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 169,480 complaints - component: ENGINE
Incident date: May 6, 2026
Immediately following the implementation of Service Campaign 9C2 and TSB 25-01-087H - ECU Update for THETA II Emissions Logic Improvement, the vehicle exhibits poor drivability (staggering/missing/hesitation) until the engine warms up. This is most noticeable just prior to the shift from first to second gear.
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) - ENGINE
May 6, 2026
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
Experienced catastrophic engine failure with no known cause. The car had been inspected and had an oil change 3,000 miles prior to the incident. Thankfully, I had already exited the thruway and was on a quiet backroad but if this had happened 15 minutes earlier on the thruway this could have been a much different story.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
My 2021 Honda Passport Elite suffered cataphoric engine failure at 90,000 miles. The 6th cylinder bearing was missing when my vehicle was towed into Honda for diagnosis after my engine shut off while I was traveling 55 mph. I had no warnings for this failure including no engine noises and no check engine lights. I had to have a new engine put in my vehicle and Honda refused to cover the cost at ... Read more
KTM
390 ADVENTURE
(2022) - ENGINE
May 6, 2026
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
My check engine light came on and I took it to a repair shop and they said that I had antifreeze in my oil and would need a new engine and that it was a defect in the engine and Ford hasn’t done a recall on it so I would have to pay the $9000 to replace the engine.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
My 2020 Subaru Crosstrek experienced a sudden loss of motive power and stalled due to a blown ignition fuse. Diagnostic code P1604 (Startability Malfunction) was stored. Inspection by Wayne Subaru (Invoice #25340) confirmed the Cylinder 3 ignition coil had shorted and physically melted. This is the exact failure mode described in Subaru Safety Recall WRE-21 (NHTSA Campaign 21V825000), which curren... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2026
Vehicle with 42k miles and regular dealer maintenance suddenly stalled out in traffic, creating dangerous situation for driver and children passengers. Towed to dealership from which it was purchased. Told it was a catastrophic engine failure and had coolant and oil mixed. Dealer unwilling to explore exact cause. Vehicle 11 months past 5 year power train warranty but well under mileage.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
2015 Honda Accord EX-L presenting with constant knocking in the lower back part of the engine. Knocking varies with engine RPMs and is consistent across all drives. Oil has been maintained and at time of checking full, oil presented with copper fragments within the oil meaning a rod bearing has failed. Engine is a, 3.5L 6Cyl GAS J35Y1 Naturally Aspirated, not currently covered by the NHTSA 23V-751... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
This vehicle has ongoing drivability issues that have not been resolved despite multiple repair attempts involving engine-related components and repairs. The issue began in November 2024 while the vehicle was under warranty with coolant and engine warnings. At that time, I reported coolant loss, warning messages, hesitation during acceleration, and abnormal vehicle vibration. I was initially told... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
Check engine light appeared, Car began shaking and struggling to accelerate. Independent mechanic and OReileys test stated cylinder 3 misfirw. Dealership stated GDI fuel injectors were leaking and is a known issue in several 2022 Hyundai Tuscon and needed to be replaced.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
The engine catastrophically failed on an 45 mph road. There was no warning leading up to this incident at any time previously. The engine lost all power and the car shut off on this road. My husband was able to pull it over and tow it into a mechanic. The mechanic said the oil was disappearing somewhere without any residue, and without triggering any warning light of any kind. In essence the oil i... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The vehicle would jerk when changing gears and would have a rattle and vibration when accelerating.
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
On 4/27/26, my family and I were traveling south on Colorado C470 at 8 AM. Our 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 had catastrophic engine failure at highway speed as we were passing an 18 wheeler. The failure caused the vehicle to lose power and engine, and the display said to put the truck in Neutral and restart the engine. After coasting to the shoulder, the engine would not restart. We were stranded on ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
2018 Kia Sorento, under 88,000 miles, with Theta II engine defect. KSDS update installed. Oil consumption issues requiring adding at least one liter of oil every 1,000 miles in between regular oil changes/ maintenance. Oil warning lamp does not illuminate at all or only blinks on for a second then stays off, even when oil is less than 1 liter. Noticed slight jerking/hesitation at acceleration fo... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Vehicle was being driven on the highway when suddenly engine hesitated and started stalling. Speed was reduced from around 65MPH down to the low 40s. Cars were stacking up behind and passing, causing potential hazardous conditions. Vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop and diagnosed with misfiring, after reading OBD II with many alerts coming on. Further diagnostics revealed cylinder head gaske... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: May 2, 2026
I own a 2015 Ford Fusion SE. I bought it used when it only had 47,000 miles on it. Over the course of time since buying it in DEC 2022 until now, it has had low coolant that I have had to address but no visible leaks. Current mileage now is 87,100 and just recently the coolant was low again and the check engine light came on for DTC P0301 -Cylinder 1 misfiring. It has had rough start ups, rough id... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
I have a 2018 Ram 1500 ecodiesel with the 2nd gen 3.0L V6 diesel engine. This engine has a well known defect causing the tone wheel to delaminate and stall the engine. This is what happened to me and the dealership is telling me I need my tone wheel and position sensor replaced. Per what you have put out [XXX] My truck should be covered under the recall 73A as I meet all the requirements. Stel... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
