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: Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle failed to immediately start up as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The independent ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 300. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The contact stated she noticed oil on the garage floor. Upon opening the hood, she noticed there was oil over the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that there ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF SPORTWAGEN
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 4, 2023
Incident date: Nov 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the coolant pressure warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that the coolant level was below normal. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir and continued driving; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X5. 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 she started to notice a burning odor throughout the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of tim... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while her grandson was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started hesitating before the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts, but the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated that the near-stalling failure had occurred several times. The contact stated at ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQE
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 3, 2023
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes Benz EQE. The contact stated that after the vehicle was delivered to his residence the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 328. The VIN was not available.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph he noticed the temperature gauge increased to the high indicator. The engine coolant hot message was displayed. The contact stated that while attempting to pull over there was an abnormal popping noise and smoke was detected. The air bag warning light illuminated and the driver's side air bag dep... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Infiniti M37. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, she was informed that the radiator pressure O-ring was leaking coolant. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir level was low. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer we... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine temperature gauge suddenly indicated the engine had overheated and an audible alarm was activated. Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle independently decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the coolant control sensor was faulty ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the defroster was engaged but failed to respond or perform as designed. The contact rolled down the windows due to the loss of visibility of the roadway. Additionally, the vehicle lost heating system functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that h... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud knocking sound. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the brakes, four tires, fuel injectors, and spark plugs replaced; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough driving. The vehicle was taken to two independent mecha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The driver stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while conducting a routine check, he noticed that the coolant and the oil levels were low. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle in the morning, the vehicle hesitated, and revved up approximately three times. The contact stated that the vehicle operated as needed after driving approximately a half a mile. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Coolin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil pressure warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic on several occasions and unknown repairs were performed; however, after each repair, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performe... Read more
RAM
PROMASTER CITY
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2022
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ram Promaster City. The contact received a Catalyst Efficiency campaign program notice for Catalyst Efficiency; 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (High Speed Fan Motor Relay) the dealer diagnosed that the water pump was faulty, causing the air conditioner fan to fail to deactivate. The dealer declined to perform the repair because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated. The check engine warning light and the coolant temperature warning light were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle until the engine cooled down. The contact continued to drive. Additionally, the contact noticed that coolant was leakin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 530XI. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact then pulled into a gas station and turned off the vehicle. The message "High Engine Temperature. Stop Safely" was displayed. The contact stated that her husband who was following her at the time also pulled into the gas station and opened the hood of the vehic... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the engine was running however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled off the highway into a rest area. The contact stated that the engine and the vehicle were shaking abnormally. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Received a mssg on the car panel that car temp was too high & this vehicle was in the shop for several weeks back in July for something related to the engine.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied it spontaneously caught fire. The front windshield burst and the front of the vehicle melted. The check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire. There was no police report filed, injuries, or air bag deployment.... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheating message was displayed. Additionally, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that she veered to the side of the road until the vehicle cooled down. The contact then continued driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
Driving south on the 5 freeway right northing on Oceanside the vehicle shut down at freeway speed. I had to coast of the to the first Oceanside. Fortunately it was late at night and there were no cars in the immediate vicinity. In addition to this the vehicle has had multiple episode of phantom breaking. I do not feel safe driving the car.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the engine from a failure with the coolant lines causing the engine to overheat with multiple electric failures. The failure also occurred due to overheating including the main comput... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V415000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an engine oil leak; however, the parts for recall repair were not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the dealer failed to install a relay kit as a temporary repair.... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 20, 2022
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 74 MPH, the message “No Oil Pressure - Pull Over Immediately" was displayed. The contact immediately pulled over and was unable to restart the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with an oil cooler line failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle nearly stalled and was idling rough for approximately 15 minutes; after which, the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had leake... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. 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 several times. The contact stated that white smoke was coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a long crank time before the vehicle started. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the ambient temperature sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who stated that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2. The contact was also informed that the engine needed to be rebuilt. The contact called the manufacturer who r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
From my understanding, I went to several different mechanics who all said the same thing. 2019 and maybe older years, the way the truck was made, the coolant hose runs all the way from the resovoir to the back of the truck which is causing a metal pipe and the coolant hose to touch and when the metal pipe gets hot, it’s eating at the hose cause a significant leakage under the truck. And the hose... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128I. 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 not 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2017
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph when the check engine illuminated and a loud rattling noise emitted from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle then suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer had replaced the engine. Approximately after the repair while they were driving approximately 40 mph when the... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 15, 2020
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11497752*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Fire
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn at an intersection, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated 10 minutes prior to the vehicle losing motive power and stalling. The contact placed the vehicle in park(P) and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2017
The contact owns a 2007 BMW Z4. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not e... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V705000 (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 cont... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was abnormal sounds coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the coolant might be leaking into the engine; however, the mechanic was unsure. The dealer was contacted and stated th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine started to misfire and started losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine and Service Engine Now warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine malfunction was caused by coolant leaking ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers became inoperable, and the headlights inadvertently turned off. The contact stated that the horn would beep independently but failed to operate while depressed. Additionally, the heater and A/C unit became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was di... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330XI. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confi... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E320
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 14, 2022
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed engine failure. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V006000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The START/STOP system message was displayed. The computer screen went blank. The drive button on the instrument cluster and gear selector were blinking. The parking brake engaged without warning. While driving the vehicle at slow speeds, the vehicle jerked forward and failed to respond as... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
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 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