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: Jul 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving out of the school parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block was fractured, and there was coolant i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
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 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
Incident date: Feb 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 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
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the "Service Immediately" message was displayed, and the vehicle started losing motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the oil pump had failed a... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S 580
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2025
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off after the engine became hot. The engine and oil lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and dete... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal rubbing sound and hesitated to respond, causing the braking distance to be extended. The brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the internal trunk release lever was inopera... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2013) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2025
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was dia... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated while at a stop light, the gear shifter independently shifted into neutral. The contact stated after several attempts, the gear shifter was shifted into park. The contact stated that the gear shifter had seized in park(P). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with internal starter motor shortage. The contact was informed tha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated with the message "Pull Over Engine Overheating" displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while stopped at an intersection, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking. The contact smelled an abnormal burned plastic odor and observed that there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that the "Low Oil Pressure" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that there was an abnormal shaking and vibrating coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a nearby mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that cylinders #3 and #4 had lost compression, and the engine needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the engine overheated. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The thermostat symbol was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that an unknown hose was cracked. The mechanic performed a compression test, and the top of the radiator was cracked. The vehicle was repaired, but th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact heard a loud banging sound coming from the engine compartment. In addition, there was blue smoke entering the cabin of the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her sister was operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the long block engine was faulty and needed to be replaced, due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assista... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X5. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed and the battery needed to be registered. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the VIN was not include... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began vibrating abnormally, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled and the contact was forced to park on the side of the road to attempt to restart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the pulley tensioner was replaced; however, the failure recurred approximately three months later. The contact was informed by the dealer that the engine was previously replaced as an interim repair under NHTSA Campaign... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 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 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 contact had ... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that DTC: P1326 was displayed on the instrument panel, with the message, “For Your Safety – Please Pull Over” displayed. The contact pulled over and opened the hood and there was a green liquid ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front and rear exterior lights shut off unexpectedly. The contact turned off the light switch and then back on and the failure was fixed. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption, and engine oil was added shortly after having an oil change performed. The vehicle also experienced... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. The contact stated that there was an oil leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a total of 4 times. The dealer completed an oil consumption test and found that the engine was consuming one quart of engine oil every 100 miles driven. The vehicle had failed the oil consumption test twice. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determ... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 12, 2025
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking into the engine and that the engin... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 12, 2025
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
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 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
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving the vehicle with her boyfriend seated in the passenger’s seat, while approaching a stop sign at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was stopped safely on the side of the road, and then the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine briefly shuddered before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into several cylinders had caused damage to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RLX. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the oil change and tire rotation messages were displayed. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that an oil change and tire rotation were performed, and the contact was informed that the engine was knocking. The contact received a call notification from the dealer two days after the vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
See attached document for complaint
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 11, 2025
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact proceeded to stop the vehicle and park on the side of the highway to turn off and restart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was inform... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and DTC: P0302 and P0316 were retrieved. Additionally, the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 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 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: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Exhaust filter overloaded, drive to clean", after which the vehicle entered LIMP Mode, and was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ecosport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate and shake while depressing the accelerator pedal. The shaking of the vehicle forced the contact to pull over. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. 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: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was running roughly. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant in the cylinder. Additionally, the engine block was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
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 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
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 435I. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine stalled. The battery warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer determined that the VANOS bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and E... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, following the recall repair, the vehicle was stalling with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the same dealer. The contact stated that the dealer had diagnosed the vehicle and d... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the temperature gauge suddenly indicated that the engine was hot(H), before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle eventually shut off in the middle of the highway, and the contact was forced to manually push the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the resid... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while having a routine inspection at the local dealer, the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was an oil leak to the oil pan gasket that needed to be replaced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assista... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Jun 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer informed the contact that it was a known failure, and that the failure had occu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X7. The contact stated that after parking and later attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Starting Engine Possible After Engine Overheat" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact waited several hours before the vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the starter had overheated. The vehi... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 26, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was informed by her daughter that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering significantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was oil leaking onto the spark plugs and causing the spark plugs to short circuit. The dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic; however, the contact used an OBD scanner, which diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for the engine to cool down before continuing to drive. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump was leaking. The mechanic informed the co... Read more