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: Sep 12, 2025

Three incidents happened with this vehicle. When I put the car on reverse and reversed and stopped, the gear was then put on drive and before the accelerator was stepped on the vehicle propelled itself at a very high speed and I had to emergently step on the brakes before it hit anything. The the front collision warning did not come on and the vehicle did not brake on its own. The same thing happe... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Dec 9, 2025

Client was severely injured (traumatic brain injury, fractured skull bone and ankle with ongoing cognitve and physical symptoms, probably permanent) as a pedestrian when crossing Rt 28 in Chatham, MA. He was struck by a 2023 Tesla Model Y in reduced roadway visibility conditions due to sun/shade conditions. The auto braking system failed to activate in time to avoid the collision. This appears to... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 8, 2026

* Sudden shutdown while driving * Dash failure * “Vehicle not in park” message * RF hub failure * Recall references While driving at highway speeds and without warning the entire dashboard shut off and the vehicle lost power. The message “Vehicle Not in Park” appeared. My son was forced to coast off the highway to safety. Once the vehicle stopped, it shifted itself into park. The truck res... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Oct 31, 2024

While driving vehicle shifts from 6 gear to first gear on 6r80 transmission amd hard shifts..wheels lock upbwhen vehicle downshifts abruptly.....spoke with ford mechanic and this is a known issue with lead shield and or speed sensor.. this item need a recalled and repaired...no codes are thrown but it is a well know issue...recalls are on 10r80 transmissions lead shield but not 6 speed. Please ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 2023

2018 eco sport , 1 L engine . Bought this car 2 years ago(April 2024) used (58xxx) miles from Corwin Honda in Fargo nd and test drove and asked about the car . Asked if safe for my family , recalls ,history ..they said no issues ,recalls or crashes . All were untrue we are just finding out . I was driving imin the dark and suddenly,no warning etc my car says low engine oil pressure . I had kids... Read more

Incident date: Mar 9, 2026

Vehicle: 2020 Toyota C-HR Mileage: 77,980 miles About a year ago, when the vehicle had fewer than 60,000 miles, I began noticing unusual noises and that the vehicle was not always accelerating smoothly. The symptoms were initially intermittent but gradually became more noticeable over time. Meanwhile, there were no warning lights or signs displayed and I was so insured that Toyota produces very... Read more

Incident date: Oct 28, 2025

After stopping at a stop sign and waiting for a clearance, the truck did not respond to throttle input for what felt like 2-3 seconds. The temperature was about 80 degrees, and I had already been driving for 30 minutes when this happened.

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

While turning left, the transmission stuttered and got stuck in first gear. I did some basic research and learned that this is a known issue with 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles. I attempted the suggested fix which worked briefly. I then took the vehicle to my local Chevrolet dealer for repairs. After further research I learned that this is a known issue with my year and model of Silverado.... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

I am reporting a defect involving my **2025 Buick Encore GX AWD manufactured by General Motors. Within two days of purchasing the vehicle, the dashboard displayed the warning message “Service Charging System – Vehicle May Stall.” I contacted the dealership on the third day of ownership and was instructed to bring the vehicle in for service. Since that time the vehicle has required multiple r... Read more

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Dec 23, 2025

Unknown. The transmission is kicking really bad. There are recalls on other vehicles similar to ours that are having the same issue. It has been doing this for a while now. It shifts hard from 1st to 2nd gear and when coming to a complete stop it also jerks. Also at times the check engine light comes on and it will not shift at all. I am afraid this is going to cause an accident.

Incident date: Apr 1, 2025

Approximately one month ago, I noticed that the vehicle would not accelerate the way it normally does. A error code came on. I took the vehicle to Auto Zone for error code check. I was informed that the powertrain control module speed sensor had gone bad. I looked this up and found that Ford had a recall on 2011 Ford F-150s for similar issues. I disconnected the battery, as recommended on an inter... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

The drive train and motor slow to a near stop in traffic when trying to clear a lane and makes it very dangerouos for other traffic to have to wait for me to clear a lane. There is something wrong and we complained about this before the warranty ran out, but they could not find anything. The car stops in traffic unexpectedly. I am not sure if sensors are causing this or what, but it has put me ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 9, 2026

The Parking Assist, parking, ABS warning continues. There is a recall on the year model but not my VIN. I have not even been able to afford the sales tax (over $1000 USD) and dealer refuses to assist with the cost of diagnostic or malfunction repair.

