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 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated the vehicle would lose oil at an excessive rate as the oil warning light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that once he replenished the oil, a large cloud of greyish smoke would emit from the tailpipe upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified about the f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500 The contact stated that while driving the vehicle stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V-406000 (Fuel System, Diesel). 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the engine stalled. The vehicle was jerking and lunging forward. There was coolant flowing into the engine. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that spark plugs and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle would not properly accelerate and experienced jerking before eventually stalling. upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant had leaked from the vehicle. The contact replaced the coolant temperature sensor and the coolant tank and the vehicle was taken to the local ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph, the vehicle went into limp mode and shut down. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to move. The engine warning indicator light was flashing. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they informed the contact the camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor should be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, both the check engine and low coolant warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel as the vehicle began to overheat. The contact checked his fluid levels and saw that his coolant level was low despite a recent service visit. The contact placed coolant into the vehicle and managed to drive home. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to move and was seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the transfer case, gear, transmission, and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the low engine oil pressure warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact managed to pull over and replenished the engine with oil; however, soon after start-up, an abnormal, knocking noise began to emit from the engine as black smoke also emitted from the engine. The vehicle began to lose power... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2022
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front belt and two coolant hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was a... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2022
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received recalls notifications for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V922000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) and 22V191000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the parts to do the recalls repairs were not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts for both recalls repairs were not yet available. The contact state... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2009) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2022
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. An unknown warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts and was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle fuel system had failed. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure persisted. The dealer then informed the con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle emitted an abnormal winding sound. The vehicle decelerated independently, failed to accelerate and stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had to push the vehicle out of the highway. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The local deale... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while the daughter was driving approximately 70 MPH, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that an internal engine failure had occurred, involving the rod bearing and the crankshaft. The dealer diagnosed that the sh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat as indicated by the temperature gauge. The vehicle also began to hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. His daughter pulled the vehicle over and waited for the engine to cool off. Once th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
August 8,2022 my 2013 Ford Escape displayed my engine temperature was high temperature & to stop safely. Had the truck towed & the dealer stated it codes were coolant hose C value, coolant hose & sensors. They fixed it all it drove good for 2days & the same thing happen again saying the engine was over heating but it wasn’t. It had coolant in it & was not leaking anywhere. Did another diagnosis ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions, the engine coolant was low. The contact would have to continuously put coolant in the engine. The engine coolant light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant plug needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump was leaking coolant. The mechanic informed the contact that the water pump and timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
anti-freeze started coming out from the bottom of my vehicle... seems like that is a water pump issue, also I seen that I'm not the only person with this same issue with Audi A4... this should be a recall to resolve this problem.... thank you
Incident date: Jun 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X6. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the catalectic converter was missing and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine And Engine Cooling). However, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to complete the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the iss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and parking, the engine stalled. The contact stated the battery and ignition key warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the stalling had occurred previously. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed that there was an oil leak on the alternator and starter and b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated she noticed that the check engine warning light was flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated that there was a misfire in cylinder three and the spark plugs were replaced, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the coil pack but the failure occurred once again. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confir... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The vehicle takes approximately an hour to start. The fuel gauge was resetting and displaying the wrong amount. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V312000(Fuel System, Gasoline). However, the part... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced overheating. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The vehicle was towed but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2022
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Water Pump Failed twice
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 10, 2022
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
Passagner side radiator housing clip is loose and can disloge the radiator allowing the coolant sensor to make contact with the serpentine belt gear and break the coolant hose connector that can casue a catasrophic coolant system failure. Multiple ownsers are also complaining of the same issue. https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/coolant-system-failure.9496016/ video showing the issue: https://www.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off as several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The contact managed to coast the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. The contact made multiple attempts to restart the vehicle but every attempt failed. Due to the excessive heat and with a newborn baby inside the vehicle, t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2019
The contact owns a 2013 Audi S6. The contact stated upon test driving the vehicle after an oil change, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the oil strainer was clogged and the turbine wheel was desegregated. The oil strainer and gasket, the PCV head gasket, and two turbochargers were replaced. Additionally, three consecutive oil changes were completed in order to flush the metal fragments from... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C250
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 10, 2022
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that the vehicle would suddenly stall while driving at various speeds. The contact would have to place the vehicle in park, turn the vehicle off then on again to regain proper function. The vehicle's collision prevention assist plus inoperative warning was illuminated. The contact stated that there were other unknown warning lights ill... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove across three lanes and veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized due to metal fragments being stuck into the engine. The dealer replaced th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Verano . The contact stated there was an abnormal odor of fuel entering through the vents. In addition, while driving, there was an abnormal very loud knocking noise. The contact noticed that there was oil or fuel leaking from the injection system. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but it was not diagnosed or repaired. T... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 10, 2022
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
driving along normally with 1600 miles on the car and a low coolant message and tons of other warning lights came on. Radiator came loose from its mount, causing a cooling hose to contact engine pulley and fail. Towed car to dealership and 6 weeks later they finally fixed it.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X3. The contact stated when she picked up her vehicle from the dealer after having NHTSA Campaign Number:17V683000 (Engine And Engine Cooling) completed while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. The contact was able to pull over and when shutting off and attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The dealer was contacted, and they st... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 10, 2022
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
Radiator became loose causing radiator to have play, which in turn caused it to push the radiator hose into the drive belt causing the vehicle to spill coolant everywhere and overheat
Incident date: Apr 8, 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 on several occasions, while driving or parked, the vehicle overheated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated on and off. The contact also stated that the ve... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 9, 2022
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
Radiator LOOSE causing excessive rubbing on coolant hose causing leak and leaving vehicle stranded. This is happening to HUNDREDS of VW MK8 GTI's. This is a massive quality control issue and VW needs to address this very prevalent issue. This is causing owners to zip tie their radiators to prevent movement. My vehicle is brand new, just purchased new at dealership 2 weeks ago, mine is loose as wel... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Around 36k miles the vehicle had some dried coolant residue and required coolant topups every 2-3k miles. Two different dealerships performed comprehensive inspections between then and now and did not notify me of any problems. The residue was explained away in a service bulletin stating that it was normal for the water pump to weep some coolant. Now at 44k miles, I brought the car in when I saw d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 8, 2022
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
I have taken my 2016 VW Tiguan to a VW service center, and they have notified me of a faulty water pump in my car that is leaking coolant. This is endangering the engine of the car and its safety. There has been a class action lawsuit regarding this exact issue with VW in the case Zhao, et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 2:21-cv-11251. I have contacted the manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the warning message “Engine overheating pull off safely and stop” illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to pull off to the side of the road safely and turn off the vehicle. The contact waited for the vehicle to cool down, restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was tak... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 85 MPH, there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The contact stated that the connecting rod went through the engine block. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact replaced the spark plugs; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced the vacuum pump and hoses. A few weeks later, the check engine warning light returned and the vehicle failed to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was difficult to depress while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on multiple occasions she noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the internal water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light flashing on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions and the knock sensor, O2 sensor, engine pistons, and other engine parts were replaced; however, the failure persis... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the coolant temperature warning light and "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" message were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed a pressure test; however, no coolant leak was found. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V705000 (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 experienced a failure and the vehi... Read more