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 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failur... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 7, 2025
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, there was an abnormal odor outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 7, 2025
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate and experienced a loss of automotive power. Additionally, the temperature gauge raised abnormally and was almost indicating that the engine was hot(H). The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection. The contact stated that the message "Fatal Error - Service Vehicle Immediately" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 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 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: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The contact stated that an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. 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
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine temperature gauge went to HOT, the vehicle decelerated, and the engine went into LIMP Mode. The engine overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump failed and needed to be replaced. The water pump... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
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 contacted. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The c... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the intended destination despite the failure. The vehicle was then driven to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic test indicated that there was ... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15-20 MPH, the message “Do not Drive” was displayed. The vehicle sat overnight; however, upon starting the vehicle the next day, the messages “Do not Drive” and “Add Coolant” were displayed. There were no visible leaks found. The contact added additional BMW coolant. The contact received notification of... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Veracruz. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V705000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning oil odor while idling and while driving the vehicle. The contact stated that as a former inde... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and started losing motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the transmission failed to shift as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted after several attempts. The contact s... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The contact was informed of Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03; however, the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the cylinder head-over temperature message was displayed. The contact stated that the engine started to vibrate while depressing the accelerator pedal. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and de... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was smoke and vapors emerging from underneath the hood and the engine became hot. The low oil warning light was illuminated. The oil level was extremely low. The contact added oil, but the oil dissipated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooli... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2004) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle intermittently shuddered. The check engine warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the engine compartme... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that upon his wife attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact's wife stated that she had previously heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment in the days prior to the failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Mar 3, 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
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Engine Malfunction" message was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle wa... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Feb 27, 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
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle failed to immediately start. Additionally, while the vehicle was idling the vehicle shut off and had to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the starter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were in... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated 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 check engine warning light... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 6, 2025
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning electrical odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine and low oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the battery had been replaced, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jumpstarted several times. The contact stated while driving 60-70 MPH and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact returned to the initial lane. The contact stated that the fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The local dealer was contacted; however, the dealer informed that contact that 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 ma... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot(H). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the water pump was replaced. The contact stated that several months later while in reverse(R), the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, the fan remained engaged for approximately 10 minutes. Additionally, the contact stated that the A/C system was intermittently inoperable. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, and the contact noticed that there was a coolant leak onto the floor of... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 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 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: May 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 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 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: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot(H). The contact pulled over, added water to the coolant reservoir, and the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was not diagnosed or ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failur... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. 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 restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated there was smoke entering the vehicle through the vents. In addition, the contact stated that smoke was coming from under the hood. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was in... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
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 called two other local dealers Ames Ford Lincoln (123 Airport Rd, Ames, IA 50010) and Stivers Ford Lincoln (1450 E Hickman Rd, Waukee, IA 50263); but the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 4, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); and the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic was updated to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. After the recall repair was completed, the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that while reaching over the passenger seat, the gear shifter was knocked into a lower gear and would not switch back into the drive gear. In addition, the contact stated she managed to pull over the shoulder of the road before going over a c... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the iss... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 4, 2025
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was black smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the EGR cooler and intake manifold had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 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 manufactu... Read more
WINNEBAGO
ADVENTURER
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 4, 2025
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
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 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: Mar 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 contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 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 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 stated while driving approximately 35 M... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced... Read more