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 ›

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Showing 164,804 complaints — component: ENGINE

Incident date: May 3, 2026

I was getting on the highway in 7th gear and the truck shifted to 1st gear. The rear end locked up and my vehicle skidded out of control. Luckily there was no one around and I did not contact another vehicle or a road barrier.

Incident date: May 3, 2026

I purchased my vehicle through Carvana. My engine light is on. I received a notification that there’s a manufacturer recall on my vehicle which is Code CDJR XD1 Crankshaft position sensor - however it’s not listed on your website.

Incident date: Apr 24, 2026

Start engine light came on while driving. The truck did a dead stop in the middle of the road. Tried to restart but nothing. A tow truck was called and the truck was dropped off at the local GMC dealer. The next day the dealer called me and told me I need a new engine.39,000 miles

Incident date: May 1, 2026

I recently purchased this vehicle, and shortly after, it began having serious powertrain issues. When I accelerate, the vehicle intermittently loses power and starts shaking violently. It feels like the engine or transmission is slipping or failing. The RPMs surge and drop rapidly, and the vehicle hesitates, jerks, and sometimes briefly slows down before suddenly accelerating again. This creates ... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

Car jerks and temp gadgets jumps too high. Message reads high coolant temperature.

Incident date: May 2, 2026

We heard a knocking noise and took the truck to the nearest GM dealership. The engine had to be taken apart. The engine is a L87 6.2 liter V8. The GM dealership service department diagnosed camshaft damage that caused lifter failure. We have since been informed that GM has known about the failure of this engine for many years. In our case, we were fortunate that the engine did not fail when w... Read more

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

It is unknown exactly what causes the issue. But intermittently when taking off from a stop, the powertrain hesitates to respond to my input on the throttle. The hesitation lasts anywhere from half a second to a full second. This puts my safety and other driver’s safety at risk because I cannot reliably tell whether I will be able to pull out quickly and safely in front of an oncoming vehicle. T... Read more

Incident date: Apr 29, 2026

Coolant Intrusion into sccylinder one. Long block assembly required.

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

I am getting warning signs on the dashboard saying that my brake booster performance has failed and I need to service the brake booster , the brakes are very hard to press, I need longer stopping distances,and traction control and stability control towing harness my speed has been limited to 43 mph and it's saying that the mass air flow system is has low circuit

Incident date: Apr 7, 2026

I took my car in for the EVM engine update. Since then whenever it starts it is jumpy. The rpm rev more than they should. It’s very concerning that it will rev and won’t stop and I could possibly hit someone. I took it back to the dealer and they called the timeline and they told them to do another update. They did and it is still like that. Was never like that before. I have connected with s... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2026

I have the GM 6.2 L engine in my 2022 Denali and had the recall Pico test performed August 20th 2025 and the truck passed, they changed the oil and cap and I was good to go supposedly. 5,000 miles later I had the oil changed again and everything looked fine, I drove the truck another approximately 1500 miles and the engine suddenly seized with no indications and no warning. That occurred on Apri... Read more

Incident date: Apr 24, 2026

I was driving down the road about 35 mph and it jerked me clean off the right side of the road. Here the driver side and passenger side subframe/engine cratle is completely rotted out bad . This needs fixed before someone dies.

Crash

Incident date: May 3, 2026

sudden engine death while driving, no warning, timing chain failure, engine destruction

Incident date: Oct 1, 2025

Vehicle is equipped with start stop system and we have had multiple instances where we come to a stop , and the car will not restart. In the latest instance, we pulled up to stoplight, the start stops system engaged shutting off the engine then wouldn't restart. Car also wouldn't turn completely off, so I had to hit the flashers at the busy intersection, try to get the car into park, then shut co... Read more

Incident date: Mar 28, 2026

There is a coolant intrusion in cylinder 2 that needs to be fixed my car started shaking and starting off very slow since November 2025,I have not driven my car in 3 months because my car was not starting and when it did it was shaking violently. I can not afford a new engine PLEASE PLEASE RECALL THIS VEHICLE

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The vehicle loss drive power in the middle of driving several times back to back, a red wrench and a message saying to service hybrid system warning appeared. Purchased used in September 2025, had open recall fixed and later recall fixed after in early 2026.

Incident date: May 2, 2026

Driving down the highway. Vehicle random alerts that there is a transmission error.

