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
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 17, 2023
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact there was a crack on the radiator. Additionally, the dealer determined that the failure was possibly collision related; however, the contact stated that the vehicle was not involved in a collision. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side tire had a blowout. The contact pulled over and replaced the tire with a spare. The contact continued to drive, but the vehicle was shaking. The contact pulled over, and a tow truck arrived on the scene. The tow truck driver restarted the vehicle, and a loud sound was heard.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Genesis GV70. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the vehicle launched forward without warning. The contact then shifted to drive and the back Over Prevention camera screen activated. There was also an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated the battery was low and there was no coolant in the reservoir or... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained normal function. The contact stated the check engine warning was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coo... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and checked the coolant level and noticed that there was coolant in the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that after resuming driving the coolant level warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact added more coola... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the engine coolant level low and high temperate warning lights were illuminated with a message to pull over displayed. The contact pulled over safety. The contacted added more coolant and the vehicle started operating normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the cylinder head assembly need... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. While driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle became sluggish and lost motive power. The contact stated that the oil level was 3-quarts low. The contact added oil as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the mec... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle nearly stalled. The contact observed a cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the check engine warning was illuminated. Additionally, there was a message indicating a misfire in cylinder #4. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagn... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front collision detection sensor light illuminated and warned that the system was not functional. Additionally, the contact stated that the lug nuts on all four wheels were swollen and could not be removed without damaging them. The contact also stated that the oil pan was leaking. The contact had taken ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made abnormally loud sounds. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cooling fan was replaced and the warning light was reset; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the vehicle would only start after several attempts.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated when he started the vehicle the "low oil pressure" light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to a failure of the oil pump. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched onli... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he noticed a coolant leak coming from the water pump. The coolant level was low, so the contact added coolant. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 1995 Nissan Frontier XE. The contact stated upon opening the hood to check the engine oil level at the fuel station, the radiator blew out and propelled a hot anti-freeze that burned his upper body. The contact was transported to the hospital with the assistance of a friend. The contact received medical assistance and was informed that he had sustained second and third-degree bu... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 14, 2016
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary in his garage, he noticed a leak of water on the driveway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the water pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owned a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undetermined speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle overheated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the PCV valve heater was melte... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 13, 2023
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the coolant level was low, and the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was misfiring. The contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while having a routine oil change performed on the vehicle, the mechanic noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that cylinders #2 and #3 were miss firing. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. On another occasion, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start, with the check engine... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving and making turns, the vehicle made abnormal popping sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the flex coupler was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was making abnormal knocking sounds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer se... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after driving for an extended period, the vehicle started to shake with an unknown service warning message displayed. Despite the initial failure, the contact stated that the vehicle resumed normal operation after approximately an hour. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions to have the air compressor replaced under warran... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2023
The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle in stop-and-go traffic, a burning odor was suddenly present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle smoke and flames were coming from under the hood and the fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. A polic... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 10, 2023
The contact’s mother owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle was overheating and there was a burning plastic odor coming from the A/C vents. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The check engine warning light and the coolant temperature warning light were illuminated. Additionally, upon parking the vehicle for 10 minutes, there... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C 300
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 10, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V387000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the “High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle and the vehicle hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a coolant leak within the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 9, 2023
Incident date: Feb 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated the engine was misfiring. The contact stated cylinder #3 coil and spark plug was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer stated that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that the... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 9, 2023
Incident date: Feb 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a misfire under the hood of the vehicle. The P0302 and P0304 warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that based on the codes displayed, she replaced the ignition coil and spark plugs; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer wh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, black smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe and the vehicle was jerking. The oil warning light was illuminated. The contact added engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where oil was found on unknown sensors and on the coils. The contact was informed that an oil change was nee... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat. The message "Engine Fault. Service Now" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon attempting to restart the vehicle 20 minutes later, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer an... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning plastic odor throughout the vehicle and a dark gray cloud of smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) indicating that the remedy was availabl... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at highway speeds, an abnormal revving sound would emit from the vehicle as it hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. Despite the failure, her daughter managed to drive the vehicle home; the next day, the contact started the vehicle and experienced the same failure. The contact dro... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 8, 2023
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine oil change services, there was an abnormal oil odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke was coming from underneath the hood and after opening the hood, the contact became aware of a coolant leak. No warning lights were illum... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle in the morning, there was a large puddle of coolant accumulated underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak had become constant, and she had to always keep a gallon of coolant in her vehicle. The contact stated that the "engine coolant low" warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle stalled while starting during colder weather. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact made a local dealer aware o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the RPM’s started fluctuating before lowering and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to regain motive power by excessively depressing the accelerator. The contact was able to drive approximately 5-10 minutes however, while coming to a stop light the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restar... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owned a 2008 BMW 128i. The contact stated that after driving at an undisclosed speed in inclement weather, she parked and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle later caught fire when she returned. A bystander witnessed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed there were flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department arrived on the scene and extingui... Read more
Fire
HOLIDAY HOUSE
18RB
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was a burning odor coming through the A/C vents. There was also smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off vehicle. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the message to add coolant started flashing consistently causing the contact to add coolant to the vehicle more than usual. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no fire and the smoke dispersed independently. The vehicle had not been taken to the d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2023
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 sta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after his daughter started the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs, and other unknown components needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was dr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Honda Accord. The contact stated while having routine maintenance performed on her vehicle, she was informed that the oil level was very low. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the frequency of the "check oil" light had increased and that the time between having the oil topped off and "check oil" light had gone from ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2020
The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. The contact stated that upon turning the heater on, there was a strong burning odor coming from the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a burning oil odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the intake gasket was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The ve... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 3, 2023
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and left her stranded on the highway. The engine overheating message was displayed. The contact removed the coolant cap and noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added more coolant and a stop leak solution. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected. The co... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 2, 2023
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, she remained inside, and there was a burning smell. The contact stated that smoke was coming from the passenger floorboard and that after exiting the vehicle, there was also smoke coming from the... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and started flashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, she noticed that coolant had leaked on the ground and that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon inspection, she noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty and needed to be refilled every week. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic where it w... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 2, 2023
Incident date: Feb 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the freeway, the vehicle lost motive power. The 4WD error and various other unknown warning lights and messages were illuminated. The contact managed to pull over and stated that smoke was seen coming from underneath the hood and that once he opened the hood, there were flames coming from the a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the engine started making an abnormally loud knocking sound. The contact stated the check engine light had started flashing. The vehicle started losing motive power and was pulled off the roadway. The vehicle was turned off but failed after several attempts to restart. The contact had the vehicle towed t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. After replacing the engine, each time the vehicle was in for routine service the mechanic noted that the engine coolant was low. Later whi... Read more
Fire
MERCEDES-BENZ
C350
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 1, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered inadvertently, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an... Read more