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 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 580
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2026
Incident date: May 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an unusual knocking sound and the engine seized. In addition, several warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the oil was three quarts low. The contact stated... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was heard coming from under the hood while the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the steering wheel would shudder. The Check engine oil warning light illuminated. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHSTA Campaign: 17V226000... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the dealer reprogrammed the engine control module (ECM) software and test drove the vehicle and found no failures. Despite the dealer's claims that they test drove the vehicle, the contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while starting the vehicle up she noticed that it hesitate was turning on and noticed the oil pressure warning light illuminated, and stated while accelerating the vehicle starts to shake and would not go above 30 MPH, and while trying to stop at a red light the vehicle struggles to brake although the brakes are applied, after coming to a f... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 RAM Promaster 2500. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however the parts were unavailable. The contact, who was a business owner, stated that he did not want his vehicle to break down while on the road. The contact stated that the recall was initiated over six months ago. The dealer was contacted, the con... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving her vehicle, she notices that her coolant levels drain very quickly, causing her to fill up after every trip, and stated her vehicle was overheating at times. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic where it was diagnosed to have coolant leaking into cylinder two, needing a new engine replacement. The vehicle was no... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2026
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape SE. The contact stated that while idle at a stop light with the left-turn signal on, the vehicle started to jerk, and loud noises were coming from the front end of the vehicle. The Check Engine light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to move. The Fire Department arrived and assisted the contact with pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 - 55 MPH, the Check Engine light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed code PO299, which referred to coolant migration into the vacuum system. The contact was unable to provide the exact parts that were needed for repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 RAM 1500. The contact stated while the contact's husband was driving at 75 MPH, the engine seized. In addition, several warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was seized in the middle of a busy highway. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed wi... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and inspected the vehicle. The contact discovered that there was no oil in the engine; however, the vehicle previously had an oil change. The contact added oil to the engine. The failure persisted. Additionally, the vehicle made rattling... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the oil pressure sensor light was illuminated. The vehicle was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact had to add additional oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the vehicle was related to the recall. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ca... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V034000 (Air Bags) and 25V607000 (Seat Belts); however, the parts for the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable timeframe for the remedies to be available. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds and while idle, the vehicle wo... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 18, 2026
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced; the independent mechanic made the contact aware of an unknown technical service bulletin associated with the failure. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 15-20 MPH, the vehicle stalled after 7 months of ownership. The vehicle stalled in the intersection. A few guys were able to push the vehicle out of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed ... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Honda CBR600RR. The contact stated that while thee vehicle was parked, oil was observed on the ground and oil was observed as empty in the tank. The vehicle experienced a harsh cranking noise and the power diminishes when changing gears. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where engine oil was added and observed for any additional leaks. The dealer stated for the contac... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 18, 2026
Incident date: Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH a loud noise and smoke was suddenly present coming from under the hood of the vehicle and the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the home. The contact indicated that during the failure no warning messages or lights had displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that one cylinder had low pressure while the other three cylinders had pressures higher than 100%. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle began to vibrate excessively. There was an abnormal swishing sound detected. The check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where a video was sent to the contact displaying coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a “Steering Assist is Reduced ” warning message unexpectedly displayed. The contact also stated that the thermostat became inoperable. Additionally, the thermostat information was no longer displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the the... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado LD Crew. The vehicle was taken for a recall repair due to a the crank shaft bearings failure. The contact stated that awhile after the repair was completed , the engine was ticking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again, where it was diagnosed with metal shavings in the engine. The dealer stated a new motor may be needed which would be the fourth... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when attempting to turn on the AC unit, it would fail, causing them to have to fill the vehicle with new coolant every 2 to 3 weeks. There were no leaks underneath the vehicle or warning lights. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repair. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall attached to the VIN. T... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
The contact noticed the oil drained quickly and RPMs increased rapidly upon starting the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 86,100. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the ECU was replaced twice, the piston rings were not replaced; the issue persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 86,100
