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: May 21, 2025

Consuming fuel to the amount of roughly 1/2 quart per 150 miles. Vehicle has been inspected by mechanic and the oil pan, oil filter, and PCV valve has been replaced and engine oil UV dye added and cycled with no leaks found. The risk is that if not rigorously checked often, the engine will malfunction because the car runs out of oil. I have had my mechanic checking this car since I purchased i... Read more

Incident date: Mar 29, 2026

I purchased a used 2021 Cadillac Escalade in May 2025 with approximately 48,000 miles. While driving on Highway 14 near Acton CA at speeds exceeding 60 mph, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure (March 28th - 2026). The engine suddenly lost all power and shut off completely while in motion. Only electrical systems remained operational. At the time of the incident, I had my three ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 31, 2026

Bought my 2021 kia telluride sx with a cpo warranty with a little over 69,000 miles. at about 73,000 my car began to smoke and the dealership that I bought the vehicle from kept it for the day and sent me on my way with no diagnosis just simply stating they couldnt duplicate the issue and confirming they did NO testing on the vehicle. They stated that they topped the coolant and checked the oil in... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

I was traveling at highway speeds when the engine suffered a sudden and catastrophic mechanical failure without any prior warning lights or symptoms. The engine began knocking violently, locked up and put the truck into a brief skid before freeing up, followed by an immediate loss of oil pressure and a total loss of motive power.This sudden shutdown caused a brief loss of vehicle control as the po... Read more

Incident date: Mar 3, 2026

I was driving and car suddenly reduced speed,engine light came on and message came across dash “engine power reduced” and a text was sent to tell me I have a transmission issue. Now car won’t drive past 25-30mph dealership indicated this is a faulty gas pedal which cost over $600 to repair. Did my research and this is apparently a “known” problem common in 2016-2022. Vehicles but is no... Read more

Incident date: Mar 17, 2026

After the 68c recall the power of the electric drive is limited. Frequent power loss occurs on highway driving during acceleration (merging onto highway or passing other cars). Despite the battery being charged up to 50% there is only 25% power available. The car is a plug in hybrid vehicle. The internal combustion engine states in these cases with several seconds delay. During that time the car ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 7, 2026

The coolant control valve failed and the repair resulted in an engine oil leak which persisted for 8 weeks and still has not been repaired. The service manager at the dealership and General Motors Company are trying to figure out how to fix it but are not able to yet. They may have to replace the engine is one thing the service manager said to us this week.

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

2 fuel injectors have gone bad and 2 more are on their way out with 52,000 on the car. Just outside of the 6 year warranty.

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Engine failure TSB 19-2346, A known/common issue with this engine. The car only has 73,790 miles on it. The car started shaking when started, engine light on, empty coolant reservoir and off then parking brake came on randomly several times , and the brakes locked up twice, which resulted in going over a curb. Discontinued driving the vehicle after that incident obviously due to safety. Fo... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

I just submitted a complaint but wanted to add that after my car lost all power on a 45mph road and went into limp mode it then was towed to the closest shop. I do have a warranty but when I called Honda they said it wasn't covered The shop I took it to charged me 4100 dollars for a blown head gasket which from researching it looks like this is happening to all 2018 Honda accords This is low m... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that on several occasions, while driving or while idling, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. On one occasion, while making a left turn, the sound from the engine compartment became louder, and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that the speedometer failed to operate as intended and remained at... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Known coolant intrusion, blowing white smoke, blown head gasket

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Pulling out in front of High Speed Traffic, Engine went into Safe Mode with Check Engine Light. Fortunately a car at high speed avoided rear ending my car. Upon evaluation, DTC Code P0303 (Cylinder 3 - Misfire) was present. Coils and Spark Plugs were changed but car was still misfiring. Honda has a Warranty for 150k/ 10 year on Fuel Injectors but this VIN was not on list based on Honda Service De... Read more

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

While driving my 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 on Route 114 in Massachusetts at approximately 8:30–9:00 PM in dark and rainy conditions, the vehicle suddenly and completely shut off while in motion. The vehicle lost all power: • Engine shut off • No gears functioned • Vehicle would not restart • Lights and hazard lights were not... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

*Engine failure-needs a new engine *The car turned off while I was driving it on the freeway, I managed to steer the car to the shoulder, almost caused an extremely dangerous accident due to traffic and speed limit. *Took it to a Hyundai dealership in Irving, TX 3x about 3 years about excessive oil consumption, they ignored the requests for a solution. I stopped going to the dealership due to ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2026

I was driving down a 45mph street when my car shut down, complete power failure. Dashboard lit up with all kinds of warnings. It had to be towed to the nearest shop.

