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
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 13, 2025
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X5. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed and the battery needed to be registered. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the VIN was not include... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began vibrating abnormally, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled and the contact was forced to park on the side of the road to attempt to restart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 13, 2025
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the pulley tensioner was replaced; however, the failure recurred approximately three months later. The contact was informed by the dealer that the engine was previously replaced as an interim repair under NHTSA Campaign... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that DTC: P1326 was displayed on the instrument panel, with the message, “For Your Safety – Please Pull Over” displayed. The contact pulled over and opened the hood and there was a green liquid ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front and rear exterior lights shut off unexpectedly. The contact turned off the light switch and then back on and the failure was fixed. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption, and engine oil was added shortly after having an oil change performed. The vehicle also experienced... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. The contact stated that there was an oil leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a total of 4 times. The dealer completed an oil consumption test and found that the engine was consuming one quart of engine oil every 100 miles driven. The vehicle had failed the oil consumption test twice. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking into the engine and that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 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 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
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 12, 2025
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving the vehicle with her boyfriend seated in the passenger’s seat, while approaching a stop sign at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was stopped safely on the side of the road, and then the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine briefly shuddered before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into several cylinders had caused damage to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Acura RLX. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the oil change and tire rotation messages were displayed. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that an oil change and tire rotation were performed, and the contact was informed that the engine was knocking. The contact received a call notification from the dealer two days after the vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact proceeded to stop the vehicle and park on the side of the highway to turn off and restart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was inform... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and DTC: P0302 and P0316 were retrieved. Additionally, the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 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 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 i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Exhaust filter overloaded, drive to clean", after which the vehicle entered LIMP Mode, and was unable to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 11, 2025
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate and shake while depressing the accelerator pedal. The shaking of the vehicle forced the contact to pull over. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 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 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
CURT
ECHO TRAILER BRAKE CONTRO
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 11, 2025
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was running roughly. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant in the cylinder. Additionally, the engine block was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 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 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: Apr 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 435I. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine stalled. The battery warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer. The dealer determined that the VANOS bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and E... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E300
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528i. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, following the recall repair, the vehicle was stalling with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the same dealer. The contact stated that the dealer had diagnosed the vehicle and d... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the temperature gauge suddenly indicated that the engine was hot(H), before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle eventually shut off in the middle of the highway, and the contact was forced to manually push the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the resid... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while having a routine inspection at the local dealer, the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was an oil leak to the oil pan gasket that needed to be replaced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assista... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer informed the contact that it was a known failure, and that the failure had occu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X7. The contact stated that after parking and later attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Starting Engine Possible After Engine Overheat" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact waited several hours before the vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the starter had overheated. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was informed by her daughter that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering significantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was oil leaking onto the spark plugs and causing the spark plugs to short circuit. The dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic; however, the contact used an OBD scanner, which diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for the engine to cool down before continuing to drive. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump was leaking. The mechanic informed the co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and the contact discovered that there was an unknown fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. 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 vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 had not experienced a failure. Parts dis... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 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
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 10, 2025
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 430I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Coolant Low" message was displayed, prompting the contact to add coolant to the coolant reservoir. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mec... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
Engine coolant leak at the back of the engine, coming from the turbo coolant hose. My truck is in the year range for the recall, and is leaking bad. Recall said could cause fires.
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
Engine coolant leak at the back of the engine, coming from the turbo coolant hose. My truck is in the year range for the recall, and is leaking bad. Recall said could cause fires.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The low-pressure oil light illuminated. 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 e... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 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 contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started to lose power. The contact was able to continue driving and the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. Despite the failure, the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and it ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 7, 2025
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of the roadway, and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact was assisted by a bystander in pushing the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway to a safe location. The low oil and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was to... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 7, 2025
Incident date: Feb 6, 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 contact stated while at a complete stop, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road with assis... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 7, 2025
Incident date: Jul 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that upon checking the coolant reservoir, the contact became aware that the coolant level was low. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact used a diagnostic scanner and retrieved fault codes for a misfire in cylinders #1 and #2. The contact resea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost automotive power and almost shut off. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that later while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle started to lose motive power, started jerking back and forth, and there was white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact merged to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 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 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 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 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 the vehicle stalled while driving and came to a complete stop on two occasions. The vehicle was able to restart, and the contact resum... Read more