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: Dec 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was blue smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns 2014 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. Additionally, the vehicle stalled while at a complete stop at a traffic light. The contact stated that his daughter verified that the vehicle had sufficient fuel. The contact's daughter was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the vehicle stalled... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The engine has a known issue where coolant leaks into the cylinders. There is no fix for this. It affects all Escapes 2013-2019. Ford did a very limited recall restricted to just the 1.6L engines but the issue affects all engines. My escape is at the dealership now and has confirmed that my engine has this issue. I called Ford to ask what they were going to do to correct this issue. They acknowled... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that the engine was damaged due to excessive wear of the connecting rod bearing. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Acura TLX. 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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine and several unknown war... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly shuddered. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the thermostat and torque converter. The vehicle wa... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 22, 2024
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she observed an audible alert but was unaware of where the sound came from. The vehicle was taken to an independent mech... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, there was white smoke coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was a trail, and a puddle of oil underneath the vehicle. The contact who is an independent mechanic and stated that there was a rear main seal leak, and the engine might need to be replaced. The local deale... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message "Engine Fault - Service Engine Now" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V9... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle shutoff without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was informed that water was leaking, the water pump had failed, and the timing chain was fractured. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and refe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated after pulling to the side of the roadway to allow a Fire truck to go by, the vehicle experienced rough idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the garage, she noticed that the engine oil had leaked onto the ground. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then drove to a nearby deale... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the contact became aware that antifreeze leaking from the vehicle. The temperature gauge light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to antifreeze leaking into the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds for several hours, the vehicle lost acceleration. The driver was able to coast off the freeway. The oil warning light was flashing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised that the cam shaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The computer failed to communicate properly with the vehic... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 19, 2024
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a large cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that the vehicle was also idling roughly. The contact stated that while driving during the day the smoke ceased; however, the vehicle would idle roughly while stopped for a traffic signal or while slowing for traffic. The contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a code reader which indicated that a spark plug had caused an engine misfire. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was confirmed as a spark plug misfire; however, the dealer determined that the failure was a result of coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. Due to the fa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a red light, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. After several minutes the vehicle restarted, and the contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that coolant was leaking underneath the front end of the vehicle, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust during the initial start... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced at the dealer, he was informed that the VANOS assembly bolts had become loosened, causing the VANOS adjustment unit to separate. The dealer determined that the VANOS bolts and the VANOS adjustment unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a scheduled oil change, and the contact was informed that the oil level was extremely low. The oil light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for an oil consumption test. The vehicle was checked after 1,000 miles and failed the consumption test. The vehicle was no... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH with traffic slowing, the contact slowed down, and at 10 MPH, the engine seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact coasted to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic could not identify t... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the motor mounts, oil pump hose, coolant hose, and brake fluid hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: May 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's wife continued to drive; however, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal and was shaking abnormally while idling with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was hot with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was initially taken to an independe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and coasted to the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled into the nearest gas station and added oil to the vehicle. The contact continued driving; however, the failure persisted, and the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The warning light was flickering on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. There was no indication of a fluid leaking on the ground. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was conta... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while her son was driving a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the VIN was not included in the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and made unusua... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle began to shake with an abnormal rumbling sound comi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving 25-30 MPH at night, the vehicle was shuddering and lost motive power. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact off and restarted the vehicle, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving; however, the failure recurred, and the vehicle could not exceed 30 MPH. The co... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 17, 2024
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while his son was driving 45 MPH, he observed a loud noise coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that code: P1326 (KSDS – Possible bearing wear) was retrieved usi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving with the heater activated, an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vents. The check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 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 while driving at approximat... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact's daughter inspected the coolant level and noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The contact's daughter added coolant to the vehicle and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
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 after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to immediately start.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact observed white smoke coming from the exhaust, after which 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. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 17, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal burning odor inside the vehicle with an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and stopped the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the ve... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 17, 2024
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact added additional coolant, but within a week half of the coolant had leaked out. The engine was hot, and a message to “Pull Over” was displayed. The vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to locate the leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent me... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the connect point between the oil lines and the turbocharger was clogged and corr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing, resulting in damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating t... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 17, 2024
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was stuck in the middle of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing, resulting in damage to the engine and requiring a replacemen... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was running rough with white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an Auto Parts store and diagnosed using a handheld scanner and it was determined that there was a coolant leak into cylinder #2. The contact ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 16, 2024
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
Check engine light is on at 63,000 miles. Ford dealer confirmed coolant in cylinder and immanent total engine failure, so vehicle is not safe to drive as it may stop at any time and loss of coolant. Only indication is the check engine light. Dealer quoted repairs for engine, turbo, and cat converter replacement at over $18,000. Research on the internet reveals that this is a common failure. S... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N1... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the head gasket overheated, and the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to veer off the highway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the orange antifreeze caused the head gasket to fail. The mechanic advised the c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn from a complete stop, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed under an unknown recall. Additionally, the contact stated tha... Read more