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: Jun 6, 2023
I got into an accident around May 3rd. Roughly around 11 pm to 12 am. To inform whomever is reading, none of the issues I will list have happened prior to this event. At the accident my car would not turn on, and it would not lock. As well as a piece of the car had broke off. I took my car to Mike's auto body for repairs. When the person inspecting the car had reviewed what was wrong with my 2016 ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
The car shut off on me while driving
Incident date: Feb 8, 2023
The sensor on right passenger air bag malfunction and air bag light stay on and no crashes happen upon message. Poor fuel consumption components include loss of power and idling and when accelerating. Driver mode unavailable lamp came on
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
All brake warning lights came on , cruise control stopped working abruptly, service brake system warning dinger dinging , abs not working , engine braking all stopped working while loaded going steep grade , nearly lost control of the truck and was nearly in a serious accident , abs module and hcu said to be problem , issue still persists after said problem supposed to be resolved , truck is a dea... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The Power Steering keeps failing and this is dangerous once the vehicle is in motion. The most recent incident was July 4th 2023. We have taken the truck to Lawley Chevrolet Sierra Vista AZ (Mando Flores-Service Advisor)several times within the last year and they claim they can't find anything wrong. We can't drive it until the steering is properly fixed. It's impossible to drive. We have to const... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE PHEV
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 14, 2023
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
The Power Steering keeps failing and this is dangerous once the vehicle is in motion. We have taken the truck to Lawley Chevrolet Sierra Vista AZ (Mando Flores-Service Advisor)several times within the last year and they claim they can't find anything wrong. We can't drive it until the steering is properly fixed. It's impossible to drive. We have to constantly pull over and turn off vehicle for the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2023
There was no warning display on car today during the incidents. I pressed the breaks and with my foot on the breaks the car accelerates 3 times. I had a car in front of me which is why I stopped but no no one behind me to trigger the car to propel me forward 3 times despite my foot on the brakes. This is second time it does this. I took it in right away to the shop. The first time was a a couple o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
There have been two instances within the last 3 months of my motorcycle needing a full rebuild in the rear wheel assembly. The first instance was due to rust, I live in Arizona and do not ride in the rain. The dealer said I should not have washed my bike with water. This put me in danger and there was play in the rear wheel shaft. I paid up front $3k dollars, on credit, to have the dealership fi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
Vehicle doesn't slow down when taking foot of the acceleration pedal. Same both power settings. It will continue to move at slow speed on level ground. It behaves as though the minimum pedal.motor speed is too fast. My concern.is that it might get very fast without any pedal. Thank you.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. I could start it but if I put it in reverse or drive it would stall immediately. I was stuck in the middle of the road unable to go forward or back. The police put up cones because my rig was not able to even be moved to the side of the road. I was on the road for over 4 hours before I was towed because of the size of my rig. It was a very scary exper... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash due to unintended acceleration, which caused the contact to rear-end another vehicle. The vehicle had body and paint repairs performed; however, the vehicle later experienced jerking, and the transmission was seized while driving. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The deal... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
While traveling on I70 from Columbia, Missouri to Grand Junction, Colorado and back, we experienced at least 30 incidents of sudden braking while in adaptive cruise control. Some of the incidents were rapid, causing the car to lose 20 to 30 mph within a second. For the most part these occurrences of sudden braking happened on open highway with no other vehicle within 1/2 mile in front of us. W... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 14, 2023
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
1) Air bag light on indicating it doesnt work 2) horn sounding continusly, activate on a left wheel turn 3) cruise control doesnt work but is active in the screen panel 4) radio start automatocally increasing volume continiously driving me crazy.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 14, 2023
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
Accelerator petal does not always result in acceleration from a stopped position. This causes the hill assist to hold and does not allow movement forward, resulting in an engine stall. The vehicle has also set the EPC light while traveling resulting in reduced engine power to the point of not enough power to move forward. Turn the ignition off, then on resets the EPC and limb mode.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I was about to park in car space in a parking lot. Instead of stopping in the car space, it has accelerated suddenly into the lawn in front of the car space. Tried to stop and it accelerated again and then hit the tree. The left front part of the model Y is damaged and is still in the body shop even after more than a month. I thought the only explanation is I have pressed accelerator instead of ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