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

The 1.3L turbo caused metal fragments to get into my engine which in return caused the transmission to fail. My 2021 Buick encore gx has been in the shop since early February 2026 at Garber Buick in Fort Pierce Florida. The first diagnosis was solenoids needed to be replaced, after the solenoids were replaced they told me the engine needed to be replaced, once the engine was put in Garber Buick to... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

A metallic clinking/rattling noise developed from the engine/transmission area while the vehicle was running. The issue was diagnosed as a failed flexplate. The flexplate is a critical component that connects the engine to the transmission. Continued operation with a failed flexplate can lead to further mechanical failure and could result in loss of propulsion or inability to move the vehicle, cr... Read more

Incident date: Apr 8, 2026

The front drive motor went out

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

I was on a highway in the Middle Lane to accelerate, and after that the car started to lose power and acceleration and the engine started to make noise and I saw smoke behind me. It was only at this point that an engine light came on and then it went off and did not return. It was a safety hazard and dangerous because it lost power on a highway And there were cars around me doing 60 to 80 mph and... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2026

The engine has coolant intrusion. It is available upon inspection. Safety at risk due to side effects from the intrusion such as: engine overheating, misfiring, massive coolant loss that could cause an engine fire. The problem was diagnosed as a blown head gasket, but there is evidence of coolant loss and corrosion of spark plugs etc from coolant in engine. Has not been inspected by insurance or p... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2024

This vehicle has theta 2 engine.. which is part of class lawsuit kia settled. My vehicle had high oil consumption and the defect was due to rod bearing would cause engine to fail and cause hi oil consumption. The dealer diagnosed it with burned valve and denied warranty even though my warranty was extended due to this engine being a defect. The reason they stated is that the rod bearing... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

Thermostat failed making car over heat also sunroof failed due to cheap rolling up shade device getting stuck , when car was less than 4 years old with very little use.

Incident date: May 2, 2026

While passing a vehicle on a two lane road, my vehicle lost power and went into limp mode nearly causing a head on accident. The check engine light came on and i immediately went to O'Reilly's Auto parts store and had their OBD scanner read the code. AP0002 code was read. I immediately returned home and the check engine light automatically cleared. I scanned the OBD again and found code P0002 and ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 27, 2026

turbo component defective fixed at my own cost last 2 yrs 9 m. afraid of fuel starvation

Incident date: Apr 30, 2026

Purchase Date of LX600: 10/26/2023 Date of Incident: 12/21/2025 While driving home (at about 65 MPH) the vehicle gave an alert on the dash which said Pull Over - Vehicle Losing Power and Shutting Down. Once this alert appeared on the dash, we had approximately 30 seconds to find a safe spot to pull over. The road that this happened on is a one lane road in each direction in a rural zone that is h... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2025

Engine suffered catastrophic failure without warning while traveling highway speeds after being cleared during recall check and suggested oil viscosity change. Most recent dealer performed service on 4/3/26 showed no mechanical issues and engine failed 2 weeks later on 4/17/26.

Incident date: Feb 20, 2026

Antifreeze intrusion into motor. I was driving on the interstate going 77mph cruise control set. Lost power dropped to 65mph without warning. RPM shot up to 4500. Trouble accelerating. Limped the car home, took to have looked at. Was told need new engine do antifreeze in combustion chamber.

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

Today, 5/2/26 in Lewis Center, OH- My daughter and I were returning home from her Soccer game. The time was about 11am. We were in my brand new Chevy Z71 Suburban, with 4,100 miles. As we were slowing , approaching the roundabout, i noticed no power as i was preparing to enter the roundabout. I then see that the car powered off. It would not restart and i had no way to put into N. I had to c... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

Cam Phasers. Ford refuses to repair cam phasers despite having a recall previously and never fixed by previous owner. Ford quoted the repair at $8k. Previously recall stated safety concerns over faulty manufacturing of cam phasers, having plastic parts and exposed parts rather than metal and enclosed parts like in they install during the repair. While I understand the repair was a voluntary recall... Read more

Incident date: Jul 7, 2025

The engine in this 2016 Hyundai Tucson has experienced progressive failure symptoms consistent with the known rod bearing defect covered under Hyundai's engine warranty extension campaign. Symptoms include: excessive oil consumption requiring frequent top-offs over several months, severely degraded acceleration, failure to upshift under load, and an audible metallic crunching noise occurring aroun... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

Hyundai's recent emissions software update (9C9) has disabled engine braking, creating a risk of brake fade on grades. The vehicle is no longer able to hold speed while descending grades, regardless of downshifting, forcing the brakes to be implemented to avoid excessive speed. This was never an issue prior to the software update and happened immediately after the software was installed. Instea... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2025

