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: Nov 30, 2022
Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance, Eye Sight, RAB, some ! Symbol, and check engine light are all on and not working. You know everything that makes a Subaru. This is not the first or even second time. We are on the fourth instance of this happening. We live 2+ hrs away from the closest dealers. The fi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2022
Vehicle is approximately 9 months old with 13,488 miles. Starting today, the cruise control system which includes the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist features has failed. It will not activate, and attempts to activate it result in an error stating "cruise control unavailable." As a result, the car will not brake as it approaches other vehicles; will not maintain its speed; and will... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
when accelerating the car jerk before riding smooth
Incident date: Nov 29, 2022
The gauges are acting crazy which causes the engine to jerk or the transmission and then it starts making the lights flicker in the interior and the gauges start sticking. It seems to make the overflow on the radiator to empty more because it is causing the sensors in the electrical for the parts to go crazy and run hot. Sometimes it only does it every so often but after getting the reserve hose o... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
The low oil pressure - cut engine off notification appeared on the speedometer & as i was getting on the freeway the car literally cut off. All the electrical worked but power to the engine & everything stopped completely.
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 28, 2022
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at highway speeds exceeding 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to slow down when the accelerator pedal was released. The contact indicated that the vehicle would continue driving at the same speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic found no failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted, and an ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while parking the vehicle and the vehicle accelerated without any warning, causing the vehicle to strike the building in front. The air bags deployed. No one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
With cruise control on going down hill the cruise control will cause the RPM's to race and my 16 year old has the push hard on his brakes to get it to release. This could end up causing him to crash. Apparently it is an ongoing issue with this make and model. Please help. Thank you.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
During driving on the highway, the car went into reduced power mode and speed was limited to 30 MPH. This was during driving on highways with 55 MPH or 65 MPH speed limits and could have resulted in an accident. My daughter was driving the car on all 3 occasions which makes this problem even more upsetting. The same part has been replaced 3 times (refer to receipts) relating to the accelerator ped... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2022
I was driving my car on the interstate at 75 mph and had the cruise control on when the wrench light came on and the car started slowing down and losing power. I pulled over and shut the car off for a few min, started driving, and it did it again. A couple of mechanics I've talked to said it could be the throttle body positron sensor or the throttle body itself. I've had the fuel pump and fuel pum... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
My 2012 Hyundai Elantra has been subject to various recalls – such as number 20V393000, "12V outlet may overheat" – but that seems trivial compared to a safety issue I've been experiencing. There are buttons on the Elantra steering wheel that control radio settings, cruise control, etc. For the past several years, these buttons have been malfunctioning (having effects as if you had pressed a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
I was driving my 2010 Toyota Prius and my car started beeping when I was driving when I tried to slow down the car was not able to stop the breaking system ABS started displaying and my car started to beep and it won’t stop beeping. I did take my car to the dealer for a recalled inspection after my car broke down and I was no longer able to drive for my own safety. After I took the car to Downey... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
I only had my vehicle(2016NissanAltima) for less than 2 weeks before the vehicles major problems started. The engine consistently Stalls, Surges and Shudders. As well as the Shifter locking itself to where it wont shift out of park. There are no and have never been any warning lights to alert me. The CVT and the Computer are very faulty. To the point the vehicle is now a Death Trap. When driving t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
I am the owner of a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. That car is 8 years old and has 69K miles on it. At no time did Hyundai Motor Company notify that my car was impacted by an engine failure recall. On November 10, 2022 the car was being driven. At no time did it give any potential warning, instead the car fully stopped while in motion at 25 mph. There was no warning, no lights appeared on the dashboard un... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2022
Driving on a freeway when check brake warning appeared. Car speed dropped down to drastically. Alarm was chirping and brakes made a bad grinding noise
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA HYBRID
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 23, 2022
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while slowing down and making a left or right turn, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact also stated that while at a stop, he depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle accelerated at an abnormal speed. The contact stated that he applied extra pressure to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. No warning light was il... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2022
Hello NHTS, I have been dealing with my vehicle stalling & losing power while driving on the freeway. This is a very dangerous issue with my Honda CRV. I have had this happen several times now and it was reported to Honda. Honda has not yet placed this issue on recall status. This needs to get looked at before someone gets injured or killed.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2022
Car took over the control from the driver. Major crash could have happened NO Manufacturer No
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
Speedometer light randomly goes off every time I drive the car and it is difficult to see the speed I am driving
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
Forward collision system continually fails. This disables the vehicles cruise control. The vehicle has been in the shop multiple times with no resolution.
