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
(2017) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 10, 2024
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
While driving to work at approximately 6:30 am , as I was signaling to merge onto the on ramp the cars gas pedal stop controlling the speed of my car. I pulled over to the side of the road and my car would not move. I tried to put the heat shifter into park but it was stuck in drive. I had to have the towed to a mechanic which informed me that I needed a new transmission. (3 different independent ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Rivian R1S. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park in a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The brake pedal was violently depressed however the vehicle continued to accelerate. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hit a curb in a landscaping zone and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not de... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The car behind me was very close. I wanted to get up to the speed limit and pressed the gas. The car did not accelerate. I heard
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated while the brake pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on several different occasions to be diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
Front camera stopped working after a long period of working intermittently (started to happen after passing warranty at 30,000 miles). Without that camera many safety features are disabled, like a front collision warning, lane departure, cruise control with adoptive speed, emergency breaking. The cable and processor issue was confirmed by Ford dealership service.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
The speedometer can report zero (0) when the car is moving slowly. This is probably the rounding policy in software. The actual speed was maybe 0.4 mph, but was reported as zero mph. If the actual speed was 10.4 mph but reported as 10, fine, not a big deal, but zero has a much different meaning than any other value. It means none, that the car isn't moving, but the car was.
Incident date: May 27, 2015
I was in a parking lot on [XXX] in Mamaroneck, New York waiting in line to get out at approximately [XXX]. Many cars were ahead of me due to the school drop-off rush, with parents and kids lined up in the parking lot waiting to leave. While I was waiting, the Tesla unexpectedly accelerated on its own, but I managed to hit the brakes just in time to avoid colliding with the car in front of me. A... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The service parking brake warning pops up on start up (P)!, along with the engine light and the traction control light. A warning that says service parking brake appears, around with a service transmission warning, and occasionally another message saying 4wd unavailable at the moment. Another message says restart car in park at zero speed, which the car is already in park & not moving. The car is ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
My car is always hesitating to go , sometimes it will slow considerably down and won’t go , and my engine lights pops on and starts flashing. I have to turn my car off and turn it back on. That’s very dangerous Ive almost been hit like that AND I HAVE TWO KIDS!!!!!
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
While driving home, driving speed was 55 mph, car engine bogged down and orange wrench icon illuminated on dash. I was not far from home and was able to continue and "limp" home. Car would not go faster than 10-15 mph. When I parked car in garage and shut car off, the brake lights stayed on. There was no warning lights or anything wrong with car before incident. Car has not been inspected by ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The screen that shows speed, miles remaining, etc. went black on a long trip. All of the automated cruise control, lane keeping, etc. are also housed in that screen. The blinkers would not work, I had no idea how fast I was going at any time which is unsafe. I could not see how much range is left on the vehicle which I imagine could lead the car just dying while driving or going into the turtle mo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
While merging onto the parkway, the gas pedal snapped off during acceleration. There was no warning at all, it just snapped off when I stepped on the pedal. I was fortunate enough to pull over onto the shoulder of the parkway without incident, but I had no way to accelerate the car if I needed to. I was very lucky that nothing happened, but I'm very concerned about driving this vehicle and the pot... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
My car experiences issues around acceleration. It often feels like it gets “stuck” or hesitates when I try to accelerate from a stop (ex. a stoplight) or low speed or when I try to merge onto the highway. At times I have not been able to merge onto the highway at a safe speed because my acceleration gets stuck/lags at a low mph (ex. 35 mph onto a 70 mph highway). My car also excessively consum... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
2021 Chevy Traverse went out in September, it would shutter causing take off to jerk so hard and cause traffic to stall, hurting passengers necks, and almost causing accidents
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
Vehicle Information: 2024 Kia EV9 Light Long Range Mileage: 850 miles Issue Summary: I am reporting a serious safety concern with my 2024 Kia EV9 Light Long Range. Within the first three weeks of ownership and with less than 900 miles on the odometer, I experienced multiple instances of the vehicle entering "turtle mode" while driving at high speeds on the freeway. This mode significantly reduced... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
My 2019 Ram 1500 is experiencing the exact same issues listed in recall 75B but my VIN number is not part of the recall. The symptoms that it is having are the exact ones listed in your recall from 9/11/24 concerning the ABS and stability control issues. It is very disheartening that there wasn’t a better investigation done on this issue either on your end or on Ram’s end. I’m sure there are... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
Components related to timing chain failed, and vehicle is currently available with plans to sell to a salvage yard by 10/25/24. My 9 year old and I were at risk of collision when the vehicle failed. I was driving approximately 70-75 mph when we started to lose power. At 65 mph, I managed to cross 2 lanes of highway traffic and stopped on the shoulder. I turned off my vehicle and waited several m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
I have had several codes pop up on my Equinox, such as P0016, P0017, P0089 and P228D. All of these codes are between the Crankshaft position, variable timing position and high pressure fuel issues. I almost wrecked my SUV because of these 3 factors and I have seen thousands of videos on YouTube with other people having the same issues. This is beyond dangerous to be out on the road driving and the... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 8, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 2024
I have experienced a dangerous bug where cruise control shoots immediately to 110mph. I have experienced three incidents in the last 15 months. Too busy trying to disengage the accelerating vehicle to get a video, but many others have documented this bug: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
At 40,000 miles Transmission skips gears going from 3-4 4-5 and 7-8. Transmission jolts hard when put into reverse. Valve body was replaced which fixed the issue for a couple of months and now the same issues are occurring.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Stalls stops, with Engine power reduced, stabilitrak off. After turning or braking. Engine light with down arrow. Accident probability. DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY IF ON HIGHWAY OR COUNTRY RD!
