Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Apr 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with low anti-freeze, several cracked cylinder gaskets, coolant intrusion, and in need of an engine replacement due to cylinder #3 misfire.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the low oil 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 vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was started and running, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment for approximately 30-seconds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for maintenance and the technician observed the rattling sound after an oil change and suggested that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was an abnormally loud cranking sound upon starting the vehicle. While driving at highway speeds, there was a steady abnormal sound detected. The engine, traction control, low tire pressure, fuel, and oil warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, tires were inflate... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
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 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 contact stated ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The contact stated that upon pulling into an apartment complex parking lot, the contact noticed that there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately parked and exited the ... Read more
Fire
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump bearing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 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 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 iss... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started and running, the vehicle shuddered, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where a handheld diagnostic scanner indicated that there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to emit smoke from the head gasket and from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact contacted the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the smoke was coming from the turbocharger. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who dia... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a popping sound coming from the engine compartment while attempting to accelerate. Additionally, there was a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle rod bearings failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 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 the dealer, who determined there was coolant intrusion into various cylinders, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked and turned off, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then later to the dealer, who determined that the engine oil was low, and the engine had overheated. The contact was informed th... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 9, 2025
Incident date: Apr 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle idled and then stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact used a code reader to diagnose the vehicle. The contact filled the coolant reservoir and noticed that the coolant was leaking out. There was coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The vehicle was towed... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle on several occasions, there was a fast-banging metallic sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approxim... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lifters had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that only one side of the engine lifters replacement was covered. The vehicle was repaired accordingly. Additio... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon returning to pick up the vehicle, he was informed that the vehicle would no longer start, requiring the vehicle to be towed back to the residence. The dealer diagnosed a f... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 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 and low oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine oil pump. T... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 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 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 a... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 9, 2025
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders, resulting in engine damage. The contact was informed... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 9, 2025
Incident date: Apr 8, 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the heater and air conditioning system failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the water pump was leaking coolant. The dealer replaced the water pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and reimbursed the customer for half of the repair costs. The failure mileage was approximately... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2009) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 9, 2025
Incident date: Apr 9, 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 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 conta... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Feb 18, 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 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 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and opened the hood to inspect the vehicle. The contact stated that upon opening the hood, the contact became aware that oil was leaking at the rear of the engine compartmen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failur... Read more
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Apr 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing excessive oil consumption, and the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering. The contact continued driving uphill, and the vehicle experienced reduced power and was driving sluggishly. The contact stated that... Read more
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: Aug 24, 2024
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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Feb 20, 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 25, 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: May 7, 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: Nov 21, 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
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
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: Apr 8, 2022
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 8, 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 7, 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
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Apr 8, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 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 7, 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: Apr 5, 2025
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 7, 2024
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: Apr 9, 2018
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: Jul 1, 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