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: Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up occasionally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as needed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that after the vehicle had warmed up the rumbling sound stopped. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the abnormal sound had started occurring while driving the vehicle. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and to a second dealer, Norm Reeves Ford Superstore (18900 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703), where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, and the failure was rel... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine temperature gauge became extremely elevated. The check engine and high engine temperature warning lights were 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 with coolant intrusion into the engine. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 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 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... Read more
MINI
COOPER CLUBMAN
(2010) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, out of pocket. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered significantly. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped shuddering while shifted into neutral(N). Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the failure recurred, and the vehicle jerked significantly. The low oil pressure warning light ... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who scanned the vehicle and informed the contact that coolant was leaking and intruding into the engine and cylinder #3. The vehicle had misfired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's son stated that the vehicle was emitting smoke from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that his son pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #4 was misfiring due to coolant intrusion through the cylinder wall. The dealer related the failure to TSB Number: 22-2229 and determined that the engine short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed excessive smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The low oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the valve steam seals. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The contact stated that the failure persisted while starting and while driving. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz Smart ForTwo. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The parts were available; however, the dealer list the manufacturer provided that the recall repair instructions were not available. The contact called multiple dealers however services could not be provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the shoulder. Following the failure, the Low Oil Pressure, check engine warning, and maintenance required warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuse box needed to be reloca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was an unknown red warning light illuminated. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contact about a TSB regarding the engine block, which might cause the engine to warp or crack and allow coolant to enter the engin... Read more
FOREST RIVER
ROCKWOOD
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 24, 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. VIN tool co... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure increased significantly while driving. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the catalytic converter was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair of NHTSA Ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was shaking. An unknown message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact checked the coolant level and discovered that it was empty. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the ... Read more
RADAR
DIMAX AS-8
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 overheated and stalled... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (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 repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact h... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 60–65 MPH, coolant was leaking into the engine. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine replacement was needed. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
Incident date: Jun 3, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The contact had not experienced a failure with the air bags; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started overheating with the engine temperature hot. The contact added coolant until being able to get to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed by deal... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2024
Incident date: May 16, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact received notifications 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 contact stated while at a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle stalled and was able to restart after several attempts. The contact was able to ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the vehicle was violently shaking. The contact stopped the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with timing fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up occasionally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received an email notification from Carfax 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
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 attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. ... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 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 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 e... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. There was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe, and upon inspection, the exhaust pipe was wet. The contact checked the engine oil level and added water to the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was restarted and was driven to the re... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive. The low oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who observed a crack in the oil pan. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic, who then ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2024
Incident date: May 25, 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approxi... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, and attempting to start the vehicle, there were large clouds of white smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked engine block and coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact rela... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of multiple leaks coming from the vehicle. The check engine and transmission warning lights were illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to several local dealers where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine and trans... Read more
Incident date: May 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, requiring that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to b replaced. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine light warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engi... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light and engine overheating warning lights remained illuminated. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact stated that coolant was added to the reservoir, but the failure persisted, and the coolant reservoir was constantly low. The cause of ... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated when the vehicle was started there was a large cloud of white smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that coolant had i... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle shuddered, lunged forward, and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. Additionally, the contact stated that there was white smoke coming out of the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. The dealer determined that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2019
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 65 MPH, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to let the vehicle cool down. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact's husband observed oil mixed in the coolant reservoir. After restarting the vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the high coolant temperature message was displayed. The contact became aware that the coolant level was low and added coolant. The vehicle was slow to start and began to shake. The contact restarted the vehicle. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle was slow to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road and the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road where it was restarted and taken to an independent mechanic where the coolant fluid was inspected and refilled. The contact stated that the next day, the failure reoccur... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more