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.
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
Showing 164,804 complaints — component: ENGINE
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2026) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: May 8, 2026
I purchased a brand new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit in April 2026. At approximately 1,205 miles, while traveling with my wife and [XXX] child in [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly developed a flashing check engine light and severe engine misfire condition. The engine began shaking violently, idling rough, and lost smooth drivability during operation. I scanned the vehicle using an OBD-II scanner... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 HONDA CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, numerous warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, including the ABS and check engine lights. Concurrently, the vehicle lost engine motive power and was unable to accelerate. The vehicle was driven to a dealer where it was diagnosed to have a blown head gasket and issue with the fuel injector. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2026
I Purchased a 2022 Nissan Altima from Drive Time with 90,000 miles on it. I would have had this car for 2 years this month in May. The Car Currently has about 122,587 Miles on it and has Transmission CVT Failure. I notice pulling, not being able to Accelerate while car was in motion, and while car was stop at green light waiting to procced. while hitting the gas the car would go into limp mode ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The vehicle experienced repeated engine-related failures associated with the P1326 error code, which indicates a potential engine defect. The issue first occurred around February 2023 at approximately 51,500 miles, when a warning light appeared. The problem has recurred multiple times despite inspections and service attempts. In January 2024, a dealership performed a software update related to th... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: Apr 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that when her husband turned the vehicle on the vehicle stalled immediately. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to a independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had locked up. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an engine, cam sh... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: May 7, 2026
own a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with approximately 76,896 miles. The vehicle experienced sudden coolant loss and overheating while driving and became disabled to the point it would not restart. The vehicle required towing to a repair facility. The symptoms appear substantially similar to known GM cooling system/oil cooler line issues addressed in other Silverado programs and complaints, howeve... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2025) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: May 13, 2026
Hello, I purchased this truck new in November of 2025. Around 1500 miles and a few months later the truck developed what sounds like some sort of belt squeak or chirp upon startup, light acceleration and when the engine auto start/stops. I took it to my local dealer and they told me they “lubed the belt” the noise became faint but still didn’t go away. Around 3k miles the noise is back as lo... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Recently my car's check engine light and the message "Service Stabilitrak" started coming up on my car, then my car started shaking while idling. I quickly took the car to my mechanic who assessed it, replaced my spark plugs, which did not solve the issue, and recommended I go to the dealership. In between these appointments my car was consistently shaking while idling and I would have difficultie... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
I was driving home from work, and dash warning sign came on and told me to start engine. I was currently driving at approximately 60 mph. When i came to blinking red Light i went to accelerate and truck was unresponsive. it would not accelerate and engine was off. I went to start engine and it just cranked with no start. I used onstar to get a tow truck. I was broken down in the middle of an inter... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 15-30 MPH and shifting gears, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle began to shudder at 50-60 MPH. The yellow engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the gear system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2026
The engine was replaced at 50,000 miles for a known coolant intrusion issue. The problem reappeared at 72000 miles. This widely known issue should have been a recall and won't be because of the financial impact to Ford.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2026
Rob bearing recall was performed on a 2018 Acura MDX at around 78,000 miles. After a long ordeal with Acura because the recall had not yet been extended to the 2018 MDX's yet, Honda agreed to replace the motor. The new replacement motor has already seized again with only 30,000 miles. Dealer has taken motor apart and confirmed it is the same rod bearing issue as the recall. So the new motor th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2021 Kia Telluride experiencing repeated and dangerous electronic system failures while driving. Kia of East Syracuse (NY) diagnosed the issue as related to the backup camera assembly and communication/network failures. While driving, the vehicle experienced loss of power steering assist, instrument cluster failure, speedometer malfunction, incorrect gea... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — ENGINE
May 13, 2026
Incident date: Apr 6, 2026
Vehicle: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport I am submitting this complaint due to an ongoing and potentially dangerous issue involving my 2022 Ford Bronco Sport shutting off unexpectedly while in operation. The vehicle intermittently displays messages instructing the driver to “Shift to Park” and/or “Restart Engine” while the vehicle is being actively operated. On multiple occasions, the engine has sh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The exhaust manifold on both sides of the motor have cracked and have broken bolts. The Ram dealer confirmed it and says it is a known issue that the manufacturer will not fix. With the crack and broken bolts, exhaust fumes are leaking out. It gets nauseating in the cab of the truck if the windows are up for too long. My independent mechanic is set to replace the manifolds with aftermarket ones du... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
Blown head gasket, white smoke from the exhaust. Loss of power. All warning lights on the dash started blinking. Dealer gave estimate of $6500.
