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: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated when the vehicle started, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with failed variable camshaft timing (VCT) cam phasers. The contact was informed that the VCT cam phasers and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a code reader retrieved information for a defect with the EVAP system. The EVAP system was replaced by another independent mechanic; however, the chec... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine before the vehicle stalled. The engine over-temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted; however, while driving 5 MPH, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact became aware of an oil leak. The contact stated that the leak was small. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine oil cooler needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact had previ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 50 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond before the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, engine oil nee... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate uphill while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle lost automotive power, and her daughter was able to pull over to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, wher... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving at approximately 25-35 MPH for approximately two miles, the engine started overheating. The oil pan gasket was leaking. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V779000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). There were several hoses that were split. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Ram 1500. The contact stated that immediately after purchasing the vehicle, the vehicle experienced various electrical failures that included the vehicle not starting, and the message "Key Fob not in vehicle" was displayed. Additionally, the check engine warning light activated along with the message engine overheating. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlight f... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the blinking check engine warning light activated along with the message "Engine Coolant Temperature High". The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the vehicle was towed to the local mechanic and was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the coolant had... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 21, 2025
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2018
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle repeatedly jolted and jerked, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the crankshaft sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the RPM increased quickly, but failed to maintain automotive power. The contact stated that the message "CVT fault service immediately" was displayed. The CVT warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the CVT and electronic oil pump. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 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 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
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 21, 2025
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a car wash, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and replaced the A-pillar trim. The contact stated that after ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 21, 2025
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered upon depression of the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the torque converter was replaced. Recently, upon exiting a rest stop at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several messages on the instrument pa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound, the engine overheated, and the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care, wher... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the oil light illuminated, and the contact became aware that there was oil leaking from the oil pan. The contact also became aware that there was a rod that had slightly detached from the oil pan. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the failure was linked to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (E... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2002) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 21, 2025
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire. Additionally, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic inspected the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to have the tires serviced, and the independent mechanic informed the contact that the water pump needed to be replaced. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the dealer diagnosed and confirmed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact's husband stated that while driving 20 MPH, while attempting to turn into a parking lot, and another vehicle was attempting to exit the same parking lot, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's husband depressed the brake pedal, the brake pedal seized, and ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that while at a stop sign, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had a rough start prior to the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was pushed into a nearby local independent service center, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak intrusion ... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 20, 2025
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was shaking, and the engine made a loud knocking sound. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode and was towed to the dealer. The dealer determined that the connecting rod bearings had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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, the vehicle lost motive power... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated, the vehicle had been in for service just days prior to the warning light being illuminated. After a visual inspection of the oil dipstick, the contact observed that the oil level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent m... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 20, 2025
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X1. 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle started shaking. The check engine warning light became illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a misfire in cylinder #3. The spark plugs and coil pack were replaced; however, the following day, there was no antifreeze in the coolant reservoir. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owned a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that his wife had parked the vehicle in the residence driveway and was bringing purchases into the residence when she returned to the vehicle she observed that gray smoke was being emitted from under the hood. The contact came out to the driveway, observed the smoke, and saw that flames were coming from the driver's and passenger side of the... Read more
Fire
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 20, 2025
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact became aware of white smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion inside cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failur... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 20, 2025
Incident date: Feb 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated after the failure had occurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related to the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Eng... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2017
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure had originated from the ... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
REFLECTION
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 20, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge started to indicate that the engine was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The engine overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made an abnormal knocking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the fan and performed an oil change a week before the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who determined that the engine needed to be r... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Lexus LX600. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experien... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an oil leak coming from the upper oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the dealer attempted to repair the leak with a seal. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where an oil pan bolt was repl... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Mar 19, 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 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
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. 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 was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The low oil warning light w... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after adding coolant to the coolant reservoir, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the contact used an electrical starter and became aware that there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. While opening the vehicle, the contact became aware of a strong chemical odor coming into the cabin of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced hard shifting and shuddering, with a pinging sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the message "Engine Coolant Over-Temperature" was displayed, and the temperature gauge warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted after 20 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a de... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Feb 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The 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 co... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the overheating and engine fault warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact's husband inspected the vehicle and became aware that the engine had a cracked cylinder head. The vehicle was not diagnosed or ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered an abnormal odor coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a cracked cylinder head and that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was no... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Feb 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart but was shuddering significantly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a fractured valve in cylinder #1. The dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was an abnormal knocking sound while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact had to add oil to the engine after an oil change. The oil level had been low by one quart, three quarts, or even more on several occasions. There were no warning lights illuminated. The ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 19, 2025
Incident date: Nov 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at high speeds, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment and from the exhaust pipes. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a handheld scanner to retrieve DTC: P1299 (Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor Detected Engine Overheating Condition). The vehicle was not diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal coolant consumption was noticed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2014
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, there was a puddle of liquid with an abnormal odor underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an unknown recall repair, and a message was displayed. The message “Stop vehicle immediately to prevent engine damage” was disp... Read more