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: Oct 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle sputtered with the messages “Engine Fault Service Now”, and “High Engine Temperature – Stop Safely” displayed. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure, whic... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed a tune-up on the vehicle. The contact stated that several days after the tune-up, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
See attached document for complaint. I am writing in reference to the recall on my 2013 BMW-328xi. The vin number is. The recall is for the water pump electrical connector. My water pump failed May 2024. I went to an independent repair service center that specializes in BMW repair, which in turn was the closest service center to where the vehicle broke down. I paid out of pocket for the repair. N... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact leased a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the AWD warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power. The driver was able to pull over safely. Upon investigation, the contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and stated that the dealer had leased the vehicle with an active recall. The vehicle was taken to ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 14, 2025
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving, there was an abnormally loud tapping noise coming from the vehicle. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the intake valve was bent. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Motorcycle. The contact stated that the motorcycle was making an abnormal sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received a notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to the bearing on the crankshaft.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that the dealer recommended that the timing belt be replaced. After the timing belt was replaced, there was a ticking sound coming from the vehicle while being started. The sound occurred while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated while driving approximately 60 MPH. The contac... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 13, 2025
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message “Service Electronic Stability Control" was displayed, and the traction control warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The failure persisted while driving, and the vehicle failed to ex... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2025
The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that they were informed by a family member that when the vehicle was turned on and moved into the driveway, smoke was coming from underneath the hood, where the engine was located. A while later, when returning to the vehicle, they noticed the vehicle had caught fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. There were n... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The “Check 4WD” warning light was illuminated, and the Auto START/STOP system failed to restart the vehicle. The... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 12, 2025
Incident date: Oct 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost motive power. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated after the failure. Upon investigation, the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with l... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (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.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Steering Assist Fault - Drive with Caution" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC: P0128 (Engine Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature) and replaced the engine coolant thermostat. The manufacturer was made aware of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in damage to th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was abnormal white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. The contact stated that upon inspecting the oil dipstick, the contact noticed that there was coolant in the oil, and the contact also noticed that there was a small amount of oil in the coolant reservoir. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaig... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Park Vehicle" in red letters was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, but was not diagnosed; however, ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X6. The contact stated that upon start the vehicle, the drivetrain message was displayed. Overtime, the contact stated that the vehicle either failed to start or was slow to start while depressing the START/STOP button. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the starter was replaced; however, a month later, the drivetrain message returned. Additionally, the contact state... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 12, 2025
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (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 failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle vibrated abnormally. In addition, ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at a moderate rate of speed, the vehicle shut off with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer, and the contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed on the vehicle. Several months later, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed, and the vehicle lost motive power and came to a stop in the middle of a four-lane highway. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road, and the vehicle failed to restart.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local O'Reilly's, who diagnosed that the cylinder #2 glow plug had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the V... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 30-40 MPH, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the engine was running rough. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed due to a lack of equipment. The vehicle was then taken to Gary S... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine was misfiring, and the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the spark plug,s but the failure persisted. Later, while driving, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the coo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message “Reduced Engine Power” was displayed. The vehicle did not require a restart to resume operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the wastegate actuat... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearings, resulting in damage to the engine. ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 10, 2025
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering and vibrating. The contact pulled over and opened the hood with the engine running. The contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was driven to an indep... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, his granddaughter smelled an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact looked out of the rearview mirror and saw heavy white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and had the occupants exit the vehicle. The contact checked under the hood as white smoke filled... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway unattended, for unknown reasons, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact had not experienced a failure with the vehicle prior to the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to an undisclosed recall related to engine and fuel pump. There were no reported injuries. The Fi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his son-in-law was driving 61 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal clanking sound and stalled. The driver pulled over safely. The OnStar Mobile App alerted the driver of an issue with the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal ticking sound prior to the failure. Upon arriving to the location ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact checked the oil dipstick and noticed that the oil level was extremely low. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by the dealer a month prior, and the oil change was performed. The contact stated that the oil level required to be topped... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal loud ticking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the wrench symbol was displayed. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence and then had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle had not ye... Read more
JEEP
WAGONEER S
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 7, 2025
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of a fluid leak underneath the front end of the vehicle. The “Low Oil” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken for an oil change, and the contact was informed that the oil level was adequate, and the oil was clean. The contact was informed that the warning light mi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to O’Reilly Auto Parts and was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #2. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #3. The dealer replaced the ignition coils and the spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Charge System Fault" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle almost stalled, and the vehicle was running rough. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who diag... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that while slowing for a traffic sign or stop lights, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started making the knocking sound again. The check engine... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated there was condensation coming out of the exhaust pipes. The contact was stopped by another driver and was informed that the condensation com... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a rea... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the “Low Oil” warning light was illuminated often, and the contact was adding oil to the vehicle every 2 weeks. The contact became aware of Customer Satisfaction Program: N212326940 (Engine Oil Cooler Lines Detaching from Crimp). The dealer was contacted, and the contact was provided with an estimate of the cost for repl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the stabili-trak activated independently, and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. In addition, the message “Service Power Steering” was displayed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine service, where it was discovered that the cam carrier was leaking from the engine. While having an oil change, the mechanic informed the contact that there were no further leaks found. There were no warning lights illuminated. After driving and parking the vehicle, there was an abno... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the engine oil level was low after an oil change. The contact stated that three quarts of engine oil were added every two to three weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine, traction control, tire pressure, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the "AWD Error Message", "Engine Malfunction - Power Reduced”, “Service Now" mess... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (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, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. Most recently, while stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, the automat... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 61 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle stalled twice. The contact stated that the cabin was filled with smoke. The contact was able to pull over and open the hood and noticed the smoke near the engine. After 4 minutes, the smoke dissipated. The vehicle would be towed later. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a significant puddle underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that upon checking the fluid reservoirs, the contact noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant to the vehicle, but the coolant leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to Fast Lan... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
The contact owned a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the engine gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a warped engine block. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact wa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not repaired because parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.