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: Jul 11, 2026
I had driven 1.5 hours of highway driving. Exited highway and at the first stop light the car stalled on a busy four lane road. I have had the recall software update. Took a minute or 2 to get the car restarted
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
First of all started with small coolant missing, later on I started noticing power loss and finally white smoke out the exhaust. Blown Head Gasket. Honda need to own up on defect engine design the ford did awhile back. Those slits between the cylinder was a big mistake. I myself is doing the repair. 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 with mods and tuned
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
Vehicle flashing warning signs for multiple system functions including battery and mechanical, forcing driver to pull over, unable to put vehicle in neutral to tow. Took vehicle to Honda dealership in Phoenix, AZ dealership unable to recreate issue. Stated it was cleared as a certified used Honda. Continued to have reoccurring issues, less than 2 months later vehicle engine completely seized. Hond... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
My 2020 E450 has not been serviced on schedule due to Mercedes-Benz of Indianapolis and its service manger banning and blacklisting me for months. This service department would not allow my vehicle to be serviced under a prepaid maintenance and wheel and tire plan, and most importantly my vehicle's warranty. When I went there for an appointment, a flat tire, or help with my vehicle, they kicked me... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
While operating my 2024 Honda CRV Sport - L Hybrid, the vehicle experienced a sudden and catastrophic head gasket failure at 108K - miles. This resulted in an immediate, unexpected loss of engine power. The dashboard engine light came on "Emissions system problem. Power may be reduced. See your dealer. This sudden loss of propulsion created an immediate safety hazard, placing myself and other driv... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 450 4MATIC
(2020) - ENGINE
Jul 13, 2026
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
Honda accord 1.5L engine had a blown head gasket at 94,000 miles. Local mechanic has advised that this engine has been an issue with blowing head gaskets early. Took it to dealership and they confirmed head gasket leaking. Was driving on highway and car went into limp mode and all the dash lights came on and car lost acceleration.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
While driving home and stopped at a red light, the dashboard displayed a "Service Required" warning followed immediately by a "Shift System Fault" message. The vehicle would not accelerate and stalled in the middle of the road with traffic going around me. I was unable to move the vehicle until I was able to restart it, which took at minimum 2 tries and 5 minutes. The warning cleared after restart... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
Was driving down the road with zero issues known, no check engine light, and only 114K miles. There was a sudden noise that was quiet so I turned down the radio, and then within 2 seconds or so a loud bang occurred, followed by a lot of smoke. I looked in the side mirrors and noted flames coming from underneath the van. Pulled over and got my family out.
Fire
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
I was told today that my BMW engine oil pump is failing because of plastic internal components which will cause irreversible catastrophic engine damage during operation which is extremely dangerous and that I was informed by the dealer that BMW quietly changed them 2 years after due to the failure rate. If the oil pump shatters, debris can permanently damage the engine during operation jeopardizin... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
Intermittent knock on start up. Goes away within 10-15 seconds of continuous run. Same noise would also reoccur when towing a load.
Incident date: May 4, 2026
The engine is failing at 128,000 miles. The car is burning so much oil that it is impossible to drive more than 500 miles without the oil running dry. The problem has been inspected by the Hyundai dealership nearest me. The vehicle notified me of the oil issue by illuminating the oil light. The issue started after the turbo failed at 127,000 miles. The turbo was replaced at a cost $3,500 and immed... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
* Purchase Date: January 23, 2016 * Current Mileage: Approximately 71,500 miles For the past several months, my vehicle has experienced continuous engine oil loss. The oil level drops approximately one gallon every two months, and the engine oil warning light has illuminated on multiple occasions. Because of this recurring problem, I brought my vehicle to Volkswagen Glendale on April 23, 2026. Aft... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Several times the vehicle has turned off due to the auto on/off and did not restart. No warning. This happened two times at intersection near school with multiple children in the vehicle. Vehicle was not able to restart immediately. Changed to a new agm battery and still does not work. Trouble starting. Slow starting and combined with auto on off this is a dangerous disaster of vehicle
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
Car stalls in traffic repeatedly. Code identified crank shaft .
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
My Engine is overheating, cannot drive the car at all. There is Coolant loss and leaking into the cylinder. It is Rough running and misfires: no matter when I start the Honda whether a fold start or not it is chunky and wants to give out. There is Loss of power which makes my car feel sluggish and is very dangerous as I’m driving myself, children and family on the freeways of St. Louis. I have ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding my 2017 Lincoln MKC equipped with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine (VIN: [XXX]). The vehicle has experienced a severe, progressive engine failure caused by internal coolant intrusion into Cylinder 1, directly matching the structural design defect detailed by the manufacturer in Technical Service Bulletin TSB 22-2229. This defect allows pressurized engine coo... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
Today while driving to church we started hearing a ping noise ever so often. This just started then . After leaving church to go home the pinging noise got louder than the engine stalled and wouldn't start again. I had to have my car towed to my house. That is where it is now. The tow truck driver said that it was a rod. He said that he was mostly sure that it was happened. He stated that he has t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
At 86,000 miles After replacing the camshaft and timing chain with a mechanic friend, we turned the engine over and heard the beginning of an engine knock, he said this engine is notorious for knocking and failing before 100000. Kia recalled the exact same engine. However Hyundai did not. I feel this is very unsafe.
