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 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the CVVL (Continuously Variable Valve Lift) gasket had failed and the CVVL system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was file... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the morning, and in the evening, the fire department knocked on the contact's door, advising that neighbors had called to report that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the contact's garage. The contact stated that the garage was detached and was located in the rear of the residence. The c... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for maintenance, the contact was informed that the water pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the visit, the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not found. The failure persisted. On a separate occasion, while the vehi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and was taken to the dealer to be repaired under the recall. Approximately 2-3 months after the recall repair was completed; while driving approximately 25 - 35 MPH, the engine made a loud thumping sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2026
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while his son was driving 50 MPH on the expressway in subzero temperatures, the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The driver pulled over and noticed oil on the undercarriage of the vehicle. The driver waited for three hours in hazardous weather for tow truck assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who dete... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the knock sensor had failed. The knock sensors were replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, two month... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact smelled smoke and became aware that the smoke was coming from under the hood. The failure reoccurred while driving the following day. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the failure was associated with a coolant sensor failure; however, it was unknown whether the dealer had repaired the vehicle. The dealer then informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. However, while driving 65-70 MPH, the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine was running rough, and there was a significant amount of air and oil when the oil cap was opened. Additionally, there was an abnormal sound coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was sluggish while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. The wrench warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the parts were not available to repair the vehicle. In addition, the contact was informed that a diagnosti... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that immediately after purchasing the certified vehicle, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode while her grandson was driving approximately 65 MPH, and the vehicle decelerated to 7 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the NOX sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but while leaving th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced power and failed to exceed 25-30 MPH. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving uphill. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that cylinder #5 wall was damaged and there was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, there was blue and white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact saw a cloud of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact waited to see where the smoke was coming from and attempted to start however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was t... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2026
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an inspection. While the dealer was inspecting the ABS and struts, the contact was informed that the PCV valve was damaged. The ABS was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while coasting to a stop light, the check engine and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and stopped driving as needed. During the failure, the vehicle had not shut off. After turning it off and restarting the vehicle, the failure failed to self-correct. The vehicle was towed to the... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2026
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, there was an abnormal burning plastic odor coming from inside the vehicle, and the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was sputtering sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a cylinder misfire and bu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The check engine and "Oil Pressure Low" warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Press START Button" was displayed, and restarting the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact received a recall on the 2024 Toyota Tundra; however, the contact did not own the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
Incident date: May 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. While the contact's daughter was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the 12-Volt battery and the auxiliary battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to sta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact inspected the vehicle and added approximately three quarts of oil to the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that there was an oil leak. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil, and oil needed to be added to the engine every 30 days. Additionally, the vehicle was difficult to start, and there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle at start-up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the fuel pump, the starter, and the tim... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that after the vehicle was serviced at the local dealer, the message "Add Oil" was displayed, and the vehicle continued to experience excessive oil consumption. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Ram ProMaster 2500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V720000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 contact ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2026
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) in October 2025, and the vehicle was taken for inspection. The vehicle passed the inspection, and the recall was closed. The following month, while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and decelerated to approxima... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH on the highway and attempting to accelerate around a possible drunk driver traveling on the roadway, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The driver was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called 911 and called for Roadside Assistance, and the vehicle was towed to ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2026
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. While driving at various speeds, there was a misfire coming from the engine while attempting to accelerate. The failure occurred while attempting to accelerate from a stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (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 had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact was made aware through the rideshare service Uber that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while her partner was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to pull over; however, several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds, and that recently, when the vehicle was restarted after stalling, there was an abnormal kn... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheated. The contact was informed that there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact was called for help. The contact arrived at the location and inspected under the hood, and became aware that the coolant level was low. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the low oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was sluggish while driving. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact became aware of puddles of oil on the driveway while the vehicle was parked. Additionally, the transmission warning light was displayed, and the vehicle hesitated to start while pressing the Push to Start button. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine started making an abnormal loud knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact stated that the failure worsened while attempting to drive the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engin... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle failed t... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
ALENZA AS ULTRA
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the garage after being driven in the morning; however, later in the day, the vehicle failed to restart. While the contact’s grandson was using the vehicle, there was an abnormal popping sound. There was white steam in the garage. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 45 MPH and entering the freeway, the driver heard an abnormal popping sound, and it felt as if the vehicle had been rear-ended. The message "Throttle Alert" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to exceed 50 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The driver was unable to pull over to the side of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a red traffic light, the temperature gauge went from the normal engine temperature to HOT. The contact turned off the vehicle and allowed the engine to cool down, and the gauge returned to normal. The contact continued to drive. The following morning the contact inspected the vehicle while parked at the re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ram ProMaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 conta... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that intermittently, the engine was running rough. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start occasionally. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was taken back to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the contact received an alert indicating that the engine was overheating, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. Upon opening the hood, there was white smoke coming from the engine, with a strong coolant odor coming from the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) and 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact heard an abnormally tapping sound coming from the engine compartment, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and under the hood. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle was sluggish and slow to accelerate before responding as needed. There was an abnormal, rotten odor coming from the vehicle. The ABS, engine, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. After the failure had occurred, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to a local dealer, who diagnosed that the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel had delaminated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed, and the vehicle passed the oil consu... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 13, 2026
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while starting and driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made abnormal sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the year and VIN were not in... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The contact parked and inspected the vehicle and refilled the coolant reservoir. The coolant level was frequently low and consumed one gallon of coolant weekly. The vehicle was purchased as a used vehicle a year prior, and the failure began two months after the ve... Read more