. Driving on a rural straight paved road that is in excellent condition, at approximately 55 miles per hour, smoke suddenly came through the dash top (defroster along windshield) and bottom (underneath the dash - heavier volume of smoke); almost immediately, the horn started soundin... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
The ABS / check trailer brakes warning lights started coming on and staying on. Took it to the dealer to get it taken care of and they were no help. They said the ABS module was failing but the replacement part for that has been on back order forever. They said it was okay to drive that I just wouldn't have the antilock brake system. Clearly a safety issue that it appears Ram has no interest i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
MILEAGE: 487,615 27TAWD On [XXX] at [XXX]., the weather was wet from rain. I pushed the reverse button and the car accelerated quickly forward with engine revving. The car kept moving forward while the brake pedal was not responsive for at least 10 times as the car drove through my fence and damaged my neighbor’s garage. The car finally stopped when it hit the garage. Estimate for repairs on... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
ABS module has stopped working. OEM parts are not available. Only used or repaired parts are available and they are 3 to 5 times what they should normally cost. This affects antilock brakes and traction control.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
When attempting to activate the parking brake there is no response from the vehicle. No matter how many times in attempting to activate the parking brake it would not activate. The only way to successfully activate the parking brake was if "auto hold" was on and i turned off the vehicle. i have a safety concern regarding this matter as the vehicle could potentially roll away if the car is unattend... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
My car periodically shuts down while on highway and once a week is completely dead and requires a jump or a tow. I have brought this to the dealerships attention for over 18 months and they continue to tell me that the problem is fixed. The car shut down and was completely dead again this week. No one from NA Volvo has ever called me back when I report the problem or has responded to countless inq... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
On three occasions, gas pedal went limp, and required restarting engine to reset controls to get gas pedal working again. On one occasion, brakes failed to operate leading to a collision. And forward collision warning did not activate.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 12, 2026
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
While traveling at low speeds in parking lots and in the operation of parking, my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a hard brake pedal that goes to the floor but I have no brakes. I almost hit a person in a local grocery store parking lot, at the bank driving up to the ATM, and I almost lost my truck over a bank because the brakes failed. This has happened multiple times at low speeds but it is getting m... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
I was driving on Saturday January 10th, 2026, when out of nowhere all of my dash warning lights came on and the brakes felt spongy and unresponsive. I had to limp home with 20% of my brake capacity which was very scary. Did some research and it was my brake actuator that went out. Dealer quoted me $4,000 to fix! This is a very common issue with Priuses between 2005-2015 and it's a crime that the p... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
Was operating the vehicle at about 30mph and the braking system started malfunctioning by giving me limited braking power and throwing a bunch of lights on the dash along with sudden loss of acceleration. Tried to press the pedal again and it didn’t respond I drifted to a stop in the middle a lane in the road. Had to shut vehicle off then restart to regain function. All conditions were clear ou... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
My 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited has an ABS fault that has caused my vehicle to undergo several maintenance issues and poses a serious safety hazard. My vehicle has less than 150,000, and over the course of the last year, my ABS light, my emergency brake light, my TSC light, and my tire pressure sensor light have all come on and refuse to go away. Additionally, the maintenance light, along... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
Subject: Catastrophic Suspension Failure Resulting in Total Loss of Trailer Braking Vehicle: 2017 Keystone Montana On January 5, 2026, while traveling at highway speeds, the rear driver and passenger-side leaf springs suffered a catastrophic "brittle fracture" failure. This resulted in the axle shifting 6+ inches, wedging into the chassis I-beam. The violence of the axle displacement severed the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
purchased the vehicle in good faith, unaware that the check engine light was illuminated at the time of purchase and not informed that this indicated a serious mechanical or emissions-related issue. After purchase, the dealership repaired an emissions-related problem, and the check engine light was no longer present when the vehicle was returned to me. However, within three days of having the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
ABS actuator failed and had little to no braking action while merging on the freeway. Had to swerve to avoid collision on interstate
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
On October 31, 2025, I was backing out of my driveway when multiple lights concerning the brakes came on. There had been no previous warnings about any issue with the brakes. My internet search revealed that it wasn't safe to drive, so I contacted Gary Yeoman Ford and they sent a rollback to pick the truck up. After Gary Yeoman performed tests, they confirmed that the ABS Module was defective a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
I am contacting you on a problem I cannot fully describe. However, I believe there is a mechanical problem with the right side of my vehicle with handling and braking. I have downloaded the form with the information as reported to me and explained via the North American Corolla Facebook group. Please look at the attached documentation.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
Event Description - Car began veering off the road to the left - Driver attempted to correct the unintended maneuver, but the car increased in speed, despite braking - The car then lost all steering and braking capability, - In an attempt to control/stop the car, it instead proceeded uncontrollably performing a doughnut on the roadside embankment, and another doughnut that landed the vehicle b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Anti lock brake control has failed twice and then afects cruise control and warning bell continues to ring paid to have fixed twice and still no factory fix .it hs been on recall list for years now!
