Consumer Safety Complaints

Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported Deaths

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.

The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.

How to interpret what you read

A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:

One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.

If you've experienced a defect

File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.

Read more from our blog

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 169,480 complaints - component: ENGINE

Incident date: Aug 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle remotely, an abnormal grinding and banging sound was heard emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle independently shut off. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle remotely, but the vehicle shut off again. The contact then attempted to start the vehicle manually, but the vehicle fail... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

As of august 19, 2026 my engine suffered a catastrophic failure with code P0016 which is cranckshaft camshaft lifter failure. Engine will be replaced. Currently at the dealership for replacement. Had the truck for 2 months and I’m requesting that GM fully replace my truck with a different one because I’m sick of hearing all the failures going on with the 6.2 engines. Such as my truck.

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

Numerous engine fault errors. After Kuhn VW replaced the defective caliper, they failed to secure it properly. The caliper cover which is the integral part of the braking system (serving cooling and air-dynamic function, preventing debris) fell off and got lodged in between the wheel and the caliper. The car started shuddering. Kuhn WV refuses to replace the caliper (the cover is not a separate co... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

Vehicle started sputtering, then all the engine lights came on. The car felt like it did not want to drive. Took it to the dealer for diagnosis. Dealer reported that the head gasket needed to be replaced. He stated that this is a known issue but that Honda has not issued a recall. The car only has $100,000 miles. Dealer said to call American Honda to see if they would give any "good will" mo... Read more

Incident date: Aug 5, 2026

Misfire on 2 cylinder, noise on start up diagnostic code P0300 P0302 P050 I was driving home and the engine started making a strange sound, vehicle would could no increase speed normally. The dealership did basic analysis from the onboard computer and did a compression test. Heavy knocking sound on passenger side of the engine. The issue happened on Aug 5th 2026. The issue is due to the AFM t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

Vehicle randomly overheats, primarily when idling and is stationary. Temperate will send gauge hot andwill pin to the hot side. Cooling system over pressurized. Steam started coming out of engine box. Car died and would not start. Fortunately I was able to vent the overflow cap. Needed to add a gallon of water.

Incident date: Aug 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while test driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The dealer informed the contact that the battery was low and that the light had been replaced, while also informing the contact that the vehicle had experienced difficulty starting prior to purchase. Days later, upon starting the... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 18, 2026

I am filing a safety complaint regarding a recurring, severe defect involving the 2025 Honda Odyssey's starter motor and the factory-installed Auto Idle-Stop (idle-stop) system.While driving, the vehicle's Auto Idle-Stop system engaged as designed when coming to a complete stop in traffic. However, when trying to accelerate, the vehicle failed to restart automatically. The engine completely stalle... Read more

Incident date: Mar 25, 2025

I believe my engine to be defective and Commonwealth Kia to be neglegent in finding the defect dispite having been tasked to repair an issue while my car was under warranty. I first mentioned the problem on the XXX visit at $85,000 miles. Asked them to check the filters. Mentioned again at the XXX visit at 92,000 there is not documentation of the complaints on either of these visits but it does sa... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

I googled and a recall # SC200TE showed it was uncompleted. I called Holly Kia in Felton, Delaware, and they informed me my title is "branded" and therefore not covered under recalls. Then i google the recall again and now its gone.

Incident date: Aug 21, 2026

I turned on my car and it started smoking. (White smoke out of the exhaust). I decided to drive it to the nearest Nissan dealership (approximately 4.7 miles). I noticed a sputtering and loss of power while driving. Approximately 3 miles into the drive, the check engine light and see owner’s manual warning popped up on the dash. I noticed the engine temperature was really high, and I noticed a dr... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

My vehicle had a previous engine recall that was “fixed” per the dealership recommendations. However, I succumbed to total engine failure last week at 70000 miles with my 2 little kids in the car on an interstate. My engine needs replaced.

Incident date: Mar 1, 2025

I own a 2021 Silverado Trail Boss LT with the 6.2L V8. I purchased the vehicle new at Classic Chevrolet in [XXX]. In XXX, it experienced what I can only describe as engine failure. Severe knocking, loss of power, rough idling. I contacted the dealership as it was under warranty (it had approximately 45k miles at the time). They towed the vehicle in and performed repairs. I do not have service reco... Read more

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

"Engine Coolant Bypass Valve failed suddenly on highway (Code P2681-15), risking engine overheat and stall. Toyota acknowledged this defect under CSP 24TE04 but refused assistance due to vehicle having 103,660 miles (just past 100k miles). Failure causes immediate safety and overheating hazard."

