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: Jun 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated became of a coolant leak on the driveway. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failu... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 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 not expe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact 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 was not taken to the dealer or an in... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the vehicle had experienced a loss of motor power. The check engine light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2019
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the messages “Engine Overheating” and “LIMP Mode” were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant leak into the engine. The contact believed that ... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Jun 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the VANOS bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. Several unknow warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the cam phasers. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
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 not 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 con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The mechanic cleared the diagnostic trouble codes; however, the failure persiste... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Oil Pressure, Check Engine and Battery warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted and was towed to a local dealer. The contact was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly shuddered and vibrated before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had caused the cylinder to ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the engine was noticed jerking and misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion into the engine, and it needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related to the fai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate as intended. The driver was able to reach her destination, where the vehicle stalled, after which the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed, but it was stated by the dealer that the engine was repaired. The vehicle was repaired but ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking abnormally. The contact also stated that the engine had overheated, and the vehicle could not be driven for more than an hour. The check engine and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 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 local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a white cloud of smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The smoke dissipates after several minutes. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. There were no warning lights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the short block had fractured. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2018
The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the interior lights were inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to respond while switching from Sport Mode to Economy Mode. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. Additionally, the contact stated that the Engine Stop/Start syste... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, exited the vehicle, and saw smoke coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a coolant leak, and the contact was informed that th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact became aware of wet spots on the driveway and later discovered that fluids had started to leak from the water pump. One day while the contact's wife was driving the vehicle, the engine overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was HOT. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was confirmed that the water pump needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2017
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant over temperature warning light illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and checked the coolant level. The contact stated that the coolant level was sufficient. The contact proceeded to drive the vehicle to the intended destination. The contact stated that when the speed incre... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon servicing the vehicle, he became aware that the vehicle was abnormally low on oil, considering that he had previously performed an oil change within 4,000 miles. The contact also stated that he observed oil pooling underneath the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and after an o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to acceler... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 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 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while coming to a stop sign, the vehicle jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact became aware that the transmission was leaking transmission fluid. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed; however, the transmission was repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact tha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective sensor; however, the failure returned soon after the sensor was replaced. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the failure was linked to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2322. The co... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring intermittently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2, causing the misfire and the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Jun 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine, ABS, air bags, PCM, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak, but the contact was unaware of what needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 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 not 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 con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 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 driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was excessive white smoke emanating from the exhaust. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to shake and shut off. Additionally, while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an auto body shop, and the contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to another auto body shop, and an oil change... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that whenever her son started the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the issue, the vehicle had a coolant leak in an unknown location. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser failed an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 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 at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive p... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 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 local dealer was contacted and confirmed parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled, and the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the failure was linked to 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 m... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where the mechanic diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside cylinder #2. The engine short block was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Recently while the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled an... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal cracking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed because the sound was a characteristic of the engine cowling. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2017
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 not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
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 contact stated while her husband was driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle started sputtering and lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact's husband wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 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