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: Mar 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC60. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently and then stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed back to residence and then towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that th... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 5, 2024
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a burning odor coming through the vents into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was vibrating and was idling rough. The contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phase... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and turning out of a parking lot onto a road, the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #2. The mechanic replace... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 4, 2024
Incident date: Jan 2, 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
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while her husband was starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had been driven the day prior without any issues. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the engine was b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 528I. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at or above 50 MPH on several occasions, the vehicle began shaking and running rough. The check engine warning light flashed on and off during one occasion and then remained illuminated. Additionally, on two occasions while stopped at a red light and a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the veh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact st... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-550. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced NOX sensor, but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 83... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a knocking sound coming from the top of the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phaser had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 4, 2024
Incident date: Nov 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light continued to flash off and on, and the vehicle had experienced a loss of motive power. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 4, 2024
Incident date: Nov 1, 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 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: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 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 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine started to overheat. The contact stated that the temperature gauge was raised beyond the hot level. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked head gasket and a failed sensor. The contact was informed that the he... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 1, 2024
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failur... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle was not responding as needed. The contact stopped and turned off and restarted the vehicle; h... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a faint burning odor. The contact stated that the odor was noticed directly after the vehicle had been driven and then parked in the parking garage. In addition, the contact stated that the odor had begun during the summer months. The contact stated that it was a burning odor. In addition, the ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 1, 2024
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact's fiancé owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for sale. The contact stated that while the dealer was test-driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer determined that the head gasket and engine block had failed, resulting in coolant intrusion into cylinders #1 and #3. The dealer also... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, failed to accelerate, and went into LIMP Mode. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was linked to DTC code: P1236. The vehicle was taken to another independent mec... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine warning light illuminated. The contact used a code reader and determined the failure was due to the spark plug or cylinder #1. The contact replaced the spark plugs. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about TSB: 19-2346. The vehicle was taken to the local d... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 31, 2024
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted and the vehicle jerked and hesitated without warning. The contact pulled off on the next exit and immediately contacted the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with damages to 4 of the 6 cylinders. The dea... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000.
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
The contact's wife owns a 2014 BMW X3. The owner 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... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle hesitated while starting. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure persisted before starting. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an engine misfire and a leak in the fuel pump. The v... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM, there was a rattling sound coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner and retrieved DTC code: P020; indicating the catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was included in... Read more
HONDA
CIVIC TYPE R
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 31, 2024
Incident date: Aug 12, 2020
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 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 con... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undiscl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled with an engine misfire. The contact stated there was a knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that valve springs in the engine cylin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ECU update was not enough to repair the vehicle. The dealer recommended that the fuel injector be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who confirme... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
The contact owned a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered a fire on the water pump. The fire spread throughout the entire vehicle causing major cosmetic damage. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop w... Read more
Fire
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 30, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was vibrating abnormally. The failure persisted and an abnormal rattling sound started coming from the engine compartment with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved a DTC code for a misfire in cylinder #1. The contact replaced the spark plugs; however,... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Lexus LX600. 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 co... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 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 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 not made aware of the i... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 128I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 available. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a significant amount of smoke coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pan gasket and other unknown parts were leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was dia... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2008) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 30, 2024
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the message "Engine Hot" was displayed. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 MPH. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 228I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the instrument panel went blank and there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AN... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed hauling a trailer, the exhaust manifold dropped raw fuel into the exhaust and it caught fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. The exhaust filter over maximum limit message was displayed. There were no reported injuries, crash , police report or air bag deployment. The fire department was ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel), 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and 20V699000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they could not perform the recall repair because t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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: Oct 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. No further information was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 53- 55 MPH, the contact suddenly noticed that their surrounding drivers were honking for her attention. Eventually, another nearby driver notified the contact by pointing down and yelling out "fire". The vehicle then stalled and the contact was able to use its momentum to coast to the side of the road where th... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 29, 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 not yet available. No further information was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the i... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 29, 2024
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System ); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. No further information was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the is... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 29, 2024
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle temporarily lost motive power, and the contact became aware that the vehicle had failed to shift out of first gear. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. Additionally, the contact st... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. No further information was available. The vehicle was taken to the residence, where the contact's husband used a hand-held vehicle diagnostic scanner and retrieved diagnostic trouble code P0301, indicating a misfire of th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the diagnostic trouble codes P24B0, P24B5, and P25C9 were displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that he was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the diagnostic trouble codes were related to the smog and emissions system of the diesel engine. The contact stated that he occasio... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V12000... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 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 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 stopped at a light, upon the light turning green, the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds for an extended period, the contact noticed that there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. Additionally, there was an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine coolant pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The... Read more