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 73,546 complaints - component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
This is the second complaint filed for the same issue. Tracking number 11441949. I understand there is an investigation open for this issue. PE 22-012. Opened 11/28/22. My truck was repaired under warranty December of 2021 It has failed again in September of 2023. after less than 2 years and 20,000 miles. The ABS/Traction control system as well as cruise control unexpectedly without warning sto... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
The ABS/ Traction control is intermittently failing. It is aviliable for inspection. When the light comes on I have no ABS or Traction control which may cause me to lose control under certain circumstances. The dealer has and the manufacturer has confirmed the problem. The dealership was able to reproduce the issue. The component was inspected by the dealership. There are the ABS/ Tractio... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
1.Issues with Navigation / Map display 2.Issue with Speedometer display changing location on dash while driving Have previously written re: issues with the backup camera system on this vehicle. This a new recurring issue with the Navigation system and Driver Information Center display. 10/02/23 – Upon starting vehicle, map only displayed on the bottom 1/3 of center 10” display. Attempts to re... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2021
The ABS and traction control light are coming on and off and malfunctioning with a dinging bell alert. With a message that says service antilock brakes soon. On wet roads the steering seems off and brakes lock up. Very unsafe, The Ram dealer said the parts to fix are under engineering review and not available until February 2024. My truck is a 2017 Ram 2500 with19,850 miles. I bought the truck new
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
I took my 2014 Honda Accord Ex in for repairs on September 4, 2023 and the Honda dealership informed me that after replacing the battery that the it that the VSA Modulator on the car has gone bad which has been a common problem with this year Honda Accord and others from 2013 all the way to the 2017. And this part has been on back order for months. This a shame.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
While driving after the electric battery is used and switches over to gas, I have been getting the check engine, ABS, steering, parking, and brake lights. I have lost power steering, lost the speedometer, lost fuel range, lost stabilitrak, it has randomly turned on the emergency brake while all these other things are happening, It also has said “shift to park”, propulsion power reduced. I hav... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
I just bought this car 2 months ago after saving for a whole year. I’ve been having problems week into the purchase due to the transmission. My car has been overheating with the transmission (almost every 4 miles), going on limp mode (when pressing the gas), jerking (while driving), not reversing and not starting right away. Im trying my hardest to get on my feet after a being in a domestic ab... Read more
BARUM
BRAVURIS 5HM
(9999) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 9, 2023
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
the abs module and the hydraulic pump have a issue that turns on the abs and light and turns off the cruise control and reverts to non abs braking due to faulty module and pump assembly that was changed already and now the wont cover this under any warrenty known faulty part
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
ABS, service brake system, cruise control failed and no parts available to fix it.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2023
ABS and Traction control light come on intermittently causing cruise control to kick out and not work. Also causes an alarm to ding over and over. This is a known problem with the Ram HD for this year.
Incident date: May 1, 2023
1st problem happened when I was at a complete stop, at a traffic light, in rush hour traffic. All the sudden steam started coming out from underneath my hood. I instantly looked at my temperature gauge and it did not show anything however I knew something was wrong when the light turned green I immediately pulled over, out of the street as far as I can get without being hit by other cars. I put on... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2022
The ABS Brake control module malfunctioned causing several electrical issues. Fortunately the vehicle was able to function. RAM Service center noted a wait time of over 3 months. When I brought the vehicle to another Service center looking to see if the part was available, I was told to make an appointment and they charged me $90 to tell me what I told them. Uggg.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 8, 2023
Incident date: Oct 8, 2023
While driving down an interstate at approximately 58 miles per hour, I turned on the cruise control and went to adjust it to 65 miles per hour. The car rapidly accelerated and it appeared on the dash that the cruise control defaulted to 110 miles per hour, which appears to be the maximum on the system. I tried to turn the speed down, but the cruise control would not go below 110 miles per hour. I ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
I've experienced many problems with the Google built in system in this Volvo. But the one that keeps happening is the speed sensors. The car is supposed to read traffic signs, including speed signs and alarm when exceeding the posted speed limit. It does not work. For example on I66 East bound in Virginia, the speed limit is not 80mph, it is either 60, 65 or 70 if using the express lanes. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
I was driving at 75 mph on the freeway when suddenly I lost acceleration and the ability to accelerate. There was a message "Hill Descent Control". I did not have time to see if it said error or failure. Then "Check Manual". I was very lucky to get 3 lanes over to get off to the side of the road without being rear ended. I turned the vehicle off in order to regain my composure, then back on wit... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
Driving down the road and vehicle suddenly switches out of gear into neutral. Very dangerous situation. Another time we’re driving at 45mph and the vehicle suddenly starts flashing 3 error codes and decelerating. We have to continue to drive 45 mph with the car sounding terrible all the way home. Once home the vehicle somehow resets itself and all of the flashing lights turn off.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
