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 169,480 complaints - component: ENGINE

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

I own a 2021 GMC Yukon XL Denali equipped with the 6.2L L87 V8 engine. On September 10, 2026, we checked the engine oil and discovered that it was approximately two-thirds low. Mechanical inspection confirmed that the engine is consuming and burning oil internally rather than losing it through an external leak. The vehicle’s last oil change was performed in May 2026, and it is still more than 1... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

While driving my 2026 Honda Odyssey, I stopped at a red light and the engine shut off through the Auto Idle Stop system. I pressed the Auto Idle Stop OFF button because I wanted the engine running again before proceeding. Instead of restarting the engine, the vehicle completely shut down and became inoperable in traffic. I repeatedly attempted to restart the vehicle, but it remained unresponsiv... Read more

Incident date: Jun 30, 2026

After previously reporting that a connecting rod bearing noise developed after the timing belt maintenance package was performed near 100,000 miles, the connecting rod bearings failed around 3,000 miles later while going down the interstate with children in the car. Thankfully the Pilot, which was shaking and making noise, was able to be pulled over to side of the interstate and later towed to th... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I recently purchased this vehicle for 2400.00 from a private seller. Within 3 weeks of very minor driving the car got 1 block from home and showed very hot and dumped all the coolant. And that was the 1st time it had been driven that day and it was 69 degrees outside. We let it sit for about a week and refilled the coolant. It drove great for about 2 weeks and then out of the blue it stalls while ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

First my wind shield wipers were coming on by themselves and not cutting off when I flicked the switch. Now my car is jerking when I press the gas to drive and sometimes moving in reverse after I press the gas to drive. Jerking and barely accelerating, then it decides to driver in between gaps. My safety is put at risk because sometimes it slows down or barely accelerates in oncoming traffic and m... Read more

Incident date: Apr 26, 2024

VTC actuator malfunction causing timing chain failure leading to engine failure dangerous if driving causing engine to fail on highway leading to dangerous situation paid to fix 10,000 miles later same issue with updated part installed. Problem confirmed by Honda

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

My bronco caught on fire while I was driving it down the road. It only had 40k miles on it.

Fire

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

Experienced car can be rough on start. Check engine light came on in the process. I fear the reported possible premature head gasket failure perhaps cracks between the cylinders. Coolant might be migrating into the combustion chambers, leading to misfiring, corrosion, and total engine failure.

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

I am writing to formally follow up regarding complaint/case number 97989810 through Dodge and to request that this matter be elevated for a complete technical review concerning my 2021 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins, VIN [XXX]. Time - Line PRIOR FACTORY-WARRANTY REPAIR The XXX factory-warranty repair is an important part of this vehicle's mechanical history. That repair involved the timing-cover/timing-g... Read more

Incident date: Sep 7, 2026

My INTEGRATED THERMAL MANAGEMENT (ITM) module went bad in my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. I notified Hyundai about it and found out there are several service bulletins related to this part. My truck was outside the bumper-to-bumper warranty, so I had to pay over $1000.00 to get it replaced. I think it's shitty that Hyundai knows there is an issue with part on 2022-2023 Santa Cruz's and aren't willing ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

Statement for NHTSA Subject: Safety Complaint – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado Unexpected Jerking/Harsh Transmission Engagement I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2.7L Turbo with approximately 128,000 miles. My vehicle has developed a recurring problem involving harsh/jerking transmission engagement, hesitation, shuddering and abnormal shifting. The truck can ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 25, 2025

My 2022 Genesis G70 has experienced repeated turbocharger and exhaust-system problems. In August and September 2025, the vehicle was serviced for exhaust/turbo-related gaskets and clamps and a misfire condition. It later developed knocking, sluggish acceleration, and additional turbo problems. The dealer replaced the turbo wastegate in February 2026, and additional turbocharger repairs were subseq... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 HONDA Passport. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that the vehicle had reduced power and could not accelerate very well, accompanied by an odd noise coming from the engine bay. The contact stated that he had an independent mechanic confirm that the noise was a possible engine issue leading to the destruction of the camshaft and... Read more

