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
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 21, 2024
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" message had flashed on the instrument panel while driving at an unknown speed. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir because the coolant level was low. Two days later, the vehicle started to jerk and hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
GOODYEAR
WRANGLER ALL TERRAIN ADVENTURE
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 21, 2024
Incident date: Jun 21, 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 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
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 21, 2024
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, white smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that coolant was leaking into the engine compartment and evaporating, causing the white smoke. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact related the f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking noise coming from the engine. The engine lost oil pressure. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle was slow to respond, and the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact heard a loud tick... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC300
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 20, 2024
Incident date: Jun 8, 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 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 accelerator pedal was depr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to idle rough with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 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 starting the vehicle she noticed a loud noise coming from the ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 20, 2024
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound while driving. The check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinder #3 had caused damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escort. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine) 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. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost moti... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with engine oil pump failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle did not restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced due to metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was repa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting and the engine made abnormal rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Repl... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
REFLECTION
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 19, 2024
Incident date: Sep 23, 2022
My engine light keeps coming on. I have received no notice from the dealer that there is a recall.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
My engine light keeps coming on. I have received no notice from the dealer that there is a recall.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was replaced. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a sig... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, the engine was idling rough. The contact stated that there was an engine misfire, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and the engine was overheating. The message "See Dealer for Maintenance" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that an unknown cooling system valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently shut-off with the check engine and traction control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to a dealer however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The failure persisted and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs, alternator... 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 vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact was unaware whether the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the independent mechanic made her aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-234... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, she noticed a slight vibration in the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted for over a year and recently the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the ignition coils were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the wrench warning light illuminated and the message "Engine over-temperature. Service Now" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle operated as needed upon rele... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician discovered that coolant had leaked into an engine cylinder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure bu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while changing gear and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam phasers wer... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 17, 2024
Incident date: Nov 15, 2021
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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the sound was louder whenever the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed an... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 17, 2024
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the driver to pull to the shoulder off the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and the en... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine long block failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2229. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed there... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge started to indicate that the engine was overheating, prompting him to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to allow the engine to cool down. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the water pum... Read more
MITSUBISHI
ECLIPSE
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact arrived at his destination and checked the engine and noticed that the coolant level was low. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir and upon starting the vehicle noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact drove the vehicle to an i... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 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 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The low oil pressure message was displayed. The contact detected an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. While driving at an undisclosed speed the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the transm... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently went into LIMP Mode. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The vehicle was repaired. After in... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the water pump was leaking, and the contact replaced the water pump himself. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was scanned with an ODB scanner an engine overheating code was retrieved. The contact state... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was concerned about a fluid leak coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an engine oil leak. The local dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the fai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the temperature gauge increased to hot. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil pump pressure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the failure was linked with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905... Read more
VICTORY
CROSS ROADS
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle was jerking and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 35 M... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 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 local dealer was contacted and confirmed no parts were available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 14, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70–75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle failed to restart. The oil pressure warning light illuminated and blinked. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed a... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine, and the contact was unable to keep driving the vehicle. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to a local dealer where the failure was related to an engine malfunction and... Read more