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: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak into the engine and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the vehicle was started and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure and r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who confirmed the engine failure and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change by an independent mechanic, it was determined that there were metal shavings inside the oil filter. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE23023 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Engine). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was slowly losing coolant, and there was no indication of the location of the leak. While the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The contact's son refilled the coolant reservoir. The warning light went off and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 2500. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, there was diesel fuel leaking from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that there was diesel fuel leaking from the fuel filter connected to the diesel fuel heater. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted but no assistance was offered. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 29, 2024
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 20 mph the check engine and oil pressure warning lights had illuminated, a burning odor was present inside the vehicle and white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipes. The daughter was alerted by another motorist that the vehicle was on fire. After parking and exiting the vehicle flames an... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was initially towed to a friend's residence and then towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the timing belt and the oil pump dri... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered momentarily. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 27, 2024
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that 30 quarts of oil had been added to the vehicle in the past four months. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the freeway, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to exit the freeway; howeve... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light illuminated after a while. The vehicle was taken back to ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at higher speeds, the vehicle experienced a momentary loss of motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to Auto Zone where a diagnostic... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535I. The contact stated that the engine cooling fan was running at abnormal high speed upon starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, and the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated the vehicle was hesitating while starting the vehicle and was jerking into gear while shifted into drive(D). The contact stated that the failure also occurred while stopped at a traffic signal. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the hesitated and then lurched forward. The contact stated that the vehicle also los... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure occurred five months after the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started knocking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a valve adjustment, but the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 contact stated while driving at an un... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal excessively, the vehicle would respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant was leaking into a cylinder and the cylinder was cracked. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed and the vehicle shutoff. The contract stated that the failure was related to TSB: 19-2375. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic recommended an engine replace... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and refilling the coolant reservoir, the coolant leaked onto the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The heater hose was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. In addition, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an unclosed speed, the lower part of the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound and the vehicle was shuddering. The contact stated that the failure recurred upon starting the vehicle and while driving 20 MPH. The check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The v... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 27, 2024
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 26, 2024
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was thick white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes, and the engine was running rough while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the engine was overheating. The contact noticed white smoke coming from under the hood on the passenger's side. The check eng... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The contact stated that there was a coolant leak. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the engine overheated even though coolant had been added to the vehicle five days prior. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that various functions on the steering wheel including the horn, cruise control, and other electrical functions; all failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that a warranty had been placed on the vehicle for the clock spring which they linked to the failure. The steering... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was Illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that three out of the four cylinders had failed due to the coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotl... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 26, 2024
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle, before the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagn... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermostat was stuck opened, causing the check engine warning light to illuminate and the transmission oil coolant heat exchanger to be ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact stated while starting at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with cam phasers failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the temperature gauge rose to H(Hot). The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse(R), the vehicle started chugging. The message "High Engine Temperature Safely" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs had failed and needed to be replace... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); how... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to shift to revere, the vehicle jerked and hesitated before shifting into reverse. The contact stated that after shifting to drive, the RPM revved; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact released the accelerator pedal, shifted to neutral and back to drive while slowly depressing the accelerato... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500 HD
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the engine was overheating, and the vehicle started to shake with the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to shake with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there were metal shavings inside the oil pan and with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while her son was at a stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle shut off without warning, and started to roll backwards. The contact's son applied the parking brake and later restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the con... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2017
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an oil leak on the ground. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinders #1, #2 and #3. The dealer determined that th... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud bagging sound that became worse while the brake pedal was depressed. In addition, the contact stated that white smoke was coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with water pump and serpentine belt failure. The contact was informed th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle without warning. The contact then stated that upon exiting the driveway, there was a knocking and clamoring sound coming from the vehicle with the "Engine Oil Pressure Low" message displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who imm... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, or while the vehicle was cold started, the engine was running rough and making an abnormal clanking sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the connecting rod bearings were damaged and needed to be ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was coolant leaking from the engine. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 215,467.
THOR MOTOR COACH
WINDSPORT
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 25, 2024
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine 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 engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to b... Read more