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: Feb 18, 2023
While driving with cruise control enabled, the cruise control suddenly disengaged and became inoperative, and the following warning lights (icons) and warning messages displayed on dashboard: > “Check Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist System” warning message > Master warning mode light > ABS warning light > Forward collision assist warning light > Electronic stability control indicator ligh... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 20, 2023
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
While driving on the freeway at 60-70 mph, in 20 degree weather at night, the engine suddenly, and without warning, stopped. A dash error message showed instructions to put the car in park and push the start / run button. The van was still traveling at a high rate of speed while the message stayed up and the van had to be carefully maneuvered through traffic, across multiple lanes to the next exit... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2021
my car has stalled multiple times while in use, on the highway. VERY SCARRY!
Incident date: Feb 18, 2023
As the vehicle accelerates it experiences a loss of power randomly at both low speeds and high speeds (like it randomly shifted into neutral) then after letting off the accelerator the vehicles clunks into gear. I experienced this at roughly 60k miles in both 2WD and less frequently in 4WD. It’s absolutely a safety hazard while driving on the roads.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 19, 2023
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
In auto pilot mode , my Tesla suddenly applied emergency brake and brought my model y from 65 to 10 min in 287 Highway. Luckily they was no car or truck behind me. No car in front of me also.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
On Feb. 18, 2023 when the Tesla model 3 was being driven on I-66E in a regular lane (55mph speed limit) parallel to an I-66 express lane (posted limit of 70 mph) going in the same direction, the car display showed the higher posted speed limit of the express lane. As a result, in assisted cruise control mode, the car would speed up more than 15 mph faster than the permitted speed for the non-expr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The Service ABS light come on, around 32,390 miles just out of the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty! The cruse control no longer works! The traction control light is on with the ABS light! Beeps on and off and on and on very annoying!!! Had the truck scanned by my local Mechanic. ANTILOCK BRAKES C0020-01 ABS PUMP MOTOR CONTROL-GENERAL ELECTRIC FAILURE-STORED. The truck is available upon request.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
I am writing to report a serious issue that occurred while my wife and two of my children were driving my Tesla Model 3 with VIN number [XXX] on Highway 99 North on February 14, 2023, at approximately 6pm. While driving on the highway, the Model 3 suddenly shut down and died. The vehicle completely lost power and they were unable to restart it. Despite trying all the resets given by Tesla roadsi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
The truck’s push button start system was turned on to start the car, the keys were removed from inside the vehicle cabin but the truck was still able to be driven without the keys being inside. I started the truck to warm it up, then went inside my home, when I had to leave I changed my coat and forgot the truck keys in my other coat. I got in the truck and was able to drive as if I had the key... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
I was in 2 accidents with this car within a span of less than a year all with the same problem. I had not been in any accident over 40 plus years until this car. First incident was at a drive through when creeping up to the next window the car took off hyperaccelerating. I was able to avoid the truck in front of me from back ending her however scraped her tailpipe causing extensive damage to my c... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Steering failed rack and pinion
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
This alert is about "phantom braking", which is well known to Tesla owners, and the subject of much online discussion among owners who seem to all experience this and are furious that it continues to exist. Here's what happens, very, very often yet: with adaptive cruise control engaged (with or without "autopilot", ie 'autosteer' also engaged), the brakes are applied suddenly without any need for... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
Is available gas pedal stuck open hitting the brake wouldn't stop it didn't stop till impact with another vehicle doing 1to5 miles an hour in parking lot haven't taken in yet can't afford it Dec 27 day of accident was first time 2nd owner talked to first owner said brake recall is the one he fixed didn't know about the gas pedal recall
Crash
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 18, 2023
Incident date: Feb 18, 2023
All the lights in the dashboard are on always, also the check engine light as well, and we found a recall issued for these cars campaign 18-01-026, tucson vacuum pump sealant application/ cap replacement (service campaign T3C) date September 2018
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
During rush hour traffic on Highway 101 Southbound near Redwood City, I experienced an incident while utilizing AutoPilot and AutoSteer. Despite being in stop-and-go traffic, the vehicle did not respond to the car in front which suddenly came to a complete stop. Neither the Automatic Emergency Braking system nor warning sounds, which has been known to activate erroneously, were triggered. As a res... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 16, 2023
While sitting in line with brake applied the idle speed suddenly jumped up and car accelerated forward despite application of brakes. Without any change from me the RPMs suddenly dropped and car stopped again. The car moved a total of a quarter car length, which had I not been angled away from car in front of me would have caused a collision, and had I been at an intersection could have caused... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The abs module and hydraulic control unit has failed. This means that my safty and others on the road is put at risk because during heavy breaking you can loose control of the vehicle due to the truck anti break system does not work. Also the traction control does not work which also will cause you to loose control.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Driving down freeway lost all momentum had to coast to the shoulder almost causing several accidents and getting hit by a semi in the process. The truck had no gears whatsoever and gave me on warning something was as it risk for failing. Was told the entire transmission had failed. This was the second transmission ram had put in. The problem is becoming wide spread across the internet as multiple ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 1 to 2 mph on two occasions into a parking spot, the vehicle hesitated then accelerated and crashed into a pole. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a collision shop. The contact called t... Read more
