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: Jan 9, 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 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 24, 2025
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a tune-up was performed. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA250
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 24, 2025
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the en... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact stated that a low coolant message was displayed on the instrument panel while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was initially taken to a dealer where an oil change was performed, and the contact was informed that there were no other defects found with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure returned a week after the oil change and the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Shut Down Engine, Engine Overheating" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited several hours for the vehicle to cool down and the vehicle eventually returned to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, and the dealer replaced the transmission and the turbo; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to Advanc... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and flashed on and off. There was an abnormally loud clinking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the O-ring, oil pan, gasket, drive belt, oil belt, thermostat, and long block were replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact's husband owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while he was driving to work at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started running rough with the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that her husband drove the vehicle back to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign to 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine an 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. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine 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 taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump belt and oil pump b... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with cruise control activated, the engine started to overheat. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, causing the en... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 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 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
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at 29 MPH, the engine overheated. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact was unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised not to drive the vehicle. Additionally, the contact had been without a vehicle for more than four months. The contact receive... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V025000 (Suspension); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was hydraulic fluid leaking from the v... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle jerked and made abnormal sounds. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil pump drive belt failure had caused the engine to fail. The dealer determined that the engi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 BMW Z4. 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 made aware of the i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced, and the engine control softw... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Pull Over Immediately" message was displayed. The contact's wife pulled over, and the "Hill Start Assist Problem", "Collision Mitigation System Problem", "Road Departure Mitigation Problem", and "Blind Spot Info System Problem" messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the de... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
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 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
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F 350 SD. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty coolant temperature sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer; Power Ford (1101 Montaño Rd NE, Albuquer... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
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 check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG SL63
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 20, 2025
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal beeping sound and then unexpectedly shut off. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the "Engine Fault Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was restarted, but the engine overheated. The contact added coolant to the reservoir; however, the failure persisted. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (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: Feb 17, 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 unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW Z4. 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated with an abnormal, k... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking and rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
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 not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 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 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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 19, 2025
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact was notified 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 an abnormal oil burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The check engine... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change. While driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle began to make an abnormal knocking and squealing sound. The vehicle began to jerk. The driver turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like the failure listed i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact stated that the coolant level message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was then notified 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The contact owned a 2014 BMW 528i. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that a neighbor knocked on the door and informed the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned to total loss. The fire caused damage to the asphalt where the v... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that coolant intrusion had been found in the short block of the engine, and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while her grandmother was driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that his grandmother called him, and he went to the site of the failure. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted. However, the vehicle drove slowly. The check engine warning light was il... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that the carbon monoxide detector sounded an alarm from the living room. The contact stated that her husband was unable to turn off the carbon monoxide alarm and called the Fire Department. The Fire Department arrived and determined that the vehicle, which had been parked in the garage of the residence, had experienced a thermal event in the engin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while accelerating to 70 MPH to overtake a dump truck, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. During the failure, the message "Transmission in Neutral" was displayed and the vehicle coasted to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The con... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. The coolant level low message was displayed. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was raised to HOT. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an engine cooling failure The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak from the radiator hose. The contact was informed that the radiator hose needed to be repla... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she noticed the water meter gauge was lower than normal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. Upon further inspection, the c... Read more