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: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop while the engine revved to ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate and would also vibrate at various speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling rough at start-up. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
Low coolant levels and white smoke that enters the vehicle from the tailpipe. No evidence of leaks
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 20, 2023
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle was sputtering and vibrating, followed by the engine power being reduced. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who stated that cylinder #2 had misfired due to coolant leaking into the engine. The spark plugs and ignition coils were replace... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 20, 2023
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle overheated and started losing motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she exited the expressway and pulled to the side of the road until the vehicle cooled down. The contact continued driving; however, after 10 minutes of driving the failure recurred. The contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
The contact’s daughter owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his daughter had to refill the coolant once a week. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The spark plugs were ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2023
Hybrid System Failure due to overheating Overheating due to coolant leak into resorvoir My car started having white smoke come from exhaust during driving Took to the repair shop, repaired the coolant reservoir next day, same issue took back to the service tech stated they couldn't find the leak, but the reservoir was empty. Took the car for a second opinion, the service people had my car all d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2023
Last July my check engine light came on giving us a P0302 code. We had the spark plugs changed. It went away for a week then came back on with the same code. We had the coil packs changed. Same thing. Went away for a week then returned. Now dealership is saying they want $9,000+ to replace time engine for an issue that has been known to Ford since 2010 with this engine.with less than 70,000 miles ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the engine was replaced. The contact stated that while driving, the transmission was slipping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the oil was changed. The contact's son noticed that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust and no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The vehicle owner received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 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 while her husband was driving approximately 30-45 MPH, he smelled a burning odor. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to overheat, prompting him to pull the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. Upon refilling the coolant reservoir, the vehicle briefly returned to normal functionality but the failure... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535D. The contacted stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the "200 Mile No Start" light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a software error in the DDE/ECM which a required reprogramming the ECM. The contact was advised by the dealer that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
I currently have a 2016 Ford Fusion SE with the 1.5L engine. Upon starting the car, the check engine light came on and idled roughly. After scanning the codes for the check engine light, it was determined that it was experiencing a cylinder 3 misfire. I took the car to the dealership and upon repair, they uncovered there was a coolant intrusion coming from the engine and either a "band-aid fix" wa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact checked under the hood and became aware that oil had leaked out and was covering the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while having the vehicle serviced, the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption. The manufacturer was not made aware of the f... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine light would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that coolant had intruded into the engine and the long block needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The manufacturer then referred the contact to... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with combustion gases in the cooling system. The mechanic determined that the failure was re... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that during cold starts, the engine shuddered, and the check engine warning light flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced cylinder #2 and the spark plugs. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant was present inside the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact was driving approximately 60 MPH, when the check engine warning light illuminated and the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into the 3rd cylinder. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not be... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated after refueling the vehicle, she attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that she was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light consistently illuminated while starting the v... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on several occasions after refilling the coolant, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated and failed to accelerate over 20 MPH. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that the vehicle started to overheat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagno... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 17, 2023
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 2 MPH. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then started to sputter. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that cylinder #4 coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, after driving for two miles, t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Pull Over Immediately - Coolant Issue" was displayed. The contact stated that she purchased coolant that her father added to the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, and she had been adding coolant to the vehicle a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, coolant leaked into the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty water pump that needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired due to parts not being available. The contact s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed but no errors were found. Out of an abundance of precaution, the oil pressure sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the conta... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling rough. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the coolant reservoir level was low. Upon refilling the coolant reservoir, the contact became aware that the engine was consuming coolant abnormally quick. The check engine warning light was illuminate... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 17, 2023
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the engine was running rough while the vehicle was idling. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated the following day. The contact stated that the failure recurred while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine cylinders, c... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle jerked significantly and hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while pulling to the pump at a gas station, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. The contact stated that the failure recurred while attempting to driv... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 16, 2023
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shook uncontrollably and overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was due to a cracked head gasket which allowed coolant to leak into the engine cylinder. The vehicle was not rep... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaire... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while her husband was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the instrument panel gauges were fluctuating. The vehicle then lost mo... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 15, 2023
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Defective engine design allows coolant to infiltrate into the cylinder combustion chamber.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The 2.0 liter Ecoboost engine developed a cracked block at the seven year, 94,000 mile point. The cracked block leaked coolant into the number 2 cylinder thereby causing the check engine light to illuminate. The cracked block necessitated a full engine replacement. The cracked block could have caused a catastrophic engine failure while in operation, putting the driver and other drivers on the road... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
Check engine light came on after rough start. Had dealership check 9/28 and coolant is leaking into the 2nd cylinder requiring engine replacement. 71K Miles on car.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
Head gasket is bad causing coolant leak into cylinder 2. Causing engine to overheat and not run properly. Ford Dealership told me engine needs to be replaced. The engine design is bad and the issue will just continue without a newly designed engine block (2019 or newer). They want me to pay $8,500 to replace their poorly designed engine. Car is at 136,000 miles. Most of which are highway miles.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the oil warning light was frequently illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that oil had leaked into an engine cylinder. The mechanic informed the contact that a Technical Service Bulletin had been placed on her vehicle in relation to the failure and referred the conta... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while the vehicle parked, the contact noticed that the vehicle had consumed an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact had also smelled fumes inside the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the fail... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle overheated, and the vehicle decelerated to 45 MPH. The engine hot message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving and making a turn, the tem... Read more
PRIMEWELL
VALERA TOURING II
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 13, 2023
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, requiring an engine replacement. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant but was unable to locate the source of the leak. Additionally, he had to add additional anti-freeze approximately every two to three weeks. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, where an appointment was scheduled, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his son was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started overheating, and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's son veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that he was a certified independent mechanic, and he had diagn... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2017
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated when checking his oil he observed that the level was very low. The contact stated that he had noticed that when he was accelerating he would hear an abnormal knocking sound from the engine. The contact stated that he checked the oil and again saw that the level was dangerously low. The contact stated no warning light was illuminate... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. The contact stated that a message stating that the 4-wheel drive function had failed. The contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 20V699000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however their VIN was not included. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer as of yet. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or r... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG GLE43
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 12, 2023
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 50 MPH, the overheating warning light was illuminated. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was extremely low and boiling. Upon refilling the reservoir, the vehicle briefly returned to normal functionality, but the failure reoccurred. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the message "Engine Coolant Over temperature" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood. Upon inspecting the coolant level, the contact noticed that there was no coolant in the vehicle. The contact stated that she added coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the coolant leaked. The v... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG GLE43
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 12, 2023
Incident date: Oct 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed a misfire the engine cylinder number 4. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine short block was faulty due to coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH the vehicle had begun to make an abnormal banging and knocking sound from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over, turned the vehicle off, and checked under the hood for any debris or loose engine parts that could account for the banging sounds. The contact turned the vehicle back on normally... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the vehicle had stalled and had overheated. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was ap... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle would idled roughly for 10 minutes or more, and he noticed that a significant amount of white smoke was emitted from the tail pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that he had noticed that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal coolant consumption, which requ... Read more