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: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving 6 MPH, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of automotive power and all electrical components shut off, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be towed to a lo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
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 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 cont... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. While driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled consistently while shifting gears. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that while stopped at a red traffic light, the vehicle lost power. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V27400 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and initially confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact received notification that the parts for the recall repair were available. Upon arrival to the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 2-3 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The Ford dealer where the vehicle was purchased arranged for the vehicle to be picked up at the residence. The Ford dealer informed the contact that the mechanic and the Kia dealer w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the oil change message was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the low-end rod nut had failed and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number:... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 24, 2025
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for an oil change, and the fluids were checked by the independent mechanic. When the vehicle was started several days later, the “Low Coolant" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the coolant level was not low at the time. The contact cont... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle 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 vehic... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 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 check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). 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 made ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 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 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 contact... Read more
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast 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 connecting rod bearings, resulting in damages to... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that three days after purchasing the vehicle, the contact checked the oil level and noticed that the oil level was two quarts low. The contact checked the oil constantly after one thousand miles and noticed that the oil level was low. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated engine oil constantly needed to be added between 1,200 and 1,800 miles. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that there were no leaks found, and that the engine was in good operational order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, several weeks later, the contact became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the cont... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle intermittently sputtered. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The deal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 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 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, several warning lights, including the front and rear sensors, 4WD, oil, and engine warning lights illuminated on the i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a f... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 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 made an abnormal ticking sound at start-up and while driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The messages "... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban. 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 requested a work order on the vehicle for the recall repair and the dealer refused. The contact... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the messages “Low Power Mode” and “See Dealer” were displayed on the instrument cluster before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle an... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the garage, the garage became extremely hot, and the fans underneath the vehicle activated. The contact opened the garage. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the ... Read more
HYUNDAI
VELOSTER N
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 22, 2025
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. No warning light was illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact noticed suds on the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, who disco... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 22, 2025
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the p... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The vehicle was recently repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact understood that the option was to use a higher viscosity oil, replace the oil fill cap, and oil filter replacement. The contact stated that the remedy was insufficient to resolve a possible failure with the engine. The contact was heari... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact became aware that warm air was coming through the vents while the A/C unit was activated. The contact then stated that the vehicle started jerking with the "Engine Malfunction, Power Reduced" message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where water was added to the coolant reservoir, and the contact was informed by the mech... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the message "Battery Critically Low" was initially displayed, and then the message "Engine and Transmission System - Schedule Service Now" was displayed. The contact was assisted by Police Officers ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the recall repair was performed one month prior. The contact stated that after picking up the vehicle and driving to the residence, the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact called the dealer, and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 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: Jul 5, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Crash
Incident date: Sep 7, 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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Sep 19, 2020
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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2025
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
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
Incident date: May 28, 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 7, 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 19, 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
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
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: Aug 7, 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 5, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 21, 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 1, 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 14, 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: Sep 17, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2025
Incident date: Sep 12, 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