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: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was a rattling sound coming from the hood that had gotten worse over time. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approx... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon noticing that coolant was leaking onto the ground, he opened the hood and discovered that coolant was leaking from the radiator. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that a foreign obje... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that oil was leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam shaft carrier needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a separati... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle periodically, the engine oil low message was displayed. 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 performed an oil change. The contact stated that the manu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds 6-months after purchasing the vehicle, the brakes became inoperable. The contact stated that the parking brake was used to stop the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a caliper failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Eco Sport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact became aware that the engine oil pressure was falling quickly, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle during the failure. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 7, 2024
Incident date: May 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed. The dealer determined that the head gasket replacement and a post repair inspection needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 35 MPH, the overheating message was displayed. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact added coolant. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant in cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related ... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the cam phasers had been previously repaired in the past. The contact stated the vehicle was shuddering and lost motive power while driving. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers were sticky and was making an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer ... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 7, 2024
Incident date: Sep 15, 2021
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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approxima... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle would not immediately start. After finally starting the vehicle the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine gasket was faulty causing oil to leak from the engine. The engine gasket was replaced and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was not no... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the spark plugs had been replaced previously; however, there was a misfire in the engine, and there was coolant leaking into the engine. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir had to be refilled constantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle was unmovable. The contact then purchased coolant and added coolant to the reservoir. The cont... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the engine started to overheat, and the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic result was undetermined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine a... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH with the check engine warning and low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the turbo charger. The contact was informed that the engine needed ... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with fuel pump failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The message "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed and was leaking. The mechanic informed the contact that the water pump was built into the engine, which required the engine to be ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle lost motive power and the engine overheated, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as failure with the head gasket and th... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the heater in the on position, the vehicle overheated. The temperature gauge increased to the highest level. The engine was overheating, and the message was displayed. The contact had to turn the heater off. The contact called the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine replacement was nee... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver drove to an independent mechanic, where the failure persisted. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power, prompting her to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the turbo was leaking oil, and the turbo drain tube was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe while starting and while driving the vehicle. Additionally, the... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 60-62 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact drove to the residence and verified that there was sufficient oil in the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while starting and driving the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering and made an abnormally lo... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat was stuck open and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, he briefly heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. 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 independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After i... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 BWM 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the camshaft position sensor and VANOS assembly bolts. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made loud rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact relat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the heater was turned to the on position, it blew out cold air. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the water pump was leaking, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaire... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Zone where the vehicle was scanned and diagnosed with a failure with the knock sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to a local independent mechanic where the knock sensor was replaced. The contact stated that the failure had recurred. T... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
ALENZA AS ULTRA
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 3, 2024
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal knocking sound emanating from the engine compartment that dissipated as the engine warmed up. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact rela... 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled. The low en... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of the exhaust fumes inside the vehicle. The contact also stated the diesel cleaning system activated independently causing a strong odor. In addition, the RPM was fluctuating. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed but the result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed the coolant fluid was low and the engine overheating warning light was illuminated, but there were no visible coolant leaks. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the residence. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, but the coolant level was low the following day. The dealer wa... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owned a 2011 Dodge Journey. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure recurred while the vehicle was stopped at a stop sign, and the contact saw flames coming from the hood. The contact exited the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. A fi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 30, 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, and it was 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 manufa... Read more
TRIUMPH
STREET CUP
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was steered into a parking lot. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The m... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 25, 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sou... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #2 was misfiring. The dealer replaced the coil pack; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact became aware there was coolant leaking onto the floor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a water pump malfunction. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 2, 2024
Incident date: May 2, 2023
Engine start failing becoause of the catalytic converter issues.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to make a right turn and pulled to the side of the road. The contact allowed the vehicle to cool down for 30 minutes, and then the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where the contact replaced the thermostat and the coolant himse... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH unintendedly and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner and retrieved several DTC codes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact of piston rods failure and that the se... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the vehicle was low on coolant and failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact stated that there was an increase of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost braking power. The driver was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had shattered. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact reached out to a GMC engineer, who i... Read more