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: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with a misfire in the engine. The message of cylinder #2 misfire was displayed. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled occasionally and returned to normal operation once the contact had turned off and restarted the vehicle. In addition, there was smoke coming from the tailpipes. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was driven to an independent mechanic where it was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine started to overheat, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The message "Vehicle Temperature Overheating" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred several times whil... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle continuously jolted and jerked, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the crankshaft position sensor and ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine misfired with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as coolant intrusion leaking into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 15, 2024
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and an alarm sounded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an oil change was performed; however, the failure recurred within 15 minutes and the engine made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
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 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 h... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 15, 2024
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle began to loose automotive power and stalled. During the incident, several warning messages were activated which included the check engine light and the ABS warning. While inspecting the vehicle smoke and fire began to stream from under the engine hood and moments later the frontend of ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, there was a burning odor on the inside and outside of the vehicle while the vehicle was occupied. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V576000 (Electrical System, Engine and Engine Cooling). No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 15, 2024
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic signal, the signal turned green; however, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated before responding as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged into motion. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but became a recurring failure. The contact stated there w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message to “Have Vehicle Checked Immediately" was displayed on the instrument panel. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of coolant intrusion into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle almost stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed and retrieved DTC code: P0302 and linked the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10169807 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking coolant. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an unknown alarm that was turning on and off. The contact stated that the vehicle started rough. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-2208/ 22-2229. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 manuf... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The dealer determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders due to a cracked engine block. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently shutdown. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the messages “Engine Power inoperable” and “Pull over in a Safe Place” were displayed. The contact stated that the failure was due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, a message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket was cracked. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where a Ford certified mechanic diagnosed the vehicle. The mechanic made the same assessment and dete... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission failed to operate properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to misfire, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with Manufacturer Recall Campaign Number: 21N0... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "Turn Engine Off" was displayed, and the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine had overheated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine short block needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that after the engine had warmed up, the vehicle was running normally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact had tak... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
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 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 stated while driving approximately 35 MPH,... Read more
Incident date: Aug 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 unavailable. 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the check engine, check oil, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wall in between the coolant and the piston was worn, and coolant was leaking ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while the friend was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly began to lose automotive power, and smoke was seen coming from under the hood. The vehicle was parked and the friend exited the vehicle and discovered flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The... Read more
Fire
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Aug 13, 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 contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had s... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Aug 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 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 stated while driving at approximately... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into engine and the engine could be damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there was no wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while reversing out of the garage, the engine started to misfire. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on another occasion. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2014
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly. The contact stated that once the engine had warmed up the engine started running normally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact checked the engine and observed that the coolant level was extremely low. The contact had taken the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2024
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle was stalling while driving. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the head gasket was replaced; however, the warning light illuminated again. The contact's son received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and the vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the shifted into LIMP Mode, with the engine coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started running abnormally rough, after which the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs and ignition coils, resulting in an engine misfire. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurre... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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 parking the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal ticking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with en... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2024
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
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 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 h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: May 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 not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact then stated that while driving slow speeds, the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated while responding. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred intermit... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing while starting the vehicle; however, while driving, the warning light independently turned off. The contact stated that after driving for a while, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated while accelerating after the vehicle had been parked. The contact immediately st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (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 two separate dealers were ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, causin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, an unknown warning light illuminated. The message, high heat, pull over immediately was displayed. The driver pulled over, but the vehicle failed to restart. The contact noticed there was no coolant inside the radiator. The contact stated that the mechanic added coolant and drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Edge. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an engine misfire. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact who is an independent mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #3 and that the head gasket was leaking. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled intermittently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the crankshaft position sensor, transmission fluid pump, and oil pump assembly were replaced. An unknown software was also updated. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the head gasket. The vehicle was repaired, but the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the vehicle tugged and jerked. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle responded as needed upon depressing the accelerator pedal harder. The contact was able to drive; however, the vehicle was tugging and jerking ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused a failure with the spark plugs. The contact was informed tha... Read more