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: Apr 17, 2026

I was driving and slowing down for a stop sign and the engine shut off by itself while still moving at appx 10-15mph. The display had several warning lights appear, and the message "Auto Start Stop, Shift to P, Then Restart Engine". I have the Auto Start Stop disabled on my vehicle, so there was no reason for my engine to shut off while decelerating. I searched online for potential causes and d... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

Lifter failure causes cylinder to misfire resulting in loss of power while towing. Defect causes catastrophic failure to the engine.

Incident date: May 15, 2026

On 05/01/26 while driving on New York State Thruway route 90 east, my check engine light came on. Almost simultaneously the vehicle began to lose speed and I could not accelerate. As I pulled over I could hear a loud clunky noise. The vehicle would not start and was dead on the side of the thruway. Eventually the vehicle was towed to the dealership I purchased it from where they told me "there is... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Lincoln MKC 2017 Engine failure due to Coolant leak. Bought new Lincoln MKC 2017. The current mileage is 52, 500. Upon Starting, engine would shake for about 10 seconds. The Engine light would come ON. Engine light would turn OFF and ON for few weeks. The Dealership diagnostic indicated code P0301. I was advised Full Engine replacement. Currently the Engine is not starting at all. I have heard... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The engine started to fail when I'm driving and on the highway it suddenly loses strength, the oil goes down and I don't know where it's going, the engine starts to make noises and burning smell, the ignition light turns on and minutes later goes out, a triangle signal also sometimes appears for 6 seconds and disappears, when this triangle appears the car starts to fail and give strong jolts, this... Read more

Crash

Incident date: May 14, 2026

Chevy Tahoe with 6.2 V-8 engine started making noise. Started rattling. Taken to dealership where I bought it. Oil changed found metal in the oil engine making all sorts of noise. Diagnosed to engine failure. New engine is ordered . It’s been 2 weeks and I am number 5 In order for engine replacement at the dealership

Incident date: Jan 30, 2026

I started up my car on a cold winter morning and I heard a loud popping noise. I backed up my car minutes later and discovered puddles of oil in front of me in my driveway. I asked my husband to come out and look. He got under the car and said my oil blew out of the rear seal. I was unable to drive my car as the seal was blown. After some investigating I discovered it was the PCV valve that froze ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 30, 2026

My GMC sierra AT4 with the 3.0L Duramax Diesel, has 1,500 miles on it, when the engine failed. I was traveling from [XXX] to [XXX] , towing a trailer, when the check engine light came, and the truck entered reduced power mode. It immediately slowed the truck without warning - which made for a very dangerous situation for all of the vehicles behind me and for my vehicle. After getting the vehicle ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

My engine ticks, and during the winter, I noticed white smoke coming from exhaust pipes in cold and warm weather. I believe there may be an issue with my engine. My vehicle is not on the list provided, and I’m concerned that the dealership responsible for my oil change package will not identify the problem, possibly because newly hired mechanics may lack the experience to make an accurate diagno... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 2025

I own a 2019 Ford Expedition with fewer than 100,000 miles equipped with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle began experiencing a loud cold-start rattle, engine timing issues, and check engine light illumination. The vehicle was diagnosed by a Ford dealership with internal VCT/cam phaser mechanical failure affecting engine timing and performance. The dealership diagnostic identified trouble code... Read more

Incident date: Oct 29, 2025

I was driving to work, when I got off the exit I stopped at Sheetz. When I got back in the car my brake pedal was stiff as a rock, and there was oil on the ground. A friend of mine does mechanic work so I called him and he said it sounds like the vacuum pump. I had the car towed to his garage, the tow costed me $400 which was very cheap considering where I was located. When I got it to the garage ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

