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 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on a driveway on two occasions, the contact noticed that the vehicle was leaking oil onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to Seaside Park Service Center, where it was diagnosed with an oil filter housing failure. The contact was advised that it was a common failure. The mechanic recommended replacing the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's dad who was following behind the vehicle noticed oil splashing onto the front windshield of his vehicle. The contact's dad then noticed while the contact was driving uphill, oil was splashing out of the oil pan. In addition, the contact's dad noticed smoke coming out of the exhau... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was slightly misfiring while driving. An independent mechanic replaced the spark plugs and the ignition coils at the residence; howev... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started losing automotive power and stalled. The contact frantically maneuvered the vehicle across three lanes of highway traffic to get to the right shoulder and park the vehicle. During the failure, the check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while idling on several occasions. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact scanned the vehicle with a vehicle scanner, and the DTC: P1C28 was retrieved, which the contact related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train); however, the model year was not included in the recall. Th... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 17, 2025
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken for an oil change, and the contact was informed that the vehicle required an oil change every 10 days. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer after driving 1,000 miles after an oil change, and the dealer informed the contac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ram ProMaster 3500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact checked under the hood and saw that the cooling fan was making a whirring" sound. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the fan was revolving very slowly, and when the fan was touch... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 25V322000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message "Engine Stopped" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was able... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and then went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo charger had failed, causi... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S 580 4MATIC
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 17, 2025
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the heater and the defroster were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the heater core was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where it was determined that the vehicle was designed with a silica bag near the coolant reservoir, and the silica ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 17, 2025
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started shaking and vibrating abnormally before the vehicle stalled. During the failure, the message "Engine Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who discovered metal shavings inside the oil pan and advised the contact that the engine needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated on the instrument cluster with a message that the vehicle needed to be stopped due to high engine temperature. The contact pulled into a gas station and observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Kia K5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V794000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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 manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was a misfire in the engine, and her husband pulled off the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven back to the residence at speeds no greater tha... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a misfire in the engine, with a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was refer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the gear shifter independently shifted to neutral(N), and the vehicle speed decreased. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. After waiting a few minutes, the vehicle was restarted; however, the contact noticed an ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the contact's husband smelled an abnormal burning odor coming from the front of the vehicle. Upon inspection, both the contact and her husband noticed that there was an oil leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the oil filter housing had melted and needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had noticed an oil leak and that the battery charge was abnormally low. The contact received an alert from OnStar pertaining to the critically low battery. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal squishing sound coming from the dashboard, and the contact b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was flashing, and the messages "No Propulsion Power" and "No Power To Engine" were displayed. The contact stated that two individuals pulled over and assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road to prevent a crash. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while the contact was driving on the highway. The vehic... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 15, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle started to sputter and then stalled. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defective oil pressur... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was restarted several times but continually stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The contact examined the engine and discovered metal shavings in the VANOS solenoid engine oil. The cause of the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 60-62 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle lost drive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to Tire Choice Auto Service Centers, where it was diagnosed and determined t... Read more
EVENFLO
REVOLVE360
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 12, 2025
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the vehicle was idling low. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed w... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact then stated that the vehicle lost power and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump and electrical plug connector had failed and needed to be replaced... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was previously replaced. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, two weeks later, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started misfiring. The contact drove to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine service. The contact stated that during the inspection of the vehicle, the dealer discovered that the water pump was beginning to leak coolant onto electrical circuits, inside the engine compartment. The dealer recommended the water pump replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the transmission downshifted between first and third gear. An abnormal sound could be heard coming from the transmission. After driving a short distance, the vehicle functioned as intended. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving or starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light would unexpectedly illuminate. The contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption, which required the coolant reservoir to be refilled several times after noticing that the coolant level was consistently low. The contact stated that... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received a recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that parts were not available and were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the lifters were previously replaced in 2021 at the manufacturer's expense. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was running rough. The vehicle was taken to an unknown auto part store, where it was diagnosed with an engine cylinder malfunction. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, w... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering and brakes were difficult to operate. The contact coasted to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the message "Battery in Safe Mode" was displayed. The co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was inspected and determined that there was potential damage to the bearings and that the crankshaft and the short bloc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Engine Overheated - Turn Engine Off" was displayed with white smoke coming from the exhaust system. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant level was extremely low. The contact stated that coolant was added to the reservoir; however, hours later the coolant level was low again. The vehic... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 11, 2025
Incident date: Mar 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway for 45 minutes, there was an abnormal odor of chimney fire, which continued while at the stop sign. The front passenger occupant noticed there was smoke from underneath the hood. While pulling over, the steering wheel locked up, and the occupants exited the vehicle. The engine warni... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The dealer stated that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 10, 2025
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the message "Low Oil Pressure - Stop Vehicle Immediately" was displayed, and the oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil pump was inoperable and needed to be replace... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road as possible, and the vehicle was able to restart after an extended time. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact state... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 10, 2025
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle had consumed 3 quarts of oil after driving 2,100 miles. Additionally, the contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light only illuminated after the vehicle had consumed over 3 quarts of oil. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (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 contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle registration was scheduled for renewal in January 2026; however, the renewal might not be approved with open recalls. The m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud engine camshaft bearing sound coming from the engine. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and after three days, it was determined that the camshaft bearing had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
The contact leased a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the engine overheated on several occasions while driving approximately 25-50 MPH. The driver was able to pull over safely. The temperature gauge warning light was displayed. The message “Engine Overheated – Pull Over” was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V741000 (Electrical System). The v... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed; however, the failure reoccur... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware of coolant leaking from the front of the vehicle near the transmission, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact retrieved DTC: P0016. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Veloster. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled at a stoplight. The vehicle was restarted and immediately driven to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine compression was abno... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the failure could cause engine failure. The vehi... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 9, 2025
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000(Engine and Engine Cooling), and the dealer replaced the engine and the oil pump; however, while driving two days later, the vehicle stalled upon coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after an hou... Read more