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: Dec 26, 2022
We were driving at 55mph and every warning light came on. It quickly decelerated to 20mph then wouldn't shift from first gear. We were in an area where there was no places to pull over. We pulled over and the car wouldn't shift from park. We were told to let it sit 15min then try again. After 20 min the car worked normally. The computer system deletes all the errors once it sits. The dealership sa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2022
Tesla "Traffic Aware Cruise Control" occasionally unnecessarily applies brakes aggressively for no apparent reason when cruise control is in use. This presents a hazard to other driver's who may be behind the Tesla. This phenomena is well known to Tesla owners who have repeatedly posted about it in Tesla's Owners Forum. It is often referred to as "phantom braking". There is no option for the Tesla... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2022
I was driving on the highway at 50 mph with my 3 kids and my vehicle stop accelerating . I almost got in a major Car accident . I had no warning lights at all . I contacted the dealership to tow Car and the transmission failed internally, I ask for Assitance since the 8 speed transmission has a class action lawsuit and Chevy denied Assitance since I have a 6 speed transmission. I believe this is a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Throttle pedal becomes unresponsive right after starting the car at times , I am concern this may happen while driving , dealership claims they can not reproduce the problem , second time back to the dealership the reprogramed the engine computer but problem continues, car is not cover under warranty , it is a 2019 Camry LE with 2.5 engine , they claim not been able to find the cause of the pro... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2022
While changing the lane towards right, suddenly my vehicle over accelerated and was about to crash the vehicle ahead of me and quickly I decided to maneuver towards the right shoulder lane and within few seconds and speedy semi-truck passed from the left and saved our lives of 4 people in the car in the busy highway approaching the O'hare Chicago Airport. Safety: Had I not taken towards right to a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2022
Purchased vehicle on 10/06/2022. Within a week noticed surging and /or loss of power. I also smelled buring of some sort. Contacted the dealership and tried to make arrangements for car to be diagnosed and repaired. Codes began to show on the dash. When I took it to be read it showed throttle issues. On 10/18/2022 I was at a complete stop at a stop sign. When I released the brake and touched the g... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 25, 2022
On certain sections of highway unsuccessfully attempted to activate auto-steer (two down clicks) multiple times in a row. Did this multiple times in a row but was unsuccessful to activate auto-steer. Instead a supposed "easter egg" (which activates with 4 down clicks) very loudly plays loud jarring music (called "rainbow road")...this is NOT FUCKING FUNNY--I nearly ran my car off the road and into... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2022
My Motor vehicle shift selector bushing broken out the ford issue is also in the 2017 models
Crash
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
I was driving in stop and go traffic about 4 hours into a road trip on I95. At around 60mph, an error popped up on the dash saying “Service Charging System” then it quickly went away and said “Shift to P to Start” at which point I lost all propulsion. I was in the left lane and had to make my way to the side of the road with my family of 6 in the car. This was extremely stressful and dange... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
The car accelerated unexpectedly, yes it is available for inspection, I have not taken to dealer. Car has not been inspected by any police dealer etc. No warning lights appeared. Yes car accelerated toward several on coming cars. I shifted gear from neutral with brake to drive with unexpected acceleration.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
I got P2138 code, i replaced the accelerator pedal on my cost because the dealer told me my car VIN is not include in the recall, the code keep coming back even after replacing the pedal. The problem it happen two time were I was driving on thruway "65 mph" the speed suddenly reduced to less than 30 mph which put me and the other drivers safety in dangerous situation
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Driving west on 1-10 west of TLH vehicle suddenly decelerate if if there was slowed or stopped traffic ahead. I was alone on road.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
This happened with my new Tesla Model X Plaid with installed Self Drive software. The AUTOPILOT or SELF DRIVE mode was NOT enabled when the incident happened. Turning into a parking spot at a Target superstore, (next to a damaged at the rear end car, parked to the left of the spot I was pulling into), the car went out of control with unintended acceleration as if the car's Emergency Evasion system... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
Our defrost system on windshield is only working on one side. First things first, the Vin number and the picture listed does not match our vehicle so I will be calling the the safety line to get it fixed. When googling the Dodge recalls. It popped up as a recall but I guess it’s not on our vin number dodge yet? Then the truck automatically started smelling like antifreeze. When driving it... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 23, 2022
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
At various speeds from 35mph to 70mph, van will accelerate without manual input to the accelerator pedal. To stop the acceleration, the pedal must be "smashed" several times before the throttle responds. It is as if the cruise control acceleration spontaniously activates even though cruise control is not ON or being used. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