When driving on the highway, warning lights activated on the dash with the message "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely." Seconds later, the vehicle lost all propulsion power. The hybrid battery indicated it had a half charge and the combustion engine was running. Depressing the accelerator caused the engine to increase RPMs but little to no power was output to the wheels. I turned the car off an... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300. While driving at approximately 15 mph, the contact observed smoke emanating from under the hood. The vehicle was driven to her work location and parked. Upon exiting the vehicle and opening the hood, she observed orange flames coming from the engine compartment. A parking attendant extinguished the fire, and a police and/or fire report was filed. The veh... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

Car is 6 years old less then 100k miles and losing oil and motor problems Went through entire oil change in 1 month Kia unable or willing to assist with any coats I was told by a private garage that the motor in my car should be part of a recall that was already listed for 2021 through 2026 but they’re saying it’s not covered

Incident date: Oct 1, 2021

I am reporting a safety concern with BMW vehicles equipped with the B58 Technical Update (B58TU) engine, primarily in 2019–2021 model years. These vehicles use a variable-displacement oil pump containing an internal thermoplastic adjusting component that regulates oil pressure. This plastic part is prone to fracturing, leading to sudden loss or instability of engine oil pressure. Failures most c... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

bought the car the guy stated was in great shape said it had 98k miles failed to tell me the odometer was not working and false i had the ad he clearly states the milage and nothing about it being broke i had a third party deliver it to me so i didn’t find out til it arrived.

Incident date: May 15, 2026

Open recall called to fix fuel pump assembly due to fuel pump fuse blowing and engine shutting off, which my vehicle did, however I was charged by the dealership to replace fuel pump. Called nissan directly and still didn't get reimbursed 0

Incident date: May 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that an abnormal tapping noise was coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated at the time of the failure. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, who confirmed the tapping noise and referred the contact to an authorized dealer for further inspection. The vehicle was then taken to local deale... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The fuel tank expanded, the car was spitting out gas from where you are supposed to insert gas nozzle. my fuel tank expanded so bad from pressure my vehicle sensors malfunctioned my car did not tell me something was wrong, I heard a pop and my car was telling me I had no gas when I did. the insert area for gas to be pumped was swollen and couldn't shut my gas cap cover. I went to gas station and s... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2022

Ok after done charging my Jaguar I Pace I put my car in reverse it made a clicking noise and then had traction battery warning pop up and high voltage battery warning then battery fault in red the car then just pushed itself forward for no reason and almost ran into the charger so I put it in park it stopped clicking. I honestly thought the car was going to start on fire this was after the softwar... Read more

Incident date: May 11, 2026

I recently purchased my vehicle from Big Star Dealership in Baytown Tx. At a little over 1000 miles i was towing a camper. The vehicle stalled, fuel pouring from engine. It was towed and repaired due to fuel pump failure. At a little over 3000 miles the vehicle would not start. Dealership initially said water contamination then changed it and said gasoline contamination and now they say DEF c... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2026

Last July my car was overheating and breaking down as I was driving on I4 to work one morning which it overheated and broke down which was the precursor the last time My engine blew in December 2024 which the engine was already repaired January 2022 (Dumphy Ford,Pa), December 2022 (Tropical Ford, Fl) then I got notices there is a recall with the oil pump and belt since February 2023 however the ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

While out of Town driving back home Wheel lock up on my 3500hd dually 2023 gmc .. vehicle had shudder effect and from 75 to 25 mph drasticly and engine reduced power light came on and wouldn’t come out of drive and then after stopping vehicle To cement parking safety block the vehicle had multiple codes for valve body and transmission failure relating to the na242454441 issue on previous year mo... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Feb 22, 2024

From my own diagnostics, as a licensed Master Motorcycle Mechanic, in the State of [XXX] , I believe the rear cylinder cam chain guide shroud shoulder bolt backed out of the threading in the engine casing, causing the shroud to fall into the primary gears, which caused a loss of cam chain tension and the engine jumped time. This caused a loss of engine power and the motorcycle engine stalled as... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

