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: Oct 9, 2022
The contact owned a 2011 BMW 128i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact stated as he pulled into a parking lot at approximately 5 MPH he began to smell a burning plastic odor. The contact said that the vehicle dash vents began to issue ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started to shake and the engine overheated. The check engine warning light and the temperature gauge warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be repl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. The contact stated that an abnormal, coolant odor would emit throughout her vehicle without warning while driving at various speeds. As the failure persisted, a heavy, white smoke began to emit from the tailpipe with the check engine warning light on the instrument panel. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on her veh... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS 450
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 18, 2022
Incident date: Mar 4, 2022
The contact's client owns a 2019 Mercedes Ben GLS450. The contact stated that while the owner was driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle began to smoke and caught fire. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. There were no injuries or air bag deployment. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location. The... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable am... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 525I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair however, upon retrieving the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle was shaking while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure had worsened while at a complete stop. Over time, the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was a plastic smell while the heater was in use. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engi... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 17, 2022
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the transmission overheat message was displayed indicating that the vehicle should be turned off. The contact pulled over and waited for the engine to cool down. While attempting to drive, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was idling, the engine... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine would shudder and lose power while idling, without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The dealer informed her that bad gasoline might have caused the issue; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact discovered ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering as the check engine warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs, the intake manifold, the engine coils and other unknown engine parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was the... Read more
TOYOTA
PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that after his mother had driven uphill and had pulled into a gas station with him in the front passenger seat, the vehicle began to overheat. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle on the passenger side. Additionally, the exhaust pipe emitted wh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle started shuddering. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly while driving. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Indian Motorcycle FTR1200. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH, the contact smelled an odor of burning coming from the motorcycle, followed by the check engine and another unknown warning light illuminated, and the motorcycle started overheating. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road safely and had the motorcycle towed to a friend’s home. The mo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated when he started the vehicle, there was noticeable shaking and vibration from the engine. The contact stated the "check coolant" light was illuminated. The contact stated he was able to shift the vehicle into drive (D) and it continued to shake and vibrate from 5 MPH up to 35 MPH and eventually smooth out and operate normally. The failure bega... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light would suddenly illuminate along with an audible chime, the vehicle would no longer accelerate when pressing the accelerator pedal and the vehicle's speed would reduce. After stopping the vehicle the engine would remain on but the vehicle would no longer drive forward or in rev... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the owner of the vehicle indicated while operating the vehicle the engine would overheat and the engine coolant needed to be added daily. The vehicle was taken to the local service center which diagnosed that the engine coolant had leaked into the engine oil. The cause of the failure had not yet been determined. The local dealer was noti... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact had experienced a failure and stated that when she had started the vehicle she smelled a burning odor and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the burning odor had become a reoccurring failure an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Audi S7. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to be serviced for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V178000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) where the turbochargers needed to be replaced from wear and tear from the consequences mentioned in the recall. The dealer diagnosed that the turbocharger itself needed to be replaced, however, it was not covered under the recall. The turboc... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while operating the vehicle the check engine light would remain illuminated and the odor of fuel was present inside the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the fuel had leaked from near the rear passenger-side wheel area. The contact discovered that the leak was due to a corroded and damaged fuel line. In addition, it was di... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to properly accelerate and sometimes drove rough. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant had... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately driving 50 mph the vehicle suddenly lost power and stalled. After stopping to inspect under the hood the contact discovered transmission and radiator fluid spraying and leaking within the engine compartment. The contact sustained burns to the left arm from the hot fluids while inspecting under the hood. Th... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the mechanic stated that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was experiencing rough starts and would overheat while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that engine cylinder #2 was misfiring and coolant was leaking into the engine block and cylinders. The ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the fueling system was leaking. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lunged forward and stalled but restarted. The alternator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacte... Read more
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 unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2022
The contact called on behalf of his mother who owned a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that the service engine message was intermittently displayed and then remained displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA ID Number: 10136705 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began to sputter as if the vehicle was going to stall. The contact stated that "Shutdown Engine" warning light was illuminated and the temperature gauge was extremely high. The contact pulled off the road, stopped the vehicle, and opened the hood. The contact observed that there was no coolant... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2003 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated, lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and there was steam coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence where an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the vehicle had experienced a similar failur... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal sound on the driver’s side of the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that in approximately 10-15 minutes the vehicle would start up. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, he noticed the coolant leaking into the engine. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2022
This issue is related to TSB22-2229. This is a known issues where the engine coolant is leaking into cylinder 2 which when occurs leads to replacing the engine. This issue has lead to an extension of the warranty on other Ford models, but not the Edge.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
Timing chain and gears
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
Timing chain and gears
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 5, 2022
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
Faulty water pump caused expansive replacement cost aprx $1400.00. Learned from certified mechanic that it was a common problem and a lawsuit is in process against VW USA.
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Coolant) however, the contact stated that he smelled a burning odor inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the recall notice and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The vehicle was not diagn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, numerous warning lights illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact lost power steering and power brakes and was unable to pull the vehicle off to side of the roadway. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence and had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle and he determined that the eng... Read more
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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that after his son started the vehicle, there was a metal-on-metal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that his son was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 was mad... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2021
The contact owns 2005 Nissan Altima. The contact stated the vehicle would have a hesitation sensation and or jerking sensation when the vehicle is started and or running. The check engine light was illuminated The contact had taken the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the cam shaft/crank shaft position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. A sensor was replaced on the ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle was taken to independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle needed a tune up. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that after the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys Auto Parts and the coolant reservoir was refilled. However, the failure reoccurred while driving with a message was displayed indicating that the engine power was reduced to prevent a failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle slowed down and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he slowly drove to an independent mechanic and the vehicle was diagnosed with a faulty alternator that was covered with oil residue. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHT... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2018
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the engine temperature warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and the throttle warning light also illuminated on the instrument panel causing the vehicle to go into Limp Mode. The contact stated that the vehicle then started losing motive power. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto and diagnosed with a faulty ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2009 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling noise detected. The check engine warning light was flashing on and off. The vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to a faulty cam phaser. Additionally, the contact was informed that the timing chain and e... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed there was a possible mechanical break down due to engine sludge, ignition varnish rust, corrosion, dust, cracked rubber, dry rot, road chemicals, alterations or improper oil, coolant, fuel, or lubr... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
The contact's son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle would fail to start up after multiple attempts. Additionally, the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds without warning. The contact also stated that white and blueish colored smoke was coming from tailpipe. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and a diagnostic test discovered that coolant had leaked into the eng... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was first taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test determined that coolant had leaked into the cylinder... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328XI. 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 while starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal oil odor detected. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns 2014 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that puddles of oil could be found on the ground after parking the vehicle. The contact also stated that while making a turn in either direction the vehicle would wobble causing him to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the tread in the driver’s and passenger’s si... Read more