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: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. 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 conta... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V025000 (Suspension); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was hydraulic fluid leaking from the v... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 20, 2025
Incident date: Feb 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle jerked and made abnormal sounds. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil pump drive belt failure had caused the engine to fail. The dealer determined that the engi... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 20, 2025
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 made aware of the i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced, and the engine control softw... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Pull Over Immediately" message was displayed. The contact's wife pulled over, and the "Hill Start Assist Problem", "Collision Mitigation System Problem", "Road Departure Mitigation Problem", and "Blind Spot Info System Problem" messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the de... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 20, 2025
Incident date: Feb 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 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 made aware of the iss... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F 350 SD. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty coolant temperature sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer; Power Ford (1101 Montaño Rd NE, Albuquer... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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. The manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal beeping sound and then unexpectedly shut off. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the "Engine Fault Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was restarted, but the engine overheated. The contact added coolant to the reservoir; however, the failure persisted. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (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 conta... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 19, 2025
Incident date: Dec 4, 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 unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated with an abnormal, k... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking and rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 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 not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 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 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428I. The contact was notified 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 an abnormal oil burning odor was coming from the vehicle. The check engine... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change. While driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle began to make an abnormal knocking and squealing sound. The vehicle began to jerk. The driver turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like the failure listed i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact stated that the coolant level message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was then notified 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owned a 2014 BMW 528i. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that a neighbor knocked on the door and informed the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned to total loss. The fire caused damage to the asphalt where the v... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that coolant intrusion had been found in the short block of the engine, and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while her grandmother was driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that his grandmother called him, and he went to the site of the failure. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted. However, the vehicle drove slowly. The check engine warning light was il... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated that the carbon monoxide detector sounded an alarm from the living room. The contact stated that her husband was unable to turn off the carbon monoxide alarm and called the Fire Department. The Fire Department arrived and determined that the vehicle, which had been parked in the garage of the residence, had experienced a thermal event in the engin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while accelerating to 70 MPH to overtake a dump truck, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. During the failure, the message "Transmission in Neutral" was displayed and the vehicle coasted to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 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 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 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. The coolant level low message was displayed. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was raised to HOT. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an engine cooling failure The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and r... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak from the radiator hose. The contact was informed that the radiator hose needed to be repla... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2008) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2025
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she noticed the water meter gauge was lower than normal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. Upon further inspection, the c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving out of the school parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block was fractured, and there was coolant i... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2025
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine cooling, Electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Jan 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the "Service Immediately" message was displayed, and the vehicle started losing motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the oil pump had failed a... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 18, 2025
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off after the engine became hot. The engine and oil lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and dete... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal rubbing sound and hesitated to respond, causing the braking distance to be extended. The brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the internal trunk release lever was inopera... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was dia... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated while at a stop light, the gear shifter independently shifted into neutral. The contact stated after several attempts, the gear shifter was shifted into park. The contact stated that the gear shifter had seized in park(P). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with internal starter motor shortage. The contact was informed tha... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated with the message "Pull Over Engine Overheating" displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while stopped at an intersection, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shaking. The contact smelled an abnormal burned plastic odor and observed that there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that the "Low Oil Pressure" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that there was an abnormal shaking and vibrating coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a nearby mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that cylinders #3 and #4 had lost compression, and the engine needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the engine overheated. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The thermostat symbol was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that an unknown hose was cracked. The mechanic performed a compression test, and the top of the radiator was cracked. The vehicle was repaired, but th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact heard a loud banging sound coming from the engine compartment. In addition, there was blue smoke entering the cabin of the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her sister was operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the long block engine was faulty and needed to be replaced, due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assista... Read more