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: Oct 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormally loud ticking sound on cold starts, while idling, and while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the sound was associated to a cam phaser failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21B10. The manufacturer was ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2009) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 3, 2025
Incident date: Mar 12, 2019
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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufactured had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that oil was leaked underneath the vehicle onto the ground. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Murano. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH on the highway, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the body of the vehicle thumped ten times in a row and constantly seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the message that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V576000 (Electrical System, Engine, and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the temperature gauge warning light illuminated, and the engine started to overheat. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became inoperable. 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 ... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 3, 2025
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 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 that after the vehicle was starte... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the engine and heard metal parts from the engine detach from the vehicle and fall onto the road. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and the vehicle lost braking power and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The contact exited the vehicle to inspect the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2022
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 not yet available. An unknown 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 issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 76,500.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2025
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine started rumbling with the check engine, stability-trac, and the parking brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #1. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was take... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted and failed to maintain the intended speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a stuck valve lifter and that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The contact was infor... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH on the driveway, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with thermostat failure. The contact had the thermostat replaced and a coolant repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,408.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2025
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 330I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the vehicle was consuming and excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was empty after being refilled the previous morning. The vehicle was not repaired. After i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Loss of Oil Pressure" message displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle made an abnormally loud clunking sound. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact used an OBD scanner to retrieve a diagnostic trouble code for the VANOS bolts; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Ecosport. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) Cooling) and 25V126000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 w... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 2, 2025
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 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: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. 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 the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2019
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling rough and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer, and it was... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 BMW X7. The contact stated while the vehicle was occupied and parked in the garage at the residence, the contact’s husband attempted several times to start the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the coolant inside of the coolant reservoir was extremely low, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the message "Transmission Error" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine had exp... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 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 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 i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 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 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 iss... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, and the vehicle was running rough. On one occasion during the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally, on another occasion the en... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
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 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 issue... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 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 unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated with a misfire in the engine and the vehicle experienced a reduction of automotive power and the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH. The contact proceeded to take the vehicle to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated upon shifting into reverse(R), the vehicle shut off. The contact stated upon shifting to park(P) to restart the vehicle, the vehicle was able to restart after pressing the Push to Start button several times, and the vehicle made abnormally loud cranking, banging, and rattling sounds. The contact stated that he was an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a ticking sound coming from the vehicle. Later, on the same day, while pulling into a friend’s driveway, the engine began making a knocking sound. The contact decided to drive to the residence nearby, and the engine started knocking again, eventually causing the engine to fail and the vehicle to lose mo... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of coolant, and there were... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact drifted over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine and the oil pan. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be... Read more
WINNEBAGO
ADVENTURER
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Nov 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and then stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was running rough. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to an indepen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
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 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 cont... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
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. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an oil change was performe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the engine was idling roughly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The contact's husband owns a 2022 Ford F-250. The contact stated while her husband was driving 30 MPH and pulling into the dealer's driveway for an oil change, the vehicle stalled. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was pulled into the service bay. The dealer was able to diagnose the vehicle with the assistance of a manufacturer field technician. The dealer... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 1, 2025
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact 's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while performing an oil change on the vehicle, the contact noticed that the coolant level was abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. 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. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with tone wheel failure. The vehicle was not r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH on a main road, the message "Warning - Add Coolant' was displayed, and the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engin... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 31, 2025
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who observed a misfire in cylinder #2, due to coolant intrusion, causing engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the fa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replace... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated after the Auto/Start unavailable message was displayed and became inoperable. Upon starting the vehicle, the Auto START/STOP unavailable message was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 man... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly experienced rough driving before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 31, 2025
Incident date: Mar 12, 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 dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirm... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump had failed, causing damages to the engine. The... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 31, 2025
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving on a main road at 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine, and the engine power was reduced, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact was forced to pull over onto the side of the road where the vehicle was left idling for a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, an abnormal sound was coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. T... Read more