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: Mar 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle had experienced engine misfiring and rough operation. Also, the check engine warning light had been illuminated and white smoke was present coming from the exhaust system. While inspecting under the hood it was discovered that the engine coolant level in the coolant reservoir was extremely low.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 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 repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact stated while drivi... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power.... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 28, 2024
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, coolant was leaking into cylinder number two and the vehicle misfired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 64... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C240
(2003) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 28, 2024
Incident date: Mar 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost all 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 towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a fai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while her daughter was exiting the driveway, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an inde... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate the engine was overheating, after which the contact observed an excessive amount of smoke emanating from the exhaust. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low, prompting him to refi... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 27, 2024
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the dashboard warning lights had suddenly activated and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode causing the vehicle to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions and the NOx sensor, intake manifold and EGR were replaced but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of t... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 27, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 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, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal noise coming from under the hood. In addition, the vehicle failed to maintain engine power, while driving at various speeds. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an indepen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer days later where it was diagnosed that the engine was cracked and displayed visual signs of coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the vehicle was extremely low on engine oil before an oil change was due. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the O2 sensor. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V411000 (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. The local... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the coolant temperature sensor, requiring that the coolant temperature sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufa... Read more
FORD
EXPLORER POLICE INTERCEPT
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 26, 2024
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that anti-freeze was leaking from the vehicle. While driving at unknown speeds, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the water pump. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH with the "Engine, Reduced Power" message had displayed. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was driving rough. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic. The cause of the failure was not yet determ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 26, 2024
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V106000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to remain at the dealer until the remedy was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a rea... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 26, 2024
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for scheduled maintenance, the contact was informed that an oil pan seal leak had been discovered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V063000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that her daughter stated that the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 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 approximately ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, but no failure was found. The contact stated several warning lights were illuminated on the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating; after which, the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusio... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 26, 2024
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, there was steam coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the Low Coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and checked under the hood. The vehicle was driven to a nearby independent mechanic where the contact was informed that coolant needed to be a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
Coolant intrusion - coolant leaking into the motor because of the engine block design and the head gasket failing. Can cause fire
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
I am reaching out in regards to my 2017 Ford escape vin: [XXX] . I am hoping you can assist me in resolving this matter quickly. In August 2020 I bought my used Ford Escape from a local dealership (Vandevere Buick, Akron Ohio 44303), with high hopes of a reliable and smooth ride. I did receive the attached letter from Ford in July of 2022 regarding the customer satisfaction programs [XXX] and [XX... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the camshaft assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not re... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 25, 2024
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The console had overheated. The engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder numbers 1, 2, and 3 was misfiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, prompting the driver to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost significant motive power. After which, the contact observed excessive smoke emanating from the exhaust, prompting her to pull to the side of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed oil covering the engine. The check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-250. 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 diagnosed a failure with the rear NOx sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N05. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH from a stop sign the oil pressure low message was displayed. There was an abnormal dinging noise detected. The vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an oil light and lack of power. There was no oil pressure present. The oil pressure driv... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 25, 2024
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the high engine temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact was informed about NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The contacted stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the front end and the rear end of the vehicle were shuddering. The check engine warning... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Ford Ecoboost 2.0 engine in my 2018 Ford Edge failed at 71,945 miles due to cooling leaking into cylinder #2. Engine started rough for about two weeks but leveled out after about 5 seconds. When the check engine light came on while my wife was leaving home, we stopped driving the car until I could get an appt with Conway Heaton Ford in Bardstown KY. There the engine was found to have coolant leak... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
I received a warning on my dashboard to pullover safely because my engine was overheating even though I just left work from a cold start. I had it towed to my mechanic who told me I had a serious issue and recommended I take it to Ford. Ford just confirmed a short engine block issue and even though I had the required repair done on 7/9/22 that was supposed to prevent this more expensive issue. ... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 25, 2024
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, a warning message stated there was "High Engine Temperature Stop Safely". The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with internal engine failure. A... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 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 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 manufac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal sound coming from th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
MERCURY
GRAND MARQUIS
(2006) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 22, 2024
Incident date: Mar 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle would slow down as if it was losing motive power. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolan... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 30-35 MPH, a message indicating that the engine was overheating and advising to pull over immediately was displayed. The contact stated that his daughter veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the check engine light had illuminated, The vehicle would not accelerate past 30 MPH and white smoke was present coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal knocking sound emanating from the engine compartment. The check warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the turbo booster. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then towed to th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered metal shavings in the engine oil and determined that the engine rod bearings had failed causing severe damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic informed us of a ma... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the message "Add Coolant" had been displayed and the vehicle began to hesitate and sputter. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the standpipe was faulty and needed to be replaced. The standpipe was replaced but the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer was notified of the failur... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the warning message "Engine Overheating" had been displayed. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine coolant reservoir was low and coolant had leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine And Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 manufac... Read more