Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Mar 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving and making turns, the vehicle made abnormal popping sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the flex coupler was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was making abnormal knocking sounds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer se... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 10, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after driving for an extended period, the vehicle started to shake with an unknown service warning message displayed. Despite the initial failure, the contact stated that the vehicle resumed normal operation after approximately an hour. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions to have the air compressor replaced under warran... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 10, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle in stop-and-go traffic, a burning odor was suddenly present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle smoke and flames were coming from under the hood and the fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. A polic... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact’s mother owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle was overheating and there was a burning plastic odor coming from the A/C vents. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The check engine warning light and the coolant temperature warning light were illuminated. Additionally, upon parking the vehicle for 10 minutes, there... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V387000 (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 stated that the check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the “High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle and the vehicle hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a coolant leak within the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2001) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 9, 2023
Incident date: Jan 1, 2013
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated the engine was misfiring. The contact stated cylinder #3 coil and spark plug was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer stated that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that the... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 9, 2023
Incident date: Feb 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a misfire under the hood of the vehicle. The P0302 and P0304 warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that based on the codes displayed, she replaced the ignition coil and spark plugs; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer wh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, black smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe and the vehicle was jerking. The oil warning light was illuminated. The contact added engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where oil was found on unknown sensors and on the coils. The contact was informed that an oil change was nee... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat. The message "Engine Fault. Service Now" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon attempting to restart the vehicle 20 minutes later, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning plastic odor throughout the vehicle and a dark gray cloud of smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) indicating that the remedy was availabl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at highway speeds, an abnormal revving sound would emit from the vehicle as it hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. Despite the failure, her daughter managed to drive the vehicle home; the next day, the contact started the vehicle and experienced the same failure. The contact dro... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine oil change services, there was an abnormal oil odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke was coming from underneath the hood and after opening the hood, the contact became aware of a coolant leak. No warning lights were illum... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle in the morning, there was a large puddle of coolant accumulated underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak had become constant, and she had to always keep a gallon of coolant in her vehicle. The contact stated that the "engine coolant low" warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle stalled while starting during colder weather. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact made a local dealer aware o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the RPM’s started fluctuating before lowering and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to regain motive power by excessively depressing the accelerator. The contact was able to drive approximately 5-10 minutes however, while coming to a stop light the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restar... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
The contact owned a 2008 BMW 128i. The contact stated that after driving at an undisclosed speed in inclement weather, she parked and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle later caught fire when she returned. A bystander witnessed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed there were flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department arrived on the scene and extingui... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was a burning odor coming through the A/C vents. There was also smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off vehicle. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the ... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2023
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the message to add coolant started flashing consistently causing the contact to add coolant to the vehicle more than usual. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no fire and the smoke dispersed independently. The vehicle had not been taken to the d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2023
Incident date: Oct 15, 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 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 sta... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that after his daughter started the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs, and other unknown components needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was dr... Read more
FUJITSU TEN
AUDIO/ NAVIGATION SYSTEM
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2023
Incident date: Mar 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Honda Accord. The contact stated while having routine maintenance performed on her vehicle, she was informed that the oil level was very low. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the frequency of the "check oil" light had increased and that the time between having the oil topped off and "check oil" light had gone from ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2020
The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. The contact stated that upon turning the heater on, there was a strong burning odor coming from the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a burning oil odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the intake gasket was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and left her stranded on the highway. The engine overheating message was displayed. The contact removed the coolant cap and noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added more coolant and a stop leak solution. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2023
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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected. The co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, she remained inside, and there was a burning smell. The contact stated that smoke was coming from the passenger floorboard and that after exiting the vehicle, there was also smoke coming from the... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and started flashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, she noticed that coolant had leaked on the ground and that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon inspection, she noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty and needed to be refilled every week. The vehicle was taken to and independent mechanic where it w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the freeway, the vehicle lost motive power. The 4WD error and various other unknown warning lights and messages were illuminated. The contact managed to pull over and stated that smoke was seen coming from underneath the hood and that once he opened the hood, there were flames coming from the a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the engine started making an abnormally loud knocking sound. The contact stated the check engine light had started flashing. The vehicle started losing motive power and was pulled off the roadway. The vehicle was turned off but failed after several attempts to restart. The contact had the vehicle towed t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. After replacing the engine, each time the vehicle was in for routine service the mechanic noted that the engine coolant was low. Later whi... Read more
Fire
MERCEDES-BENZ
E550
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 1, 2023
Incident date: Feb 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered inadvertently, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping between the lower gears. Additionally, the contact stated that the trunk open warning light was intermittently illuminated while the truck was closed. The contact also stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to... Read more
MERCEDES-MAYBACH
S 580
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 1, 2023
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and steam was coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that a fluid leak was seen underneath the vehicle while parked. The coolant reservoir was refilled. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 BMX 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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, she heard a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the noise was intermittent at first but had become almost constant and would occur at various speeds. The contact stated that she recently saw white smoke coming fr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the "check oil" warning light was illuminated. The contact slowed the vehicle down and drove it to the dealer. The contact stated that when she pulled into the parking lot, she heard a loud popping sound coming from the engine compartment. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed accelerator and the vehicle continued to lose motive power. The contact stated that she observed a large cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was blinking off and on. The conta... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE350
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 27, 2023
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was informed by the dealer that a coolant sensor would be placed inside the vehicle to remedy the recall. Since the recall, the coolant warning light would frequently appear on the instrument panel. The contact was then informed by the dealer to freque... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the coolant was topped off; however, the failure returned soon after the repair. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where it was discovered that coolant had leaked into an engine cylinder which led t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Juke. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 58 MPH unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the PCV valve was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehic... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 27, 2023
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started to stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic test, and the dealer stated that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced, and that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle inside her garage, there was an abnormal smoke odor detected inside the vehicle. The contact drove out of the garage and turned off the vehicle. The contact opened the hood and the smoke dissipated. The contact restarted the vehicle and noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact che... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Edge. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty, the engine oil dip stick read full, and the oil was discolored. The vehicle was taken to the local service center where the mechanic discovered water in the engine oil. The mechanic diagnosed the veh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message that the engine was overheating, and that the coolant level was low was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed there was an internal coolant leak, and an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was difficult to start and remained running at restarting. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, the dealer stated that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The failur... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
The contact’s son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and the engine misfired. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change, he was made aware that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the water pump, head gasket, and timing belt needed to be replaced. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was advised to have the repairs completed at a local dealer. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle misfired and jerked. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into the cylinders causing the misfire. The dealer confirmed that the failure was related to service bulletin with NHTSA ID Number: 10214126 (Engine and Engine Cooling) howeve... Read more