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: Jan 18, 2024
Check engine light, traction control light, tire pressure light came on. Message on dash reported reduced engine power, service stabilitrak, and car slowed to 16 no more than 20mph and would not go any higher.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
This has happened multiple times now. Always happens at high speeds (greater than 45 mph). I will be driving on a highway when I unexpectedly lose the ability to accelerate. First noticed in correlation with the collision detection feature showing on the display as NOT FUNCTIONING. That does not happen anymore, but I still lose the ability to accelerate periodically. Once I can safely remove ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Accord. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle stalled. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal before the vehicle accelerated as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure persiste... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
Function goes off intermittently sometimes for a week at a time Also signals brake problems on dash
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
Traction Control did not function when needed. I had my breaks and rotors replaced two days prior to the accident, which may have had an impact on the performance of the vehicle. Insurance representatives did look over the vehicle, as it is now in their possession. However, I do not feel as though they took the time to look into my concerns. There was no warnings on the Dash.
Crash
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2019) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
engine shutting off at highway speed, loss of acceleration at highway speeds and shutting down and not restarting at stop signs or stop lights.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
My vehicle on several occasions stalled and/or lost power. Stepped on the gas and no power. Both while using cruise control. One incident was not using cruise control.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
My friend was leaving church and cranked my vehicle engine. My friend proceeded to exit the church parking lot onto a main road. Prior to exiting the parking lot, she heard the engine "rev", where my vehicle began moving forward without her control. She was consistently pressing the brake pedal; to no avail. where my vehicle was only stopped by careening into a nearby yard. She could hear my vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
Telluride was in snow mode with 4 wheel lock activated due to snow covered roads. I was at a stop light, when light turned green I removed my foot from the break. My vehicle began to roll forward slightly as it always does. I gently pressed the gas to continue forward but vehicle did not gain speed, it continued to slowly roll as if my foot was not pressing the gas. I removed my foot from the gas ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
While driving my 2022 1.5L Turbo GMC Terrain at 65 mph with the air temperature at -2 degrees below zero Fahrenheit the check engine light came on with the error message "Engine Power is reduced." I coasted to the side of the road and put the car into park. I was 200 miles from home and after working with my insurance roadside assistance, I wasn't able to get a tow truck after 3 hours of waiting i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2019
Antilock braking and traction control system failed. I was driving on a snow/ice covered road and hit the brakes with no anti lock control and truck slid in road side ditch. Truck has not been repaired. This is a known problem that Dodge is well aware of. This could have caused serious injury or death under alternate driving situation or heavy traffic. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and attempting to switch lanes, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V399000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was taken to three separate independent mechanics ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
HYUNDAI PALISADE 2023 ENGINE STALLING / WON'T ACCELERATE IN SNOW/ICY ROADS. I have now experienced this engine stalling issue several time on my Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy 2023. It has only happened in "snow mode" so far. The car basically dies, no acceleration, no matter how hard you accelerate or floor it. I called the dealership named "Great Lakes Hyundai" in Dublin, Ohio and they said they ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
(January 11,2024) my wife had an accident while driving a 2012 Kia Sorento vehicle. She was waiting to enter a parking space at the Laurel Mall that someone was backing out of, when the space was clear to enter, she took her foot off the brake and proceeded to enter the space. It seems that the Sorento went full throttle on it's own and proceeded to smash into 3 other parked cars. I read that Kia ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
The speedometer does not work. The car will not accelerate. I always have belt problems.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2023
Seatbelts lock up and do not move. Seatbelts are front driver and passenger side. Seatbelts can't be worn because they do not work
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
I have a recall on my 2017 ford focus that is for the gas tank deformation , this happens because the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system. It jerks , excels and dies when low on or getting gas mostly . Recently it wouldn’t reverse or go over 15 miles and would limp only , not drivable . Codes say it’s clutch b stuck enga... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2023
ABS and Traction control lights keep going on and off, this still continues and it looks like Ram knows this is a safety issue. Dealers have no parts for repairs
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
ABS light goes on and off. C0020-01-ABS code internal failure. Cruise control goes in and out when code comes on. Brake pedal inconsistent.No parts available to fix this concern.
