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: Sep 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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: Mar 15, 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
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 3, 2024
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
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: Apr 2, 2024
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 26, 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: Apr 3, 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: Aug 16, 2022
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: Mar 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 4, 2022
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: Nov 15, 2023
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.
Incident date: Mar 31, 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
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 1, 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
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
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: Mar 17, 2024
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
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Mar 28, 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: Apr 1, 2024
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: Apr 2, 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
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA SPORTWAGEN
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Jan 3, 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: Jan 15, 2024
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: Dec 2, 2023
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: Apr 2, 2024
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: Mar 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: Apr 2, 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: Mar 21, 2022
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
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Mar 31, 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: Mar 29, 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: Dec 26, 2023
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: Mar 31, 2024
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: Mar 11, 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: 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 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
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
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
Incident date: Sep 10, 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 while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was firm while being depressed; howe... Read more
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 while at a complete stop at a traffic light, the engine made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that he continued driving; however, the vehicle stalled. The contact was abl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2024
Incident date: Mar 30, 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 local dealer was contacted and 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 manufacturer... Read more
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2024
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Coolant Level Low message displayed, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle experienced rough idling. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle to cool down the engine. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 29, 2024
Incident date: Mar 11, 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 local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 FORD Escape. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, it ran rough and the contact noticed the cooling level was low. No warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the water pump was replaced. However the failure persisted. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V416000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System) as a possi... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 29, 2024
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine experienced a misfire. The contact stated that the coolant was leaking into cylinder #3. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust. Additionally, there was an abnormal slushing noise coming from the dashboard. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an indepe... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 29, 2024
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power and failed to restart; however, the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine which caused the engine to become damaged. The contact was informed th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, a gasoline and smoke odor was ventilating into the interior of the vehicle through the vents, after which the driver observed flames emanating from the engine compartment on the passenger side of the vehicle, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. Upon exiting th... Read more
Fire
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contacted stated that the check engine warning light illuminated; and the contact's parents took the vehicle to the dealer where it was repaired; however, the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence and the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a catalytic converter failure. The contact ... Read more
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 29, 2024
Incident date: Mar 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, he observed low-frequency rumbles emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken home. The next day when the vehicle was started, the contact observed the rumbling noise again and then the vehicle began shaking. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic engine ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the heater was no longer operable. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive coolant consumption. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The mechanic determined that the failur... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the instrument panel displayed an "Engine System Fault" message, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant level was below the minimal level, with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The coolant level ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while checking the coolant level routinely, the contact noticed that the coolant was significantly lower than expected. The contact stated that while the coolant level was low the vehicle was driving rough while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated he was noticing oil spotting on his driveway. The contact stated that he also smelled the odor of motor oil in the passenger cabin when he used the air conditioning. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil pan and gasket needed... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving, at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. Additionally, while driving on several occasions, the vehicle hesitated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Acura of Valley Stream Ser... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that 11/2 to 2 1/2 quarts of oil was burning every three weeks. The vehicle was using an excessive amount of oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact noticed there was a limited amount of oil on the dipstick. The contact had to add additional oil. There was no indication of oil leaking. The vehicle was taken to the local deal... Read more