The breaking lights, skid lights and another light associated with breaks came out and I lost the ABS abilities, the hv battery is not charging while breaking. These lights comes out randomly. Very risky especially while breaking.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
2018 Ram 2500. Trouble code for service electronic brake system, traction control deactivation, cruise control deactivation, ABS deactivation occurs at all speeds and all surfaces intermittently and the trouble code will activate and deactivate for up to approximately 45 minutes continuously . Ram certified dealership service departments in 2 states have declared it a known issue, have stated ther... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
Vehicle randomly keeps accelerating past the set speed when cruise control is set. Problem was first noticed in March. Have a video of the cruise set at 69 mph and the vehicle continued to accelerate to 87 mph before I disengaged it. Vehicle has been to two different Hyundai dealers for the issue but were unable to duplicate or find the issue. One moth ago were on a road trip and the cruise would ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
Brakes front and rear suspension this suv has had rear struts put on within 2 months twice when coming to a stop it is hard to stop had front brakes rotors installed but when braking it continues for a minute then it stops I have had this suv checked and it's wearing brakes and rear end issues
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle at low speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the vehicle jumped the wheel stop, coming to a complete stop after colliding with a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
I have been forced to stop using cruise control on my Tesla Model 3. Over the past few years, the car will repeatedly slam on the brakes for no good reason when I am driving on the highway. I understand this behavior is known as "phantom braking." The car will suddenly and unexpectedly drop speed by 10-20 mph on the highway. I am so worried that someone will rear-end my vehicle that I cannot use c... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Multiple times, the vehicle braked on its own while traveling eastbound on the Interstate 8 freeway between Yuma, AZ & Gila Bend, AZ. This was when no other vehicle or obstruction was on the freeway within a mile of the vehicle. The braking was very jarring, and if another vehicle was behind us it could have easily caused a high speed rear-end collision.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
URGENT: Date of near life & death situation.10-6-2023.This 2019 KL Cherokee lost accelerating power while in heavy traffic. As the car was losing speed the "D" drive indicator on center dash started flashing a moments later 2 messages displayed: Msg 1: Service transmission Restart in Park with vehicle @ zero speed. Msg 2: Shift to park or neutral Press brakes and select gear. (Center dash is the s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle independently jumped forward without the accelerator pedal being depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,329.
COACHMEN
FREELANDER
(2023) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
While pulling into a parking spot and coming to a halt, I put the car into park mode. My foot was still on the brake. Instantly the engine went into "overdrive" and lurched forward over a parking curb and through heavy brush and finally came to a stop after hitting a pine tree. The engine was still screaming and the tires still spinning until I hit the off button. I had my foot on the brake the en... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 31, 2023
ABS/Trac lights ding constantly with the dash displaying "service electronic stability" or something along those lines. ABS system becomes inoperable as well as kicking your cruise control off. Very unsafe and parts are not available for repair as well as Ram not taking recall action up to this point.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
The CVT component on these cars causes it to lose power and acceleration which can cause an bad accident..one morning while going to work i got onto the expressway and car did not want to acceleration and almost caused me to get into a collision with an 18 wheeler.. The next day i took it to an mechanic shop whereas they told me nothing was wrong with my car and i should contact nissan and complai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated she avoided crashing into another vehicle however, the vehicle struck the curb before coming to a stop. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side tire was damaged and became flattened. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
This issue started at approximately 19,500 miles. While accelerating to enter a highway or to pass a vehicle going less than 55mph on a two-lane, Service ESC light appeared on dash. Loss or power was also immediate and if I tried to accelerate to maintain speed, engine was very rough in responding with no acceleration. Engine continued to run. Within 30 seconds or so, acceleration is restored, and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
ABS / TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON IN THE DASH. CRUISE CONTROL INOP. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, IN FACT 2019-2022 TRUCK HAD A RECALL ISSUED. RAM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
2011 Kia Sportage engine stalling/failure. Has been having oil pressure/heating/oil feed line/consumption issues. Taken to a Kia dealership on multiple occasions for all routine maintenance, including every 3000 oil changes. Owner was told that a catalytic converter was needed in 2021 due to engine stalling/ failure while driving 55-60mph on highway to a rapid deceleration and vehicle would go >20... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
See attached document from complainant
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved up. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. Eventually, the vehicle shifted into gear and started to move. The contact stated that the check HEV and turn off engine error messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the lo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
