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: Sep 8, 2025
Vehicle: 2019 Acura RDX (Technology Package) I am reporting a serious safety issue involving sudden loss of engine power while driving. On March 14, 2026, I filled my gas tank before traveling approximately 1.5 hours out of town. The vehicle operated normally that day. The following morning, during snowy and icy conditions, while accelerating in traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stall... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
The original B58 engine (B58B30M0, 2015–2017) utilized a conventional mechanically robust gerotor oil pump with predominantly metallic internal construction and demonstrated strong reliability in field operation. Beginning with the B58 Technical Update introduced for 2018 production (B58B30O1), BMW redesigned the lubrication system by integrating the engine vacuum pump and oil pump into a combi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF WHEN I STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. I HAVE BEEN STUCK IN TRAFFIC INTERSECTIONS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS UNABLE TO MOVE WHEN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN. EVENTUALLY THIS WILL LEAD TO ME GETTING REAR ENDED AND PUSHED INTO IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. MY LIFE IS IN DANGER WHEN I DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. I GOT MY ENGINE REPLACED AND STILL THE SAME ISSUE IS OCCURRING WITH TH... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
Ford Escape has experienced coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders, a known issue affecting this model year. The vehicle began misfiring and consuming coolant without external leaks. The dealership confirmed a Technical Service Bulletin applies to my VIN. This defect can cause engine failure while driving, creating a serious safety risk. The engine shudders so bad I cannot drive the car. I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
I reported problems with my truck to Beck and Masten South GMC. I was put off a number of times with ridiculous excuses. My vehicle sat in the shop for a month to get my OnStar safety equipment repaired. I also had arguments with them regarding the oil light coming on and it burning excessive amounts of oil. I was told this was normal. I know better. Also, I needed to get it back into the shop for... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
Sudden loss of propulsion at highway speeds - 2023 Escalade. We easily could have been killed. I drive a 2023 Cadillac Escalade that I purchased from Motor Werks Cadillac in [XXX] . It was very expensive. The car has under 33k miles on it, off memory.I informed the dealer I would be taking the car on a family vacation road trip from [XXX] to [XXX] (for spring break), and requested they perform a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
Vehicle was dormant overnight and caught fire. Battery disintegrated and fire tore across the entire engine compartment and front end. Fire department conducted investigation and determined mechanical failure. Showed no signs of issue before hand was driven shortly the night before to move parking spots.
Fire
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
Purchased the vehicle used Oct 5, 2021 with 27285 miles on it. Last year engine light came on and the problem was coolant getting into the engine block. Was told there was no recall. Dealer I purchased it from replaced the bad engine. it cost me $7100.00, which they said was their cost to replace with no extra fees. Vehicle had 33,000 miles when this happened.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The failure involves the engine, which has seized (locked up) and is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle became unsafe when it stopped operating in traffic, creating a potential hazard to myself and others due to the sudden loss of power and inability to move the vehicle. The issue has been confirmed by both a dealership and an independent service center, both of which determined ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
After the recall work was performed, the vehicle began consuming engine oil at an abnormal and excessive rate between oil changes. Most concerning, during a recent check, the engine oil level was found to be extremely low, with no oil registering on the dipstick. This condition presents a significant risk of engine damage or failure and raises serious safety concerns. Prior to the recall service,... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2024) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 29, 2026
I own a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, with 48,200 miles and 2.5 years of ownership. Recently, my truck began displaying a “Powertrain / Reduced Power” warning while driving, and the air conditioning stopped producing cold air. The dealer scanned the vehicle and found DTC P0534 – A/C System Charge Loss. Further diagnostics indicated that multiple vehicle modules may require reprogramming and sof... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
I purchased a certified preowned vehicle from Fowler Toyota in [XXX] , and after complaining multiple times about my engine being too loud, a musty smell in my trunk, the attempting to clean my trunk and me pointing out rust spots in the trunk and the smell returning multiple times, and a sulfur smell that continued to get worse month after month, they finally listened to me the 3rd week of Novemb... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
Vehicle experienced loss of power while in travel down a mountain. After inspection by a mechanic, CP4 pump had a catastrophic failure sending metal shards throughout the fuel system. This was less than a month after Fords SAFETY RECALL 24S78 that failed to remedy the problem, but before recall Number26V158 was issued.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
Coolant intrusion into engine from poor design. A known issue which causes overheating which may cause fires or engine failure while driving. With thousands of Ford escape owners affected. It has a recall on certain models but models that aren't on the recall are also affected.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The engine overheated and suddenly lost power/ acceleration while driving in rush hour traffic at highway speed. I had to move across 3 lanes of traffic to get on to shoulder of highway safely while car and engine sputtered and slowed to a stop with no power or acceleration. After having vehicle towed I was told by certified technicians that the oil filter housing was made of plastic with coolant ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2026
My 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 experienced an unexpected vehicle fire on Feb 13th 2026. The vehicle was just parked when I noticed smoke from the engine. The vehicle caught fire within a short period of time, and 911 was called. There was no known external cause for the fire. The incident appeared to originate from the engine compartment. This created a serious safety hazard and posed a risk of in... Read more
Fire
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2015) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
My 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor has been suddenly losing power or stumbling upon initial acceleration. This has been occurring intermittently since it was nearly new. My truck now has approximately 10,500 miles. The problem has become increasingly frequent. It seems to occur most often when accelerating from a complete stop. The loss of power can last for several seconds, then afterwards, normal power ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
Engine failed with just 3,633 miles. Covert GMC is replacing the entire engine.