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. The vehicle The contact stated that while driving, The approximate failure mileage was 202,427. The oil light illuminated, looked and there was no oil. The vehicle knocked. the vehicle stalled.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Mazda. The contact stated that the vehicle was braking randomly while driving. There was an unknown malfunction code that flashed quickly. The steering was stiff and failed to turn. The steering wheel adjusted and guided the vehicle into the wrong lane. The RPM was sporadically reeving. The RPM increased, and the vehicle stalled without acceleration. There was smoke emergin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle the engine was hesitant to start and while driving the flashing check engine light had illuminated and the vehicle did not accelerate past 40 MPH. The vehicle was slowly driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the both the engine head gasket and water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle's speed did not accelerate above 20 MPH. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Mini Cooper S. The contact stated that a brake pad failure message was illuminated on the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the brake fluid service issue. The brake fluid flush was completed, and a complimentary oil change was provided. Two days after doing so, approximately two days later, the Oil Light illuminated, advising to add a quart of oil.... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the interstate , the vehicle independently went into engine power reduce mode. The contact mention she pulled off the interstate, turned the vehicle off for five to ten minutes then turned the vehicle back on and the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH with cruise control engaged. The low-pressure oil light illuminated. The driver was able to pull over. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that it was 4 quarts low and replenished it. An oil compensation test was performed. The dealer found no issue. While driving, there was an abnormal ba... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, "low coolant" and "overheating" messages and the check engine warning light illuminated. On the first two occasions, the low coolant message appeared. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and inspected, and she observed a leak under the engine compartment. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway where the vehicle was then towed to a dealer. After the vehicle remained in the dealer's possession for over a week, the vehicle was diagnosed with an engine failu... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 12, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact's friend owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the owner had to add additional coolant after it was low. The vehicle stalled while driving, and all the coolant was depleted. The owner used approximately 2 jugs of antifreeze. The driver was stranded. The low coolant light was illuminated. The vehicle was pulled to the owner's residence. The local dealer was contacted, but the... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The contact stated while the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact noticed an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's husband ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Overheated" displayed. The contact checked the Hyundai app, but it showed no failure. The contact's wife drove to their son's residence, who inspected and discovered that there was no coolant in the engine. The contact's son added coolant to the engine. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning and a " engine fault service now message appeared and also idled roughly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed as a coolant leak into the engine block that caused misfires in cylinder two and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado1500. The contact stated while driving the vehicle he felt shuttering and noticed his automatic start does not start. The contact also experienced engine reduced power issues, preceded by a warning sign on the dashboard stating "Engine Power is Reduced" while driving. Additionally, the contact noticed a significant loss of mileage per gallon and a loss of... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was using an excessive amount of oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was no indication of a leak. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact the failure was related to combustion chamber cleaning. The manufacturer was contacted, who info... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Audi A6. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The engine overheating and the low coolant warning light illuminated. In addition, the engine seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and a failed coolant pump vacuum. The contact was informed that the coolant pump vacuum assembly needed ... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced oil consumption failures. While examine the vehicle he contact discover very little oil was present although oil was recently added to the engine. The oil light warning light did not display and no oil leaks were present. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determined the cause of the fai... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
The contact's son owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven at 40-50 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk. The check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was related to the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle lost power and did not accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant control valve needed to be replaced... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted immediately, but the failure persisted twice, causing the contact to wait for the vehicle to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine had failed and... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the contact had exited when the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle rolled over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and, upon inspection, noticed that an excessive amount of oil had leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 8, 2026
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle hesitated and the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer diagnosed the issue with a coolant leak and engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 86,708.
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 7, 2026
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range rover 3.0. The contact stated while driving on the highway heard loud bang, no warning lights illuminated, continued to drive. white grayish Smoke coming from underneath the vehicle and a burning oil smell. There was also a lot of oil spots visible underneath the vehicle. Pulled off the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed wi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine light had appeared on the instrument panel. After an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the check engine light remained as the vehicle began to shake upon start of the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a P0302 engine code appeared which indicated a cylinder #2 misfire. The contact then ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, coolant was observed leaking from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine casing had failed, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 7, 2026
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated upon inspecting the oil canister, the dipstick was dry. The contact stated that a quart of oil was added weekly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was advised that a quart of oil was needed to be added every 1,200 miles... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 7, 2026
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that an abnormal, knocking sound would emit upon depression of the accelerator pedal as a check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the diagnosed the vehicle with a defective rod knock sensor; he was then advised to no longer operate the vehicle. The vehicle was later ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
The contact owns2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a recall repair and approximately 2 weeks after the repair was done while driving on the roadway, vehicle went into limp mode and vehicle was driven to safety on the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart after 5 to 10 minutes. An engine failure warning displayed on the instrument pan... Read more