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: Oct 24, 2025
When I accelerate and try to stop brakes goes down to the floor. I’ve had my rotors. Brakes changed and it’s impossible to stop at times. Purchase vehicle. 2018 and the check engine light came on shortly after I purchased it. It’s been on. I’ve got diagnostics. It’s unknown why! Tire sensors has been changed, including with new tires and none of them work and the airbag light is illumin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
I am writing as the owner of a new 2025 GMC Yukon XL AT4 VIN: [XXX] , purchase date: 01AUG2025, from Elizabeth City GMC, Elizabeth City, NC. This vehicle, equipped with the 3.0L Duramax diesel engine and Super Cruise hands-free driving assistance, was purchased for safe family travel, including space for my wife, our 21-year-old daughter, and our family dog(s). At approximately 4,300 miles—well ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
When braking, and decelerating through 25 to 20 MPH, the brakes temporarily stop functioning. There is a noticeable change in deceleration that can be felt by the driver AND passengers. This almost feels like an acceleration, but we believe it's the brakes briefly stop functioning. The same problem occurs with different drivers so we are confident the problem is mechanical and not operator dep... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
Multiple safety-critical malfunctions have occurred on this vehicle involving unintended braking, unintended acceleration, and false activation of driver-assist systems. These events did not happen at the same time and occurred under normal driving conditions. At various points, the vehicle has suddenly applied the brakes without driver input, including hard braking events that felt like an automa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2025
While driving home from purchasing my new tesla a under dash panel just to the left of the steering column detached an fell on top of the brake pedal. This made it impossible to apply the brakes. Fortunately because of regenerative braking i was able to stop the car and replace the panel. The panel is only held in place with 2 magnets. I find this extremely dangerous and could have easily caused a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Warning lamps abs, traction, and brake light
Incident date: Oct 24, 2025
I was driving and the skid, brake, ABS and steering light came on. I was with my kids so I immediately slowed down and contacted my mechanic. We initially thought it would be a sensor. After hooking it up, it was detected to be the ABS Brake module. After further research this is a “normal” issue. A new module is expensive $2500 with the dealer and is on back order for 3 months. We have shippe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
I rented the Toyota RAV4 from Fox Rent a Car (855 571-8414) at the Denver International Airport for a trip to Boulder, CO. On November 9 evening, I drove to the Sugarloaf Mountain Trail Head (GPS: 40.05, -105.425) for a time-lapse photography. Date/Time: 2025-11-09 6:29 PM Location Description: Uneven dirt parking area commonly used by sightseers. Visibility was completely dark at the time of arr... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The vehicle brake system completely failed. The brake pedal was depressed and several warning lights were illuminated on the dash, yet the vehicle would not come to a complete stop. At the time of failure, the abs light, parking brake light, traction control light, and collision light illuminated on the driver display. Additionally, the dash displayed a message requesting the driver to depres... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
The ABS module (anti-lock brake module) has stopped working. My abs light, parking brake light, and traction control light stay on all the time and my anti-lock brakes are not working. This is SO common with 3rd generation Ram 1500’s (2013-2018) and I don’t understand why the abs module has not been recalled yet? The cost to replace the abs module is extremely expensive and if it a poorly desi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
To Whom It May Concern, I am filing a formal dispute and safety complaint regarding my 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Limited. On November 12, 2025, while driving at approximately 70 mph on the highway, the vehicle suddenly stopped operating automatically without warning. This was a terrifying and dangerous event for me and my family. We could have been seriously injured or worse. The service department... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
While I was driving down the road with my foot on the gas pedal, without any notice whatsoever, my brakes began to jitter/shake and my steering wheel got stuck/tight and would not move. At this point, my car immediately makes a complete stop in the middle of the road and warning lamps appear such as; brake system problem, engine light, etc. I immediately turned on my hazard lights so cars behind ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
When I apply my foot to the brake pedal the car slows, but just as I am about to reach the final part it feels like the brake is let go and the vehicle goes forward and I have to push harder on the brake to stop the vehicle. This issue can cause me to run into a vehicle that is stopped. I have not taken it to a dealer yet. No warning signs on the dash. This has been going on for about a year no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
This issue has happened to me twice now. Dec 19th 2024 I Driving on a highway at about 60mph, traffic slowed, I tried to stop and instantly had no brakes at all. There was a light that came on as I was applying the brakes, "service brake assist". Had it towed to a mechanic and they replaced the brake vacuum pump. We ordered this part from a Chevrolet dealership so we knew it was the proper part.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
During braking the car experienced what seemed to be a glitch and lost all breaking power. Foot went to the floor and had to press and release multiple times for break power assist to come back. This happened three times within 100 mile drive.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
My 2026 Tesla Model Y with under 3,000 miles experienced a sudden and total loss of power steering while driving. The car became extremely difficult to control. Tesla towed it to their service center, where they claimed it was a software-related issue that could not be replicated. The service center released the car back to me but refused to provide written assurance that the vehicle is safe to d... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