I reported the issue yesterday, but we have additional information. Here is a timeline of the incident as recorded by the doorbell camera: 2026-05-03 085400 Car parked 101423 Car is already trying to start by itself 101713 Car still starting, starter slowing down 101734 Starter sounds overheated 101740 Starter slows to stop ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 4, 2026
On 3/17/26, my husband and I started heading N on RT 83 to a medical appointment in our 2025 Honda CR-V Touring Sport. We were doing between 40 to 50 miles/hr. Twenty minutes later, we smelled faint smoke which was attributed to the trucks driving around us. Upon exit to our next route we immediately came to a red light and stopped and found heavy dark smoke coming from inside the front of our ... Read more
Fire
TOYOTA
RAV4 PRIME
(2021) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
I recently purchased a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and began experiencing serious issues almost immediately after taking possession of the vehicle. The vehicle has stalled unexpectedly while driving on multiple occasions, including during active driving conditions. It also has difficulty starting and has shut off without warning. The vehicle has already undergone multiple repairs within a short peri... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Within 24 hours of buying the vehicle back in February, the truck has not run red Lightning bulbs, electronic throttle control system Lights all started coming on that system was replaced by a certified mechanic. The system then did it again, literally, 1 day later. Now I'm not certain about the new part, which has been discontinued. It's some sort of pigtail off of that. And again the wiring pig... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
Ecm, p0303, yes, not yet, no, cel light before the car was brought to the dealership, 2019 Hyundai Sonata SE, 2.4L Theta II GDI. Perryville Hyundai IL refused applicable TSB in writing 5/4/26 despite active P0303 misfire, fuel-in-oil smell, crankcase pressure. I have Photos prove falsified multi-point inspection: 1.0 inch (.0833') wheel well discrepancy, same mileage in/out. Vehicle has stall ris... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Despite proper maintenance, the vehicle is burning oil at an excessive rate. I have already replaced the oil pan, but the issue persists. I now have to add oil frequently between oil changes. This creates a serious safety concern, as low oil levels can cause engine failure while driving, leading to sudden loss of power or stalling in traffic. This puts me, my passengers, and other drivers at risk.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
Getting P06DA trouble code meaning that there is something wrong with the oil pressure solenoid in the oil sump. this is a known issue where the wiring of the solenoid get frayed. cost of repair for the (cheap part) is $7,500 because of 18 hour labor involved. MB knows this is an issue with the wiring in the solenoid. I'm not sure if there is a fire risk because of the frayed wires.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
Description of Incident: The vehicle is experiencing significant engine oil dilution by gasoline. Upon inspection of the dipstick, the oil level is consistently found to be well above the "Full" mark, and the oil emits a strong, pungent odor of raw fuel. This indicates that unburnt gasoline is bypassing the piston rings and entering the crankcase during normal operation, particularly in colder tem... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2018) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: Apr 25, 2026
Ford has acknowledged the defect (recall 26S28). · my truck experienced the dangerous downshift and wheel lockup. · Ford has no fix available until June 30th, leaving me without a safe vehicle. · Ford is refusing to provide a loaner or rental. The wheel locked on me and causing the vehicle to be uncontrollable, in wet condition. Causes a near fatal accident. I do have a dash Camera recording to... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
The vehicle experienced a total engine failure on 03/16/2026 while traveling in the Houston/Friendswood, TX area going home from our vacation in Galveston, TX. The vehicle remained out of service at Big Star Cadillac in Friendswood until 04/27/2026. This failure is directly related to GM Safety Recall N252494000, involving defective internal engine components. Prior Ownership History (01/22/2024... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
I was driving through pretty heavy rain for about 65 miles. When I got to my destination, I was idling in the car for a few minutes when the car started to shake. I turned the car off. Upon turning it back on the engine would start and the car would shake before getting a message “engine stopped. Power steering low.” After two hours, I was able to turn the car on and move a little bit but the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Ford Motor issued two safety recalls regarding this, but has since closed them without providing a safe resolution for consumers. July 8 2019 Ford issued Ford Safety Recall program 19S22 (following 18S32) for stuck open canister purge valve (CPV). This can result in a failure to bleed the vacuum from the gas tank, and deforms the gas tank upon failure. This has been confirmed, reproduced, and r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2026
Cylinder head is cracked and leaking oil. The Cylinder head has an active warranty extension but Mazda only applies this to coolant leaks and not oil leaks. The root cause is a casting defect along with a exhaust manifold design issue that imparts undue stress onto the cylinder head causing cracks. The limitation of the warranty to the type of fluid that leaks rather than the failure due to des... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2019) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: May 4, 2026
This issue I’ve seen on different forums just happened to me. Lower radiator hose leaking. Car is at 37000 miles and under no circumstance should this be happening to a new vehicle, Mazda has known about the issue apparently in my model year the manufacturing over tighted the clamp causing it to fail prematurely. This can be catastrophic especially since these leaks are just waiting to happen. I... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
A valve spring broke on a drivers side valve.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
My vehicle lost full engine propulsion going 70mph on the highway. We were blocking lanes of traffic and lost speed at a very rapid pace. No engine or warning light came on before the car lost engine and shifted into neutral. We called 911 and the California Highway Patrol had to assist in us not getting hit from behind as our car was disabled and would not restart to move off of lanes of traffic.