Incident date: Oct 12, 2020
The traction control turns on and then the shifts don’t work and I can’t drive since there is no speed also the rpm and the gas the speed and the battery gages start flickering up and down then I turn off the truck and it continues to work fine but after 40 miles or so it does it all again
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Brake module is not working traction control not working and cruise control not work because of brake module not working
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 7, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
In all assisted driving modes except Full Self Driving (FSD), the car properly displays the speed Limit it has determined either by Map data or visual confirmation. In FSD, apparently only on pre-2021+ Model S cars, the determined speed limit is not displayed. In my town we have a US60 route. The car sees these signs and determines the speed limit is 60, even though it is only 35. The driver no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Intermittent loss of anti-lock braking system and cruise control. code C0020-01 ABS pump failure. First occurred at approx. 47,900 miles.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn, the accelerator pedal was depressed and became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,000.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
I have been notified that I am in need of a new engine due to possible complete engine failure which is on the near horizon. I have the Lambda II V6 3.3L engine. It is knocking, making noises, hesitates to go, feels like it will stall out at all speeds, and is scaring me terribly. My certified local mechanic replaced a part for failed emissions, which cost almost $900. However the check engine... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
It is far too easy to accidentally hit and activate cruise control button on the steering wheel when turning. If your thumb brushes up against the button the car can continue moving when you expect it to be slowing down either coasting or staying at the same speed when using 1-pedal driving. This could easily cause an accident when coming up to a turn and someone is crossing the street or similar ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
While driving my car just started accelerating in traffic and I couldn’t get it to stop even while hitting brakes trying not to hit another vehicle. Fortunately found a way to pull to side of road and throw in park and it was still revving up and didn’t stop til I turned off car completely. So terrifying. Now I’m [XXX] trying figure out how I’m going to get back home in this dangerous vehi... Read more
TOYOTA
AVALON HYBRID
(2021) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 7, 2024
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The engine appears to have a malfunction, particularly related to acceleration and oil consumption. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle experiences sudden jerking during acceleration, which can lead to loss of control and increase the risk of a collision. Additionally, stalling can occur unexpectedly, posing a significant hazard, especially in traffic. Yes, the issue ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Driving with adaptive cruise control engaged in 45mph zone. Without intervention the cruise setting jumped to 90mph. I was able to press the pause bar to cancel it. Next I was able to re engage cruise normally without a repeat issue. There's been no outside inspection, or assessment. So far it's happened only once. The runaway speed was controllable. We're driving with extra care.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2017
When I had to slow down or suddenly stop because there were other cars in front of me, I. stepped on the break, but it did not stop; maybe it slowed down a little, but the acceleration seemed to accelerate faster. I could hear the acceleration sound. I had to push the gear to stop. The car finally stopped. But I almost hit the front car. Similar occurrences happened when I came to a stop signal... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
1. Consumer is a Permanent and Total Disabled Vet (Unemployable) and this vehicle is the only vehicle Consumer has. 2. I have a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk KL (XXX) I have owned since day one with 56k miles. 3. At all times I did not receive any recall notices for correct known safety issues. 5. I have OBD-II tools of vLinker (use everyday for LiveData), BlueDriver and TogDog. 6. For almost as lo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
Air bag error light is on and steering wheel controls/horn are inoperable. Cause is most likely a clock spring failure as has been reported in numerous VW vehicle models including the 2016 VW Passat but the current recall 69L2 doesn’t appear to cover our vehicle. With recall problems on numerous other vehicles, it is hard to believe this isn’t caused by the same issue. Repair cost is estimated... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I turned into my driveway and the Jeep accelerated significantly and the brakes did not work even when I pumped them. The result was that the Jeep crashed into my garage door and house!
