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
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 27, 2025
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a complete stop at a stop light, the vehicle inadvertently stalled but was able to restart. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
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 confirmed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled on the drive back to the residence. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driv... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the malfunction indicator lamp illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was unsure if the vehicle was diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA C... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated, and the engine overheating message was displayed. The contact stated that there was excessive oil consumption. The oil level was checked in the morning and at the end of the day, and the oil was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 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 not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle jerked while driving and failed ... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 26, 2025
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while exiting a ramp and accelerating to 65-70 MPH to merge into traffic, the vehicle lost motive power on several occasions. The message "See Owner’s Manual - Engine Manufactory Power Reduced - Service Now" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently while driving 65-70 MPH. The contact was ab... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while his son was driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact's son was able to coast to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 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 vehicle was running rough and was vibrating abnormally while driving. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 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 not yet available. The contact stated that while driving in stop-and-go traffic, the vehicle stalled while stopped at a traffic light. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart th... Read more
CHEVROLET
AVALANCHE 1500
(2003) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 26, 2025
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The m... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
The complaint was filed on behalf of the contact's mother who owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while the contact's mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle's speed independently increased. The contact's mother depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was uncontrollable. In addition, the contact s... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that two dealers were contacted, and the contact was informed that the manufacturer would not approve the repair if the vehicle was not actively experiencing the failure associated with the recall. The contact was also informed by a dealer tha... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the engine overheated and the vehicle stopped unintentionally. The contact was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was previously taken to an undisclosed local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly slowed down and then abruptly stopped. The contact stated that it felt as if a part had fallen from the bottom of the vehicle. While attempting to drive off, the vehicle hesitated. While at a YIELD sign, the vehicle shut off and was restarted. The driver's side door... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The ca... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 430I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty, even though it had been refilled two weeks prior. The low coolant wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the contact observed smoke and coolant. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved DTC: P0303-28 (Cylinder #3 misfire) and P0316-28. The mechanic info... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light was flashing. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart, but there was thick black smoke comi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated 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. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with an abnormally strong odor coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing engine failure. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry Solara. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken for the State Inspection, and the contact was informed of an engine emissions leak. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not available and that the parts needed to be ordered for the recall repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic and was diagnosed with engine failure due to a blown head gasket. The head gasket was re-machined, but the vehicle continued to experience engine failure, which included cylinder misfires and coolant... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was rattling, and the vehicle was idling rough. There was no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that occasionally while driving on the highway, the vehicle lost automotive power while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the part required for the recall repair was currently unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Upon contacting the dealer, the contact was informed that the oil pump needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that there was a whistling sound coming from the vehicle while driving. Additionally, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The “Service Soon” message was displayed. The service and oil messages were displ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was running rough and idling rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 22, 2025
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The dealer became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the lifters and camshaft, which failed to create a misfire. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal ticking and knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the nearby dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed based on the abnormal sounds. The dealer determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V27... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 22, 2025
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2002
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact was notified 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 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 repair. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 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 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 had no... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle jumped and hesitated while accelerating until the vehicle exceeded 20 - 25 MPH. The contact stated that at 1,500-2500 RPM, the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while looking online, the contact discovered information about NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (E... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
See attached document for complaint. Text from attached document: Unacceptable delays in repair: We have contacted 2 local dealerships, both of which have informed us that the necessary parts are unavaila ble and cannot provide a clear time line for when repairs will be completed. Leesburg Buick GMC Hummer (Country Buick GMC at time of vehicle purchase) Joyce Koons Buick GMC (Service Manager: Mic... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
See attached document for complaint. Text from document: After that encounter I called the dealership inquiring as to the availability of the specific repair parts for the recall I was told that unless I was already experiencing a problem they would not even look into the matter. This sounded ridiculous to me so I left messages for management but my calls were not returned.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
See attached document for complaint. Text from attached document: Last week [ went to get the oil changed at my local Jiffy Lube and was told, "We can' t service Lhis vehicle any longer because it has been re-called." I asked, "what I am supposed to do? They said Cadiliac is supposed to Lake care of it. After calling Mark Christopher Cadillac in Ontario, Cali fornia they said they can't help me ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the message “Engine Overheating” was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. After restarting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact then noticed a fluid leak underneath the front of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, and during the test drive, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a pos... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The “Low Oil Pressure” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. There was an abnormal metallic grinding sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, while the vehicle was idling, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that after start-up, the vehicle was driving roughly before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Oct 10, 2020
The contact owns a 2021 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was n... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her granddaughter was driving approximately 30 MPH, the low oil pressure and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that her granddaughter heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to a dealer who was unable to diagnose the vehicle immediately. The vehicle was th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving, a ticking noise was present coming from the engine, and the vehicle suddenly stalled. Moments later, smoke and flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire was an engine failure. A fire report was filed at the scene. Th... Read more
Fire
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and a secondary dealer, Weston Nissan (3650 Weston Rd, Weston, FL 33331); were mad... Read more