Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 40,517 complaints — component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Jun 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved significantly. The contact stated upon shifting to park(P), the vehicle jerked and remained parked. The contact then turned off the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while at a complete stop and depressing the brak... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V704000 (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 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VI... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting into gear. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D) on several occasions, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shuddere... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it had caught fire causing the entire vehicle to burst into flames, from the front end to the rear end. The fire department was called and extinguish the fire. The fire department determined the fire had started from the engine. A police report was filed. There were no injuries and no medical attention need... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle hesitated. Additional pressure was applied, and the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 2... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine was louder than usual, and the vehicle was running rough while driving at various speeds and idle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with low compression in cylinders #2 and #3 with a PSI of 801 in cylinders 1 and 4 with a PSI of 100. The dealer informed the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. 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 issue... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the engine started to overheat. There was an abnormal odor of coolant being distributed through the vents. The contact was able to pull over and noticed that the temperature gauge was past high. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like Technical Service B... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact discovered that smoke was coming out of the exhaust. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagno... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine malfunction, ABS, and Hill Assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was unaware of the diagnostic result. The vehicle was repaired; however, the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMX 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: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine's long block needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cylinder #4 injector. The dealer also informed the co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted but failed to exceed 30 MPH while driving. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the engine was replaced. The vehicle was r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle regained power, and the contact was able to continue driving at slower speeds. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and went into LIMP Mode before regaining powe... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
GIULIA
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The contact’s son owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that his son attempted to start the vehicle and became aware that the engine was struggling to turn over. The check engine warning light illuminated and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust. The contact checked under the hood and the coolant level was significantly low. The contact’s son left the vehicle parked. The local... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon shifting to park(P) to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart, and the gear shifter remained stuck in park(P). The vehicle was dragged to the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and shut off in the middle of the highway. The contact stated that all the warning lights had been illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the dealer found no cause for... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2020) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the part free of charge but charged a ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that upon slowing down, the vehicle rocked back and forth violently. The contact stated that the check engine and reduced engine power warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 23 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle coasted off to the side of the road. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent dealer where the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the eng... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 18, 2024
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving on the highway at 50 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power, decelerated, and stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road however, the vehicle failed to restart. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was inform... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
Bypass Coolant Valve malfunctioned resulting in Engine Maintenance Required triggered. Because I do distance driving at high speeds, any potential engine issue poses a risk to safety. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer/service center. The component in question has not been inspected by the manufacturer. The warning sign that states "Engine Maintenance Required" appeared on the dashboard an... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
Bypass Coolant Valve malfunctioned resulting in Engine Maintenance Required triggered. Because I do distance driving at high speeds, any potential engine issue poses a risk to safety. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer/service center. The component in question has not been inspected by the manufacturer. The warning sign that states "Engine Maintenance Required" appeared on the dashboard an... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
The contact’s boyfriend owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The owner 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 contact stated while her boyfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle l... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed, and the audible alarm was sounded while driving at approximately 35 MPH. The contact stated that the heater failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion i... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and then lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
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 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: Dec 9, 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 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. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop, the Auto START/STOP feature was activated, but the engine failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. Additionally, the transmission intermittently shifted to neutral(N) or park(P) while at a complete stop. The Collision Mitigation Braking System warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle however, the message "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal exhaust odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was abnormally strong. The contact stated that exhaust fumes were entering the vehicle through the vents. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local deale... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an abnormal white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the message "Overheating" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact inspected the coolant level and noticed no coolant in the coolant ... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 16, 2024
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shuddered abnormally and almost stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence and while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that water and coolant were leaking under the engine compartment. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start immediately and r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the coolant had leaked out of the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was eventually taken to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that there was coolant inside the cylinders, causin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine causing a misfire in cylinders #1 and #2. The contact was informed that the engine's long block needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was partially inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. Additionally, 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 de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting a vibrating and rattling noise while driving. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated while driving uphill and accelerating, the engine backfired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the en... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 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 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
HONDA
CIVIC HATCHBACK
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 16, 2024
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds on two occasions, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH. Additionally, the message "Service Emissions" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the diesel particulate filter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with an engine misfire and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 Kia K5. The contact stated that the engine made an abnormally loud sound while driving and idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the tensioner and the pulley were worn out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact sta... Read more
Crash
3 injured