Crash
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2011) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 17, 2023
Incident date: Feb 16, 2023
NOTE: 11/18/22 filed a complaint with NHTSA - they will share it with manufacturer case number(ODI) - 11494143 QUESTION: What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? ANSWER: ABS module problem Code : c0020-01 service electronic brake system Service Antilock brake system The display indicators for all of these systems come on intermittently.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
Dashboard or driver screen suddenly goes black while driving (and at other times will freeze on a certain speed, despite slowing down, or breaking.) At this point, driver does not know what speed he, or she is traveling at, nor what gear. Response from Tesla is to reboot the car. However, these episodes while driving continue and are very dangerous. Tesla is pushing paying $2000 to get an infotain... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
Engine stoped on highway stalled also starting button sticky
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
The active and passive safety systems would disable themselves and I would get the following errors from the vehicle. 1. Rear Differential lock 2. Four-wheel drive system 3. Chassis stabilization 4. Drivetrain malfunction 5. Reduced driver assistance 6. Traction control reduced or off 7. Dynamic stability control 8. Dynamic traction control When these errors came up on the multimedia... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2014) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 16, 2023
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
• Cruise control braked hard unexpectedly and for no reason. I'm describing a specific instance here, but this happens regularly. Specifically, the traffic aware system frequently misinterprets the data it is collecting. In this case, a car in an exit lane, slowing down to take a ramp. I was not in that lane, but there was no painted line between my lane and the exit lane. My car slowed to match... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
Stabilizer trak
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 16, 2023
Incident date: Feb 16, 2023
While using Intelligent Adaptive Cruise, the vehicle suddenly thought the speed limit was 85mph and quickly started accelerating. Confused, I hit the brakes to stop the acceleration. I have uploaded a photo of the dash that I took showing that the system read the speed limit sign as 85. I saw no speed limit sign in the area, so, I have no idea what prompted the system to change speed. I was talkin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2022
The "traffic aware" cruise control automatically slows the car when entering a portion of highway with a reduced speed limit. Sounds good in theory and Tesla says this is intentional and cannot be modified in settings. However, suddenly slowing down from 65 mph to 45 mph when all traffic PERSISTS at 65 mph could lead to rear end collisions or loss of control.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
I was turning right at a stop sign leaving my development and the truck shut off and applied the emergency brake. Thankfully it was at a stop sign in the residential area and not entering the main throughway. From reading online this is a known Ram issue.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
Truck does not brake when any object enters the saftey brake zone leading driver to loose safe distance while driving. Dealer unable to fix.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2023
Throttle Housing cracked. Lessing the power in the engine.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
The car was being driven on a normal day and while in gear and driven the car stalled and would no longer shift automatic. The car will not come out of 3rd gear. Took the car to repair shop and was told is a known issue with this model and even the transmission or transmission valve body needs replacement. Infinite will not issue recall and I have reach out to corporate on the issue the repair wan... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
The shift knob for the manual transmission broke off the shift assembly while accelerating and merging onto the freeway. This is what happened the first time the knob broke off. It has happened 3 times due to the part being physically broken. My safety and the safety of others was at risk. When a car is moving at speed and no longer has the option to shift into a higher gear, you become stuck at... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The vehicle accelerated 4 times on its own to the point where i got scared. In addition, it shakes so bad between speeds changes. At first, i thought i got hit by another vehicle from the back. Moreover, over the past two (2) months, the steering wheel has been making some noise as if a plastic bag was being moved. I hope this description makes a sense in regard to the steering wheel situation.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2022
After the battery runs out, the engine loses propulsion and fails to run on gas. The car completely stalls in the middle of traffic. The speed drops from 70+ mph to 0. Extremely dangerous to myself and others. The issue suddenly appeared at the end of December 2022 during a long drive. The engine check light remains on and a warning re: reduced propulsion power is displayed every time the car is t... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 15, 2023
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
While driving on the highway at 59 mph using Tesla Autopilot functionality the vehicle braked so hard the wheels locked up and skidded without warning. There was no vehicle directly in front but there were two semi trucks on either side and vehicle directly behind me. The vehicle behind had to brake hard not to run into me. I took control of the vehicle and pressed the accelerator to regain speed ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
I have received two emails from two different shop foreman’s. One from Niello BMW and the other BMW Fairfield. They both said the malfunctions I am experiencing- slipping, delay in accelerations- is the way BMW manufacturer made the car. One foreman said all the cars like mine he has driven have the same issue. It is a hybrid that needs the hybrid battery to have charge to not experience these m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
Car refused to exit cruise control, again Instead it accelerated. I pressed again and again cruise control to stop it did not respond. Repeatedly And more frantic I pushed pushed the button as stopped cars grew closer. The car started to accelerate instead and refused to stop Even when pressing the brake. I was able to push the brake down enough to get to engage neutral after multiple attempts. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2023
The car shows front camera fault disabling all collision safety features as well as cruise control.
