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 5, 2023

I was driving and all of a sudden engine and transmission failed many lights appeared on the dashboard brakes were not braking, the truck started to lose power and making weird noises.

Incident date: Dec 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle was hard to stop, and he lost control but was able to avoid a crash. The maintenance light was illuminated. Upon further research, the contact indicated the failure was related to TSB T-SB-0088-23. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine moun... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with the Theta II engine. While driving on the highway, my vehicle suddenly lost power without warning. The vehicle became unsafe to drive and I had to pull over and have it towed. There was no warning light before the failure. The vehicle has been regularly maintained. Hyundai later stated there was internal engine dama... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2025

This is a well known problem that when water gets into the intercooler, the car goes into limp Mode. This happens to my daughter, while driving 85 miles in the fast lane in the highway. Her check engine light started flashing, she was unable to accelerate, and she was scared! She had to pull over in the left lane, against the median.This is a safety hazard! I am paying over $1000 to have this fi... Read more

Incident date: Mar 28, 2026

While I was driving in the interstate my car when in limp mode while I was trying to pass a semi. I had my children in the car and was stranded on the side of the road. No warning lights ever came on before hand. My mechanic said it was a problem with my engine and it’s common in Kia’s in but doe not include my year. It’s a costly repair for a car that’s not even 5 years old.

Incident date: May 24, 2026

Ford dealership in Ferndale,MI told me I needed a new engine February 2025 which was covered under warranty. they told me they had to replace my engine. I serviced car at same dealership for numerous oils changes engine light was in but they told me that it was codes for something else that they reported on my papers. My Vehicle started running hard in January 2026 asked them about why it was run... Read more

Incident date: Apr 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to O’Reilly’s where it was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle as not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a r... Read more

Incident date: Mar 28, 2026

Faulty fuel injectors are causing consistent engine misfires and occasionally causing the check engine light to illuminate and for the vehicle to reduce power greatly. This poses a great safety risk to both myself and other drivers on the road because in the event of a large misfire, my vehicle suddenly slows and I have to navigate to the shoulder of the road. A Kia dealership has confirmed that t... Read more

Incident date: Nov 12, 2025

Engine failure at 93,000 miles. Timing chain jumped, causing internal engine damage. Dealer (Capitol Kia, San Jose CA) diagnosed engine as failed and quoted $11,843 for short block replacement. Vehicle is a 2021 Kia Sportage 2.4L. This is a known issue with the Theta II 2.4L engine.

Incident date: May 24, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -The engine malfunctioned. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -The engine went out at 77k miles in the middle of driving with no warning. Could have caused a serious accident. We have always done proper oil changes. The rods separated from the p... Read more

Incident date: May 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH the engine seized. All the warning lights illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part being backordered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2026

Low idol sputters then dies down shifts clunks and stays stuck in 3rd gear cruse control fails different modes stop working wrench light on dash truck is lurching on takeoff basically just destroying itself while in operation rendering it undriveable

Incident date: Mar 19, 2021

About every 7-9 days I will get a day or two where the engine shuts off while driving. Most recently it happened on 5/26, once at lunch time, once about 5pm, and again while driving about 8pm. All of these instances where at lower speeds, 2 while braking, another after taking a turn at a lower speed. Each time, the dash lights up, an alert sound plays and it says Engine off, shift into nuetral or ... Read more

Incident date: May 24, 2025

While driving on the highway, the steering became much more stiff, and then I heard metallic clanging sounds for a few seconds. The dashboard said press start to start Vehicle. I pressed start while going 30 miles an hour and all lights and instrument clusters went black. I pulled into the grass median where the truck would not start or shift gears. Truck was towed to a GMC dealership

Incident date: May 26, 2026

While driving the engine stalls. It has jolted back-and-forth at times and had to be taken to a dealer. It’s still stalls when trying to slowly accelerate especially uphills. Low gas mileage barely getting 18 miles per gallon. Warning lights flickering while car stallling. It’s like it’s having a seizure. This has happened a few times.

Incident date: May 20, 2026

I had to take a detour one night coming home, the detour led to a bridge that connects to a highway. Approaching the bridge my car started to jerk and pop up with all of these notification about “blind spot assistance” is down, “car engine failure, please check user manual”, “car malfunction” with a engine battery symbol. All the while the engine light was on. All these warning was pop... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

I was driving on the freeway in my Toyota Tundra when it suddenly shut off completely. It was honestly terrifying because my first thought was getting rear-ended in traffic. After about 15 seconds, the truck randomly turned back on by itself, but the whole situation really shook me up. A vehicle that new shouldn’t be doing something that dangerous.

