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: Feb 10, 2020
The contact owned a 2010 BMW 528i. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle started to shake and vibrate, additionally smoke began to issue from under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to safely pull of the highway and shut off the vehicle, the smoke emission increased and the vehicle caught fire. The fire department arrive... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 3, 2018
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started smoking and overheating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering failed to operate as needed; however, the contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to several local mechanics and BMW specialists. The vehicle was dia... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2001
I had a engine warning light come on so I knew about the one recall for brake lines so I took my vehicle to a Ford dealership in Murfreesboro to fix the recall and to find out why the engine warning light came on, so they gave me a ride home. They asked me to leave my vehicle so these 2 things could be completed and checked out. 2 days had gone by and they finally call to tell me, my car was ready... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. There was white smoke emerging from the exhaust. The contact stated that the engine was making a whining sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed there was coolant in the cylinder. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or r... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was misfiring. Additionally, the independent mechanic diagnosed that cylinder #2 and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 contact stated that occasionally the vehicle would overh... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF SPORTWAGEN
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 6, 2022
Incident date: Mar 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that fuel was getting into the evap charcoal canister. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle almost stalled. The vehicle was taken back to the mecha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that oil was leaking onto the ground. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was misfiring and making abnormal sounds. The check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic wh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Focus Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH or exceeding 25 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument. The vehicle was also consistently overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of an oil and coolant dispenser failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2020
My 2014 Kia Sorento needs immediate attention to the following issues. The issues are associated with “open campaigns”. Yet, my specific Kia Sorento isn’t included. I have a bearing wear issue which has made the vehicle unsafe to operate. The car frequently overheats and has a major coolant leak. (17v22400). Also, the high pressure fuel pipe has appeared numerous times on my Mobius Kia Nav s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be serviced, he was informed that the VIN was included in 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that oil was leaking from vehicle. The contact topped off the oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V705000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the radiator was pushed back into vehicle and they were unable t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a software glitch. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was sludge in the engine and the engine and turbo needed to be replaced. The DTC: P0299 was displayed regarding the turbo under boost. Additionally, there was an abnormally s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine began to run roughly and the vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road safely where the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was a clicking and bubbling sound coming from under the hood. The contact pulled over safely and checked under the hood and discovered that the engine was overheating. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel. The contact added coolant to the reservoir; however, the engine was still overhe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
The engine of my 2018 Ford Escape failed while driving, indicating it was overheating and to pull over and turn off the vehicle immediately. I could feel a loss of response of the engine while I was driving accompanied by shuddering and an odd noise. This happened within 3 minutes of leaving my house on a cold day, traveling about 1/4 mile. Fortunately, I was on a back road with a low speed limit ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started overheating, the transmission was slipping, and then the vehicle lost motive power. There were warning no lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact initially called the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the thermostat sensor was defective. The contact was provided an estimate and the v... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the temperature gauge would not operate and the engine light would remain illuminated. Also, the transmission had intermittently experienced slipping. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure m... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
The contact's sister-in-law owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and passed the catalytic converter test. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and would not accelerate above 25 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catalytic con... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The contact was then informed that the VIN was also included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Upon inspecting the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact that there was bearing wear and the vehicle would... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle would stall and shutoff without warning. The contact stated that there was a period between the vehicle stalling and being restarted. The time between shutdown and restarting might vary. The failure occurred at various speeds. The check engine and engine cooling system failure warning light had illuminated. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2016
