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: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35–45 MPH, an abnormal banging sound was detected. The RPM increased, and the sound became louder. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an engine rod was thrown, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact's daughter was able to reach her destination, but afterwards, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into the cylinders had damaged the engi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance, and the contact informed the mechanic about the engine warning light. The mechanic informed the contact that the spark plug failed to release without being fractured, and it was also diagno... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 10, 2024
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the "High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed on the instrument panel with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot. The contact pulled over and allowed the engine to cool down. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact replenished the co... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 10, 2024
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The contact noticed that there was oil underneath the front end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted after the repair was completed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pan failed due to the material be... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was initially discovered there was a leak in the expansion tank as well as a defective thermostat. The contact stated that both parts were replaced. Despite the repair, the contact continued... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving uphill at 35–45 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The engine temperature rose to a HOT level. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to veer off the roadway. The contact stated who is an independent mechanic completed a diagnostic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "High engine temperature, stop safely" message was displayed before the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact had to add wate... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
After no signs of overheating or leaks the coolant level of the car has dropped significantly after topping off several times. The heat stopped working and the coolant reservoir never stayed filled. We took it to the dealership for diagnosis. The service representative told us the coolant was leaking directly into the engine and the only solution is to replace the cracked engine block.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was making a loud noise, driving rough and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and repaired. The independent mechanic performed a spark plug and coil repair; however, the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 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 after the initial start-up, there was a loud explosion coming from undern... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that after arriving to her destination and upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start immediately. After starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The check engi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cyl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The check engine and oil pressure warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local service center which diagnosed that the oil pressure sending unit and engine camshaft were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated there was an abnormal burning oil odor in the cabin of t... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 9, 2024
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. Additionally, the contact stated that the A/C unit was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air compressor and the CV joint had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired by the dealer. The ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 3500
(2011) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 9, 2024
Incident date: Oct 15, 2018
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was smoke coming from the tailpipe and a gurgling sound was coming from the exhaust. Additionally, the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed that the engine oil was present inside the engine cylinder and the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
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 repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not e... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4x4E. The contact stated that his wife noticed a fire at the charger while the vehicle was plugged in and charging. The owners were able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle had not been charged. The fire department was called to the scene. While his wife was driving the vehicle, it overheated. There were no warning lights illum... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
On [XXX], I entered onto [XXX] from Sparks, Nevada eastbound when a check engine light and oil overheat warning came on. I limped the car to the nearest exit [(XXX)]. I had my grandson with me and he was scared. I checked my coolant level and realized that it was dry. I put coolant to the max line of the reserve tank and drove 25 miles to Carson City. When I took it into the dealership at Ca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating and there was a liquid swishing sound coming from the dashboard area. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed an engine misfire in cylinder #4, with coolant in th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 5-10 MPH, the message "Coolant Level Low" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the roadway and added coolant to the vehicle; however, the same message was displayed the following day while driving. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
Coolant leaking into the cylinders. Repair is a new engine block. Nothing can be done to prevent it. Ford even has a technical service bulletin about the problem but have not recalled the vehicle for the issue. Car has only 82000 miles and is a 2018 and now having to pay for a new engine.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated as if the engine was misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program NHTSA ID Number: 10213732 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however after checking on Manufacturer’s website, the contact learned th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the battery had failed several times and was replaced approximately 5 times. The contact also stated there was exhaust coming out of the tailpipe during the initial start-up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to and unknown recall campaign; however, the VIN needed to be included. The coils were replaced; however, when the ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 2-3 MPH in the driveway, the vehicle lost oil pressure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had her neighbor check the oil and informed her there was enough oil in the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed her about the oil pump vacuum code. The vehicle was towed to th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 10244468 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the failure was an EVAP leak detection from the circuit with trouble code: T240700. The failure was conf... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact waited for a while and then made several attempts to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred frequently and had become more persistent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Check engine light keeps turning on and off, took it to Ford to get diagnosed. There’s a coolant leak into the cylinder 2 causing a misfire and a cracked gasket. Whole engine needs to be replaced to fix this issue, over $6500 worth of repairs that I cannot afford and Ford won’t help with costs. My car is still currently drivable but isn’t safe to drive long distance as it could break at any ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started losing motive power. Additionally, the engine made an abnormal ticking sound. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the warning light and the abnormal ticking sound persisted.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started and was idling rough, with white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had intruded into the cylinders and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH the messages "Engine overheating" and "Coolant level low" were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated from 40 MPH to 5 MPH. The contact had coasted to the side of the roadway and waited for approximately an hour for the engine temperature to cool down before continuing to drive. The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
OLDSMOBILE
ALERO
(2003) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Jun 21, 2022
I was driving down the road, and a wrench symbol came on. Once i cut the car off and drive it the next day the symbol was off. I looked the symbol up online and it stated that it had to due with the powertrain. I made an appointment to the ford dealership here for diagnostic. They just called me and informed me that the vehicle has codes for misfire on start up and a coolant pump issue and that it... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to misfire and shake. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was blue smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local deale... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
Cars is losing antifreeze with no visible leaks in engine compartment or under vehicle. Strong smell emitted around vehicle when driven.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Engine stalled while driving on highway. Took it to a Kia dealer and had it diagnosed as an engine block/head gasket failure. I have documentation of service. Service document reads “owner states vehicle runs rough when first started and a/c doesnt cool properly, started vehicle, a/c is currently working normally, upon inspection, found coolant about 3/4 gallon low and has bubbles coming up in r... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 4, 2024
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated the A/C, and the heater were inoperable, and there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to a faulty wiring. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after the repair, the vehicle was overheating while driving. Additionally, the co... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 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 check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while stopped at the traffic light, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined tha... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 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 the vehicle was idling at a red light, the vehicle started shaking a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128I. 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: Dec 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, he noticed that coolant was leaking significantly onto the ground. The contact stated that he added coolant to the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cylinder head plug was fractured. The mechanic determined that ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 45-50 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's wife was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump had seized, causing the engine to seize due to the pre... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated while driving 55-70 MPH, the rattling sound became worse. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed cam phasers and that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was n... Read more