Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked. Most recently, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not inspected or diagnosed. The contact was informed that ... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact ws unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact proceeded to drive the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while driving 60 MPH and attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle started to decelerate, and t... Read more
MAZDA
CX-90 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or accelerating from idle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. While accelerating from idle, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH, requiring that the driver slowly accelerate and gradually increase the speed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 2, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while checking fluid levels in the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the coolant reservoir was low. The contact stated that there was no sign of a coolant leak, but coolant needed to be added to the reservoir weekly. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a coolant... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his son was driving 75 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The driver pulled over and turned the vehicle off, but the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon researching the failure, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (En... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact was adding one quart of oil weekly. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at 25 MPH, but was able to restart. While at a stoplight, the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal knocking and rattling sound coming from the engine. The engine warning l... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed coolant control valve. The contact was informed that the coolant control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact referenced a Speci... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed th... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 2, 2026
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer informed the contact that the engine was replaced; however, the contact stated that after the recall repair, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact added coolant to the vehicle, but t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic who could not perform the repair. The contact was referred to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that a crack in the ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced due to a cracked engine block. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle during the several weeks the vehicle was being serviced. The contact received the recall notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted, and confirmed the parts status. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the engine stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a busy highway, and the contact's wife and four minor children were also occupants of the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for water pump repairs, the wrench warning light was illuminated, and the message "Passenger Seat Restraint Sensor Failure" was displayed. The contact stated that the dealer inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the passenger's seat occupant weight sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle required 6 quarts of oil every 1,900 miles. The vehicle was recently taken to Valvoline, where an oil change was performed. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH the following day, the vehicle started shuddering and misfiring, and the fail... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 30, 2025
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to Firestone, where the contact was informed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. During the failure, the warning message "Reduced Power" was displayed. The contact stated that after restarting the engine, the vehicle operated as intended; however, the failure reoccurred later. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the fuel injector, but the fai... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
ALL SEASON
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 29, 2025
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW M340I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed a thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine while idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had yet to be notifie... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be serviced for a different issue, and the dealer informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer advised the contact that the recall repair was on hold due to the fact that the remedy was not yet available. The contact was... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH and merging onto the highway, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine and the Electro... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated and flickered. The contact stated that the vehicle started vibrating. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a local dealer. The contact was aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that lead was found in the oil pan. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The contact was informed that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and declined t... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 29, 2025
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 KIA Telluride. The contact stated the vehicle was experiencing heating system failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer on three occasions for heating and cooling failures. The dealer replaced an unknown sensor and the thermostat; however, the heat became inoperable. The contact stated that the heat was only operable while driving, and the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle in the winter, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an Independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coolant sensor needed to be replaced. The coolant sensor was replaced; however, the warning light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle in the State of California, the contact was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000(Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be registered... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that 5,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak. The contact performed the oil changes and had noticed that engine oil had leaked down onto the weather seal in the vehicle. The contact noticed several oil stains on the ground during rainy weather. The contact noticed that the new tires that the dealer inst... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed an abnormal and clamoring sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was ma... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling) advising that the parts needed to complete the recall repair were now available and to contact the local dealer. Upon contacting the local dealer, the contact was informed that no repairs would be performed on the vehicle unless the engine failure had occurred. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
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JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2025
Incident date: Feb 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle overheated due to the radiator not functioning properly. The check engine and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart after numerous attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where unknown part... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2025
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The engine oil light was flashing and turning on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed that an oil consumption test was needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Accord. The contact’s son stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed 50 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #2, causing engin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact's father owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made a tapping sound, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unsure whether a warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the lifters and the camshaft had failed. The cost... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2025
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 ha... Read more
CONTINENTAL
CROSSCONTACT LX SPORT
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 22, 2025
Incident date: Dec 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine and several other warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle almost stalled and then lunged forward. The vehicle was driven back to the residence, and a local dealer was contacted. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was not yet d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while receiving an oil change, the technician advised that the oil level was very low. The contact stated that the low oil warning was intermittently illuminated. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed. Th... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 22, 2025
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, the contact was informed that there was an oil leak coming from the engine. The contact had her son inspect the vehicle, and he discovered that... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that a month later, the dealer informed the contact that the recall repair had been performed and the vehicle was ready for pick up. The contact stated that the vehicle was picked ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on a busy highway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that only a shield had been replaced. I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and attempting a right turn, the “High Temperature - Fire Risk” message was displayed, and the vehicle independently shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact started to merge the vehicle into a shopping center. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mech... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the oil pressure gauge suddenly dropped to zero(0), and a message stating that the oil pressure was low and to turn off the vehicle was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. Upon inspecting underneath the front end of the vehicle, the contact noticed that oil had spray... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud rattling sound coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and noticed that engine oil was leaking onto the ground and the coolant level was abnormally low. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to re... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 19, 2025
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the message "Vehicle Might Lose Power" displayed. The vehicle remained at the residence, and the contact used a self-diagnostic tool to retrieve a fault code related to the coolant valve D. The contact determined ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast to the highway divider and stop the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The de... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to accelerate over 60 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure continued the rest of the drive. The contact stated that two hours later, the contact restarted t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the engine seized while driving at an undisclosed speed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer after several months, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Upon r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the engine was overheating. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the contact noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a coo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the recall was received for a vehicle that was never purchased and never owned, and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the error.