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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while changing the oil and filter, there were metal shavings found in the oil filter. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was notified of the failure over the phone. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was restarted and driven; however, approximately one minute later, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was restarted and driven to a nearby parking lot. A certified mechanic arrived and inspected the vehicle. The mechanic diagnosed t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was knocking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the vehicle was skipping timing, and the timing chain ... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V411000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 22V406000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL) but the failure occurred. The contact stated that two days after the vehicle was repaired, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact arrived at the grocery store and after t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound while idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was disassembled, and the dealer determined that the crankshaft and the thrust bearings had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA25007 (E... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 KTM 390 Enduro Four-Stroke. The contact stated that while riding at an undisclosed speed, the throttle was engaged; however, the motorcycle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the engine had seized. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while riding on a dirt road. The contact stated that the motorcycle stru... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle idled abnormally rough, and the engine was pulsing. The oil level was checked and was noticeably low. The contact added oil to the engine. The vehicle was taken to Precision Auto Care... Read more

Incident date: Jul 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light was frequently illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to various independent mechanics and was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer for service, and upon ins... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound and smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the used car dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with engine failure. The contact was inf... Read more

Incident date: Jan 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was under recall. The vehicle was repaired; however, after the vehicle was serviced, the failure pe... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2025

The contact's mother owns a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while at a stoplight. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V415000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 20V705000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power and went into "LIMP Mode". Additionally, there was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the issue but declined to service the vehicle because the vehicle had a salvage title. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more

Incident date: Mar 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an alignment, the contact was informed that an oil leak was found. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the oil gasket was replaced; however, the oil leak progressively worsened. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to p... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle, and the vehicle entered SAFE Mode, lost power, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was raised from COLD to HOT immediately, and the vehicle was turned off unintendedl... Read more

Incident date: Mar 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the coolant fan was running after the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone to be diagnosed due to the check engine warning light being illuminated. The contact was informed that DTC: P1098; was retrieved, which indicated a ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Pull Over Immediately” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 5 MPH. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. There was no coolant visible on the ground. An independent mechanic d... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

The contact owned a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while he was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine sounded rough and ran rough. While driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and started losing power. The contact pulled over and there was one more loud bang before the engine was blown. Additionally, there was an abnormal failure with the transmission. The con... Read more

Incident date: Jan 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that within a week of purchasing the vehicle new, there was an abnormally strong odor coming from the vehicle. The dealer picked up the vehicle and performed an engine cleaning; however, the failure recurred within days. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was frequently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the engine overheated. Coolant was added to the coolant reservoir, and the driver was able to continue driving. Several days later, the heat became inoperable. Upon research, the failure was associated with TSB 19-2346. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a pressure test, but no leaks were found. T... Read more

Incident date: Mar 13, 2026

The contact's father owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. While the owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The crankshaft warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 50 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact's father was informed that the spar... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the brake lights were intermittently inoperable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stat... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH in the fast lane, the vehicle experienced head gasket failure. The vehicle lost automotive power and decelerated to 5 MPH. The contact was able to pull over safely. The engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer the next day, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinders #2 and #3, ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that on Aug. 14, 2025, the PICO engine test was completed on the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer stated that the engine had passed the test, and the engine oil was changed to a higher viscosity oil, and the oil cap, oil filter, and the page in the Owner’s Manual were updated. The co... Read more

Incident date: Jan 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-65 MPH, the vehicle jerked, lost automotive power, or stalled on several occasions. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 5 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown inte... Read more

Incident date: Feb 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound, shuddered, and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

The contact's wife owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that unknown engine valves had collapsed, and there was possible camshaft damage. The contact was ad... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 BMW 440I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a hissing sound coming from the vehicle, and there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment and the exhaust system. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak a... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owned a 2025 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, another driver pulled closer to the vehicle and honked to get the contact's attention. The contact stated that upon rolling down the window, the contact noticed flames coming from the front driver's side wheel well. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side and exited the vehi... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The vehicle was taken to Take 5 Oil Change for an oil change, and the contact was informed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was taken to Ritchie Automotive, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the N... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue several times and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the engine was running rough, and the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated to 25 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing the cylinder head to crack. The contact was informed that the e... Read more

Incident date: Nov 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway and failed to restart. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the used car dealer where it was purchased. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and stated that there was a hole in the engine block. The contact was referred to an Au... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the repair failed to prevent a failure from occurring. The day after the recall repair was completed at a local authorized dealer, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to maintain automotive power while the accelerator ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) and 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal.... Read more

Incident date: Feb 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ram Promaster 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The c... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2026

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle shook abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that while ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45-55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, with a message that the engine was overheating displayed. The vehicle experienced reduced power and decelerated to 8 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence, and coolant was added to the coolant reservoir. The contact replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; ho... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the engine, before the engine caught on fire. After the failure, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely. The fire was extinguished independently. There were no reported injuries. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the sound might be caused by unknown engine parts rubbing against each other. The... Read more

Incident date: Jan 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the messages "Engine Temperature Too Hot - Do Not Drive - Allow Engine to Cool" and "Engine Temperature Near Limit - Avoid Heavy Acceleration and High Speeds" were displayed. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer, who determined that there was no coolant leak but that the ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The man... Read more

Incident date: Mar 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the piston rings had failed, causing catastrophic engine damages. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the DTC for a failure with the turbo charger was retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where no errors codes were retrieved; however, the check engine warning light returned two weeks la... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The c... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing front suspension, coolant, and oil leak failures. The contact stated that the front suspension unexpectedly lowered while the vehicle was parked or while driving. The message "Active Curve System Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where unknown repairs were performed. ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the water pump, coolant pump, vacuum line, and vacuum reservoir were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failur... Read more

Incident date: Nov 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle jerked back and forth and was shaking abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the ro... Read more

Incident date: Jan 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling rough and occasionally, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was more frequent. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While the vehicle was idling, the RPM was fluctuating between 800 - 1,000 RPM. The... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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