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 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving and decelerating to 10 MPH on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart and was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a tune-up, the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion); however, the ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had caused a misfire in cylinders #2 and #3, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repair... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 BMW X5. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed coolant leaking from the lower end of the engine compartment with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance.... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 12, 2025
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The fai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on the first attempt. The contact stated that once the vehicle was started, there was a white-colored smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illumin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that there was a puddle of oil underneath the vehicle whenever the vehicle was parked. There was a burning fuel odor coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that there was oil and anti-freeze between the cylinder head and engine block, causing the head bolts to be stripped. The contact w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood. In addition, the contact noticed smoke inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part t... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 12, 2025
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was no coolant leak found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and loss automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two separate independent mechanics who both stated that the exhaust manifold was warped due to a fractured bolt. The contact was informed that the exhaust manifold needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure because the MIL was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. 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 issue... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 12, 2025
Incident date: Mar 12, 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 unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reas... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 12, 2025
Incident date: Dec 25, 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 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: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while that while the vehicle was in for service, the independent mechanic discovered fuel leaking from the fuel filter heater assembly. The contact was advised that the fuel filter heater assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was of... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was misfiring and hesitating to respond. Additionally, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that cylinders #2 and #3 were misfiring due to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Oct 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the parts to do the recall repair 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 manufacturer was not made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer on several occasions for abnormal oil consumption and a burning odor on the exterior of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where the PCV valve, valve cover gasket, sealant, drive belts, ribbed-V belt, RTV silicone ga... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a scan of the engine determined that the failure was related to a misfire. An independent mechanic replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils; however, the check engine warning light returned soon after the repa... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 11, 2025
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Stinger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V169000 (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 contact stated that there was a burning odor coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle near... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 11, 2025
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Engine oil too Hot” was displayed. While driving 60-70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power while driving uphill. The vehicle failed to shift into neutral. The contact went underneath the vehicle and removed the drive shaft. There were no warning lights illuminated. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that there was coolant underneath the vehicle inside the garage at the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon attempting to accelerate on a neighborhood street at 10 MPH, the vehicle started losing automotive power, and the vehicle proceeded to slow down, and then shut off. The engine coolant light was illuminated, with the low coolant message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 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 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: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that coolant would evaporate from the engine without warning. The contact stated that no warning lights or visible signs of a leak were present. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X7. The contact stated that upon a warm start of the engine, a "System Overheating re-starting engine possible after cooling" message intermittently appeared on the instrument panel. The contact would be forced to open the hood to allow the engine to cool for several minutes before the vehicle would start up and resume normal operation. The dealer was notified of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 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 re... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the engine experienced excessive oil consumption. Eventually, while at a stop light with the Auto START/STOP activated, the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer. The dealer indicated that the engine failed due to a loosened oil filte... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the power steering assist and brakes failed when the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that a message that the coolant level was high was displayed on the instrument panel and immediately after the message was displayed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Additionally, the windows failed to open and close, the doors failed to lock and unlock, and there were other unstated electrical malfunctions. The contact coasted o... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
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 not yet available. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while cranking and was shaking abnormally. The transmission and oil warning lights were illuminated. A message "... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shuddered and failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact scanned the vehicle with a scanner and retrieved an unknown c... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 10, 2025
Incident date: Jan 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 not made aware of t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the left cylinder head and the A/C condenser needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic made the contact aware of an ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 65-70 MPH on the highway, the engine seized after pulling into a parking lot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling rough. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed heat around the exterior of the front of the vehicle. In addition, the contact noticed an abnormal odor around the exterior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer wher... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450E 4MATIC
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH, the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a flaw in the engine design. The contact stated that coolant was leaking into the engine, causing engine failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because it was not under reca... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud cranking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a failure related to the intake manifold. The mechanic informed the contact that the intake manifold needed to be inspected or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign... Read more