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: Sep 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle went into limp mode. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that a nearby driver honked the horn, and the contact was in... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Crash
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact saw oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a leaking valve cover gasket. The contact was informed that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was re... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to Christian Brothers Automotive, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption and the coolant level was abnormally low. The mechanic referred the contact to the deale... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
See attached document for complaint. Unfortunately, I purchased the referenced car from Tasca Ford in Yonkers. The problems about the engine losing oil pressure, lights flashing, and the engine going dead are well known. The car's engine is dead and the car has been sitting in my garage for more than one year. I was told by Ford back in 2024 that the problem would be fixed. Then I was told in abo... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine sputtered. While driving and attempting to stop the vehicle, the vehicle occasionally lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the battery, the front and rear brake pads and rotors, the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed in the driveway, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power but immediately restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle briefly returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, and slowing down to make a right turn, the vehicle almost stalled and lost power. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was flashing on and off. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull over and shift into park(P). The... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the cylinders were misfiring, and the mechanic recommended that the spark plugs be replaced. The contact replaced the spark plugs with the assistance of a retired mechanic; however,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the messages "Service Charging System" and "Service Diesel Emissions System" were displayed, and suddenly the power steering and power brakes malfunctioned, causing the contact to almost lose control of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 330I. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that there was an oil intake leak and a coolant leak. There were several warning lights illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was an engine malfunction with the vehicle. The local dealer was con... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the contact noticed an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The oil light was illuminated. The message “Oil Engine Pressure Failure” was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an oil tension ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment with the check engine warning light remaining illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that there was no oil in the engine, even though the contact had recently added oil. The cause of the failure was not... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the vehicle consumes one quart of engine oil every 1,000 miles. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from underneath the hood, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road, and the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic and was diagnosed it with a blown engine bearing. The contact was informed th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start and was inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted; howeve... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufactur... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 17, 2025
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine and steering warning lights were illuminated. The message to “Shift to Park and Restart Vehicle” was displayed. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive coolant usage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change and to be diagnosed. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 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 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: Jul 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change, the contact was informed that the oil level was significantly low. The dealer performed the oil change and initiated an oil consumption test. The dealer advised the contact to return after 1,500-1,700 miles. The contact stated that upon returning to the dealer after 1,500 miles, ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact smelled a sweet-smelling odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact checked the engine and became aware that the coolant reservoir was almost empty. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine block. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the coolant i... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 17, 2025
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (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: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to pull over to the side o... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Prior to the failure, the contact had received a postcard about a potential engine failure linked to the vehicle; however, the contact disregarded the notice. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 17, 2025
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (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 contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle was shaking abnormally and making a grindin... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and several unknown warning lights illuminated; the vehicle continued to shudder. The contact was able to drive the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to exceed 12 MPH. The contact activated the hazard lights. The vehicle was take... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle sputtered while the accelerator pedal was depressed before acc... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact had received various unknown notifications of NHTSA recalls. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stopped by the dealer to pick up the vehicle, and when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal sound comin... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG GT63
(2026) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 16, 2025
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine with white smoke coming from the exhaust system, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the message “Service Vehicle Soon” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Triumph Daytona 660. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a scanner determined that there was a failure with the crankshaft. The contact replaced the spark plugs and crankshaft; however, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 CFMOTO 450SS Motorcycle. The contact stated that while riding at approximately 40-60 MPH, coolant started leaking onto the contact’s leg. The contact stated that the motorcycle shut off independently. The contact allowed the engine to cool down for several minutes and then attempted to restart the motorcycle; however, the motorcycle failed to respond. The low oil pressure... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. 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 contact then received a notice that parts for the recall were available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the recall remedy was for the dealer to use a h... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power with white smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact was able to get to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle and became aware that there was coolant splattered all over the engine compartment. The failure had occurred twice. The “WRENCH”... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the contact was initially informed that the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact recently called the local dealer and was informed that parts were available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and remained with the dealer for almos... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 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 various undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had thrown t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 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 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 contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH with a toddler occupying the rear seat, the contact noticed smoke and an abnormal burning rubber odor coming through the vents. The contact pulled into a gas station and then pulled into a nail salon parking lot. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence, where an independe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Audi SQ5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for routine service at the dealer, and the contact was informed that the coolant pump was starting to fail. The contact was advised that the mechanic found coolant running through the vac lines. The contact was informed that continuing to drive the vehicle with a failing coolant pump could cause engine damage. The cont... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 15, 2025
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle intermittently lost automotive power and independently downshifted. In addition, the vehicle returned to normal operation once the contact shut the engine off and restarted. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated, along with the "Apply Parking Brake" message displayed on ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #2 and the engine. The contact was informed that because of the coolant intrusion, the engine was misfiring. In addition, the contact was informed that the engin... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 15, 2025
Incident date: Sep 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S 580. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed CAM shaft solenoid. The contact was informed that the CAM shaft solenoid needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that the engine n... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. While the contact's husband was attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with cam phasers failure. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The... Read more