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 31, 2023
My 2008 toyota highlander gas pedal must be lose.because I barley push the gas and it takes on fast.i was driving home on the highway and the truck just died .the battery dies I couldn't turn my wheel I could not press the break
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 60 MPH. The vehicle began to shudder and failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated and flashing. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approxi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The ABS system got wet and shorted out the electrical system. It seems it may have been a recall earlier that was done but obviously it has failed again. Was driving and all lights and beepers went off. My abscandvtraction control and brake sensor and cruise control and park assist and engine and brake lights are all on and it now won’t start easy. It’s a mess and at the dealer who says they w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
Ford Ranger XLT VIN [XXX] Ford File CAS [XXX] opened 02/08/23 Contact: [XXX], [XXX] Ext [XXX] Acceleration Incidents on trips between Mobile and Dallas. 1. Vehicle purchased March, 2021. Current mileage 6400 +/- 2. In July, 2022, after driving 6 hours at interstate speeds using cruise control, we exited interstate and drove secondary streets to hotel. On entering parking lot we idled toward ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2023
Initially the check engine light came on; took it to service center and the fuel sensor was replaced. Check engine light comes on the next day which revealed an evap code error. Suggestion was take it to dealer for recall check. Safety became an issue when the vehicle sputtered and stalled on the highway. I visually inspected the fuel tank which appeared "sunken" which suggested a vacuum pressure ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
MIRAGE
(2017) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 29, 2023
Incident date: Mar 11, 2023
The driver seatbelt doesn’t lock to where it unlocks while driving. Also brakes have to be replaced often then the power control sensor made the car go limp out of no where. The engine light didn’t come on til way later after the car wouldn’t work properly. This is all a hazard to the person driving bc of the car goes limp out of no where it can cause an accident bc it stops working like if ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
Hi! My vehicle went under a recall repair last month. Once completed, the acceleration significantly decreased in the ECO drive train mode. The other modes are working as before. I have been advised that this recall service was required by the NTSB. There are reports of this occurring on credible websites as well. I did report it to Hyundai, they didn't believe me. So, I am reporting this... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
My truck has been shifting hard..or taking a very long time to shift into gear. When I put the truck into reverse it doesn't indicate/light up the R-reverse light on dashboard which is dangerous not knowing what gear the truck is actually in..after quite some time it will slam or thud hard into reverse but still doesn't illuminate on the dash...then when switching into drive it slams very hard int... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2015) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 28, 2023
Incident date: Dec 12, 2021
Originally I had gottem my oil changed at the Hyundai dealership 2 months before . The car was turning off on me while driving making slow turns or slowing down to 5mph or less. Then my car broke down on me and wouldnt turn on. Mechanic was saying there was no oil in and it created a sludge in the engine basically ruining the car. My check oil light never came on, and the oil was just recently cha... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 28, 2023
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 26, 2022
Service lights for ABS and traction control systems constantly going on and off during vehicle use, these system failures disable cruise control systems. Truck is at dealer and they have said it needs new hydraulic control unit and ABS parts totaling over $2000 in parts alone, without an idea of when the parts will be available. This seems to be a common failure as I have read many posts of other ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
I was trying to park my car on March 11, 2023 at noon, and I noticed a sudden uncontrolled acceleration even when my foot was off the accelerator pedal. Parking collision front sensors failed to provide an early warning, and automatic emergency brake did not engage leading to a minor collision with the vehicle parked in front. The situation occurred so rapidly that I did not have enough time to re... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
Ihad something happen 3 times with the car on my drive to work. It was raining and vehicles ahead of me were kicking up a significant amount of mist in front of my Solterra. I was using the adaptive cruise control feature and it is supposed to follow cars in front of you and slow down or speed up (to your max set rate) to keep with traffic. THREE (3) times it did not see the car in front of me and... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
On Saturday, 3/4/2023, I stopped at a supercharger lot to charge my car during a trip. As I entered the lot, I noticed that the road conditions were poor, almost like a gravel road. To be cautious, I drove slowly towards the three empty parking spaces in the middle of the lot, intending to park in the middle spot. I noticed that the road conditions were even worse in front of the parking spot, but... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
Repeated random breaking when in cruise control or auto steer. It is available for inspection upon request. Car abruptly stopped on busy road at 60 miles per hour more than once. Slows on expressway repeatedly, which can potentially cause loss of control or being hit from behind. Vehicle has not been inspected for this issue. There have been no warnings of the problem prior to the failure. This... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
Car unexpectedly accelerated when turning into a parking space. Gradually braking going in to the space and then car suddenly accelerated across the curb and hit a building. Car can be available for inspection. No one was hurt but only because of being lucky that no one was on the sidewalk by the building. Emergency services were called and police made a report and all is reported to the insur... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The vehicle stability control system randomly engages and activates the brakes without cause. This can happen on a gentle curve going under the speed limit. It is very scary and I am afraid it is going to cause an accident. Internet research shows many owners with this issue and no information on the cause or a fix
