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: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife veered to the side of the road, where she inspected the vehicle, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact's wife was able to drive to the reside... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the water pump was replaced; however, several days later while driving 65 MPH, the "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. Due to the failure, the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Encore. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she observed oil leaking from underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil cooler pipe. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Service ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH and making a U-turn, the engine overheated, and the vehicle stalled. There was smoke coming from the tail pipe. There was an abnormal odor of coolant in the vehicle. The contact opened the hood and noticed that the engine oil was milky, and the coolant reservoir was empty. The engine overheated, and... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle idled rough with the RMPs seized in place. 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 vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil tensioner had ripped and neede... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after arriving at his workplace and parking the vehicle, he was alerted that the vehicle was smoking. The contact became aware that coolant was leaking from underneath the front of the vehicle and was puddling underneath the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coolant ho... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the flex plate was fractured, and the engine short block was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough starts and a rough idling. The check engine warning light was illuminat... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. 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
Incident date: May 2, 2023
The contact owned a 2013 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in a parking lot, she had observed a small amount of smoke but was not aware of where the smoke was being emitted. The contact stated that she was alerted that her vehicle had burst into flames. The contact stated that when she was able to get to her vehicle the flames had been extinguished by the fire depart... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-550 chassis with an Earth Roamer RV. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the turbocharger needle on the instrument cluster fell to zero. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive po... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine was almost completely devoid of oil and that the vehicle was consuming oil a... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 23, 2024
Incident date: May 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had illuminated and while attempting to decelerate, the vehicle started shaking and then stalled. The contact made several attempts to restart the vehicle and regain power. The failure had become more persistent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the radiator coolant... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 23, 2024
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway, the vehicle lost motive power with the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with a failure with the engine not receiving engine oil. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and making a right turn, the contact veered to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the hood. The contact opened the hood and noticed smoke and coolant in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the f... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact inspected the dipstick and discovered that the engine oil level was low. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 23, 2024
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the contact noticed that the passenger’s side rear seat level had become elevated. The contact stated that his daughter who was seated in the child seat head had started touching the top of the sunroof. The contact became aware of a gasoline odor coming from the engine. The contact also became aware that the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for routine service at the local dealer, and the technician advised her that the engine oil cooler needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was also taken to several independent mechanics and the diagnostic result was confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 23, 2024
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he observed condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of an unknown liquid on the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 23, 2024
Incident date: Mar 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact also stated that previously, upon turning the vehicle off, she heard an abnormal buzzing sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic.... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact indicated that when she took the vehicle in for a routine service at an independent mechanic, the technician became aware that the water pump was leaking, and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was also taken to a local dealer where the previous diagnosis was confirmed. The contact stated that before ... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 22, 2024
Incident date: May 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was an abnormal shuddering sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the camshaft timing unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failu... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 22, 2024
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH and crossing an intersection, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light was illuminated. As a result, the vehicle following behind in the intersection crashed into the rear corner of the passenger side bumper. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The other vehicle fled the crash scene. The... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to the coolant bypass valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 22, 2024
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer, and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The dealer performed the diagnostic test and determined that coolant had leaked into the engine. Due to the failure, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and provide... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, he noticed a loud clanking noise coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 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 local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engin... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The veh... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the con... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the oil pump light illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power while driving up a hill. 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 manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2024
The contact’s sister owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that engine oil needed to be added every 2-3 weeks. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle received an unknown repair; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
BEETLE CONVERTIBLE
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 22, 2024
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the following day the check engine warning light illuminated again. The ve... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 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 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. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted and was taken to an independent mechanic and the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, a low oil pressure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump causing damages to the engine and the turbo charger. The contact was informed that the engine and turbo charger needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that coolant needed to be added to the coolant reservoir occasionally. While driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. Additionally, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle was slow to start. The traction, engine, and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an indep... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine ran rough, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle shut off and failed to restart until after approximately five hours. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was observed that fluid was leaking from the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 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: Aug 20, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle; there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact then stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the coolant and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mecha... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge started to indicate that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power, and the contact observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The blank warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mech... Read more
CHEVROLET
CAPTIVA SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2024
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminate... Read more
CHEVROLET
CAPTIVA SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2024
Incident date: May 21, 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 while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that upon inspecting the engine compartment, he noticed some of t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 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 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. No warnin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Eng... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheating message was displayed. The vehicle failed to accelerate over 20 MPH. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were blinking, and a beeping sound was heard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was coolant and oil mix in the engine... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was advised that the replaced spark plugs might be defective and that the power train... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2002) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2024
Incident date: May 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated driving approximately 65 MPH, the high engine temperature warning illuminated. The contact was able to exit the highway and drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact checked the coolant level and noticed that the coolant level was low. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The low-oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a fai... Read more