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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 2, 2026
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
See attached document for complaint. PLEASE ADVISE! In August of 2025 we received an important Safety Recall on our 2023 Nissan Rogue Vehicle ------copy enclosed. As of yet our car hasn’t been fixed and having a car with an engine that contains a manufacturing set of defects is alarming. Note------- the letter implied that if the engine fails while driving it--- the result would be loss of po... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the driver’s side window failed to function as intended. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control warning light illuminated and, on another occasion, the vehicle failed to turn off as intended. The battery cables were disconnected, and the battery was removed fro... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2026
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a boat, the vehicle shook violently and made a loud banging sound. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #6, and that the engine req... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 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 the vehicle was idling, it vibrated abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact state... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the VIN no longer showed the recall as being open. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. While depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was topping off the engine oil bi-weekly. The contact relat... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running with the A/C unit activated, there was an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. Additionally, while the A/C unit was activated, only hot air was coming from the vents. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the A/C evaporator needed to be replaced because of le... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH to the dealer, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The VIN was associated wit... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle stalled again. The contact waited for several minutes to let the engine cool down and the vehicle eventually returned to normal operation. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a deale... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering and vibrating abnormally while starting. There were no warning lights illuminated. The failure was intermittent but became a recurring failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic out of fear of the vehicle stalling on the highway. Prior to the engine failure, the contact became aware that there wer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic signal, it stalled. After several attempts, the vehicle re... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2026
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000) (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a possible cause for the failure. A dealer was not con... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the failure persisted. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was leaking oil from the top of the engine onto the drive belts. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V288000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH uphill with her daughter and her small dog inside the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle stalled and shut off unexpectedly. The contact stated that several minutes later, the vehicle started working as intended; however, a fuel smell remained inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was il... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message "Refill Coolant" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered a puddle of blue liquid underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a leak in one of the hoses and that the hose needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2026
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. While starting the vehicle, it was shaking violently, with reduced power. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed. Upon research, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine and Engine and Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined there was metal in the engine, and there was a misfire... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the A/C unit stopped working, with the check engine warning light illuminated. On several occasions, while the vehicle was turned off, the cooling fan ran for approximately 2-3 minutes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and determined that... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2026
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled but was almost immediately restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the destination and turned off; however, while attempting to restart, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle unexpectedly lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the engine block had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that later, while driving ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and jerked significantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, a message advising of an unknown error was displayed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light started flashing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, and the dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over and restarted the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated, and the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that a month after the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle started to experience several failures. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the coolant temperature gauge rose, and the vehicle experienced reduced power or stalled. The check engine warning light and two other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road. When the vehicle was turned off, oil leaked from the vehicle. The contact drove slowly to a business parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the c... Read more
HONDA
CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 28, 2026
Incident date: Jan 27, 2026
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While her daughter was driving at a slow speed, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that coolant was leaking into cylinders #1 and #2, and the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where the vehicle was recently purchased. The dealer had not yet diagnosed the vehicle. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) from the Manufacturer App. H... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted but was unable to schedule an appointment because the service center was fully booked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2026
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the engine started overheating. The message "Temperature High" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the power windows were intermittently inoperable. While attempting to drive from a complete stop, the transmission failed to shift gears as intended. The contact stated that upon depressing the ac... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated, and after 15 seconds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over to the side of the road; ho... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the CVVL (Continuously Variable Valve Lift) gasket had failed and the CVVL system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was file... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the morning, and in the evening, the fire department knocked on the contact's door, advising that neighbors had called to report that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the contact's garage. The contact stated that the garage was detached and was located in the rear of the residence. The c... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for maintenance, the contact was informed that the water pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the visit, the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not found. The failure persisted. On a separate occasion, while the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and was taken to the dealer to be repaired under the recall. Approximately 2-3 months after the recall repair was completed; while driving approximately 25 - 35 MPH, the engine made a loud thumping sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while his son was driving 50 MPH on the expressway in subzero temperatures, the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The driver pulled over and noticed oil on the undercarriage of the vehicle. The driver waited for three hours in hazardous weather for tow truck assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who dete... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the knock sensor had failed. The knock sensors were replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, two month... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact smelled smoke and became aware that the smoke was coming from under the hood. The failure reoccurred while driving the following day. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the failure was associated with a coolant sensor failure; however, it was unknown whether the dealer had repaired the vehicle. The dealer then informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. However, while driving 65-70 MPH, the... Read more
TOYOTA
LAND CRUISER HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 23, 2026
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine was running rough, and there was a significant amount of air and oil when the oil cap was opened. Additionally, there was an abnormal sound coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was sluggish while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. The wrench warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the parts were not available to repair the vehicle. In addition, the contact was informed that a diagnosti... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that immediately after purchasing the certified vehicle, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode while her grandson was driving approximately 65 MPH, and the vehicle decelerated to 7 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the NOX sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but while leaving th... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 22, 2026
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced power and failed to exceed 25-30 MPH. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving uphill. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that cylinder #5 wall was damaged and there was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, there was blue and white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact saw a cloud of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact waited to see where the smoke was coming from and attempted to start however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an inspection. While the dealer was inspecting the ABS and struts, the contact was informed that the PCV valve was damaged. The ABS was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 20, 2026
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while coasting to a stop light, the check engine and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and stopped driving as needed. During the failure, the vehicle had not shut off. After turning it off and restarting the vehicle, the failure failed to self-correct. The vehicle was towed to the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, there was an abnormal burning plastic odor coming from inside the vehicle, and the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was sputtering sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a cylinder misfire and bu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The check engine and "Oil Pressure Low" warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Press START Button" was displayed, and restarting the vehicle ... Read more