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
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 20, 2023
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling roughly. Additionally, the accelerator pedal was depressed and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the knocking became faster and louder whi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's husband coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. The contact's husband attempted to shift the vehicle into different gears; however, the vehicle remained in neutral(N). Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and diagnosed with transmission fail... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
A gasket failed which allowed coolant to leak into the engine. Due to lack of coolant, two of the cylinder heads cracked and warping of the engine block occurred. No coolant in the engine could result in a engine seizure or fire which poses an extreme risk to one's safety. The check engine light came almost immediately before the cylinders started to misfire. 11/25/2023. The vehicle and co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2023
Coolant all over everything! Mechanics will not touch it. Constantly adding coolant. Can’t drive far. Without overheating. Cracked heater core less then 90,000 miles
Incident date: Sep 12, 2023
Coolant all over everything! Mechanics will not touch it. Constantly adding coolant. Can’t drive far. Without overheating. Cracked heater core less then 90,000 miles
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 19, 2023
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, he observed a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to the rod bearing fracturing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the f... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
My 2016 Ford Edge with 86k miles encountered a well-known EcoBoost engine problem (TSB 22-2229) where there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder causing a rough start and codes P0302 (cylinder #2 misfire) and P1316 (misfire in first 1000 RPM). My understanding is that this problem can potentially lead to an engine fire. The dealership I bought the Edge from replaced the engine block at my expen... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the Coolant Low message was displayed. The contact needed to add coolant every other day; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to locate the coolant leak. The mechanic also determined that oil was leaking from the valve cover. The valve cover gasket w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the oil level was low however, the contact found no indication of an oil leak. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle was smoking. The oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal oil leak. The mechanic added oil to the vehicle. The vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had illuminated. Additionally, coolant needed to be added to the vehicle more frequently than normal. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop sign, there was a large amount of white smoke coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle to allow the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal sound detected before the failure occurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was recommended that the engine and the oil pump needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that th... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 3500
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2023
Incident date: Sep 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle idled rough, and the contact observed white smoke coming from the exhaust. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence. The contact stated that her husband used an OBD reader to diagnose the vehicle and determined that cylinder #5 was misfiring. The contact stated that her husband replaced the fuel pum... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when she started the vehicle, the vehicle lurched forward when shifted into reverse and then stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-20 MPH with his 5-year-old son in the rear passenger’s seat, the vehicle lost motive power intermittently. Additionally, the RPMs were fluctuating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled into a parking spot. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair, he was informed that the camshaft bolts were damaged and required replacement. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engin... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2023
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
At roughly 54600 miles the engine began to shudder badly when starting the vehicle and driving for the first minute or so. The vehicle produced a check engine light that would come on and then would go off within the same day after it was parked multiple times over several weeks, finally staying on for 2 days. Shuddering from the engine became significantly worse in that time and the check engine ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 17, 2023
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
Purchase car in 2019. 4 years later my car is overheating due to a cylinder crack. No recall was found using my vin number but with a cylinder crack and car overheating this is a safety issue.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 17, 2023
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
Purchase car in 2019. 4 years later my car is overheating due to a cylinder crack. No recall was found using my vin number but with a cylinder crack and car overheating this is a safety issue.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after having an oil change, the engine seized. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the engine seized. There was an abnormal knocking sound heard. After the failure, several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the en... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at various sp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the "Coolant Level Low," message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that there was a hairline crack in the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that there was blueish-colored smoke coming from the vehicle... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 15, 2023
Incident date: Oct 12, 2023
The contact's husband owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the engine was running rough, and the vehicle was shuddering while driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirme... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 14, 2023
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that he was observing that an oil stain was showing on his driveway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the oil filter adapter housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the contact observed that the oil le... Read more
Fire
KIA
OPTIMA HYBRID
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 14, 2023
Incident date: Dec 14, 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 dealer was contacted. 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 tha... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light and the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump belt had failed, and there were metal shavings in the eng... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
Driving my car this year in April 2023. My car overheated while driving. I pulled over and checked the coolant it was bone dry, thankfully I had more in my car which I refilled. I brought my car to a friend that was a mechanic and he told me my coolant was leaking into the cylinder. I brought it to the Ford dealership to confirm his findings. I was told the same thing along with I need a nrw engi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. 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 sta... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 13, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption and while operating the vehicle at lower RPM a rattling and pinging sound was coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine and check oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the coil and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stat... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 12, 2023
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the engine was misfiring, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he drove to the residence. The contact stated that he used an OBD reader and retrieved DTC code: P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine and engine power reduced warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated pulled off the roadway and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle and on several occasions the vehicle regained normal functionality. The contact stated that the fa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. In addition, while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right, there was an abnormal clicking noise coming from the steering column. Most recently, while driving at unknown speeds, the brake pedal required excessive force to bring the vehicle to a st... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 70 MPH. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the shoulder of the road, where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart, but the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechani... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
The contact owns 2019 BMW 430I. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he noticed coolant was leaking underneath the vehicle onto the ground. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message that the coolant level was low was displayed and the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer diagnosed that the vehicle wit... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds, there was a grinding and rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rattling was coming from the cam phaser. The independent mechanic related the failure to NHT... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQB 300 4MATIC
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 11, 2023
Incident date: Nov 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine would misfire before running smoothly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but became recurring failure. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stopped, turn the vehicle off, and then opened the door to reset the system. The contact restarted the vehicle and started to drive under 50 MPH to prevent the failure from reoccurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer seven times and di... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while having an oil change by an independent mechanic, the contact was informed there was a leak in the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The loc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle overheated, and the contact was able to pull over. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle was idling rough. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam timing phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact relat... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
I have a 2018 ford fusion 2.0L ecoboost with around 77k miles and started to see coolant loss with no visible signs in engine bay or below.car, rough start with error P0316 and occasional misfire. White smoke comes from exhaust on start sometimes. Also have to fill coolant every other day or so. It looks as coolant intrusion issue very common with these engines.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle after several attempts, the contact checked the engine and checked the oil level and found that the oil was extremely low. The contact added 3-quarts of oil and was able to start the vehicle. The contact observed that the vehicle would intermittently lose power and nearly stalled. The contact became aware ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low and refilled the reservoir... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact’s daughter in-law owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the Low Oil message was displayed, and the engine shifted into "LIMP Mood" reducing the speed of the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the oil pump had failed causing permanent damage to the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not ye... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the heater hose. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then determin... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on the initial start-up of the vehicle, the vehicle was shuddering. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact coasted to the side of the road and after several attempts was able to regain functionality of the vehicle. The failure was persistent. There were no warning lights i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the low coolant warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed coolant covering the entire engine compartment. The check engine warning light was also illuminated. The v... Read more