My car would not accelerate over 40 mph randomly after work. Once i noticed and tried to shift to a lower gear the car did not shift gears at all. When these things first happened there was no indicator lights on. The next morning the check engine light came on and the code pulled was P0720. After finding a repair shop to look further into the issue I was advised the car needed a new transmission ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
Driving at highway speed, vehicle gauges drops to zero and transmission stays at 3rd gear. Unable to know what travel speed is while trying to exit safety off highway. Have to turn off engine to reset issue, but no way to figure out what happened.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2020) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 4, 2023
Incident date: May 31, 2023
ABS and traction control lights come on intermittently and a chime sound occurs. When this happens cruise control stops working. Getting a “Service Electronic Braking System” message and “Service Antilock Brake System” message. Had to wait three weeks to get an appointment for dealer to troubleshoot. Dealer said it has code C0020-01 logged. Dealer says the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
I was pulling into a parking space very slowly when the car went into overdrive and suddenly accelerated at a high speed. It plunged down a slight decline and hit a large tree. My airbag failed to deploy although I was thrown violently forward, and the car sustained severe front end damage. The car is considered a total loss and I spent a day at a hospital emergency room. The sudden unexpected acc... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
While driving without notice transmission light flashes and the 2011 Dodge Durango will not shift out of gear. I have had this problem in the past and told dealer but they always say they have no codes and on test drive cant confirm the issue. The first time it happened was around the 50 000 mile mark I thought nothing of it back then as I restarted the car it went away. Over the years it go worst... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
Shortly after leasing the vehicle in December of 2022 I noticed the transmission would slip when accelerating. It also jumps when down shifting as I'm slowing down - as well as after place the car into drive. I did bring the vehicle back to GMC in early 2023 explaining the aforementioned. I was told that there was too much transmission fluid which was the causing the issues I was experiencing. The... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
On several occasions (roughly 5 separate and unique incidents), the vehicle put itself into neutral (N) while driving. There are instances when the vehicle was in motion and others when it is at a stop. The screens in the dashboard cluster and in the center of the front dashboard go blank momentarily and the transmission changes from drive (D) to neutral (N) without any apparent cause or any warni... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2016
My 2018 3500 Dully with 34,000 miles started having an issue with the ABS, Traction Control and Eletronic Brack control systems. While driving the truck on a trip, the Traction Control, and ABS lights started coming on intermittently and the check Eletronic Brack control came on at the same time and it too flashed intermittently. Also, while this is happening, the cruise control does not work. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
Twice since hitting 50k miles, my high pressure fuel pump has failed, resulting in complete and sudden loss of power midst driving. VW says that it is a warranty issue, but, has no real guidance or promise that it will be fixed. I DO NOT feel comfortable driving the vehicle until we know WHY this issue is happening and how to fix.
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
I was on my way to work. When I came to the stop sign to turn on the main road. I felt my car jerk. I thought it was weird and kept driving anyways. Then I noticed the resistance was gone from the gas pedal and it went straight to the floor. So I came to the stop light and kept my foot on the brake. When the light turned green and I had let go of the brakes. My car was accelerating on its own. I h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2023
driving with no foot on gas and the jeep suddently lurched forward. unintended acceleration is what it was. the first time this happened was in October 2022 and i was in a basement parking garaged and ended up in the wall with the air bags deploying. it took 5 months for the jeep to be repaired. it happened again this morning, October 3, 2023 while going to the gym at 5 am. there were no vehicles... Read more
Crash
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
The transmission makes a Clunking sound when i put it in Drive or Reverse gear, plus it slips between gears when i start to drive off and it hesitates to shift between gears
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
My ABS and Traction control warning lights and Chime continue to come on and off while driving. Replaced the anti brake Hydraulic Brake Controller two years ago and now the same problem. I read that there are quite a few of the same model trucks having the same problem!
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2023) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
While braking for a red light the car jerked sporadically as it slowed with normal braking applied but the brakes delayed while vehicle jerked and lunged forward. Vehicle lunged forward into the intersection even further past the red light while brake was compressed aggressively, lunged forward 2-3 feet. Then engine died after it lunged forward. Took 2 attempts to restart car and had to rev the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
Error message reads "Engine Power Reduced". I was on the highway and suddenly the engine gives out and only lets me go to a max capacity of 20 mph. I able to safely remove myself to the side of the freeway. A week later without moving my vehicle I checked to see the status of my car and the error message removed itself. It's been over a year now with my engine power coming and going, just as fast ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The ABS light, Traction light, and Brake light all come on and simultaneously. I've been told that the ABS Module is bad and needs to be replaced. The fact that the module needs to be replaced concerns me since there are prior recalls for ABS Module with other Dodge, Ram, and Chrsyler makes and models.