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
I was caught in a snowstorm, driving about 5 MPH. Suddenly, the vehicle swerved to the left and I lost complete control; the brakes locked up. The vehicle spun about 145° degrees before coming to a stop perpendicular to the road; subsequently rear-ended from behind. The moment was surreal; I’ve never felt closer to a life-threatening incident because I had ZERO CONTROL over the car: I was spare... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 26, 2019
While driving at a fast pace a hazard message pops up on dash that states engine power reduced and the car goes slow unable to accelerate past 20 mph. It doesn’t happen all the time but it’s been happening quite frequently and it’s dangerous. I’m assuming there has something to do with the speed and or fuel function. The vehicle has not been inspected. I am willing to bring it for inspecti... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
1. The car rolling back immediately after foot is off of brakes pedal with even a minor steepness in the road or parking space, that could be very dangerous upon stopping behind a red lights, or any other situations that another car is right behind this car such as getting in or out of tight parking spots. 2. The car brakes are not reliable. They feel spongy and you can not adjust how hard and ho... Read more
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2019) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 16, 2024
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
I was operating the vehicle in “snow” mode. I had made a stop and attempted to turn onto the highway. The vehicle started off ok it seemed for conditions but when I went to accelerate the vehicle had no power despite pushing all the way down on the peddle. The vehicle continued to slow as I was trying to get pulled over and figure out what was going on. We maybe made it 50 yards max before the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
This was an unintended acceleration with non functional braking of a Lexus GS 350. This occured on December 18 around 8:00 AM. The driver noticed an orange triangular light in the dash while travelling slowly through a neighborhood less than a mile from the incident. While approaching a lighted intersection, the car suddenly accelerated when the brake pedal was depressed. The brake pedal was... Read more
Crash
Fire
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
When drivig the car for approximately 5 miles at 55 miles per hour the car lost all power and would not accelerate coasted to the side of the road and had to have car towed.
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 16, 2024
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Dec 1,2023 tried to stop and the brakes was grinding and the milage goes up and down as you are driving and it says routine maintenance required when you put the key in to start the outlander as got it from Todd Judy ford in Charleston WV and according to Mitsubishi toll free number it is not in my name [XXX] or my aunt's name [XXX] and they delivered it on September 15, 2023 and took her name a... Read more
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2019) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 15, 2024
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
Continually receiving "see manual" message while driving, will intermittently appear and disappear. At times, the plug-in battery will completely stop working while still charged (more frequent in colder weather). It always resets/removes the "see manual" warning upon next vehicle start. Engine shutters and pings when turning the car off and is rather intense and seems potentially damaging. When d... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2008) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 15, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
On multiple occasions, while driving on the highway, subject vehicle displayed check engine light and EPC light at random intervals and an alarm saying exceeded 4000 came on. RPM's were not over 4000. Speed and acceleration severely limited making it dangerous to pull over on the highway in traffic. Had to pull car over and restart engine. This has happened numerous times. Also experienced shaking... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
No warning lights when there was a crack in the lower radiator causing loss of all coolant. Went into limp mode with no warning lights on the dash. Caused a near rear ender when in limp mode unbeknownst to driver.
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2010) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 15, 2024
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
I was driving my daughter to school on the freeway when we heard a loud bang toward the back of the vehicle and the vehicle alarms started going off. It said the car was powering down and would not restart. The car immediately reduced speed from 65 to 35 mph and I had to maneuver across 4 lanes of rush hour traffic to safely park on the side of the freeway. Thankfully this did not cause a collisio... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
This is my second time reporting this the first time I reported this the person I talked to on the phone inaccurately put what I said and didn’t put what I said. I was on my way back home from a little road trip and I had approached a stop sign and had come to a full stop. When It was safe I took off and my car stuttered and had loss of power and became jerky, started to buck and would have dela... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
On at least 3 occasions, my vehicle had unintended acceleration and applying brakes did not stop the car. I put it in park to stop. I took it to the Foreign performance (mechanic shop) on 11-29-23 after the first time and they said they fixed it. It occurred again on 12-8-23. I again threw it into park. I called the shop on 12-11-23 and they agreed to see it on 12-12-23. I hit a car on 12-11... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
UNKNOWN I fell victim to a wiretapping incident that is still under Federal investigation that began in my vehicle on June 23rd, 2023. This concern is in regard to life safety and loss of control of the vehicle on or around the same time, due to radio transmission feedback beeping coming from the passenger side speaker, as well as what sounded like an emergency response unit radio. The noise woul... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2024
While towing a roughly 13k pound camper with my family from Texas to New York and back , I lost trailer brakes, traction control , cruise control and my trailer brakes. The trip included ice, rain, snow. We had a death in the family and the trip did not include the time to take to have this problem troubleshot. Literally one of the scariest trips ever through different elevations and traction leve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
