Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the dealer was servicing the vehicle, the dealer noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The dealer diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, causing coolant to leak into the engine cylinder, and the spark plugs were damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact t... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH on an interstate, the vehicle jerked and shifted to neutral(N) unintendedly, and the engine made an abnormal sound. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure t... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 320i. The contact stated that while his son was driving 35 MPH after an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the message "Engine Temperature High. Drive Moderately to Cool Engine. Consult Service Center" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the same independent mechanic, where an unknown diagnosis was made. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to ... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electrical connector on the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2025
Incident date: May 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. While the contact's son was driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam phasers and the engine timing system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched onli... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2025
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Cadenza. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle independently went into LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The contact was able to coast the vehicle over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact drove the vehicle to an independ... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times for maintenance or service, and the contact inquired about the cause of the white smoke. The contact was informed on several occasion that the smoke as normal, but the vehicle was not diag... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2025
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after an oil change was performed, the mechanic informed the contact that the oil that was drained was like mud. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling; Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, 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 contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine while driving at vari... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V635000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 25V025000 (SUSPENSION); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 m... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. 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: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormally loud banging sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2025
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 15, 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 made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V818000 (Equipment, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local 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 ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the high-pressure fuel pump(HPFP) was replaced. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was later illuminated while driving. The contact stated th... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 21, 2025
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal loud sound, and the vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was taken to Midas, where an unknown repair was performed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH on the expressway, the vehicle shuddered significantly, and the engine made an abnorm... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Low Engine Oil Pressure” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Cust... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH and pulling a trailer, the parking warning alert suddenly displayed on the dashboard, and moments later, a flashing check engine light was activated. While driving to the side of the road to park, smoke and flames began to come from under the passenger side of the front hood of the vehicle. The occupa... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 19, 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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not ex... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2025
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528XI. 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 is... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact pulled off the roadway and heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle was unable to be restarted. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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: Sep 15, 2024
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 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was sputtering with the parking brake warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and there was white smoke coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact paid for a diagnostic test and was informed that the eng... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was rattling while idling with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine long block was damaged, which resulted in engine failure. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the 9-1-1 Assistance and seat belt warning alerts activated. The contact stated that the key fob sensor intermittently failed to recognize the key fob inside the vehicle with the message "No Key Detected" displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the failure was not dupl... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; 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 awa... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2025
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal vibrating sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 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 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
Incident date: May 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 430I. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 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 and ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 20, 2025
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 BMW 750I. The contact stated that while driving in a parking lot at slow speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the expansion tank had cracked and leaked on the fuel rail and the injector had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and covered the injector repair and ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 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 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 st... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while his partner was driving at undisclosed speeds, there was smoke coming from the engine and entering the cabin through the vents while the heater was activated. There was an abnormal burning odor entering the cabin. The contact also observed the burning odor while driving the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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 exc... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact was notified 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 made aware of the issue 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 m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); ... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2012) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 19, 2025
Incident date: Jun 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at speeds over 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the pressure sensor on one of the cylinders needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred approximatel... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 19, 2025
Incident date: Mar 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer but was informed by the dealer that the manufacturer had placed a hold on the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consu... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that t... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Ikon Motorcars Group, where the water pump and the temperature gauge sensor were replaced, and coolant was added to the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing... Read more
JEEP
WAGONEER S
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 19, 2025
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact inspected the coolant reservoir, and the coolant level was low. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that three months later the failure reoccurred. The coolant level was refilled. The vehicle was taken an independent mechanic; however, the fai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 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 unavailable. 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 manuf... Read more