Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated he noticed coolant fluid on the ground underneath the vehicle. The contact started the vehicle and noticed that the high engine temperate warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted but was not able to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure milea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the water in fuel system message was displayed. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed conflicting fuel levels. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who cleaned the fuel tank. The contact received notificati... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 26, 2023
Incident date: Nov 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light then became illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the vehicle had experienced a failure like NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 25, 2023
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of the 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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle would not exceed 3 MPH as the safety mode engaged. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted the next day; however, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was smoke coming from the hood. The "transmission overheating" message was displayed. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the PC... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle then caught on fire. The contact stated that a significant amount of oil had leaked underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The contact was ab... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528XI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The engine temperature warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been at the dealer for an unknown service, wher... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2016
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle after several attempts. The contact continued driving however, the failure recurred. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle restarted after several attempts. The contact stated t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. 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 not experienced a failure. Parts distribution d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stated shaking. The contact stopped in a parking lot and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the mechanic stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that an unkn... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 20 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that her son saw the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her son was afraid to drive the vehicle and had the vehicle towed back to his parent's residence and then towed to a dealer.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an odor coming from the engine compartment and that the vehicle was hesitating. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer after the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact was informed t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated he was able to diagnose the vehicle using an OBD reader. The contact diagnosed that the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to recognize the key fob. Due to the failure, the vehicle failed to start after multiple attempts with the key fob message displayed and a warning chime was heard. The contact also stated that the coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and the thermostat was replaced the v... Read more
KIA
SORENTO PHEV
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2023
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was overheating. An alarm sounded and the message “HOT” was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle cooled down as he released the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the bolts had backed out from the intake manifold causing coolant to lea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. 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 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 not experienced a failure. Parts distr... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X5. The contact stated that while pulling into his garage, he smelled an abnormal odor. Additionally, he noticed smoke coming from the tail pipes. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the f... Read more
TOYOTA
FJ CRUISER
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2023
Incident date: Jan 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated while reversing out a driveway, while accelerating the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and while restarting the vehicle, the vehicle was running rough. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mecha... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2023
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V1190000 (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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that the parts were not yet availabl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed a bluish-gray cloud of smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the turbocharger leaked on the engine and the turb... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530I. The contact received notification of the 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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the engine. The contact received notific... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact stated that she was able to navigate the vehicle off the road. The contact then stated that the coolant had drained from the vehicle. The coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolant pip... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2022
The contact owned a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-20 MPH and coming to a stop with his wife in the front passenger seat and daughter in the rear seat, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated; however, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle temperature was normal. The contact then saw smoke coming out of underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact par... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,300.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that upon accelerating uphill, the RMPs revved up but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the temperature sensor had failed and damaged the transmission. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the tempera... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
- When I was switching lanes on the highway my dashboard started flashing brake system problem, steering wheel system problem, tire pressure system problem, etc. The engine light, breaker system light, battery light, steering wheel light, and a few others turned on. After coming to a complete stop my car would not turn off. After pushing the “power button” multiple times it turned off complete... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 13, 2023
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her employee was driving the company vehicle at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with white smoke coming from under the hood. The employee pulled over and turned the vehicle off. The contact stated that the employee had not noticed any warning lights. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where it... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to overtake another vehicle, the vehicle started to decelerate independently. The contact stated that the service throttle position sensor warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and the vehicle failed to start properly. The contact took the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
Suv stalled and everything shut off and could not start ! It has happened twice and have had it in dealership and they cannot find the problem. Battery’s has been replaced but I believe its electrical!
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after his daughter started the vehicle and started accelerating, the vehicle was jerking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her that the oil level was low and that cylinder #4 was misfiring. The contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the loc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and there was a burning odor coming from the A/C vents. The contact veered to the side of the road and noticed that the burning odor was also coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle caught fire without warning. The fire extinguished itself. The occupants were able to exit the vehicle without injury. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that oil had leaked onto the alternator and the vehicle was unrepairable. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle began to lose motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle lunged forward and then lost motive power again. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact exited the highway and drove to a dea... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2022 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that “Critical Safety Fault Battery - Stop and Service immediately” message was displayed. The contact was able to make it to work and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, a puddle of oil had accumulated underneath the vehicle between the two front wheels. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 10, 2023
Incident date: Dec 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the engine misfired, lost coolant, and overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact also stated that the backup camera and ti... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated an oil change was recommended every 3 months and if it was overdue, the vehicle would stall and would sputter while driving. In addition, there was a burning odor entering the vehicle through the vents. No warning light was illuminated however there was an intermittent chime indicating that the oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled while making ticking sounds. The engine overheats message was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle in a parking space, where it remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 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 had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the AC unit was distributing hot air. The contact detected white smoke emerging from the engine compartment and the vehicle caught fire. The contact was able to pull over and exit the vehicle without injury. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The fire department extinguished the f... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously stalled and was taken to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs, and coils were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle went into Limp Mode with the "High-Engine Temperature - Stop safely" message displayed, an... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was antifreeze leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak was a recurring failure. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the "Turn Off Engine, Check Coolant Level" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the coolant pump was replaced under NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 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 had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2018
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and decelerated to 40 MPH. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The message “Service Electronic Throttle Body” was displayed. The contact continued to drive; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that her husband had entered the vehicle and while the key was in the ignition, the vehicle exploded in the engine compartment. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or police report filed. There were fire and flames approximately six feet high. The contact and her husb... Read more
Fire