While attempting to accelerate my car hesitates and slows down to about 5 miles an hour. This mostly happens in the morning, but does happen in the afternoon while attempting to accelerate to pass. This issue has almost caused me to get in accidents on several occasions. I first noticed this issue when I first purchased the vehicle. I took it in and it was kept at the dealership for a week or so... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The antilock brake system warning light because it's faulty The brake system affects the speed control And they don't have reliable parts to repair
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 13, 2024
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
I was driving for approximately 30 minutes, using cruise control as needed. There was a decreased speed area so I toggled down to reduce speed from 65 to 55. My cruise control speed jumped from 65 to 110. NOTHING I did would reduce the speed. I had to turn off the cruise control to get control of my vehicle again. I thought I did something wrong so I turned on cruise control and attempted to s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The ABS and traction control has a fault that’s turns off the abs system. It’s been troubleshot to the HCU pump. There are several ram trucks with this issue. Fault code is. C0020-01 ABS pump motor control
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The speedometer stopped working - no numbers were visible on my dash. It was unsafe as I was not aware what speed I was traveling. This happened on December 24, 2023 and has not happened again after that nor was it reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. There were no warning lamps/messages/or anything.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
Breakes not wanting to stop, the petal gets stuck as well and when you fill it up gas fumes come in the vechile that caused me headaches and Nauseous. I reported it to Firestone who seemed to think it wasn't a problem several times, also reported to dealership i could of hit someone or someone hit me . I got two tickes by traffic recorder back to backn 1) petal getting stuck 2) Accelerating becaus... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
Over the last year my 2015 Nissan Sentra has been having problems of judder (shake and shudder), hesitation on acceleration, lack of power and RPM flare. It happens when I am driving highway speed and when going uphill on the highway as well. I went to Firestone to get a diagnostic check and came out with the code of p17f4. I was surprised given that no check engine light has turned on. I will... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
Transmission. It slips and jumps gears, lags, doesn't engage from a stop for a few seconds, downshifts itself while driving down the highway, at parking lot speeds the engine will rev up and lurch forward. It has been inspected by a local dealership and confirmed that there is an internal problem and recommended new transmission for $7500. They have been in contact with Ford Co, as have I, making... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Constantly throwing ABS code and electronic braking system code, and then, turning off the alerts on dashboard. Many complaints of 2018 models were found online and a class action lawsuit.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
The contact owned a 2012 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at 35-75 MPH, the transmission failed to shift gear as needed. In addition, the RPMs decreased. The contact also stated that the vehicle accelerated independently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the tr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
* My driving side front wheel climbed a small bump with a rock. I put my car on reverse and pressed the accelerator. The car first refused to reverse then went completely out of control. The engine produced a huge revving noise and the car accelerated, taking the car backward at high speed. I had no control. The car went off the road, climbed a hill at a 45 degree incline on one side of the road.... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
I'm not sure what components malfunctioned but my vehicle is in a body shop currently getting work done from the accident I was recently in. The safety of my cousin and I was put into risk when I was driving on the highway and I hydroplaned on the highway and did a 180 degree turn but luckily no one hit me and I didn't hit anyone else. I slammed on the concrete median which is what stopped my vehi... Read more
Crash
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA GT
(2018) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 12, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 2023
I've experienced stop and stall issues with my vehicle three times and the Acura dealership said they couldn't locate but kept my vehicle for a few days and said it was the battery. I have a new battery but same issue occurred two more times. There is definitely an electrical problem with this vehicle's system. The radio randomly stops working, no sound or buttons stop at any given time and also h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2024
The contact owned a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph and exiting a parking lot when the vehicle accelerated on its own, veered to the left, and crashed into a gate. No warning lights were illuminated and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injury to the right shoulder, right foot, and right hand, but did not seek medical attention. No police rep... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 25, 2019
PROBLEMS & FAILURES include: 1. Repeated battery failures, towed over 12 times since car was purchased in 2017. Left [XXX] and [XXX] stranded and/or stranded in the dark on more than once occasion. Repeated (6+ attempts) to repair and/or replace the battery (local Subaru dealership) with no success- DRIVER SAFETY RISK. Two ADULTS (seniors) should not be repeatedly stranded in the middle of ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jan 11, 2024
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
I was driving on the Interstate had car on cruise control set at 70mph it began to slow to 60mph because of a vehicle in front of me so I moved to the left lane to go around and the vehicle just speed up (G5 force) on its own very quickly and reached speeds up to 80mph and would have kept accelerating past 80mph had I not disengaged the cruise control instead of braking. The second issue we have f... Read more