Electronic stability control light was on as well as check engine. Was advised by service dept at dealership as well as manufacture to the remedy was to replace the abs module until there was a proper solution to the recall and I would have to pay and submit reimbursement ti manufacturer. Had abs module replaced and am now being told I cannot be reimbursed until there is a solution for the recall.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
**2026 - Cadillac Lyriq One-Pedal Driving and Brake Defect** On November 4, 2026, at approximately 9:30 AM, I was driving my 2026 Cadillac Lyriq using the one-pedal driving feature while going below 20 miles per hour. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. I lifted my foot off the accelerator, but the car did not slow down despite the one-pedal driving being enabled. Within a few secon... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
On October 13th 2025, while driving, I began to hear a clunking and rattling sound from the front left wheel area when braking. Concerned for my safety, I brought the vehicle to a local independent brake specialist for inspection. Their technician found that one of the two bolts securing the brake caliper was completely missing, and the remaining bolt was approximately halfway backed out. The shop... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2023) - SERVICE BRAKES
Nov 12, 2025
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The brake servo control unit feel simulator which reduces the simulation force provided to the brake pedal during emergency or failed conditions and is a key component of realizing a Regenerative Braking System. It provides a good pedal feeling to a driver, improves energy recovery and ensures braking security. My safety has been put at risk as that part is integral to my brake system (including t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
While operating the vehicle, the cruise control turns off without any warning. The warning messages that come up only after the cruise control is turned off by the vehicle state "Smart cruise conditions not met" and "forward safety system disabled. Radar blocked". This disables the vehicle from utilizing cruise control in any manner. This happened on the highway with the cruise set at 72 mph, with... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
On November 8, my 2024 Model Y suddenly came to a complete stop from about 40 mph while I was driving with no cruise control or Autopilot active. This was extremely dangerous — my [XXX] was in the car, and we were lucky no one was behind us. It put myself, my child, and others in the absolute risk of collision and injury. When I contacted the service center they said it sometimes happened due t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
There’s a chemical smell entering the cabin of my vehicle from the engine ever since my car was serviced at the dealership. I’ve had headaches burning, watering eyes, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, eye twitching, and generally unwell. My daughter has had a cough and they refused to acknowledge any issue. They changed the filter and clean the vents and they’re saying nothing‘s wrong. There’... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
FAILURE IN ABS CONTROL MODULE. NO NEW REPLACEMENTS AVAILABLE AND NO AFTERMARKET PARTS AVAILABLE. HAVE BEEN UNDER ENGINEERING REVIEW DUE TO COMPONENT FAILURE WITH NO RECALLS ISSUED. IT CONTROL MY ANTI-LOCK BRAKES AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL. IT ALSO DISABLES MY 4WD AND TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, NO ETA ON A POSSIBLE RETURN OF STOCK. I AM PULLING CODE C2200-49 WHICH INDI... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
I was driving and my car has a certain jerking motion to it, as I tried to break and accelerate the car wasn’t able to stop or move properly. As a result I rear ended the car in front of me. In addition to that my airbag wouldn’t go off after the accident so it seems like there was a malfunction. Lexus always assured me that all system ran well and that there was nothing wrong with the car. I ... Read more
Crash
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2015) - SERVICE BRAKES
Nov 12, 2025
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
Pulled out of driveway onto major road. Brake fluid alert showed up on dash. Brakes completely stopped working. Was able to roll the car to a stop. Called tow truck which delivered car to mechanic. Mechanic confirmed that there were no brakes and advised that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster which caused the brake booster to be damaged. Mechanic needed to remove and re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and hesitated. The brake and the hybrid system warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the right side of the road and waited for her husband to arrive. The contact turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle, and t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that approximately four times while driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly came to a complete stop for several seconds before unintendedly accelerating. The contact expressed concerns about driving the vehicle with his grandchildren inside the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
This is the fifth vehicle with the 2.5l engine that has experienced vacuum pump failure resulting in a broken exhaust camshaft. Without warning, drivers have experienced a complete loss of brake function as a result of the vacuum pump failure.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
On November 11, 2025, my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport experienced a complete brake system failure while driving. The brake pedal suddenly became extremely hard, and there was no braking power at all. The vehicle had to be stopped using the parking brake. This same issue occurred previously in July 2025, when the brake vacuum booster failed and was replaced at the Ford dealership. The problem has now r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
My truck was taken to the ram dealership in Conway, AR and they told me it needed an ABS Module and it was ordered and that was in January of 2025 so it has now been almost a year that the part (ABS Module) has been on back order and there is still no ETA. That is a serious issue and my truck that I have still been paying on is not fit to drive safely and hasn’t been since. Something needs to be... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
In your own words, tell us what happened. Cro I have an urgent and safety issue with my 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. I was driving on road from work. When I was approaching a red light coming to a complete stop. I pressed the clutch to engage the gear into neutral. Suddenly I heard a loud snapping sound, I lost all pressure to the clutch and almost hitting the vehicle in front of me because I co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
