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 21, 2021
We have refill engine oil weekly. After every oil change a month the oil is dark and a needs a quart more to refill. This is regularly since 2015. We purchased the car in 2012. 2019 the front ball joints started clumping in reverse, replaced in 2021. While driving on the freeway and exiting off onto a ramp the car dramatically down shifted and was unable to correct itself. Later discovered the com... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle and a burning rubber odor was detected. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notificat... Read more
Fire
MINI
COOPER S COUNTRYMAN
(2011) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 19, 2022
Incident date: Apr 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman. The contact stated while parked there was white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the battery and CS module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 70 MPH the vehicle began to emit smoke from under the hood. The contact's son was able to safely pull off of the highway, there was no fire and the smoke abated after the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that her son did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had the... Read more
Fire
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 19, 2022
Incident date: Jul 31, 2021
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would intermittently stall upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the "shift to park" warning message would appear on the instrument panel as the contact would restart the vehicle and resume normal driving. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the vehicle overheated and started decelerating independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The warning message "Engine Overheat; Pull Over and Turn Off Vehicle" was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode and the engine overheated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. The contact then towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 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 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 confirms... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact stated there was an abnormal burning odor in the vehicle. The contact detected smoke in the vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. 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 was not contacted. ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 19, 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 dealer was not notified of the issue. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while checking the oil, the contact noticed that the coolant level was very low. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage w... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 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 unavailable. 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 contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she smelled a strong burning odor inside the vehicle. The warning message "Service Engine Soon" was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the service brakes, spark plugs, and radiator needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 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 dealer had been notified of the issue and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. 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 while accelerating from a complete stop at the stoplight, the vehicle hesitated. The contact smelled a burning plastic odor within the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528i. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she smelled a burning odor and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and through the vent. The (!) malfunction indicator warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk intermittently while driving. The contact received recal... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128i. 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 driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed wi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) at the dealer; however, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the dealer and diagnosed with cylinder #1 misfire and a compression level of 150. The dealer performed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal cracking sound. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not accelerate properly and a loud rattling sound was present coming from the engine. Upon inspection, it was determined that the antifreeze was very low but no leak was present. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 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 unavailable. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable... 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Engine Service Soon" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. 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 available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light would remain illuminated and the vehicle would sputter and fail to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repai... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to shake and nearly stalled. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil and the seals needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice to be diagnosed. The diagnostic test was performed; however, the contact was unsure of the results. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who diagnosed with a faulty ignition coil and an unknown fluid leak. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the mechanic reset an unstated module. The manufacturer was not ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2003) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 10, 2022
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
In the middle of the taxiway, while I was traveling my truck turned off while it was running and did not turn on again, putting my safety at risk by being in the middle of the taxiway, after several minutes the truck was able to be removed from the road, then I was able to investigate that I am not the only one that the same thing has happened to him, there is no Safety Recall in this regard, the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
In the middle of the taxiway, while I was traveling my truck turned off while it was running and did not turn on again, putting my safety at risk by being in the middle of the taxiway, after several minutes the truck was able to be removed from the road, then I was able to investigate that I am not the only one that the same thing has happened to him, there is no Safety Recall in this regard, the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed w... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328i. The contact initially received a google alert on her smart phone for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was then notified about the recall and informed her that parts for the recall were not yet available. The contact then received a recall notice in the mail that stated that parts for the recall were unavailable. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2022
Driving on highway 54 all of a sudden vehicle seized up on me at 75 mph in the dead of night, steering was difficult to control and hit an object while trying to stop off the highway IN A BLIND CURVE! Was stranded for 6 hours until local shop towed vehicle and replaced condenser-radiator-fan ( object was debris on side of highway) could not get car going and a smell of electrical short coming from... Read more
Crash
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