Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 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 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.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 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 contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal hissing sound coming from the engine and then a popping sound. In addition, the accelerator pedal involuntarily moved, and the vehicle... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 7, 2025
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter was defective and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started in the morning, the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated that later while driving at various speeds, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The contact stated that while checking the engine oil level, the contact became aware that the coolant reservoir level was low. The contact refilled the co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a service update on the vehicle, which required a software update. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, who diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the engine and oxygen sensor warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired, the oxygen sensor warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken for an oil ch... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used the Ford App and became aware of a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the cyli... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station and inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that during the in... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 BMW X5. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed coolant leaking on the ground underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant pump failure. The contact was informed th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, 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 vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2025
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was no longer being driven due to safety concerns. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 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 vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a rea... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, she noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust. The driver pulled over into a gas station and called her husband to inform him of the failure and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken a dealer and was inspected, and the technician became aware of a leak; however, the technician was una... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
MOMENTUM
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 3, 2025
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, causing an eng... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 2, 2025
Incident date: Mar 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 unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact noticed a cloud of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into the cylinders, and the engine... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster gauges were intermittently inoperable, and the doors were locking and unlocking independently. The contact stated that upon raising the hood and inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that oil was leaking from the front cylinder bank valve cover gasket onto the alternator... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated, and the temperature gauge had increased to high with the check engine warning light remaining illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Cadillac Escalade. 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 co... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 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 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while her niece was driving 40 MPH, she became aware there was coolant leaking from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable until arriving at the residence. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir and became aware there was coolant leaking on the driveway.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, 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 an undisclosed failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 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 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. VIN too... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing, there was a huge blast of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance and was diagnosed and determined that the water pump was leaking, the turbo charger was losing power, the power transfer unit was overheating, and... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jul 2, 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 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. VIN... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe. 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: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 2, 2025
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a vehicle scanner to scan the vehicle. The contact retrieved DTC: P0446 (Evaporative Emission Control System (EVAP) vent control circuit malfunction). Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system was frozen and was inoperable, and there was rust underneath th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 ha... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light started flashing on and off and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who examined the engine and informed the contact that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacte... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: May 9, 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. VIN t... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there a misfire coming from the engine, with an abnormal coolant odor on the inside and outside of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local O’Reilly’s, where it was diagnosed with a #4-cylinder misfire, and the power pack was replaced; ... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The contact's son owned a 2025 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he was involved in a collision with two other vehicles; the cause of the collision was still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol. The contact was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss b... Read more
Crash
1 injured
1 deaths
MERCEDES-BENZ
C250
(2012) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: Jan 26, 2016
The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and refused to accept the motorcycle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was m... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 1, 2025
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. 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. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into various cylinders, causing... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failu... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as needed while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure was more prevalent while shifting gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 25V274000 (... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed an engine misfire in cylinders #1 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine short block needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact turned off the vehicle for three minutes and then immediately drove the vehicle to the local mechanic. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics. The first independent mechanic diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon startup, there was a loud knocking sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mi... Read more