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 4, 2023
On 9/3/23, driver was waiting at a stop sign to turn left. When driver accelerated into the highway, there was no power and the vehicle would only go 5-10 mph. Warning lights came on to check the hybrid system with the HEV indicator light. Driver pulled over. Restarted car and engine was stuttering. Was able to drive a few miles to a safer location. Started car on 9/4/23, again it had a rough star... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
I ordered the car in July and it arrived on 8/3/23. On 8/31/23, I got in the car while in my garage, attempted to start it as usual, and a loud sound occurred when I shifted from park to reverse. Lights began flashing. I turned off the car, got out and walked around to make sure I hadn’t hit anything. After verifying clearance all around, I checked my phone. The Toyota Corolla Cross XLE had ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The contact stated that while renting a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel suddenly turned left while accelerating. The contact attempted to gain control however the steering wheel seized. The vehicle ended up crashing in the middle of the highway on the left side of the vehicle and front-end mostly. The air bags deployed. The vehicle... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
I was parking my car in a driveway on clear and sunny day. As I put the car into reverse, the engine suddenly accelerated. The car then spun around and moved sideways causing me to crash into the garage along the length of the car on passenger side. The garage was heavily damaged as were two other cars in the garage. I was not injured except for mild bruising and stiffness in neck and shoulders. A... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Coming home from grocery shopping the night of Sept 3, 2023 the radio kept turning off then coming back on. I was on the highway about 20miles from home radio still turning on and off about every 5mins (go black/blank then light back up) and I had felt when i would accelerate it would as I would slightly go up hill. Once I jad got about 4miles from my house the radio went off once again and dash w... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 4, 2023
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
Easily repeatable issue. When at highway speeds adaptive cruise control detects a slower vehicle in my lane. My Frontier slows as expected. When the necessary lane change is made, my engine will suddenly accelerate rapidly until it reaches about 6000 rpms. This also will occur when climbing a moderately steep hill in either cruise mode. This is a safety hazard in that it is extremely distrac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
Spontaneous downshifting of transmission to first gear has occurred more than once resulting in sudden change in speed, tires screeching, and unsafe driving or difficulty controlling automobile. Fortunately no one was behind me as I would likely have been rear ended. Each time this has happened the motor has been subjected to heavy strain.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
Abrupt, rapid, unannounced deceleration with no apparent cause. Has happened multiple times.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
Engine stalled in the middle of the highway. Could not get speed over 30mph to get out of the way of oncoming traffic even with the gas peddle pushed to the floor. Engine light flashing. Finally was able to get over to the side of the road with care bucking and jerking the whole way and stuttered to a stop.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
i have reported this before with no resolution. the vehicle that financed (2019 Nissan Sentra SV) ALWAYS slows down during acceleration causing the car to jerk myself and passenger(s) forward and the car to make grinding sounds and would only allow continued driving after the car decelerated when there was NO vehicle in the front vicinity of the car. The transmission is at present in need of rep... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
My ABS keeps locking up and Ive almost wrecked multiple times. I changed brakes and rotors and still the problem is on-going. Its dangerous and Ive read others saying the same thing online.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
When traveling the car does not accelerate properly sometimes losing power. Feels like engine might turn off. But removing foot from accelerator (gas pedal), then reapply, gets engine to respond, but very slowly. No warning messages.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
As I was starting to make a right hand turn into a parking space in a parking garage, the car suddenly accelerated. I slammed on the brakes, but the stopping distance was not long enough. The car crashed into the steel cabling and concrete pole. The airbags deployed and the damage was significant enough to total the car. I sustained bruising and back muscle pain from the force of the impact. I onl... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
How is there not a recall yet? I'm still making payments on my 2018 Ford F-150 which I purchased in 2020. The first problem I experienced happened when accelerating to pass a slower moving vehicle (into oncoming traffic). Instead, my truck slowed substantially (70 mph down to 40 mph) preventing me and all the other drivers behind me from passing. Fortunately, there wasn't a vehicle traveling in th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The car was going at the speed limit or maybe 5-9 miles over speed limit when brakes were pumped to stop car as there was stop and go traffic on a bridge in bay area (CA). The car had quite a distance from the car in front of it. Despite brakes being applied, the car seemed to accelerate and brakes had to be applied hard. However, the car did not stop until it hit the honda in front of it. As ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
While parking my car, with my foot on the brake, the accelerator engaged and went to the floor. This caused me to jump a medium and pull on to the road before I was able to stop the car. I was ale to stop with the engine still racing. I put the car into park and the accelerator disengaged. The dealer determined the accelerator was defective.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2019) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 2, 2023
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
I was driving when the vehicle engine randomly shut down with out warning I was on the freeway at the time and could have been hit by a car. I took thr car to an auto repair shop, had the problem inspected snddiagnosed and was told the engine was faulty. I had the engine replaced and the same issue occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or alerts prior to the problem occurring. The drive... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 2, 2023
