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: Jun 21, 2022
Module in the the car Sofi and radio stop working at times Car slow acceleration from stop to move
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
When parking the vehicle has experience unexpected acceleration. this issue has occurred 2 times in the last few months and thankfully I did not hit another vehicle or person. I called the dealer but unfortunately they informed me that unless this happens with a tech in the car they will not replace anything
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
We just completed a 6500 mile round trip road trip from So Cal to Toronto Canada and back. 5/24/22-6/12/22 During the trip we used the "Auto Pilot" with and with out "Auto Steering" Not Full Self Driving. I lost count of how many times we encountered "Phantom Braking" with the car at highway speeds. My guess would be at least 50 times. It got to the point where I would not use Auto Pilot especia... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
This concerns the "Phantom Braking" problem occurring to many Tesla owners recently. I took delivery of my new Tesla model 3 on May 3, 2022. I was very cautious about enabling the advanced features of the car such as Autopilot, and I did not experience the Phantom Braking (PB) problems that some of my friends described with their Tesla. I bought the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package but I have not ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 20, 2022
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
Can be driving on freeway at 70 mph and all of sudden vehicle stalls or transmission begins to slip or stall. Make this grinding clinking sound.all lights on dash light up. Nearly caused a crash . Vehicle jerks and jumps back into gear and then takes off again. Will also do this at even 35 mph too. This has happened numerous times. We have taken it in to Ford and they can’t find anything wrong ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
As I was slowing down to make a turn, the vehicle went into neutral and shut off. I immediately turned it back on and put it in drive and the same thing occurred moments later. I start it again and drove away enough to safely park. I let the car rest in the off position for 30 minutes and it drove fine. There were no warning lights and the vehicle is well maintained with scheduled services. I cont... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 20, 2022
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Intermittently, while driving several of the electrical systems will fail including the lane keep assist and abs. When this happens, it also causes the instrument cluster to rapidly change speeds, making the vehicle unsafe to operate as the driver is unable to tell what speed they are going, which can become extremely hazardous since this happens at random. The issue has been diagnosed to be a fau... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
Rpm’s started jumping car wouldn’t accelerate cam shaft sensor code
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
My vehicle began shuddering during acceleration and would violently jerk forward after gas pedal was engaged with decreased power in forward acceleration and increase in rpm. This last a couple of weeks. Now, my vehicle is completely broke down and at a GM certified service center. The Service manager states torque converter completely went out and the transmission is burnt up. The mileage is at $... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2005) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 20, 2022
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
while we are in idel for a period of time the car wants to surge forward without pushing on the gas. it wants to rev withough the has pedal being pushed. It does it at red lights, stop signs, and if Im in a drive through.
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
I was using the adaptive cruise control on the highway set to 55 mph. The car suddenly decelerated to ~44 mph so quickly I had whiplash. There was no other vehicle in front of me and the highway was clear of debris. The dealership said this could be caused by a glare.
Incident date: May 5, 2022
Going 80 mph on the freeway with adaptive crusie control on, the car begins to jerk, and the rpm's shoot up and down. The adaptive cruise control disengages, the stabiltrack, abs, and engine light turned on and the car goes into limp mode. As I slow down, the speedometer keeps increasing up to 90. After, I inspected the driver wheel speed sensor and discovered that the sensor tip in the hub had be... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
I am reporting 3 incidences of Phantom braking with adaptive cruise control on, and 2 incidences of phantom vehicle displays on the central console while parking into a garage. 4/17/2022 ~ 1pm. on RT 101 CA between King City and Camp Robert Rest Area/Bradley. Traveling at 75-78 mph on widely separated divided straight highway, with no trees, only low grass, and no cars nearby, we (my w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
I'll be driving along and sometimes going 30 miles an hour sometimes going up to 65 70 miles an hour on the interstate And while I'm accelerating the car will start shaking like the the whole thing wil. In the only way that it stops is if I let off the accelerator and go slower speed accelerate you know what it means there's that magic speed but like if I have my cruise control on then it has to b... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2017) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 18, 2022
Incident date: Sep 21, 2017
1. Speed control: Our family outlander has had some issues following our purchase, and I was assured that the hesitation when depressing the accelerator was just a product of the CVT transmission. It’s something we have just learned to deal with given the information we were provided with. It has put us in a bad position with countless near misses over the years when needing to merge, and the an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
The components and systems that failed are my engine and gas tank, they both are available for inspection upon request. My safety was put at risk, approximately two minutes before my vehicle slowed down enough to stop my brakes wouldn't work. Yes I have called the dealership and the problems that the representative listed explaining a recall; is what I have been experiencing with my vehicle. Yes, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
I had a driver-side mirror damaged in a small crash. The wiring harness for the mirror was pulled from its location. The mirror was replaced, and the wiring harness was not to my knowledge. Since that repair, the vehicled dynamic cruise control, called Eyesight has failed more than 50 times. I have had the vehicle at the dealer 2 times. They concluded yesterday the unit checked out. I drov... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2022
I was coming out of my garaged ( car was facing forward) . The car seemed to hesitate as I tapped the gas pedal. I thought maybe this was because the car sensed the sides of the garage via the rear view mirror sensors. I am always careful when exiting my garage so as not to ding the rearview mirrors. I repeatedly tapped the gas lightly about three times but the car hesitated each time and did n... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 1, 2022
At 30,076 miles, I began to receive 2 warning notifications in the truck’s instrument panel: “Service Electronic Braking System” and an amber ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) warning light. Both warnings include a loud audible warming when they illuminate, appear when driving the truck, but seem completely random in nature. Either or both notifications illuminate and the warning lights stay o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Electrical issue resulting in loss of power steering, speedometer, gas gauge etc. all warning lights come on including ABS BRAKES, VEHICLE TRACTION CONTROL, AUTOMATIC START, CHECK ENGINE, 4WD, BRAKE LIGHT. car will not turn off when lights are on. Repeat problem despite being in dealership 3times.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
Gas petal is very touchy. It accelerates to fast even when you try to barely push the petal. And causes to shift hard.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 16, 2022
Incident date: Aug 9, 2021
I investigated and Unintended Acceleration crash that occurred on 8-9-2021. The vehicle had just left a body shop where it had repairs to the left front of the vehicle near the ECM. The driver reported the vehicle would not slow down. He face timed a witness and showed her his foot was on the brake and not the accelerator pedal collaborating his statement. The 2020 GMC accelerated to 93 miles per ... Read more
Crash
Fire
7 injured
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 16, 2022
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
My wife and kids almost got killed in this vehicle twice this week due tot The Can Bus electrical communication network stop working. It completely stopped on the highway while driving 70 mph and almost caused a multiple car accident. All the controller icons lighted up on the dash board and the car shifter and transmission stopped working. I towed it to the dealership and paid 700.00 for a new s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
There are currently THREE recalls on this motorcycle not TWO. I have now been waiting for the recall repairs to be done since February, 2021. It is currently June, 2022. Which means I've been waiting for 17 months to have my motorcycle repaired. I'm on "waiting lists" at these dealerships: Highland’s Yamaha, Countryside, IL, Rich’s Yamaha, Lockport, IL, and DuPage Honda/Yamaha, West Chicago, I... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
Vehicle automatically and unexpectedly applies brakes when using Cruise Control when no other cars are in proximity or approaching. Sometimes braking is light but other times it is a jolt that is extremely starling. Often happens multiple times within minutes. Unpredictable when it will occur. I have taken the vehicle to Tesla 3 times and they say that they know about the problem but their Autopil... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
I was driving at 330am had cruise control to 70 the speed limit and when I hit my breaks the cruise control didn't disengage instead it speed faster making me lose control of me vehicle took out a sign and went over the hill. My vehicle was totaled.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
I just pickup my 2021 Jayco Blackhawk 31f last friday, June 10, 2022, at 4 pm. I drove home for 35 mile from Johnson Rv in Gilroy. On the way home, I has lost control of the car by wobbling around the freeway by run over a tiny bump. I call the RV Dealership the same day, but they already closed. Next day morning on Saturday, I call them and they said the service department closed and need to wa... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2021) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 15, 2022
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
Driving on I75 in Georgia using Distronic speed control. This system scans highway speed control signage and automatically adjusts the vehicle speed based on speed limit signs. Unfortunately the state of Georgia has deployed MINIMUM SPEED 40 signs alongside the highway that are identical in size and appearance to SPEED LIMIT signage. The next result is the car automatically dropping the current... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2020
When driving at highway speeds with adaptive cruise control, vehicle will slow down or brake without any object/vehicle ahead. This usually occurs at curves, with no vehicles in current lane. I would then need to immediately step on the acceleration in order to continue highway speeds. This may cause unnecessary stress on the vehicle due to constant issue occurrence. At times, a blinking warning ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Sudden loos of power while accelerating the vehicle.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
During a recent road trip to another state, Auto Pilot was engaged and the emergency braking system forced the car quickly to a stop on many occasions. To the human eye, there should have been no reason for the brakes to engage. Luckily no one collided with us, but the Auto Pilot system is not to be trusted. The incidents mostly occurred on two-lane roads, however, noticeable hesitation was evi... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2022
On 5 or 6 occasions while driving on the highway, using adaptive cruise control, the car has braked with no traffic anywhere around us.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
Driving with adaptive cruise on and car will brake suddenly
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The gas pedal would stick and the car would not decelerate when removing pressure from it. This happened a couple of times on separate days but would unstick and decelerate fairly quickly. Then today the gas pedal not only became stuck but it accelerated and I had to hit the brakes to get it to stop accelerating.