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
While driving a notification popped up, parking brake may not be applied while driving. This notification appears in rain or snow making me think it is weather related malfunctioning.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
94b - 3rd complaint 14 Months with no fix. Car actively malfunctions since Jan 2025 e.g. disabled esc. Federally non complaint. Unsafe. It has now been a year since my vehicle started experiencing symptoms. FCA US LLC refuses to communicate with me. Took to dealer 12/16 and now the part is available after a year of nothing available and needs to be ordered supposedly. A month later and I have... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C 300
(2020) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
points: ⸻ While driving, the vehicle displays the warning “Active Brake Assist Functions Limited – See Operator’s Manual.” The message appears during normal driving and does not go away. This warning indicates that the automatic emergency braking / Active Brake Assist system is limited or disabled, reducing a critical safety feature designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions. Thi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The automatic braking system is activating automatically without any warning or any interference even though there is no vehicle or object in front it is happening all of a sudden and it a serious safety hazard and could cause major accident it is life threatening and I am very scared to drive it a life and death situation please look into this matter and have Honda fix this issue before it causes... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
Left rear parking brake actuator malfunction. The truck would brake unexpectedly. The brake would not completely release at times. Took it to the dealer on June 6, 2024 and they replaced the rear rotors and pads. I asked them if the parking brake actuator was faulty and may have caused the premature wear. They laughed and said no, it wasn't possible. On Aug 7, 2024 I returned the truck to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
this vehicle was purchased from Don Chalmers Ford in Rio Rancho on 1129, 2025, upon purchasing a 2018 Toyota foreigner Limited I traded in a 2020 Acura RDX with only 50,000 miles. The salesman seemed to trustworthy. He showed me the Carfax Clean had no accidents no recalls then I receive some paperwork stating this vehicle is eligible for a buyback. I still have not received the license plate or r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
I own a 2018 Ram 2500 equipped with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine that I purchased brand new in Iowa. For approximately the last four to five years, my vehicle has displayed persistent warnings including “Service Electronic Braking System,” ABS warning light, and traction control warnings, accompanied by constant audible alerts. As a result, multiple braking safety systems are disabled, inclu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
I am filing a formal complaint regarding serious safety and mechanical problems with my vehicle. The brakes do not function properly and I have to add brake fluid every few days, which indicates a possible leak or brake system failure. This creates an extremely dangerous driving condition. The vehicle also has electrical problems, including malfunctioning lights. The engine has lost power, making ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 10, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The brake booster had a recall but it should have never just have been the booster. The brake system on this is dangerous. I had the booster replaced and the valve got stuck in the HCU and cause brakes to fail. This has been a common issue amongst people and yet this is not a recall. The dealership just quoted me $3200. That's absurd for an issue thats obviously a common huge problem for people
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
Car stalled several times including as I was turning through an intersection. I took my car to KIA Ganley if Boardman 7870 Market Street Bdmn Two, Youngstown, Ohio 44512. I met w/Gerry who I explained the concerns with car stalling reminding him it had been almost 2 years since the jnick sensor issue was detected. So why am I expected to keep driving a dangerous vehicle without the repair needed??... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 10, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The problem with the ABS module started in 2019 when the truck had 43000 miles. The dealership told mee what the problem was but didn't have the parts to repair it. I've been driving it since then with no anti lock brakes, traction control, and no cruise control. This seems unsafe to me and all other drivers. I have contacted the dealership and there is still no remedy for the issue. Please co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
Repeatedly there has been a cylinder 1 misfire causing the check engine light to activate. The vehicle starts to shake and idling is rough. It has happened repeatedly over the past 3-4 years. In 2025 it happened in August, October and December despite repeated maintenance. Error codes that have popped up due to the issue primarily include cylinder 1 misfires a known and documented issue related ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
While driving on I-90 in Montana on a clear, sunny day at the posted speed limit of 80 miles per hour for one hour, the vehicle began making knocking noises then, all of a sudden lost power. Upon inspection at the nearest GM dealership service department in Butte, MT, I was told something within the engine broke. I have attached an emailed repair bid from the GM service department and have copied ... Read more