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: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. 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 and confirmed that the parts were not available... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that the oil reservoir was constantly needing to be refilled. The contact stated that he had to have the oil changed and added every 4 weeks. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed due to eng... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C250
(2013) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 10, 2025
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 45 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power, causing the acceleration to be reduced to 25 MPH, while also causing the vehicle to shake aggressively. The vehicle was driven to the residence and then towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the "Engine Overheating" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 10, 2025
Incident date: Oct 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 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 fa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered with white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leak into the engine. The contact was informed that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the fuel module and fuel tank. The failure eventually reoccurred, and the fuel rail sensor was replaced; however, the failure recurred ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was white exhaust smoke coming from the exhaust pipe while inspecting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion); however, the vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 48 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot, and the “Warning – Pull Over - Engine Overheating” was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to allow the engine to cool down. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the message that the engine was overheating was ag... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle began to lose automotive power and reduced speeds and smoke was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to the home and while parked in the garage the temperature gauge indicated that the engine temperature was extremely hot. The vehicle was later towed to the local de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the "Engine Overheated" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion i... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2010) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 9, 2025
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as coolant intrusion leaked into the cylinder which caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 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 repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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 distribution d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
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 repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, sh... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 330E. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, stalled, and restarted independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V576000 (ELECTRICAL SY... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the engine RPMs would sporadically increase and decrease between 500 and 2,000 RPM and the vehicle would not properly accelerate when pressing the accelerator pedal. Also, the check engine light began to intermittently blink on and off. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at various undisclosed speeds, an abnormal sound could be heard coming from the engine and a fuel-burning odor leaked into the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The transmission jerked while driving. The failure occurred on several occasions. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (FUEL S... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plug failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinders one and four result... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact's son stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and white smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions and the coolant level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 35 MPH, the engine stalled, and all of the warning lights were illuminated. The contact proceeded to pull over onto the side of the road where she attempted to restart her vehicle however the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had exper... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact that the engine coolant over temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine coolant system failed and needed to be repaired, The vehicle was not repaired. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the temperature gauge began to indicate the vehicle was overheating after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independen... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that when he started the vehicle he saw that the check engine light had illuminated and was idling roughly. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was advised by the dealer that there was a manufa... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 8, 2025
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was scanned for codes and the failure was related to the coolant in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired The manufacturer was notified of the failure, opened a case, and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The VIN was not included... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while the temperature was 45 degrees or lower, the vehicle failed to start properly, and the engine failed to warm up properly. The coolant light was illuminated, and the engine temperature gauge failed to rise above COLD. The vehicle occasionally failed to start or while started and driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled while an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufa... Read more
FREIGHTLINER
M2
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 7, 2025
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from under the hood and entering the vehicle through the A/C vents. The contact waited a while before driving to the residence. The contact was unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The failure reoccurred while stopped at a traffic light with smoke coming from under the hood on... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an oil change and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking from the water pump and that the water pump needed to be replaced to prevent further damage to the internal components of the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate ... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
MOMENTUM
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 7, 2025
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
The contact owned a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the A/C became inoperable and made an abnormally loud sound. The contact then noticed an abnormal burning wiring odor, and there was smoke coming out of the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she attempted to pull to the side of the road, but could not safely do so. The contact co... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 16, 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floor... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the inside of the cabin filled up with smoke and exhaust fumes. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely. The contact was able to continue driving to the residence and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with an internal coolant leak into the cylinder. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving on the highway at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that her daughter was able to pull over onto the side of the road and restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle was driving at a reduced speed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence and then w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
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
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle while at a stop. The contact detected fumes underneath the hood and there was oil on the alternator. The contact stated that the tires were replaced, but the vehicle was not aligned. The contact stated that the driveshaft had dropped and was making an abnormal rubbing sound. The oil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and jerked abnormally before accelerating. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while accelerating from the vehicle idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the crankca... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG ML63
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 7, 2025
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The engine fault service immediately message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder had misfired. The coolant was flooding the engine. The dealer recommended an engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the engine hesitated prior to stalling and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact proceeded to pull over onto the side of the road, where the contact attempted to restart the vehicle but failed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine was blow... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving at 35 to 40 MPH, the engine stalled. However, the vehicle rolled slowly; the contact stated an abnormal sound could be heard coming from the engine. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and received unknown... Read more
LAND ROVER
DISCOVERY
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Jan 6, 2025
Incident date: Jan 5, 2025
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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of 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. The contact had not exp... Read more
Incident date: Nov 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 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: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 state... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 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 confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was mad... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 13 MPH, there was smoke coming through the vents from the AC unit being activated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor coming from through the vents causing nausea. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
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 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 co... Read more