Incident date: May 10, 2026
While driving my 2020 Acura MDX, the vehicle developed an intermittent check engine light and a noticeable engine knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an Acura dealership for diagnosis. According to the certified Acura technician, no diagnostic trouble codes were found stored in the vehicle’s system. However, the technician confirmed there was an audible k... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) in my Kia K5 GT (2.5T engine) has experienced a recurring internal electronic and mechanical fault. This is the third failure of this component. The failure causes the cooling system to malfunction, either by over-cooling or failing to cycle coolant once at operating temperature. Under acceleration—specifically when merging onto expressways—th... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2026
I was on my way home from work and everything was driving fine and then I got 1/4 mile from my house and the motor started making a very loud grinding sound. I could barely accelerate. The issue happened out of nowhere. No issues prior to this happening. I was driving about 40 miles an hour when the issue started and I limped it to my driveway, luckily I was not very far away. I have a 3 month old... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Engine blown out malfunction took two dealer Hyundai Folsom Lake stated rings are bad sludge buildup in engine and stayed at Hyundai motor America denied engine replacement due to knowledge under Theta two engine extended warranty settlement of 150,000 MI 15 years I'm still within warranty but are still being denied had numerous of issues with vehicle oil consumption knock knock sensor replace and... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2017) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 8, 2026
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2018 Honda Accord equipped with the 1.5L turbocharged engine. The vehicle has experienced repeated engine-related failures despite multiple repair attempts by an authorized Honda dealership. Problems have included dashboard warning lights, engine misfires, loss of power, fuel odor, and suspected head gasket failure. Most concerning, on September 20, 20... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE
(2017) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 8, 2026
Vehicle had lifter failure. This could’ve have caused a devastating accident to myself or family which includes my 8 year old daughter. GMC has knowledge of this problem with this motor
Incident date: Feb 28, 2026
When driving at highway speeds there randomly is a full loss of engine power for 3 to 5 seconds. Each time this has occurred I was on the highway and depressing the gas pedal further to either pass another car or because I'm driving up and incline. For several seconds the car looses all power and begins slowing. Traffic approaching rom behind may have to apply brakes. I am unsure whether it's... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
On May 2nd 2026 I was driving my 2021 Tahoe high country with the 6.2 motor at 60 mph and started to slow down before my left hand turn. In the process of slowing down at about 40mph I heard a loud bang/thud noise. The car had completely shut down all motor related usage. I coasted into the shoulder on the side of the road the vehicle would not restart. I had my children and wife in the car. There... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Engine has a terrible shake, and I was informed by a mechanic that it has a misfire and no compression in piston number seven
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 11, 2026
Water pump failed after replacement in 2013 with 30k miles, car had only 93k miles when failed again in 2016. The potentiometer part failed, there is corrosion in the part. Was in freeway when it failed. I have reported this to different representatives. I was charged more 1.5k for a replacement of a faulty part that should last more than 50k miles.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
Evap purge valve stuck open, coolant pooling in spark plugs, and oil combusting rapidly causing fire and explosion fears. Heavy smell of gasoline to where i didn't feel safe to start or drive
Incident date: May 11, 2026
My 2018 Ford Edge (VIN: [XXX] ), equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine, suffered a catastrophic engine failure due to internal coolant intrusion into the cylinders — a known defect covered under Ford Technical Service Bulletin TSB 22-2229. Approximately four months before the failure, I brought the vehicle to Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio after the check engine light illuminated. Despite this w... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
My 2024 Mazda CX-90 MHEV has experienced multiple life-threatening sudden engine stalls and a complete loss of motive power while driving in active traffic lanes. The first incident occurred on December 31, 2024, when the vehicle abruptly shut down with an "Engine Malfunction" dashboard alert. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Mazda dealership (Palatine, IL), where it was held for a week, bu... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Dash said look for safe place to pull over. When turned engine off, it would not start again. Had to wait hours to get it towed to dealership. Been there over 5 weeks and they still don't know what's wrong but suspect hybrid battery problem. Only about 21k miles and 18 mo old. No loaner provided.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
The Long block of the engine, which has seemingly been a known issue, is causing damage to the engine and spark plugs. It is. This could leave me stranded or cause an accident with how violent it makes the car misfire, and sometimes it's hard to accelerate. This is an issue that Ford has acknowledged as well as the Ford dealership. It has undergone a diagnostic run at the Ford dealership. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
Traveling Northbound in the left lane on [XXX] approximately 1 mile prior to the [XXX] exit. I increased my speed to move to the right lane and exit. After moving the the right lane and signaling to exit the highway a notification appeared on the gauge cluster stating to shift to neutral and restart the engine. After coming to a complete stop at the stop light I attempted to restart and nothing ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently entered limp mode and loss automotive power while the vehicle was still at full battery. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to get a diagnosis however, the dealer stated that the failure was no... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The check engine light and the battery warning lights came on. Took it to the dealership and they diagnosed the problem to be the MOTOR GENERATING UNIT (MGU). This is a known problem with the ram truck. The parts to fix it are on back order at a minimum of 45 days.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
