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.

2,215,138 Total Complaints

138,663 Reported Crashes

56,255 Reported Fires

8,561 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 2,215,138 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

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 ›

Clear

Showing 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Incident date: Jul 1, 2020

I believe the engine could possibly be failing. My engine light will come on & flash, when it does this it is slowing down at speed ranges of 60 mph. Another thing, the GDi engine that is in this vehicle burns oil EXTREMELY fast. It is quite aggravating having to constantly get oil changes every 2-4 weeks & have only driven 0-1500 miles. This is not normal. The engine has this crackling noise as i... Read more

Incident date: Feb 6, 2023

Incident date: Feb 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35-50 MPH, the vehicle began overheating. Additionally, the coolant temperature warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact then added coolant in the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure reoccurred while dr... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate unintendedly. Additionally, there was a rattling sound present under the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was briefly illuminated. After pulling over to the side roadway and parking the vehicle, the vehicle was towed to t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact checked the coolant level, and the coolant reservoir was full. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repair... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 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. Parts distributi... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2023

The contact's son owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The contact's son attempted to restart the vehicle numerous times, but the vehicle would not start. The contact stated that her son was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, w... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormal burning odor was detected while the heater was activated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. Th... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started overheating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a faulty water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when she started the vehicle, the "engine fault service now" message was displayed. The contact stated that later the "high-temperature stop now" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she pulled over and turned the vehicle off. Once she felt that the temperature was normal, she restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that t... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the temperature gauge began to rise rapidly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after he parked the vehicle, he noticed coolant leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving to his destination and added coolant to the vehicle. The veh... Read more

Incident date: Feb 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the ABS and TPMS warning lights illuminated and the vehicle started to stall. The contact saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. An independent mechanic towed the vehicle to the contact’s residence. The independent mechanic then diagnosed that the transmi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning plastic odor after starting the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manuf... Read more

Incident date: Jan 16, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle nearly to stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power. The driver pulled over and the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that his wife noticed the "Service Engine Soon" light was illuminated. The vehicle w... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was losing motive power with the check engine warning light and three other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart after multiple attempts. The contact also stated that the vehicle felt hot inside despite not using the heater. The contact recei... Read more

Incident date: Jan 25, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating, and the engine was running roughly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the temperature gauge needle had gone into the red zone. The contact pulled over and opened the hood to allow the engine to cool down. The contact ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would hesitate, stall and shut off at random times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced an engine gasket but the failures continued to occur. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced.... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his wife steered the vehicle to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine nee... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,747.

Incident date: Jul 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, and at other various speeds, the check engine warning light remained constantly illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle had been leaking coolant into the engine block. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had no... Read more

Incident date: Feb 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was significant white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed. The contact pulled into a gas station and verified that the engine oil and coolant level were normal; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 31, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed in 20-degree weather, the engine was smoking and then overheated. The contact checked under the hood and noticed that the coolant level was low. The contact had previously added additional coolant. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the dealer who informed her about a diagnosti... Read more

Incident date: Feb 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence of the contact's friend. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact there was no record that the vehi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the thermostat indicated that the engine was hot(H); the contact also stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). A code reader was use... Read more

Incident date: Feb 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, after shifting the vehicle into drive, the engine started to overheat and went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light and the low coolant warning light were both illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 23, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating and failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty, and that the engine had experienced excessive oil consumption. The catalytic converter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The ma... Read more

Incident date: Feb 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. After stopping at a red light, the engine suddenly failed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure,... Read more

Incident date: Feb 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle intermittently stalled. The contact then stated that previously, he was able to turn off and restart the vehicle however, the vehicle recently failed to restart. The check engine and service engine soon warning lights were illuminated. The cont... Read more

Incident date: Dec 26, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant level, check engine, and engine temperature warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who both diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and... Read more

Incident date: Jan 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled at an intersection. The vehicle was able to be restarted. While the contact was driving, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The m... Read more

Incident date: Jun 20, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it remained awaiting the parts for the recall repair. The contact stated that once the parts for the repair were available, the mechanic informed her that the manufacturer would not be covering the repairs on the vehic... Read more

Incident date: Jul 4, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated. The contact also stated that while shifting into drive, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions the engine overheated and was consuming excessive amounts of engine oil. The check engine war... Read more

Incident date: Nov 30, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and the overheat fault message was displayed. Additionally, an abnormal antifreeze odor was detected while driving, and the contact had to keep adding antifreeze occasionally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the cylinder head cup plug was ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption and the vehicle would no longer properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was faulty and needed t... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, there was fluid leaking underneath. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump assembly and timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 26, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring, and the vehicle was shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the cylinders were misfiring. The independent mechanic cleared the diagnostic tests codes. The contact stated that the check engine w... Read more

Incident date: Jun 16, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light would illuminate, the vehicle would drive rough and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the coolant had intruded into the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 18, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign... Read more

Incident date: Jan 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH, after having stopped at a traffic signal, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights flashing. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after having a passerby jump start her vehicle. The contact was... Read more

Incident date: Nov 9, 2022

The contact leased a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving the engine, hot message was displayed. The contact looked underneath the hood but failed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact continued to drive but the vehicle lost power and she noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over. While continuing to drive, the check engine warning light illum... Read more

Incident date: Jan 29, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine and oil warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the piston had scarred the cylinder wall, and the piston needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Ca... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2023

The contact called on behalf of his son who owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine was constantly overheating, with the coolant and engine oil level constantly low. The coolant level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was it was diagnosed that the engine block was cracked, and that coolant and oil was leaking into the engi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, called her husband, and he drove the vehicle to the residence. An independent mechanic was called to the residence and the mechanic discovered that bolts on the camshaft w... Read more

Incident date: Jan 25, 2023

The contact called on behalf of a friend who owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his friend was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound. Additionally, there was significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was... Read more

Incident date: Jan 12, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. The contact continued to drive but the vehicle stalled again. The contact detected an abnormal sound coming from the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled a burning odor through the vents. An unknown warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine which caused the PCV valve to overheat. The contact was informed that the PCV valve needed to be replaced. The v... Read more

Incident date: Jan 16, 2023

My car stopped moving at full power while driving due to the engine overheating. My engine coolant warning came on that it was low. This has happened several times since I have owned this car. I have been given many different reasons for my engine coolant dropping over the years when I take it for service including the following: 1. Turbo line 2. Turbo unit 3. O-ring 4. couldn't find the leak, lik... Read more

Incident date: Jan 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to use the HVAC system, the heater was inoperable. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The mechanic stated that the water pump had been leaking coolant into the oil pan a... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2017

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the thermostat was replaced twice; however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to TSB: SC147. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and r... Read more

Incident date: Jan 24, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to warn of low oil pressure. The contact stated he would become aware that the engine oil pressure was low when the vehicle stalled or while servicing the vehicle. The contact was concerned for his safety and for the potential engine damage that could occur. The contact related the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V59200... Read more

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 ... 155 156 157 ... 810 811 Next

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog