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: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to 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... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the long block, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred at 92,000 miles. After inves... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH the warning message "System Default, Battery" was displayed. After stopping to inspect under the hood the contact discovered smoke and flames were present coming from inside the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. During the incident, the veh... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was advised that the vehicle needed to be taken to a dealer. The vehicle was then towed to a ... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 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
Incident date: May 20, 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 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: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirm... Read more
HYUNDAI
GENESIS COUPE
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2024
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had an abnormal burning oil odor in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who checked the vehicle and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light, and a message that Kia had been alerted of a failure was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to start the vehicle and drove back to the residence. The contact stated that while attempting to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Genesis G70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V191000 (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 and a case was ope... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2016
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 5 minutes. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 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 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: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling rough while driving, and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormal antifreeze odor. The contact became aware there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was cracked. The vehicle was not repa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked outside his residence, it caught on fire. The contact stated the fire was emanating from the engine compartment. No one was injured during the fire. A volunteer fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A fire department and police report were not filed. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power with the check oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed as a failure with the fuel pump. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notific... Read more
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2024
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Palisade The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V106000 (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 c... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking while shifting gear. The contact stated that there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser needed to b... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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 vehicle was not diag... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle began to lose motive power with the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The con... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power with an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine compartment. The failure occurred more often while attempting to accelerate or driving uphill. The vehicle occasionally stalled during the failure. The contact released the accelerator pedal slowly and the vehicle then star... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 17, 2024
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began shaking with white smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusio... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and inspect the vehicle; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the conta... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 17, 2024
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle briefly vibrated before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined there was a misfire in cylinder #2, requiring the spark plug to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact's mother owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at undisclosed speeds, the oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was towed to the mother's residence. The contact who is an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with low oil pressure. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (E... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while the daughter was driving at approximately 80 MPH and attempting to pass a tractor-trailer in the left lane, the vehicle behind her aggressively merged into the same lane causing a crash to the passenger side of the vehicle. The other vehicle fled the scene. The contact's daughter merged to the shoulder of the road. There was damage to th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, The check engine warning light illuminated off and on and the vehicle was driving rough. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the engine coolant level was very low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed a cylinder misfire caused by coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Mar 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light ... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there were abnormal sounds coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine ran rough and lost power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic wh... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. 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 ha... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, noticed the vehicle loosing motive power. The contact stated the check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, however, it was no diagnosed since the contact refused to pay for it. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light and low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine belt had seized due to low oil pressure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine temperature became elevated. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #3. The spark plugs, coil pack, and the boot for cylinder #3 were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was later informe... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2020
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 at 20 MPH, the check oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer but was not serviced. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine was running rough, and the oil pump had failed and need... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirme... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2020
The contact called on behalf of her mother-in-law who owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the "Vehicle Hot, Reduce Speed" message was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that when the vehicle was sta... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shook abnormally and began running rough. Additionally, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the contact stated that the vehicle consuming an abnormal amount of fuel. The v... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local service center which determined that the cam shaft sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The cam shaft sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failu... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 15, 2024
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the VANOS bolts were replaced. 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.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
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 while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle wa... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 15, 2024
Incident date: May 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot and driving into traffic, the vehicle started overheating and failed to exceed 3 MPH. The contact activated the hazard lights and drove back into the parking lot. The contact parked the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to cool down after 30 minutes. The vehicle was towed to the dealer it was purchased fr... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the engine made an abnormally loud banging sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the fa... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. Additionally, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact discovered an unknown recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The recall was repair was performed; however, the contact was informed that there was another failure. The vehicle was rep... Read more
Incident date: May 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 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: Apr 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated before stalling. The contact veered over to the shoulder and attempted to restart the vehicle. The contact stated the vehicle had minimal power delivery which prevented the engine from turning over. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW Z4. 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 undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SLC300
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 15, 2024
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the oil level was inspected and topped off; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do t... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Venue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V308000 (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