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: Apr 29, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated there was a burning odor coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The manufacturer... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 29, 2022
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine would not turn over. The contact stated that numerous attempts were made before the vehicle started. The contact stated that the check engine and Stop/Start lights were illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to an Auto Parts store where it was diagnosed and determined that the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owned a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 35 MPH, the odor of smoke was present inside the vehicle. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, smoke and flames were seen coming from under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed away. A fire... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she attempted to turn on the heat; however, the heat failed to operate. The contact then stated that the temperature gauge started to increase and noticed that the engine had started to overheat. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed at night, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated approximately a second before the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to a spun bearing inside the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contact... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
Coolant intrusion leak busted a block and now I need a new engine. I took good care of this car. It all of a sudden started running hot, water sloshing sounds, engine light came on. Took it to Ford auto shop in Wiggins Ms where it was purchased by my son in law and then I payed him $16,000 cash for it and only had it a year. It all happened so fast on the interstate bridge and it was very dangerou... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the low oil level warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The warning light disappeared; however, an abnormal, rattling noise was coming from the vehicle at start-up. The contact believed that the failure was linked to a defective camshaft phaser. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's husband used a code reader which showed a misfire in cylinder #2. The contact's husband also discovered that coolant had started leaking from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was confirmed that coolant had leaked into cylinder#2 causing engine failure. The ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, the engine started to sputter with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where the vehicle was placed on a code reader; the code reader discovered that coolant had leaked into the engine pistons which damaged the engine long block. The manufacturer was not notified o... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. Additionally, coolant was discovered leaking from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine and battery warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who indicated that the engine had failed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V119000 (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: Nov 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was jumpstarted and operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the alternator, and the front valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. Additionally, while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was shaking abnormally, with an abnormal burning metallic odor outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition coil for cylinder #2 had melted and a co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and stated that it might be the catalytic converter. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, and the mechanic stated that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and stated that th... 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Additionally, the contact had experienced a failure of the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 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 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 confir... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that an oil consumption test was performed on Oct 29th and approximately a month later, the engine had consumed 2 1/2 quarts of oil. There was no oil on the dipstick when checked and the vehicle had not yet been driven 1,000 miles. The vehicle began sputtering with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was able to be restarted but failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) in August of 2020 and was relating the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not taken to an indepen... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted about the failure and informed him that they would call him once parts were available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 10 MPH in a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the tone wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the low coolant service soon warning light illuminated, followed by a message stating that the engine was overheating before the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over and waited for the vehicle to cool down and then was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer an... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment with the check engine warning light illuminated. Upon inspection it was discovered that the engine oil level was extremely low; however, no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed an oil consumption test ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the low coolant level message was displayed, and the vehicle experienced rough operation before stalling. After adding coolant to the reservoir, the failure continued. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
The contact owned a 2020 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for approximately nine hours and unoccupied, it spontaneously caught fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire department informed him the fire was due to a failure with the electrical system or fuel pump. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment or police reports filed.... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle, there was a rod knock coming at 1,500 RPM. The contact stated occasionally the vehicle would stall right after being started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine bearing was faulty, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer wh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X3. 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 dealer was contacted and stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the odor of burning oil or plastic started entering the vehicle through the vents. The contact stated engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and turned the vehicle off. The contact made several attempts to drive the vehicle back to his residence; however, he eventually ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a burning odor coming from the vents. The oil pressure warning light was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the water pump had failed causing coolant to leak into the engine oil, causing the engine to fail. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11493911*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Audi Q5. The contact stated that the vehicle was smoking. There was antifreeze and oil leaking from the vehicle. While driving, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal became stuck, and the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal oil burning odor, fuel, and antifreeze. The vehicle was also consuming an excessive amount of fuel. The gear shifter button was also stuck. The gear ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 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 dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that coolant was leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the engine block was fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. 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 contact stated that the vehicle was emitting an abnormal oil burning odor. The manufacturer was not ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 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 upon starting the vehicle, he smelled a burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to duplicate th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
The contact's sister owns a 2013 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while she was driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a jolt to the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact’s sister stated that the brakes worked as needed; however, the power steering assist failed, and extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle off the highway. The contact’s sister stated t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
2015 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO EXCESSIVELY BURNING OIL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE IS BURNING 1QUART OF OIL MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY THAN EACH 1,000 MILES AND HAS TO CONSISTENTLY CHECK THE OIL LEVEL OF THE VEHICLE.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a ticking noise coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated she noticed the heat in the vehicle was not operating as needed. The contact also noticed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir, and the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and overheated. Additionally, the steering wheel seized. The message that the engine was overheating and to pull over was displayed. The contact was able to pull over. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and informed him that he had failed to complete ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message to "See Owner’s Manual" and the coolant level overheating warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was made aware that there was a coolant leak and was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for further diagnostic testing. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and abruptly slowed down and lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the SMR lifter and the engine failed. The contact called the local dealer who informed her that the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, he detected smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact noticed that oil was leaking from the headers. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the valve cover gasket was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
TOOK FORD ESCAPE TO DEALER BECAUSE OF SERVICE ENGINE ALERT. WAS TOLD IT PROBALLY NEEDED A TUNE UP OR A COMPRESSION PROBLEM. I THEN GOT A CALL BACK TO SAY COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE CYLINDERS. AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO REBUILD THE BLOCK. SEEMS THEY WOULD REPLACE THE ENGINE SINCE THIS IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM FOR THE FORD ESCAPE SINCE 2013. TECH DID STATE THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEMS AND THEY GET SER... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that an unknown module needed to be replaced. The parts were on back order and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage wa... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving to her nearby residence. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and she could smell a strong burning odor inside the vehicle while driving.... Read more