I have an urgent and safety issue with my 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. I was driving on road from work. When I was approaching a red light coming to a complete stop. I pressed the clutch to engage the gear into neutral. Suddenly I heard a loud snapping sound, I lost all pressure to the clutch and almost hitting the vehicle in front of me because I couldn’t get it out of gear. Nearly causing mu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I put the car in park, then turned off the vehicle, and removed my seatbelt. The car then began rolling back on its own. When I hit the break, it did not work to stop or slow the vehicle. Instead, the break hit the floor, and was "floppy". The car then crashed. The vehicle appears to have experience... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
Abs light and traction control light stays on plus keeps popping up to service electric trailers brakes. Electric trailer brakes well not work. Cruise control stopped working. All do to recall. Truck has had this recall for over a year now and I’ll I ever get told by dealerships that the parts are unavailable. Dodge makes this junk ass trucks everyday so I don’t understand why parts are unavai... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
Purchased In-10/31/24- 2017 Escape ES 2.5 LTR Echoboost: 11/13/24-Oil change,Wipers,headlights, recall buching,11/24 transmission mount, clicking noise, transmission chokes 11/23-check engine lights, 12/10- headlights, car auto shut off 1/23/25- new tires, studdars Accel, loosing power, cylinder 2 missfire,spark ignition coils all 4 replaced, 02/10- Missfire 3-cylinder, replaced, 3/24-Misfire 2&4-... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
On November 10, 2025 while my 2025 Tesla Model Y was being driven, in Miami, Florida, around 2:55–3:05 PM, the brakes failed completely. Despite firm brake pedal pressure, the vehicle did not slow down or stop as expected and continued forward until a collision occurred. The brake pedal felt normal with no loss of resistance, but the car did not decelerate as expected. No forward collision warn... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
FCA US has failed to make parts available to remedy NHTSA recall 24V-838 in over 12 months.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2025
On Th, Nov 6 ~1700, the 25 Equinox EV being driven encountered an electric drive failure and brake failure, including friction brakes. This Equinox EV is essentially still brand new with 3900 miles and no accident history. The vehicle was driven off the EB SR 528 exit ramp to Narcoossee Rd in Orlando and driven to the stop light at the WB on ramp. After the light changed and began driving, the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
My daughter was driving the 2013 Toyota Prius on the interstate in Chattanooga, TN. The brakes did not feel right and the car was very difficult to stop. (It did not brake at a normal distance) My daughter was able to get someone safely, and she had the car towed to the dealer. My daughter's life was endangered by this brake booster failure, but there is no recall listed on the vehicle. Also, w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The vehicle caught fire while it was in motion; there were loud bangs and a lot of noise, and smoke started coming out of the front, and the engine and the undercarriage caught fire.I managed to turn it off, but when they were towing it, the mechanics did the diagnostic and found wires were faulty and damaged the engine.
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The vehicle will be in park, and a message will pop up saying "shift to Park check and advise". Took my car into the dealer shop to get this fixed their response was the cause of the condition may be that the park switch in the transmission control (shifter) assembly is not pulling the BCM signal low to electronically show that the vehicle is in the park position.
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
Rear brake pads and rotors worn out at 32000 miles. Rear brake pads originally worn out and replaced under warranty at 16800 miles. Dealership states that the issue is no longer covered under warranty. This excessive wear is a safety concern as it points to a design flaw in the braking system that is causing unexpected braking pressure to be applied to the rear brakes which may be causing exten... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
brakes had no stopping power. Normally when braking it was smooth. All the lights went on. Toyota dealer confirmed that the brake booster Pump Assembly and Brake Master Assembly needs to be replaced.
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
I took the vehicle in for its 80,000 service, which included a multiple point inspection on Oct. 24th, 2025. The dealer that serviced my vehicle for that specific service was the north park volkswagen in San Antonio. On October 30, 2025 at approximately 2:15 PM, I was driving down the highway when I felt something in the brakes crack. I had to use my whole body weight and a lot of force to stop th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
This is an ongoing safety issue with a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited. The forward collision-avoidance system activates frequently and without cause during normal driving. The system will engage when another vehicle is simply turning, merging, or slowing down at a traffic light—normal, predictable situations where no emergency braking should occur. These unexpected activations create unsafe con... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
When putting the car in reverse the brakes make an awful Screaming noise. It sounds like they are not releasing. Then when you go in drive and want to stop it doesn't want to. It is not all the time but more so then not.
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
I was traveling down the hwy and and car went thru the stop sign. I could not stop in time and I t boned it. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
While driving at low speeds in downtown traffic with the automatic stop/start system active, I stopped at a red light. The system engaged and shut off the engine as expected. However, when I attempted to accelerate, the truck stalled. The gear shift unexpectedly moved from Drive to Park, and the parking brake activated. I applied the brake and restarted the engine, but had to manually disengage th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
Brakes and rotors needed changed at 23930, not normal