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
Incident date: Aug 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2006 BMW 325XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V513000 (Air Bags) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Stinger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V169000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 GMC 1500 Denali equipped with Land Spider Tires, Tire Line: Wild Traxx, Tire Size: 35x121/2/R22, DOT: (N/A). The contact stated that while diving at various speeds and turning, the tires were rubbing against the sidewall. The coolant line blew out. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
CONTINENTAL
PROCONTACT
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2024
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire, and the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2024
Incident date: Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion resulted in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL550. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with leaky exhaust valves. The dealer determined that the exhaust valves needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a similar assessment was made. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 30, 2024
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was extremely hot; however, the engine did not overheat. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact's brother, who is an independent mechanic, performed diagnostic test and retrieved DTC code: P26B7. The contact stated that... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact stated that the low coolant indicator, "Engine temperature high" and "Coolant running low" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that coolant fluid was leaking out of the engine after being added. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the auxiliary radiator, thermostat, auxiliary hose, and battery were all... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Smart ForTwo. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacture... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE350
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 30, 2024
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer failed to honor the vehicle warranty and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was then towed... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle seemed as if the engine was choking. In addition, the contact stated that white smoke was coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak into cylinder #3 and engine failu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for both an oil change and to have the vehicle serviced for NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags). The contact was later informed that there was another recall on the vehicle for NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V641000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part for the repair was not available. An appointment was then mad... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMV 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was pulling out of the driveway, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the temperature gauge quickly rose to hot(H). The vehicle was taken to the residence where coolant was added to the coolant reservoir. The failure reoccurred on several occasions and on one occasion the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact was able to... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 29, 2024
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who sent the vehicle to a nearby mechanic where the oxygen sensor was replaced. The failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The spark plugs were replaced; how... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated upon attempting to continue driving, the vehicle failed to respond as needed while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2003 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the engine fan was inoperable causing the engine to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the thermostat, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted regar... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon a cold start of the vehicle, an abnormal rattling sound would emit from the engine without warning. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the failure was likely related to the cam phasers. The contact notified the dealer of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test to be performed. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aw... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
The contact's partner owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an abnormal rattling sound was coming from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced and was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was made... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while inspecting under the hood of the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a crack in the engine. The engine fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was entering the engine and because of the failure, the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bolts resulting in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 29, 2024
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated after having the oil changed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and the contact was informed there was no oil in the engine. The contact had paid for a better grade of oil in the vehicle. The mechanic inspected the engine and could not find any failure. After having the oil change... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
FOREST RIVER
R-POD
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 29, 2024
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound at start up. There were six unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The dealer diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly, and the entire vehicle was vibrating. The contact was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the coolant hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. Additional, while driving at various highway speeds the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. The cause of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz Smart Fortwo. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and several unknown dealers were contacted and informed the contact that they did not service Smart vehicles. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a r... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at approximately 30 MPH, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle started to shudder and vibrate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was oil underneath the front end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was oil leaking from the seal on the oil pan. The contact was informed that the oil pan needed to be replaced and the front seal needed to be resealed. The contact rela... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced due to fouling by engi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not mad... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the contact noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later restarted and driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine overheated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact was informed by the independent mechanic that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated on several occasions while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking violently before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon start the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The engine and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the failure was related to Special Coverage Adjustment: N192291100. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an oil consumption test was completed. The mechanic informed the contact that the v... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manuf... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 27, 2024
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at speeds above 80 MPH, the vehicle started to shake, the engine overheated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with a faulty battery. The battery was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determ... Read more