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: Oct 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 35 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled ov... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 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 contact attempted to notify the dealer about the issue, but received an automated message that referred the contact to a website. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reaso... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic test discovered coolant intrusion into cylinder#2, causing damages to the engine block. The contact was provided with an estimate for a new engine. The v... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was taken for routine maintenance, the independent mechanic discovered that the coolant reservoir level was low. The mechanic added coolant to the coolant reservoir however, two days later the coolant level was low again. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 14, 2025
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 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 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light displayed, and the vehicle was taken to the local Auto Zone who diagnosed a cylinder misfire. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant inside the cylinders, causing the spark plug to fuse inside the cylinder, ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 14, 2025
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle received an oil change, and the contact checked the fluids. The contact stated that all the fluid levels were sufficient. The following day that the fiancé checked the fluids, and the coolant level was low. The fiancé refilled the coolant reservoir.... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil change warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle received an oil change; however, the oil change warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that occasionally the oil change warning light was illuminated whenever the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 14, 2025
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was losing coolant. The contact related the issue to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for an oil change, and it was diagnosed that the coolant was bubbling and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. 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 while driving at various speeds, an abnormal sound was coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, there were several unknown warning lights flashing on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was coasted over to the side of the road; however, while attempting to shift into park(P), the transmission was unable to be shifted into park(P). The contact stated that the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while her son was driving at 60 MPH, an abnormal sound was heard coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact's son was able to pull over to the side of the road. N... Read more
Fire
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2025
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X3. 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 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 ava... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 13, 2025
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Yukon Denali. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from underneath the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact arrived at the residence and used a pers... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was cold-started, the vehicle was idling roughly and vibrated abnormally before the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed an... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact wrote a letter and sent an email to the manufacturer. The manufacturer responded and ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Kicks. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights became extremely dim before the failure was self-corrected. The failure was intermittent. Occasionally, the contact had to restart the vehicle for the headlights to illuminate properly. The contact stated that after the initial start-up, the vehicle hesitated, and there was an extensive am... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. 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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2025
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there were two loud pops followed by an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment, before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the spark plugs needed to be replaced and a tune up was necessary to fix the vehicle. The parts were replaced; however, four days later the check engine warning light was... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and his son was able to coast to the side of the highway. The contact drove out to his son's location and was able to clear the codes using a handheld scanner and the vehicle was able to be driven... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was attempting to start the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the driver’s side hood, and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the PCV heater had overheated and burned along with the fuse box. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the failure was the result of an unrepaired recall. The contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had received notific... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. The contact stated that upon further inspection, the vehicle had an abnormal engine coolant leak. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine temperature gauge was rising abnormally. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repai... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. An alarm sound was coming from the vehicle. An unknown warning light was illuminated, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact's son was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the engine oil was extremely low. An oil consumption test was started by the dealer however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 12, 2025
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact's mother owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact performed a minor service on the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling roughly, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact replaced the spark plugs and the valve cover gasket; however, the vehicle was still idling roughly with a misfire coming from cylinder #3. The contact checked the spark plug in cylin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced rough idling with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the piston rod was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was not available.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owned a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the engine was abnormally low on oil, though the vehicle had recently been serviced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who did not provide a specific diagnosis but observed metal shavings... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #2 due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the bottom of the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 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: Apr 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The following day, the contact's wife dropped the vehicle off at a dealer for a diagnostic test to be performed. Several days later, the contact was informed that the lower bearing in the c... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled with the message "Service Now” flashing on the instrument panel. After waiting for approximately 15-30 minutes, the vehicle was restarted and resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that the oil filter adapter was cracked, ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that there was coolant inside the cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 148,000.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
The contact’s friend owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The engine idled roughly, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact, an independent mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle and discovered that cylinder #1 had a blown head gasket. The contact determined that the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. The contact was unsure if the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rod bearings had failed, causing catastrophic damage to the engine. In addition, there were metal shavings ins... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine, and the vehicle was shaking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure due to piston rings failure, causing coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was in... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating before the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failure persisted. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warn... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the messages "Engine Overheated" and "Please Pull Over" were displayed on the instrument ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2025
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact inspected fluids but found no defects with the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic discovered that the lifters and cam shaft were defective. D... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, several unknown warnings lights illuminated, and the vehicle stopped independently. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine made an abnormal sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufac... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called several local dealers who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that while stopped, the vehicle shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact made multiple at... Read more
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2025
Incident date: Aug 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was shaking erratically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
HANKOOK
DYNAPRO HT
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2025
Incident date: Aug 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was an abnormal sound like a loud pop, and the "Service Engine" warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a local dealer. The contact stated that there was a misfire coming from the engine, but the vehicle had not stalled. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a misfire coming from the engine intermittently while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on two separate occasions. On the first occasion, the check engine warning light was reset but the fai... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 11, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, and the vehicle was able to restart initially; however, the failure persisted while driving, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to Firestone, where an unknown, inc... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that at start-up, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that a cause for the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fa... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 8, 2025
Incident date: Aug 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally as if the vehicle was being driven over rough road surfaces. The contact started to decelerate, and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine and the vehicle lost motive power and s... Read more