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: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was test-driven; however, the dealer refused to diagnose the vehicle while it was covered under warranty. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the camshaft had... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while her mother-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed from a right turn into traffic, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle delayed accelerating as needed, almost causing a crash. The driver continued driving in the right lane. The contact stated that upon test-driving the vehicle the following day, the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2017
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was internal coolant intrusion into the cylinders, and that the engine needed to ... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW 330I. The contact stated while his wife was pulling into the yard, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the message "Engine Compartment Overheating" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to Billy's Imports Service, where the spark plug wires, the engine oil filter, the PCV system, the hoses, the injectors, the O-rings, and the valve cove... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the coolant level was extremely low, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that a diagnostic scanner was used to diagnose the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P0301. The local dealer was contacted; however, the v... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough starts. The check engine warning light was temporarily illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that a tune-up was needed. The tune-up was performed; however, the failure recurred, and the contact... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle sputtered for thirty seconds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the cylinder head was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Nu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Malfunction Error" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the rear brake pads and brake fluid were replaced, and an oil change was performed. The failure persisted, and the contact was informed that the coolant and EGR s... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving or reversing from a complete stop, the vehicle was shuddering and there was an abnormal waterflow sound coming from the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs needed to ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact had scheduled a recall appointment and was advised by the dealer that the recall had been placed on hold. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had experienced an electrical shock due to coolant intrusion onto the spark plugs. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the vehicle started shaking with the drivetrain malfunction message displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted a... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine misfired with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The de... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated, causing the cruise control mode and the lane mitigation system to become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was fuel intrusion in the engine oil. The dealer determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 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 unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the r... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH after a vacation, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull into a truck stop. The vehicle stalled and restarted but eventually shut off. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine C... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, a message indicating that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and added water to the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was not running properly while driving. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed t... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 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 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 stated while driving approximately 65 MP... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (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 tool c... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and exiting the freeway, the message "Catastrophic Failure" was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine oil cooler lines had detached from the crimp. The dealer replaced the oil cooler lines, the oil filter, a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 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 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. ... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 28, 2025
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light was flashing. Additionally, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the hood, and the hood was shaking. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to Village Auto, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. 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 taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump drive belt... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated 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. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil control valve, resulting in damages to the engin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approx... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact received notification... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the message that the engine had overheated, and the vehicle was disabled was displayed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the starter motor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Camp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust, and the engine was running abnormally rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #1, causing engine failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the oil warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the engine oil level was low after a recent oil change. The contact added oil and took the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic confirmed that there was an oil consumption failure and topped off the engine oil. T... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and had flashed off and on while driving at highway speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine cylinders were faulty, and th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a local mechanic and was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the vehicle with smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the heater hose and cam phaser had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 ha... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: May 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, there an abnormal sound coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with a cracked cylinder head and coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure t... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 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; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time f... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where oil consumption tests were performed, and the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle's oil consumption met the manufacturer's standards; however, the contact stated that there was no oil on the dipstick while the vehicle was rece... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 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 made aware of the issue. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on three occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering mildly and then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after each failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 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 a... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: May 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact was informed by his wife that while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while the check engine warning light was illuminated, the vehicle failed to unlock using the key fob, and the driver ... Read more
FOREST RIVER
SALEM
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: Jun 15, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power with a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the next day, when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was d... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: May 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the... Read more
HONDA
CIVIC HATCHBACK HYBRID
(2025) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 27, 2025
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (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 tool con... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Audi Q5. The contact stated that there was an abnormal leak underneath the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as intended. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was refilled; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was diagnosed on the scene by an independent mechanic, who determined that water pump had failed. The indep... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact stated that there was a hard knocking sound coming from the engine. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery power was low. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer for TSB Number: 21-01-047H-2. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V705000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated and then lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator had failed and needed to be replaced. Then the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle as coolant leak into the cyl... Read more