Incident date: Aug 29, 2026

VIN):[XXX]/Make/Model: 2021 Ford Expedition XLTCurrent Mileage: Approx. 150,000 milesLocation: [XXX] of the Safety Defect:El vehículo presenta un defecto de seguridad crítico y extremo en el tren motriz que pone en riesgo inminente la vida de los ocupantes y de terceros en la vía pública. En dos ocasiones distintas durante los últimos 15 días, el vehículo ha sufrido una pérdida total de co... Read more

Incident date: Mar 22, 2026

While driving on the highway, i went to pass someone and there was a big shutter in the engine and then a load ticking noise from the engine after. All of the lights came on and the vehicle was running rough

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

Component/System Defect: Failed Thermo Control Valve (TCV) leading to sudden vehicle power loss / limp mode. Description of Safety Incident: While operating my vehicle at highway speeds late at night, the Thermo Control Valve (TCV) failed catastrophically without warning. The vehicle instantly experienced a massive loss of engine power and entered an aggressive "limp mode," causing a drastic, unc... Read more

Incident date: Jan 25, 2026

COMPONENT: Shift-by-wire transmission selector / hybrid control system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. WHAT HAPPENED: Intermittently, after starting the vehicle, it will not engage Drive or Reverse. The selector input is accepted but the vehicle remains in Park/Neutral and does not move. The only way to clear it is to shut the vehicle off and restart it, sometimes up to 10 ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

The first incident was one week after purchasing the vehicle. All of my maintenance lights flashed on after driving my vehicle for several miles. I pulled over and immediately turned my car off and called my mechanic. He immediately came over and my lights flashed on again. He said for me to take it to the dealership. I did and when I turned off my car to go into the dealership and returned, the l... Read more

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

I read on my news feed today about issues with a 2017 Ford Edge that there are problems with coolant leaking into the combustion chamber and that we should report this to the NHTSA. We just traded in our 2017 edge that had this problem. In August of 26 I had a check engine light come on and the engine started running very rough, I had O'Reilly's hook up the diagnostic tool and it showed it needed ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I do not understand how Hyundai can approve its required testing process, have the vehicle fail that test, and then deny the engine replacement resulting from those findings. This is unfair and raises serious concerns about how Hyundai is applying its warranty procedures.Hyundai’s published oil-consumption procedures establish a process for diagnosing excessive oil consumption and determining wh... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

The Specific Defect: My vehicle has two active federal safety recalls: NHTSA Campaign 26V080 (internal engine bearing failure causing a severe knock) and NHTSA Campaign 26V081 (electronic throttle body malfunction). The Dealer Violations: Nissan McDonough officially diagnosed the engine as faulty but refused to execute the free engine replacement under the campaign. Nissan South Morrow attempted... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

I am reporting a suspected high-pressure fuel pump safety defect involving my 2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d, VIN [XXX], with approximately 103,186 miles. The check engine light illuminated and BMW Fort Walton diagnosed failed fuel injectors and recommended injector replacement. I subsequently had the vehicle inspected by Techmaster in Fort Walton, Florida, where metallic shavings and debris were discover... Read more

Incident date: Jan 3, 2023

I had an issue with the coolant intrusion and engine coolant over temperature warning. Has my car towed to my local Ford dealer and had to have a new engine out in. Ford customer service wrote down what I owed except for approximately $2761. The case with Ford is: CAS 40786472-F5V9C8. I think the whole thing should have been covered. If there is a recall I would like to be reimbursed. I have ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, approximately 34,316 miles. While driving on I-26 in South Carolina, the EPC warning and amber warning triangle illuminated. I pulled over and stopped. After approximately 10 minutes, I restarted because I was in an unsafe location. No warnings were displayed after restarting, but approximately five miles later they returned, and I exited the highway. After stopping, exten... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

Vehicle has 396 miles on the odometer. While preparing to back up, with the engine idling , the engine shut off without warning and I had no control of the steering and would not restart when I attempted to do so. This could have put anyone behind me at sever risk or maybe caused an accident should I have been on the highway. The car was towed to my Ford Dealer (Varsity Ford, Ann Arbor, MI) and af... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

