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 72,878 complaints — component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
My vehicle steering/control has frozen a few times in the past 18-24 mos. This happens for me in wet conditions at slow speeds while trying to turn, usually to the right. The car also seems to slow on its own and pull to the side at these times. This has also happened while reversing out of a parking spot. I do not recall seeing any lights engage but I am more focused on steering the car safely ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
While driving [XXX] on [XXX] in Texas, the Tesla autopilot abruptly and forcibly applied the brakes while I was driving approximately 77 mph. I was almost rear ended by a semi truck due to this issue. This happened again about 20 miles down the road and I disengaged the cruise control and autopilot altogether at that point. This is a continuous problem that needs to be addressed. INFORMATI... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
My truck has right at 80,000 miles. Every so often I get two dash lights. One is ABS service and anti skid warning. They randomly show up. They pop up very quickly then go away. But it happens non stop. I have done some research and it seems that there is thousands of people with the same truck and year model with this same issue. I went to the dealer in Seguin, Tx and they told me that there was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
While driving, EV vehicle suddenly lost most of its power. Normal driving on 45 mph street until came to stop light. Would not accelerate over 28 mph upon light changing to green. 12v battery warning light came on.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Same issue with my Santa Fe Sport with the engine burning oil. It left me stranded on a back road up hill when it just slowly stopped accelerating and shut off. I had it towed to Hyundai dealership who wanted me to purchase a brand new engine. After talking to a friend who is a mechanic he told me about the lawsuit going on. I confronted Hyundai with this new information I had gotten. I was able t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
I put my 2008 Lexus in reverse and had my foot on the brakes the entire time as I was on an incline. Suddenly , without provocation, the car propelled backwards and as much as I pumped the brakes, the car continued to hurl backwards full speed. I crashed into another car in my driveway, and finally got the car to stop after suffering a lot of damage. Thank you.
Crash
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
See attached document for complaint
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 450+
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 8, 2024
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
See attached document for complaint
MERCURY
GRAND MARQUIS
(2003) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 8, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The cruise control and safety driving system shuts off and the message “Forward driving aids disabled. Front sensor blocked” comes on. This happens every few miles now. Pulling over, shutting off the engine, and restarting it resets the system, but it cuts out again. Sometimes if I just keep driving, it will reset itself in a few miles. This has been dangerous at highway speeds due to it comi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
As I was driving along the highway the vehicle suddenly lost all propulsion. The electric shifter indicated the vehicle was no longer in drive and several errors/warnings appeared on the dash including “Pre-collision assist not available, Powertrain Malfunction/reduced power, and service engine soon”. No error messages were visible prior to this occurring. The vehicle can be made available u... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 7, 2024
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
See attached document for complaint
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 7, 2024
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
My vehicle started with not accelerating and bogging down when going after a stop, it shakes/jerks from 1-3 gear. The rpm’s jump all over the place and at times it will be very low speed, jerking when trying to shift. I haven’t even had the car two years, I have two children and this happened at an intersection and scared us all. It had happened so many times I’m scared to drive it. I took i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Driving normally down I-5, no other cars nearby and system suddenly phantom brakes. I am lucky no other cars were behind me as it may have well caused an accident. There were no other cars in front of me within at least 1 mile.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2014
The last recall that was fixed is occuring again . Car loosing power warning signal popping up Sometimes smells like matches after parked.
