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
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
Brought vehicle in for recall repair for the software update. The update failed and also caused the TCM module to fail. Its been over a week since i last had my vehicle and the service shop is still waiting for the replacement modules which is on "backorder"
Incident date: Aug 21, 2022
Hello I've been having my car for a year I told the dealership the problem but it seem as they don't want to fix it My car wouldn't go over 60miles and also my engine just locked up this doesn't make sense when they know these problems are a recall on this type of vehicles
Incident date: Oct 30, 2019
When cruise control is activated the rpm increases 700 to 1000 rpm regardless of the speed
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The acceleration completely stopped, while driving in the third lane, northbound on the 15 freeway in the cajon pass. The dealership informed me the transmission is the cause. The car is still with the service department now. No warning lights. No check engine lights, nothing. The power in the car remained on the car acted as if it was in neutral.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The vehicle is displaying error messages Reduced Engine Power, Service Stabilitrak, Service Traction Control. It also has the related service indicator lights for the Stabilitrak, the Traction Control, and the Check Engine Light is on. There is a service bulletin for this issue that only addresses the 2008-2011 model years, my vehicle is a 2012 and thus not included in the current bulletin and sho... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
I was slowly pulling into a parking space at the Nordstrom store in Dunwoody, Georgia, when the car suddenly self-accelerated, jumped the curb and hit a concrete pillar. The pillar was about 15 feet from the parking area curb. Pressing the brake did not slow the car.
Crash
Incident date: May 30, 2022
4/2021 Prior to 4/2021, I had complained verbally with visits and calls to the dealership about an intermittent (CC ) Cruise Control issue. They could not find a problem w/the CC. I now consider this issue is related to the rear caliper ceasing. 5/30/2022 (RC) Rear caliper ceased without any indications. The (MC) motorcycle, presented w/a power loss otherwise unknowingly to me until later in... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
I was pulling my car forward into a parking spot in my apartment complex with my foot on the brake. I was about three quarters of the way into the spot when I suddenly felt the car lurch forward at what felt like a high rate of speed. The car lurched forward over the sidewalk and was stopped by two parked cars and a light pole. My car was moving slowly as I pulled in the spot before the sudden ac... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
I was on the highway, and my car suddenly lost power. I was unable to accelerate, and I had to pull over on the shoulder. I received an alert that said “service charging system error.” It was extremely dangerous for myself and my family.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 10, 2022
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The speed control malfunctioned. the vehicle was in drive not moving when it started accelerating on its own. This malfunction could cause serious injury or death . There was no indication of a problem prior to the failure. I shifted to park and shut off the engine.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
On 8/31/2022 I was turning into the driveway of a friend. All of a sudden my car accelerated. There was another car in the driveway in front of me. I was trying not to hit it, so turned my steering wheel sharply to the right. I left the driveway, turning into a side yard, and then it seemed the brakes wouldn't work. I hit a tree, and went over a large rock, which stopped my car. As it happened, I ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Car won't go in reverse.vehicle will only go 30 mph at times and cause safety issues
JEEP
GRAND WAGONEER
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 8, 2022
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
Vehicle loses power randomly, have to pull over and turn it off and back on
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
2015 Mazda CX-5 with 91,000 miles on it. Automatic transmission has failed. When I attempted to pull out into traffic the vehicle would not shift into 2nd gear and instead jerked hard and the engine RPMs revved up. I was not able to get the vehicle past 10mph. This failure with the transmission resulted in the oncoming traffic having to swerve and break to avoid a collision with me. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Car exhibits behavior detailed in Nissan TSB with classification EC19-011, reference number NTB19-018. Lack of power after engine cold soak. After engine sits for days, or even hours, upon startup, the accelerator is limited to about 5mph and 1500-2000 rpm. Very slow. It does this for about 10 seconds of forward movement with pedal beyond the 5mph threshold, then returns to everything performing l... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
I picked my car up tonight from Haley’s in FarmVille va they fixed my door latches due to recall on latches. I told Them prior to dropping it off that the ABS light and traction control light and engine coolant light keeps coming on. When I pulled out the parking lot I almost got rear ended because the car didn’t want to go it was moving so slow I had to slowly make myself across the road into... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -- Cruise Control system (with or without Full Auto-pilot engaged) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -- Vehicle comes to a near complete stop from highway speeds, in traffic, to avoid 'something' that doesn't exist Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or ind... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