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of engine oil was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. Additionally, oil was leaking from the engine compartment onto the floor of the garage. The vehicle had been serviced on multiple occasions for the failure by an independent mechanic who replaced the oil pan and oil reservoir however, the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving her vehicle , the vehicle started stalling. The contact stated that there was no warning lights illuminated , however her vehicle started smoking. The contact stated that she was able to drive the vehicle to a service station where she attempted to restart the vehicle . The contact stated that the vehicle was unable to b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started lagging. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle on the side of the road and noticed the engine coolant was low, but no leaks were found. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact stated coolant was added.... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stall with the check engine, electronic throttle control, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the crankshaft position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was relat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the engine coolant would be depleted during normal vehicle operation. Due to the failure, the vehicle would overheat while driving with white colored smoke coming from the engine. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall and shudder while driving with the check engine warning light intermittently flashing on the instrument pa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 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 local dealer and BMW of Springfield Parts & Accessories (391 US-22, Springfield, NJ 07081: (908) 232-1466) were contacted and made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had ex... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently and had a burning odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The co... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V755000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The EGR cooling message was displayed in the information center. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where she... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at 5MPH and parking in front of her residence, she noticed that smoke was coming out of the hood of the vehicle and the vehicle was overheating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. Upon opening the hood of the vehicle, the contact noticed that the smoke was originating from the engine c... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 21, 2022
Incident date: May 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2022
Driving in the highway the car exceeded 60mph and it overheated. When I took it to the mechanic they said that the the head gasket was cracked and leaking fumed into the coolant. I have had trouble with overheating and fixed it with a thermostat replacement and fixing leak of coolant. Mechanic report: “ vel 1 Testing Scope and scan we pulled codes P1299-00 "Cylinder Head Over Temperature Protec... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2022
The contact's husband owned a 2018 Ram 1500. Two years ago, the contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts for the repair were unavailable. At the time, the dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. A year later, the dealer called that contact to inform her and that parts slow... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving at 70-75 MPH, the vehicle started misfiring. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and the failure was associate... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2021
I am having to add coolant in the reservoir. There is a indicator on the dashboard states coolant low. I don't know where the coolant is going. They're no visible leaks. I have not had a recall for this matter. Recalled are 2014 Ford Escape. They can overheat due to lack of antifreeze. Lack of coolant circulation could cause the engine to overheat and experience a crack in the cylinder head... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
I'm having to fill my reservoir with coolant. There is an indicator on dashboard that states coolant low. I can't see any visible leaks under the hood or on the ground. I am not sure if the 2015 ford escapes are apart of a recall like the 2014 escapes. The lack of coolant circulation could cause the engine to overheat and experience a crack in the cylinder head. A cracked head can cause press... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2019
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed after refueling, the vehicle would misfire. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle for a while. The contact then restarted the vehicle and continued to drive. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring after refueling the vehicle. The contact stated that the fail... Read more
INFINITI
QX60 HYBRID
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 17, 2022
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would hesitate without warning upon depression of the accelerator pedal. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V774000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not availa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The vehicle was consuming one quart of oil per 3,000 miles. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was notified of several trouble codes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and an oil change service was perf... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328XI. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was notified about the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was still safe to drive despite the parts for the recall not being av... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A6. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was overheating and the thermostat needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the f... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he noticed coolant was leaking onto the garage floor. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the water pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. ... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 14, 2022
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving up a hill during icy road conditions at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. As a result, the vehicle slid backwards down the hill and crashed into a brick mailbox. The catalytic converter warning light was illuminated prior to the failure however the part was on back order. The front air bags f... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 14, 2018
I’m having problems with my coolant leaking and overheating as a result. My coolant leaks out about a day or 2 after I fill it which causes my car to overheat. There is a recall on the leaking coolant but my vehicle vin does not show that it’s in the system. It’s not a big coincidence that my vehicle is having the problem that you recalled but I’d not listed. Please fix my vehicle with thi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received a notification through a rideshare app that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2019
The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her daughter's vehicle would overheat while driving at various speeds as the low engine coolant light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics where they discovered that coolant had leaked into the engine. After several repairs, the failure persisted. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at 25-30 MPH for 10 minutes, the engine started misfiring, went on overheating mode and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned off the vehicle for some time; however, when he restarted the vehicle, the coolant temperature wa... Read more
Fire
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 11, 2022
Incident date: Feb 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. Due to the failure, the contact initially had the vehicle towed to his home and then towed to the dealer where he was informed ... Read more