Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough starts and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed an engine misfire in cylinder #3. The contact also stated that t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving uphill at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated with the engine temperature gauge showing that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking violently. The contact stated that there was smoke inside the vehicle. The accelerator pedal failed to depress as needed and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who referred her to the dealer. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 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 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 sp... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
The contact called on behalf of his mother who owns a 2011 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that his mother received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V063000 (Engine and Engine cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the oil pressure switch was replaced; however, the contact stated that upon having the vehicle inspected, the vehicle failed the inspection. The contact was ... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 24, 2023
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed the local mechanic how diagnosed that a engine coolant leak had occurred which caused severe damage to the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, the coolant level was low after recently filling the coolant reservoir. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic and was informed that the coolant was leaking, and the source of the leak was the radiator. The radiator and cap had been replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated during cold starts, there was a large puff of bluish-white smoke coming from the tail pipe. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil supply line needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer suggested that the vehicle needed a tune-up however, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer howeve... Read more
TOYOTA
REDUNDANT SIENNA
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 21, 2023
Incident date: Jul 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinder #2. The manufacturer had been notified o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle seemed to be operating normally; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that after a week with the check engine light remaining illuminated, the vehicle was driven to a local dealer w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's friend used an ODB code reader and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The ignition coils were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact also discovered that the coolant level remained low. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test wh... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 19, 2023
Incident date: Nov 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact state that while her niece was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s niece was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, after t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2023
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, a pinging-type noise was heard coming from the engine compartment along with gray smoke. The vehicle began to lose automotive power and reduced speed before the engine stalled. The contact exited the vehicle and flames and smoke were present coming from under the hood. The fire department was called t... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal popping sound. The contact veered to the side of the road and opened the hood. The contact stated that he noticed that coolant had leaked onto the engine, and the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact who is an independent m... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine misfired, and the vehicle shuddered and wobbled. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders, and the long block needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at highway speeds, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. After adding coolant there was white smoke coming from the exhaust tips. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the coolant had leaked into cylinder #1. The contact was in... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting. Additionally, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, a white colored smoke began to emit from the vehicle as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where they discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinde... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a DTC reader and determined that the cause of the failure was a defective crank shaft, cam shaft, and oxygen sensors. Despite the repairs made to vehicle, the check engine light remained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where he was informed that coolant had ... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2023
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the hood failed to open as needed. The vehicle was also leaking anti-freeze. The contact was unable to open the hood to check or add coolant. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the contact was as unaware of the repair performed on the vehicle. The contact related the failu... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2023
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, his wife noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact then stated that he noticed an abnormal odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that anti-freeze had leaked into the exhaust and diagnosed that both head gasket failed and needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated, and the vehicle began to stall. The contact veered to the side of the road and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact opened the hood and noticed a significant amount of smoke. The vehicle was towed to the Subaru dealer it was purchased from. The... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was restarted approximately 15 minutes later. The vehicle was towed to a dea... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed a thick cloud of gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and that had spread throughout the neighborhood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an unknown fluid had leaked into the engine. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The contact added coolant and waited until the engine had cooled down. The contact restarted the vehicle and the v... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. Additionally, the contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to restart the vehicle... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 12, 2023
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon start up, the vehicle started to shake, and the contact noticed a cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that ignition coil and spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however,... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2023
The contact owned a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the A/C stopped working. Additionally, the contact smelled an electrical wiring burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then noticed smoke coming from under the glove compartment. The contact stated that he pulled to a carwash and exited the vehicle. An explosion occurred under the hood and... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 11, 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 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 contact stated while driving at approximately 72 MPH, the veh... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact pulled over and shut off the vehicle to allow the engine to cool down. After waiting several hours, the contact attempted to add coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, the coolant immediately leaked out of the vehicle. Due to the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while in a drive-thru line with the vehicle idling, the vehicle started overheating with a message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that t... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 11, 2023
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 15 MPH. The contact stated that he allowed the vehicle to coast off the highway and was able to drive the vehicle to his residence at approximately 12 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and coolant temperature warning lights were illuminated. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled, and the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to another dealer for a secon... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
The contact owned a 2020 Infiniti Q60. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH during a rainstorm and attempting to change lanes, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated, prompting the contact to attempt to slow the vehicle. As a result, the vehicle hydroplaned to the left, colliding with the vehicle in that lane on the driver's side door panel. The contact stated that the impact caused the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine overheated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 116,766.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic replaced the coolant reservoir cap. Several months later, the warning light re-appeared, and the contact topped off the coolant level and the warning light disappeared. Recently... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
The contact’s friend owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact who is an independent mechanic, stated that the vehicle was inspected due to an oil leak. The contact determined that the cylinder head had cracked, causing the oil leak. The contact determined that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact was unsu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was appr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station, where her son added coolant to the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her destination. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to res... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 64 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart after s... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. 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 that coolant had leaked into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case num... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that coolant was leaking on the ground underneath the vehicle. The low coolant level warning light was illuminated. There was oil in the oil pan. There was smoke under the hood. The contact was adding coolant daily. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that an excessive amount of coolant was leaking from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic discovered a white, milky residue on the oil cap. A code reader was used which determined that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine was misfiring. Additionally, coolant had leaked into cylinder #2, and that the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 7, 2023
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine light warning light illuminated, and the low coolant message was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The loca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while idling at a stop sign, the RPMs dropped extremely low, and the vehicle stalled. After a visual inspection, the contact observed white smoke coming from the engine compartment and a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality. The contact stated that the ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 5, 2023
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of an excessive amount of fluid underneath the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle started to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the HVAC system had caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fai... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, there was oil leaking underneath the vehicle. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated while operating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil cooler seals were faulty and needed to be replaced. The seals were ... Read more