Car was stop at left turn lane waiting for light to change to green arrow. Car just accelerated on its own . Car crashes into to car in front of me and pushes us onto center island and continues to accelerate sending us on to crossing traffic, endangering others and my family life . Tesla never investigated or tried to respond. Insurance company couldn’t or never did any investigation and made m... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 5, 2021
The emissions systems stated slippery when wet and the traction for the tires were loose. The tires were installed or balanced wrong causing the tires to slide. When braking the traction caused the car to be driven at low speed to avoid the problems with the steering wheel and the balance between it using the wrong amount of space to turn. It needed it large amount of space because the wheels were... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
IN feb 2022 my dash produced a pre-collision assist not avaible and also a adaptive cruise not available sensor blocked see manual. when i tried to tap the button for cruise control it would show set speed , but wouldn't let me . i called ricart ford in ohio and took it to them . they said it was the cruise control manual bracket had been damaged by outside force( a rock) and ford wouldn't fix i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
The car randomly shuts off when driving. It also has problems with accelerating when the AC system is turned on.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
My vehicle is experiencing the same issues that were identified under recall 16V-248 with the exact same year, make and model vehicle. Several times, while driving at high speeds, the vehicle will display a wrench logo (MIL) and the vehicle will either downshift to 1st gear or completely lose all power to the pedal. After turning the ignition off and back on, for a period of time the vehicle wil... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
While driving at highway speed and applying the brake the car independently accelerated. Vehicle continued to accelerate while applying greater brake pressure in an attempt to slow down. Vehicle had to be driven onto shoulder to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of it. Acceleration stopped after several attempts at braking.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 7, 2022
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
When we drive the car the excelarator pedal does respond to moving the vehicle when in heavy traffic and starting off the response is slow the the vehicle jumps forward this has happened since we bought it please let’s not have another Toyota TPS problem with many people ding before anyone says something.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
The adaptive cruise control (Tesla "autopilot") system has unexpectedly disengaged and applied light to heavy braking numerous times. The system frequently mistakes a particular highway sign for a stopped vehicle and applies moderate braking. The system has also applied light to heavy braking in circumstances where I simply cannot figure out what the camera is interpreting as a hazard. This puts m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
My Pacifica suddenly will not start. I ended up jump-starting the van. Then whenever I stopped, it needed a jump start. This whole ordeal is from a single day. Driving back on the high-way, suddenly van acted weird, all electronics going haywire, various instrument "unavailable" messages started coming, and on the highway Van all systems failed, power steering locked, I pulled over and battery ico... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The performance of the car is impacted by the following: Service Advance Trac Steering Assist Fault Service Required Hill Start Assist Not Available. As a result, the vehicle drivetrain aggressively responds with drop in RPM and Steering Wheel gets tight; to a point the car is hard to navigate
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
I was at a complete stop awaiting a draw bridge to lower. I put my vehicle in park. When the cars In front of me started to move I put my foot on the brake and turned the knob to drive. My vehicle immediately accelerated out of control. I immediately pressed both feet on the brake as hard as I could and the vehicle kept moving. I hit a guy on a motorcycle and swerved left as hard as I could. I tra... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
On September 6, 2022, at 7:45 AM I was traveling from my home to work in my 2020 Acura RDX. As I was merging on to an interstate in heavy, high-speed traffic, my RDX suddenly lost power and started to decelerate with absolutely no warning at all as high-speed traffic was approaching from behind. My vehicle decelerated to a speed of about 20mph on an interstate in the midst of heavy, high-speed t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The cruise control stopped working.
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
Transmission fault notification appeared on the screen while on the highway. Vehicle unable to maintain speed and has "bumping" when attempting to drive it. Poses a safety threat because I was unable to maintain speed while driving. Ford has not found remedy and it has been a month without ability to use vehicle.
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 6, 2022
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
Brand new van with less than 1000 miles on it. Driving in the High Sierras 8600 - 9000 ft. Altitude seems to be related to this problem. I have not had the problem in San Francisco on steep hills. Problem: When leaving a stop, on any uphill slope RPMs will stay well under 2000 and the van barely moves or not at all. Occurs even with full throttle, manually in lowest gear and in low range (low ra... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
I was driving on the highway at speeds of 75 mph and the car suddenly stopped entirely and began decelerating at a VERY quick speed to almost 30 mph in just a few seconds. Luckily, nobody was behind me, otherwise the speed at which it was slowing down would have caused a collision. The car would not accelerate in the time that it was decelerating and the gas pedal stopped working entirely. There w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
Beginning in 2018, perhaps earlier, I noticed that often when I would press the accelerator all the way, the engine would (and still does) make a sound (I’ve since learned, through many dealership interactions and internet searches, that the sound is referred as pinging or knocking from pre-detonation), and it SEEMED that the car’s computer would (and still does) electronically back off the th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
The infotainment system is so buggy and slow it's dangerously distracting. It crashes all the time and takes a few minutes to reboot which is not good when you're using navigation. The volume randomly will go to 100% and the only way to fix it is to restart the car. I've had it happen maybe 10 times. It's very startling and it's painful to the ears. The most dangerous problem with the infotainment... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
Phantom braking aggressively appearing during a family road trip. Violent braking leading to a 20-30 mph drop in speed.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
Upon leaving work and gaining speed to 40mph I received a dash notification specifying engine power reduced and my mileage went down abruptly to 20mph. My check engine light came on and the power steering light appeared on my dash with the engine power reduced notification. I was not able to accelerate past 20 mphs.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The system is malfunctioning. Indicators on dash come on showing pre collision system is off. And I have to manually go into the controls, turn it on, but it doesn't immediately turn on. I have to exit out, and enter the menu several times to get it to turn back on. It happens when idling and while driving.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
My 2018 Ford Ecosport odometer goes black when it’s parked in the sun while I’m driving I can’t see my dashboard when it’s cool it’ll turn back on sometimes when it’s not under the sun
TOYOTA
PRIUS PRIME
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 4, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
When adaptive cruise control is engaged and a car cuts in front of you the car will accelerate rapidly at first nearly hitting the car before it slows.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
While on a cross country road trip, our 2022 Tesla Model Y has repeatedly slammed on the brakes at highway speeds with nothing in front of us. Most times have been cresting hills, but one time it was on straight road with, fortunately, no other cars near us.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
While having my car on for an extended period of time, my car will randomly not accelerate when I push on the gas pedal. As soon as I turn the car off and turn it back on, my car will reset itself and will resume as normal, until it happens again sometimes just 30 minutes later. This issue has happened since I have purchased the car. This happens mostly when I am in stop and go traffic, when I ne... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
Car occasionally experiences unintended acceleration. This happening today 9/4/2022. Car was brought to a complete stop. It suddenly accelerated while the foot was still on the brake, causing it to rear-end the car in front. Thankfully there no physical injuries reported (yet) We had experienced this a couple of time before. I had contact Honda as well as the local dealer and they cleared the car... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
at random times my vehicle will lurch forward when I am driving. It could be right after I begin to accelerate or while I am at a consistent speed. It usually occurs under 40 mph. I have almost lost control many times. And had to slam on my breaks to avoid hitting people in front of me.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
Fuel gauge says zero miles to empty and will not take any gas more than a few gallons before kicking pump off. Gauge shows it's over heating but if you turn ignition off and turn right back on it resets and is fine. Codes come back saying nothing about fuel or cooling, but only something about speed control in the hub. Sounds like an electrical issue but no where to be found.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 2, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Upon start, got a "reverse not possible" warning. Tried to drive home, but shifting was very erratic and car slowed dramatically between shifts. On several occasions, cars behind me had to swerve to avoid me. And, if I would have had to reverse out of danger, I would have been in serious trouble. After too many close calls, I stopped to arrange a tow. When I returned to the car to move it, the pro... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
On 8/16/2022 Tuesday, I went to work at about 10:24 and parked by the road next to mcDonalds to call my husband. I wanted him to take the car to park elsewhere as that spot had no parking starting at 10:30. My husband was not available so I was about to move the car and had my feet slightly touching the brake. At that point the car suddenly accelerated and jumped forward without any control and hi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 28, 2022
The cars gives warning warning and high beeping sounds to shift and car engine to P and then shuts of randomly. Happended to me twicw at 65mph and 35mph. Also the car randomly gives worng way notifications even on the perfectly straight road over and over again.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and making a right turn onto the driveway of the home, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward into the garage door. The contact indicated that during the incident the accelerator pedal was not being pressed. No injuries were reported. The garage door and home were da... Read more
Crash
MERCURY
GRAND MARQUIS
(2004) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sep 1, 2022
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
While driving, I came to a stop light and suddenly, the car idled high and lurched forward while my foot was on the brake, luckily, I was stopped well away from the vehicle in front of me. The car idled high and seemed to have a mind of it's own. I took the back roads home and backed into our garage. The car smelled hot, and I though I had smoked my brakes, trying to keep control of it. Later th... Read more
Fire