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 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
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
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 10, 2024
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle was sputtering and jerking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to his destination, where the vehicle was parked and turned off. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle half an hour later, the vehicle failed to restart. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated while accelerating and while parking. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the cam phaser and CDF drum needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission fluid had mixed with the coolant. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was afraid to drive the vehicle because she was... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 10, 2024
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW M5. 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 not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact researched the failure and related the failure to an unknown recall. The contact also stated that the vehicle had been re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. Additionally, the vehicle lost power braking functionality and engine oil pressure, with the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was no... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 10, 2024
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 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 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Cascada. The contact stated while driving 35-45 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the knock combustion vibration control system had failed. The dealer determined that the valve cover, the PCV valve, the head gasket, and an unknown part needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 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 when the vehicle was started, the low engine oil warning light illumi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, where the contact's mother was informed that the failure could not be replicated because the check engine warning light was not illuminated at the time. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low engine oil warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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 contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura TLX. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel started shuddering and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts and was jumpstarted by a tow truck operator. The contact noticed an abnormal knocking ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH a vibration and clanking noise was present coming from the engine compartment and the engine temperature gauge suddenly increased. After stopping the vehicle and examining underneath the hood, the contact discovered steam coming from the radiator and the cooling fan had malfunctioned. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer and other unknown dealers were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump, timing chain, and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 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 while driving at approximately 25MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. T... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 7, 2024
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the pressure cap of the coolant reservoir was removed, and the vehicle restarted. The check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was idling rough. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the long block engine needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware of white smoke emanating from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact also noticed an abnormal coolant odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the turbo charger became inoperable. The contact noticed smoke emerging from the vehicle, and the vehicle started losing motive power, and decelerated to 35 MPH. The contact checked the oil and noticed that the oil level was low. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) message was displayed. During the failure the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the NOX sensor, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who was unable... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, he became aware of a rattling sound emanating from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact related the failure with the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Replacement); however, th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X3. 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 while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle made an abnormal rattling while the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 7, 2024
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact was adding oil after driving two hundred miles. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who performed two engine flushes and an oil change. The contact called the local dealer and was informed about an engine replacement ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated, and the check engine warning light illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that coolant was added but continued to leak, causing the engine to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware of a misfire failure with the vehicle. The contact stated that the temperature gauge became extremely elevated, and the Engine Overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccu... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 7, 2024
Incident date: Jun 6, 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 driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning ... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, and depressing the accelerato... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly experienced a loss of motive power and stalled. During the failure, the message "Low Coolant" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3 and caused s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the engine overheated, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside the cylinders and caused severe damage to the engine. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Genesis G70. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V107000 (Electrical System) and 24V191000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 contac... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 1, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manuf... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact arrived at the scene and attempted to jumpstart the vehicle, however, the vehicle failed to start-up. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximat... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 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 while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfactio... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the vehicle was overheating, and the A/C was blowing hot air. The contact also stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who found ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact released the accelerator pedal and then depressed the pedal again, and the vehicle drove as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving on several occasions in one week, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that a week later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low-pressure oil warning light illuminated. Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 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
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount... Read more