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: Dec 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram ProMaster 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the engine cooling fan continued running. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness, fuse box, and two modules had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact discovered t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (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 co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer at 51,000 miles, and stated that the engine would be inspected, and if necessary, repaired or replaced. Additionally, the vehicles that passed the inspection, dealers would add higher viscosity oil, inst... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally with an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #5. The fuel injectors were cleaned, and the spark plugs and filters were replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while shifted into drive(D), the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the check engine, stability control, and several other warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was making abnormal whining sounds, and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting), 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and 26V038000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping and failed to shift to 3rd gear. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving on one occasion, which required the driver to pull over and to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while at a complete stop in highway traffic, the vehic... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the "Low Oil" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact immediately pulled over and called for assistance. A service technician arrived at the scene and added engine oil, and the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be inspected. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2026
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle, with the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while checking the dipstick, the contact became aware that the engine oil level was low. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The message to “Add Coolant” was displayed. The coolant was added to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was constantly adding coolant; however, there were no coolant leaks found. The vehicle was ta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact heard an object being dragged underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to an independent me... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X7. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The message "Pull Over and Turn Off Your Car - You Have Lost All the Water In the Radiator" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart, but was towed to Hawkeye Motorsports LLC, where it... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was app... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the messages “Engine Power Reduced” and “Support Brake Malfunction” were displayed. The vehicle was able to restart. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the message “Malfunction with Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft sensor was not operating properly. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and metal shavings were found in the engine oil. The dealer replaced the camshaft and lifters; however, the failure worsened. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost power steerin... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 9, 2026
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2026 Ram Promaster 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the red oil light suddenly illuminated and the messages "Stop Carefully and Turn Off Engine", “Engine Oil Pressure Too Low", "Continued Driving will Result in Engine Damage". The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic, who discovered that the engine oil was black and thick. The vehicle was later towed t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owned a 2012 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that upon her daughter starting the vehicle, an abnormal popping noise was emitted from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle caught fire as the contact's daughter exited the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene of the incident, where they extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported, and a police report was not file... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the engine warning light was illuminated due to an emissions issue. The message to check the oil level was displayed. The contact pulled over to check the oil and added a quart of oil. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was smoke co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
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 at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 30 MPH. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode; however, the vehicle was able to be driven to a certified mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the catalytic converter could have contributed to the failure. The mechanic retrieved DTC: U06652 and U2105 and associated the failure... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact had not experienced a failure before the recall repair; however, the contact experienced failures after the recall repair. The contact stated the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal and failed to exceed 30 MPH. A... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 6, 2026
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received a notification from Lyft regarding NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while his vehicle was parked, the coolant pump connector caught on fire, which was connected to a after market Coolant pump. The failure experienced was a localized electrical fire that originated at the coolant pump connector and aftermarket coolant pump while the vehicle was parked. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, the vehicle experienced rough idling. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was adding engine oil every 3,000 miles. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was ... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 6, 2026
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment with the check engine oil warning light illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the oil cooler hose was leaking due to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change and the contact was informed that the engine oil coolant line had detached from the crimp joints, causing an oil leak. Prior to the maintenance service, oil stains were found on the ground of the garage floor. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that a week prior to the failure, the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and DTC: P0303 and P0316 were retrieved. The failure was not acknowledged by the d... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
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 dealer was contacted. The dealer 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 430I. The contact stated that there was a coolant leak. The contact stated that the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled while driving. The message "Engine Overheating - Stop Vehicle Immediately" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the coolant housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was rep... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 6, 2026
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, oil was leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic diagnosed the vehicle at the residence and determined that the oil housing unit had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehi... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 6, 2026
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal popping and crackling sound. The traction control, check engine, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message "Service Emergency Brake" was displayed. The engine later made knocking sounds, and the vehicle vibrated while driving. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle accelerated slowly with the RPM at 3,500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) days later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was confirmed that the VIN was included in the recall. After running the test,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ram Promaster 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked, and the transmission downshifted unexpectedly. The check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, while shifted in reverse(R), the vehicle failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failu... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 5, 2026
Incident date: Feb 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and the vehicle decelerated to 5 MPH. The contact stated that the message "Vehicle Entering Power Saver Mode" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that when the vehicle was restarted, the me... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that immediately after leaving the dealer after the vehicle was purchased, the check engine warning light illuminated. Several days later, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine before the engine failed. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not i... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 5, 2026
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, other failures occurred. The contact stated that after the vehicle was dropped off by the local dealer, the front passenger’s side tire deflated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was repaired. The contact stated that the und... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), but the failure occurred. While the contact's wife was stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. While the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle lunged forward and then stalled. The contact's wife was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, while driving to the residence, the coolant temperature gauge went from COLD to HOT. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that smoke was coming from the engine compartment. The contact waited for the engine to cool down before driving to the residence. The coolant reservoir was extremely low, and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. In addition, an unknown part of the electrical system had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact was able to pull into a nearby parking lot where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the cause of the failure and repaired the vehicle. The contact believed that the battery and drive train were repaired. Approximately... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact resumed driving, but the vehicle failed to exceed 55 MPH on the Expressway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagno... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 4, 2026
Incident date: Feb 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Infiniti QX50. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted to schedule an appointment, and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was called, but the call was disconnected. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V411000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 22V406000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL). The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into the driveway and turned off the vehicle. After exiting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from the exhaus... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no fix available and suggested that the veh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds or while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal coolant odor inside and outside the vehicle. There was condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated, or a message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact discovered that the water pump was continuously running after the vehicle was turned off. The contact referenced and associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more