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
My 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe with 90,000 miles needs a new camshaft and all 16 lifters need to be replaced. There was no forewarning about this huge problem. Literally, one day I was out in my car, and the accelerator suddenly stopped working for a while. Then, all of a sudden there was a hard jerk, and it sped up on its own. When I finally found a safe spot to pull over I went to push on the brakes an... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
The service brake system and service antilock brake system light came on. This light comes on quite often and shuts off intermittently. The pick-up no-longer has anti-lock brakes, traction control, or stability control. When light is on cruise will not work which if it set and light comes on it will shut-off and cause vehicle to drop speed which could cause an accident. Last time I drove it it fel... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2019
The Electrical System has failed. The center sound system shuts off and reboots on its own every hour or 2 causing electronic failure and has proven to get worse over time. Following that the Jeep will randomly not start, mechanics have told me that it must be the Electrical System because it is not starter, alternator or the battery. Failure to start engine has occurred over 20 times...effecting ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 14, 2023
Incident date: Jan 26, 2023
Brake ABS and traction control system is malfunctioning due to failed ABS Hydraulic Control Unit as diagnosed by Ram dealership. Malfunctioning includes illuminated warning lights for ABS and electronic braking system. Malfunction also effects use of cruise control system. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety is at risk due to unknown effects on use of ABS system. Problem has b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
I was driving my vehicle and it began displaying messages that my collision mitigation system, road departure mitigation system, adaptive cruise control system, and lane keep assist system all have problems. Simultaneously, my backup camera has ceased working. This is causing my vehicle to randomly lurch forward without being propelled by me, which is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! All of these issues/codes... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The vehicle has a shudder at accelerating that will prevent proper acceleration. I had a few incidents where I needed to get out of a traffic situation that out me in danger and the vehicle almost stalled. I read about this shudder, Toyota das a warranty engagement notification-ZE5. However it was for 8 years and under 150000 miles. I am well under 150000 but just over 8 years.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 14, 2023
Incident date: Feb 6, 2023
The vehicle constantly stalls out when we driving on the freeway. The vehicle loss of the power on the freeway put me and my family's life in very dangerous situation when we drove the vehicle. Brough my vehicle to the dealership, and it verified the problem with engine light error code P0A43-00. The dealer stated that they are not able to fix it due to the issue was related to a active recall ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Feb 14, 2023
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The instrument cluster on the dashboard and continuing down the center console, entertainment screen, heating/ cooling controls to the usb ports on my 2021 Nissan Titan..the entire cluster of indicator lights, alarms, settings etc. create a dangerous element of distraction never experienced in my driving history. Take a look! Please investigate the entire aray of the dash lights when illuminated a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2023
Constant Phantom Breaking at interstate speeds. Tesla insists this is not a problem.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while approaching a stop, the contact attempted to accelerate however, there was a delay in responding. The contact stated that after a while the vehicle accelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who admitted knowledge of similar failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
Started truck and dash lit up like a Christmas tree service brakes trailer brake failure do not exceed 43 mph. Check engine light was on multiple other lights were on truck is currently at dealership and gm doesn’t have a fix for issue. Part that is needed is on National back order. Haven’t made first payment and truck is Already in the shop and is not safe to drive due to this issue.
Incident date: Feb 5, 1994
For a while now it jerks or pulls, and it only goes up to 1-2 gears like it doesn't want to accelerate. It doesn't shift gear properly more like transmission issues. There is no power.