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 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware of coolant leaking into the engine cylinder. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer discovered a coolant leak; however, the dealer was unable to determine the location of the leak. The contact was instructed to wait several weeks and then insert a dye to determine the source of the... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 14, 2024
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 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... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Accord. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal ticking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an oil change was performed; however, the abnormal ticking sound became significantly louder. There was no warning light illuminated. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the engine had failed. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle misfired, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the RPMs were unusually low. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, another driver on the road informed the contact that the vehicle was leaking diesel fuel with an abnormally strong diesel odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that an unstated filter needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred on two other occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine, causing the misfire. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal rattling sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 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 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: May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Genesis G90. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware of an abnormal burning odor. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was blue smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her fiancé test-drove the vehicle and noticed a significant amount of bl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the crankcase bearing had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a Honda dealer who confirmed the diagnostic result; however, the contact was infor... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact replaced the radiator cap; however, the failure recurred, and coolant was added. The contact stated that approximately 2 gallons of coolant was added. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact discovered Tec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 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 while reversing, there was a knocking sound heard, and when the brake pedal was depressed, the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer ... Read more
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 13, 2024
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact’s granddaughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a fail... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling rough with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
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 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 ha... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The engine coolant temperature was high, and a message was displayed. The engine temperature gauge increased to a high level and then decreased to a normal level. While driving 45–50 MPH in the rain, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local deale... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, she observed black smoke emanating from the exhaust, after which the vehicle stalled and was not able to be restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The low-coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with starter failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was informed that the rattling sound was related to an engine iss... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on three separate occasions while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the engine temperature warning light illuminated, and the temperature gauge rose to HOT. Additionally, when the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and cooled down on the third occasion, the engine temperature warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle wa... 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 local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with defective cam phasers. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. Upon inve... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the contact heard a loud clanking noise coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated the engine began to misfire. The vehicle was able to be restarted on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone where it was diagnosed and deter... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 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 50 MPH, the vehicle decelerated, with the oil pressure and battery warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over off the highway and stated that the vehicle faile... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart after the first failure. The contact stated that on the second occasion, the vehicle was restarted, but the vehicle began shaking violently. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed tha... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at appro... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 2, 2024
The contact's friend owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off without warning. Upon restart of the vehicle, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot(H). Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir was almost empty. The contact stated that coolant was frequently added to the coolant reservoir due to t... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2007) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the "Engine Fault, Service Now" and "Change Oil Soon" messages were displayed. The contact stated that the oil change was due after 2,000 miles. Additionally, the contact stated while driving and making a turn, the vehicle stalled. The message "Engine Fault, Service Now" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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 ha... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 9, 2024
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, a message indicating that the vehicle was overheating and to pull over, was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact stated that upon checking the coolant level, she found there was no coolant in ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 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 while driving at undisclosed speeds, the coolant message was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and refilled the coolant reservoir; however, the vehic... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 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 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 no... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated had observed that the check engine light would illuminate when she would start the vehicle. The contact stated that while merging onto the highway the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the spar... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shake without warning. The contact also stated that the coolant needed to be frequently replenished. The failure persisted and the contact stated that the vehicle was starting to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that coolant was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle at a cold start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was recently taken back to the dealer after the latest failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The contact stated the cam phasers had been replaced four times unde... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. While starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The engine coolant temperature was elevated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and that the ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 8, 2024
Incident date: May 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine which caused an engine misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the fa... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the abnormal sound would increase. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who listened to the engine and ended up removing pistons from the engine. The mechanic discovered there was a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an ERG failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact related the fai... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 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 not made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 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 made aware of the issue. 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the engine was idling roughly. The contact stated that the vehicle was also overheating. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; ho... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
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 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud scratchy sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact researched and determined that the failure could be linked to the cam phasers. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was ... Read more