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 6, 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 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 re... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the head gasket, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the new engine not be... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the message "Engine Failure" was displayed intermittently. The driver continued driving to a safe location. The contact stated upon noticing smoke coming from underneath the hood, the driver pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood. The contact stated that the driver saw flames... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 71 MPH, the engine lost power with the check engine and stability-track warning lights illuminated. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to a local gas station. The contact approached the gas station, and the vehicle shut off. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated that the water pump remained running while the vehicle was turned off, causing the battery to drain. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the thermostat, hoses, and water pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehi... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 6, 2025
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact stated upon approaching the vehicle, there was an excessive coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was draining abnormally fast. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the water pump was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the check engine and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to exit the interstate, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine before the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled off the Interstate, turned off, and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The message "Shut off Engine, Check Cooling" was displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the engine temperate gauge was elevated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cracked coolant line. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating warning light illuminated, and the engine overheated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact performed an inspection under the hood of the vehicle. The contact checked the coolant level and determined the coolant level was low and the coolant reser... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle had dealt with a loss of automotive power. A warning message "Shut off Engine, Check Cooling" had appeared in the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the engine temperate gauge had risen. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that at cold start-ups, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed and repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was caused by the cam phasers. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that several days later, the vehicle was difficult to start. The vehicle was started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that occasionally the "Coolant Level Low" message was displayed and after starting the vehicle and driving at various speeds, there was thick white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact decided to replace the head gasket and discovered that the engine block was cracked. The contact researched and became aware that the failure might be ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking sound from the engine compartment. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact arrived at the destination and checked under the engine compartment and saw engine oil covering the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact had recently had an o... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the rear suspension. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rear suspension. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred 4,000 miles later. The contact stated that ... Read more
A2ZEV
CHARGE ADAPTER
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 4, 2025
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with defective cam phasers and the cam phasers were replaced under warranty. The contact stated that almost two years later, the contact stated t... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 4, 2025
Incident date: Dec 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 74 MPH on the interstate, the vehicle lost motive power while accelerating. The vehicle felt like it was out of fuel. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Numb... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 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 dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle would not be serviced under rec... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 4, 2025
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. Additionally, an abnormal coolant odor was detected coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact added coolant to the reservoir, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact rela... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2010) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 4, 2025
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption, which required the contact to add coolant to the vehicle daily. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Trans Auto Repair... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
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: Feb 3, 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 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 co... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who observed a misfire in cylinder #4, and diagnosed a failure with the head gasket. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle and while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the sound was normal and was coming from the turbo. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated.... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 3, 2025
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the radiator due to a radiator leak. During the diagnostic test the engine failed, and... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that during cold weather conditions, the check engine and the low oil pressure warning lights illuminated intermittently. The failure had become constant over time. The contact who is a certified mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the camshaft had failed due to a camshaft position timing performance bank code. The contact rep... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while attempting to remote start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to manually start the vehicle however, the message "Service Emissions System - Speed Limited to 65 MPH" was displayed. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the "Check Engine” and “Speed Limit 65 MPH" messages were... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized with the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle lost electrical power and stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated before the screen went black. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The contact was informed that the battery did not suppor... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into the cylinder block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
Nov of 2023, overheated but no leak from engine was found and no antifreeze in radiator. TOOK to Mckie Ford they replaced the valve and noted thst there was antifreeze in the valve chamber and stated we needed a new engine. We purchased a new engine had it installed in Jan 2024 we paid for new engine. When we should not have as we did research on the engine and it was faulty but no recalls were in... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
Nov of 2023, overheated but no leak from engine was found and no antifreeze in radiator. TOOK to Mckie Ford they replaced the valve and noted thst there was antifreeze in the valve chamber and stated we needed a new engine. We purchased a new engine had it installed in Jan 2024 we paid for new engine. When we should not have as we did research on the engine and it was faulty but no recalls were in... Read more
TRIUMPH
STREET TRIPLE R
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Feb 1, 2025
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had resulted in damage to the engine... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle they heard an abnormal rattling sound emanating from the engine compartment. After the vehicle reached adequate temperatures, the rattling ceased but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing excessive coolant consumption, and the cooling fan was engaging increasingly, prompting the contact to add more coolant to the vehicle. The contact also noticed a strong coolant odor inside the cabin intermittently while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehic... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 31, 2025
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling in the driveway, the temperature gauge was showing that the indicator had raised to HOT, and the message "Engine Coolant over Temperature" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact shifted the gear selector into drive(D) and accelerated and the temperature gauge lowered back to the normal engine temperatu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the engine was misfiring with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The size of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe had increased over time. The “WRENCH” warning light remained illuminated. The check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was hesitating while attempting to start. The vehicle was tak... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 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 was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while stopped at a traff... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 30, 2025
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the engine seized. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ring around the engine needed to be replaced. There was an excessive a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to her son's residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The mechanic determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The local dealer ... Read more