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 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, smoke was detected coming from the engine. The driver opened the hood and noticed that fluid was leaking from the engine. The low-coolant level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The man... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that during the failure, there was a cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the instrument panel indicated that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle jerked with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the speed odometer showed a different speed that the digital speed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine started overheating, and the coolant level dropped significantly. The contact stated that there was a sloshing sound inside the cabin of the vehicle, coming from under the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a coolant intrusion into the com... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 750LI. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked next to the house with the engine turned off for approximately one hour before suddenly smoke was present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact opened the hood and discovered flames coming from the ECM wire harness. The contact used a bucket of water to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire wa... Read more
Fire
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 11, 2024
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the valve sensors were abnormally loud. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed cam phaser sensors. The contact was informed that the cam phaser sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the low engine coolant level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning ligh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The contact's friend owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was driving rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the engine was overheating, and the vehicle was sputtering. Additional coolant was added to the reservoir, but the coolant was quickly consumed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, wher... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and started to shudder. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the failure was due to a misfire in cylinder #3 and was associated with DTC code: P0303. Additionally, there was coolant intrusion into the engine block. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated approximately one week after an oil change. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in the driveway, the vehicle started running rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #1, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart after cooling down. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who d... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. After several days, while driving, the contact became aware that the engine was misfiring, and the coolant fluid was low. The contact was able to inspect the fluids, and immediately after opening the coolant reservoir, the coolant level went up. The vehicle was ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 450
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 10, 2024
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool co... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 stated while driving approximat... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS 450
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 10, 2024
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormally loud rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with camshaft phasers failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine started overheating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the thermostat was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 5 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the short block. The dealer d... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 9, 2024
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. 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 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 stated while driving approximately... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30–40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine was lifted and improperly installed. The local dealer was not contacted. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and transmis... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 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 70-75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine ad 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S600. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the active body control warning light illuminated, after which the front suspension lowered to the ground, preventing the vehicle from being driven. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the hydro-pneumatic suspension pump and high-pressure hose. The vehicle was not repaired. After inve... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine over heated and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a blown head gasket due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 128I. 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
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the "Engine Maintenance Required" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the coolant bypass control value needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where an OBD Scanner retrieved code for a misfire. The contact then had the spark plugs and ignition coils replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then take... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the VANOS bolts, and the contact was informed that the VANOS bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 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
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 9, 2024
Incident date: Jun 19, 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 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 contact had... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 1.5L EcoBoost for Ford Fusion vehicles built on or before June 10, 2019 may indicate low coolant levels, white exhaust smoke, or rough running conditions Myself and a few of my relatives and friends who have the same vehicle have experienced this and yet no recall was issued when I looked it up by vin . I have called the hotline number several times and have got ah... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle started shuddering and the stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the Emission System Fault warning light started blinking. The contact was able to safely take the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 1... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2021
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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 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 contact stated that the fuel gauge failed to displa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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 contact had... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 8, 2024
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic a second time and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs and coils were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a cracked engine block. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the instrument panel fluttered, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V077000 (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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact pulled off the road and turned off the vehicle to allow the engine temperature to return to normal. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated and temperature gauge raised to HOT, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and the engine short block needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over 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 oil pump tension arm, result... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the fuel injectors and spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. A second diagnostic test was performed, and the mechanic discovered coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The spark plug was replaced. After the vehicle was repaired, while the contact's daughter was driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine began overheating, with t... Read more