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: Nov 25, 2024
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 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 22, 2024
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The message that there was “No Oil Pressure” was displayed. The vehicle decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was restarted but failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The contact pulled over safely. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V9... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the contact noticed a coolant leak on the floor. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
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
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the engine started revving abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the local AutoZone to be diagnosed and DTC code: P0303 (Engine Misfire – Cylinder #3) was retrieved. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the veh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted immediately after the first failure; however, the vehicle failed to start immediately after all other failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was no longer able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate with the "Engine Fault" message displayed. The contact stated that the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son was driving 30 MPH, the message "Hot" was displayed. The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to Gear Repair, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was leaking coolant into the engine block and cylinders. The dealer was notified of the failure and related the failure to Customer Satisfacti... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and d... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet ava... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 22, 2024
Incident date: May 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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 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. Th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during start-up, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The rattling sound occurred while attempting to accelerate and the contact discovered that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating violently, with the check en... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (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
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon inspection it was discovered that coolant level was extremely low. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate, with white exhaust smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then failed to start and was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local O'Reilly's who diagnosed the vehicle with the cylinder #1 misfire. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the eng... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while starting and while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Honest-1 Auto Care, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the engine. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the diagnostic result was confirmed. The dealer determined... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during start-up there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the vehicle was not... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 21, 2024
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light Illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was at the dealer for an engin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the v... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the water pump had failed and needed to ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 20, 2024
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet ava... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated 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 mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact discovered that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the flex plate and transmission clip needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 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 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. Th... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 20, 2024
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light illuminated; however, the seat belt was securely fastened. Additionally, the contact stated that the front headlight bulbs were replaced; however, the following day the bulbs were blown. The contact stated that the alternator was repl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently, after which, the vehicle lost motive power. The engine stability warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil cooler, resulting in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered an unknown fluid leak. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the water pump had failed and caused radiator fluid to leak from the vehicle. The contact was provided an estimate for the replacemen... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the engine started running rough and then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was blowing white smoke from the exhaust and was idling rough while starting the vehicle in the morning. The contact stated that the "Coolant Overheating" warning light was illuminated. The contact had take... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 20, 2024
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering violently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact made inquiries of the indepe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
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 dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not ex... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); 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 repair. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to start the vehicle after the sixth attempt. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was not replaced; however, the battery was replaced. The contact re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump plug connector. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. The v... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 19, 2024
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was eventually started, but the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the engine. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine wa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated, and the messages "Low Coolant" and "Service Engine" were displayed. Upon inspection, the contact identified a damaged coolant hose causing coolant to leak onto several electrical wires within the engine compartment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notifi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the engine overheated and the contact pulled over safely. The contact waited for the vehicle to cool down before driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mecha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Edge. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that there was coolant inside the oil. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic who confirmed the failure and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided and estimate for a diagnostic test however, th... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distrib... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The message "Service Engine" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessiv... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. While driving approximately 42 MPH, the engine started sputtering, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message to “Service the Engine” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the #2 coil and spark plug neede... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was white-colored smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact replenished the coolant fluid soon after noticing the smoke. The following day, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm, and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe at start-up. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine block. T... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while at a stop light, smoke and flames were suddenly present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed to an inbound facility. No report was taken and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not de... Read more
Fire
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 18, 2024
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that soon after starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 35 MPH and was driven to an independent mechanic. A diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle and the contact was instructed ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 18, 2024
Incident date: Nov 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine was running rough and made an abnormal knocking sound at start-up and while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated at start-up. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the heating system was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic at the gas station, where the contact was informed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The mechanic added coolant to the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The ve... Read more