Incident date: Nov 7, 2022
I was driving my 2017 Subaru Outback on a trip from New York to Florida. On I-95 in heavy traffic I hit a bump in the road, and at that instant, nearly every warning light on my dash came on, including EyeSight, lane departure, and emergency braking. My adaptive cruise immediately disengaged causing the vehicle to suddenly slow (this incident was at highway speed). The "brake" light was also il... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary and idling in a pharmacy drive-thru line with the auto hold parking feature activated, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward driving over a median divider and crashing into a parked vehicle. The contact indicated that the auto-hold parking feature was activated but m... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Thr lifters shut down the engine and caused it to completely turn off the vehicle while in motion. It is available for inspection. Has not been confirmed by dealer. The code read cylinder 1 misfire but the lifters were not functional. The seizure of the engine and full stop of the vehicle while in motion nearly caused a 3 car pile up and a close collision into a fire hydrant as the steering locked... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
When driving down a hill, I downshifted to slow my descent and to not have to use the brakes as much. I downshifted once or twice making sure the engine didn't go far above 3000 RPM. The gear indicator showed 2nd gear but I knew that wasn't accurate because the car had yet to change gear and the RPM was too low for 2nd gear, I was still in 3rd or 4th gear. About a second or two goes by until the c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2022
Phantom braking. Driving down 395 going the speed limit, no other cars or any obstacles in the road whatsoever, the car would slam on the brakes hard to the point I almost lost control of the vehicle. This happened 3 times in a row before I turned off adaptive cruise control. This is the most glaring obvious example of a vehicle safety hazard that should be recalled that I’ve ever seen on a new ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
I was driving to work after dropping my son off and I took a right turn onto a street and my car slowed down and the check engine light came on, flashing. I continued to drive to work as I was one minute away and needed to get off the street asap. (where I turned had no room for pulling over). I parked my car. I had a prenatal appointment to go to, so I started my car. No check engine light when s... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2016) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 21, 2022
Incident date: Nov 20, 2022
While driving on the highway at speed, I received a red Check Hybrid System error, and immediately lost all acceleration, putting myself and all occupants at risk on a busy interstate highway, as we tried to find a safe way to quickly change lanes and coast to a stop in a safe location. The cause is under diagnosis by a Hyundai Service Center. This was a sudden failure and there had been no previo... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2016) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 21, 2022
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The car will no longer drive. It would throw itself forward uncontroably right before the transmission failed. Car has less than 50k mileage on it and was working normally previously.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
While driving, the transmission will randomly down shift into 1st gear and the speedometer will die. The truck flashes a “wrench” icon. There is no pattern, the issue is intermittent. When the speedometer dies, the transmission will only shift in “manual” mode, but will not shift above 3rd gear. The check engine light illuminates and throws codes P0720 and P0722. This indicates an outpu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
All lights warning lights illuminate and gauges stop working. Loss of functionality includes critical control and safety systems and features: •No Speedometer •No Turn Signals •No Tachometer •Odometer not recording miles •Airbag warning •Electric power steering system warning •Steering and driving assist failure •Brake System Failure Warning •ABS Failure Warning •Collision avoi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
While cruise control is on (not adaptive cruise), the slightest turn in the steering wheel causes the vehicle to slow down. Vehicle slows on a small curve up to 5mph, since the brake isn’t being applied anyone approaching from behind may not adjust quickly.
