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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Incident date: May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the connecting rods needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not... Read more

Incident date: Apr 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the engine compartment, which became extremely loud while accelerating. Upon arriving at the intended destination, the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed... Read more

Incident date: Nov 20, 2023

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with a scanner, the contact retrieved DTC: P0597. The local d... Read more

Incident date: Apr 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 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 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 manufactu... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. 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 an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure, but informed... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2025

The contact’s daughter owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while starting, with the message "Coolant Level Low" displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The cont... Read more

Incident date: Apr 6, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in damage to the engine. Th... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2001 BMW 5301. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the warning light that the engine was overheating was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the failure had occurred at various speeds, and the vehicle stalled due to the engine overheating. The contact was constantly refilling the coolant reservoir monthly. The contact had taken... Read more

Incident date: Apr 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from underneath the hood. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at various speed, the failure recurred. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to b... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2012

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and parked in a safe location. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #4. The dealer stated that there was metal inside the cylinder head and pistons. T... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling roughly. The contact stated that there was a misfire in the engine that nearly caused the vehicle to stall while driving. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed tha... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. 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 local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair was on hold. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The m... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were 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 not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust, and the radiator fan had become excessively loud. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had experienced coolant i... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a re... Read more

Incident date: Apr 22, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, 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 towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized. The contact was informed that the engine neede... Read more

Incident date: May 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 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: Jan 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The message "Loss of Oil Pressure" was displayed, and the vehicle made an abnormally loud banging sound. The contact was able to continue driving at slow speeds with the hazard lights engaged. The contact drove to the dealer, where he was em... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the transmission was slipping. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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. T... Read more

Incident date: Mar 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (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. While the contact’s partner was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started making a rattling ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized, resulting in damages to the engine. The ... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall remedy was still under engineering review. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount o... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated while he was stopped at a traffic signal, he smelled a burning plastic smell. The contact observed that smoke was being emitted from under the vehicle's front end. The contact pulled off the road and parked. As he exited the vehicle, he observed that flames were shooting from under the vehicle. The contact stated that in a few minutes, the fla... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Dec 19, 2024

The contact's husband owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact was informed that upon starting the vehicle, a message indicating high engine temperature was displayed, stating to pull over as soon as possible. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for a long time after the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving the vehicle around the neighborhood, the failure recurred. T... Read more

Incident date: Apr 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the intercooler pipes and turbo intercooler hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The... Read more

Incident date: Apr 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine before the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over immediately and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a local dealer to ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 28, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the variable valve timing, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the air conditioning system was inoperable, and the vehicle was overheating while driving. The contact stated that the failure had increased, and the engine overheated upon starting. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start and was undrivable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic ... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. Additionally, the remote start failed to start the vehicle. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact’s husband was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer informed the contact that 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 ha... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a red light, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted, and the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that later, while making a right turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local mech... Read more

Incident date: Apr 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was an abnormally loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not yet been determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 76,000.

Incident date: Nov 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal metal-on-metal grinding sound coming from the engine. The contact also stated that whenever the vehicle was started, the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independen... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. In addition, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer; however, the... Read more

Incident date: Feb 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact exited the freeway and continued driving 40 MPH; however, the vehicle stalled, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that piston #4 valve had seized, ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 31, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was adding approximately 3-4 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. The contact was informed by a mechanic that the failure might be related to a defective oil sending unit or piston oil ring. The ma... Read more

Incident date: Mar 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while slowin... Read more

Incident date: Aug 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH and attempting to complete a turn, the vehicle briefly lost motive power but continued running. The contact stated that shortly afterwards, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was in... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2025

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 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 too... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clattering sound coming from the engine at start up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was driving rough, and the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there coolant inside the engine, causing the engine t... Read more

Incident date: Apr 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 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 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: 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 made aware of the issue. ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal sound from the engine compartment. The contact stated that it sounded like a metal-on-metal rattling. The contact stated that the "Service Suspension and Low Oil" warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that a quart of engine oil was being added once per month.... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH while driving. The ignition, the check engine, the ABS, and the camshaft warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle started temporarily and shut off after several ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2023

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: Mar 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle made a loud banging sound and the vehicle shut off. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure... Read more

Incident date: Mar 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated, and upon checking the coolant tank, the coolant level was low. The coolant reservoir was refilled; however, several days later the coolant level was low again. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine started overheating, causing the engine to seize. The contact was f... Read more

Incident date: Sep 30, 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. 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 contact h... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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