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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 73,546 complaints - component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Incident date: Mar 27, 2026

August 1, 2025 I was trying to get to [XXX] from [XXX] to see my mother, before Kansas City, Mo. Before getting to KC while cruise was engaged car RPM’s began amping but car did not speed up. I put it park and turned motor off and tried to drive again, but did the same thing. I called my mechanic in XXX and he suggested I try to come back but I couldn’t go over 30mph driving on the should... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2025

My truck because of the transmission and it's "powertrain" faults; puts itself in low power mode. I can be driving fine, stop for a red light, to turn a corner or before pulling into oncoming traffic leaving a parking lot etc and without warning, no power. It won't go over 5-10 miles an hour. You have to let off the gas and give gas sometimes more than once to get the truck to finally pick up and ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

Car startup just fine and drive without issues but sometimes center console freezes or randomly restarts and when that happen even speedometer stays at zero even car moving about 30-40mph. It stays in frozen state for about 2-3min or unless I force restart it by holding power button for about 10-20seconds. I have seen backup camera sometimes failed to display images which supposed to resolved in l... Read more

Incident date: Feb 19, 2026

I was driving on the freewayin the night time on several occasions and the Emissions light and check engine light comes on and the car lost speed and would not accelerate. I had to put my hazards on to exit the freeway slowly to pull over turn the car off, sometimes this corrects the problems. but this has happened on several occasions. the vehicle is now at the dealer being diagnostic, they end u... Read more

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

On [XXX], at approximately 4:10 PM, I was at the McDonald’s drive-through located at [XXX] and [XXX] in Springfield, Missouri. I was stopped at the final service window. As I pulled away from the window, I approached a 90-degree left turn heading south. I removed my foot from the accelerator pedal to allow the truck to coast slowly around the corner, as the area is heavily pedestrian and require... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

-Vehicle would not start several times, this occurred just after purchasing, then battery was replaced and it occurred again over the course of 8 months. -A few days ago after getting the jeep to start, the RPM would not go >2 and the speed would not increase >20 MPH. This happened on PA220 with speed limit of 40MPH causing a near-wreck when pulling out onto the road and not being able to accelera... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2026

car transmission issue not getting enough power while putting foot on gas pedal rpm goes upto 5k for getting speed not shifting gear properly

Incident date: Feb 7, 2026

When driving on the highway going 65mph the car slipped in neutral and error showed on dashboard "transmission malfunction stop." I could steer and break, but not accelerate. Pulling over on side of highway, I was able to put in park and then drive. I pulled off the exit and the car did the same thing within 10 mins. Car was towed to Mercedes dealership in Warwick, RI. I was made aware after ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

I am experiencing intermittent loss of motive power. Without warning at highway speeds I get a flashing check engine light immediately before the loss of motive power occurs. Motive power can be restored by turning the ignition off and back on. However, this action also clears the check engine light and any fault codes that were set. I drive with a code reader in the car and have received a P030... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -After the 68C recall update for the HV battery failures, the vehicle has not been able to consistently maintain or provide power due to the limitation of the battery introduced as part of the recall. This is most noticeable driving in Electric Mode below 60% charge. The throttle behavior is inconsis... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2024

I have taken my car to service in January, and it has had all the recalls fixes done, supposedly. Just the last two weeks I have been feeling a notchy sensation when steering, it resists and then jumps to the next notch when turning. Not a smooth feeling as it did during the first year of usage.

Incident date: Mar 25, 2026

I honestly believe this has to do with me being discriminated by people even emergency dispatch and police from the city of Inglewood , this is not the first time my car gets tampered with, but to start I already had felt something was off with the vehicle because I was parked and it accelerated all of a sudden last night of 03/24/26 then today on 03/25/26 i was on the freeway on my way to work th... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

The failure involves the engine (powertrain), which was under warranty. The vehicle has experienced four catastrophic engine failures resulting in sudden loss of power, including at highway speeds (65–75 mph). The most recent failure also involved an oil-saturated catalytic converter. These failures occurred between 06/25/2024 and 03/16/2026. During this ~629-day period, the vehicle was only in ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2025

While driving my family home on a hot 90+ degree day. My 2016 Chevy Colorado suddenly has a power loss engine died and i went from 75 to parked in less than 30 seconds. Luckily I was able to pull off the freeway to the median. We were almost hit by two vehicles pulling a trailer and the other pulling a RV. I had to have someone pick my kids up due to the hazards of being stranded on the side of th... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2025

I was driving toward the perimeter of my neighborhood, approaching an arterial cross street. When I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. The breaks didn’t work despite pumping them multiple times. I also heard the engine revving. To avoid the intersection and busy street I steered into a yard, hit a retaining wall and a tree, rolled and hit a metal city street sign. All airbags deplo... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