Incident date: Apr 11, 2026

Same defect on NHTSA (Investigation PE23-019) my vehicle is 1 month outside of the manufacturing date listed, having the same issues, but they will not cover it-even though the same engine is in it. KIA bulletin WTY039 Vehicle is overheating, coolant is bubbling

Incident date: Apr 15, 2026

On or about March 14, 2026 vehicle in question stopped working, losing all power and gave a message that the vehicle was over heating and to turn off immediately. A large amount of steam emitted through the coolant reservoir that was a mixture of oil and coolant. Vehicle was towed to a manufacturer service location. The oil/coolant system ruptured damaging the radiator, thermostat, hoses and rela... Read more

Incident date: Apr 15, 2026

Hi my vehicle was stolen and the police found the vehicle. The car was damaged part of the damages was a broken ignition. I am unable to fix the damages until I get paid from the kia classaction lawsuit. The car still starts and stays running. I have the key for the car but I have been starting the car was butter knife bc it's easier then the key. I made an appointment to have the oil piston ring ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 9, 2026

I am filing a complaint regarding a safety recall (NHTSA Recall 25V099) on my 2021 Kia Soul that was marked as completed, but the defect was not properly repaired. On 3/17/26, I took my vehicle to a Kia dealership to have the recall addressed. The dealership performed only a software update and diagnostic testing and marked the recall as complete. No engine repair or replacement was performed. Wit... Read more

Incident date: Oct 29, 2025

Car stalls out when driving. Car also stalls when I dont press the automatic start button.

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Dec 2022 I purchased a 2017 Ford Fusion. In June 2023 the engine needed replaced which was covered under warranty. In March 2026, the flex plate breaks and now needs to be replaced. This is the original part for this car as I confirmed with the dealer that this part isn't required to be replaced when the engine is replaced. So it's not covered under vehicle warranty or the motor repair warranty... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

Oil leak from defective head that occurred behind exhaust manifold leaking hot oil onto the hot exhaust causing the potential for fire. Leak started at 44,000 miles. This manufacture defect is not being covered by Mazda or a recall even though the high potential of fire and serious injury.

Incident date: Nov 6, 2025

2/25/2026 vehicle was put in service for a safety warranty recall. 2/26/2026 Hyundai approved the replacement of the engine, but there were costs involved that I was responsible for (approx. $800). 3/9/2026 I was informed by Hyundai the vehicle was complete, and would now last "for another 200,000 miles". I picked up the vehicle and only drove 5+ miles from the dealership when the vehicle’s moto... Read more

Incident date: Jan 28, 2026

There was a consumer satisfaction program # 21N03 listed for 2018 f150 2018 3.5L EcoBoost engines and for some reason my VIN wasnt included. I am currently having this issue. My truck has 40k miles on it. Please make them issue a new consumer satisfaction program to include all 2018 F-150 models.

Incident date: May 15, 2025

My car was fine one day the next day without warnings was driving on highway and it starting riding sluggish making a rough noise I had pull over to the side of highway turn car off started back up drove home and that was the day my nightmare started. I took my car to the dealership and had a diagnosis performed and they said i need a new engine 8000.00. on 07/25/2024my car was having similar pro... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2026

My vehicle is experiencing manufacturers defect identical to Ford program 21B35, yet Ford tells me my VIN is not covered under this program. Manufacturer defect includes car converter welds breaking, causing exhaust fumes to enter the cabin. This is a serious safety concern.

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

In December of 2025 at approximately 95,000 my 2021 Kia Telluride (VIN [XXX] ) showed the oil level was about two quarts low. My car has had regular maintenance including oil changes at Santa Fe Kia. At the next oil change appointment in March, I pointed out the oil consumption concern. At that point Kia recommended an oil consumption test be performed. The car had 96,700 miles at that point. A... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

The vehicle was subjected to the “ecoboom” due to Ford’s lack of care when designing the engine. The car blew the head gasket and now requires an engine rebuild.

Incident date: Nov 23, 2024

While driving at highway speed with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion. The engine began jerking and the vehicle rapidly decelerated from highway speed (50 mph) to 10–15 mph. The transmission appeared to disengage or shift to neutral around 10 mph, and the vehicle was unable to maintain speed, creating a hazardous situation in traffic. The vehicle then s... Read more

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

I am reporting a serious safety concern with my 2016 Infiniti QX60 involving a defective cooling fan system. The vehicle currently experiences a ticking/tapping noise from the cooling fan, and the fan does not operate properly, which has caused the engine to overheat. This condition creates a significant safety hazard, as engine overheating can lead to sudden engine failure while driving, increasi... Read more

Incident date: Apr 11, 2026

2024 6.2L Silverado Trail Boss, engine failure at 22k miles on 4/13/26. Dealer confirmed the failure (not sure which bearings seized since engine has not been torn down yet, was either crank or rod bearings) and ordered a new engine 4/14/26. I was driving on the interstate and the engine started lightly shuddering during acceleration, showing some loss in power and shifting oddly but no check engi... Read more