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
Car is a Gas Hybrid (not plugin). 3 occurrences over the last couple of months. Car emits a warning sound and a message on the dash says "Check Hybrid System. Stop Safely". Basically right after this message the car starts losing power and stops. Doesn't matter if on freeway or not. You need to find a place to pull over or you stop traffic wherever you are. Looks like Hybrid Battery is comp... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2026
After a crash into a tree on the passenger side the airbags deployed and the truck immediately caught fire and the doors locked and would not open for any reason. The only way I was able to exit was busting through the front windshield. had I been severely injured or knocked unconscious the outcome of this would have been much different. The truck burned to the ground in 11 minutes. It has been in... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
Coolant leak/known engine issue is now effecting my car. 3/31/26 my mechanic said to take it to an engine place as it will need a new engine due to this known fault. I am too late for their extended warranty which I was never notified of, including when I purchased the car in 2021 when the issue was already well-known.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
11/26/25 at 85,400 miles on the v8 6.2L L86 engine, I began experiencing rough idle, loss of engine power and propulsion, a ticking/ knocking noise at idle and when RPMs increased as well as blinking engine warning light. Diagnostics/Repair work was done by Reliable GMC/Cadillac of Roseville to fix an ignition coil that was giving the engine error code. 2/24/26 At 86,697 miles, I began having rou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Venue. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was an abnormal sputtering sound coming from the vehicle. The contact was unsure if warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the vehicle was at the dealer for a maintenance check, the contact was informed that rodents had chewed through the wiring coating an... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
On March 18, 2026 I brought my vehicle to AutoNation Hyundai for an oil change and full diagnostic. Your dealership’s own diagnostic report showed no knock sensor code, no engine issues, and no active warning lights. My car was fully drivable when I dropped it off. Within 30 minutes of picking my vehicle up, the check engine light began blinking and the car became completely undrivable. It has ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
On August 10th 2025 I was driving down the 5 freeway to the airports All of a sudden I notice my check engine light is on. It was Sunday Chevrolet is closed so I got off the exit to go to auto zone in XXX. I stop at a red light my engine shuts off. I tried to turn it back on twice and it starts to smoke where the battery is. I have it towed to Chevrolet Fairfield. Where they figure out my ground w... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2023) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2019 Infiniti QX50 experiencing engine failure consistent with known bearing defects. On February 13, 2026, while driving from [XXX] to [XXX] on the highway, my vehicle began shaking severely, producing a rattling/knocking noise from the engine, and losing power while in motion. This created a dangerous driving condition and required the vehicle to be... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2025) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
17k miles, head a loud pop sound, engine light came and all the oil and coolant was on the ground, engine was smoking. Had the vehicle towed and was told by the service department the connecting Rod failed which caused the catastrophic engine failure. According to the service department and GM there is not Estimated time of arrival for an engine replacement and it’s already been a month.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
truck shut off while driving in traffic managed to steer it off the road, towed to dealership with p0016 code as well as a bunch of others. known recall issue passed gm pico test a month earlier. now when I log in here to view recalls it says 0 recalls not repaired. Now truck has to get a new engine.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2018) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
We heard a ticking noise, and took it to the autoshop. After investigating, they found that it was a total engine failure. The mechanics encouraged us to check the vin number, because total engine failure for the 2017 Kia Soul was very common. Our vin did not appear in this recall, but all the symptoms are the same. We've had regular maintenance, and it's less than 80k miles.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
Clutch began to slip at 20,000 miles. This caused unrepairable damage to the flywheel. This put my safety at risk as clutches wearing out could cause the car to slip out of gear and/or damage the maneuverability of the vehicle. This problem was fixed by the dealer, but they blamed me for the damage and claimed clutch is a wear component. I was charged $3,000 for the clutch and an additional $2,0... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that the vehicle turned off on several occasions after the engine Auto START/STOP system was engaged. The vehicle was restarted and was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. Additionally, upon starting the vehicle after the vehicle was refueled at a gas station, the check engine and several other unknown warn... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 3500
(2024) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
I backed out of my driveway put it in drive stepped on the gas and the car hesitated and just shut down. Steering wheel locked up I had no time to even stair it out of the road. Try to start it and would not start but the dash and radio would come on. Tried to get in neutral to get it out of the road but everything is electronic so we could not do it. We had to have the car towed to the closet... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2026
I am reporting a Failure of the Remedy for NHTSA Recall 23V634000 (Kia Recall SC281). The original recall attempted to "fix" a High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) issue via a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU). This remedy has failed. My vehicle is currently experiencing the exact safety hazard described in the recall: loss of motive power and stalling at various speeds due to HPFP failur... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
