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.

2,215,138 Total Complaints

138,663 Reported Crashes

56,255 Reported Fires

8,561 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 2,215,138 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

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 ›

Clear

Showing 164,804 complaints — component: ENGINE

Incident date: Jan 24, 2025

I am filing this complaint regarding my 2020 Hyundai Palisade affected by the recall involving the third-row seat airbag not deploying properly and the risk of occupant ejection during a rollover accident. I purchased this vehicle in December 2024 and have experienced a pattern of ongoing mechanical failures, repeated dealership visits, lack of manufacturer support, diminished use of my vehicle, a... Read more

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

During a road trip, we came to a stop and upon stepping on gas to proceed on the road and it wouldn't go. The engine revved and "pulled" until we were able to move. We took it to a dealership as well as private mechanic and was told it is an engine problem and running $3k or more to have it fixed. We have small children and consider this a safety hazard. Unfortunately, this is the only vehicle we ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

While attempting to cross 3 lanes of oncoming traffic from a standstill the vehicle lost all power and barely moved 2 feet, irrespective my efforts of stabbing at the throttle, and almost got us killed. Fortunately I slammed on the brakes and barely missed being hit head on. No warning lamps or codes popped up. This is now the 3rd such incident in the 2 months we have owned this vehicle.

Incident date: May 10, 2026

Travelling on a highway with 70 MPH posted speed limit, the vehicle dashboard signaled the check engine light and a variety of warnings that "power reduction measure" was enabled and to "service brake assist." At the next available exit, I was able to exit from the highway and go to a gas station, where upon pulling next to a pump the brake pedal became extremely hard and nonresponsive, resulting ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 18, 2026

Hi ! I just purchased the 2024 Nissan pathfinder SL on March 13th , 2026 . Three days later I noticed a slight vibration to the car . I was told it was the mount they’d replace both mounts . Get the car from getting the mounts replaced , & when I went to leave with the “ repaired “ the car sounded horrible while in Reverse. It was a loud sound more than just a vibration. I immediately went i... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

While returning from a camping trip my engine lost power. luckily I was close to an exit and managed to get it off the expressway and to a parking lot. I was able to leave the camper in the lot and have the truck towed to a dealer 30 miles away. I was informed by the dealer that the engine had sustained major berring failure. I was over 500 miles from home and I had 2 options, wait 2 weeks for a n... Read more

Incident date: Oct 10, 2025

This vehicle burns over 2 quarts of oil between oil changes. Had 3 oil consumption tests. Kia states that this motor is supposed to burn that much oil. My catalytic converter is now going bad due to the amount of burnt oil clogging it. Why have these engines not been recalled?

Incident date: May 8, 2026

My AC compressor and condenser have stopped working without any reason. The air conditioner does not work at all, it does not make the air cold and the heat in [XXX] is lethal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident date: Feb 1, 2025

coolant leaking into engine * sudden engine failure risk * overheating * loss of power * expensive engine replacement from known defect 2014 Ford Fusion EcoBoost is losing coolant internally into the engine. Ford dealership diagnosed coolant intrusion requiring full engine replacement costing approximately $14,000. This appears to be a known defect affecting many Ford EcoBoost vehicles. Vehicle e... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

The car has 57,000miles and needed a new transmission. Safety concern of the transmission failing while driving. There was a persistent and worsening rubbing noise once the car ran for 20 minutes or so. 4 visits to the dealer later, they confirmed the issue and Hyundai issued a warranty to replace the transmission with a remanufactured transmission. When I asked the dealer what happened, he said t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2026

Sudden complete engine failures occurred in my Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van during highway operation while transporting freight, creating a serious safety hazard due to immediate and total loss of engine power in active traffic conditions. The first engine failure occurred at approximately 303,000 miles. The second failure occurred at approximately 140,000 miles after engine replacement. In both ca... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

On two separate instances in the past month, I have come to a complete stop, and the engine automatically shuts off. Upon restarting it either failed to restart the engine or on this last occurence turned the engine over once, made the car lurch and took a few seconds for the engine to idle, almost as if the engine wasn't fully started and the starting motor kicked off as well as turned over slowl... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

