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 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was ... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint. I am writing as the owner of a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 equipped with the 6.2-liter engine that has recently been included in a significant recall. I've been advised that the engine may need to be replaced entirely. As you can imagine, this is extremely concerning given the scale of the defect and the vital role this truck plays i'n my dayto- day responsibilities.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was violently shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who detected a burning odor while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was diagnosed with a cracked engine block and coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the engine was running rough while driving at va... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in 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 MIL warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer ha... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2025
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, several warning lights were illuminated. While attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times; however, ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that his son had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact's son had been calling the local dealer and was informed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact was informed by his son stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the thermostat gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a cracked head gasket. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2023
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine failed and shut off independently. An independent mechanic and dealer were contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the crankshaft had melted. The vehicle was then towed to dealer, where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 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 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 available. The m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the recall repair was performed twice; however, the failure persisted for almost two months. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that parts might take a while to be available. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the turbo charger failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that excessive pressure was needed to depress the accelerator pedal. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed due to a low coolant level. Additionally, the contact... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TOUAREG
(2004) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal, and hesitated while accelerating after a complete stop. The contact stated that occasionally the check engine warning light illuminated, and the dipstick was checked, and the engine oil was low. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and an oil and oil filter change was per... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2019
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
REDUNDANT SIENNA
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the low oil pressure and the check engine warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V90... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle with the engine light illuminated. There was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, and the contact was informed that parts were not available. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Pilot. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an oil change. The contact stated that after leaving the dealer, the vehicle started making an abnormal knocking sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a failure in cylinder #1, and the lower engine... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 25-29 MPH uphill and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle began sputtering and struggling to accelerate. While at the stop sign, the vehicle started idling roughly with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the cylinders were filling with oil du... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called the local dealer, who was unable to assist due to the parts not being available. 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 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Infiniti QX50. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stopped. The contact wa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint. This law firm represents [XXX] . [XXX] owns a GMC truck with VIN: xxxxxx which is subject to the above referenced recall. Please accept this letter as Mr. [XXX] 's written complaint due to his dealer's failure to remedy the defect covered under the above referenced recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
See attached document for complaint. I'm writing to formally express my concern and disappointment regarding the excessive delay in resolving the recall issued for my vehicle. While I understand that safety recalls can involve complex logistics, the prolonged timeframe without any clear resolution has created both an inconvenience and a safety risk for me and other vehicle owners affected by the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that one quart of oil was added weekly, even though the vehicle was rarely driven. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light failed to illuminate until the oil pressure was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the ... Read more
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
FLTRXSTSE
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about parts availability. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle stalled while driving at an undisclosed speed. The contact stated that several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle to continue driving. The contact stated that the gear shifter intermittently failed to move to the intended position. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that several unknown lights on the instrument cluster were illuminated and flashing. Additionally, the headlights were flashing, and the camera screen was blank. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, additional force was needed to stop the vehicle. There was an abnormal horn sound detected. The contact stated that the en... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
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
Incident date: Aug 28, 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
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
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 29, 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
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
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
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
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: Aug 15, 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 28, 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: Sep 1, 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: Sep 1, 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 29, 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 29, 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: Jul 1, 2024
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 8, 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 31, 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
Incident date: Aug 2, 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: Aug 31, 2025
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