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: Mar 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact smelled a sweet smell and became aware of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and several codes were displayed. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning light indicating that the engine was overheating was illuminated. The contact added coolant to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where it was diagnosed with a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain. The dealer also observed that the timing chain cover was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. After investi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle jerked, and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted to an oil change business nearby. The contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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 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
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
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 dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that pa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that after refueling and driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact turned off the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. The service and engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. 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 diagnosed a failure with the water pump and water pump connector. The contact was advised to discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact rela... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
ALL SEASON
(9999) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 28, 2025
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 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 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 t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that during an oil change, the technician at the dealer advised the contact that there was coolant in the engine block, which caused damage to the engine. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the dealer that it was a known failure in similar vehicles. The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and accelerating, the vehicle occasionally shuddered or stalled, forcing the contact to pull over onto the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone, where a diagnostic scan retrieved information for a cylinder #1 misfir... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. On a separate occasion, the contact stated that while the vehicle was driven over 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound coming from the muffler. The contact merged to the side of th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 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 contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, an abnormal sound was coming from the engine. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to coast to the si... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was evidence of coolant loss; however, no visible leak was on the ground. The contact added additional coolant. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 350
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 27, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
I am writing to you about my 2018 EcoSport. I have been waiting for the parts to come into the dealership since the recall, and yet the parts still have not arrived. I have been having problems with my car before I got it fixed. Now I am having problems with my breaks. I've asked one of the service workers if it was ok to drive it, which he said it was okay. When I left the dealership, I was close... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop onto the highway the following day, several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and a message advising to park the vehicle was displayed. The contact stated that while attempting to make a turn... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while making a left turn, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle drifted to safety. The vehicle was restarted. Additionally, while driving on several occasions at speeds over 40 MPH, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engin... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 27, 2025
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
The contact leased 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another dealer, Ed Morse Delray Toyota (2800 S Federal Hwy, Delray Beach, FL 33483). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a rea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and went into LIMP Mode with the throttle control and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the tone ring on the crankshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 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 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: May 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder head, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost engine power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who determined that all the teeth on the timing belt had sheared off and were in the oil. The contact was informed that the timing belt and oil ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 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 while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a family member's residence, and then towed to a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was oil leaking from the turbocharger. The contact stated that the hose had detached, and the coolant had leaked out. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 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: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH on the highway, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. There was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The contact restarted the vehicle. The engine, steering assist, and battery warning lights became illuminated. The low engine oil message was displayed. The... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving, the oil pressure 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, a slushing noise was present coming from inside the driver’s side dashboard location. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that coolant was present inside the engine cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine neede... Read more
Incident date: Jan 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment, after which the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the thermostat and radiator hose. The vehicle was repaired, bu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into reverse. There was white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle near the engine compartment. The contact depressed the brake pedal to assist with the vehicle slowing down to be able to pull over to the side of the road where the vehicle came ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 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 contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds downhill or while in reverse, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. Th... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2022
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 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: May 26, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that after having an oil change performed on the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the engine was shaking abnormally while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic test indicated a possible engine failure. The contact was informed that d... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
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: Aug 3, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that during the initial start-up, the vehicle shuddered for a while before running properly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure due to coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 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: Jul 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The contact discovered that there was oil leaking from underneath the vehicle and that there was a hole in the engine block. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 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 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 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 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: Jul 7, 2024
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 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... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was slow to accelerate. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust, with the check engine warning light illuminated and flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a crack in cylinders #3 and #4. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine and 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 co... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 26, 2025
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle vibrated and lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the cam phasers were faulty, and a software update was needed. The software update was performed, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that shortly after the software update, the transmis... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The message that coolant was needed was displayed. The contact added coolant to the reservoir. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle was driving rough. The contact was concerned about the vehicle catching on fire. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (E... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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