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: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle hesitated and shuddered while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the whining sound was caused by a faulty VTC actuator, and the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving 25-30 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull into the nearby parking lot and parked the vehicle. It was unknown whether the vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independen... Read more
BFGOODRICH
ALL TERRAIN T/A K03
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the messages “Engine malfunction” and “Engine Power Reduced” were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle unintendedly decelerated and failed to accelerate above 45 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the de... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a misfire with a rattling sound coming from behind the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure pers... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Jun 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet availab... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. 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 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 iss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the check engine warning light was reset; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, where several unknown repairs were performed, and the fue... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light and two unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the engine was running rough with an abnormal rattling sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #3, res... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control activated, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the pa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the fai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2025
The contact's relative owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-30 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing, and the vehicle stalled and lost electrical function. The contact stated that the vehicle was only able to be locked manually, and the windows failed to roll up as intended. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle fai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while her grandson was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact called for tow truck service, but the tow truck driver was unable to shift the transmission into neutral(N). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the mechanic was unabl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH with her partner, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she and her partner became worried. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the lower engine block, and the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 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 70 MPH, the message "Engine Malfunction - Contact Manufacturer” and “Reduced Power Mode", were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnose... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Aug 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, as he was slowing to exit a highway, he observed that a warning "low power mode" had illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled at the same time the warning illuminated. As a result of the loss of power, the contact crashed into the passenger side of the vehi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the street. The vehicle was eventually restarted and was driven to the family’s residence. After arriving at the residence, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure was like the failure in NHTSA Campaign Number 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). There were no warning lights illumin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 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 upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the oil pan was leaking oil. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact replaced the oil drain plug but continued to see oil leaking from the oil pan. The contact researched online and determined that there was a design flaw in the oil pan, which was a two-piece oil pan design. The contact related the failure to an u... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
Abnormal engine noise and acceleration hesitation issues repaired.
Incident date: May 21, 2024
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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jo... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 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 the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled but restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Inspection Station for a yearly inspection, which confirmed an upcoming recall, and was unable to be repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repair... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 29, 2025
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). the part to do the recall repair was not yet availab... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic with CarMax, who diagnosed that the engine was failing due to a coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant inside cylinder #3, and the lo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that the low fuel pressure message was displayed, and the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure was related to Emissions Recall: PD128. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the engine was replaced, but the failure recurred. The dealer informed the contact about... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V851000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V198000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts wer... 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); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the contact noticed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of fuel. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the... Read more
MAZDA
CX-90 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 28, 2025
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to the destination, parked the vehicle, and checked un... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket was cracked and there was coolant leaking into the cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 28, 2025
Incident date: Jan 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. In addition, the contact was advised not to drive the vehicle because of the unrepaired ... Read more
PIRELLI
P ZERO ALL SEASON
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 28, 2025
Incident date: Aug 20, 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 20 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the engine while accelerating. The contact stated that the engine performance was rough. No warning ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 28, 2025
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); 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 after driving approximately 2 hours or more, there was smoke... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle briefly vibrated violently before returning to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the engine was idling abnormally but was unable provide a diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure of the front main bearing in the engine be... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 28, 2025
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated that a customer was operating the vehicle through the Turo App when the vehicle lost motive power while driving at an undisclosed speed. The contact was unaware whether any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact received notice of NHTSA ID Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, he and his wife observed noises emanating from the engine compartment. On another occasion while driving and coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled, and a "transmission unable to shift" message appeare... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) after experiencing the failure. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer twice, and it was first diagnosed and determined that the cabin air ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went to LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who performed an oil change and updated the Knock Sensor Detection System(KSDS). The contact stated that later, while driving, the engine oil warning light illuminated. The contact ch... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact's husband owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The owner 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. Th... Read more
KIA
CARNIVAL HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 27, 2025
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V096000 (AIR BAGS), 15V123000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL), 17V608000 (STEERING), and 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle jerked and vibrate... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 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 vehicle was taken to the dealer, who referenced the Collision Avoidance System; however, did ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine cooling). The vehicle was scheduled for the recall repair; however, the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed. The contact was informed that the computer system was not reading the machine. In addition, the contact stated that the appointmen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started running rough, and the engine was sputtering. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission failed to shift as intended. The contact stated that the transmission hesitated before upshifting or downshifting while depressing the accelerator pedal or the brake... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle was driving roughly. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact turned the vehicle off and inspected under the hood, and checked the fluids. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. After the engine had reached normal operating temperatures, the rattling ceased, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phas... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Stinger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V169000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the left turbocharger oi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V198000 (Engine and Engine and Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and Purvis Ford Inc (11335 Patriot Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22408); were contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for the recall repair. However, upon taking the vehicle to the ... Read more