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: Mar 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly jolted, lost power, and went into LIMP Mode, almost causing a rear-end crash. The message "Service Electronic Throttle Control" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder and inspected, but no cause was immediately determined. The vehicle was driven to the r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and unintendedly decelerated. The vehicle was driven to the parking lot and came to a complete stop. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. Upon arrival at the residence, the vehicle failed to restart with the check engine warning light illuminated. An independent ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
The cylinder head has passages that collect carbon build up that build up outside of general maintenance that clog the cylinder head and can eventually lead to combustion failure. This car has been taken to an independent, reputable mechanic in the area, as well as now the dealer. Dealer has confirmed they have at least 4 other vehicles currently with the same issue in just this one location, and ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the battery was completely drained. The contact stated that the hood plastic scoop was leaking onto the felt heat protector, and the engine was wet whenever it rained. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and the battery was replaced. The contact called another dealer, Elmwood Chrysler Do... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Low oil engine warning. Oil level is okay. Car has 80 miles on it, total.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
The car has been experiencing a persistent cylinder #2 misfire. We replaced the coils and spark plugs, only to learn that this is a common issue with the 2.0 MKZ engines. The problem has worsened to the point where the car sometimes can barely move in traffic, creating a serious safety risk if other drivers don’t notice the vehicle slowing to a crawl. It also puts my family at risk if we ever ha... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
Puttering can be heard. Manifold has been replaced already. Reverberation through steering wheel and pedal can be felt when idling. Car has shuddered when driving 40+ in the past but dealership downplayed any possible issues. There is an issue with something in this vehicle whether it's the torque converter or another part up or downstream.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
Intake lifters seizing and or rockers needle bearings failing resulting in camshaft lope damage
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
I am reporting a premature engine failure on my 2019 Mazda CX-5 with approximately 55,000 miles. The vehicle developed a significant engine oil leak that was diagnosed by a repair facility as a casting failure in the cylinder head behind the timing cover. Due to the location of the leak and the nature of the defect, the entire cylinder head assembly had to be replaced. The total repair cost was $... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
I have had this car for a little under a year. In January of this year 2026, I was driving on the freeway when I received a. reduce engine power alert. Which caused me to immediately get off of the freeway put the car power down before I can make it another half a mile. After having it looked at several times what was thought to be a rear seal oil leak turned out to be a leak in the transmission. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
After I bought from personal owner feb. 3rd 2025 I drove 50 miles and overheated before I made it home . The check engine light came on it showed up as a bank 1 bank 3 misfire also camshaft position sensor so I replaced these things and it still was losing coolant oil is just fine. Every time I would drive it it would still overheat I would keep putting more antifreeze in to make it home. It star... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
On Sunday, March 1, 2026, my vehicle suddenly malfunctioned while I was driving. The car abruptly lost power, would not accelerate beyond 25 miles per hour, and then completely shut down within minutes. This left me stranded on the roadside off the highway, which was both dangerous and extremely distressing. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, and it has now been four days with no updates re... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - ENGINE
Mar 4, 2026
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The car had a piston rod failure and is available for inspection at the Springfield Honda dealership. The car was traveling at 63 mph when the check engine light started flashing along with 6 system errors including the power steering. I had to make an emergency stop on the side of the road. The dealership has confirmed and recommended an engine replacement. They have a video recorded of the sou... Read more
TOYOTA
PRIUS PRIME
(2018) - ENGINE
Mar 4, 2026
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
I am submitting this complaint regarding a safety-related incident involving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe on February 14, 2026. While driving, the vehicle suddenly began to overheat, creating an immediate safety hazard. I was close to my home and was able to return there safely, but once parked, I observed coolant leaking from the front of the vehicle. Due to the risk of further overheating or engine... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
While driving on the highway, the vehicle suddenly downshifted and shut down and would not restart. All lights appeared on the cluster and showed "conditions not correct for shift". Had to have vehicle towed from the side of the road and wasn't even able to shift into neutral.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
I was driving down a 25mph road and my car completely stopped. I shut my car off and it had trouble starting. When it would start it would go a couple hundred feet and stop. Took it to the shop and the transmission line was broken. The entire transmission needed replace because of one thing going bad. 4.5k repair bill