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
I have been contacting Hyundai since before November 2022 on an issue with the engine. At this point, the engine was spuddering, hard to acclerate, lags, shuts off yet no warning lights were on. I was told about the engine recall which is why I went there. Set an appt and when I got in, he said it does not SOUND like a rod knock and sent me home even though there is an active recall on the car ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The component that failed was the transmission and transmission pump. We have receipts and digital verification of this situation as a common problem with this Ford model. Our safety was put at risk as the vehicle suddenly lost power on the highway in a rural area and we had to drift with what speed we had left to the right lane shoulder and hope there was a shoulder as we could not back up or g... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
On February 25, 2023, while slowing down as I approached an intersection controlled by a red signal light and applied my brakes which was slowing me down. My foot never moved off the brake pedal as I slowed down. Suddenly, the Jeep Gladiator "accelerated/surged" forward and stated gaining speed. Although I was applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, the vehicle never slowed down or stoppe... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
When running on a highway and you press down on the accelerator hard to merge onto a highway or go around a vehicle to move out of the way of vehicles quickly coming up behind you, the engine takes over and speeds up on its own. It has occurred three times on a newly purchased used car and it will increase speed up to 100mph. You have to press intermittently on the brakes to pull over to the shou... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
While driving on the highway at 60 mph, the vehicle Started To feel like it was trying to go forward (thrusting) on its own. It then accelerated on its own to over 80 mph. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over and put it in park.the engine was revving in park. After Kia roads on assistance couldn't send a tow truck,I thought I would be okay driving on the emergency lane The 2 miles home from th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
When using my Cruise Control the speed jumps up to 75-85 mph without my input. For example, when I set the cruise control to 55 it suddenly jumps up to 75 or 85 mph on its own. This happens when the speed signs on the road change. This past week I used my cruise control for a long trip. I was on a highway that changed the posted speed from 55 to 65 mph. The cruise control suddenly went from the p... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
Just financed this car on the 18th of February the engine light is constantly coming on and staying on now also the stable light keeps popping on the car is sputtering and shaking and can barely get up speed when driving it's making a funny noise
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
Vehicle will repeatably go incorrect speed limit while on Autopilot or Fsd(beta), internal mapping data has incorrect speed limits, sometimes 65 in a 30, other times 25 in an unmarked 55. Speed limit may change multiple times within a short distance making it hard to correct without slowing or speeding up This is on software 2022.45.12. ( fsd 11.3.3), has been a constant issue on previous version... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
On a two lane road with no traffic approaching and no traffic behind us on us95 in the Nv desert, the model 3 slammed on the brakes and slowed from 60mph to 30 or less. This is with the adaptive cruise control engaged, not auto steering. This happens several times. There were several times when large semi trucks were approaching in the opposing Lane and the model 3 slammed on the brakes also when... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
Vehicle will delay acceleration when I have stopped at a stop sign or stop light. When I press the gas pedal it will delay acceleration for a couple of seconds and then final take off. It doesn't happen often and I find that if I turn the engine off and wait a few minutes and start it again, it goes away for several days but does return.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
My name is [XXX] DL #[XXX], I live in Detroit Michigan 48219, About August 2022 I purchased a used 2018 Jeep Compass. About late November 2022 I was driving on the drive free way and the I got a quick dashboard reading High coolant Temperature and the vehicle started slowing down, I push the gas pedal and the car, accelerate it. I truly thought I did not have any radiator fluid in the radiator so ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
My model 3 on crusing speeds on high ways, automatically applies brakes and makes sudden,abrupt, jolted slowing down which causes extreme pressure on persons body
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 26, 2023
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
Same issue I've been reporting several months. This morning I downloaded yet another software update, got in my car, drove to Chick-fil-a on a Sunday because Tesla has not fixed this fatal braking bug on the highway for a non-existent round-a-bout so I use that for the car to navigate to. The car tries to get on the state road instead of the highway so I cancel and take over and drive onto the hig... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
Nearly Every Single day on my drive home north on AZ hwy 90 my 2020 Tesla Model Y abruptly disengages and breaks from cruise control. it is especially startling when I pass a vehicle and then return to my lane only to have the car dramatically slow. I could be ok if it just disengaged cruise but daily multiple times it breaks on a fast moving highway
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
All vehicle safety sensors going off at once. Speedometer indicated car is going 0mph while car is clearly being driven
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 25, 2023
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The acceleration of the vehicle from a stop. Whether from a stop sign, stop light, even sometimes after slowing down after a turn. It hesitates while the gas pedal is still being applied. Causing the vehicle to slow and other vehicles are forced to brake. The engine does not rev and the tachometer does not move. There are no warnings lights or vehicle notifications. After several attempts to bring... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Hello I was driving on the highway yesterday when my transmission failed. The car stopped accelerating and would not increase speed despite my foot being on the gas. I was hit several times before navigating to the median. If not for me being calm under pressure my life and the lives of other motorists were at risk. This is unacceptable.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