I am filing this complaint regarding my 2020 Hyundai Palisade affected by the recall involving the third-row seat airbag not deploying properly and the risk of occupant ejection during a rollover accident. I purchased this vehicle in December 2024 and have experienced a pattern of ongoing mechanical failures, repeated dealership visits, lack of manufacturer support, diminished use of my vehicle, a... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

During a road trip, we came to a stop and upon stepping on gas to proceed on the road and it wouldn't go. The engine revved and "pulled" until we were able to move. We took it to a dealership as well as private mechanic and was told it is an engine problem and running $3k or more to have it fixed. We have small children and consider this a safety hazard. Unfortunately, this is the only vehicle we ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 24, 2025

While attempting to cross 3 lanes of oncoming traffic from a standstill the vehicle lost all power and barely moved 2 feet, irrespective my efforts of stabbing at the throttle, and almost got us killed. Fortunately I slammed on the brakes and barely missed being hit head on. No warning lamps or codes popped up. This is now the 3rd such incident in the 2 months we have owned this vehicle.

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

Travelling on a highway with 70 MPH posted speed limit, the vehicle dashboard signaled the check engine light and a variety of warnings that "power reduction measure" was enabled and to "service brake assist." At the next available exit, I was able to exit from the highway and go to a gas station, where upon pulling next to a pump the brake pedal became extremely hard and nonresponsive, resulting ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 21, 2025

Hi ! I just purchased the 2024 Nissan pathfinder SL on March 13th , 2026 . Three days later I noticed a slight vibration to the car . I was told it was the mount they’d replace both mounts . Get the car from getting the mounts replaced , & when I went to leave with the “ repaired “ the car sounded horrible while in Reverse. It was a loud sound more than just a vibration. I immediately went i... Read more

Incident date: Mar 18, 2026

While returning from a camping trip my engine lost power. luckily I was close to an exit and managed to get it off the expressway and to a parking lot. I was able to leave the camper in the lot and have the truck towed to a dealer 30 miles away. I was informed by the dealer that the engine had sustained major berring failure. I was over 500 miles from home and I had 2 options, wait 2 weeks for a n... Read more

Incident date: Mar 18, 2026

This vehicle burns over 2 quarts of oil between oil changes. Had 3 oil consumption tests. Kia states that this motor is supposed to burn that much oil. My catalytic converter is now going bad due to the amount of burnt oil clogging it. Why have these engines not been recalled?

Incident date: May 1, 2023

My AC compressor and condenser have stopped working without any reason. The air conditioner does not work at all, it does not make the air cold and the heat in [XXX] is lethal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident date: Mar 10, 2025

coolant leaking into engine * sudden engine failure risk * overheating * loss of power * expensive engine replacement from known defect 2014 Ford Fusion EcoBoost is losing coolant internally into the engine. Ford dealership diagnosed coolant intrusion requiring full engine replacement costing approximately $14,000. This appears to be a known defect affecting many Ford EcoBoost vehicles. Vehicle e... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The car has 57,000miles and needed a new transmission. Safety concern of the transmission failing while driving. There was a persistent and worsening rubbing noise once the car ran for 20 minutes or so. 4 visits to the dealer later, they confirmed the issue and Hyundai issued a warranty to replace the transmission with a remanufactured transmission. When I asked the dealer what happened, he said t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2026

Sudden complete engine failures occurred in my Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van during highway operation while transporting freight, creating a serious safety hazard due to immediate and total loss of engine power in active traffic conditions. The first engine failure occurred at approximately 303,000 miles. The second failure occurred at approximately 140,000 miles after engine replacement. In both ca... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2026

On two separate instances in the past month, I have come to a complete stop, and the engine automatically shuts off. Upon restarting it either failed to restart the engine or on this last occurence turned the engine over once, made the car lurch and took a few seconds for the engine to idle, almost as if the engine wasn't fully started and the starting motor kicked off as well as turned over slowl... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

