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: Jun 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to slow down to exit the Interstate and the vehicle started jerking and driving rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #2, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that... Read more

Incident date: Jun 6, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a sound as if the engine was choking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rod bearings had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact learned of N... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The man... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

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 unavailable. 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 c... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the coolant fluid was significantly low. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the residence. The vehicle was inspected by a relative who replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing an ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 30, 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 unavailable. 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 stated that while driving approximately 5... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted and was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the failure was related to a misfire in the engine. The con... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle t was rattling and vibrating abnormally until the engine had warmed up. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with internal water pump failure. The mechanic determined that t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and jerked, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After pulling over, the contact observed that the vehicle was idling rough and turned off the vehicle. Upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle initially failed to start and requir... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he heard a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment that dissipated once the vehicle reached an operational temperature. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 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: Jul 15, 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 contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stall... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and turn off the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the water pump and thermost... Read more

Incident date: Jul 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle transmission shifted to park with the START/STOP system warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the gear sh... 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 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 made aware of the issue. VIN tool co... Read more

Incident date: Apr 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle while attempting to start the vehicle causing a delay while starting. The vehicle had been taken to a certified mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain and cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure was related t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 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 while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The contact stated that t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 manufactu... Read more

Incident date: Jun 17, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, a message advising to stop the vehicle immediately was displayed. The contact pulled into a parking lot, where the contact noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coolant pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The local dealer and... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle struggled to remain running. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where it was discovered that there was coolant on the spark plugs, with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. Due to the failure, the co... Read more

Incident date: Jun 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact stated that prior to the failure an oil change was be... Read more

Incident date: May 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating and running rough before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the valve stem keepers had failed, and the valve fell into t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the contact became aware of an abnormal coolant odor and a burning odor. Additionally, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #2 and #5 were l... Read more

Incident date: Jul 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the dealer confirmed that the rod bearing had been replaced under the recall remedy. After receiving the repair, while driving approximately 15 MPH, the contact became aware that the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that the vibration bec... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started and idling, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact inspected the vehicle; however, no visible fluid leaks were noticed. The vehicl... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact's son 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 while the driver was driving 50-55 MPH in the rain, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle jerked and lo... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, and was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the tone wheel had delaminated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 77 MPH, the vehicle was driving rough. The engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The driver was able to coast to a rest area, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The mechanic in... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 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 unavailable. 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 c... Read more

Incident date: Jan 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, smoke was detected coming from the engine. The driver opened the hood and noticed that fluid was leaking from the engine. The low-coolant level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine... Read more

Incident date: Jun 13, 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 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 man... Read more

Incident date: Jun 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that during the failure, there was a cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the instrument panel indicated that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle jerked with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the speed odometer showed a different speed that the digital speed... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine started overheating, and the coolant level dropped significantly. The contact stated that there was a sloshing sound inside the cabin of the vehicle, coming from under the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a coolant intrusion into the com... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 750LI. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked next to the house with the engine turned off for approximately one hour before suddenly smoke was present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact opened the hood and discovered flames coming from the ECM wire harness. The contact used a bucket of water to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire wa... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Jul 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the valve sensors were abnormally loud. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed cam phaser sensors. The contact was informed that the cam phaser sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the low engine coolant level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. T... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 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 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning ligh... Read more

Incident date: Jun 14, 2024

The contact's friend owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was driving rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the engine was overheating, and the vehicle was sputtering. Additional coolant was added to the reservoir, but the coolant was quickly consumed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, wher... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and started to shudder. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the failure was due to a misfire in cylinder #3 and was associated with DTC code: P0303. Additionally, there was coolant intrusion into the engine block. The... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated approximately one week after an oil change. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in the driveway, the vehicle started running rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #1, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart after cooling down. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who d... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. After several days, while driving, the contact became aware that the engine was misfiring, and the coolant fluid was low. The contact was able to inspect the fluids, and immediately after opening the coolant reservoir, the coolant level went up. The vehicle was ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 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 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 co... Read more

Incident date: Jul 9, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximat... 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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