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 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant had leaked into the cylinders, resulting in engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S550
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 5, 2024
Incident date: Feb 14, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and conf... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a shredded timing belt, the screen on the oil pump was clogged, and no oil pressure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact discover... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 5, 2024
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate, and the transmission experienced hard shifting. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine misfired. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, an unknown message and warning light were illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact waited 4 hours for the vehicle to cool down and then refilled the vehicle with coolant before successfully restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to thre... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, after which the vehicle entered LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that oil was leaking from the vehicle near the oil pan. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that oil was leaking out of the oil pan, onto parts that were extremely hot causing a burning odor. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pan was leakin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that oil was leaking from the turbocharger. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for repair. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact stated the 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road to inspect the vehicle and found that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant was leaking from the turbo and advised the vehicle to... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 5-10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake pedal fractured, causing her right foot to go through the pedal. The contact sustained whiplash, and cuts and bruises o... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 23, 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 his son-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to an BMW certified mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the oil pressure and check engine warning ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 4, 2024
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and an audible chime was heard. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking, and the temperature gauge needle was reading "HOT". The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the audible chime sound was h... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 4, 2024
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to overheat. The contact was able to move the vehicle to the shoulder before taking the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer determined there was a crack in cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact’s son owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shifted into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the knock sensor warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed and cleared the LIMP Mode status for the vehicle to be driven to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle was still losing motive power... Read more
Incident date: Apr 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the check engine and oil warni... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2010 BMW 328i. The contact's girlfriend 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 after parking the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechani... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the RPMs were fluctuating, and the engine was running rough. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption, and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe while driving and while starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirme... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
There is a known problem with the Ford Escape engines leaking coolant into the cylinders. I have a 2.0 which for two years there have been issues with engines needing to be replaced but Ford will not help owners of the 2.0 engine, only 1.5 and 1.9l engines. My 2.0 has coolant in the cylinders and needs a new engine. Ford claims there is not an issue with this engine yet and will not cover the repa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. 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 vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and the local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagn... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 when starting the vehicle,... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, she observed smoke issuing from under the hood and from under the vehicle. No warning lights had been illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and shut the vehicle off, however upon exiting the vehicle she saw that flames were coming from under the vehicle from an area just behind the front tires. ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The at the engine is built the coolest is leaking into it. This causes the engine to seize while driving and is very dangerous. If you catch it early it’s an expensive fix if you catch it late it’s a new engine you’ll need/ there is no warning signs for it.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the "Oil Pressure Low" message displayed and continued to flash. The contact entered a parking lot, turned the vehicle off, and attempted to turn the vehicle back on, however, the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not di... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the engine overheated, and coolant was leaking from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the coolant was present inside the cylinders. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and ... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Mar 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was misfiring, and the vehicle was jerking significantly while accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine block needed to be replace... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Sep 30, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact also stated that the pistons were missing. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine repl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, a heavy, blueish-colored smoke would emit from the exhaust pipe as the check engine light would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The check engine light came on so we called the dealership. This is a 7.5 year old vehicle with under 50,000 miles. They made an appointment for us to come up over a week later. In the meantime the vehicle started to blow a lot of smoke when starting. Smelled like anti-freeze. We took it to the dealership early. Two days later they told us it needed a new engine. Our extended bumper to bump... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH; an abnormal popping sound began to emit from the vehicle. The vehicle also began to hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The "Low Oil Pressure" message appeared on the instrument panel; however, upon inspection, the oil level was found to be normal. The vehicle was initially towed to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle also experienced reduced power and would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who determined that the engine had experienced excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who performe... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the oil and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to move the vehicle to the next exit before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed as an engine failure associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, causing the engine to misfire. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2346 with NHTSA ID Number 10169807 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and confirmed it was because of a misfir... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to accelerate as needed. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in a drive-thru line, the engine temperature gauge increased to the "high" position and the engine overheated causing engine coolant to leak from the engine compartment with white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the head gasket was blown... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
There's coolant intrusion in my engine due to - as best I can figure - a manufacturing defect that Ford acknowledges in their 2.0L EcoBoost engines (per TSB 22-2229), but NOT in their 1.5L and 1.6L EcoBoost engines (mine is a 1.6L and was produced in parallel with the 2.0L, though they later replaced it with a 1.5L). This is an acknowledged defect, plain and simple, and a safety issue because the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated with the "Engine Overheating" message displayed. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the radiator, valves, gasket, cylinder head, thermostat, and several other unknown parts were replaced. The contact stated that the failure r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
Driving on [XXX] when the engine began smoking (fogging) and I was unable to see. I stopped and could not go any further. Two cars nearly hit me. It took 10 minutes or longer for the car to cool down and the computer to allow me to move the vehicle 20' to get off the busiest street in Alabama. The car has 106,000 miles on it and the Ecoboost engine is blown. Ford refuses to do anything about it. I... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 60 MPH, and the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the wife's place of employment and coolant was added to the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
While driving on the interstate car began to excessively shake and check engine light flashed for almost a minute then stopped. Was approaching exit to residence location and was able to get there. Once at home, car was then sluggish to start but no check engine light was on. Attempted to drive car in a safe area to see if it would repeat or light would come on. This was on a Sunday, therefore the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
Coolant entered the engine cylinders and the engine failed at 65000 miles. The vehicle is 5 years old. I am now underwater on the vehicle and I see forums where many people have experienced this.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH after an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power an hour later. The contact was able to pull to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine would rev up loudly emitting a vibrating noise. About 3 months after having the vehicle repaired, while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the battery warning light and the oil warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled shortly afterward. After waiting for a w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 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 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: Mar 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then jerked into the higher gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was also making an abnormally loud banging sound while shifting into gear. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the "wrench" symbol and the check engine warning light were illu... Read more