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: Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that an appointment was scheduled with t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 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 contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 30, 2025
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then to a dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not r... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 30, 2025
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact noticed an abnormal exhaust odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a fuel leak. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after the first failure, the vehicle was taken to th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while his son was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that there was oil underneath the front end of the vehicle. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact noticed oil leaking from the top of the oil canister. The contact looked online and found a recall related to the failure experienced; however, the contact could not recall the NHTSA Campaign Number. The vehicle had not be... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2025
Incident date: Jan 24, 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 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 iss... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed there was white smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed tha... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2025
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, causing coolant to leak into the oil, which caused the engine to fail. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that it was a factory defect. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle started to leak coolant. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the engine started to overheat. The temperature gauge registered a high temperature. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing the engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2025
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the message that the vehicle was in neutral was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle however, the gear shifter failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was towed by AAA to the dealer and the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the ... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 29, 2025
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, messages indicating an emission and TPMS failure, and other unknown messages were displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be rest... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel failed to move as intended and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving at a slow speed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the pinion steering gear failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while stopped in the driveway, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. The hill assist, traction control, brake, fuel empty, and the engine overheating warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle went into battery-saving mode. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while idling at a stop light or while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure was intermittent at first but became a constant failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the variable camshaft timing (VCT) system had failed and needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The message "System Overheating - Restarting Engine Possible After Cooling" was displayed. The contact called AAA, who attempted to start the vehicle and shift to neutral(N), but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was towed to the residence with a special tow truck. The vehicle was able to be jum... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure due to coolant intrusion into one of the cylinders. The contact was provi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that over time the vehicle became slow to start and that the engine was rattling and shaking abnormally at start-up. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that when slowing down to come to a stop, the vehicle was jumping and hesitating, causing the contact to shift into neutral(N) to stop the vehicle and prevent the vehicle from shaking. There was a fuel odor that smelled like rotten eggs. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated at first but became a constant failure. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 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 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: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearings, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact became aware that the vehicle was leaking oil. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle started to leak coolant. The coolant level warning light was illuminated with an audible chime. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated there was a ticking sound coming from the engine compartment while starting the vehicle and while accelerating at various speeds, and while the vehicle was idling. The contact stated that the sound was intermittent at first but had become constant. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 28, 2025
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 20 MPH, the message "Please pull over immediately, temperature high" was displayed. The contact stated that his daughter pulled over immediately, shut off the vehicle, allowed the vehicle to cool down, and refilled the coolant reservoir before proceeding to restart her vehicle, and continuing to drive. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle backfired and sputtered. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH while driving uphill. Additionally, the contact noticed the presence of strong fumes inside the cabin, which cause... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 28, 2025
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the LIMP Mode warning light illuminated and indicated to stop the vehicle. In addition, the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence and a friend diagnosed the vehicle. The contact was informed that the CP4 pump, hard lines, and injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 27, 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 not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed an abnormal burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing intermittently on the instrument panel. The contact became aware of heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a misfire was de... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine failure, auto park, and restart engine messages were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost motive power. The contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, after shifting into drive(D) and depressing the accelerator pedal,... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
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 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 failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, a message to pull over immediately was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the c... Read more
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2009) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 25, 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 contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start. The check engine warning light... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO EV
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with an unknown pump failure. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-45 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was coolant leaking into the cylinder head, and the short block engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was a misfire in the engine and there was coolant leaking into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti Q50. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low Oil Pressure - STOP", message was displayed, and the contact stopped driving the vehicle. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine was abnormally loud. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment while accelerating and there was a loud popping sound coming from the engine compartment shortly afterwards. The low oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Firestone and was diagnosed with engine failure. The v... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers and timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired the first time the failure occurred. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a clanking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact stated that while the vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine, and there was a misfire in c... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2025
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall rep... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 24, 2025
Incident date: Jan 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X4. 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 failur... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2018 BMW 530I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, and the warning light turned off; however, the check engine light soon returned. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test discovered that coolant and freon had leaked from the turbo lines, causing ... Read more