Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump, timing chain, and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 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 while driving at approximately 25MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 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: Oct 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the pressure cap of the coolant reservoir was removed, and the vehicle restarted. The check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was idling rough. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the long block engine needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware of white smoke emanating from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact also noticed an abnormal coolant odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 1999
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the turbo charger became inoperable. The contact noticed smoke emerging from the vehicle, and the vehicle started losing motive power, and decelerated to 35 MPH. The contact checked the oil and noticed that the oil level was low. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) message was displayed. During the failure the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the NOX sensor, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who was unable... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, he became aware of a rattling sound emanating from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact related the failure with the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Replacement); however, th... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 7, 2024
Incident date: Jun 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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle made an abnormal rattling while the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact was adding oil after driving two hundred miles. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who performed two engine flushes and an oil change. The contact called the local dealer and was informed about an engine replacement ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated, and the check engine warning light illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that coolant was added but continued to leak, causing the engine to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed t... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware of a misfire failure with the vehicle. The contact stated that the temperature gauge became extremely elevated, and the Engine Overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 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. 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: Dec 4, 2013
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 that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 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, and depressing the accelerato... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly experienced a loss of motive power and stalled. During the failure, the message "Low Coolant" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3 and caused s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the engine overheated, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside the cylinders and caused severe damage to the engine. The cont... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Genesis G70. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V107000 (Electrical System) and 24V191000 (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 repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 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 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 ma... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 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 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: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact arrived at the scene and attempted to jumpstart the vehicle, however, the vehicle failed to start-up. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 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 while driving at approximat... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was 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 related the failure to Customer Satisfactio... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the vehicle was overheating, and the A/C was blowing hot air. The contact also stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who found ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact released the accelerator pedal and then depressed the pedal again, and the vehicle drove as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
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 on several occasions in one week, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that a week later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low-pressure oil warning light illuminated. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
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 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 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up occasionally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as needed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. 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 ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2024
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that after the vehicle had warmed up the rumbling sound stopped. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the abnormal sound had started occurring while driving the vehicle. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2009
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and to a second dealer, Norm Reeves Ford Superstore (18900 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703), where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, and the failure was rel... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine temperature gauge became extremely elevated. The check engine and high engine temperature warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. Th... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, out of pocket. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
G 550
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2024
Incident date: Mar 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered significantly. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped shuddering while shifted into neutral(N). Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the failure recurred, and the vehicle jerked significantly. The low oil pressure warning light ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who scanned the vehicle and informed the contact that coolant was leaking and intruding into the engine and cylinder #3. The vehicle had misfired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's son stated that the vehicle was emitting smoke from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that his son pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #4 was misfiring due to coolant intrusion through the cylinder wall. The dealer related the failure to TSB Number: 22-2229 and determined that the engine short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. 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 aware o... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed excessive smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The low oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the valve steam seals. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who the... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The contact stated that the failure persisted while starting and while driving. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz Smart ForTwo. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The parts were available; however, the dealer list the manufacturer provided that the recall repair instructions were not available. The contact called multiple dealers however services could not be provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the shoulder. Following the failure, the Low Oil Pressure, check engine warning, and maintenance required warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuse box needed to be reloca... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2024
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was an unknown red warning light illuminated. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who informed the contact about a TSB regarding the engine block, which might cause the engine to warp or crack and allow coolant to enter the engin... Read more