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
While driving 65-70 MPH cruise control will continuously "bog" down and act like it is wanting to cut off the whole vehicle. transmission is starting to act like it is slipping to the point where I am going all the way to the steering wheel before it catches again. Vehicle is under 36,000 miles and should not be having transmission issues. Radio has been replaced once before but is now doing the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Vehicle has been scheduled for service 4 times to address phantom braking while set to cruise control on highways. Tesla service center continuously resolves the problem remotely stating that there are no faults in the system and it is operating as intended. I’m an airline pilot and my vehicle poses a safety hazard to me and those around me when operating in any autonomous mode.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
My 2016 Lincoln MKC has a recall. Recall was mailed to me and I called closest Lincoln dealership to begin process. Dealership stated part was on back order and I would get a call when it comes in. I called a few weeks later and still no luck. I attempted calling several times with no luck. Fast forward 2-3 months after calling, I’m driving with my son and out of nowhere the car begins to stal... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The Hyundai Sonata was brought to a stop in a parking lot. When the driver went to put it in park, the vehicle accelerated across the parking lot and smashed into a solid wall. The driver broke her right ankle from standing on the brake pedal. The brakes were ineffective at stopping the vehicle. The collision avoidance system failed to activate or warn of the impending collision. The driver and pa... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
While driving my check engine light came on indicating that service was needed on the Electronic Stability Control (ESC), traction control, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), brake assist the vehicle top speed reduced to 43mph. My braking system was compromised and I have to travel at reduced speeds on busy roadways to arrive at my destinations. I have taken the vehicle to a certified GMC technician... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
Sometimes whenever I first start the car or stall the car and restart it a false code is triggered that significantly reduces the power of the car. The car will not go much faster than 40 in this mode and accelerates extremely slow. Turning the car off and waiting for a minute before starting it has fixed this problem for me so far. I have seen other people online with this car reporting this same... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 5, 2024
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
My problem is I have a 2022 Nissan Sentra sv and it has a recall on it for tie rod inner and the dealership won’t fix it or sell me the parts for it and the car been sitting on home for more then a month so please help me out
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
Date of occurrence: 03/05/2024 Subject: Formal Claim Regarding Traffic Safety Issue with 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 I am writing to formally submit a claim regarding a recent traffic safety incident involving my 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250. While driving to my destination, I encountered a sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate. To ensure the safety of myself and other drivers, I activa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
I was driving home from work when vehicle downshifted while on the interstate. I continued to drive and tried to accelerate but again the vehicle downshifted. I was able to drive home by not going over 50 miles per hour.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
When I cold started the car it rattled and shook, this stopped and the car was fine to drive. When I was on the road the cars check engine light came on and the car suddenly slowed down. An error popped up saying that there is a “powertrain malfunction”. BMW dealership said that it is a failure in VANOS system. There was a recall on other BMW models expect mine, 2018 BMW 4 series.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
On 2-10-2024 I was driving the 2021 RDX SH-AWD on I-40W in TN with my daughter in the passenger's seat. It was raining. After about 2 hours of driving, at about 3:00 pm, I took a break at a Rest Area near Buffalo Valley. After ~20-min rest, I restarted the car and tried to merge back onto I-40W. I was accelerating towards the speed limit of 70 m/h, but suddenly, at about 65m/h, I felt the car lo... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The car loses power, slows down dramatically, and will not respond to the accelerator pedal. This failure has happened twice. The first time I was driving at about 40MPH on a side street when the car started slowing down with no warning and limped along at about 20MPH. I could not get it to move faster so I put my flashers on and made my way to the side of the street, pulled off of the road and ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
Check engine light start flickering while I was driving down the road my vehicle went into limp mode and I lost all power. I checked my oil for metallic shavings or a creamy look but everything was cleaned. I got a code 1326 for knock sensor. I replaced and changed the oil and oil filter and reset the code. I started it up and it sounded good then I drove to see if it was fixed got on the highway ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
Back window frame crack led to water intrusion which flooded electric module controlling speedometer and adaptive settings. Extremely unsafe driving with faulty electrical components unknown to me. Insurance and Dealership told me this is a common GMC occurrence. Cost is near $10,000 to make truck drivable.
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
I was driving home from work and without any warning I lost the ability to accelerate when I was on the freeway, a message popped up on my truck screen Powertrain Malfuction/Reduce power. I was lucky this time around as I was able to cost to the shoulder Cars however were speeding up to me and around me as I could not accelerate my truck. If this would have happen when I was towing my old 35 foot ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
The Antilock and Tracktion controll lights come on and off with a chime while driving. It also disables my Cruse Controll when it goes off.