Incident date: May 25, 2022
While driving at approx 80 MPH along a major highway at approximately 11:30 PM, and while utilizing cruise control, my Tesla Model 3 applied brakes when no vehicle or object was around. My hands were on the wheel and I was focused on driving but the force of the braking caused passengers to move abruptly forward in their seat belts and startled me as the driver. The speed abruptly went from appro... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2011) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 14, 2022
Incident date: Jun 7, 2022
Malfunction of the engine RPM governor, adaptive cruise control, or Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), or some combination of all of the above. On June 7-9, 2022, spontaneous high engine RPM occurred, which resulted in vehicle speeds that were above urban speed limits unless heavy braking pressure was applied. Additionally, on rural highways, the speed setting for the adaptive cruise control wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
Driving on freeway, very little traffic, no cars near me. Speed 73 mph. Sudden loss of power, coasting to stop making a lane change and seeking shoulder space. At about 30 mph power was regained. Sudden loss of power. ( electric motor, motor controller, battery or software failure ) Difficult rapid maneuver to get to side of road. Dealer has made an appointment. Nor warning lamps or warning sound... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
I was going 45 to 50 mph and my car shut off in middle of highway and we barely got out of highway before getting hit there is recall on same kind of car for throttle body and that's what's wrong with mine so it has too be that they missed my car
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
Two separate times today the car automatically braked hard when there was nothing in front, nor around us, when we were using cruise control.
Incident date: May 31, 2022
instrument cluster sporadically working. front collision and lane departure not working when the cluster isn't working. unable to judge speed accurately, Yes problem has been reproduced by Sandy Sansing BMW in Pensacola FL.no the part hasn't been inspected.no other warmings but have had warnings since that the driver assistance restricted. Frontal collision warning, pedestrian warning . I have be... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2016) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 13, 2022
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
The problem happens when the car is on, and when attempting to accelerate the car will feel like it was put into neutral and you cannot do anything other than coast. The car has done this a few times while driving. Also, when trying to accelerate from a stop at a signal light, the car can suddenly stall, and you won't be able to do anything. From a safety standpoint, this is very bad since if y... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
The Altima has 170k miles. We’ll taken care off . I was driving to work and out off nowhere the car lost power the speedometer stopped working and wouldn’t show me how fast I was going and I had to stopped and it lost all power. I tried looking everywhere for the problem to fix it and they told me they couldn’t get the part and told to come here and hopefully this helps, at the moment I din... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while at an intersection and attempting to make a left turn, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact waited approximately 3-4 seconds and depressed the accelerator pedal again and the vehicle responded. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
The vehicle failed to accelerate in a timely manner after stopping at a traffic light without warning.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
When the battery cooling fan is running, the car is slow to accelerate or will not accelerate at all. The incident has happened multiple times over the past year when the temperatures are above 90. If at a complete stop, the car will not accelerate, it will only jerk forward. The car has to be turned off and restarted to be able to accelerate. If braking or reducing speed, the car will be sluggi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
Euv service soon light came on followed by a propulsion reduced message. Speed was limited and air conditioning was warm. While parked the euv made a pulsating clicking noise. Euv would not go through charging procedure. Euv gave a change complete message with only 81 miles on the display
WINNEBAGO
ADVENTURER
(2022) — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Jun 12, 2022
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
When the vehicle gets in rough road or windy conditions the “service advance trac” message comes on dash board along with “hillside driver assist disabled” and the cruise control stops working. This has happen on two trips. About 5000 and 8000 miles
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
Randomly accelerated on its own; burns oil- low oil levels twice in 6 months; randomly says cruise control is available under 25 mph when car is traveling at highway speeds; the unlock and lock functions randomly fail; lift gate randomly opens; alarm system randomly goes off; TERRIBLE fuel economy (18-21 mpg)
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
As I was driving to church on highway 46W and then, it turned into 23N, I noticed my car was driving by itself. I pushed on the brake pedal because it's an intersection, and I noticed it slowed down, but as soon as I let my foot off the pedal the car was accelerating again. I checked if I touched the cruise control, but it wasn't on. A few times I hit the break and, again, as soon as I took my foo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2022
Fobik key ignition vibrates causing switching from (RUN) position to (ACC) position, shutting off the engine and making it almost impossible to steer a 3000kg machine without power steering increasing the risk for accidents.