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

I am reporting a severe, recurring, and life-threatening manufacturing defect involving a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power at highway speeds on the interstate. This vehicle has suffered two identical valvetrain failures that placed my passengers and nearby motorists in extreme danger. Incident 1 (Approx. 40,000 miles): While traveling at high speed on the interstate, the vehicle violently... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

Unknown

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

Complete engine failure in July of 2024. When the car was sold to us it was under recall and not repaired and we were not told there was a recall. When the engine failed we were told we were at fault because we failed to get the recall addressed.

Incident date: Jul 4, 2026

I have a beautiful 2006 dodge daytona charger with 5.7L Hemi engine that has failed with 170,000 miles. It has been impeccably maintained with on time oil changes using Mobil 1 synthetic oil. The problem is the roller on the lifter for cylinder # 4 locked up and wiped the lobe off the camshaft...So now theres a misfire and the engine needs a rebuild! I know nothing lasts forever BUT.... most engin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

Coolant Control Valve is malfunctioning. Running Fans: Loud cooling fans running at full blast shortly after turning off the engine. Extended Warranty Coverage: General Motors issued special coverages (N252508341 / N252508340) extending coolant control valve warranty protection to 15 years or 150,000 miles for select 3.0L Duramax vehicles. Unfortunately, GM says my VIN isn’t covered by the e... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

The 2015 ford fusion are very known for this issue with coolant lost and more recently I was driving and a warning popped up saying my coolant was over temps so I pulled over and turned the car off next thing you know my coolant was gone and I just filled it up. To make it even worse my mechanic told me it’s a known issue and ford doesn’t even cover it because it isn’t a recall

Incident date: Aug 6, 2026

On XXX my GMC 6.2L Sierra 1500 Denali engine cutoff in Traffic and had to be towed. There was no indications prior to failure. Found out after replacing battery that the 400amp fuse blew and the engine seized. Vehicle was then towed to Hendrick Buick GMC dealer in [XXX] for repair. My engine has 49,500 miles but is out of warranty due to time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

When I am sitting at a traffic light and the auto engine idle stop gauges it very frequently completely shuts off the engine and will not restart. I will hit the power button to try and turn the vehicle back on, but it won’t work. I have to put the car into park, completely turn off the car battery, open the car door, while sitting in the middle of traffic, and then shut the car door and restart... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I am filing an official safety complaint regarding a severe unaddressed factory design defect on my 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The vehicle suffers from catastrophic water intrusion into the primary electrical system hub in the trunk during normal, everyday rain conditions. Due to a manufacturing or design failure in the rear trunk decklid seals and wiring harnesses, ordinary rainfall flows directly in... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

Engine shut off. It did restart after placing it in park. I did own a 2022 Sierra Denali and the motor failed on that vehicle. I swapped out to the 2025 to get away from what I thought was a problem on that vehicle and now learning this is an inherent problem with the 6.2L motors that include this year. As a consumer, I am very infuriated that the problem has been in place for years and still is t... Read more

Incident date: Sep 26, 2024

The L87 in our Escalade had a catastrophic failure at 97,088 miles. We were told that the right cylinder head had failed which caused the lower main bearings to fail. We had the engine replaced with a newly rebuilt L87 on XXX (invoice date). The engine was rebuilt by GM. Our local shop procured it through Weisner GMC in [XXX]. The cost to us was $11,428.22. Fortunately, we were able to limp ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

Bought this as a used vehicle with around 77k miles. The SUV was running fine for a little while until I drove onto the highway. It eventually began to bog down and there was hesitation and jumping instead of acceleration. This continued my entire trip home with the check engine light on. The car was only driven for about 300-400 miles in the time I had it. When I brought it to have an oil chang... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

The vehicle’s engine suffered a catastrophic failure and locked up while in operation. The engine is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. The engine suddenly locked up while I was driving, causing the vehicle to lose power and become disabled in traffic. I was forced to get the vehicle out of the flow of traffic and have it towed to a safe location. The s... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

On 25th August, while driving my brand-new leased 2026 Volvo XC90 B6 (approximately 4,930 miles) at highway speeds of 60 to 65 mph on the interstate i80 NJ at night, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of propulsion. The engine abruptly shut off without warning, causing the vehicle to immediately and rapidly lose speed.Traffic conditions were active, and a semi-truck was directly behi... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

I am experiencing a common issue with this vehicle wherein the regulator/rectifier plug begins leaking oil. This is due to the stator being completely submerged in oil in the engine and the seal on the cables breaking down over time. The oil is then able to wick up the cables and leak out of the plug connecting the stator to the rectifier. As this oil drips, it falls directly into the path of the ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2020

Back in 2021 there was a safety recall for the engine burning oil and having a high risk of catching fire. I leased this car from the Kia dealership in Asheville, NC and was guaranteed that the issue was not with this car. Here I am a year later and I have to basically put oil into the car at least every two weeks because the engine is burning the oil so fast and the car is basically running terri... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2026

On XXX approximately 2:02am my car was seen on fire parked in driveway on [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-20 MPH and approaching a stop in Nebraska, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact called the local dealer, and an appointment was scheduled. The failures persisted while waiting for the appointment. While driving at an undisclosed spe... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

Three times in the past week my van has shut off while I was preparing to move forward at a stop light. My car begins to idle as soon as it’s stopped, but when I lift my foot off the brake, instead of turning back on, my van engine shuts all the way off or jerks hard before acceleration. Resulting in me having to hurry and put my car in park & restart the engine. It’s very dangerous!

