Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the expressway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the engine started knocking significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to slowly pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was ... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 8, 2025
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The contact's husband owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and made an abnormal knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the timing belt, the water pump, and the tensioner pulley were replac... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated after the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, where the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. The contact raised the hood ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 8, 2025
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer found no signs of contamination and installed a water pump connector cap. The contact stated that a month after the repair, the engine was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an inspection was performed on the engine. The contact was informed that the vehicle had passed the inspection, and the mechanic added a higher viscosity oil, installed an oil fill cap, replaced the oil filter, and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 435I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the battery discharged abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the water pump had remained running unexpectedly when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the warning light for the engine overheating was illuminated. In addition, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed back to the used car dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was diagnosed with... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 8, 2025
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud motor sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle unexpectedly shut off while in a parking lot and failed to restart after several attempts. The contact was picked by her husband. The contact stated that... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of a manufacturer’s recall: 2062837681, for the crankshaft bearing, and took the vehicle to the dealer for the repair. The vehicle was repaired; however, three weeks after the repair, the vehicle started making a knocking sound while accelerating or while idling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (E... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed after an oil change was recently performed on the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated with the message "Service Engine" displayed, and the vehicle made a dinging sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where 5 quarts of oil were added to the engine; however, the failure recur... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 5, 2025
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH at nighttime, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a parking lot and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started shuddering while driving at 25 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a nearby independent mechanic and caug... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and the coolant hot warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle was pulled over and allowed to cool down, and then coolant was added. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a cylinder had fa... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 5, 2025
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer advised the contact to have an oil change performed and then return the vehicle after 1,000 miles of driving. The contact stated that after returning the vehicle to the dealer... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 5, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted several times and informed the contact that the recall repair part had been ordered. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time fo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving in inclement weather, the rearview camera became inoperable, and moisture was visible in the displayed image. The contact also stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle did not need to be restarted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numb... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to pull over, the steering wheel was difficult to turn, and the brake pedal required additional effort to depress. The contact pulled over and turned... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, and up a slight grade, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted. The contact was towing an empty 12-foot, single-axel, flatbed trailer. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was on a two-lane road and was unable to pull over. The vehicle lost motive power and failed to respond while depressin... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that on several occasions, while driving at various speeds and continuing to accelerate, the RPM failed to respond as needed. Additionally, while slowing down the RPM failed to lower. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, or the message to check the user manual for proper oil and fuel usage was displayed. The v... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that two weeks after the vehicle was purchased, while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the engine was very low on oil. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an oil change was performed on the vehicle. Two weeks later, the contact took the vehicle back to be checke... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A4. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted after 20 minutes, and the coolant warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,177.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2025
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted, and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle hesitated while starting the vehicle and pressing the Push to Start button. T... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning light for the low coolant level was illuminated. The contact checked the coolant reservoir and became aware that the coolant level was low. The coolant level was topped off. The contact stated that a warning light was illuminated while driving, and the contact pulled over and turned off the vehi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2025
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled radiator fumes on the interior of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the coolant reservoir was repeatedly refilled; however, there were no signs of a leak. The contact later became aware that radiator fluid was leaking on the ground underneath the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V376000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 25V798000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the motorcycle backfired. The local Oasis Outdoors - Powersports dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they did not repair Kawasaki mot... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that there was a coolant leak coming from the bottom plate while driving. There was coolant on the ground and in the garage. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. Additional coolant was added but leaked from the vehicle. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V221000 (Engine and Engine Cooli... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 3, 2025
Incident date: Oct 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and attempting to make a right turn while depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the front driver’s side and three of the wheels attempted to switch to 4WD; however, the driver’s side wheel failed to respond as intended. The contact was able to pull over to the right s... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (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 contac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal dinging sound coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a detached VANOS bolt. The contact was informed that the failure was due to unrepaired recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for an oil change; however, the dealer informed the contact that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken ba... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 3, 2025
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while shifted into park(P), there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a Product Improvement Code before the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the c... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 2, 2025
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the on-ramp where the vehicle failed to restart. The contact asked passersby for help pushing the vehicle off the r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH the vehicle was losing forward velocity and the steering was pulling slightly to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly and violently turned to the right. The contact was not aware of any warning lights. The contact was unable to counter turn and the vehicle crashed into the guard rai... Read more
Crash
1 injured
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 2, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair and stated that since the vehicle was manufactured in Canada, the recall repair could not be performed. The manufacturer was not made ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 2, 2025
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine and stabilizer warning lights were occasionally illuminated. The contact pulled over into a nearby gas station, and the vehicle was later towed to a local dealer. The vehicle remained at the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle began to shake violently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle; however, the knocking sound persisted... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 1, 2025
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the heater engaged, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The “Vehicle Temperature” and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHT... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic every 3,000 miles for an oil change, and there was no oil in the engine. Additionally, the contact stated that he was adding a gallon of engine oil every month in between oil changes. There was no warning light illuminated. The c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. While the contact was about to pull over to the side of the road, the vehicle functioned normally. No warning lights were illuminated... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 5MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacte... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly sputtered and then lost motive power, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic stated that an error code was present, but had not provided the code to the contact. The contact was refe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal from a complete stop, the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors and spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately 5 years later while accelerating from a complete sto... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal after being stopped or while idling, the “Low Oil” warning light would illuminate, and the gauges would fall to zero. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknow... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that shortly after starting the vehicle, the message "Engine Overheating" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced cylinder misfires and premature low coolant levels. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact's son received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer had cancelled all three recall repair appointments because a technician was not available to repair the vehicle. Most recently, the contact's son was informed that the veh... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 26, 2025
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall parts were not yet available, and that the dealer had been made aware of the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The START/STOP warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and d... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was moving into the HOT zone and the speedometer displayed that the vehicle was decelerating. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The contact had tak... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact that there was an open recall for t... Read more