When driving home one night the dash board in the car all of a sudden hade a lot of warning lights come on. I brought it to my mechanic to have a look at it and he suggested to change the spark plugs and the coils which was done and he cleared the codes. About two days later I went to go to work and once again all the warning lights on the the dash board come on and it wouldn't drive over 5 MPH. ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 14, 2026

ubject: URGENT SAFETY INCIDENT REPORT: Engine Seizure at Highway Speeds – Case #xxx To the Toyota Safety & Compliance Department: I am writing to formally report a critical safety incident involving my 2024 Toyota Tundra (VIN: [XXX] ). Incident Description: While traveling at highway speeds, the vehicle’s engine suffered a catastrophic internal seizure and shut down completely without any p... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

My engine has coolant intrusion causing the 3rd cylinder to misfire. Ford will not speak to me on the issue other than to say it is not covered under warranty, even though this is a known and reported issue. I see there was a recall on the 2013-2019 Escape (2.0L Engines) - #26S01

Incident date: May 1, 2026

Iccu failure with Kia ev6. Unreal that this car has not had a recall yet. It is totally unacceptable that this car can at any time fail. Car will not start and shut down while I was driving. Luckily I was beginning to park when it happened

Incident date: May 9, 2026

I own a 2020 Kia Soul that, according to Kia Customer Care, had the SC209 engine recall repair completed in 2021 at approximately 28,000 miles under a previous owner. I have the exact repair date written down and can provide it if needed. On May 12, 2026, while driving, the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off, switching into accessory mode without warning. I was able to restart it afterward. To... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

The oil pump is exhibiting erratic oil pressure behavior, verified by certified BMW technicians. This behavior has been documented by BMW to indicate that the oil pump can fail without warning, leading to an Uncommanded Loss of Propulsion Angle. The sudden and unexpected loss of power-assisted steering and braking, when the engine stalls in active traffic, can lead to death of the occupants or oth... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

2017 KIA SOUL, at approximately 87,000 miles began to show intermittent oil warning lights under regular G-loads pointing to oil starvation issues.Vehicle was taken to KIA Dealer for oil change. Dealer stated that possible oil consumption would trigger a need to return to dealer before the 1000 mile marker for second round of warranty checks per TSB 222 rev 8 Excessive Oil Consumption Nu/GAMMA/the... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

On 5/72026@app 3:14pm after picking up one grandchild, and at a stop light on the way to p/u the other, the Jeep without warning just disengaged when the gas pedal was depressed, but to no avail. While frozen, the dashboard may have displayed something that was not noted in the panic to get the car moving! The internal panel was still illuminated, however the car would not move forwards although s... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine is experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle rapidly burns through engine oil between oil changes without visible external leaks. The condition appears related to the engine lubrication and internal engine components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. ... Read more

Incident date: May 9, 2026

My vehicle engine caught fire after getting gas. It started smoking then went up in flames.

Fire

Incident date: May 12, 2026

I am writing to formally log a critical safety and product reliability complaint regarding my Hyundai Elantra GT. The vehicle has suffered catastrophic engine failure characterized by severe rod knock. This failure occurred without any prior warning from the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic systems, exposing an engineering and sensor flaw that creates an immediate safety hazard.The vehicle was opera... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The valve body on these cars are useless. Driving down a highway and cant shift out of 3rd gear almost had a car re-end me. Today I am driving and the ECU is not responding I see the check engine light on then I'm like not again. This would be the 3rd valve body I replaced. First I replaced the whole transmission thinking that is what I needed and advised that the valve body and the transmission ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

My rear subframe is completely rotted out and the dealership I bought it from but a new inspection sticker sold it to me and told me it was perfect condition

Incident date: Aug 1, 2025

While driving on a high-speed interstate with two children in the vehicle, and without any prior warning signs or issues, the dashboard began displaying sequential warnings from multiple Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors. As the vehicle continued cycling through numerous dashboard warnings, the power steering failed, making the vehicle difficult to control. Additional electronic sy... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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