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

Engine failed while driving down the highway at speed. Just shut off. Very dangerous. No power had to pull over. Vehicle would not start agin. Said low oil pressure. Had it towed to the dealership. Complete engine failure and had to have the motor replaced. After replacement engine still does not feel right and transmission acts up as well. Complete piece of junk for how expensive these vehicles a... Read more

Incident date: May 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 45–50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it remained for five weeks before being diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine was blown and needed to be replaced. The v... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

The turbo and turbo charger is going out on my car

Incident date: Aug 23, 2026

Had a prior recall a few months back on my truck in reference to the engine. My truck didn’t have an engine issue such as check engine light etc etc etc which required attention. So they only changed the oil to a different velocity. On Sunday afternoon August 23, 2026 while driving on Interstate 20 near Longview, Texas the truck shut off. I had to get it towed to the Chevy dealership (Peltier Ch... Read more

Incident date: Aug 2, 2026

Complete engine failure in 2026 Cadillac Escalade sport platinum with 3100 miles

Incident date: Aug 23, 2026

My lifter failed in my Chevy Silverado 1500 on the highway, causing severe shaking while driving and an array of dash lights. After taking it to a local. Chevy dealer, they confirmed a lifter collapse and possible damage to my cam shaft. I have been up to date on all oil changes with premium synthetic oil, and there were no prior dash lights indicating a problem.

Incident date: Jul 2, 2026

Complete engine failure. Safety is was put at risk one engine lost propulsion on a bridge with no median. Truck towed to a GM dealer that inspected it and replace the engine. Check engine light and low oil pressure light came on approximately 30 seconds before the engine died.

Incident date: Jul 15, 2026

High pressure fuel pump went at 80k and now on my 2nd transmission under 100k miles this is absolutely absurd

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

My 2025 BMW X4 xDrive30i is subject to NHTSA recall 26V438, reported 07/08/2026, covering an engine starter that can wear prematurely and, in an extreme case, overheat and cause a fire. My BMW account shows the status as Remedy Not Available. NHTSA's VIN lookup confirms the recall is incomplete with no remedy available. I am filing because there is no remedy for me to obtain. BMW has not released... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

Engine went into limp mode and engine is no longer good

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

Vehicle shut down 4 times in traffic almost causing an accident each time loss of power and steering. This all occurred in 1 day.

Incident date: Aug 18, 2026

I continuously have issues accelerating from stop in my max hybrid. the issue is particularly worse when it is warm out. I press the gas and the RPMs drop really low and I barely move through the intersection for a few seconds. Once it finally registers after a number of seconds, the RPMs rev up over 4000. It is very dangerous trying to proceed through an intersection and the car basically stalls ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 22, 2026

I was driving and no check engine lights were on. I came to a stop sign and the car lost all power. I couldn't get it in park and neither could any of the 3 tow truck drivers. Therefore the car had to be skated onto the tow truck and then shimmied off, causing even more damage. They fixed the motor with the same engine , said there were metal shavings, which will end up doing the same thing and ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 11, 2026

The crank tone wheel failed and created a no start scenario. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer and they are advising quoting me a repair when there is a related open recall for this exact situation.

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I WAS DRIVING 75MPH DOWN I-10 AT 11:30PM AND MY FOCUS SUNDDENLY DIED, I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. INFORMATION FLASHED NOT IN PARK AND STARTED GHOSTLY TRYING TO START ON ITS OWN, I BELIEVE THE TCM FAILED. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED.

Incident date: Jul 24, 2026

I was on [XXX] . I was going 70 mph and then my car just instantly stopped accelerating. The check engine started flashing and I pulled to the side. There was a knocking noise and I just stopped. I called my son to come and get us and then my uncle told it to my house. I have several friends that work on cars and have a a tester. Of course they tested it in that same code came up as if it was the ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

From: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Email: [XXX] SUBJECT: Vehicle: New Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 VIN: [XXX] Current Mileage: 39,660 Total Purchase Price: $48,450.00 To Mercedes-Benz USA Corporate Management and Dealership Service Director, This letter serves as a formal written statement regarding an ongoing, unremedied mechanical failure that has now escalated into a severe, life-threatening safety hazard. ... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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