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
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 22, 2025
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V031000 (Air Bags); 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 contact stated the vehicle was consuming one quart of oil every 2-3 days. The oil warning light was illuminate... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the message "Service Electronic Throttle Control" was displayed, and the check engine warning light and the electrical system warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was part of a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. 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 no... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Niro. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the refill inverter coolant warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the refill inverter warning light illuminated while driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with debris and corrosion in the inverters and electronic water pump. The contact was in... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost power in the middle of the roadway. The contact was unable to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway with the rear wheels seized. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front brakes. The vehicle was repaire... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 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 w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 70 MPH, the temperature gauge rose extremely high, with the message “Engine Overheating” displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact’s wife pulled over and parked the vehicle while awaiting tow truck service. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and jerking abnormally. The contact stated her daughter reported there were several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument cluster. The driver exited the highway and pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a de... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon start the vehicle, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was noti... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving over a bridge. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repa... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2010) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 21, 2025
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after refueling at several different gas stations, the engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact added fuel cleaner to the fuel tank. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V187000 (Fuel Syst... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the Evaporator Emissions Canister Pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine was overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Firestone Service Center who diagnosed that the coolant reservoir hose was faulty and needed to be replaced. The reservoir hose was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while her son was driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. The contact was adding coolant to the coolant reservoir every other day. The contact stated that the vehicle was smoking and there was an abnormal rattling ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle and inspected the vehicle. The contact noticed that the oil was milky. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire and a coolant leak into... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 21, 2025
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 65 MPH, the contact heard a thumping sound coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the engine had been replaced one... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 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 not 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 is... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from under the hood before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was previously taken to a local independent mechanic, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Eng... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and started to coast. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and the dealer determined there was corrosion on the battery terminals. The battery cables were repaired. The dealer also mentioned potential engine failure. The engine was not repaired. The failure occu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant inside the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistanc... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 3
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 21, 2025
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the en... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The local dealers were contacted; however, the recall information failed to show while entering the VIN information. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X4. 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 dealer was contacted on several occasions; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken 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 Technical Service Bulletin: 22-2133 (Coolant intrusion i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed and determined there was coolant inside the cylinders and informed the contact that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. 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 the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had resulted in damages to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed and determined that the engine was overheating, and the air condition system had f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant inside the cylinders and advised the contact that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75-80 MPH, the “Low Oil” warning lig... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a low coolant level. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. 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 local dealer was not made aware of the issue. 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 is... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine, traction control, and stability control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Advance Auto Store and was diagnosed with a fuel injector failure. The fuel injectors were replaced, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failur... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that upon accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered. The contact stated that upon diagnosing the vehicle, the contact determined that there was coolant intrusion in the engin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 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 contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and shuddered violently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was tow... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2025
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while he was servicing the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a hole in the rear upper part of the engine block. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning oil odor coming from the engine. The vehicle was ta... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2025
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat and lost motive power. A message stating that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The temperature gauge increased to hot(H). The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and turned on the hazard lights. The local dealer was not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving on several occasions, the infotainment system screen turned black intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and accelerating, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer on several occasions, but the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while returning from vacation, the vehicle stalled while the contact's wife was driving at 70 MPH. The contact's wife managed to pull to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was towed over 100 miles to the nearest dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campai... Read more
MERCURY
GRAND MARQUIS
(2002) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2025
Incident date: Jul 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact found oil underneath the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jul 17, 2025
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The low oil pressure warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion into the engine had caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Lexus LX 600. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (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 contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had n... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where the fuel pump power control module was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Addition... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the water pump however, the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the engine might seize before the eng... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 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 dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant inside cylinder #2. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
Car is 76000 miles , I just purchased the vehicle however coolant bypass valve decide to make car say Engine maintenance require even after having it serviced for an oil change. After I replaced the valve , now the pop up Engine maintenance light did not pop up after that. That was the problem .