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 25, 2009
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving into the driveway and pressing the brake pedal, the braking system malfunctioned and the vehicle failed to stop before crashing into the side of the home. During the crash no injuries were reported, no police report was taken and the brick wall was damaged. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the engine was empty of engine oil a week after an oil change. After oil was added, the contact's husband observed that a quart of oil had been consumed in a few days. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that excessive oil sludge and hard carbon build-up was in the valve and stems. The contac... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 27, 2024
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an oil change was performed. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later rec... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH and slowing to exit a highway while turning to the right on the exit ramp the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering failed, and extra force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The contact did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stopped and turned off ... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown due to the oil pump failure. The vehicle was repaired under warranty; however, the contact w... Read more
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 26, 2024
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 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 the check engine warning light was illuminated. After the vehicle had be... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. While the contact's wife was driving at a moderate rate of speed, the check engine warning light initially flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed which showed several defective engine sensors. As the contact's wife proceeded to drive home, several additional messages appeared on ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump tensioner belt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure bu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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 contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 26, 2024
Incident date: Jul 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification 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 repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming approximately two quarts of oil every 2,000 miles driven. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon further inspection of the vehicle, the contact also discovered that gasoline had escaped from the fuel cylinder and had leaked into the crankcase. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
Engine light started coming on and off and it started to run rough on startup. I took it in for servicing and was told coolant was leaking into the engine. Following the inspection, car now runs very rough and I am not longer safe to drive it. The repair is $8000! Ford offered to pay $3000 of that -- not good enough considering that the car has 50910 miles on it and has had all recommended servi... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 23, 2024
Incident date: Feb 23, 2022
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: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion in the engine had caused engine damage. The dealer informed the contact that it was a common failure and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. Additionally, the oil pressure and service engine warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the turbo charger and the catalytic converter, but the failure persis... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 65-70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the engine. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Camp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a clicking so... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 23, 2024
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal pop and rattling sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who completed a diagnostic test, and retrieved unknown fault codes, and referred the contact t... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 23, 2024
Incident date: Feb 23, 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 contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 23, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that occasionally the engine would misfire while starting. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had a warped cylinder head, causing the misfire due to leaking coolant intrusion... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving he observed a rattling noise emanating from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while his wife was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The Low Engine Oil message was displayed. The contact pulled over at a gas station and turned off the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the engine oil level was low and added more engine oil. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact veered to the side of the road. The low oil pressure, the check engine, and the battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed. The dealer determined that the fa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message displayed reading "Low Oil Pressure," after which the vehicle lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the timing solenoid and oil p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Coolant system is experiencing major leak at the coolant stand pipe. Also vehicle is reading a protection code and vehicle appears to be overheating but it's not. Coolant leak is seeping onto the belts and hoses that were also replaced. Engine seals have also leaked and have been recently replaced se... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Valvoline, where an oil change was performed, but the failure recurred several days later. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed tha... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
At 100,000 miles the vehicle has experienced coolant intrusion in the engine resulting in the engine being seized. I was told by the Ford service rep that this is a known issue on this vehicle, but there is no type of warranty offered.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 22, 2024
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the cylinders. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was also determined ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH and attempting to accelerate while changing lanes, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and was unable to accelerate properly to keep up with the flow of traffic. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted, and the vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
I have had coolant issues with this car for 7+ years. No matter what work I have done to it, it still looses coolant. I'm currently topping off the reservoir every 3-4 days. Pressure test does not find a leak but it must be going somewhere!! Within the past 3 months I have had: - heater hose replaced ($500+ at dealership) - valve cover gasket and turbocharger wastegate control solenoid replaced... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle lost motive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an Auto Collision Center. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
Coolant Intrusion on Cylinder 1, common problem amongst 2.0 Ecoboost Engine. Current Ford fix is replace engine block with a new design. Ford is aware of the design flaw in these cars and refuses to make things right with current owners.
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated 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 water pump. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred 4 years later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The fai... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the check engine and oil warning lights started flashing on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and checked under the hood of the vehicle but found no failure. Upon restart of the vehicle, an abnormal clanking sound started coming from the engine. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2024
The check engine light gave codes P0302 & P0316 and I had noticed the coolant level being low. After doing some research, I see that Ford issued a TSB 22-2229 as the fix for the problem which includes a new engine block because of a poor design for the coolant flow causing the block to crack. This should fall on to Ford to repair rather than people that expect and need their vehicle to last.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determine... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine rod bearing had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact was informed by the Ser... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated significantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #4, and the dealer determined that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. While driving, at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking. The lights were dim. The contact had to add additional oil every 7 days. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Three times this vehicle has had the water pump replaced. 2/20/2023 at 20285 miles , it was replaced with the original part HX7Z8501A, which I also had to source the part myself from another dealer, as mine told me they had no ETA and could not locate one. 9/6/2023 at 38232 miles. It was replaced w... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF ALLTRACK
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 21, 2024
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and went into LIMP Mode. The coolant temperature and several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the message "Check Hybrid System" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road, where he disconnected and reconnected the battery to reset the Hybrid system. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving appro... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her son was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power upon depression of the accelerator pedal with several messages displayed on the instrument panel. The contact's son coasted the vehicle to a parking lot and the vehicle was later towed to a local dealer. The contact was later informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to two independent mechanics, who informed the contact that the oil level was significantly low, although an oil change was performed two weeks prior to the failu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while performing the weekly inspection of the vehicle, he noticed that that coolant level was low. The contact added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to start. The contact noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to shake, after which the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the fai... Read more