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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Incident date: Nov 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle began to experience cylinder misfiring and vibrations and the check engine light had illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed the engine cylinder piston rings had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The VIN was... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. All of the warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that he initially began to notice that his engine would consume oil at a rapid pace. As the failure persisted, the vehicle would shudder upon depression of the accelerator pedal as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that white smoke would emit from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was ta... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Koa. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving the vehicle began to sputter and jerk before stalling. During the failure the oil warning light flashed off and on. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to carbon buildup. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet... Read more

Incident date: Apr 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "turn off engine and do not open hood" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and checked the water reservoir and noti... Read more

Incident date: Jan 14, 2026

The contact's daughter owns a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approx... Read more

Incident date: Feb 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a standing start the vehicle had experience sever jerking and hesitation. Also, the vehicle has experience oil consumption problems and the contact constantly added engine oil. The cause of the failures were not determine. Also, the hood latch had malfunctioned and the hood could not opened to add oil ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 BMW X5 PHEV. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), but the failure persisted. The contact stated that a month after the repairs were completed, the coolant connector would stay on and drain the battery. The contact stated that after the vehicle was turned off at night, the coolant connector overheated... Read more

Incident date: Feb 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 55 MPH, she could a loud notice and the vehicle shaking and vibrating independently. Several warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and dealer where it was diagnosed that the connecting rod bear needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in ... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds engine had overheated causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable the determine the exact cause of the failure. The contact was informed of the manufacturer extend coverage regarding the engine coolant inside the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not yet repaire... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact inspected under the hood, and noticed that the coolant reservoir was bubbling. The check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact that the coolant reservoir was low, however no indication of a coolant leak. The contact replaced the battery. The ... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently activate into limp mode. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a turbo, head gasket, and fuel injector failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The fail... Read more

Incident date: Oct 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at varous speeds the vehicle the had experience acceleration hesitation and the check engine light had illuminated. Later, while driving the engine went into limp mode and over the vehicle speed did not accelerate above 15 MPH. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the fuel injectors were faul... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 INFINITI QX50. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, she stated she heard a loud sound coming from the motor, she pulled over and attempt to restarted the vehicle but it would not turn on. The vehicle was towed where it was diagnosed that the vehicle engine oil had metal shavings in the oil, the vehicle was brought in for regular maintenanc... Read more

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed oil cooler. The contact was informed that all the oil had spilled into the coolant reservoir. In addition, the contact was informed that the oil cooler was made of plastic and was warped. The co... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH the engine seized. All the warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined there was an internal engine failure. The local dealer was contacted, where it was diagno... Read more

Incident date: May 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Genesis GV70. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH on a toll road, the vehicle suddenly stalled and stopped on the on-ramp. The contact pressed the accelerator pedal and the drove forward and operated as normal. The cause of the temperary failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The contact owns a . The contact stated that upon restarted the vehcile experienced harsh restarts and lurch forward. The contact indicated that the failure and become more frequent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and no service was performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.. The failure mileage was 33,400.

Incident date: Mar 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the lost motive power and inadvertently shifted to park (P). Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The transmission failed to shift out of park (P). The contact stated that the failure occurred twice. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to duplica... Read more

Incident date: Mar 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled and hesitated to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine and check engine oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local O'Reilly's, where it was diagnosed with ignition coil #3 misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V080000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the dealer agreed to replace the engine free of charge. After the vehicle was returned to the conta... Read more

Incident date: Apr 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The messages "Put Vehicle in Neutral" and "Check Oil" were displayed. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The con... Read more

Incident date: Apr 30, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the messages “Coolant Control Valve” and “Acceleration Reduced – Stop Vehicle” were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coolant control valve had failed and needed t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal ticking sound while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the engine made a loud sound. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE25008 (Engine). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and there were metal... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while driving 50-60 MPH, the vehicle... Read more

Incident date: Feb 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormal vibration coming from the engine compartment and felt in the steering wheel. The check oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence and then to the dealer, where it was determined that the vehicle was functioning properly, and there was no oil leak; however, the oil... Read more

Incident date: Apr 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact exited the highway and pulled into a truck stop service station, where the contact was informed that the oil level was normal. The contact resumed driving, and the check engine warning light illuminated while pulling out of the parking lot. The con... Read more

Incident date: Apr 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. While the contact’s wife was driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle unexpectedly lost automotive power. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle and attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the deal... Read more

Incident date: Feb 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to metal shavin... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the engine seized and made an abnormal sound, nearly causing a semi-truck to jackknife and crash into the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was left stranded in the west desert of Utah, where a wildfire had started, and the contact did not have phone service. Additiona... Read more

Incident date: Apr 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the supercharger-A and the under boost needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated again. The manufacturer was not notified of the f... Read more

Incident date: Feb 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal burning odor inside the vehicle. The contact assumed that the odor was coming from the AC and turned off the AC. No warning light was illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle at the residence. Later that night, the contact heard a loud bang coming from the vehicl... Read more

Incident date: Apr 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil, and over time, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle, with a significant amount of oil leaking from the vehicle, resulting in engine damage. The vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was first taken to an independent mechanic, where the oil leak was discovered; however, the vehicle was... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine was idling rough, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it ws determined that there was coolant inside the engine cylinders and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The m... Read more

Incident date: Jan 14, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. The contact pulled over to the closest exit and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off and then restarted; however, while attempting to drive forward or reverse, the vehicle failed to move. The contact inspected the vehicle. While ins... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost automotive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was bluish-gray smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. After releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The cont... Read more

Incident date: Oct 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2025 Triumph Daytona 660. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V531000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was... Read more

Incident date: Apr 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle spontaneously caught fire while parked unattended at 3 am. All the warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure, and the vehicle was undrivable. The contact had received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). There were no reported injuries, police report, or cras... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Nov 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under Kia Recall: SC209; however, the repair failed to prevent the failure. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware of a n excessive oil consumption. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the engine... Read more

Incident date: Oct 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the message “Turn off Air Conditioner - Engine Overheating” was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the water pump and wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not... Read more

Incident date: Dec 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not mad... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Apr 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Genesis G80. The contact stated that the Check Oil and Low Oil warning light illuminated while the vehicle was idling. The warning lights turned off while driving. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,200.

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V513000 (Air Bags), 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while ac... Read more

Incident date: Feb 13, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Apr 12, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Apr 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant overheated warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled after the warning light illuminated and became inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,700.

Incident date: Aug 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the warning light for the engine overheating was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a... Read more

Incident date: Apr 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. Upon further research, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced.... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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