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

My wife and I have both experienced intermittent power loss on the vehicle — specifically after stopping and restarting, such as at traffic signals. During these incidents, the car moves extremely slowly even with the accelerator fully pressed, before eventually resuming normal acceleration. This has happened 3–4 times between us, and on one occasion, the car nearly stalled in the middle of an... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

I am submitting this complaint to report a serious vehicle safety incident involving my 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select that resulted in a catastrophic engine fire while the vehicle was in operation. Prior to the incident, the vehicle underwent a long block engine replacement performed by Murgado Ford Lincoln of Chicago pursuant to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2229. The repair involved remova... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Feb 19, 2026

I was driving my car one day and as I was coming down the road the car jerked and picked up speed like on its on and I had to really stop abruptly to stop the car. I thought that was strange, I didn't have any warning lights or any indication that anything was going on I just thought it was weird, then like 2 days later as was driving the car would do this random jerk but again no lights on any in... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The primary system affected appears to be the CVT transmission. Additionally, the engine computer (ECU) and electrical system (including battery, driver-side window, and turn signals) have shown repeated failures. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

This honda cr-v had a sudden surge of acceleration while the brake pedal was pressed. The brake pedal was stepped off to put car into drive, but then the car suddenly went forward over 30 mph and crashed into a fence and tree in the driveway straight across from it about 5 feet away. The airbag did not immediately deploy, but deployed a minute later. The entire front end of the car was destroyed. ... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

"On [XXX], my 2016 Hyundai Tucson (VIN [XXX] ) experienced severe engine power loss and mechanical noise under load while driving uphill, creating a dangerous safety situation. This occurred 2 days after a dealer visit (February 19, 2026) where an open KSDS Service Campaign (TSB HCE22-14-E600-TL, Issue 10D021) — directly related to engine monitoring — was left incomplete. The dealer subsequent... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

My vehicle has has these issues since I bought them but were unaware of how to report them. I also got a recall letter about my PTU failure and Feldman Jeep in Livonia falsely reported the recall completed and it wasn’t. My car is noisy and vibrational when driving higher speeds, service 4wd messages and noise when I turn the automatic brakes off.

Incident date: Mar 1, 2022

ABS module reported to dealer in February, 2025..They said was safe to drive. Then April 2025 the module went out.-Part has been on backorder since March 2025. It was taken to Key Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Marianna in March 2025. Jeep would not steer properly, the brakes were not normal and all the warning lights on dash were on. I could not drive. .

Incident date: Jan 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a pharmacy parking lot with the hold feature engaged, the driver released the brake pedal. Immediately afterward, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward approximately 75 feet. The driver attempted to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to respond. The vehi... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jan 9, 2026

Following 2nd battery recall, acceleration, especially with the electric on, is sluggish and then suddenly electric fails and gas engine kicks in with a lurch. Electric no longer has the power it did prior to the recall and this provides uncertain acceleration for entering freeway from onramps or during other periods of needed acceleration.

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

2013 Ford F‑150 Limited – VIN [XXX] On [XXX], my 2013 Ford F‑150 Limited experienced a sudden and dangerous transmission failure involving the transmission conductor plate (lead frame). My son was driving the vehicle when the dashboard abruptly shut off, multiple warning lights illuminated, and the truck lost engine power. Shortly afterward, while braking, the engine attempted to accelerat... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2026

The contact owned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, it suddenly accelerated without warning. While driving in a parking lot, the vehicle again surged forward approximately 20 feet. The contact was able to swerve to avoid striking a pedestrian. The vehicle became uncontrollable, and the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle ultimately crash... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Feb 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that after driving into the garage and while pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, lurched forward, and crashed into the husband's workbench. During the incident, the brake pedal was forcefully pressed, but the vehicle did not immediately stop. No injuries were reported. The husband's ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while shifting from drive(D) to park(P), the vehicle continued to accelerate or reverse unintendedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact to go to settings and choose brakes, and while parking, the parking brake engaged, but the driver needed to manually release ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2024

Date: March 9, 2026 FORMAL COMPLAINT: Safety Concern Regarding Unintended Acceleration** Vehicle Information: Year/Make/Model: 2021 Volkswagen Arteon VIN: [XXX] Purchased From: Clay Cooley Volkswagen (October 2024) To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally report a series of escalating electrical and mechanical failures regarding my 2021 Volkswagen Arteon. While the vehicle initially pr... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

The car only has 79 miles and the transmission is slugglisg it has a delay in it when you accelerate. and lots of 2019 Jeep Cherokee latitude plus have been recalled for the transmission. Just not my VIN number, but my car is having an exact same problem as the other 2019.

Incident date: Jun 9, 2025

One week ago, I was driving on a highway, accelerating to the 65 MPH speed limit on that road, my van's accelerator completely stopped responding. Despite pumping the pedal repeatedly, I was unable to control my speed at all, and the car continued to lose speed. I had my three children in the car at the time, and given that people regularly go in excess of 70 MPH on that road, I was in danger of n... Read more

Incident date: Mar 9, 2026

1. Component: The engine head gasket and the combustion system (specifically Cylinder 2). Specifics: A leak-down test confirmed a failure in Cylinder 2, leading to coolant intrusion. This was initially masked by a water pump code, but after the water pump was replaced and the code returned, a borescope confirmed "clean" pistons (steam-cleaned by coolant) and tap scarring. Availability: Yes, the ve... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2025

I can not gain speed. The dealership says it’s the catalytic converter and there is an active recall for this on Kia souls. They previously did recall work to my car but now the catalytic converters not showing as a recall

Incident date: May 6, 2025

On July 3rd I was driving on the highway, and the Jeep went into limp mode. When it ran out of the electric charge, it didn’t switch over to the gas engine and became un-drivable. I brought it to a Jeep service center and they kept it until July 7th. They were not able to figure out why that happened, but obviously it is part of the recall.