Incident date: May 15, 2022
My 2014 Ford F150 truck went into “limp mode” last week. A wrench showed up on my dashboard, my speedometer didn’t function, and it sounded like the transmission was “winding up” if I tried to accelerate. After hitting “ok” to remove the wrench and restarting the truck a couple of times, my check engine light illuminated. I was driving at about 40 MPH when this occurred and it was a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
I have a 2018 Honda Accord 1.5 sport and it had a premature head gasket failure at 78,880 miles. This is a well known issue with this engine. When I took the car in for repairs at Nalley Honda in Jonesboro Georgia the head mechanic at the location said these engines were not built right and he has seen an extreme amount of premature failures on this type of engine. He had been with Honda for 25... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
I bought this car used in 2020 with 76,000 miles on it. Three months into ownership my engine blew this was caused from coolant leaking into the cylinder. I paid $8000 to replace the engine because it was out of factory warranty fast-forward to 2025 and I am replacing the engine again because the engine that was put in it was it used one with the same problems. This is an known issue with this veh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
The engine started making clunking sounds when driving. Brought it in and they said piston 2 has low psi, damage to cylinder, oil in cylinder, and the vehicle has roughly 47,500 miles on it. It has had on time oil changes and maintenance. I am told it needs a new engine.
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG C43
(2023) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: May 5, 2026
oil leak at intake pipe to turbo joint. this is a well known problem with this engine.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
Exhaust leak from broken front exhaust pipe. This has been a known defect in this make/model however the year of my vehicle was not included in the extended repair window and should have been. The exhaust leak was identified by the dealership when the vehicle was taken in for other maintenance. I had to pay for the repair myself and would like to be reimbursed due to this being a manufacturer know... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Driving my 2017Golf the check engine light came on. The light was steady. I called my dealer and got it in for service. They report to me that the Thermostat housing needs to be replaced and oxygen sensors need replacing also. I just had the manifold replaced 6 weeks ago. I found on line that this is a common problem . Why isn’t this a Recall Repair?
Incident date: Apr 24, 2026
Coolant control valve not working correctly exhaust fan on high all the time but is never overheating this has been going on for a week it shows there is a 150000 mile warranty on it but not for mine
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
While driving the car on April 19, 2026, the car started losing engine power, was unable to maintain current speed of roadway, had to drive less than 15 miles an hour to a safe location. Had the car towed to the dealership they said there was a faulty code throwing for cylinder three had the fuel injectors replaced. Pick the car up drove not even 2 miles and car was still having the same issue tur... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
LIFTER FAILURE AT 50,100 MILES- JUST OUT OF POWERTRAIN WARRANT BY 136 DAYS. FAILURE OCCURED ON FREEWAY. AFTER HEARING METALLIC SOUND SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS OCCURED 5/3/26.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2017) - ENGINE
May 5, 2026
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Vehicle Information: Year/Make/Model: 2014 Hyundai Sonata Mileage: less than 120,000 miles Ownership: Second owner Complaint: I am filing a complaint regarding a serious engine failure in my 2014 Hyundai Sonata. My vehicle experienced issues beginning with a faulty knock sensor, which escalated into complete engine failure. This issue appears to be identical to problems that have already been i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
Started car and check engine light was on. Started to drive it and the battery and other lights came on. Engine sounded funny and electric motor was not available. As I was trying I needed to pull off because it was not moving smoothly and was jerky. I pulled over into a parking lot and put in park and the lights indicated it was in charging mode. After repeated attempts to turn the vehicle comple... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
I had to take my 2018 Ford Escape in the be checked out after it started losing coolant. Come to find out there is some type of defect in the eco boost engine that causes Coolant Intrusion. Basically I’ve been told it requires an entire engine swap to fix the issue.
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Steering assist reduced drive with care display, air conditioning turned off, stop and start disabled, temperature monitor at cold, fan blows hard Why my 2020 model was not covered under the special coverage N252508350 NHTSA ID# 11024390
Incident date: May 1, 2026
We brought vehicle in while still in warranty complaining of rough running engine and dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. 2000 miles over warranty the Engine fails with all characteristics of the L87 bearing lifter issue. Now GMC does not want to replace without charging us a ton of money.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2026
GM 6.2L L87 was recalled. I took the truck in at 32,000 miles. GM dealer perfromed a Pico Test, motor failed. Motor replaced with "NEW" crate motor. I was without a truck or loaner for 3 weeks. Dealer called me when new motor was almost complete. First they said it would be a couple more days because they started the "NEW" motor and it had no oil pressure. They contacted GM Tec and they tested it ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Land Rover Discovery. The contact stated that when attempting to back out of a parking space, the shifter was moved to reverse; however, the shifter failed to release from reverse. The vehicle was shut off, then restarted to reset the transmission, and at which time the shifter was able to be moved. The next day, while driving at highway speeds of approximately 55 MPH, ente... Read more