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 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (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 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine overheated while driving at various speeds and was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Weed Family Automotive, where it was diagnosed and determined that a head gasket failure had caused coolant to leak ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the engine seized, nearly causing a crash. The driver was able to veer to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The d... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 unavailable. The contact stated that several dealers were contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were no longer available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 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: Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, there was smoke was coming from the rear of the vehicle. There were several unknown warning lights 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 repair was pending. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made a rattling sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Replacement); however, the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The message "Put Foot on The Brake and Press Start" was displayed on the instrument panel. Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the contact discovered fluid leaking on the ground. Additionally, the engine overheated while driving, resulting in a burning odor. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The "Coolant Low" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact noticed an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned the vehicle off. The vehicle was restarted driven to the residence; however, the contact was frequently stopping on the sho... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing power and was unable to drive uphill. The contact also stated the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil; however, the dealer had informed her that the oil consumption was normal. The chec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front-end. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The vehicle lost motive power; however, the contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The check engine warning li... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the shock absorbers, radiator, and brake discs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. On another occasi... Read more
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 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 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds and while turning, the vehicle made an abnormally loud whining sound and experienced reduced motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated as needed while continu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle had stalled. During the failure, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the oil level was extremely low, due to a faulty cam shaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in the NHTSA C... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 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 contacted. The dealer informed the contact to wait for the correspondence from the manufacturer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of ti... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic, she observed a revving sound coming from the engine compartment. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed, and the temperature gauge remained on H(Hot). The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the message disappeared. The vehicle was taken to the residence, where the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH and pulling a camper, the vehicle started sputtering and lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket had allowed a leak onto the alternator, causing the alternator to fail. The m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2019
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer two previous times for unknown repairs. The vehicle was not repaired for the most re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, causing damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the cont... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 7, 2025
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the spark plugs, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was radiator fluid leaking into the engine, causing a misfire. The contact was informe... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V851000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V198000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 cont... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust, and the heat was inoperative. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Mazda CX-90. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V814000 (Electrical System, Structure) and 24V815000 (Power Train, Engine and Engine Cooling); and parts were available. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer, he was informed that the manufacturer would not cover the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2010) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 4, 2025
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle started rocking. Additionally, an oil change was performed on the vehicle twice within a month. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 4, 2025
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal knocking sound while driving at various speeds and while idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine lifters were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon driving four miles at approximately 35 MPH, the engine overheated. The message "Engine Overheating" was displayed. The temperature gauge increased to Hot. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact added water to the vehicle, but the water drained out. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle experienced an excessive oil consumption. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle required an additional quart of engine oil monthly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption. The dealer determined tha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an engine misfire, and the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2018
The contact's wife 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, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine long block resulting in engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and was able to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 55 MPH and pulling an unloaded trailer, the vehicle suddenly stalled. A message advising the contact to shift to neutral(N) and to attem... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V126000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the engine oil level was extremely low. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting and driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated with a misfire in cylinder #2. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intru... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the e... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owned a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 85 MPH, the engine emitted abnormal noise with no warning lights illuminated. The contact proceeded to exit the highway and enter a gas station parking lot, and upon exiting the vehicle, it was apparent that the engine had begun to catch on fire. The location of the fire was the front engine compartment. The ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact smelled a burning odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with oil filter housing cooler unit failure. The vehicle was repaired by a mobile independent mechanic with a part that the contact had purchased on Amazon. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL) and 23V411000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the engine power was significantly reduced and there was a whining sound coming from the engine compartment. While starting the vehicle, there was a high-pitched whining sound heard. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and determined there was a failure with the fuel pump. The fuel pumps were ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine and oil warning lights started flashing on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic, who attempted to start the vehicle; however, the engine skipped, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the timing chain had failed. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 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 contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the man... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repair were 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. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. ... Read more