My 2022 Tiguan burns excessive oil between oil changes and the check oil light comes on. I have to top it off between oil changes. I purchased in Nov 2023 and the light came on in less than 6 months. It has been brought to dealerships attention on mulitple ocassions however they are unable to find a problem or a solution. They have replaced my leak detection pump and a cover without results. I hav... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2026
On April 4th 2025 I received a letter concerning NHTSA Recall 25V099 and was asked to have dealership run diagnostics. On April 30th dealership says "YES" engine needs to be replaced. Two days later dealership calls me and says new software has arrived and they need to run diagnostics for recall again, this time on May 16th 2025 car passes. NOW, almost one year later and after warranty has expi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while traveling out of state. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2026
The vehicle has a recurring P0420 code (“Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 1”). A boroscope inspection at Ricardo Caballero Kia Santa Isabel (invoice #[XXX] dated December 5, 2025) confirmed internal disintegration of the catalytic converter, with physical pieces of the catalyst falling out when the exhaust pipe was removed. This failure appears related to Recall 23V534 (SC276) a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
my car was going uphill and would only go about 15 up hill and would not accelerate, then after aboit 4 min it just died, the check oil, engine and battery lights came on. Then after turning off car it came back on but happened exact same way after 3 more min. Both times the lights went off. Now it trys to turn on but stalls right away.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2022 Infiniti QX55. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle hesitated, and the ECM fault code was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with VCT actuator failure. The contact was informed that the VCT actuator needed to be re... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
TONALE
(2024) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
My wife drove back home from work around 5:45 PM EST on March 2, 2026 and parked the car in the garage as always. She parked and turned off the car and got out to check the mail from the mailbox across the street. The music stopped when she turned off the car ignition after putting the transmission in park position and opened the door to get out. She walked to the mailbox and heard a loud bang. Sh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2026
Office of Defects Investigation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 Re: Safety Defect Complaint — Ram ProMaster (2018–2025) — Cowl Water Intrusion into Engine Compartment To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally report what I believe to be a serious, systemic, and unresolved design defect in the Ram ProMaster van, affecting... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
very known issue of catastrophic failure to the oil pump, made in Italy with plastic component, used in my vehicle. The part has been updated to metal components on bmw side without any knowledge to the customers with same part number. Faulty xdrive tranfer case, wheel jerks on low speed turning. Currently in class action lawsuit.
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2018) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
On or about 02/09/2026, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure directly related to a known defect identified in Technical Service Bulletin 19-NA-066. The engine "sucked" in the oil filter due to a poor design on GM's part. The stand pipe was not present apparently, and must have broken off at some point. This bulletin acknowledges an issue affecting this vehicle platform. This should have ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
Months ago I took my car to the dealer for the engine failure recall and they said there were no issues and changed the oil to a higher viscosity oil. Today I was driving and my engine failed while turning onto a busy road and took multiple tries to get started. It finally started and the engine light was flashing. The dealer told me th flashing engine light was bad and to not drive at all. I pull... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at 49 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal screeching sound and was leaning on the driver's side rear-end. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a rear-end inspection was performed, and the contact was informed that no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
When stopped at a red light, the vehicle’s auto off system turned the engine off. When the light turned green and I removed my foot from the brake, the engine stalled and would not restart. I pushed the start button several times, put the vehicle in park, pushed the start button a few more times, and finally got it to restart. Luckily, this happened leaving my neighborhood and not in a more prec... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
The motor through a misfire code and began making a noise while vehicle was sitting at a red light. Vehicle lost all power and had to be towed. Was quoted my the Acura dealership $9k. Main reason for addressing this concern is because numerous Acura J35 series motors have already been recalled for engine connecting rod issues. While this motor doesn't apparently fall under that recall, odd that it... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) - ENGINE
Mar 31, 2026
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
Starting in Oct or Nov 2025 I noticed that my car was not starting right away when i put the key in the ignition, then a couple of weeks later my car began to shake when i started to drive and then would stop. My dad who is a retired mechanic stated that i was low on coolant, so he filled it and the car stopped shaking and drove fine, then the very next day the car would not start right away and i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
MY ENGINE IS EXPERIENCING ROD BEARING FAILURE AT 155,000 MILES, RESULTING IN ENGINE REPLACEMENT REQUIREMENT CONFIRM BY INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER. NO WARNING LAMP BUT LOUD KNOCKING NOISE IS AUDIBLE. MY SAFETY IS VERY MUCH AT RISK DUE TO THE VEHICLE COULD BE FAILING AT ANY MOMENT IN TIME AND COULD LEAVE ME STRANDED ANYWHERE. THIS WAS IN A SERVICE BULLETTINS FOR 2017. HOWEVER WHEN CHECKING MY VIN. M... Read more