I purchased this SUV new and noticed an issue with the automatic intermittent wipers. The dealership has replaced the windshield sensor and issue is now unreliable at best. Service department told me to simply wipe the sensor off or pour water onto the sensor to get the wipers to work. That seems to work for about 3 wipes and then stops again. Also, the driver seat changes position by itself ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
In July 2022, the esc/abs dash lights as well as the ‘service electronic brake/service ABS’ warning began intermittently flashing with resultant loss of traction control and ABS including cruise control. It would continue to activate/deactivate numerous times over the next couple of months. The dealer has identified the hydraulic control module as defective requiring complete replacement of th... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 23, 2022
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
While driving on the highway the car suddenly slowed down refusing to go faster than 27mph. Regardless of how hard I pushed the accelerator. Very dangerous. Almost caused an accident. Continued for 10miles till trip ended.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
Phantom braking during a drive on highway. Out of no where, the car breaks even when there is no one stopping in front of you. This resulted in car behind panicking and almost rear ending.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2021) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 22, 2022
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Bought vehicle in October - dealer was only able to give me the vehicle 2 months later. When I picked up the vehicle it smelled like something electric was burning. I texted my sales guy from the lot he didn't respond immediately I thought maybe it's just something outside the vehicle. Brought it home found it there is a recall on this vehicle and it doesn't accelerate efficiently. When I took it... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
Critical Failure - Alternator/48v Generator Issue in Audi Q8 Prestige. By now, I am well aware that the problem I'm experiencing is in the top 25 repair issues for Audi and currently there are 15,000 cars affected in the United States according to my dealer, waiting for these parts. Out of nowhere while driving on an interstate, at a high speed I got all mix of signals and the amount of time to re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
The following occurred at approximately 10:40 am: While traveling on our way home from grocery shopping, heading west on G Ave (Kalamazoo County, Michigan, on the north side of WalMart), cruise control was set to 53 mph (55 mph speed zone). Vehicle began to accelerate up to 59 mph, well beyond speed control setting, whereupon I pushed the “Cancel” button. Engine immediately revved up to about... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
On Tue, 12/20/2022, I was driving on I-94 westbound between Moorland Road and WI Hwy 164 at about 60-70 mph. The car suddenly stalled and I lost all ability to accelerate the vehicle. The brakes and steering wheel still worked fine. The dash was displaying a message: "Service charging system. Shift to P to start." This has happened to my vehicle multiple times before. I was in the right lane and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
I was operating the vehicle at a rate of 35-45 mph while getting on a highway ramp. As I merged and attempted to accelerate, the vehicle downshifted into 2nd gear itself and suddenly dropped in speed. This same incident has taken place multiple times in the past two weeks. Today I was able to catch it on video.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
Bought a 2009 Malibu (2.4 engine with electric power steering) a few weeks ago. Pulled into my driveway today and the power steering goes out and the traction control light comes on and service ESC message comes across the message center. Turn the car off and back on and the light goes out, power steering comes back for a second then the light trips again and it's out again as soon as I turn the w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
I have a 2010 Hyundai elantra. Two times in the last 3 months I was driving and for no reason at all my car would rev up and my speed would accelerate. In October this happened I was so scared that I quickly turned into a gas station and was hit by another vehicle. The next time it happened I was lucky on the road that wasn't busy and I was able to just take my foot off the gas until it returned t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 18, 2022
- Traction control engaged at high speed(70 mph on interstate) causing the vehicle to brake abruptly and pull the vehicle to the right. Had I been traveling in the left hand lane, I could have been forced into the right hand lane causing a collusion with another vehicle. Also occurred at lower speed(30 mph on a windy road) causing the same issue as described above, almost causing the vehicle to le... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
The sensor shuts off and warning beeps “Unavailable Front Radar Obstruction” which then shuts off cruise control and crash avoidance. This happens in dry weather with no rain or snow.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
Phantom braking: While in cruise or autopilot mode, it suddenly brakes on freeway without any obstacles observed.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
It was 12/21/2022 at about 3:15 PM in the afternoon and I had just turned right into the parking lot of St. Alexius Medical Center, 1555 Barrington Rd, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169. I took a left turn, and went north about fifty feet and stopped at a stop sign. A car was stopped at the same intersection from the right facing west. As I waited for the other car to turn in front of me, my 2011 Kia Ri... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
While driving with Autopilot engaged at approximately 65 mph the car suddenly decelerated to less than 40 mph and then accelerated back to 65. This happened again within a minute of the first occurance and I turned off Autopilot but left cruise control on. It then happened again and I turned cruise control off. Fortunately there were no cars following close behind me nor was I following close ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