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
This has happened multiple times on Interstate 20. I will merge onto the interstate and my Rogue will lose power completely. I can have the gas pedal almost at the ground and there is no acceleration. The RPM will go up to 4 but literally no acceleration is happening. I can feel the car get to 60 and then it won’t go any faster. At times when idle at a red light or in a parking spot so many war... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2020
I've gone through 6 batteries in 1 year and I still have to keep jumping my vehicle Everytime I start it. I am currently stranded in Walmart parking lot with no jumper cables and I am being forced to walk now. Also there are times when I am driving down the highway and at any given moment it acts as if I stomped on the brakes. The lights go off and on, the windows roll up and down, the door locks ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2022
Vehicle has been consuming oil between oil changes. Recently the ABS, Down hill assist, and traction control lights came on. We took it to the dealer and were advised it was a wheel speed sensor in the passenger rear, but they wanted over $600 so we did not repair. Two days later all the lights went off and we had no issues. A month later I drove to Florida, checked and filled the oil with a lit... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2020
When driving, ALL lights on the dash went on and vehicle safety features did not work- no cruise control, automatic breaking, automatic headlight adjustments, etc. We were over 500 miles from home and had the oil changed but it did not fix the problem. Had $72,000 miles on it, 4 years old. We had to drive home that distance to get it repaired over a 2-3 day period. No safety features were enabl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
Electrical system shut off and I lost control of car
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
My concern is a potential unintended acceleration forward as. I was. parking vechicle. Sudden burst of speed, went thru shrubbery and off a 2 foot wall. Felt as if we were taking off a runway in a plane. Car went nose up over the wall and then dropped into a neighbor yard digging a divot, ripping rear left fender and bumper with some undercarriage problems. My spouse and I were seatbelted and not ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Computer system failure ABS system not functioning causing driving functions not working. Problem continuously reproduced by independents and finally by Dealer. Dashboard lights on, engine, tracking, ABS, Brak and other lights. MPG reduced with speedometer down to zero while driving.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
I was driving at approximately 30 mph when the transmission's OSS (Output Speed sensor) suddenly malfunctioned, causing an unexpected downshift into first gear. This abrupt shift led to a loss of control, resulting in a harrowing collision with a tree. What I witnessed next is etched into my memory forever: a scene of blood, fluorescent white bone fragments, and shattered glass strewn all around. ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Vehicle suddenly stalls with no prior warning, both while driving and at rest. This cannot be duplicated and does not throw codes on the code scanner. Occasionally it will "hiccup" and keep going instead of a complete stall. RPM drops to zero and will then jump back to their prior reading. The vehicle becomes impossible to control (stalled so no speed st all abd difficult to steer). Mechanic cann... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
Sudden acceleration when braking caused crash of 2011 Toyota RAV4 and driver injury. Making a right turn into a parking space that faces a concrete wall, I had my foot on the brake to slow the car down to park, going about five miles an hour. Still riding the brake, never having moved my foot off it, when I was about two feet from the wall I pressed on the brake to ease into a stop. Instead, the ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
While driving 70mph on highway, all lights on dash illuminated, lane assist malfunctioned, wipers went on, blinkers stopped working, vehicle lost speed quickly. Was able to move it off the road, but stopped running before being completely on shoulder. Vehicle would not turn on again in any capacity and hazard warning lights would not function. Needed to have vehicle towed, awaiting final report on... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
I have 2014 Hyundai Elantra it unsafe to drive put in drive it wouldn’t go forward . It jerky hard to go. Failure of light. Transmission.steer clutch shaft
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
First I had an oil leak which I was advised to warm my car up to prevent from getting worse. At the time I was told it was minor. Then my oil light started coming up every 2 weeks and when checked there was no oil. Now 2 months later, my car has stopped and showed a blinking check engine light. When checked I was told a code of p1326 which is the knock sensor. I have only had my car 7 months and i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
For the third time in 37000 miles the abs system including ABS system and electronic brake system has failed. This has been repaired around 15000 miles and recently at 35000 and it went out again at 37000 miles. Didn't last 2500 miles after last repair. When this happens trailer brakes quit functioning and cruise control also quits working as well as every few minutes the system gives you a contin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
While on a 65 mph enforced highway, cruise control was turned on via the button on the steering wheel. The digital cruise control set itself at 110 mph and the vehicle began to accelerate to match the speed. Aside from turning on the cruise control, no other buttons on the steering wheel were pushed. The car’s cruise control feature had previously been set at 70 mph to match current conditions... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
The computer component surged, and the vehicle is available for inspection. The vehicle brake function is lost. Stepping on the brake paddle did not apply brake. Brake function was disabled by the computer. I took the vehicle to dealer, they said it was a component that has high resistance that cause it. But not sure why it has high resistance at that time and the resistance is gone after driver... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
I was pulling up to a ticket machine in a parking garage. I had my foot on the accelerator and was using regenerative braking and was essentially stopped. I was short a few inches from the button to get the ticket so applied almost no pressure to the accelerator – more like a tap so I could go forward a few inches. The car went into full acceleration mode, broke through the ticket machine barrie... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