Recurring, intermittent fuel smell inside the vehicle, even with the air on recirculate. Seems to occur when on very hot days when the vehicle has been running a lot. The dealership found a soaked evap canister, replaced the fuel tank and evap canister, and the symptoms returned after about one week with a fuel smell entering the cabin. The fumes cause migraines and are unacceptable for a new ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

While operating my vehicle, I experienced a sudden, catastrophic failure of the power-assisted braking system. The brake pedal completely lost hydraulic pressure, plunging effortlessly all the way to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to respond to normal foot-pedal application. Emergency stopping power was only achieved by pushing the pedal into the absolute floorboard, which engaged an emergency... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

The car stalled in an intersection. The auto idle function had engaged when the car came to a full stop, but when i took my foot off the break it did not restart. It took a couple of tries to get it to restart, leaving my car in the intersection. This problem has been happening on and off since I bought it used in 2022. In May 2025, a Honda dealership near me made a valve adjustment and replaced t... Read more

Incident date: Sep 2, 2026

I took my truck in to have a bad fuel pump module looked at. During the inspection they found some metal in the oil and it was confirmed by more being in the oil filter. This truck had previoulsy been cleared on the NHTSA Campaign 25V-274, but now it appears that it is a part of that recall. The dealer has initiated the work with the chevy corporate offices and I am working to secure a rental... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

I purchased said vehicle with a little over 76,000 miles on XXX from NW Chevrolet, [XXX]. Dealership service the engine on XXX and remained on their lot until it was sold. While driving home, I smelled gas fumes coming into the cabin and the engine was misfiring causing slight hesitation in motor acceleration while adjusting to speed limits and climbing hills. I told management at the dealership a... Read more

Incident date: Sep 10, 2026

As I’m getting on XXX south my dashboard starts to blackout on and off and the next thing, my vehicle shutdown. Luckily I was in traffic at a slow speed. It was very scary, I turned the engine back on and continued home to [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

The vehicle has experienced two separate episodes of severe engine/propulsion malfunction approximately two months apart. During the first incident, the vehicle began shaking and idling roughly and had very little acceleration. Pressing the accelerator caused the engine to rev, but the vehicle would barely move. A diagnostic scan performed afterward showed DTC P0171 (System Too Lean), but the code... Read more

Incident date: Sep 7, 2026

Incident Summary VW ID.4 Loss of Power/Stall Date: Monday, September 7, 2026 Location: Highway (3-lane), traveling ~45 mph Vehicle: Volkswagen ID.4 Sequence of events: While driving at approximately 45 mph, multiple warning messages appeared in rapid succession: ESC Error "Electrical system not working correctly" "Front Assist is not available" Error Rear Traffic Alert Error "12V power supply.... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

Head Gasket failure, coolant was found while inspecting a spark plug at my local Honda dealership. Noticed spark plug in cylinder 2 was damaged. Stuck a camera down to find coolant mixed with oil.

Incident date: Jul 3, 2024

The engine continues to overheat and shut down while driving. The engine often goes into "limp" mode while driving. The entire set of gauges and lights on the dashboard light up like a Christmas tree, alerting me that all systems in the car are malfunctioning. I fear that I may have a malfunctioning head gasket. I've replace injectors, radar sensors, new turbo, gas pedal, etc and I have spent near... Read more

Incident date: Jun 14, 2026

Engine stop working, lots of black smokes through the exhausts and vibrating weird. Lifters failed amoung other parts and they deemed the engine bad so they replaced it with a new one. The new engine started to make the same weird noises.