I was turning left to northbound from westbound and as I was trying to accelerate to turn, my Tesla wouldn’t go past 11 mph. I stepped on the accelerator with all my might, but it wouldn’t go past 11 mph. On my dash, the alert said: “obstruction detected- speed will be reduced.” This is very concerning because the car was slowing down and obstructing the southbound lanes. This is very dang... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2023
While driving at highway speed, the battery light and oil light came on and the throttle became unresponsive. The driver pulled over safely. The vehicle had to be restarted before the throttle became responsive again. The vehicle was taken to Maguire Kia Service (Ithaca, NY), where the engine was subsequently replaced.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2023
We were coming down a mountain from Flagstaff to Phoenix at night in heavy, fast traffic when my engine just died. No power, no power steering, no power assisted brakes. Total emergency. I have never been so scared in a vehicle. Nearly rear ended by semi at full speed. Had to try to find a shoulder on a mountain and pull over fast to avoid collision. Then once pulled over the Pacifica does not jus... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 24, 2023
Incident date: Mar 21, 2023
I was driving my car on the highway and entered a ramp to another highway and as I began to accelerate again it was like my engine shut down and there was no response to the gas pedal for throttle. I pulled my car over to the side, sat for a moment, and then turned the car back on. I was able to accelerate, but if I accelerate too fast the engine would shut back down. I contacted Kia and they ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
Hi Team, Issue 1: unexpected Acceleration: Recently I found that is there is unexpected additional acceleration when I press gas pedal initially after changing gears from P to D. I am setting up an appointment with dealer to report and investigate this issue. My Car has only around 13000 miles on it. This issue was initially observed when one morning when i headed somewhere there is unexpected ac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while approaching a traffic light and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal to the floor and turned off the vehicle and the vehicle stopped. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the engine was still revving at full... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2022
While driving South on I75 near Tampa Florida using Autopilot the car suddenly decelrated to 10mph. There were no cars next to me and we were passing through a 6 lane area where the road splits. No distinguishing features, no cars on either side and we were heading slightly up hill. It seems like the cameras could only see the sky. Fortunately there was no car directly behind me. Very scary.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
While driving at various speeds, the check engine light, service stabilitrack, and service traction control warning lights came on. Vehicle went into limp mode. Independent mechanic said ongoing issue with Chevy and carbon build up in the throttle body. It will keep happening due to flawed system. Dealer denied but keeps happening
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
I was commuting home from work when suddenly there was smoke coming from under the hood and the vehicle completely stopped working in the middle of the road. It would not accelerate and I had to get help to move it into a parking lot. I had to get it towed to my home. The car will not start. If we turn the key to try to start it, the engine starts smoking.
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 23, 2023
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
Steering wheel buttons began no working. Lights on steering wheel flicker when steering wheel turns. Randomly alerted that "adaptive cruise control is unavailable" both when the system is in use and when It is off. Forward collision warning system active breaking not working.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
While driving my vehicle this morning my odometer completely shut off while on the freeway and all my little lights on the dashboard went on. My turn signals, as well as my brake lights stopped working as well.
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2023) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 23, 2023
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
Shortly after purchasing the vehicle I engaged the adaptive cruise control. It worked fine until such time as I attempted to pass a large vehicle such as a semi truck. When I would get along side of the truck the brakes violently slammed on without warning. The vehicle has been taken back to the selling dealer for repair and they were not able to fix it. (see uploaded Repair Order). I then ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
This is a dangerous problem and I expect Honda to have a major recall some day, unfortunately not today. Symptoms were two things, 1) ACC when on would not slow down with another car in front, it just kept accelerating into the car until I put on the brakes. Crazy dangerous. 2) The collision warning light would come on and beep loudly when there was no possibility of collision. Required replacing ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
2015 pathfinder will intermittently not accelerate while driving. Occurs mostly after being at a stop. Has also occurred while in motion in a 35 mph zone. The traction control light will illuminate and stay on until vehicle is shut off and restarted. This is dangerous and will eventually cause a crash.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2022
I set my cruise control at a designated speed (70mph) and the vehicle accelerated well beyond…to 83mph before I realized it was still accelerating. I had to hit the cancel Button and turn off cruise control to get it to slow down. Then I set it and it didn’t “set” and kept decelerating.
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2019) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Mar 22, 2023
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
Was getting on freeway and hit the gas to accelerate and get ahead of the traffic. The Challenger would not accelerate fast (has a hemi) and car almost flew into me. Started testing the vehicle and it just wouldn't accelerate fast, it was stall slowly and pickup speed over 30 seconds or so. I brought it in to one shop and they said its probably a software update and to take it to Dodge and it ... Read more