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 18, 2023
Engine stopped entirely while going up a hill. Had a mechanic look at it about a month agoa nd told me that the engine has coolant intrusion issue. Making the engine misfire and makes it lose power and shuts engine off on the middle of the road!! Ford knows about this and redeigned the engine due to this issue.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
Widely known issue that the engine has coolant leaking into the engine. Ford issued a statement on it. Now the same thing is happening to my car. Safety of myself and others put at risk by vehicle running incorrectly and engine is now misfiring resulting in difficulty maintaining power while driving. Problem has been confirmed by independent body shop and is being confirmed but dealer now. C... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2024
The heating in the car was not working. Then one morning the car started overheating and the check engine light came on. Taken to dealer to find the coolant was low and that it was leaking into cylinders 2 and 3 and now the engine needed to be replaced. This is an $8000 plus repair on a car I just bought for $20000 with under 75000 miles.
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
Coolant began leaking into the engine causing engine failure
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owned a 2011 BMW 328i x Drive. The contact stated her son was driving home from a friend's house and refueling the vehicle. The contact stated when the son parked the vehicle at the residence, the son noticed smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The son attempted to open the hood of the vehicle but saw flames coming from the front hood of... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the coils and spark plugs were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where a diagnostic was performed; the diagnostic test ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the misfire in cylinder #3 was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle experienced shaking and vibrations while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who determined that coolant was present inside cylinder #3 and the engine long block cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 11, 2024
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Mar 11, 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 contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, an abnormal clanking noise began to emit from the engine without warning. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated the engine overheated and fluids of different colors and consistencys leaked from the vehicle. The contact stated that the leaks were coming from the coolant reservoir due to engine overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a P0476 small evaporator leak and t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The vehicle was taken to the local Ford dealer on numerous occasions where various software updates and maintenance checks were performed on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted after each repair. Recently, the contact s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the "Coolant Low" message was displayed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was extremely low, but no visible evidence of a coolant leak was present. The contact added coolant to the reservoir, but the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was u... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven; however, the dealer informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The con... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed uphill, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled. The oil pressure and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The failure nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and then was towed to the residence. The contact's husband, an independent mechanic, diagnosed th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered and experienced low idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed. The dealer determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V740000 (H... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 11, 2024
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message "Engine Overheating" was displayed and there was smoke coming from underneath the passenger's side of the hood. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that she was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle was sputtering. The vehicle was towed to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The detective reported that the 2022 Jeep Wrangler spontaneously caught on fire. The contact stated that after the owner parked the vehicle, approximately six hours later a fire occurred which started in the engine compartment of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident the vehicle was destroyed. No injuries were reported. A police a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 45 MPH, the "low oil pressure" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled immediately after the low oil pressure warning illuminated. The contact's wife was able to pull over but was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF SPORTWAGEN
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 8, 2024
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 ex... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and flickered on and off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not y... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the "Low Engine Oil Pressure" message was displayed on the instrument panel upon starting the vehicle. There was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the instrument panel. 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 availab... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was struggling to start, and there was exhaust fumes coming inside the cabin while starting the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would temporarily lose motive power while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking onto the spark plugs, causing the sp... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to idle abnormally rough, and the contact observed white smoke coming from the exhaust. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The check warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the deale... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant had intruded into the cylinders. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 8, 2024
Incident date: Jul 12, 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
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 8, 2024
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while parked in a parking space with the vehicle in drive and the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle started to roll. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that the vehicle would not immediately start, and white exhaust smoke was coming from the vehicle. Also, the message "Coolant Low" was displayed although the coolant reservoir was full. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the head gasket was faulty. The head gasket was replaced but the coolant message continued to d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 7, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine was extremely low on engine oil, even though oil had been added 1,000 miles before the failure. The contact was informed that the engine was consuming oi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the High Engine Temperature message displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine temperature gauge increased, and the air conditioner would not blow cool air. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that the engine coolant level was extremely low, and that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Recently while driving at a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust. Additionally, the vehicle had failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about a coolant leak and a Customer Satisfactio... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact initially stated that upon checking the oil level, the oil level was a quart lower. The contact then stated that while driving up a hill at a moderate rate of speed, an abnormal knocking sound began to emit from the vehicle as the vehicle started to lose power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic reprogrammed the Powertrain Control... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and waited for the engine to cool down, restarted the vehicle, and continued driving. The failure became a recurring failure however, after the last failure the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2019
The contact owns a 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated after driving 35 MPH, the contact attempted to park the vehicle and heard water gurgling through the engine. The contact also stated that the vehicle had lost a significant amount of gasoline after being refueled and then driving 20 miles to the residence. The contact also stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (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 n... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while his wife was driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and lost motive power. The contact’s wife pulled to the side of the road. The contact’s wife was unsure if any warn... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure warning light illu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for ro... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2020
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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The m... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated. Additionally, there was an audible chime indicating a possible oxygen sensor failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2. The dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics and the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The second mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Colling) which ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 MPH, a message advising to stop driving was displayed, and the vehicle simultaneously shifted into neutral(N) independently. The vehicle stalled in the middle of the highway and failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message advising to drive with caution was displayed after several minutes, and... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximate... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered, and a burning odor was detected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the water pump and timing belt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the spark plugs were r... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, after which a message displayed reading "High Engine Temperature". The check engine and temperature warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine and the engi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2024
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 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 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 oil warning light illumina... Read more