Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 164,804 complaints — component: ENGINE
Incident date: May 9, 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: Mar 18, 2020
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 3, 2026
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: Jan 3, 2026
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: May 15, 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: May 21, 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 21, 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: Feb 21, 2026
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
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2026) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
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: Dec 17, 2025
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: May 25, 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 26, 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: May 18, 2026
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: May 20, 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 15, 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 8, 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
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2023) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: May 16, 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: May 25, 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 1, 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 26, 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
LAND ROVER
DISCOVERY
(2019) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: May 22, 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: May 25, 2026
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 25, 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 5, 2024
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.
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Vehicle has 58,800 miles on it driving down highway started smoking and motor making a clanking noise.
Incident date: May 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone where it was diagnosed with a failed intake valve and a failed exhaust. The vehicle was then taken to ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
The vehicles Auto-Start-Stop (ESS) works intermittently. Multiple occasions where the system was turned off and the engine quit and would not restart without putting the vehicle in park. Recently the ESS has gone months without shutoff of the engine. However, occasionally it will shut off the engine. Multiple times the engine has shut off while the vehicle is moving, which was very dangerous. ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
This morning, around 9 AM, I was stopped on [XXX] in traffic, just south of [XXX] . [XXX] ) Foot on break, waiting for traffic to start moving. Engine suddenly revved to about 4k RPM. Car started to lurch a bit, I had to put increased pressure on the brake to hold it. I wasn’t sure the brake would hold, so I shifted to neutral, engine revved up over 4k. It settled back down and I wa... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and failed to accelerate. An “Engine Malfunction – Power Reduced Service Now” warning message was displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to multiple independent mechanics. The v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that on three of four occasions while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle began rattling and shaking, and he observed a knocking noise emanating from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced, and he was advis... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2026
I have to continually add motor oil to my engine. Every 1,000-1,500 miles I need a quart of oil added. There should be a recall to address this issue.
Incident date: May 12, 2026
While driving in rush hour traffic, I heard an intermittent vibration/noise that seemed to come and go and became louder when I stopped. As I put my car in park when I got home, I heard a loud clunk and the battery light came on. When I popped the hood, we saw metal shavings flying around. The dealer diagnosed the alternator and provided a quote for replacement. I am concerned the failure could h... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2024) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Sometimes the Ford Bronco will hesitate to move from a stop position especially when the auto start and stop has been engaged during periods of driving. Also the vehicle hesitated when trying to change lanes. I had to push gas peddle all the way down in order to get into another lane. Several times the light is green for me to go and there is several seconds of hesitation and then the vehicle wou... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The vehicle has intermittent hesitation/delayed acceleration from a stop and during low-speed stop-and-go driving. At times, engine RPM increases before the vehicle responds or accelerates normally. This creates a safety concern when entering traffic, turning, merging, or accelerating from a stopped position because the vehicle does not always respond predictably to throttle input. The concern wa... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
While traveling at 55mph yesterday, I experienced a full engine failure which shut the car off fully while traveling on a single lane double yellow road. I was able to coast to a secure location. The car will not start or go into neutral. There were no warning lights that occurred at any time prior to the failure. This all occurred while on vacation 2 hours away. I previously went to the deal... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The engine burns oil excessively and the oil light does NOT come on when the oil is low. Our car is right at 90k miles, it began to shudder and malfunction out of the blue while we were driving on the highway. There was absolutely no indication the oil was low. Now the car will not turn on at all. We were in between oil changes. The safety of myself and my family was put at risk because the engine... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) — ENGINE
May 26, 2026
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
I own a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado equipped with a GM V8 engine that experienced significant engine failure symptoms consistent with known GM engine defect issues and related recall/service campaign concerns. Prior to failure, the vehicle began exhibiting abnormal engine noises, warning lights, performance issues, and symptoms indicating internal engine damage. The condition worsened and resulted i... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2026
It was necessary to stop at the end of an on-ramp to an expressway. As I proceeded to enter the expressway, my 2017 Ford Edge started vibrating and as I accelerated to go onto the expressway, the car stalled. I was able to restart the car and it vibrated and stalled again as I accelerated to pull over on the shoulder of the road, which there was minimal area to pull off due to the lack of shoulder... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
The contact The contact stated that when taken the vehicle for a service campaign repair and shortly after went for recall r The vehicle does not run properly on cold starts, the RPMs increase rapidly and slow down, vehicle jerks forward once beginning to drive.. The vehicle does not have this issue once the vehicle is warm. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate. Fai... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
While driving on the highway at approx 60mph my car completely lost power. I had no warning lights on the dashboard and the only warning I got was an alarm sound right as all the power to the vehicle cut off. I had to use my e-brake to help me stop and coast to the brake down lane. I couldn't get my car completely off the highway lane and had no way of getting out of the vehicle. I was towed off t... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that he received an unknown service campaign from the manufacturer indicating that a software update for emissions was needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where an ECU update was completed and an NP001-SC9C2 was installed for the engine and transmission. The contact stated that when his wife drove the vehicle home from the dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
I am having an issue with the start stop function on my 2021 Honda Pilot. When active, the start stop struggles to restart after it is engaged at a stop light. There have been two instances in the last two weeks where the vehicle did not restart on its own and needed to be restarted manually. Spoke to the dealer service team and they indicated there were no known recalls and it would be out of ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a routine timing cover replacement. The contact believed the engine was damaged while being serviced. Upon retrieval, the check engine light was illuminated. There was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The vehicle had misfired. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
I am filing a vehicle safety complaint regarding a 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy due to repeated safety-related mechanical failures and ongoing defects that create dangerous and unpredictable driving conditions. Since purchase in August 2024, the vehicle has experienced multiple serious issues, including steering rack problems causing sticking, resistance, abnormal noises, and inconsistent st... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
While operating my truck under normal driving conditions, the check engine warning light suddenly illuminated without warning. Due to concerns about potential vehicle reliability and safety, I immediately brought the vehicle to the dealership for diagnosis and inspection. After evaluating the vehicle, the dealership stated that diagnostic trouble codes were present and that additional analysis of... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
We bought this vehicle from Carvana in February 2023. Since very early on owning this vehicle, the engine hesitated and stuttered when trying to shift from first to second gear, and would lunge forward slightly. In December 2024, I received a letter from Ford Motor Company about a customer satisfaction program, Campaign 24N07. The letter addressed the symptoms my vehicle exhibited, including engin... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
Vehicle overheats while at a stop. Problem has been happening for past 8 months. Leaking antifreeze under transmission. Shop unable to diagnose problem after various attempts. Researched problem online and discovered many 2017 durango owners are having issue. Many saying it's due to manufacture problem. It's a safety issue for my family and I since I don't know what the problem is to fix it.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
Purchased a used Santa Fe in January 2026 with 129k mile and at 131k my vehicle's CEL came on and did not function properly while operating. While driving the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 mph when I pushed the gas. I pulled over to get out of the way of traffic and avoid any accidents. I shut the car off and sat for several minutes before restarting my vehicle. It successfully restart... Read more