Incident date: May 23, 2026

My 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD was serviced under warranty on 4/22/2026 for a driveability concern after experiencing a loss of power while driving. The service history shows part HY35326-2M500 was replaced. On or about 5/25/2026, the same issue occurred again while driving at highway speed. The vehicle suddenly lost motive power and dropped from approximately 70 mph to approximately 30 to 40... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

The vehicle exhibited a severe mechanical engine knock, significant magnetic iron debris in the engine oil, and subsequently triggered diagnostic trouble code P1326 (Bearing Wear Limit Exceeded). This indicates imminent connecting rod bearing failure, which is a known defect subject to lifetime warranty extensions and safety recalls under the Hyundai/Kia Engine Litigation. This defect poses a seve... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

Car drives sluggish then takes off rides fine for awhile then problem repeats

Incident date: Jan 10, 2025

Car started to overheat randomly, no signs of issues before, replaced the water pump for the second time in a year (2025 and again 2026). Continued having issues & white smoke puffing, turned out to have an oil leak due to piston rings being melted to the pistons, causing all spark plugs (prior repalced) and engine to be bad. Car is continuing to worse, sputters just sitting after you start it. Sm... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

Cv joint and axle causing car to stall when turunning

Incident date: May 25, 2026

The plastic coolant crossover valve or pipe failed at 66,000 miles and 5 years of usage. This led to the radiator cracking. After researching online, I read about thousands of Tacoma 3rd generation users with the same issue. Also, the same issue was recalled for several other models of Toyotas but not the Tacoma.

Incident date: May 26, 2026

First incident, vehicle completely lost power and turned off while driving down highway, fortunately I was able to coast in to shoulder and request a tow. Second event the vehicle flashed all warning lights while traveling down interstate and had a quick shudder. This was similar to first incident. However, lights eventually cleared themselves and power wasn’t lost. Third incident vehicle warnin... Read more

Incident date: May 19, 2026

Before the accident which my car was totaled, I would take it in with issues. Electrical lights coming on the car would stop .my transmission locking up . I would tell them that there was something wrong with the car . I had videos to show pannel lights coming on at 70 on freeway and car locking up and would just stop . That's what happened to son driving. My car was totaled. Why should I loose a... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: May 26, 2026

I purchased my car in 2020 and have had this issue recently come up. I have coolant that is vanishing from my car but not dripping to the floor. I've learned since then that there was a recall on my car for my water pump which causes this exact issue which has caused a related check engine light to appear. It seems unfair to me that there's a recall on my car that was taken away after one year des... Read more

Incident date: Mar 18, 2020

Multiple times while driving vehicle with shut off and light will flash on dash. Everytime take vehicle to deal to check always told that it can’t be duplicated everything is working. Started happen last summer and happen about 5 times since then. Last time it happen was in march took it to the dealer and they crash the car and still couldn’t figure out what causing it. Car been in the shop fo... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

CAN-BUS PCM system

Incident date: Dec 5, 2025

2 recall notices on my 2023 Toyota Tundra has not been repaired yet. 1. Engine recall has not been remedied. 2. back up camera still not repaired. It's been over 6 month's that my truck has been at the dealer since January 2026 and Toyota still has not made any repairs to the recall. Toyota provides the rent a car, however, I want my truck returned to me. I opened two cases with Toyota for lemon l... Read more

Incident date: Jan 3, 2026

Check engine light sensor came on in mid-May which is the result of a faulty thermostat, also triggering a "Steering Assist is Reduced" message on the dashboard which I consider to be a safety issue. This is a known and common problem for this make, year and model and the cost to fix the problem is very expensive. This issue has been reported by many Cadillac owners on their forum. My mechanic con... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

Component/System Failed: An unidentified component within the engine compartment failed, resulting in a sudden, catastrophic thermal event (engine fire). Odometer Reading: 100,415 miles at the time of the incident. Available for Inspection: No. The vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire and is a total loss. 2. Safety Risk Assessment The vehicle was being driven at highway speeds on a majo... Read more

Fire

Incident date: May 22, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine seized and vehicle was towed to dealership. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Loss of propulstion, described below. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, dealership where originally ... Read more

Incident date: May 17, 2026

1. Component or System Malfunction & Availability Component/System Failed: An unidentified component within the engine compartment failed, resulting in a sudden, catastrophic thermal event (engine fire). Odometer Reading: 100,415 miles at the time of the incident. Available for Inspection: No. The vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire and is a total loss. 2. Safety Risk Assessment The ve... Read more