1. The Collision Mitigation Breaking System is braking for no reason, at random times while driving 2. My safety and the safety of others is put at risk because when driving on an open road, cars behind me may not have time to break and this could result in an accident. Not to mention, there's nothing in front of my vehicle, so normal things on the road don't cause drivers to assume a car with su... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
So this is not related to a specific incident, more long term. The throttle response in this vehicle is downright dangerous. MAny of times I feel like I am going to cause an accident. The throttle response is so laggy and jerky that off the line it seems to hesitate for almost 2 seconds. Light turns yellow? Good luck, it will barely downshift and get moving before it turns red. Sometimes the... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
Date of safety issue: July 12, 2023 Location: Piper Glen Shopping Center, Rea Road, Charlotte NC (destination was Run For Your Life at 6416 Rea Road - within the shopping center). Time: Approximately sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 ET Police Report Complaint # - [XXX] On July 12, 2023 I entered a parking lot at a busy retail establishment. I chose a parking space that has a curb and bushes between... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
Constant phantom breaking
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2018) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 13, 2023
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
ABS & Traction Control warning off/on on irregular basis Turns off cruise control each time the warning lights activate
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
Car not shifting correctly. No power. Could not gain speed to merge into traffic. Was intermittent for months finally the engine light came on. My mechanics diagnostic showed it was the turbo charger. There is a service bulletin 22-22-EM-004H
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
Vehicle was traveling at approximately 50 miles per hour with no indication of an issue or prior warning. Vehicle suddenly lost power, rolled to a stop, engaged parking brake and displayed "Service Charging System" error. Vehicle was non-operable in the middle of traffic with small children inside the vehicle, presenting significant risk of accident and injury. Vehicle was towed to a dealership a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Infiniti G37. The contact stated while driving into the garage at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the engine revved to 5,000 RPMS. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure occurred on three other occasions in a parking lot, and while driving on the road... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
I was on the highway doing 70+ and my car overheated and shut off. When i turned it back on the engine light was on and it was shaking like crazy. I took it to the dealership and they told me that it is a known prob and it has a coolant leak into the engine. I can see online that this is happening to thousands of people and ford is refusing to fix it. I could be dead right now. They’ve known ab... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2016
Car would not shift. Could not increase speed. This occurred intermittently and gradually got worse
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The adaptive cruise control malfunctioned while engaged on the highway/interstate. On a recent trip of approx. 1,000 miles, the vehicle experienced "phantom braking" (aggressive emergency braking for no reason) on three occasions while the adaptive cruise control was engaged on the highway/interstate at approx. 65-75 mph, with no obstruction/vehicle in front and the weather was clear sunny skies. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
I had stalled my car and after I restarted it my car had a significant loss of power. I shifted and car would not accelerate at all top speed was 25-30 mph. I had my gas pedal depressed and no change in speed/ I limped to a dealership turned car off and restarted and car was back to normal. This vehicle was 2 days from purchase and less than 500 miles on it. I reported to dealer and was never ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
Stabiltrack System, Traction Control System, Reduced Engine Power. Since purchase of the vehicle, intermittent immediate failure or previously stated vehicle systems caused critical safety concerns for occupants and other drivers while operating. Vehicle looses power enters safety "Limp Mode" due to faulty engineering. Upon inspection by State Police and Fire/EMS, owners urged to contact vehicle m... Read more
4 injured
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
The check engine light started flashing and the vehicle would not go over 25 miles per hour. Thankfully I was pulling into a parking lot when the reduction in speed occurred. If this had happened on the interstate (which I commute on regularly) it could have been extremely dangerous. Hyundai dealership never returned my calls about service, I had the vehicle towed to another service provider... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
Starting in August of 2022 I started getting error messages from the car about Electronic Stability Control, Antilock Brake Systems, and Collision Avoidance problems. These seemed to come and go. But if I was on the highway with Cruise Control on and these messages appeared the car immediately drops out of Cruise Control. In addition if it happened while braking the pedal would go almost to the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
Truck has only 65, 000 miles on it, I’m the second buyer, has never haul anything or hitch a trailer, I’m having this electrical brake system failure ABS, this vehicle is to expensive and new to have early issues on it. ABS Motor Control- General Electric failure. I seem other similar problems reported with same year and same problems.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
I purchased a new 2022 Ford Ranger it has 6000 miles. I had it back to the dealer twice it hesitate when taking off from start at red light- stop sign and entering highway this in my mind is a safety problem when a care/truck hesitate in traffic there seem a problem with there new ECO-BOOST engine/transmission my truck will return again on 8/1 for another service call for the same problem.
