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: Feb 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and almost stalled. The failure was intermittent but caused the vehicle to stall on several occasions. The check engine warning light and the low oil pressure warning lights recently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed after the vehicle was picked up from the dealer, the engine warning light illuminated. While driving a short distance later, two unknown warning lights illuminated, and the message “Exhaust Filter 100% FULL - Safely... Read more
FREIGHTLINER
CASCADIA
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2026
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The failure was a consistent failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The message "Press START Again" was displayed, and the contact restarted the vehicle, and the message "Engine Oil HOT" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
THOR MOTOR COACH
MAGNITUDE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2026
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Prior to the failure, when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. After several minutes, the sound ceased. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a misfire in cylinder #3. The... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the engine was knocking at startup. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and the VIN was included in the recall; however, the manufacturer declined to honor the recall because the original owner of the vehicle had failed to respond to the recall notification. The local dealer was contacted. ... Read more
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2026
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2026
Incident date: Feb 14, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
See attached document for complaint. I received a safety recall notice on my 2023 Nissan Rogue back in August 2025. We are in December, 2025 and the dealer sti ll states that Nissan has not provided parts to repair my car. The reason for the recall is quite serious yet Nissan has not responded to the problem. I am looking to you to take what ever action you can to force Nissan to repair my car to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and lost motive power. The ETC warning light illuminated, and the message "Service Electronic Throttle Control" was displayed. The vehicle was stopped in a safe location and inspected. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, but it was difficult while cranking over. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, with the odor of burning oil inside the cabin of the vehicle, before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the valve cover, intake manifold, and oxygen sensors were faulty and needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while in a drive-thru line, the front driver's side window started smoking. The contact disconnected the wiring to the door. The vehicle was taken to O'Reilly, where it was diagnosed with an internal door electrical failure. The contact personally replaced the power window motor. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the ve... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and DTC: P0301, P0302, and P0304 were retrieved for a misfire in cylinder #1, #2, and #4. Due to the failure, the spark plugs and ignition coils were replaced. Approximately one week later, the check engine light illum... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 17, 2026
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Escalade. While driving 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle experienced sudden and catastrophic engine failure. The contact was able to pull over safely onto the service road. The oil pressure and temperature messages were displayed at the time of the failure. Upon research, the failure was linked to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owned a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over and added oil to the engine. The failure occurred on several occasions, and the contact stated he consistently added oil for the vehicle to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) in August of 2025. However, soon after the recall inspection, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before responding. The vehicle also hesitated when started and shifted into drive(D) when depressing the accelera... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 13, 2026
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the ignition switch failed to turn over, and the catalytic converter failed and was replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine and Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and stopped in the middle of the roadway. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to pull to ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was later towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that a piston had exploded. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but also occurred while towing a 30-foot trailer or a 24-foot trailer. Occasionally, after pulling over, turning off, and restarting the vehicle, the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the messages "Service Emission System”, “See Owner's Manual", and "65 MPH Max Speed" were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the diesel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and smoke was coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the smoke had also entered the passenger cabin. The contact stated that her husband had not mentioned whether any warnings had illuminated. The contact stated that when she arrived to pick him up... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owned a 2018 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was fluid leaking from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was a puddle of fluid leaking from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and it was de... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that the engine was making an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front muffler exhaust baffle was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the rattling sound could not b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her son previously replaced the spark plugs and other unknown parts of the vehicle due to a coolant leak onto the spark plugs; however, the coolant leak recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the coolant outlet, the engine connector assembly with vacuum filling and bleeding, and the coolant hoses assembly were ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2026
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2016 Ford F550. The contact stated that while one of the employees was driving 30 MPH and making a turn, a diesel fuel-burning odor was coming from the engine and entered the inside of the cabin through the A/C vents. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver was three hundred feet away from the business and continued to drive up to the business.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2017 Ford F550. The contact stated that while one of the employees was driving at highway speeds, a diesel fuel-burning odor was coming from the engine and entering the cabin of the vehicle through the A/C vents. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond or exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the speedometer reading was lagging. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal with more force. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the... Read more
SUBARU
CROSSTREK HYBRID
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, attempting to activate the heater, there was an abnormal fuel odor entering the vehicle through the vents. No warning light was illuminated. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ram ProMaster 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the engine cooling fan continued running. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness, fuse box, and two modules had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact discovered t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (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 co... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 11, 2026
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer at 51,000 miles, and stated that the engine would be inspected, and if necessary, repaired or replaced. Additionally, the vehicles that passed the inspection, dealers would add higher viscosity oil, inst... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally with an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #5. The fuel injectors were cleaned, and the spark plugs and filters were replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while shifted into drive(D), the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the check engine, stability control, and several other warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was making abnormal whining sounds, and... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting), 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and 26V038000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-15 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping and failed to shift to 3rd gear. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving on one occasion, which required the driver to pull over and to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while at a complete stop in highway traffic, the vehic... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the "Low Oil" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact immediately pulled over and called for assistance. A service technician arrived at the scene and added engine oil, and the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be inspected. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle, with the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while checking the dipstick, the contact became aware that the engine oil level was low. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The message to “Add Coolant” was displayed. The coolant was added to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was constantly adding coolant; however, there were no coolant leaks found. The vehicle was ta... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2026
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact heard an object being dragged underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to an independent me... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2008) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X7. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The message "Pull Over and Turn Off Your Car - You Have Lost All the Water In the Radiator" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart, but was towed to Hawkeye Motorsports LLC, where it... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was app... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the messages “Engine Power Reduced” and “Support Brake Malfunction” were displayed. The vehicle was able to restart. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the message “Malfunction with Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft sensor was not operating properly. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and metal shavings were found in the engine oil. The dealer replaced the camshaft and lifters; however, the failure worsened. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost power steerin... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 9, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V720000 (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 made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more