When driving home one night the dash board in the car all of a sudden hade a lot of warning lights come on. I brought it to my mechanic to have a look at it and he suggested to change the spark plugs and the coils which was done and he cleared the codes. About two days later I went to go to work and once again all the warning lights on the the dash board come on and it wouldn't drive over 5 MPH. ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 30, 2026

ubject: URGENT SAFETY INCIDENT REPORT: Engine Seizure at Highway Speeds – Case #xxx To the Toyota Safety & Compliance Department: I am writing to formally report a critical safety incident involving my 2024 Toyota Tundra (VIN: [XXX] ). Incident Description: While traveling at highway speeds, the vehicle’s engine suffered a catastrophic internal seizure and shut down completely without any p... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 2026

My engine has coolant intrusion causing the 3rd cylinder to misfire. Ford will not speak to me on the issue other than to say it is not covered under warranty, even though this is a known and reported issue. I see there was a recall on the 2013-2019 Escape (2.0L Engines) - #26S01

Incident date: May 14, 2026

Iccu failure with Kia ev6. Unreal that this car has not had a recall yet. It is totally unacceptable that this car can at any time fail. Car will not start and shut down while I was driving. Luckily I was beginning to park when it happened

Incident date: May 14, 2026

I own a 2020 Kia Soul that, according to Kia Customer Care, had the SC209 engine recall repair completed in 2021 at approximately 28,000 miles under a previous owner. I have the exact repair date written down and can provide it if needed. On May 12, 2026, while driving, the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off, switching into accessory mode without warning. I was able to restart it afterward. To... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

The oil pump is exhibiting erratic oil pressure behavior, verified by certified BMW technicians. This behavior has been documented by BMW to indicate that the oil pump can fail without warning, leading to an Uncommanded Loss of Propulsion Angle. The sudden and unexpected loss of power-assisted steering and braking, when the engine stalls in active traffic, can lead to death of the occupants or oth... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

2017 KIA SOUL, at approximately 87,000 miles began to show intermittent oil warning lights under regular G-loads pointing to oil starvation issues.Vehicle was taken to KIA Dealer for oil change. Dealer stated that possible oil consumption would trigger a need to return to dealer before the 1000 mile marker for second round of warranty checks per TSB 222 rev 8 Excessive Oil Consumption Nu/GAMMA/the... Read more

Incident date: May 7, 2026

On 5/72026@app 3:14pm after picking up one grandchild, and at a stop light on the way to p/u the other, the Jeep without warning just disengaged when the gas pedal was depressed, but to no avail. While frozen, the dashboard may have displayed something that was not noted in the panic to get the car moving! The internal panel was still illuminated, however the car would not move forwards although s... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine is experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle rapidly burns through engine oil between oil changes without visible external leaks. The condition appears related to the engine lubrication and internal engine components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. ... Read more

Incident date: May 12, 2026

My vehicle engine caught fire after getting gas. It started smoking then went up in flames.

Fire

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

I am writing to formally log a critical safety and product reliability complaint regarding my Hyundai Elantra GT. The vehicle has suffered catastrophic engine failure characterized by severe rod knock. This failure occurred without any prior warning from the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic systems, exposing an engineering and sensor flaw that creates an immediate safety hazard.The vehicle was opera... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

The valve body on these cars are useless. Driving down a highway and cant shift out of 3rd gear almost had a car re-end me. Today I am driving and the ECU is not responding I see the check engine light on then I'm like not again. This would be the 3rd valve body I replaced. First I replaced the whole transmission thinking that is what I needed and advised that the valve body and the transmission ... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

My rear subframe is completely rotted out and the dealership I bought it from but a new inspection sticker sold it to me and told me it was perfect condition

Incident date: May 9, 2026

While driving on a high-speed interstate with two children in the vehicle, and without any prior warning signs or issues, the dashboard began displaying sequential warnings from multiple Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors. As the vehicle continued cycling through numerous dashboard warnings, the power steering failed, making the vehicle difficult to control. Additional electronic sy... Read more