Good morning, I want to report extreme safety concerns about my KIA Forte GT - Line 2023.When I first came home with the car days later the car shut off in the middle of the street while driving just one house up from my house. I attempted to turn it back on and the car would not turn back on and it automatically proceeded to call roadside assistance.I immediately informed the dealership. The car... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
I am currently having this issue with Combination Meter, which means the Prius dash board will not show any speed, fuel, P, R, D label and many more important information is not shown on display. I had complained to Toyota, CASE[XXX] on 19Dec2022, I have spoken to Danial N and manager Alex S from Toyota. They both have denied solving this issue from Toyota as the Warranty Extension ZTV has expired... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 20, 2022
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
Cruise Control, O2 SENSOR, Fuel/Propulsion System , BATTERY, If your check engine light is not on when you take it to the service department they say its hard to detect serves needs. Come back when it comes on again. Trouble while driving when using cruise congtrol it excellerate15miles beyond speed set very scary while driving next 30 minutes smell smoke next flames and smoke coming from undern... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the vehicle experienced an increased RPM while the brake pedal was depressed. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard and the vehicle then unintendedly accelerated. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
I believe TSB 08-054-18 does not take seriously enough the danger of an automatic car shutting off mid drive. Only by luck did I avoid being hit on a small road. This has happened pretty much every year of owning the car but I thought it was a fuel/oil issue related to weather until the shifter messages popped up this year.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
Service electronic brake system and service antilock brake system comes on intermittently which disables traction , cruise and antilock brake control systems when it happens, very dangerous in slippery weather
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 19, 2022
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
constantly states it does not work ever since the front license plate was installed. no way to disable it. it's either have a front plate or have no cruise control.
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
I had the adaptive cruise control (Autopilot) engaged on I95 and had it set to 60 MPH. Twice between a minute, the Model Y lowered the cruise speed to either 40 MPH and 25 MPH while on the interstate. No obstacles were in front of me to affect the cruise control system.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2022
I purchased the vehicle 4 months ago, and this began at the end of September. Engine stalls out when driving down the highway, check engine light and road hazard lights come on and car trying to accelerate itself at times and other times won’t go over 40 mph. If you let off the brake the car immediately launches forward. I have almost been hit as the car stalls out of no where. I can pull over ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
Driving down an interstate at the speed limit, with light traffic. No cars immediately or in ahead of me. The car put on the brakes, or what is commonly referred to as "phantom braking" as I understand it. It has done this on prior occasions and I am familiar with it. It generally seems to be triggered by inconsistent pavement coloring or shadows. The car rapidly braked until I took over (I was us... Read more
MITSUBISHI
LANCER
(2016) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 18, 2022
Incident date: Nov 20, 2022
Vehicle accelerates by it self
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
As I would drive the vehicle a rattling noise would occur when every time I accelerate from stopping at a traffic light. Then the engine light appeared on the dash board. When I went to have the engine light checked the results came back about an oil gasket. I then got an oil change soon after. The rattling noise and the same acceleration problem still occurred. Soon after it gotten worst to the p... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
Potential Safety Issue regarding the Cruise Control for ALL 2023 Toyota Corollas and possibly all Toyota's with the Safety Sense 3.0 System. On these vehicles the cruise control is turned on automatically when the vehicle is started. There is a white indicator icon illuminated on the drivers display to inform the driver. However the owners manual says you have to turn the system on by pressing the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
Shift to park error, No power to car, reduced engine power, camshaft positioning error, brakes failed (completely went hard unable to press) almost causing crash.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2022
While driving out 2018 Model S, it will brake hard while in adaptive cruise control of full self-driving mode for no reason. This happens frequently, whether driving on the highway or on city roads. It is terribly unsafe. I'm afraid eventually someone following too close will hit me.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
Suddenly loss of power at cruising speeds. Trouble with acceleration and loss of power. Unresponsiveness from the engine. The Check Engine Light illuminate, OBD2 call for code P2138. The speed stuck at 30 m/h on the 65 m/h thruway which cause unsafe situation for me and other drivers on the road. When googling this issue on the internet, reviews show it is common problem in this model. GM refuses... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
Adaptive cruise control suddenly disengaged with a loud beep while on an interstate and collision mitigation braking also engaged without warning or reason. No warning lights or messages came on. Today, 12/16/2022 is the first time this happened.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Component SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
Instrument display is frozen at 0mph at 7:57am even while driving. Uploaded photo was taken at 9:19am as indicated on time stamp and on larger display at center of vehicle.