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Engine keeps making noise Check Engine light keeps on due to a part on car Take and speed is slow Car will only got up to 80 top speed
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Check engine light came on last week. Took it into the repair shop and they let me know that there is coolant in the first cylinder. There is not a recall for this but it is a known issue with Ford escapes designs and that Ford has redesigned the engine block and gasket, and in some cases, they are replacing the entire long block.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
Copied this from a forum and it's the same thing for me. I'm editing to fit my unique situation. This is an $800 repair at my dealer for a $40 part! 5 day backorder so I'm without a vehicle. The upper radiator hose on some huge percentage of these trucks fail (mine has failed at 37500 miles). You can check the Colorado Chevy forum, youtube, etc., et al, and find plenty of instances where this has... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
1st Failure. August 28, 2025. Vehicle stalled out while driving with NO warning. Check engine light stayed on. Could not drive. Car towed to dealership. Scanned codes found: p0089, p00c6 and p228c. Cause: Internal failure. Bulletin pertaining to this issue performed. Program of ecm per bulletin. 2nd Failure. February 19, 2026 Vehicle stalled out a 2nd time while driving with NO warning. Check en... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
My GM Silverado 2022 with 68k miles was recalled at 60k miles for the P0016 failure code involving the internal components of the L87 6.2L engine. The truck was promptly scheduled for testing and taken into the authorized dealer. The truck passed inspection. A very short time later (approx 8k miles or less) the 6.2L engine had a CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, the truck los... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
I have had to put a new engine in my 2019 ford ecosport 3 times due to the open recall on the vehicle. It is currently at the ford dealership due to coolant leaking into the head gasket. The problems with the vehicle have been confirmed by the dealers. And no there were ZERO warnings or signs before the vehicle completely failed on us on the highway the first time. Then the same issue happened yet... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
My car completely died and would not start up ending up towing it to the mechanic and he said it was the dc to dc converter and I heard this has been happening to mild hybrid Range Rovers / Sport an all electric ones too.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
My 2018 BMW 530e suddenly shut down while I was driving. I charged it overnight, but the next day it showed a check‑engine light and a drivetrain failure warning. I tried driving it again, and it drove for some distance and shutdown after few minutes. Luckily, i was able to park the car on the side of the road. I brought(towed) it to a mechanic, and he told me the issue was a CCU failure, which ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer to continue adding oil to the engine as needed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,4... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
Driving up a small hill when you hear this knocking noise.The car got to the top of the hill and shuts off no engine no turn over spent 198 to get it towed then comes to find out that it is because the car had no oil from what the mechanic told me. The car had oil but apparently only this model has issues with not having oil and you have to do an oil change every 4 months rather than 10,000 miles ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
The contact's daughter leased a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V710000 (Electrical System), 25V741000 (Electrical System), and 25V766000 (Engine); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 70 MPH in the middle lane, the vehicle stalled. It was unkn... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) - ENGINE
Mar 4, 2026
Incident date: Feb 14, 2026
Check engine light is coming on, indicating reduced engine power. Took vehicle to GMC dealer and they advised that the repair shop was getting assistance from the GMC Tech line to update a module to correct the issues. I was informed today that the high pressure fuel pump will have to be replaced, along with a hose or pipe to correct the issue. The vehicle has 57k miles on it. Upon researching ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE
Mar 4, 2026
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The engine failed on I-17 while driving 75MPH on 2/14/2026. The car shifted into neutral and was able to coast on to the berm of the interstate. The car was towed to Flagstaff Chevrolet and was determined to have engine failure and is waiting for a replacement engine. When the engine failed a warning message came on warning of severe engine overheating and shut down and the car automatically sh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2026
The fuel injectors are failing, the vehicle smells of gasoline fumes in the cabin if the vehicle and we are now getting check engine lights due to emissions which I contribute to the failing fuel injectors which have been under recall for quite some time now and Ford does not seem to want to fix this issue. They can only tell us they do not have a fix yet at this time. My understanding this is a v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 18, 2026
On 3/3/2026, I brought me JEEP 4XE to the Jeep dealership in Paris, Kentucky to have the 68C recall performed. The Jeep dealership used version #7 of the 68C recall instructions to updated all software modules and then to perform a 7 mile test run to engage the electric engine and to stress the vehicle per the instructions documented in the recall instructions. Document is identified as: * High V... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, there was an abnormally loud ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The driver was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the lifter was stuck in the bore, and there was a misfire in cylinder #7 due to a stuck camsh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2025
ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING IT DOWN THE HIGHWAY Purchased 8/5 from reseller, who had driver it over 200 miles with no issues. Had it inspected that day and no issues found. Scheduled appt w/ Clay Cooley Kia to drop off 8/12 to have warranty recalls addressed. Clay Cooley inspected and found no issues, verified in good shape; work completed 8/14. On 8/18, after driving it less than 183 miles, the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Electronic throttle body failure. No power engine stopped while operating. Dealership replaced Electronic throttle body and tested electronic . Could have caused crash . Nissan declining recall reimbursement expense and tow . Have extended coverage still declined
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
My 2024 Ford Mustang has been experiencing a serious mechanical issue that the manufacturer has been unable to repair. The vehicle has been at the dealership for an extended period because a defective component cannot be replaced. Ford acknowledged that the required part has not yet been manufactured. The vehicle has remained unresolved for over five months. This creates a potential safety concern... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) - ENGINE
Mar 4, 2026
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
I have taken the vehicle to dealership twice and told there was nothing wrong with the car. On three occasions the car has shut off when I stop and will re-engage but lurches and makes a crunching sound upon accelerating.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shut off while driving on a ramp, and the vehicle coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle lost automotive power and stalled in a high-traffic area, creating a safety risk. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the vehicle was associated with NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
My vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure of the exhaust and engine systems directly caused by the defective fuel injection system identified in Service Bulletin 20-100. Despite providing evidence that the failure was initiated by these defective injectors, Honda has only provided a partial, unexplained reimbursement and refuses to acknowledge the extensive "downstream" damages. Diagnostic Eviden... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding Hyundai Safety Recall #290 (NHTSA Recall No. 25V893) as it applies to my vehicle, VIN [XXX] . I received the official recall notice by mail on February 13, 2026. The recall identifies a defect involving the tow hitch wiring harness control module, which may allow water intrusion. According to the recall documentation, this defect can cause inoperative stop ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
Engine oil cooler line leaking at the crimps.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
My 2018 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 the diagnostic, a Technical Service Bulletin applies to my VIN. This defect can cause engine failure while driving, creating a serious safety risk. I am experiencing coolant loss,... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
I am writing to report a concern regarding an unresolved safety recall for my 2023 Lexus LX 600. Lexus notified us of this recall on November 6, 2025. However, nearly four months later, the company continues to state on its website that no remedy is currently available. Given the significant purchase price of this vehicle—exceeding $100,000—I find it unacceptable that a resolution has not yet ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
The above checked AND Visibility Wiper and Auto Emergency Braking lights come on occasionally for no reason while driving The touchscreen can get very hot and go blank at times The Electric battery is not able to be utilized in cold or hot outdoor temperatures The heating system on highest temp occasionally blows cool air -not warm/hot The engine light came on last week and the electrical power... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
While driving approximately 70 mph on the highway, my 2018 Honda CR-V suddenly lost engine power and rapidly decelerated. At the same time the check engine light began flashing and multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, including the ABS warning light. I was unable to accelerate and the vehicle would not restart after the loss of power. I attempted to guide the vehicle toward the sh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 24, 2026
While driving, the engine malfunctioned. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the malfunction. The vehicle has been inspected and repaired by a Chevrolet dealership.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
My 2021 Kia Soul is having the same piston issues leading to engine failure as other previously recalled Kia Soul vehicles but for some reason my VIN is not part of any recall. Now it has been determined there is heavy scoring in my engine and I will need a new engine. My car is only 5 years old and there should be no reason for such major engine damage. My car has stalled on me while driving and... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a week later, while the vehicle was idling, it was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the same mechanic who diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Hesitation when accelerating. Has stalled while driving. Has come to a complete stop when put in reverse.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Car has been consuming excessive oil in a short amount of time, Volkswagen claims it’s in “normal” specs but car consumes all the oil after oil change within 1200 miles. Between 0-5,000 miles 2 extra quarts will be added to engine. First time I noticed it was a month after purchasing the car when my oil/engine light came on. Recently oil cap blew off