Incident date: May 7, 2026

My engine lights turned on Friday, April 24th and I brought in my vehicle to a local dealership on Monday, April 27th. I was informed it was due to a faulty catalytic converter and it was replaced under warranty. The services was completed on Tuesday, April 29th and took my vehicle home. On May 7th, I turn on my engine and all the engine check lights came on. My car was jerky. I was scheduled to b... Read more

Incident date: Apr 23, 2026

The vehicle has coolant intrusion, and engine has been reported knock. Before the incident, I called the Bloomfield office to book an appointment, I was put on call waiting but no response, I booked the appointment online, no confirmation. I then booked another appointment and went to Springfield, Vauxhall Ford plant when I received the Recall paper. The agent that responded to me told me that the... Read more

Incident date: Feb 25, 2026

This is an extremely common issue plaguing Hyundai & Kia vehicles with the Theta III 2.5L Turbo engine, Such as Kia K5 GT, Hyundai Sante Fe, Hyundai Santa Cruz, & Hyundai Sonata N-Line. Its a failing ITM (integrated thermal management) unit or otherwise known as an ITMS unit. There is a rod within the ITM that prevents proper control of the flow of cooling the oil and engine coolant of the engine... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

2019 Ford Fusion with 82,362 miles- just told engine coolant leaking into the cylinder walls and engine replacement is needed. Dealer said Do not drive it! This is a known problem with this model and Ford has not recalled it. Ford is aware and have sent TS Bulletins to their service departments but why NOT recall. My daughter’s safety has been at risk and now the value is worthless Or an engine ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 5, 2026

Engine failed while driving, Took it to dealership and the engine is seized. We were declined by Hyundai an engine replacement even though the Theta 2 engines have a lifetime replacement warranty because these engines are known to fail. They constantly deny due to 'severe owner neglect' because people do their own oil changes.

Incident date: May 13, 2026

Coolant leak into the engine. Told that Ford knows about this but refuses to do anything to help me. Said the car would need $14,000 worth of fixes when I only bought it for $12,300.

Incident date: Oct 17, 2025

Worst dealership my husband and I ever dealt with. We purchased a 2019 Nissan XD Titan Diesel with warranty. Two days after purchase, the check engine light came on. I called Spencer from the service department to let them know. They took the truck the very next day; it was some issue with the gas tank, so the part was back-ordered. After getting that fixed, the check engine light still never went... Read more

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

I had been hearing a ticking or clicking sound from the engine. When I brought it to a Honda dealership that I had used about a year ago for the 100,000 mile maintenance, I was told that the truck had a rod bearing failure and that I needed a new engine. I was told that if I kept driving it as is, that I could have catastrophic engine seizure without warning at anytime. This is a disaster waiti... Read more

Incident date: Jun 5, 2025

I am filing a complaint regarding Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) and the reporting and collection of a repossession deficiency balance related to my 2021 Ford EcoSport, VIN [XXX] and Ford Motor Company. The vehicle was affected by serious safety defects and recall-related issues that endangered my safety and substantially impaired the vehicle’s reliability, usability, and market value. Despi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

I Was In My Vehicle Parked Up On January 1st 2026 And The Vehicle Caught On Fire While I Was Inside Of It,The Fire Started From The Right Side Of The Car And Flamed Up Everything,The Car Had A Check Engine Light On And A Lightning System Issue Was Popping Up On The Dash Right Before This Situation Accord I Did Research And Found That The Cause Of The Fire Is Related To NHTSA Recall 24V-608 (Water ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

The contact's son owned a 2025 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her son was driving on the parkway at approximately 40 MPH, a loud, booming sound emit from the vehicle. After the booming sound emitting from the vehicle, several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel as the vehicle caught fire. Due to the sudden failure, the vehicle caught fire and the authorities were called to ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Apr 23, 2026