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

The vehicle entered limp mode. The Hyundai dealer diagnosed a camshaft problem, said the repair would be covered, ordered the part, and began the work. After the engine was opened, the dealer noted sludge/varnish and denied coverage, claiming lack of maintenance. This VIN is included in safety recall 21V301 for improperly heat-treated piston oil rings on the 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Hyundai told NHTSA ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2026

While sitting in idle the engine will just start to idle rough for no reason this happens all the time and clear out when accelerated. While driving the radio and Infotainment screen will go blank then come back on. I was driving on the freeway going straight and all of a sudden the power steering went out and I got this warning light on for the power steering being disabled along with this vehicl... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

Update to original claim filed 11760897. Dealership inspected on 9/9/2026 and found engine damage severe enough to warrant a complete replacement. Catastrophic damage. Unspecified what caused the damage, but service advisor made me aware of a deep gash along the cylinder wall after removing the cylinder heads, unspecified cylinder. Likely from cylinder 3 where the code was being displayed- P0303... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

At approximately 122,000 miles, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe experienced a serious engine malfunction while I was driving on the highway. The check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle began thrusting/jerking forward unexpectedly. We immediately took action to exit the highway and were able to get off the highway, but the engine died before we could fully stop the vehicle. This created a ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

Won't start sometimes. This is because the BRAND NEW battery is slowly draining. Yet nothing has been left on, no lights, doors all securely shut. Nothing is left on that's visible anyway. Left me stranded and had to get towed or jumped. The battery is brand new as I mentioned. Afraid it's going to stall out on me and even not start up when I turn it off to run into the store! Even though I have b... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

There was coolant leaking into the cylinders creating a white smoke from the tail pipe exhaust. our safety was put at risk as the car was stalling out and would shake when started. We took it to a ford dealership and had it check out with them performing a scope test on the cylinders and they said we needed a long block replacement.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2026

The idle restart function causes the van to shut off completely when at stop lights in heavy traffic. It does not immediately restart and we have to sit in traffic while folk are honking at us to go. It doesn’t do this every time, but has happened 3 times in the last 3 months.

Incident date: Jun 13, 2026

On most modern BMW models (with Hot V V8 engines like the N/S 63) the coolant tank that is supposed to last at least the lifetime of the vehicle, only lasts about 40,000 Miles before cracking. The main issue is that the tank sits over the engine, which when coolant leaks, it will leak into the injectors causing engine misfires. There is no warning to the issue until you have a low coolant, but at ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2026

I had bought my car in May of 2025 and within 12 hours of owning it. The check engine light came on. They replaced the sensor well. A couple days later, the check engine light came on again, and they had to rebuild my whole engine had the car for a month at this time. When they rebuilt the engine, they had the car for over a month. And ever since I got it back, it's always something the same thing... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

3rd failure of EGR valve (GM part 12691147, superseded by 19436521) on this vehicle. 10/10/2019 at 11,336 mi: Check Engine Light and Driver Information Center displayed "Loss of Propulsion" message; EGR valve diagnosed as cause and replaced by dealer under warranty at no cost. 11/2023 at approx. 30,000 mi: EGR valve failed again; dealer stated OEM part was no longer available from manufacturer due... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

While driving my 2015 Kia Forte5 at approximately 80 mph on GA-400, I was traveling in the far-left lane when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly lost acceleration and engine power. Pressing the accelerator produced little to no response. There was no gradual reduction in speed or sufficient warning that the vehicle was about to lose propulsion. Because I was in the far-left lane, I had to mane... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 2026

The car lost all engine power on the interstate of I10. Leaving me without power, barely able to get to the side of the road. Warning only when lost engine power on the highway. Cannot be driven.

Incident date: Sep 3, 2026

I am reporting a safety concern involving BMW vehicles equipped with the B58 Technical Update (B58TU) engine, commonly found in model years 2019–2021. These vehicles utilize a variable-displacement engine oil pump containing an internal thermoplastic adjusting component responsible for regulating engine oil pressure. Failures have been reported in which this internal plastic component fractures... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

In March 2026 Hyundai did an emissions update Campaign 9C2. Since that update my 2015 Hyundai Sonata SE has run rough and shifted hard. Hyundai stopped doing the update in May 2026. Hyundai has not provided any update to fix the problem they created. I am worried the update is damaging the motor and transmission of a car that was running just fine prior to the update.

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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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