The ABS light and traction control lights appear on the dash board. After 500 miles I'm no longer able to drive the RV. I bought this rv van back in 2019, i'm the 2nd owner. It has 59,500 miles. I've already replaced both the rear wheel speed sensors in 2020. Replaced both front wheel speed sensors in May 2021 and now the front right wheel speed sensor went out again 8/18/2023. The rear wheel spee... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
Wrench indicator warning light led to diagnosis that transmission replacement is needed. Verified (twice) by Ford Service Department and Reputable Ford Mechanic. Defective 10 speed automatic transmission: shift solenoids cause gears to shift up and down erratically, occasionally shifting with a jolt or bang.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
When my car is in cruise control it sometimes applies the brake when the car in front of me is taking an off ramp. Even when car is out of my lane the car might aggressively apply the brakes. Sometimes applies the brakes because a car in front of me changes lanes. It only does it if they go to a lane that is right of my car. I do not tailgate so I feel that this is dangerous as I drive on I-95 and... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
My car lurches when I put it into gear, drive or reverse. When a red light turns green and I put my foot on the accelerator the car will lurch forward. I was in my garage when I started my car and my foot was firmly on the brake as I shifted into reverse with my foot on the brake the car violently lurched backwards.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Aug 31, 2023
Incident date: May 8, 2023
As I was driving, my vehicle completely stopped in traffic. All vehicle functions became disabled. Even when putting the car in neutral, it would not budge. Had it not been for construction workers helping me, I could have been killed due to the heavy traffic flow.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
I bought Tesla in May 2023. My Tesla Model Y has suddenly accelerated in my garage on 08/29 @8.25pm EST and damaged my garage front door/drywall and broken my stair case in pieces. It was phantom acceleration. I have video from my ring security system camera video which shows clearly that I was parking in my garage extremely carefully, however the Tesla Model Y suddenly accelerated beyond my contr... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Aug 30, 2023
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
The brake lights stay on all the time, thus preventing vehicles behind mine from knowing if I'm actually stopping. Hence, they may stop without reason, and endanger drivers behind them. The manufacturer has likely known of this being an issue in Sonatas from, at least, 2007 through 2013 models. The manufacturer is putting the task of solving the problem (if that's even possible), upon a dealer. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2023
I saw a recall on certain Hyundai models...I have a similar problem maybe twice with this 2022 Hyundai Venue....Traveling down the highway with Cruise set at 65...The car started to accelerate to 80 before I turn the cruise off...don't know if it's something wrong with the cruise...or just 2 mishaps .....just asking if anyone else has complained....thanks
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
While driving in cruise control mode, not auto steer, and with no vehicle in or obvious obstruction in front, the brakes will be applied without warning (phantom braking). It has happened multiple time in the years of ownership. It has happened once or twice with a vehicle following resulting in near rear-end collision. In one case this resulted in the follower reacting with "road rage," passin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
My car will intermittently lose power, such as in the middle of an intersection, or turning in front of another vehicle, which puts me and my children at risk. The transmission is throwing a code for overheating and malfunctioning, and there is an open customer satisfaction bulletin for the transmission control module, but Ford refuses to replace it because it’s not throwing “the correct code ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
This is a report of a RECURRING problem commonly known as "phantom braking." When I take long trips in this vehicle at legal freeway speeds and with the Adaptive Cruise Control and Auto Steer (lane keeping) functions engaged, the vehicle will occasionally reduce speed suddenly and violently (emergency braking) even if there are no vehicles ahead and no visible hazards whatsoever. This occurs wit... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
I have 2017 Dodge ram 2500.12/09/19 the anti lock brake system control and hcu module was replaced under warranty. Now august 2023 with 27,900 miles the same problem has occurred with the dealer recommending the ABS control module and HCU be replaced. the parts will not be avaiable until January 2024. If a Abs module failure is not serious what is. A check of the internet shows a tremendous amo... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Accord. The contact stated while her husband was at a stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been experienced several times. The contact stated that her husband depressed the brake pedal to fully stop the vehicle; however, intermittently he had t... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Aug 30, 2023
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost motive power after 45 minutes. The RPM increased, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The driver was able to pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact s... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Aug 30, 2023
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
Car is equipped with Distronic cruise and has maximum 4 car lengths stopping distance. It was set on 4 car length. While driving north on 55 fwy and exiting to 405 fwy in California. Exit (single lane) was dead stop due to traffic and while I was on cruising at 70 mph. Car would not stop and I had to take over to stop- hard braking just in time. The SUV behind me had to swear to emergency lane ( r... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
The steering wheel controls on our 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 are haptic. That means that if you brush them with your fingers or hand with light pressure, they can activate. When leaving a neighborhood street, I turned the steering wheel approximately 180 degrees to pull out from a parking spot next to the curb. Upon releasing my grip a bit on the steering wheel (to let it rotate back to 'straight') m... Read more