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 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at Meineke Auto for an oil change, the contact was informed that there was a significant amount of oil in the engine bay and the engine was smoking. Additionally, the contact was informed that there was no coolant in the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact safely guided the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. In addition, the contact noticed white smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
Low oil warming reading, physical oil level is fine. Dealer claming software glitch issue affecting oil readings, no fix available.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2023
Low oil warming reading, physical oil level is fine. Dealer claming software glitch issue affecting oil readings, no fix available.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact stated that intermittently, while driving at undisclosed speeds and depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal odor of smoke. The braking lamp malfunction light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was related to the engine, engine cooling, and electrical system. The contact received notifi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine warning light Illuminated. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine while parking the vehicle at work. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact noticed liquid underneath the vehicle where the radiator system was located. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the radiator and coolant system had failed. The radiator and coolant were replaced. After having the repair completed, the contact had the vehicle inspected for the DMV admission test and the vehicle was reported... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528i. The contact that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed that an unusual amount of smoke would leak from under the hood. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery may need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the next day the contact noticed that the battery wa... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 26, 2024
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 70-75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The front of the vehicle began to jerk. The contact was able to pull over to a rest area before the engine seized. The vehicle failed to crank up. The contact used a scope to see if the camshaft was moving. The low pressure and engine light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 26, 2024
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V576000(Electrical System, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was discovered that the recall software update remedy could not be completed due to the telemarket control module failing and needing to be replaced prior to the recall remedy. The vehicle was not repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
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 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 iss... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, a "Turn off engine, No oil pressure" message appeared and was accompanied by a warning chime alert. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The contact then observed condensation leaking under the front of the vehicle and condensation in the street leading to the vehicle. The vehicle... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 26, 2024
Incident date: Dec 23, 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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 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 contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was leaking oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil separator, PCV Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve, and gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. who confirmed... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (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 disco... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, there would be a vibrating sensati... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over safely. The check engine warning light was illuminated upon restarting. The vehilce was towed to an unknown location. The vehilce was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized. The dealer declined to repair the vehilce under ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
The contact owned a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled which caused another vehicle to crash into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The failure occurred on several different occasions where the vehicle would stall. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The air bags were deployed. No injuries were sustained. A ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND WAGONEER
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2024
Incident date: Nov 16, 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 contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicles with a presen... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. 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
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2009) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2024
Incident date: Dec 23, 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 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... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2024
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine stalled. The engine would decrease in engine RPMs. The vehicle was able to restart however the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was provided manufacturer's recall number: PI1802A. The manufacturer was contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Infiniti QX30. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the diagnostic trouble codes P052E71 and P053A-00 were retrieved. The mechanic determined that the crankcase ventilation system intake valve had failed. The mechanic also informed the contact that the vehicle was a Mercedes-Benz vehi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated and that the hood of the vehicle was trembling while an abnormal sound came from the engine upon starting the vehicle. The contact also stated that while driving the vehicle at various speeds the engine would stall. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to a local deale... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 23, 2024
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated, and shuddered upon depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal on some occasions. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed an abnormal oil odor in... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on occasion. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder block and that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough starts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #4, and there was coolant intrusion in the cylinder head. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced and r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving 50-60 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and out of the exhaust pipes. The coolant temperature warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle sputtered and stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer,... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine started to overheat with the check engine and power steering warning lights illuminated. The temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was running hot(H). There was white smoke coming from the engine. Due to the failure, the contact pulled over and initially had the vehicle towed to the. The vehicle was lat... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while parked, it was discovered that the vehicle was slowly losing coolant. The failure became a reoccurring failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, a diagnostic test was pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact refe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved significantly. The contact stated upon shifting to park(P), the vehicle jerked and remained parked. The contact then turned off the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while at a complete stop and depressing the brak... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (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. VI... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting into gear. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D) on several occasions, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shuddere... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 3500
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it had caught fire causing the entire vehicle to burst into flames, from the front end to the rear end. The fire department was called and extinguish the fire. The fire department determined the fire had started from the engine. A police report was filed. There were no injuries and no medical attention need... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle hesitated. Additional pressure was applied, and the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 2... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine was louder than usual, and the vehicle was running rough while driving at various speeds and idle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with low compression in cylinders #2 and #3 with a PSI of 801 in cylinders 1 and 4 with a PSI of 100. The dealer informed the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the engine started to overheat. There was an abnormal odor of coolant being distributed through the vents. The contact was able to pull over and noticed that the temperature gauge was past high. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like Technical Service B... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 3500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 19, 2024
Incident date: Jun 11, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact discovered that smoke was coming out of the exhaust. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagno... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine malfunction, ABS, and Hill Assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was unaware of the diagnostic result. The vehicle was repaired; however, the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMX 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 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine's long block needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Niro. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cylinder #4 injector. The dealer also informed the co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted but failed to exceed 30 MPH while driving. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the engine was replaced. The vehicle was r... Read more