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: Sep 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the coolant warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact called the dealer and was informed her vehicle was not under warranty. The contact also stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle shut off as the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. There was white smok... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a coolant leak; however, the mechanic was ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. While inspecting the vehicle it was discovered that the engine oil was extremely low, even though the oil had been recently changed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who initiated an oil consumption test. No further information was avai... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust tip. The contact stated that after commencing driving, the smoke would dissipate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intr... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the check engine warning light flashing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to a dealer for an oil change, the contact was informed that there was a leak in the water pump. The contact was given an estimate for the repair. The contact also stated that the parking brake had failed to operate as needed. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the parking brake was re... Read more
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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph the vehicle suddenly began to lose automotive power before stalling. Moments later while attempting to restart the engine smoke and flames were seen coming from under the hood of the vehicle. A contact used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames and the fire department was called to the sc... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the power steering became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The A/C unit and the radio remained operational. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on multiple occasions where it was diagnosed and determined that the computer mo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kenworth T680. The contact stated while driving downhill at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The "Engine Failure. Stop Vehicle" message and other messages were displayed. The vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the battery and Auto Start/Stop button replaced; however, the while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was able to restart and no error codes were retrieved. The... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The contact' daughter owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact daughter's veered to the side of the road and waited for the vehicle to cool down. The contact son-in-law met his daughter and assisted with refilling coolant in the vehicle. The contact's daughter was able to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced several failures that were uns... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH and overtaking another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle the next day, the vehicle experienced a rough start. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started sputtering and then stalled. The contact stated that the check engine and engine overheating warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engi... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, he became aware that the vehicle was overheating. The contact was able to pull over and waited for the engine to cool down; after which the vehicle was able to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the cooling fan had failed. The dealer was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, a low coolant warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and checked the coolant reservoir which indicated that the coolant was low. The contact attempted to resume normal driving; however, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was hot as the vehicle began to stall. An engine war... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder #2 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred with the vehicle experiencing rough starts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he saw steam exiting the hood and the temperature gauge started rising. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot. The contact opened the hood and noticed steam coming from the front engine block. The contact also saw coolant leaking from the vehicle. The co... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 2, 2022
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the radio and A/C would activate independently. The check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The contact's husband replaced the auxiliary battery. While driving, the vehicle stalled but did not turn off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was next towed to the local dealer where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the front end started shaking. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and there was a rough idling sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and flashed on and off. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence, parked the vehicle, and inspected unde... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was a burning odor and smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled over safely and investigated the smoke, which evaporated quickly. The contact also stated that her husband checked under the hood and experienced the burning odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's husband inspected the vehicle and discovered that the engine was low on oil. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the dealer for a software update to be performed on the vehicle. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle delayed responding. The contact noticed white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her nearby residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolan... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact's wife was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that water was detected inside the engine and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the message “Vehicle Overheating" was displayed and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the long block and the engine needed to be replaced. The de... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Incident date: May 1, 2015
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Juke. The contact stated that while driving, the brake pedal was depressed and the brake pedal was stiff. The vehicle was vibrating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed and it was determined that the transmission needed to be repaired. Additionally, coo... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 1, 2022
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that several fluids were low. The mechanic replaced the fuel injector and other unknown engine parts; however, the failure persisted. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that underneath the steering wheel ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving or making a turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact had to shift into neutral(N) or park(P) and restart the vehicle. Additionally, while driving, the parking brake engaged without warning. The contact had to manually release the parking brake. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the sound of splashing liquid was present coming from the engine compartment when starting the vehicle, stopping the vehicle, and during acceleration. Eventually the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine com... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that cylinder #3 showed signals of coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
Purchased a brand new 2022 Kia Telluride. After less than 5K miles, engine overheated and I had to stop the car in order to let the engine cool down. The coolant level was fine, I did not see any leaks, and I did not notice an smoke from the engine compartment. After 30min of letting the car cool down, I started the car and checked to make sure the radiator fan was working - and it was working fin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph whe... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was later driven to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was damaged due to a faulty internal water pump which had caused coolant to mix with the engine oil. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and low coolant warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed a pressure test; however, no leak was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,300.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 128I. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The consumer sta... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an engine misfire while starting the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that a family member inspected the vehicle and noticed that the coolant level was low and that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact called th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
The coolant started leaking at the weep hole under the oil pan. This is a pretty common issue for many 2020 and 2021 model year. Upon researches, it is caused by bad the O-Ring/Seal of the water/oil pump inside the oil pan that must be replaced. Some models leaked coolant and engine oil at the same time but mine just leaked coolant for now. Already scheduled an appointment for a warranty work to h... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine emitted abnormal rattling sounds. The contact noticed smoke coming out of the exhaust. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated upon verifying the engine oil level, he noticed that it was significantly low. The contact refilled oil in the vehicle. How... Read more
Incident date: Jul 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 and 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... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF SPORTWAGEN
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. The contact stated that there was an odor of gasoline in the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle was stalling while driving. The contact stated she stopped at a gas station and attempted to add gasoline; however, the tank was already full. The contact was able to drive home safely. After the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that gasoline wa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328XI. 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 confi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Stop When Safe" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and waited for a few minutes. The contact continued driving; however, the failure reoccurred later that same day. The contact turned off the vehicle, and upon restarting the vehicle the failure persisted. Additi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough starting. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine coolant was very low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that coolant was present inside engine cylinders #3 and #4. Additionally, the head gasket was blown. The engine gasket was replaced how... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. Additionally, the contact stated that she smelled a stron... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 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 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 an unstated failure and ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2022
The contact's son owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer and repaired under the recall. After the recall repair, while his son was driving 65 MPH, the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with engine failure.... Read more