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 5, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that on several occasions, while at a stop or rolling to a stop, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating and then abruptly accelerated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and filed a complaint and referred the contact to t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
the gas gauge on the dashboard does not work properly
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 4, 2024
Incident date: Mar 3, 2024
There were two incidents that had similar symptoms: one before the dealership said they fixed and one afterwards. The issue is that while driving I would get three warning, all at the same time: coolant too hot, 48v battery malfunction, shut the engine off. The first time it happened immediately after I turned on the vehicle and within 5 minutes of leaving a parking lot. The second time it happene... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2023
On 11/18/2023, as soon as I started the vehicle, put it in reverse and let off the brake to back down the driveway, the car made a loud unfamiliar noise (like bzzzzzt) and suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated on its own. Nothing worked, brakes, automatic gear shift, gas pedal, and steering were all disengaged. It was terrifying to me and I was worried about anyone or anything behind me. At the s... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 3, 2024
I own a 2017 Ram the electronic breaking system light kept coming on when I had about 34000 miles on it but I had it over the 3 year period for warranty. Paid dealership about $1200.00 to get it fixed. Again at about 45,000 miles it started it again. Checked with dealer said it would cost about $1400.00 to get corrected and they would have to wait for parts. I see a lot of others have had the same... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
I have twice experienced a sudden acceleration when decreasing pressure on the accelerator pedal. It felt like the motor was producing full power. In both cases, I was able to quickly apply the brake which stopped the acceleration. Both episodes happened at slow speed, less than 20 mph, while either starting to slow for a stop or making a turn. Software on the car is fully up to date as of Febr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Vehicle “surges” at idle. 300-500 RPMS at a time. Sometimes the brakes hold and sometimes not. Have nearly been in 3 collisions the last 2 days because of this issue. The ECM codes indicate throttle body or TPS issue, both of which have been unfounded. Vehicle has 63,000 miles. Researching this topic online found that many others have had this issue with no associated safety recalls noted. I a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2024 Lexus NX350H. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and parking the vehicle in the residential garage, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into the wall, and the beam was damaged. In addition, the dryer and the door were damaged. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred. The vehicle was tow... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2015) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 4, 2024
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
On two separate occasions during February this has occurred. While at a stop sign with the brake floored the engine revved and the car started to slowly inch forward. Later in the month, at a convenience store, before shifting into park the brake was thoroughly depressed and the engine once again revved and the car started to inch forward. It only stopped when I pushed on the brake with all my mig... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
The ABS hcu fails intermittently causing a loss of traction control, cruise control. this is the second time i will have to replace the this unit. i had to first replace it at the end of 2021 and it failed a second time in october 2023.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
On February 11, 2024, as I was entering my house garage at a very low speed, the car suddenly accelerated and hit the wall of my garage, causing damage to the garage and interior of my house. The car was insured by State Fram. It was towed to a shop for repair at which time the insurance company notified me that the car could not be repaired. The car had been totaled. Over the following several we... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2023
Over the last several months my 2018 Ram 2500 is experiencing intermittent service abs traction control system issue. The lights on the dashboard will go on and off and it will "ding" when it does. I am very concerned from a safety stand point as I know this system is supposed to help with braking in an emergency and assist with keeping the vehicle under control in adverse road conditions. The tru... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
Vehicle accelerated on its own as i was pulling into garage. Causing damage to the car, to my other parked car and house.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
While driving on the freeway, the car showed a message saying “performance issue” and lost power. I couldn’t accelerate and the car stopped. I couldn’t power on or down the car. It looked like an alternator issue and it wasn’t giving enough power to the battery. AAA arrived hour and half later. Tried to jump but it didn’t do anything. Finally had to tow the car to the nearest dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
On [XXX], I was driving from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas, NV on [XXX] northbound. Between [XXX] two incidents occurred. Both incidents involve phantom braking. My vehicle was in autopilot mode, which is essentially traffic aware cruise control. I was traveling at 70MPH and passed a semi-truck. I changed lanes back into the right lane after passing the truck. About 30 seconds later, the car slamme... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 3, 2024
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
Abs, traction and brake light all came on on dash. Part number 68228991AD needs to be set under a recall part as a safety concern.
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The vehicle has lost all antilock brakes Lights on dash warn there is a issue with vehicle safety capabilities. The trailer brakes will not activate. Dealer says common issues with 2017 2018 and cannot fix due to parts not available for a year. People are putting their lives in danger operating this truck with this issue. I have had work on this problem before costing thousands of dollars. I ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
In 2020 my abs traction control warning light came on took truck to dealership. They replaced ABS motor. 1 1/2 year later the warning lights started to flash on which progressed into always on by April 2023. I had the truck at dealership for another recall and they tested and system. Dealership stated they would repair under warranty. I have been waiting 10 months for repair and they state th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
AFTER USING CRUISE CONTROL THEN BRAKING -CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES AS NORMAL. THEN PROCEEDING TO PARK AT LOW SPEED AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO PARK-IT SEEMS LIKE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGES AND CAR ACCELERATES. IT ONLY HAPPEN A FEW TIMES -5 SO FAR- ONLY HAS ABOUT 9000 MILES. APPLYING BRAKE DISENGAGES THE PROBLEM. NO INCIDENTS OCCURRED, BUT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEM.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Car has 5000 miles on it. Numerous issues with car. Unsafe steering. Dealer not able to repair steering until Mazda provides parts for recall. Now on the highway with a medium depressed foot pedal the car speeds up on its own. Happened 2 times so far. Brakes had to be applied to slow car down. It was very brief because I immediately stepped on the brake, but it was definitely an uncommanded accele... Read more