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

While driving my 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor, the vehicle suddenly lost throttle response. The accelerator pedal produced no response and the engine would not rev even though the vehicle remained powered on. A battery warning light briefly illuminated at the time of the incident. I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop, but during the event the steering wheel became locked or extremely stiff and the... Read more

Incident date: Feb 26, 2026

3/6/26 5:50 am unintended acceleration w such force pulling car toward right side n unable to stop, jumped over side walk, then stopped, it happened very fast, very scary accident, I was in shock and shaking so bad. Wknd disrupted, couldn't sleep n reliving bad experience over n over. Bringing it to the dealer 3/9/26. no damage to anybody or third party, unknown under car damage. Didn't file a re... Read more

Incident date: Mar 8, 2026

My 2025 Honda CRV Hybrid seems to randomly accelerate on its own. This has happened at least 4 or 5 times over the past year. At first I thought I was imagining it but then I noticed it happened again, multiple times. Each time I was NOT pressing the gas pedal nor at any time was I using cruise control. I never use the cruise control. The vehicle seems to accelerate on its on for about 3-4 s... Read more

Incident date: Mar 8, 2026

Pulled into parking space. Applied brakes and came to a complete stop. Could hear engine revving up.. Thought ok, that gas pedal seem to be pressed. Look at my foot wasn’t pressing the pedal. Looked at floor mats. It was laying flat on floor, not manipulating the pedal. I thought what’s happening? And lifted foot off brake ever so slightly and car jumped 6 inch high curb and hit the building..... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 8, 2026

The vehicle is intermittently braking on its own while driving. The issue has become significantly worse over the course of a month. The dashboard message reads, “brake applied, power reduced”. This is a danger to both myself and other drivers as we are unable to control the speed of the vehicle.

Incident date: Feb 11, 2026

I’ve been experiencing harsh shifts between 1st and 3rd. Slip shifts and delayed engagement between 5th and 8th gears. Recently I just experienced no engagement at all while accelerating from red light loss of complete power and slippage. Truck just stopped accelerating which could cause an accident. I got no warning. This is not a new problem. It’s an ongoing issue that needs to be rectified ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 7, 2026

This has been reported one time before but the situation has gotten worse when driving at approximately 60ish miles per hour but it starts doing it about between 50 and 70 mph when driving and the car is using the regular engine not the EV section. You will randomly lose the ability to accelerate and you have to remove your foot from the gas let the engine slow and then re-accelerate now for the s... Read more

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

The gas pedal pushes itself down and makes the car uncontrollably accelerate. Braking does not stop this from happening and vehicle is not able to be stopped until the gas pedal decides it's done accelerating. This is VERY dangerous. I believe this is called ghost acceleration. It has almost caused multiple accidents.

Incident date: Feb 26, 2026

Description of Fault This vehicle exhibits a recurring, intermittent failure of the electronic throttle control system. Three distinct symptom patterns have been observed: 1.Throttle non-responsive at stop-start (approx. monthly/bi-monthly): After coming to a complete stop (e.g. at a traffic light), pressing the accelerator pedal produces no engine response. The vehicle will not move. Switching th... Read more

Incident date: Feb 27, 2026

Computer system keeps messing up, I’ve taken it in a couple times for the same issue and it still keeps getting worse, sending wrong signals also sometimes it revs up when driving out of nowhere and it’s dangerous

Incident date: Feb 26, 2026

[XXX] nearly three minutes after dropping my kids off to school, driving near the [XXX] ! My jeep begin to accelerate, I couldn’t control the brakes or steering wheel! I became very scared as I approached a curve upon me reaching the curve, the dashboard and radio screen completely blacked out! I lose complete control of the vehicle, hit and embankment and tree! Cause injuries to my left wrist! ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

Despite having the EGR replaced under recall the unit still exploded while driving on wed 4 Mar 2026. Fluids were leaking and had indicated issues with the electric shifter. The local dealerships states the egr cooler needs replaced, coolant tank, DPF and oil change (despite just being done the Saturday before). Refusing to acknowledge any connection to previous recall or associated damages. Cont... Read more

Incident date: Feb 26, 2026

It takes time to accelerate. The car jerks and shakes before moving

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

I was driving down the road at approximately 55 mph when all of a sudden, my truck decelerated and a warning signal displayed on my dash indicating my speed was being forcibly reduced to approximately 30 mph. Fortunately, I was on a rural road versus the interstate. I pulled over and had an OBD2 reader. The reader indicated I had a P-2138 error code from a "voltage correlation error between the... 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

Read more from our blog