Fire

Incident date: May 14, 2025

My vehicle has the V6 twin turbo engine that’s been recalled on other years and models and was diagnosed with an internal engine failure. The mechanic at the dealership couldn’t figure out the problem so an expert TAS Lexus specialist was called in and couldn’t figure out the problem either. They’ve had the car for 3 months and since they don’t know how to fix it they are telling me to ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2025

Failed System: Fuel Injector Failure (?) at high speeds, under load (uphill), causing an immediate and life threatening loss of power. While traveling on the highway, going up mountainous areas, the vehicle loses power and shakes violently. During multiple repairs/visits, the dealerships state that it is the failure of fuel injectors. They are replaced, and it happens again with the same expla... Read more

Incident date: May 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that the vehicle, began to make a loud noise, and misfired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with repaired; however the issue persisted. The vehicle was not taken for repairs again. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate mileage 120,000.

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

My wife and I had decided to empty our storage unit, so on Memorial Day we began moving everything into the garage. After five or six trips Honda, I pulled the car up beside the RV and close to the house for what turned out to be the last load. I unloaded my bicycle and nearly everything else, leaving only a few small items, and then removed the massage table from the back seat. The engine was off... Read more

Fire 1 injured

Incident date: May 1, 2026

I have a 2024 Hybrid Toyota Tundra which shares the same engine that has undergone a NHTSA recall. I do not believe that the defect has been satisfactorily addressed to mitigate the risk of catastrophic engine failure in the V6 engine. I would like the recall to include the hybrid models as well for this well known and documented engine failure risk. I have not yet had any problems with the engi... Read more

Incident date: Jun 8, 2025

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious and dangerous brake failure involving my 2020 GMC Terrain SLT with approximately 150,000 miles. While driving, the vehicle suddenly experienced a vacuum pump failure that caused a severe loss of braking ability with no warning beforehand. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and the vehicle would barely stop. This created a very dangerous situa... Read more

Incident date: Apr 26, 2026

NHTSA Complaint Description What Happened & Safety Risk: While driving a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe at highway speeds on Interstate 84, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic, unrecoverable loss of motive power. Without any warning, the vehicle completely seized up, shut down, and turned off entirely while moving in active traffic. This exact life-threatening failure has now occurred twice. Operating a v... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

"Engine temperature too high. Park vehicle and allow engine to cool". warning at 50,000 miles which the mechanic says this is a huge problem with all Porsche, Audi and VW due to water coolant changeover valve which fails and also stated that Porsche is aware and should have a "bulletin" open on this issue?

Incident date: May 21, 2026

This Forte was not neglected and it was not abused. Nearly 90% of its miles came from highway commuting and interstate travel. It was completely stock, never modified, never driven hard. More importantly, it received fully synthetic oil changes every 3k-4k miles since new, well ahead of what Kia or the oil manufacturer even recommends, because I intended to keep this car long term. All of that is ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

On May 16, 2026, my 2023 Ford Expedition with 6,197 miles caught fire while I was driving home from work. I smelled smoke inside the cabin, and within moments smoke began coming through the air vents. I pulled over and exited the vehicle. When I got out, I saw the engine compartment was on fire and heavy smoke was coming from under the hood. As I moved away from the vehicle, there were multiple l... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

On May 25, 2026, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Central Time, after the vehicle had been operated under normal conditions and subsequently parked, a fire originated within the vehicle’s engine compartment and/or under-hood area. Personnel from the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. An official fire investigation report is pending and is expected to be availa... Read more

Fire

Incident date: May 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic Camshaft sensor failure. The camshaft sensors were replaced; however, the issue persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with ... Read more

Incident date: May 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly entered limp mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle wa... Read more

Incident date: May 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Land Rover Discovery. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and an odd noise was heard. Although the vehicle was able to restart, it knocked and shook very hard, rendering it no longer drivable. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V040000 (ENGINE) however, the VIN was not included in the... Read more

Incident date: Nov 7, 2025

Was driving the vehicle up Berthoud Pass on [XXX] . Was a few miles past Berthoud Falls and realized that the vehicle power diminished, noticed smoke coming from the engine. Pulled over and noticed leaking underneath the engine. It appears that a bolt came loose and punctured the engine block. After further research, it appears that this engine recall should have applied to my vehicle, but did no... Read more

Incident date: May 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while The while driving approximately 75 MPH the check engine light had illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The message "stop vehicle and shift to park and restart" had displayed. After restarting the vehicle the contact drove to the local dealer The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notif... Read more

Incident date: May 25, 2026

Had the Ford dealership look at the reason for shuddering on car. Dealership determined the Torque Converter causing shuddering around 60,000 miles or before. No check engine light came on.

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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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