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
My car has a Google system which fails to operate correctly & needs many system reboots.I've presented the shut problem to the service dept, I'm told they don't know what to tell me because they can't recreate the problem or the car's system is like phones, it freezes at times & needs to be rebooted, Volvo is constantly doing softwhere updates.Nov 14 I was driving on the highway w/the heat & wipe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2022
When my vehicle is on cruise control it suddenly brakes for no apparent reason. On a road trip, it has happened suddenly and many times during the trip. It’s quite scary and dangerous.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
I floored the accelerator, and heard a pop. The pedal then remained depressed about 50% of the pedal travel. I was able to drive the car normally, but only using about 50% of the pedal range to do so. I took it to Tesla for service and after diagnosis, had to replace the accelerator and brake pedal assembly. The mounting plate that held both pedals broke. They said it was impossible to bre... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
Car was at highway speed and was given light input to change lanes. With light input, the engine accelerated in an uncontrolled manner, revving to maybe 5000 rpm. The driver had to slam on the brakes to counteract. Result was a rear-end collision with the car in front (Route 95 near Laurel, MD). For what it is worth, the car also gave an "overheating" alarm for the Powershift DCT transmission ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 5, 2022
When attempting to coast to a stop at slow speeds the throttle stays up and even causes the truck to accelerate at times. The truck will shift hard randomly. The truck appears to get stuck in a high gear and loses power to accelerate, at times. Driving at highway speeds the truck loses power. A mechanic shop pulled codes p0720 and P0722. The mechanic shop referred me to the dealer because the co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2018
The first time I started to have issue was rear ABS sensor started going in and out got repaired and they said the wires going down the frame rail are getting pinched by the fuel tank in the frame rail then my backup camera went and same issue I was told by dealer and now my drivers side rear blinker is doing the same where starting to not work and from what I found the wires are being broke betwe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
I was driving at about 40 MPH on local road at rush hour, the car was put in parking mode when I made a lane change, the speed reduced to 0 rapidly and put me in extremely dangerous situation like being rear ended. then I cannot put car in drive mode and called maker's roadside assistance and 911. car was towed to service center. 1a. Q: What component or system failed or malfunctioned A: c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
After purchasing this vehicle I started noticing that as I accelerated from a stop the transmission would shift hard into 1st gear and 3rd gear. This is also occurring during deceleration as if the car brakes I'm stages due to the downshifting hard. The dealership has refused to look into the issue. They have refused to add the notes to my vehicle records in effort to avoid accountability.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2000 Volvo S80. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle intermittently hesitated in responding while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated during the failure. The contact called the dealer and the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 06V44... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
While freeway driving with autopilot (adaptive cruise control) engaged the car will suddenly break VERY hard when there is no reason to. This is SUPER dangerous when traveling at 70 mph and someone is behind me. This is a known issue (phantom breaking) that has been a problem for years and not resolved.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
B pillar separated from the frame during collision causing catastrophic intrusion into the cabin upon impact leading to death of the driver. No other occupants in the vehicle. Multiple investigators noted the B pillar failure upon inspection. Independent, certified crash reconstruction expert also noticed immediately that the B pillar had failed which caused cabin intrusion to an extraordinary deg... Read more
Crash
1 injured
1 deaths
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
Yesterday, I was accelerating at a reasonable rate from a stop. My Outback stopped responding to the accelerator pedal and kicked up to 3500-4000 rpm. My brakes could barely hold the vehicle back and it forced me to slip my transmission in and out of neutral to prevent a crash. I pulled over twice to restart the car, hoping to reset something and address the issue, but it was still present when I ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2022
I just picked My Car up from Bakersfield Motor Ciry Lexus . My engine was replaced with a engine at this location with 65k . I have now notice my car jerk during acceleration from a stop position or uphill possibly from the transmission . I respectfully requesting a claim be opened on this issue as I didn't have the issue until engine replacement. I am also requesting a courtesy evaluation an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
The CVT in this car is faulty. The transmission has been rebuilt but it still has the same issue. The transmission doesn’t di room properly and although the rpm’s increase the car will not accelerate. I’ve taken the car to Nisan dealerships. They now deny that this issue exists and will not offer a fix. The car is a safety hazard. It loses the ability to accelerate at low and high speeds. Wh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
About 2 years ago I began having issues with my 2017 Chevy Malibu right before I hit my 100k mile extended warranty. The error message "Engine Power Reduced" appeared on the dash while driving on the interstate and my car began rapidly decelerating on its own. I had no where to get off the interstate and pulled over on the side. I shut my car off for a couple minutes, restarted and went on my way ... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nov 16, 2022
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
Accelerated to merge onto highway. Vehicle alerted to pull over safely when possible. Internal combustion engine shut off and vehicle "limped" in electric only mode until I could find a spot to park. This all happened while traveling at 70MPH on a busy freeway. Once I shut the vehicle off, I was able to start it again and travel to my nearest dealer. Dealer was unable to diagnose the issue but adv... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
I was driving on Monday Nov. 14th. and I was at a complete stop and started to turn left. As I was accelerating and turning left... the steering wheel locked up and I could not turn the wheel left or right. I got home safely, and I looked online and noticed there is a current recall identical or very similar to what happened to me. The Recall number is VB9
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
I had the airbag repaired during the recall. However, the airbag warning light remains on. In addition, the speedometer has stopped at 299,999 although the trip meter still works. The paint is peeling and the roof is rusting which is classic for toyota.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The car keeps overheating and it has been to the mechanic multiple times and the problem exist. If I get on the highway my transmission hot engine idle light comes on. I have had a transmission replaced and a lot of other things repaired and the issue continues