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Piaggio MP3 530 Exclusive Motorcycle. The contact stated that while his feet were on the running board with the wheels locked, the motorcycle jumped to the right and he fell to the ground and sustained injuries to his elbow, muscles, and arm. The driver was taken to the hospital and was provided medical attention. There were no warning lights illuminated. While at a stop li... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
Can not use cruise control on my Tesla model three 2022 because a phantom breaking
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
Numerous problems with engine overheating light coming on, leaking coolant, going up hill, car hesitate, car shakes at times.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I.The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated at high speed before the vehicle shut off with the message “Transmission Not in Park” displayed. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road, and after the vehicle cooled down the contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
April 2023 - While driving at ~ 35mph multiple warning light on the dashboard came on, (including traction control, AWD needs service, drive mode unavailable, emergency brake and several others) the speedometer stopped working (both the digital and analog) and a sluggish sensation was immediate (like the brakes were applied rapidly.) The car was stopped and further investigation showed that the re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2022
I own a 2019 Ford Expedition Max (10R80 trans) & have experienced intermit. issues with the vehicle failing to shift into a higher gear when accelerating rapidly & getting stuck in a high RPM unless the accelerator is released. When releasing the accelerator there is a violent clunk & jerking. I have expressed this issue to Ford’s Service Department at the dealership. When intaking my vehicle t... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2023
I was driving normal speed on a highway and all of a sudden my speed slowed to 0 and I had to hurry and pull over fast. I was so scared and it was so dangerous. I took it to a shop and they said I need a new transmission. The car never indicated there was an issue prior to this incident.
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 10, 2023
Incident date: May 23, 2023
I'm emailing due to issues with my 2023 Cross Sport I purchased. It's a dire situation, as I had issues with my 2021 Cross Sport and VW ended up repurchasing the vehicle from me due a number of safety concerns. During my search for a new vehicle, I could not find anything that I liked so I ended up contacting Hawk VW in Joliet, IL to ask about the new 2023 Cross Sport and asked if they were aware ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
I was slowing at a stop sign and the car suddenly accelerated. My foot was not on the gas pedal but it continued to accelerate causing and accident at an intersection.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 10, 2023
While driving slowly less than 5 MPH into parking stall the vehicle accelerated excessively while trying to brake the vehicle it continued to accelerate and jumped the curb while I was still pumping the brakes to try to get it to stop and the car finally stopped after hitting the front of the establishment building. No collision warning went off at this time as well. I checked the mats to see if... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
I have made sure that the oil was changed on my 2015 Hyundai Azera. It has consistantly used oil. And now , I noticed a disturbing sound under the hood. Now, i have found metal shavings in my oil. This is a Theta engine. 6 cylinder. And according to the internet. Since 2011, Hyundai engines have been consistantly complained about and this engine needs to be added to the recall list for having the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
While driving on the highway at about 60mph my 2016 Outback suddenly accelerated much faster. The only way to avoid collision with another car or cars or end up in a ditch was to drive around them. The brake did not work! After a minute or more(?) I eventually was able to stop using the brake.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2023
was driving at 11mph and car would not Accelerate almost causing and accident issues with engine sparking flames fuel system problems, transmission issues when putting the vehicle into park. Engine problems check engine light keeps blinking on an off system says park vehicle do to diagnosed problems. suspension issues afraid to drive vehicle do to so many safety problems.
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2014) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 10, 2023
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
In my 2020 plug-in Fusion, Stop Safely Now appeared on the screen as I drove on the freeway. While driving 70 mph, I suddenly had difficulty accelerating, and my air conditioner stopped working and began blowing hot air. By using hazard lights, I was able to slowly exit the freeway. The system disabled the engine and prevented the vehicle from starting. After being stranded on the off ramp, we wer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
Accelerating from hard stop causes vehicle to jerk. There is a lag that is dangerous when sitting in traffic. I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic when I accelerated. The car has no response and then will have a sudden acceleration seconds after pushing the pedal. This only happens when accelerating from a hard stop. I have called 2 local dealers and they confirmed they have seen this issue. ... Read more
DOUGLAS
ALL-SEASON
(9999) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jul 9, 2023
Incident date: Oct 21, 2021
Hard braking on its own while using cruise control. Nearly rear-ended multiple times.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
Drove thru multiple states in spring and Tesla autopilot would come to abrupt sudden slow down without warning. Bad enough that I would disable the system and drive manually. This problem occurs regardless of one lane or two lane roads. With or without cars in front or behind me. Sunny or cloudy skies. Hot or cold. Straight or windy roads. With autopilot or even adaptive cruise control. I have no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
Engine suddenly went into limp mode and jerked steering while on the highway (engine light happened AFTER). We started about 60mph, then vehicle slowed to about 30mph in a few seconds. Almost crashed into a semi-truck trying to get my car under control, then almost caused a pileup collision behind a slow-moving traffic control vehicle. Limped into town. Engine was rattling. Found the engine to be... Read more