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: Nov 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that on several occasions, while driving at various speeds and continuing to accelerate, the RPM failed to respond as needed. Additionally, while slowing down the RPM failed to lower. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, or the message to check the user manual for proper oil and fuel usage was displayed. The v... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2025
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that two weeks after the vehicle was purchased, while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the engine was very low on oil. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an oil change was performed on the vehicle. Two weeks later, the contact took the vehicle back to be checke... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A4. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted after 20 minutes, and the coolant warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,177.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V224000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted, and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle hesitated while starting the vehicle and pressing the Push to Start button. T... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning light for the low coolant level was illuminated. The contact checked the coolant reservoir and became aware that the coolant level was low. The coolant level was topped off. The contact stated that a warning light was illuminated while driving, and the contact pulled over and turned off the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled radiator fumes on the interior of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the coolant reservoir was repeatedly refilled; however, there were no signs of a leak. The contact later became aware that radiator fluid was leaking on the ground underneath the vehicle. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V376000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 25V798000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the motorcycle backfired. The local Oasis Outdoors - Powersports dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they did not repair Kawasaki mot... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that there was a coolant leak coming from the bottom plate while driving. There was coolant on the ground and in the garage. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. Additional coolant was added but leaked from the vehicle. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V221000 (Engine and Engine Cooli... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and attempting to make a right turn while depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the front driver’s side and three of the wheels attempted to switch to 4WD; however, the driver’s side wheel failed to respond as intended. The contact was able to pull over to the right s... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal dinging sound coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a detached VANOS bolt. The contact was informed that the failure was due to unrepaired recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for an oil change; however, the dealer informed the contact that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken ba... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 3, 2025
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while shifted into park(P), there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a Product Improvement Code before the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the on-ramp where the vehicle failed to restart. The contact asked passersby for help pushing the vehicle off the r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH the vehicle was losing forward velocity and the steering was pulling slightly to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly and violently turned to the right. The contact was not aware of any warning lights. The contact was unable to counter turn and the vehicle crashed into the guard rai... Read more
Crash
1 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 2, 2025
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair and stated that since the vehicle was manufactured in Canada, the recall repair could not be performed. The manufacturer was not made ... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine and stabilizer warning lights were occasionally illuminated. The contact pulled over into a nearby gas station, and the vehicle was later towed to a local dealer. The vehicle remained at the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle began to shake violently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle; however, the knocking sound persisted... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the heater engaged, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The “Vehicle Temperature” and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHT... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic every 3,000 miles for an oil change, and there was no oil in the engine. Additionally, the contact stated that he was adding a gallon of engine oil every month in between oil changes. There was no warning light illuminated. The c... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 1, 2025
Incident date: May 27, 2024
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. While the contact was about to pull over to the side of the road, the vehicle functioned normally. No warning lights were illuminated... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 5MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. 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 local dealer was contacte... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly sputtered and then lost motive power, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic stated that an error code was present, but had not provided the code to the contact. The contact was refe... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 28, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal from a complete stop, the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors and spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately 5 years later while accelerating from a complete sto... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal after being stopped or while idling, the “Low Oil” warning light would illuminate, and the gauges would fall to zero. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknow... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that shortly after starting the vehicle, the message "Engine Overheating" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced cylinder misfires and premature low coolant levels. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2025
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact's son received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer had cancelled all three recall repair appointments because a technician was not available to repair the vehicle. Most recently, the contact's son was informed that the veh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall parts were not yet available, and that the dealer had been made aware of the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The START/STOP warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and d... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was moving into the HOT zone and the speedometer displayed that the vehicle was decelerating. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The contact had tak... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact that there was an open recall for t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering violently, hesitated, and failed to accelerate to approximately 35 MPH. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with cool... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2025
Incident date: Oct 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 2... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the check engine warning light and the brake warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that all the engine lifters and the camshaft needed to be replace... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2025
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #4. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. No further information was available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, whe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was later taken to a local service center, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3 and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where it was ... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a misfire. The fuel injectors were replaced, and a software update was performed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated on a separate occasion while the vehicle mileage was approximatel... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that oil was added on several occasions; however, the oil level was low after several months. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact noticed that while the vehicle was idling at a traffic light, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The vehicl... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS450
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 24, 2025
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough idling and made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light remained illuminated approximately 30 seconds after an oil change, which required the contact to turn off and to restart the vehicle approximately 5 times for the warning light to turn off. The dealer... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local service center for routine maintenance and after an oil change was performed, the vehicle was started but immediately shut off and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started bucking while changing gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the coolant level was low, and the safety system had engaged. There was no coolant leak found. After taking possession of the vehicle, th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 21, 2025
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 BMW 330I. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH and coming to a stop at a red traffic light, the contact started smelling smoke. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart with a message that the vehicle was unable to be restarted displayed. The contact turned on the hazard lights with the vehicle stopped ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The contact owned a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix. The contact stated that the "Low Oil" message was displayed monthly, requiring oil to be added to the engine. While driving at approximately 5 MPH, the contact noticed smoke in the cabin near the floor on the passenger’s and driver’s sides, extending towards the dashboard. After stopping and exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed fire underneath t... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was made aware of the recall and confirmed that parts were available for the recall repair. The contact scheduled an appointment for the repair, and the vehicle was dropped off for service. The vehicle remained with the dealer despite the dealer... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 21, 2025
Incident date: Oct 20, 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 after refueling, the fuel gauge indicated 290 miles to empty and then decreased to 255 miles to empty before driving off. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that on every occasion while entering the vehicle, there was a fuel odor coming through the vents. The check engine warning light illuminated briefly during one occasion. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer twice and was diagnosed with a cracked coolant pump. The dealer determined that the coolant pump and the purge valve needed to... Read more