There are three dangerous systems in my 2025 Honda Pilot EX-L that should be permanently disabled or removed by the manufacturer or dealer. In order of danger; (1) Collision Mitigation Braking System, (2) Auto Idle Stop, and (3) Road Departure Mitigation System. All three of these systems have nearly caused wrecks for me several times. The Collision Mitigation Braking System (1) is especially dang... Read more

Incident date: Apr 5, 2026

2020 3.0 diesel duramax sucked in the antifreeze and caused a hydrolock. The dealer says that it is not covered under warranty since the engine was over 100k miles. They did offer a new engine for $30K which I declined. The truck was always well taken care of and only received the best in all products

Incident date: May 8, 2026

After completion of Hyundai Service Campaign 9C2, my 2016 Hyundai Sonata SE is very difficult to drive at low RPMs. Cold start its sluggish and jerks and driving uphill feels like transmission slipping but is not. An additional update to the ECM needs to be conducted ASAP.

Incident date: May 13, 2026

Multiple warning lights lit up after starting car and driving for a short distance (less than 5 feet). Honda mechanic diagnosed it as a misfire in cylinder likely due to carbon buildup or other unknown reason. Similar incidents have happened with other 2019 Honda Fit and an extension of warranty was issued for some vehicles but not all (SB 23-042). Unfortunately, mine was apparently not covered de... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

-Thermostat -car died in traffic -not that I know of -it was diagnosed by the dealer -no warning lights or lamps -not that I’m aware if

Incident date: Feb 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Honda CR-V. The stated that when driving the vehicle, it unexpectedly stalled. No warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 400.

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

In October of 2025 my husband noticed that our car was idling roughly and checked that there was plenty of oil in the system. The dipstick was pretty much empty so my husband added approximately 3 quarts of oil to bring it up to a little over half. After a thousand miles he checked to make sure it was still holding stead just in case. When he did so the dip stick again showed nearly empty. On appr... Read more

Incident date: Apr 20, 2026

The engine seized up and hyundai refused to approve my claim al though i had the extended warranty. Reason for the denial because a recall in 2019 was not performed. I had purchased the vehicle in 2023 used from Rick case honda.

Incident date: May 12, 2026

Hard downshift caused my truck to slow suddenly and became very hesitant where the vehicle behind me had to slam on their brakes. I then pulled over when it was safe, turned the truck off and then attempted to turn back on with no success due to the shift indicator no longer lighting up. This matches up with the current recall for this particular vehicle.

Incident date: May 8, 2026

VERIFIED CONCERN, FOUND VEHICLE TO RUN VERY ROUGH AND DOES NOT IDLE CLEANLY. PERFORMED MISFIRE MONITOR AND NOTED NO MISFIRES AT THIS TIME. INSPECT SPARK PLUGS, COILS AND CYLINDER BORES FOR CONCERN, NOTED LOW COMPRESSION ON CYL #2 (150, 105, 145, 150). INSPECT CYL BORE WITH CAMERA, NOTED EXCESSIVE SCOURING AND DAMAGE TO CYLINDER WALLS CAUSING MISFIRE. ADVISE LONGBLOCK OR COMPLETE ASSEMBLY REPLACEME... Read more

Incident date: Sep 18, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Jaguar E-Pace. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop light or stop sign, the automatic stop start caused the vehicle when stopped and light or stop sign, the vehicle stalled. The issue also occurred while driving on a roadway, the vehicle stalled when stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and did a multi point inspect... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2025

Head gasket failure, specifically corrosion of the engine block. One day the car just did not start at all, with no clear indication of head gasket failure until compression test was ran. Symptoms include coolant levels getting lower each week, with constant refills needed. Random misfires. Smoke randomly emitting from the exhaust when idle. Has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

the first indication of an issue was oil consumption. It was using more oil than usual around the 70K mile mark. Then it started misfiring, and soon after a knocking noise coming from the engine. There are no check engine light on, after bringing it in for diagnostics, it read that it was a spark plug, once they got into the engine they discovered the cylinder had been stripped from the piston. ... Read more

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 ... 25 26 27 ... 3296 3297 Next

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog