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: Jun 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 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 local 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Motorcycle ADV160. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V195000 (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: Jun 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unkn... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the earliest available date to diagnose the was 10-14 days. The vehicle was taken to the Dicky's Doghouse, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder #4 head was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was awaitin... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power with the check oil and check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that there were metal shavings were found in the oil filter, causing engine damages... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 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 failur... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to a dealer for an oil change, the contact was informed that the coolant level was low and that there was a coolant leak somewhere in the engine. The contact was advised to monitor the coolant level because the contact was frequently adding coolant to the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that the failure pers... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss in motive power, 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 head gasket was blown, causing coolant intrusion in the engine. The contact was informed that the e... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2025
Incident date: May 27, 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 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 issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact stated that the oil change due in 700 miles message was displayed. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH to have an oil change performed, oil change service at 55 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light became illuminated. The contact stated while approaching the Auto Shop for the o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the vehicle had experienced coolant failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical Syst... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the contact heard a sound like running water coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into the engine, and the engine n... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 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 unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failur... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2025
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repai... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 6, 2025
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving the vehicle failed to exceed 25 MPH and stalled several times. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after the daughter reached the destination and parked the vehicle, a popping noise suddenly occurred from the engine compartment. After exiting the vehicle, flames were present coming from under the engine hood. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was later towed to an impound lot. Dur... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle started sputtering with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified the failure. The f... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X1. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, upon return to the vehicle, there was an abnormal burning odor outside the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated. 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 deale... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started in the morning, the engine was idling roughly while making an abnormal rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but the rattling sound became worse and more frequent. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the piston oil rings, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NH... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2025
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the fuel tank. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a coolant sensor failure. The coolant sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an indepe... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2025
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
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 not 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 contac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that two minutes later the instrument panel went blank. The contact stated that the infotainment system failed to display an image and a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump needed to be... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2025
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine or low oil warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer con... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 5, 2025
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating before the vehicle stalled. Additionally, while decelerating, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not yet c... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the message "High Temperature - Pull Over" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was consistently adding coolant to the coolant reservoir for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
TURANZA EL440
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2025
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that a tune-up was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed the tune-up. The vehicle was repaired; however, the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started making abnormal sounds under the floorboard. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer and was inform... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated unintendedly. The check engine, oil, and engine failure warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C 300
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 4, 2025
Incident date: Feb 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-65 MPH, there was fluid leaking from the vehicle, and the engine was overheating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact checked the Ford Pass App and became aware that the transmission had been serviced four times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed o... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that days later there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. 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; ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started shaking and vibrating, and the vehicle started to decelerate. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer and was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion inside the cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start immediately, and several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was started, there was black exhaust coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that there was a misfire while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling. The tem... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Lexus NX300. The contact stated there was a misfire in the engine and the engine was idling rough. The contact heard a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel while driving at speeds of approximately 10 MPH or slower and when turning the steering wheel. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was rela... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine oil pump had failed and caused the engine to seize. The contact was advised that the engine and oil... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated to approximately 60 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that a knock sensor was installed to monitor the engine perfo... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2025
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 430I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with intrusion into the heat management module coolant. The contact was informed that the HMM (Heat Management Module) needed to be replaced. An unknown hose was replaced. The contact stated that since 202... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was violently shaking while cold starting the engine. The contact stated that the failure persisted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where a mechanic discovered coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to Technical Service Bul... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2025
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 unavailable. 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 had not experienced a ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2025
Incident date: Jun 3, 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 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 issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
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 not contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn with a reduced steering message displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat had failed, which caused the steering wheel to fail, and needed to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The contact was informed that the recall repair was on hold. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jun 3, 2025
Incident date: Jun 1, 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 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