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: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while attempting to activate the heating system, the heating system failed to activate. There was an abnormal coolant odor entering the vehicle through the vents. 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2019
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle was emitting white smoke from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that her husband had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and her husband had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2015
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was shaking abnormally, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact checked the engine bay and noticed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low level on coolant. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3 due to c... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 4, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 75 MPH, there was an abnormal coolant odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that her husband was adding coolant to the coolant reservoir weekly. The low coolant message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X1. The contact stated that while approaching an intersection at 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled and came to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving. However, shortly afterward, the vehicle stalled again. The contact allowed the vehicle to sit idle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle slowed down and came to a stop with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred on 4 separate occasions. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started losing coolant. The check engine warning light was illuminated. On another occasion, the engine started to overheat, and the coolant reservoir needed to be refilled weekly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. The local dealer was contacted; h... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V0999000 (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 suddenly stalled and shut off uni... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 BMW X5. The contact stated that after pulling into a parking space there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle and the engine started overheating. The contact added coolant immediately. There were no warning lights illuminated. The failure had occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump, thermostat... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ecosport. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the transmission failed to shift above second gear. In addition, the contact became aware of an abnormal ticking sound. The contact stated the sound was like the sound of a sewing machine. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated. Upon exiting the vehicle, the contact discovered that oil was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the oil cooler line needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin Num... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the "Engine Overheating Shut Down" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle remained at the residence. A dealer was contacted, and the dealer made the contact aware of an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not di... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 3, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda GL1800. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V820000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that upon contacting the dealer for the recall repair, the dealer informed the contact that the recall repair had already been performed. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair history indicated that the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool con... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure was a known issue and that the engine needed to be replaced; however, there was no recall on th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while accelerating, the engine made a winding noise and hesitated before accelerating. The contact noticed white smoke coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The smoke was coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the right and left superchargers had failed, causing oil to get... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the piston rings. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagno... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds uphill, the vehicle was shuddering, hesitating, with an engine misfire. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was a coolant leak into the engine, causing a misfire. The mechanic referred the contact to the local dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. While driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted right into the neighborhood and stopped in front of the neighbor's home. The vehicle remained parked. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt failed to lock in the latch intermittently... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC350. The contact stated while driving 62 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the temperature gauge warning light was illuminated and a message to “Stop Vehicle Immediately” was displayed. The contact attempted to merge to the side of the road; however, the vehicle started... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 3
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 3, 2025
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle occasionally stalled while the accelerator pedal was depressed. N... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering with the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway. The "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. The contact attem... Read more
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Mar 3, 2025
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V608000 (STEERING), 22V096000 (AIR BAGS) and 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the dealer and manufacturer informed the contact there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving through a snowstorm on the highway at 35 MPH, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power and decelerated to 20 MPH. The check engine and engine temperature warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled off on the next exit and parked the vehicle... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 28, 2025
Incident date: Feb 21, 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 the vehicle had received an oil change in October and the contact was informe... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off as the oil pressure and check engine warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact initially restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle shut off again after driving several miles and failed to restart. Due to the failure, the vehicle was first towed to an independent mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power with the message "Stop the Vehicle - Engine Overheating" was displ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
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 accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 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 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 repa... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 28, 2025
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03; as the probable cause for the failure... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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 issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufactured had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
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 made aware of the issue. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic discovered coolant intrusion into several cylinders. The vehicle was then diagnosed with a defective lon... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, "The Engine Coolant Low" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact's husband inspected the vehicle and noticed that there was no coolant inside the reservoir. The contact's husband added coolant to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the veh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 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 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: Dec 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the engine fault warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-2375 or 20-2100. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant leak in the engine and that the engine neede... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking violently, and the engine made rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to f... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was a loud knock sound coming from the engine compartment, and afterward, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecti... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 27, 2025
Incident date: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the differential was leaking fluid. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to immediately start after refueling. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights were flashing on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after receiving an oil change, the engine oil was low within a week. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the oil level was topped off, and the contact was informed that the engine oil co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Fire
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked at the residence, the contact raised the hood to inspect the engine and became aware that the coolant bypass valve was leaking coolant. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the coolant bypass valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
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 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 r... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 27, 2025
Incident date: Feb 27, 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 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 of the issue. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25-30 MPH, the vents were blowing out cold air. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was adding coolant to the coolant reservoir every three to four days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coolant was leaking into the exhaust pipe.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle was hesitating and there was excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the piston rings were faulty, and the engine needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot(H). No warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the highway, however, upon pulling over to the side of the road, the vehicle shut off and coasted to a stop. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was ... Read more