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
DRV
FULL HOUSE
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2024
Incident date: Jan 12, 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 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 stated that while driving approxim... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes and the engine was misfiring. Additionally, the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine power reduced message was displayed and the wrench warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to allow the engine to cool down. The contact removed the oil cap and stated that the engine oil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, a warning chime sounded as the "Low Oil Pressure, Turn Vehicle Off Immediately" message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the highway and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer discovered a leak in the oil cooler line that needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. After which, 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 an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a misfire in c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
Car was sitting idle when a fan inside the engine compartment starting being very loud. Sound went away when car started moving. Noticed coolant was empty. Filled with coolant and made a 5 mile trip. Checked again and coolant was empty again.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
The head gasket and the car is pulling the car is smoking a lot the car is stopping in the middle of the street
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
The head gasket and the car is pulling the car is smoking a lot the car is stopping in the middle of the street
Incident date: Jan 26, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Coolant intrusion into the engine Ford says known issue with 2019 escape but they are not going to do anything about it till they are made to
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2024
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, after which the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the sprocket bolts were fractured, requiring a replacement of the camshaft sprockets. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2024
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made a rattling sound. The check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where DTC Code: P0369 (Camshaft Position Sensor “B” Circuit Intermittent Bank 1) was retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser need... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-350. 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 an independent mechanic, who determined that the diesel particulate filter was cracked and required a replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 25–30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the check engine, 4-WD, ABS, traction control, and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The mechanic informed the contact that the failu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and driving on an upward grade of the road, the vehicle was making an abnormally loud clicking sound and was losing forward momentum. The contact stated that two unknown symbols flashed on the instrument cluster. The contact pulled over and turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to a dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. 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 contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered and was sluggish. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving and while reversing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the vehic... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 25, 2024
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 70 MPH, the engine revved, and the vehicle started losing motive power. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her son turned on the hazard lights and veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle abruptly lost motive power and decelerated to 25 MPH. The contact stated that the message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but always occurred while driving at high speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer howe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact’s daughter owned a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while his wife was driving the vehicle 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact’s wife pulled off the roadway and the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine failed due to the failure of th... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 25, 2024
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
The contact's brother-in-law owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his brother-in-law was driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost braking power. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled with the check engine and low-pressure oil lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that an engine repla... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal oil odor detected. The contact pulled over and noticed there was a puddle of oil on the roadway. The contact checked underneath the vehicle and noticed oil on the undercarriage. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehi... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2024
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started to blow white smoke out of the exhaust PIPE. The contact stated that the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant leak and that the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 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 of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact noticed that oil and coolant were leaking from underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the service engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where a coolant leak was discovered between cylinders #2 and #3. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer and the failure was confirmed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The m... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2024
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local service center to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the camshaft sensor and wiring harness were faulty and needed to be replaced. The c... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2024
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V7070000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximately... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for an oil change, the contact was informed that the engine oil casing and separator housing were cracked, causing oil to leak into the engine. The independent mechanic determined that the engine oil casing and separator housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the "Low Engine Oil" and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station as the vehicle began to shake and turned off the engine. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a relative's home, and oil was added to the engine. Upon starting the vehicle, the warning lights returned, and an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that upon his wife starting the vehicle, she observed heavy smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that his wife heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the head gasket, and... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump and determined tha... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 50–60 MPH, the high-pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 70 MPH, the temperature started indicating that the engine was overheating, with a message “Engine temperature high” displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine was low on oil, resulting in damage to the engine. The con... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2024
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel briefly became tight before returning to normal functionality. After the failure, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact also stated that the brake pedal required excessive force to slow and bring the vehicle to a complete stop. No war... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Afte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repairs were 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 spe... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2024
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 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 contact heard an abnormal ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 128i. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started running rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. 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... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and conf... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shut off independently. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that they could not diagnose the vehicle because the vehicle failed to start. The dealer informed the contact that an unknown wiring harness might need to be in... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that the 4WD system became inoperable. The contact stated that the antifreeze was not suitable for the area he lived. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the dealer, who stated that the antifreeze would thicken below 35 degrees. The contact was informed that the engine would not produce enough power to move thicke... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine, and the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed, where belt fragments and metal shavings were fou... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact became aware that the vehicle was idling rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was not r... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 22, 2024
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 62 MPH, the service engine light illuminated. While driving, the engine light started to flash, and the vehicle was running rough. The contact pulled off the roadway. The vehicle was taken to a tire center, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminat... Read more