On May 2nd, we drove our 2019 Honda Odyssey XL-E to church, and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, we started to see smoke coming from our front hood. We exited the car. Within 30 seconds, the car then went into flames, and exploded and the car is now unsalvageable. When I went online, it seems like this is a common occurrence with these Honda Odysseys. There were no warming lamps, messag... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Apr 29, 2026

After driving my 2024 RAV4 in rain for about an hour, I was then parked for about 5 minutes in a parking garage and the engine shut down and warning light came on for power steering, and white smoke /steam came out of the engine. Engine would not restart, even after tow truck arrived thirty minutes later. Once dealership received my vehicle they say it starts fine and can't find any issues. They h... Read more

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

My vehicle had oil consumption problems that were fixed with a new replacement engine now my catalytic converter is going bad due to engine oil consumption problems and the dealer I deal with is refusing to help with this issue. There is only around 50k miles on the new engine. I would greatly appreciate your help with this Thank you!

Incident date: Apr 24, 2026

First I had to replace all injectors and now I have a cylinder 4 misfire and need a head gasket job that’s being quoted at $5000!!! I’ve done all maintenance and upkeep and my car looks new. I’m in Honda groups and this is happening to everyone with the 10th generation accord that’s 1.5t engine. This should be a recall! I thought Hondas were the best. This is ridiculous and the car has no ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 8, 2026

Failed Head Gasket in the engin affected fuel injectors and spark plugs to fail or not perform normally and started misfiring in the engin. My 24 year old son drives this car and the problem happened at night when he was driving home at night on 3/4/2026 flashing all waring signs on the screen. The car's speed was abruptly reduced to very low and he was not able to drive the car . I put the car to... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

another case of a 2018 cx-5 cracked cylinder head. 70k miles and regularly maintienced. no warning other than oil showing on the ground. took it in to mazda dealership and they came back after looking at it and declared it was a cracked cylinder head priced at 6.8k. after looking it up it appears to be a casting issue that has affected many mazdas but mazda corp. will not take fault.

Incident date: May 2, 2026

NHTSA Complaint SummaryVehicle: 2017 Ford Escape SEEngine: 1.5L EcoBoostVIN: [XXX] Defect: Engine Block Design Flaw / Coolant IntrusionTechnical Description of the Issue:My vehicle is experiencing a well-documented manufacturing defect specific to the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. The engine block was designed with a "v-groove" between the cylinders that is prone to structural failure. This allows engine... Read more

Incident date: Aug 29, 2025

Consistent burning of oil

Incident date: Apr 2, 2026

Engine coolant control valve needed to be replaced. Special coverage (N252508341) was issued out by GM to fix this problem on 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles.

Incident date: Apr 30, 2026

My Vehicle some times gives a jerk once in awhile I also have been told I cant charge my vehicle these recalls have no fix to them I am getting really tired of this and want Jeep to buy back my vehicle!!!

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

Engine problem had to get a new engine

Incident date: Feb 2, 2023

On Tuesday April 28 while I was driving the engine suddenly started making a strange noise and the engine died. It would not restart. I had it towed to the dealer and was told the cam shaft “spun” and destroyed the engine. I am now having to replace the engine at a cost of $11,000!

Incident date: Feb 2, 2023

When slowing down in traffic or approaching a stop sign vehicle will stall then turn off. This will than cause the vehicle to abruptly stop. Emergency brake is then engaged. It takes 1-3 times to engage vehicle to restart using the push start button. This happens with in 2-4 blocks of a cold start or even after 15 minutes or more of driving. This vehicle has been in the Dodge dealer several time... Read more

Incident date: Nov 4, 2025

The component or system that failed or malfunctioned due to this issue was our cylinder number 1 had a misfire code showing. Upon further inspection of the car at the shop with a borescope camera it was found that coolant is leaking into the cylinder causing a misfire to occur after the vehicle has been driven and then sits while cooling system is still under pressure. Our safety was put at risk b... Read more

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

Engine failure. Not available for inspection. Engine replaced and damaged engine return for core charge. While driving on the highway, without any for warning, engine stalled, loss of power and dash read “emissions system problem “. Vehicle was towed to Honda of Denton for diagnostic testing. The engine stalling and loss of power at highway speeds caused a great risk for my family in the van... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

In October of 2025 the vehicle began to make engine noises. Within a day the vehicle stalled and shut down completely. I had my mechanic examine the car and they advise coolant had leaked into the engine cause damage. The engine had to be replaced. No warranty coverage and 4k later.

Incident date: Feb 27, 2026

p1326, rod bearing failure and seizure of motor without warning.

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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

Read more from our blog