I had an unintended acceleration happen as I was easing into a parking spot of a covered parking garage. The car accelerated like a jet plane taking off. I jammed on the brake. The only thing that stopped the car was the concrete wall that was 4 feet away. My airbags activated. We had taken the car to the Honda dealer for its 35,000-mile check-up on February 24, 2026. The Honda dealer has prepared... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Oct 28, 2025

Everyday I get alerts saying the power train system, then I can’t use my cruise control, and many other alerts pop up

Incident date: Aug 15, 2025

My engine completely died, and a complete loss of propulsion happened. My safety was put at risk due to no power while on busy highway. This problem with L87 engines (6.2) has been reported extensively. The vehicle was inspected for GM Program # N252494000, NHTSA 25V74 for above issues and was inspected on 2025-08-28. Inspection passed, but the failure ultimatel happened on 2025-02-25. Dealer... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

The warning light is saying engine power reduced having to do with the DEF system

Incident date: Jul 16, 2025

At speeds of 65-75, both with the adaptive cruise control enabled and disabled, I accelerated a little bit to pick up speed and pass another vehicle. The vehicle responded initially by gaining speed, then it feels like I hit something and the front brakes lock up for 1-2 seconds and the tires start screeching from sliding, then everything resumes to normal. I was very shocked during a recent roadt... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

My truck only has 26000 miles and the transmission started acting very funny, shifting erratically, then it was stuck in 5th gear limp mode. There is some kind of bushing that comes loose in these 10 speed transmissions. It cost me $7597.48. And $150.00 towing.

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

This is my 10th report; it relates to 2 issues I have reported before 1. The "phantom breaking" on cruise control that I have reported a few times previously has apparently been fixed on a software update, but we were not notified. I went in to Santa Fe Tesla where I took delivery of my vehicle and got into a discussion about my disappointments with this car, specifically the tires (see #2). I m... Read more

Incident date: Dec 10, 2025

"Verified internal hydraulic cross leak due to CDF drum bushing movement. Transmission has delayed engagement in 4th, 5th, and 6th gears. This is a known manufacturing defect in the 10R80 transmission."

Incident date: Apr 15, 2025

While driving at any time, the speedometer will instantly drop and the car feels like it's about to shut itself off. After a diagnostic with a mechanic, they stated this was the crankshaft issue; similar to a recall for other 2016 jeep compass. My vin is not currently associated with this recall notice, however based on these safety defects, it seems it should be considered under the recall

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

I am writing to file a formal safety complaint against Tesla, Inc. regarding a software update failure that has disabled legally required vehicle functions on my Tesla for over two years. For more than 26 months, my vehicle has been unable to complete a software update through Tesla's over-the-air (OTA) update system. As a direct result of this failure, my vehicle's display screen does not functi... Read more

Incident date: Mar 22, 2026

On 12/4/25, I was pulling into a space in a parking deck, was approximately one quarter of the way into the spot and the vehicle suddenly accelerated and struck a cement wall. I did not have my feet on the pedals at the time and was going at approximately 5 miles per hour. The airbags did not deploy, and no automatic braking or warning systems engaged. As a result of the accident, I sustained thr... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

The vehicle accelerated without input and the brakes failed to respond. I am notifying you that this vehicle is a life-threatening safety risk and should not be rented again until a master technician clears the electronic throttle control and breaking system. This condition presents a serious safety risk and could lead to a car crash or injury. Additionally, the vehicles, climate control system be... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

Manufacturer recall #24E12 (PCM software update) triggered a PO430:00-ED code (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold - Bank 2) because the new software more strictly monitors the catalytic converter, causing it to detect previously ignored degradation. This reprogram scamming program makes community bothered by paying parts replacements more than 2K, even vehicle was fine before the recall. T... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

My Mercedes Benz GLE450e Hybrid SUV has had a persistent but sporadic safety issue that suddenly causes the vehicle to go into "turtle mode" with a "performance extremely limited" warning when trying to accelerate quickly or sometimes when breaking quickly. In turtle mode, the car quickly loses acceleration, drops in speed and is then unable to accelerate properly. The sudden drop in speed and in... Read more

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT AT STARTUP - POTENTIAL CLUTCH DEFECT On January 17, 2026, at approximately 1:59 PM, I started my 2019 Genesis G70 (manual transmission) while parked in my garage. The vehicle was in Neutral with the parking brake engaged. I depressed the clutch pedal fully before pressing the start button, with no foot on the accelerator. Immediately upon starting, the vehicle lurch... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 20, 2026

I have not had an issue as of yet...but my insurance company has warned me of 4 recalls that are apparently active on my vehicle and told me to come to your site to verify, but it says there are zero recalls on my vehicle, so I am wary of what to do. I was told by a local mechanic that one of the things listed in the recalls was potentially a issue for me but I would need to take my vehicle to the... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2026

The vehicle recently updated to software version P4.2.13 after this update the vehicle sporadically losses the ability to accelerate fully from a stop, it just creeps forward. When your truning onto a street from a stop, or forward at a srop sign or ligjt sometime the vehicle accelerates normally, but what seems like about 50% of the time it just creeps forward a couple seconds then takes off. Yo... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2026

Vehicle would not accelerate in high speed zone.