Incident date: Mar 30, 2026

We’re driving home when the vehicle suddenly had a significant reduction in power and the car would not accelerate beyond 5 mph. Honda calls it “limp mode”. I was approximately 2 to 3 miles from home. Approximately 20 vehicles swerved passed us at normal road speeds of approximately 50 mph. The only warning light that came on was a flashing “check engine” light. The vehicle towed to Elk... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

I am reporting a serious safety concern with my 2017 Ford Explorer. The vehicle currently has approximately 93,752 miles and has become increasingly unreliable and unsafe to operate. On April 9, 2026, while my wife was driving home from work, the vehicle overheated, creating a dangerous situation and risk of sudden breakdown. This is especially concerning as the vehicle is used to transport childr... Read more

Incident date: Feb 20, 2026

The dashboard on the vehicle lights up with multiple error notifications. This puts the vehicle in limp mode. Indicates emissions errors, check engine, lane mitigation, brakes, control system. Per different customers this fault is being caused by either faulty fuel injector, miss fire, bad ignition coils, damage head gaskets, or turbo mechanism faulty. My vehicle has 70,000 miles and others in th... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

This vehicle has experienced repeated mechanical and electronic failures since delivery, including hybrid drivetrain faults, heating system malfunctions, and multiple diagnostic repair attempts. The vehicle is also subject to active Safety Recall 78C, which identifies a manufacturing defect that may cause catastrophic engine failure and vehicle fire risk. The manufacturer has acknowledged that a ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

I'm reporting a safety issue with BMW vehicles equipped with the B58TU engine, primarily 2019-2021 models. These vehicles have an oil pump with an internal plastic component that regulates oil pressure, and this part is fracturing in the field, causing sudden loss of oil pressure. The failure typically occurs during cold starts in low temperatures. When it fails, oil pressure becomes erratic or is... Read more

Incident date: Oct 25, 2024

Engine blew at less than 80,000 miles

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while approaching a freeway and attempting to merge, the vehicle suddenly stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no as... Read more

Incident date: Apr 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The contact continued driving until being able to safely stop. Once the vehicle was stopped, it was turned off and restarted after a while. The failure occurred while the contact was attempting to accelerate and had become more persistent. The... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

I am a former Transmission Calibration Engineer at Stellantis, so I know what I'm talking about. I experienced an engine stall event while coasting down in speed. I was in town, driving about 30 mph, and coasting (0% pedal). I lightly applied the brakes and while the vehicle was still in motion (coasting) the engine stalled. The information cluster displayed a message that said "put the vehicl... Read more

Incident date: Aug 3, 2025

The lights and warnings below popped up on my dash after the engine light had come on and then off again for about a week. See below, -Emission system problem Avoid heavy acceleration and high speed. See dealer -tpms light -brake system problem -brake hold system problem -electric power steering system problem -vehicle stability assist system problem -hill start assist problem -adaptive cruise c... Read more

Incident date: Apr 12, 2026

Purchased 2020 jaguar XE with under 13,000 miles on it 2 years ago now has 23,000 miles on it. Went to leave for work and my car wouldn’t start stating the transmission wasn’t in park and other messages and tried jumping it wouldn’t work. Wouldnt switch gears to put car in neutral and neutral release under hood wouldn’t fully work. because parking break was stuck on. Took 3 tow trucks to g... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

Transmission has failed as have many others of the same year make and model without acknowledgement of a manufacturer defect

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

I leased a 2026 Electric GV70 from Genesis in June 2025. In January of 2026, when driving the car I got a warning sign to stop the vehicle and check the battery supply. At that point, the car went into sever power reduction and would only go 20 MPH or so. After 20-30 minutes, the car completely shut down and became inoperable. Luckily, I was near home and was able to get my car home. I had to have... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

04/10/2026 at around 8am and 04/14/2026 at around 7pm - At both times, car stopped at red light. Auto start-stop shut off car engine. When light turned green and stepped on gas, engine shut down and warning lights came on. Car was still in “drive.” Had to push “park” button and then started engine.

Incident date: Jul 17, 2021

I was exiting a main highway and when I let off the accelerator the engine died unexpectedly with no prior signs of failure and would not turn over to restart, luckily I was able to coast onto a side street out of the way of moderate traffic. I called GM roadside assistance and had the vehicle towed to my local dealership. The service department confirmed that the engine was seized and needed repl... Read more

Incident date: Apr 11, 2026

Car was being drive on the Indiana road and rolled Down window and smelled something burning. Then all of a sudden the transmission fail light came on and the car started to power down and we pulled over. The engine was on fire.

Incident date: Apr 9, 2026

The check engine light came on while driving. Vehicle was assessed by mechanic with strange diagnostic code; full oil and filter change done. Check engine light still on and engine stalled while driving on freeway. Took to dealer and was advised the car requires CVVTS (which is essentially a new engine), serpentine belt and spark plugs (approx $3600). There is a known engine defect with the 20... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Soul. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began shaking violently and made a loud knocking sound. The contact experienced a loss of automotive power, and the vehicle was unable to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the catalytic converter needed to be repaired. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ... 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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