* This complaint concerns a catastrophic failure of the transmission in my vehicle. This defect was first reported to a Ford dealer while still within the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty (Jan 3, 2023, at 58,679 miles; Invoice #XXX). * The condition worsened. Between July 2024 - Jan. 2026, I received 7 digital "Service Engine Soon" warnings via the Ford App. My dealer advised that the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
On or about 12/14/25 at approximately 2,000 miles my engine began smoking to the point that it was pushing in to the interior of the cabin and created a cloud like atmosphere that smelled of burning oil. There were no warning messages in the vehicle or in the mobile diagnostic application associated with the vehicle. Once parked, I popped the engine and observed visible smoke from the engine and a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2026
I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding serious engine issues I have experienced with my Alfa Romeo vehicle. The ongoing mechanical problems have created significant inconvenience, financial hardship, and concerns regarding the safety and reliability of the vehicle. Since owning the vehicle, I have experienced persistent engine-related problems including [loss of power/engine stalling... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
1) The cylinder head gasket was “blown” and leaking coolant into cylinder 2. 2) As I was merging into traffic, my vehicle suddenly lost power and entered limp mode and the check engine light began flashing. 3) Yes, serviced at the dealer and confirmed 4) Inspected by dealer 5) No
Incident date: May 1, 2026
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata is experiencing severe oil consumption due to a known Hyundai engine defect. The engine burns oil rapidly and loses more than a quart between oil changes. This creates a safety hazard because the engine can stall, seize, or fail while driving. The Hyundai dealership did NOT perform the official Hyundai oil-consumption test. They only checked the dipstick, noted the oil was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
Engine stopped and made me come to a stop on a busy rd. Car warning came on saying it was overheating. After taking to mechanic I find out it was due to a Ford known coolant intrusion issue on the 1.5L eco boost. This happened at 103000 miles. Ford is a worthless company knowing they have screwed many owners of these vehicles. Vehicle is sitting in driveway undriveable needing a $10000 engine rep... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The vehicle experienced coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders related to the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. The issue has been diagnosed as an internal engine failure requiring engine replacement. Symptoms included coolant loss, engine misfires, rough operation, white exhaust smoke, check engine warnings, and intermittent no-start conditions. The vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership and is avail... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
For the third time, my vehicle died on me while I was driving; 2 of those times were on the highway going highway speeds. The last (3rd) time, I was towing my travel trailer/RV on the highway. In all incidents, the engine stopped propelling the vehicle. I could see and hear the engine revving but I failed to accelerate. After various warnings on the dash, I was able to pull safely off the road... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
My vehicle started stuttering & shaking when starting. Then the check engine light came on. It was diagnosed with cylinder 2 & 3 misfire. All spark plugs & coil packs replaced. It got better for about 3 months then the problem came right back. Have replaced coil packs multiple times. Took to dealer who said cylinder misfires were caused from coolant leaking & the only fix was to have engine repl... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
My 2018 Nissan Armada has had SO MANY issues (probably 15-20) with not starting when cranked. Something is draining its battery. We have had to change the battery so many times (usually 2-3 times every year or two.) This happens without any notice! We have been stranded in other cities, stores, &/or at work. We have tried having it checked out by different repair shops, replacing batteries in key ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
First, after a trip of approximately 100 miles, the vehicle would not advance after stopping at a STOP sign. I had to shift from DRIVE to PARK and back to DRIVE before the vehicle would move. In the second case, again after a trip over 100 miles, primarily on the highway, the vehicle failed to shift out of first gear while the engine revved to over 7,000 RPM when I left an intersection. In that i... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2026
After emissions campaign 9c9, downshifting using paddle shifters on downhill grades, engine failing to maintain speed. Does not slow car down like it did before, seems like no compression. Fuel efficiency / emissions over traditional transmission braking, forcing drivers to use brakes more often to avoid high RPMs. Safety Risk: The lack of engine braking can lead to brake overheating or fade on lo... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2025) — ENGINE
May 12, 2026
Incident date: May 5, 2026
Engine failure shortly after recall remedy performed by dealer. Recall 25V-274 / N252494000. Sudden loss of propulsion while driving at highway speeds with no warning. Engine stalls and will not restart. Vehicle cannot be shifted into neutral without engine running making it impossible to get vehicle to safety and out of traffic. Dealer confirmed that engine seized as part of recall and will need ... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
Starter started smoking at start up! And clutch failure at traffic light!!!! No accident occurred because of experienced driver!
Incident date: May 9, 2026
While traveling at 75MPH on the highway, the vehicle shut down. No propulsion at all and the error message "Pull Over Safely - Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" was displayed. Was able to coast to a nearby exit and have the car taken to a dealer for service. Very unnerving at 75MPH and a significant safety hazard to me and other drivers.