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: Jun 23, 2022
In 2018 I bought my 2016 Ford Edge which had 60,000 miles on it. I bought the extended warranty plan. I drove it for approximately 30 days and I started having issues with it losing coolant and smoking. I took it back to the dealership and was told it needed a new motor, so they put a new motor in it. Well, I just notice recently that the check engine light comes on (misfire in #2 cylinder ). it w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. Additionally, a warning chime sounded in the vehicle. The next day, the contact stated that the same failure occurred while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was discovered that coolant ha... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the Auto START/STOP feature was engaged, the engine failed to restart after a stop. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X5. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, he saw smoke coming through the vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then parked and opened the hood but could not find any issues. The contact was able to continue driving however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated while driving the vehicle stalled. The check engine wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, after retrieving the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the low coolant level message was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and noticed that the antifreeze was leaking from the radiator onto the ground. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and saw smoke. The contact then opened the hood and noticed that there was no antifreeze in the coolant reservoir... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 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 recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated there was an abnormal burning odor comi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X3. 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 it was 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
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
FLHTCUTG
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 29, 2022
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic. The contact stated while riding 70 MPH, the check engine and coolant temperature warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to allow the motorcycle to cool down. The motorcycle cooled down and operated normal; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and it was 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined a failure with the spark plugs. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact then took the vehicle back to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and det... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated the vehicle was being driven to the dealer for an oil change when the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that the oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and running rough. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive and electrical power. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer where the failure was diagnosed as engine failure with an inte... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH and rounding a right-hand bend, the steering wheel veered to the left direction. The contact stated the "tire pressure" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle crashed into a guard rail on the driver's side and flipped over the rail and landed on the driver's side. The contact said th... Read more
Crash
1 injured
TOYOTA
COROLLA MATRIX
(2007) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 24, 2022
Incident date: Jun 24, 2020
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla Matrix. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission center and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V384000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2020
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the coolant needed to be replenished frequently. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where a pressure test was performed however, the mechanic did not discover failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the engine seized without warning. The contact initially had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact then discovered that his vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was then towed to t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 60 mph the vehicle suddenly began to lose automotive power and stalled. During the incident, the warning message "battery discharge and start engine had displayed. After replacing the battery the engine eventually was restarted but the next day the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then towed t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Rio. The contact stated that after the niece had park and exited the vehicle smoke and flames were present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The fire department was called to scene to extinguish the flames. During the incident the vehicle was destroyed and towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that prior to the incident ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted but stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the radiator, transmission, and other parts were melted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2017
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that air conditioning system was blowing hot air throughout the vehicle. Additionally, there was a coolant leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer three times and was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the air compressor unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the instrument cluster warning lights were flickering. On another occasion while driving 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the parking brake warning light was also flashing. The contact released the parking brake and the brakes locked up and the vehicle drove ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal plastic burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was white colored smoke coming from the engine while sta... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and the check engine light had illuminated. After stopping the vehicle smoke and flames were present coming from under the hood. The fire and police departments were called to the scene and the flames were extinguished. During the incident, the vehicle was des... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine cylinders were faulty causing coolant to leak into the engine. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who confirmed the original diagnosis and informed the contact that the engi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to her destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHT... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a message to shift to park(P) and restart the vehicle was displayed. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was test-driven. Additionally, the display screen became inoperable. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was extremely hot air was throughout the vehicle. There was an abnormal burning odor detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the air condition compressor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, he saw steam exiting from under the hood and multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated he parked the vehicle on the side of the road and saw coolant leaking under the vehicle. The contact stated he waited until the engine had cooled down and continued driving to his destination. The contact later received... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-650 SD. The contact stated that he had noticed a leak coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the fuel injector was leaking. Upon further investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08E042000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V455000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the rec... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328XI. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was overheating and the gauge was notifying the contact of the engine temperature moving from high to extremely high. The contact also stated there was black smoke coming from the engine and tailpipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the coolant valve bypass had malfunctioned. The contact was informed that the parts were back-ordered. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated there was a piston failure in the engine allowing oil to leak onto the ground. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond; instead, the vehicle gradually lost forward momentum and decelerated. The contact pulled off the highway. The contact turned off the vehicle and attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle fail... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2008 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a burning rubber odor was coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, light gray smoke was intermittently coming from the passenger’s side hood. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Vera Cruz. The contact stated that oil was leaking onto the alternator causing the vehicle to shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The check engine and battery warning indicator lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the valve cover gasket and alternator were discovered to need replacement. The contact recei... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Tucson. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V063000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and had a recall remedy completed. The contact stated that three days later while driving 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the low oil... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325XI. 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
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 15, 2022
Incident date: May 26, 2022
The contact owned a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while driving in the parking lot at work, the engine stalled, she turned the vehicle off, waited to restart the vehicle, and drove the vehicle but could not stop. The contact crashed into the fence. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bag did deploy. The contact suffered some injuries that required medical attention. The cont... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. 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 confir... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The contact pulled over because the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the spark plug cylinders. The vehicle was no... 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confir... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and accelerating to switch lanes, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was concerned that a major failure might occur and pulled off of the road. The contact turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the vehicle had a cracked gasket and stated ... 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confir... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2018
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH uphill the vehicle started overheating and fluid started leaking onto the exhaust manifold. The contact stated that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted but was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the odor of burning plastic was present inside the vehicle. The contact stated that smoke was coming from the engine compartment. The contact attached a diagnostic device to the vehicle and the reading indicated a heater malfunction. No further i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2020
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact initially received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V415000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called the dealer and was informed that the parts for the repair were not available. The contact then stated that an abnormal knocking noise started coming from the vehicle while driving. The dealer was called back and an appointment was... Read more