Crash
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
During any precipitation, primarily rain, the adaptive cruise control fails to sense vehicles in front of it. This became alarming as the vehicle began to speed up and get alarmingly close to the other vehicle, causing driver to slam brakes. When looking at the cruise control display, the vehicle never showed another vehicle in front of it.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
ABS and TRACTION CONTROL warning lights appear and disappear. Timing of warning lights have no discernable pattern. Vehicle has had no collisions and only 120,000 miles. Vehicle will be going in for inspection at garage.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
My vehicle made 3 ringing sounds and began to decelerate from 67mph to 0 in less than 2 minutes. I had to pull over quickly to avoid getting rear ended. This incident happened twice already. I took it in to the dealer and they were not able to recreate what happened. This occurrence happened 2weeks ago.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
Hello, so far 4 to 5 times my MDX automatically shifted to Neutral gear at traffic signals. THen vehicle stops and not moves, i wouldn't be able to change the gear, the vehicle just seems stuck. COuple of times the cars behind almost crashed with my family in the car. ONly options is to power off the car and restart. I took to the dealer, they ran all the tests and nothing found in the debugging. ... Read more
LAND ROVER
LR4
(2014) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 5, 2024
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
Started car. Would not accelerate past 30-40 miles an hour even when I pressed the Gas Pedal to the floor. I pulled over and turned the car off. On restart it seems to be fine. The Genesis GV 70 forum is replete with owners having the same issue. This is a 2022 with less than 25,000 miles on the Odometer. There are not many of these cars on the road and probably many owners are unaware that this ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
Full Self Driving prominently suggests the user enable “automatic set speed offset”. When enabled it tries to guess the speed it should be going, and goes that speed. On city streets and rural highways the driver is unable to lower the speed with the normal cruise control speed dial. it is disabled. It recognizes when the speed limit lowers on the road, but does not adjust to that new limit.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
I was coming home. As I pulled in my garage, hit the brake to stop and put in park. The vehicle started winding up to a point where my foot on the brake didn't matter. It accelerated forward, going through the wall of my garage, through my backyard, thru a chain guard, and into the corner of the museum wall next door. I was finally able to stop it completely by shutting the vehicle off. Despite th... Read more
Crash
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2020) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 4, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Engine control unit failure
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
All at once I have an ABS , Brake, Traction Control on instrument panel illuminated.Service Trailer Brake diagnostic message. Will not set cruise. 06/03/24. Am not driving for fear of failure and presently cannot afford diagnostic repairs. Just turned 100,000 miles and is not used for daily uses. Cannot believe a failure of this magnitude happened with very low mileage
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
Front Camera Fault causing Adaptive Cruise Control not to work therefore forfeiting any added measure of safety at highway speeds. The issue was investigated and was fixed at the local Ford dealer by installing a new camera, camera control module, and wiring. Warning message came on every time the truck was started and warning light came on saying that adaptive cruise control could. not be eng... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
For the past couple of months, noticing an issue where the main Display in center and also Dashboard above the steering wheel goes pitch black with nothing being displayed while driving. A few times, I was driving on the highway and all screens were black, I could not see what speed I was going at. #2: CarPlay is constantly rebooting every 2 seconds, disconnecting and connecting but e not continuo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The instrument cluster malfunctioned and turned the dashboard off repeatedly in 2023 and now again in 2024. This part controls the cruise control, as well as the electrics on the dashboard. When it malfunctions, it deaccelerates the cruise control and you don't know what speed you are driving. The component was replaced in 2023 and is scheduled to be replaced, again, in two weeks. There is no ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2024
The issue is with the auto-braking or pre collision system. Have had multiple instances where system has engaged at low speed which also engaged the auto engine stop feature when it was not necessary. Have noticed system engages on roads with curves where it thinks the vehicle in the other lane is in front of me when its not. The most unsafe thing that happened was when a vehicle quickly changed l... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
We have had 4 transmissions since we bought the vehicle. It slows down to almost a stop after it hits 30 mph and makes weird noises all throughout the vehicle. The back right tire sticks to the pavement and jerks when i start to drive. The key ignition has been fixed several times and still sometimes won't turn with the key or come out. Yes Warranty told the repaid service company to fix whate... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2022) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Oct 3, 2024
Incident date: Jul 16, 2024
I was traveling on the highway at a speed of 70 mph, when out of nowhere my truck downshifted to first gear; causing me to swerve to the side of the road. I had my vehicle towed to a shop where I was informed it was a module for the transmission and lead case which caused the malfunction. Upon doing the research I learned that it was a recall from the plant which my truck came from. Had repairs do... Read more