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
My family drove from [XXX] to [XXX]. Upon arrival check engine light came on, we proceeded to a local shop, by the time we arrive check engine light was flashing and engine was knocking and was clearly malfunctioning. Shop owner recommended we transport the vehicle back home as service shops in the area were experiencing high volume and parts shortages. We had vehicle towed to a local shop in [... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2026
Emission warning light along with LKAS, ACC, Brake system are coming on the DASH. No driveability issues. The dealership in Walnut Creek pull code and find P0304 missfire #4 CYCLINDE, test #1 and #2 FAIL. Recommending to replace all 4 injectors.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
I have oil in my breather which is a result from engine sumping problems, I have had Harley Davidson to check recalls and there were none., the bike has 22853 miles on it. Also Harley Davidson checked maintenance records to see if my oil pump had been replaced, they said it had not. The sumping problems could cause a catastrophic failure and an accident
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
This is not a complaint against the dealership, but against the individual that was in charge of compliance. I am an attorney in Maine and it started with the fact that under main law, a dealer has to give two keys and if they don’t have it for free calibrated, and I got one key in the master key was not given, and there was issues with that and the compliance guy and finance a warranty guy whos... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
[Symptom & Safety Hazard] While driving my 2020 GMC Acadia 3.6L V6, the Driver Information Center displayed the warning: "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive With Care" (SARDWC). Steering effort increased abruptly, the engine temperature gauge dropped to cold/zero, and the HVAC system lost air-conditioning function. The warning and reduction in steering assist presented a safety hazard and increased th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2026
When returning home from vacation towing my travel trailer. A warning light came on that said pull over immediately you have lost all power. I pulled over immediately and definitely had lost power and was stuck on a mountain pass. I called for a tow which took 7 hours. I called Toyota during that time and they couldn't tow me home just to the nearest dealer. My family and I had to wait for 7 hours... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2026
Lifters ticking noise causing damage to cam shafts.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2026
While driving at 75mph on the freeway, my 2020 Ford Fusion suffered a sudden, catastrophic EcoBoost engine coolant failure. The vehicle instantly lost power and dropped to 35mph in active traffic, creating an extreme highway collision hazard. A mechanic has confirmed internal coolant intrusion in the engine block.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
ENGINE HAS COOLANT INTRUSIONAND IS MISFIRING. Engine light came on. The coolant system found pressure to be dropping significantly. Removed spark plugs and inspected cylinder bores using borescope. Verified coolant is leaking into cylinder 2 and needed to replace the engine at Ourisman Ford in Manassas VA. on July 11, 2026.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
This complaint refers to Mazda and it's dealer refusal to properly execute the warranty work under the SSPD5 Valve Stem Seal Class Action Campaign and does not follow the Court's approval of the final Settlement Agreement. I assert that Mazda and it's dealer are not following the SSPD5 repair procedures. 1. I have documentation and complaints going back to Dec-2023 with this particular dealer that... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
This is a followup to a complaint that I submitted on July 10, 2026 at 10:19:37 AM, tracking #11749522. The incident that I am reporting today occurred on July 7, 2026 when my son was driving my 2025 Ridgeline alone. I was not aware of this incident until I happened to mention to him what I had experienced with the auto stop re-start failure (no restart after auto start/stop engages). He then r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2026
All my dashboard lights came on and it was driving sluggish and idling a little hard. I took it in for diagnostic and they said that it was a blown head gasket. They told me they only do one oil change and they do not look at the bottom of part of the engine as that’s another teardown. They had my vehicle for a week. I got it back on Friday. Didn’t drive it on Saturday. today is Sunday. I drov... Read more
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
FLHR
(2018) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
I took my 2016 Kia Sorento to the dealership for an emissions service update as a result of a service bulliten (SC340) After recieving the car back, the transmission acts unpredictably and the throttle is erratic. This happens when started cold and continues until the engine reaches temperature. It did not do this previous to the update. It is a safetey hazard and almost caused a collision. The t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
COMPLAINT SUMMARY: [XXX] / ENGINE THERMAL FIRE RISK / WARRANTY DECEPTION My 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe (2.4L GDI Engine) is experiencing severe powertrain degradation under the known Theta II engine defect class-action framework. On November 7, 2025, the vehicle logged a Permanent Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1326 via an independent scan, indicating catastrophic internal rod bearing wear. On XXX,... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2024) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
I purchased a new 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe approximately five months ago, and it currently has only 11,300 miles. Unfortunately, while driving on the highway last night, the 6.2L engine suffered a catastrophic failure. Seconds before the failure, the check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle immediately lost power while traveling at highway speed, creating a significant safety concern for both ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2026
I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2019 Honda Pilot after experiencing a failure of the fuel rail assembly that resulted in the check engine light illuminating and required repair at my own expense. My vehicle exhibited the same symptoms and was diagnosed with the same fuel rail issue that is described in Honda’s existing recall for certain 2019 Honda Pilot vehicles. However, when I co... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2026
The vehicle jerks while changing from 1st to 2nd shaking the engine. I have had 2 transmission flushes which help for a moment then it behave the same way jerking while shifting gears. The vehicle asks like it does not want accelerate at times while shifting gears as well
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
Our 2017 CRV had 91,000 miles on it. Over the course of a few months, occasionally we saw warning dashlights come on, and had sluggish engine performance. We took it for diagnostic testing at two Honda Dealerships. Both determined it needed a new head gasket and turbo charge unit, costing about $8-10K to repair, depending on what they saw when they disassembled it. Contacted American Honda for har... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2018
Engine stopped while driving. Truck made dinging noise. Dash had no warning lights. Dash said need to press start button to turn on. Truck went into neutral by itself. Was able to pull over and put it in park. Tried to push the start button and nothing. Dealership said it needs a new motor. The truck has less than 10k miles. The motor has already been replaced once before at 4070 miles.
