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 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was present inside the engine cylinders and the engine head gasket had leaked. No further information was available. The contact was advised that the engine h... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 18, 2024
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the low oil level warning ligh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 208 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact rel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while an acquaintance was driving the vehicle at an unknown speed, the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound and the engine seized. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine seizure caused by rod bearing wear. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V077000 (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 m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
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 that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle idled roughly. In add... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver became aware that the coolant level was low. The contact stated that the engine was making an abnormal rattling sound. The front wheel was making an abnormal sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The service engine error message was sent to the Ford pass. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine. Upon starting the vehicle there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was due to the cylinder block. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had caused the engine to misfire, resulting in damage to the engine and requiring for the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact rela... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac XT6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the instrument panel went black. The vehicle was restarted, and the instrument panel lights illuminated but the vehicle began shaking from the driver's side. The check oil warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that she felt heat coming from where her feet were located under the das... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 750I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an oil change had been performed several days before the failure. The contact topped off the oil. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was advised to complete an oil consumption test for 1,000 miles and then return... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram Promaster City. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. The contact added coolant to the engine; however, the coolant was gone in less than two weeks. The contact then stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking noise was coming from the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled wi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil warning li... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was not able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump drive belt tensione... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 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 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: Dec 8, 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 contact's son attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. On the second attempt, the vehicle started; however, the oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to make an abnormal knocking noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over and stopped. The contact turned the vehicle off and on. The contact stated that she was able to shift into drive (D) and while depressing the accelerator pedal ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The contact owned a 2022 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving in stop-and-go traffic, the odor of smoke was suddenly present inside the vehicle and moments later smoke was viewed coming from under the hood. The vehicle was stopped and moments after exiting the vehicle the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During th... Read more
Fire
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 16, 2024
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact observed an excessive amount of condensation on the interior of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lifters resulting in misfires in the engine. The dealer also determined that cracks i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the "Low Engine Oil Pressure" message was displayed and continuously notified the contact of the issue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufactur... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 16, 2024
Incident date: Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact became aware that the defroster was not working properly on the vehicle. The contact stated that the windows were very foggy and made it very unsafe to drive. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and used the window scraper to remove the fo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, stalled, and shut off independently. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Harley-Davidson Street Glide FLHXS. The contact stated that upon a routine oil change, oil was discovered leaking out of the primary oil cover. A dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that an extensive diagnostic test needed to be performed to determine the cause of the failure. The motorcycle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 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 contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, then the vehicle stalled and shuddered when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred s... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 15, 2024
Incident date: Apr 12, 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 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: Mar 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine experienced rough operation, reduced power, and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed an engine misfire was present in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 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 driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact was able to pull into the driveway, where the vehicle stalled. The low oil pressure warning light was... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 15, 2024
Incident date: Apr 14, 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 driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormal ticking sounds. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact stated while starting the vehicle the followi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 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 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: Apr 15, 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 contacted. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH the oil pressure warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who advised that the vehicle be taken to the dea... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the temperature gauge displayed that the engine was overheating. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle for leaks, but none were found. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir and was able to restart the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 6, 2024
The engine cooling failed inside the block on cylinder #2. The cooling system is not operable and resulted in blue smoke under acceleration. The car is no longer under warranty and only has 65K miles on it and is otherwise in good working order. I am told the whole engine needs to be replaced.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 15, 2024
Incident date: Apr 13, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 14, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufa... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 15, 2024
Incident date: May 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Acura TSX. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ECU, and determined that corrosion had caused the component to fail. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact r... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
The coolant leaks into the engine. I have already had it fixed before. It did it again and ruined my engine. I am now on the hook to replace the engine and still paying the car off. Looking to Google shows this is a known issue that ford refuses to address and has cost thousands of people a lot of money.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Upon depressing the accelerator pedal from a stop, the vehicle failed to move. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the r... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a faulty hose and the hose was replaced. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
Engine failure. Coolant leaking into piston 2.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and lost motive power. The contact was able to arrive to his destination, where the vehicle failed to restart. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. While the contact's husband was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several warning lights illuminated. The contact's husband was able to steer the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was initially towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 12, 2024
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Eco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where is diagnosed and determined that the engine was dama... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 12, 2024
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling) however, the vehicle experienced a failure related to the recall. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with catalytic converter failure ... Read more