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 9, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jul 26, 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 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 failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that all 4 VTC ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLK350
(2011) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 9, 2024
Incident date: Mar 3, 2021
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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The man... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the infotainment screen was erratic before the failure. The contact stated that the hazard lights were inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The mechan... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that prior to the en... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and after an oil consumption test, it was determined that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was informed that the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and 22V560000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact works for a trucking company that owns a 2004 Ford F-650 SD 3-Ton Commercial Vehicle. The contact stated that the gear shifter rubber boot was not securely mounted onto the floorboard, resulting in a gap that allowed the driver to see underneath the vehicle. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a strong engine oil odor and carbon monoxide odor entering the cabi... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a white cloud of exhaust smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an excessive amount of exhaust odor entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly, causing the vehicle to vibrate abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle suddenly shut off and failed to restart. During the failure, the message "System Overheated" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the starter motor was faulty and needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while at the local dealer for routine maintenance, upon further inspection, the contact was informed that a tune-up could not be performed due to a spark plug not being able to be removed. In addition, the contact was advised that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a code reader detected an engine misfire in cylinders #2 and #4. The contact personally replaced all four engine coils and spark plugs; however, the check engine light returned soon after the repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 30, 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 vehicle was difficult to start. The contact stated that after successfully starting the vehicle, the contact used an OBD reader to scan the vehicle, and the contact retr... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle began to vibrate violently, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The oil pressure and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with t... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 8, 2024
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, while attempting to leave the residence, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 55–60 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated while reversing into a parking space, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Transmission Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; howeve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated while at a complete stop with her 9-months old daughter in the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal flushing sound. The contact stated that upon inspecting the engine compartment, the contact noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The contact added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle made the abnormal fl... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 7, 2024
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an Auto Zone and the mechanic suggested there might be a spark plug failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact then drove to the dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in the engine. The mechanic cleared the check warning light; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started and there was smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was occasionally adding coolant to the coolant reservoir prior to the vehicle being taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and the mechanic in... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on three occasions while making a left or right turn, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 7, 2024
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that an independent mechanic had recently replace the engine and the oil pump due to the oil pump failure. The contact had recently received notification of NHTSA Campaign... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V106000 (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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the Ford dealer mobile technician replaced the battery, and the vehicle was able to start. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred while driving, and the vehicle independently shifted to p... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact coasted off to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several warning lights had illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2014
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: May 6, 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 contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a red light, the vehicle lost motiv... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that during startup the vehicle began to shake and vibrate and while driving the check engine light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinder number four and advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 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 stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut off with the transmission warning l... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact's mother 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 that while her mother was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started jolting. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond and stalled. The ch... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 6, 2024
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her daughter 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 oil pump, resulting in damages to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact’s wife was able to pull over to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to b... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact previously heard a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started overheating. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. After a visual inspection, the contact became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty even though the contact had refilled the reservoir the day before. The engine overheating warnin... Read more