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 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: Dec 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a low coolant service engine soon message was displayed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact that there was a leak coming from a hose. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 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 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: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the engine compartment, she observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the long block, requiring that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the fai... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the cont... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 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 on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The low fuel indicator light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The contact was adding synthetic oil every 3,000 miles driven and the oil would be depleted soon after. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was rattling after attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 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 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: Apr 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact became aware of a loud fluttering sound coming from the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 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 check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The vehicle was not diag... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light returned on the drive back to the residence from the mechanic. After the check engine warning light appeared, the vehicle began to hesitate upon the depression of th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
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 an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #2. The mechanic replaced the ignition coils and all four spark plugs. Additionally, the mechanic noticed that the coolant level was low a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2018
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, 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 ma... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly began to vibrate and shake before returning to normal functionality. Later, while the vehicle was parked and running, the contact observed excessive smoke emanating from the exhaust and smelled exhaust fumes on the interior of the vehicle; after which... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was running rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Engine Coolant Over Temperature” was displayed and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and confirmed with engine coolant over temperature failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to an... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GTI
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 13, 2024
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to her grandson's repair shop, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact’s grandson related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-2375 (Low C... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the deal... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, she heard a loud clanking noise coming f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal exhaust odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the odor was present while driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the left exhaust flex pipe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine and turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop at 2-5 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently, nearly causing a crash. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was later illuminated while driving, and the contact pulled to the side... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was difficult to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. 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. The vehicle was not di... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated, and the temperature gauge became elevated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal knocking and clicking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the noise became louder with the air conditioner in the on position and approaching a stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was crack on the flex plate. Addit... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and found coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump drive belt tensioner, resulting in 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 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was idle, the contact noticed smoke coming out from underneath the passenger's side of the hood. The contact stated upon exiting and inspecting the vehicle, she noticed burning plastic falling from underneath the passenger's side of the vehicle onto the ground, and there was fire. The contact poured water underneath the ve... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly lost motive power and stalled. The Lost Oil Pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the air pressure brake fractured, and the vehicle lost oil pressure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related th... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine misfired on several occasions. The contact stated that there was a strong coolant odor coming from the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intr... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 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 stalled. The chec... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was vibrating and driving rough. The contact pulled off the roadway and drove to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that upon start-up the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repair... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a safe location and the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to a coolant leak. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure t... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 12, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximat... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (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 stalled. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 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 that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to lose motive... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 11, 2024
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the fai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03 (Cam Phasers). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to merge onto the highway, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that she had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and d... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 11, 2024
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to drive in idle mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as coolant leaking into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notif... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 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 began to lose mot... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 11, 2024
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to drive in LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into the eco boost and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the fan turned on. The hot oil message was displayed and there was an abnormal beeping sound detected. The contact called the local dealer, who informed her there was no recall or warranty coverage on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 47,... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 11, 2024
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. A message indicating that the coolant level was low was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there was a coolant leak. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, whe... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF R
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 11, 2024
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the local dealer because parts for ... Read more