Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 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 2,192,899 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 161,337 complaints — component: ENGINE
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
My vehicle had an engine rod bearing issue before the 1st recall, they replaced part of the engine. My vehicle also went through a starter recall and they also changed the rod bearing with the corrected part that was in for the last recall. Currently, my engine is still having the exact same rod bearing issue which is a safety concern for me. It’s currently at Ed Voyles Acura in Chamblee, GA wai... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 5, 2025
The engine misfired and failed twice in one year, and the vehicle is currently available for inspection. Both times the engine failed, I was on the freeway, which nearly caused cars and semi-trucks to rear-end me. I had a convoy of vehicles behind me and had to move to the right lane very cautiously. I reported the problem to the AutoNation Toyota dealership on Gulf Freeway. Yes, the dealership me... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
The transmission failed completely. The vehicle will not engage or shift properly and cannot be driven. The failed transmission is still installed in the vehicle and available for inspection upon request.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I had bought the 08 Tahoe hybrid. The day it was delivered, it stalled I called the dealership out of Minnesota and was told oh it could be this it could be that went to two local shops and a private shop all had different specifications as to what was wrong with the car due to so many codes being thrown out. You would try to take off from a stop sign or a red light car would completely lose all ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
I was driving in normal operating conditions, with no traffic when suddenly the engine seized. After contacting a towing company to get my vehicle home, I started checking for anything I could find and noticed that it had zero oil and no visual signs of a leak anywhere. There were never any warning lights or sounds until it abruptly stopped. I have not had it looked at by anyone other than myself... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
I came to a stop in the left turn lane at an intersection with a red light with the car in drive and my foot engaged on the brake to wait for the light to turn green. The car suddenly and completely died and all power was shut down. I was not able to engage the hazards. It was dark outside and I was afraid cars behind me would hit me. It was an incredibly dangerous situation with no warning. I exi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
Engine Overheated lights on dash HECU ABS ADAS CRUISE CONTROL TIRE SENSOR WINDOW DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY AUTO DIMMER RADIO BLANKS OUT WATER PUMP WENT OUT TOW TRUCK DAMAGED MY CAR. I WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY DAMAGES UNTIL I WAS ACCUSED BY DEALERSHIP I HIT SOMETHING AS I DID NOT. I HAVE WITNESSES N PICTURES.
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
Windshield needs replacement – one side window installed incorrectly (huge gap) •Trim peeling (inside and outside) •Heavy rust in engine area •Sunroof seals need replacement •All window tints need replacement •Headlights not aligned – need new ones •Taillights not aligned – need new ones •Spoiler damaged – needs replacement •Dashboard feels loose – needs replacement •Do... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
I was driving and my Kia started over heating and smoking and smelled like plastic burning I got it towed to the Hendricks of Kia and it sat there for 2weeks and I contacted them about giving me a lender until they fix my engine problem and they told me that my engine is not under warranty but is a recall I didn’t blow my engine I recently bought it about 6 months ago
Fire
Incident date: Sep 14, 2025
While driving on the and merging onto the highway, the check engine light and other alerts came on our 2021 GMC Yukon. There was a fluttering noise coming from the engine and the vehicle started to have decreased acceleration. We had to immediately exit the highway and park the vehicle. We then had to take our vehicle to our regular mechanic since GMC dealership was backed up and we needed the ve... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
On [XXX}, my 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.0T (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced sudden complete engine failure accompanied by a strong burning smell. The vehicle would not start or turn over, stranding me and creating a safety hazard. The burning smell indicated potential fire risk. This appears to be related to the known Theta II engine defect that has caused multiple recalls and engine fires in Hyundai ve... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
In May 2025, the vehicle (2017 Hyundai Santa Fe) developed severe sluggishness. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and I was told the engine would need to replaced due to a recall. Four months later (week of Sept 14 {exact date not known}), the engine was replaced and the vehicle made available for pickup. I drove it home (8.1 miles) and all seemed normal. It sat in the driveway for approx. one w... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — ENGINE
Sep 27, 2025
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
JEEP 2024 Wrangler 4XE HYBRID EXPLODED VIN# [XXX] On [XXX], just before [XXX], our 2024 hybrid vehicle began emitting smoke while parked in our attached garage. Thankfully, our smoke alarm alerted us - my wife discovered it was coming from the garage and immediately called 911. Police arrived within minutes and were able to push the car out of the garage. Shortly after that, the vehicle caught ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
I was driving and my car stopped running took it to the dealership find out. It has a recall never got a recall letter because I wasn’t the first owner and now they refuse to fix my car.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) — ENGINE
Sep 27, 2025
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
My engine oil is mixing into my coolant jug and radiator replaced the oil cooler housing and the issue still continues
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint to report that a Kia dealership of garden grove, ca falsely recorded a safety recall as “completed” on my 2019 Kia Soul Upon review from another kia dealer, I discovered that the recall repair — essential to prevent engine failure — was never actually performed. My engine has now failed catastrophically (broken connecting rod at 128... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The car shuts down on my wife multiple times now more than 10 to 15 times and most of the time it’s on the freeway few times she’s had my teenage son with her and I have three videos that I have sent to Kia but they’re refusing to move with buying the car back, saying because the dealership cannot duplicate the problem And the dealership drives the car 10 to 20 miles. I’ve stated to the de... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
It’s been 7 months of the recall and dealers are not sending repair notices/remedy how IS GM allows to take 7 months this is an untimely manner yall need to investigate further and issue buybacks I contacted GM saying the engine is making noise they they I HAVE TO PAY FOR VEHICLE INSPECTION…THAT IS ILLEGAL
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
Check Engine and transmission alerts appeared in the app; vehicle showed “Check 4x4” while driving, cleared next day •Engine not sounding normal •Paint peeling •Fading plastic trim •Front bumper misaligned •Rear bumper misaligned •Loose front door frames •Marker lights collecting bugs •Plastic becoming loose at the rear hatch •Plastic near auto steps: one side has gaps, the o... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2020) — ENGINE
Sep 27, 2025
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
On September 2, 2025, the vehicle’s Hybrid System shut down on cold start and the vehicle would not start. A dealer inspection reported coolant had entered cylinder #4, allegedly causing the engine block to warp, the cylinder head to crack, and the head gasket to fail. This was a sudden catastrophic engine failure on a five-year-old vehicle with no prior overheating warnings, no dashboard alert... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The torque converter is bad and is sputtering, jerking, not shifting, hard shifts, this is not safe. This is a danger to me and others when the car is jerking and not shifting correctly, safety hazard! Ford dealer confirmed the torque converter is bad. Hundreds, if not thousands of others complaining about their Ford Edge having the same issue. No warning or other problems, or symptoms, it jus... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
My 2017 Hyundai Tucson has been chonking out and having acceleration problems. I thought it was because of AC running. When I took it in for inspection my mechanic stated it was misfiring. I am meticulous about routine maintenance (I.e. tire rotation and/or replacement, oil change, inspection, etc), as well as whatever if any repairs are needed. I immediately reached out to my local Hyundai dealer... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
My 2018 Honda Accord at only 63,000 started to lose power and all the emergency lights went on. Diagnosed as a misfire and now requires a new head gasket. This was told to me by the dealer to be a well known problem with the 1.5 T 2018 Honda Accord.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Thousands of 2014-2017 Chevy Volt owners are having issues where the EGR Valve malfunctions and the engine shuts down. The Volt's EGR valve can cause the car to shut down by blowing the "walk home" fuse. This is a safety issue. In many cases cars are in the shop for months because the part is on "backorder". That's my situation-- dealer just told me it's a $2800 repair job, but the part is on "ba... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2025
Car started hesitating to start then messaged popped up on screen saying my system was overheating I had to pay for a new starter.
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE
Sep 26, 2025
Incident date: Sep 21, 2025
What happened: While driving in Montana on September 21, 2025, the cabin suddenly filled with gasoline fumes and the accelerator pedal stopped responding. After pulling over, flames erupted from under the hood and the vehicle was completely destroyed within minutes. The passenger-side door could not be opened from the inside at first, delaying escape and creating a serious safety risk. No warning ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
EGR Valve failed in this vehicle <55,000 miles. The EGR valve has an electronic component that, when fails, can cause the car to shut down by blowing the "walk home" fuse. This is a safety issue. This is a well documented problem (internet) and Chevrolet refuses to fix it, leaving the owners with an expensive replacement quoted at $3900 (Sept 2025). Recommend that it be covered by the emiss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. With no prior indications, the engine seized while driving on side street at 25mph. Engine blew hole in block and dumped engine parts, including piston rod, piston and engine block remnants, and oil on street. Very dangerous as power steering stopped and was unable to turn. Very low miles, 40,680, with all maintenance performed by dealer. Filed a report with Hyundai US... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
1- Passenger Restraint System Malfunction error codes- related to wiring or front passenger seat- long timeframe and expense to diagnose 2- Engine mounts broken Oct 2023 and again Aug 2025- known issue by BMW service- high repair cost & repeat failure 3- Front crash assist will brake for shadows caused by trees or adjacent trucks and has nearly caused accidents
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
Front Engine cover leaking. I have had this issue twice with the same truck two separate engines. I bought my truck used and it was leaking oil. I took it to the dealership and they diagnosed it as the front engine cover leaking. Then before the dealership could get it in to be repaired it started having problems with the timing components. All the problems were supposedly fixed but then about 5 m... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that there were metal shavings found on the camshaft sensor. The contact was advised that the camshaft sensor, oil flow solen... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate while driving uphill or downhill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the catalytic converter was ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE
