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: Mar 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 contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal burning plastic odor detected. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that she smelled antifreeze upon entering her vehicle. The contact opened the hood and discovered that the coolant level was low. The contact added coolant and resumed normal driving. The contact then stated that while driving at slow speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact opened the hood and saw that the coolant rese... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 - 65 MPH, the red engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who informed her the vehicle was working as designed. While driving on another occasion, the check engine warning light and the Hybrid System Shutdown and Turn Off Engine message was displayed. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was overheating. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that there was no coolant in the reservoir. The contact added coolant to the reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic stated that cylinder #2 misfired and the engine needed t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530I. 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the conta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
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 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 ha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that cylinder #4 was misfiring, and that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assista... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 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 time for the recall repair. The contact stated that she noticed smoke outside of the vehicle and she smelled an abnormal burn... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, he smelled a burning odor and saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact then drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the front valve cover gasket and oil pan were leaking. The front valve cover gasket and seals were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. Additio... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that while the vehicle was idling or during start-up, he noticed a burning odor throughout the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic; however, the mechanic suggested that the vehicle be taken to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact stated there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check oil warning light was illuminated while the vehicle was decelerating. The contact drove into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while coming to a stop at a stop sign or red light, the Stop/Start feature failed to function. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that a diesel exhaust component needed to be replaced because of a leak. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted, and the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. and the vehicle lost motive power shortly after. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine and water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was then towed back to the residence. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 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 contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the heater was activated, and she smelled an odor of burning plastic inside the vehicle. The contact stated that once the weather turned colder, while usi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2022
I was on two lane street and the light on the dashboard light up and it automatically stopped and didn't want to turn back on but I got really scared because the car shook and then stop the cars behind almost hit my vehicle but I turned on my emergency lights on and they when around me I haven't been able to turn it back on ever since if you guys can really help me please thank you
Incident date: Oct 12, 2022
I was on two lane street and the light on the dashboard light up and it automatically stopped and didn't want to turn back on but I got really scared because the car shook and then stop the cars behind almost hit my vehicle but I turned on my emergency lights on and they when around me I haven't been able to turn it back on ever since if you guys can really help me please thank you
Incident date: Dec 8, 2017
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from underneath the vehicle. The coolant detector would not accurately detect the coolant level. The coolant reservoir needed to be refilled weekly. The ABS warning system would chime and illuminate whenever the vehicle was started, and the vehicle would fail to move. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that water was leaking from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that oil and water had mixed inside the engine due to a defective engine gasket. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which he linked to the failure. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that after she scheduled an appointment at the local dealer, she was later made aware that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was notified that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine block was deformed, causing coolant to leak into the engine. The contact was informed that th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
At an instant i though i herd a pop come from the front under the hood then i looked all the gauges lite up and the engine lite also Damon on and i noticed the RPM dropped to Zero and it would not restart
Incident date: Nov 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while in stop and go traffic, the temperature gauge rose into the high temperature range. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power; however, after several minutes, the vehicle started and operated normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,68... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started to emit white smoke from underneath the hood and into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact pulled off the road and turned off the vehicle and opened the hood. The contact saw that coolant had spilled onto the engine. The contact stated that the temperature gauge had been moving from hot... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. 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: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 128I. The contact stated the vehicle overheated. There was a hole in the radiator. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the radiator needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 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 while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact pulled off the roadway and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the bolts used to secure the housing for the camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit had loosened over time, causing the vehicle to stall. Upon investigation, the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
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 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 and confirmed that pa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Civic. The contact stated that upon checking the fluids in the vehicle, she noticed that coolant had leaked onto the ground. Upon inspecting under the hood of the vehicle, the contact then noticed that coolant was located at the bottom of the engine and a small crack in the coolant reservoir. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that she was involved in an accident and that the grille shutter malfunction warning alarm and "power down" message were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic shop, where it was diagnosed that the distance calibration sensor needed to be replaced and that the vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle remained at the mechan... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 6, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving 30 MPH and various other speeds, an audible warning sound was heard inside the vehicle and the temperature gauge indicated that engine was overheating. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated, lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver coasted to the side of the road, inspected the vehicle, and became aware of coolant leaking underneath the vehicle. The driver was able to add coolant to the reservoir, restart... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine and power train warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the camshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Num... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle shutoff with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was overheated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic; however, the mechanic was unable to the determine the cause of the failure. Prior to the failure, the contact stated that the oxygen sensor, water pump, alternator bel... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
2015 BMW X3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO BMW DESIGN DEFECTS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER INFORMED THE REPAIRS FOR THE VEHICLE REQUIRES BUYING A NEW ENGINE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REPAIRS WERE MADE AT THE OWNERS COST BUT THEY WANT TO BE DISCUSS REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated there was a loud clicking noise detected while driving. Additionally, the vehicle was slow to start. The contact stated that the PCM warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notifi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the temperature gauges were fluctuating. The contact pulled over and turn off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the gauges were still fluctuating. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a leak seen underneath the vehicle. The check engine and temperature gauge warning lights were il... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated and stalled. The message "Warning. Pull Over" was displayed. The contact stated that she waited 10-30 minutes for the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was then restarted and operated as needed. However, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. 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 time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he attempted to operate the heater and... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 2, 2022
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. The contact noticed that the fuel pump would frequent stop while fueling the vehicle. The contact then stated that while his vehicle was being driven by a valet, fuel began to pour out of the fuel tank while on an incline. The valet attendant managed to drive the vehicle down a decline which stopped the leak. Despite the failure, the contact was able to dri... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message low coolant was displayed, and the engine temperature started overheating. After adding more coolant to the reservoir, the failure later reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders. The cause of the failure was not ye... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
The contact owns a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue 3.8. The contact stated that he smelled a fuel odor throughout the vehicle. The oil warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front valve cover and the front valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The contact refenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V116000 (Engine and Engine Co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly, and the contact heard abnormally loud sounds coming from the engine. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the water pump was replaced due to the water pump seal being burned; however, the failure persisted. The dealer diagnosed that th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
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 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 ex... Read more
Incident date: Mar 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 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. VIN tool co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated the heating unit was blowing but failed to get warm. While driving and using the A/C unit, the vehicle would warm up. The defroster was inoperable. The check engine warning light was flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was entering the engine. The manufacturer was notified but no a... Read more