Incident date: Mar 3, 2025

On March 19, 2026, I was driving to work when traffic began to slow, and I reduced my speed accordingly. As traffic started to return to normal speed, I pressed the accelerator; however, although the engine revved, the vehicle did not accelerate beyond approximately 15 mph. I safely moved to the side of the road and turned the car off. After restarting the vehicle, shifting into drive, and pressin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 12, 2025

I was pulling out of a park my car accelerated at a high speed I applied brakes but car didn’t stop I hit another vehicle and my car still did not stop my I hit a large boulder and my car hydroplaned and landed by on it wheels and knocked the boulder into another vehicle my car still did not stop finally my car just shut down

Crash

Incident date: Mar 3, 2026

On one occasion, the car automatically applied the breaks and parked itself while driving on a main road. On another occasion, while parking the car at the home it accelerated aggressively and almost crashed into the garage- driver lost complete control of the car. On a separate occasion, the gauge console (screen behind the steering wheel) became morphed and could not show the MPH- an electri... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

Since purchase as a preowned vehicle, we noted this vehicle is equipped with a faulty transmission/tcm software design that is dangerously unpredictable and creates erratic driving conditions. This passenger SUV Is equipped with a 10 speed automatic that (once at operating temperature) the gear shifts and operation become highly unpredictable, often causing severe safety issues navigating in traff... Read more

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

The end of February was driving and I noticed white smoke blowing from my exaust, then my car lost power.

Incident date: Feb 10, 2026

While driving the truck will shift into 1st gear. It will also shift back and forth between gears randomly. When this happens, the wheels may lock up or just skid. The service engine light will come on, the speedometer will drop to zero while still moving and the "miles to empty" will show at zero miles. Sometime the tire indicator will turn on as well. This may/may not reset when the vehicle... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the DEF tank failed. The vehicle went into three phases of LIMP Mode and the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated while driving. The DEF system service message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with DEF tank failure, and the tank needed to be replaced, even though th... Read more

Incident date: Mar 29, 2025

WHile trying to park 2025 Q7 the vehicle accelerated without warning and adaptive cruise flashed quickly then disappeared. I was the driver and had a passanger along. THis incedent repeated itself within 30 mins. I am not comfortable driving the car..

Incident date: Dec 1, 2025

At the end of a downhill cloverleaf coming coming on and off a highway, the car slowed to a crawl but would not stop. It was going slowly as if "creeping" like when in B mode but was not in B mode. The brakes would not stop it. I was able to shift gears from Drive to N to P but no response, car continued to creep forward until it gently bumped into the back of an 18 wheeler. There was no collision... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jan 22, 2026

Transmission failure, unhealthy engine burning/consuming oil, emissions system/catalytic converter failure all before 100,000 miles.

Incident date: Jun 1, 2025

When driving mountain roads I often need to engage the paddle shift to downshift. When I do, the transmission has a lag where it feels like it goes into neutral for a second, the speed increases instead of decreasing, then the gear downshifts, the RPM's go up, but by then, it has defeated the purpose - I have to brake to slow down. Once I do, the lower gear helps me stay off the brakes until the... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The vehicle experiences a transmission/drivetrain defect involving delayed gear engagement, hesitation, and apparent slipping. When accelerating from a complete stop (especially onto an incline) the engine RPM increases but the vehicle fails to accelerate as expected. The vehicle jerks and shakes violently and is unable to gain speed. This issue is intermittent but highly repeatable and occurs al... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

I was driving and the left side of infotainment system went out. I could not see my speed, odometer everything on the dash. I pulled over, stopped the car, turned it off and on but that did not work. This was very dangerous. After sitting for about 30 minutes it started working. i took it to the dealer and picked it up because they were waiting on direction from Nissan. Then the right side of the ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2026

The gas peddle got stuck and will not let me stop causing me to hit someone

Crash

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

My vehicle was taken to Matt Burne Honda on at [XXX] for recall work on driveshafts since I got my vehicle back I have been having issue after issue. My vehicle was in there twice. He diagnosed the issue as a speed sensor from sitting in my passenger seat never even took on highway to see what the problem really was. My car has been unsafe for the road since I got it back. Brand new tires are now... Read more

Incident date: Nov 7, 2025

Vehicle looses power and can very easily cause a bad wreck I've replaced multiple thing and it still does it I'm not sure what it is possibly the timing or something to do with camshaft

Incident date: Mar 13, 2026

1. The car accelerates erratically when it is charged to 90 to 100%. This just plain dangerous. 2. The battery is charging to 100% when it set to charge to 80%. I learned that there is a recall for this vehicle due to the battery overheating and possibly catching on fire. However as of yesterday, there are neither diagnostics available to show whether the recall actually applies to my car, n... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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