Incident date: May 22, 2018
While driving a knocking noise was heard which was worse during acceleration. An orange flashing engine light was displayed a mile away from home. Inspection completed by certified master technician was completed showing engine damage from rod beating and crank shaft. Vehicle was out purchased from Honda dealership and all services and oil changes were completed at same dealership. Vehicle is now ... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
Recently had oil change . Right after B oil change engine light came on, a solid yellow light car is driving rough it’s a 2015 Kia Forte. Have an appointment Monday 7/13/2026 to have dealer to do a B diagnostic. The same place I had oil change
Incident date: May 16, 2026
car suddenly overheated leaving myself and two children stranded on the interstate. it's a confirmed cylinder 3 coolant intrusion that is a well known documented issue. diagnosed and confirmed by the dealership. I was unaware of this issue, I thought buying a certified pre owned car meant it was in perfect shape, not a ticking time bomb.
Incident date: Jun 23, 2026
Shifting into gears, there is a delay shifting into the next gear, there is bucking like its going to stall, it happens in traffic. I am worried it will stall and I will be in an accident.
TOYOTA
RAV4 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2026) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
Twice I was making a right hand turn through a green light and an alarm sounded and the dash displayed an ”Engine Off” message. I was able to pull over and restart the car. I took it to the dealership but they were not able to replicate the incident. They told me that they tightened a few connections and sent me on my way. About three weeks later, I was driving straight at about 45mph and ... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE
Jul 12, 2026
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
The engine overheated and went into limp mode while on the busy interstate, we nearly were hit trying to get off the road because we could not keep speed. The car is available for inspection. It has the typical symptoms of the coolant intrusion as acknowledged by Ford in Technical Service Bulletins 19-2139 and 22-2322. These include startup misfires, rapid loss of coolant into the combustion cham... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
A screen popped up saying “reduced engine power” I was already Omw to the shop to get one thing fixed. When they tried to pull my car in they say they he car wouldn’t drive and it was hard to accelerate and they had to put it in Neutral to get it in the shop. They said they fixed the problem but when I left to go into the main road, my car wouldn’t accelerate to the speed I needed and cars... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
There is an idle function on the engine that shuts the engine off when at rest, the engine has failed to restart and the car dies in the middle of the street, without warning, as if the battery is dead. The handful of times this has happened the car has been able to start back up within two or three tries. Honda acknowledges the issue as far as I know. The dealership let me know this is a known is... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2026
I have 36400 miles on my vehicle. It has been to dealer for service as per maintenance manual On Monday the water pump blew. The oil covers blew. They are not even scheduled to be inspected until 60000 Miles I now have a 1800 bill. Service man said these things happen. They don’t make them like they used to. WHAT In 2022 the whole radiator system had to be replaced at 26000 miles Tuesday while t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
My 2013 Ford Fusion equipped with the 1.6L EcoBoost engine started blowing thick white smoke (Burning Coolant) while I was driving on the freeway. Engine coolant was leaking and my card died right there, that had blown the head gasket. I received no warning, no message. This was an incredibly dangerous situation because I was on the freeway and was forced to stop immediately. Ford Motor Company ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
On XXX I received email from CARFAX regarding my vehicle recall "26S40 PCM REPROGRAMMING FOR FUEL TANK DEFORMATION”. I contacted Ford Cutter Hawaii answering spoke with [XXX] over the phone regarding the recall, she asked me to forward the email then she after she read the email she dismissed the information as not reliable as it came from Carfax. She will only follow up if I got recall notice i... Read more