Sep 26, 2025
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
Purchased new and service maintained. At 65,000 miles all warning lights came on and truck began to misfire and lost power.Was taken to a garage where it was determined to have bad lifters and camshaft. Warranty just expired and now it needs a new engine
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
I have a 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L EcoBoost purchased on 2/2/18. On 9/17/25, after starting the car I noticed that it idled very rough when I put it in gear, but drove fine afterward. This behavior continued to happen over the next week when I also noticed strong smelling white exhaust/smoke coming from the car while I was still in the garage. On 9/23/25 the Service Engine Soon light came on shortly a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
Vehicle was not driven for 2 days. The check engine light is one and says "active airflap issue" the flaps appear to be open when a/c is on and closed when vehicle is off. There is no debri or anything arount the air flaps. This could cause potential overheating and should not happen in a years time. We travel for my husband's job and this could be very dangerous. We thought we were buying a new ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
My vehicle is part of the 23S64/23V905 Ford recall. The car died in the middle of an intersection in 2024 and Ford finally agreed to replace the faulty parts with more faulty parts until there was a fix. Now there is a fix and Ford said they will not replace it because it's still running, but when/if the parts fail again, to bring it in and they'll fix it. So if the vehicle fails on the interst... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
Vehicle went in for check engine light, no issues with how the car runs, low coolant. Vehicle was pressure tested and we were told there was a crack in the cylinder and that the engine would need to be completely replaced. This will cost upwards of 10k. Per my research this is a known ticket and huge defect that Ford knows about. We asked if we could get e engine replaced under the goodwill repair... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE
Sep 26, 2025
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
I am writing to bring to your attention an issue we recently encountered with our 2023 VW ID.4. We began hearing a clicking noise and brought the vehicle in for a diagnostic inspection. The dealership has informed us that the rear drive motor has failed and that the vehicle requires a full motor replacement, estimated at nearly $5,000. Our ID.4 is only 2.5 years old with 62,000 miles. We have tr... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2025
The car is burning oil rapidly causing potential issues with the transmission and engine. The oil burns and does not leak after a few hundred miles and has to be refilled continuously causing alot of money and potential issues with other components of the car. I notice jerking when accelerating and smoke if dont fill every 1 to 2 weeks.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2015
had purchased my 2015 Honda Odyssey in the year of 2015. When I first went in for a first service my car have a light saying Check engine, check VSA, check LDW, check FDW and once a while my shake when we are on the road. We told the service people at the dealership to have a look at it but they said nothing wrong with it.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
I attempted to start my vehicle and it turned over and at the end of trying it sounded like it wanted to start. This repeated itself with no change. I contacted the dealer which I purchased it from and the service mgr said it was the fuel pump control module. Numerous 2021 Yukon had this problem and there is both a service bulletin and a recall for this part. N212332040. My vehicle is NOT on recal... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
The engine failed at 104,000 miles despite proper maintenance. The vehicle is used by my wife and three children, and the engine unexpectedly experienced a head gasket failure while on the highway, with no prior warning except for a known issue acknowledged by Chrysler. I am now faced with the costly repair of replacing the engine. As a family relying on this vehicle for daily needs, including sch... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2019) — ENGINE
Sep 26, 2025
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, a fire occurred near the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided. The cause of the failure was possibly determined to be electrical or engine-related. A police report was also filed, and a re... Read more
Fire
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2012) — ENGINE
Sep 26, 2025
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
The car cuts off in middle of the road n won’t shut on brought a new fuel pump and it’s still shutting off the electric light pops up on dash when cutting the engine on the car gives the cranking engine power sounds but doesn’t cut on mechanic put in new fuel pump and now think it’s a electrical problem the steering is tight backing up and it has steering fluid this has been happening sinc... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
Coolant intrusion and requires short block replacement
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
Our 2018 Ford Edge started idling rough after spark plug change and after dealer tested it they told us it had engine coolant in #2 Cylinder and that driving it could lead to catastrophic engine failure. Only fix is complete engine block replacement (Recommended by Ford in Bulletin TSB22-2229) along with new turbo as it may also have been damaged by coolant leak. (Could also damage catalytic conv... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
Vehicle lost all power and stalled while driving. Vehicle also stalled at idle when waiting at an intersection, and another time while waiting at a stop sign. No longer starts. Appears to not be receiving fuel and is returning code P0627 "Fuel Pump A Control Circuit / Open" and will crank but not start. Required towing back to my residence. FordPass sent a "Service Engine Soon Warning" stating "th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact's Employer owns a 2024 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage ... Read more