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: Sep 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 430I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started overheating with the low coolant warning light illuminated. The contact parked and left the vehicle at a local dealer. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in SIB: 17... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 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 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 5, 2024
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from under the hood. In addition, the contact noticed a burning odor. 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, th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The con... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe at start-up. The contact stated that the check engine and "Vehicle Overheating" messages were displayed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion in... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The message that the coolant level was low was displayed. The contact added coolant to the reservoir. The contact stated that the failure was related to Global Recall Action Number: N785V2. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the coolant pipe needed t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the engine overheated and there was white smoke coming from ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure returned soon after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fuel injec... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that coolant was leaking underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the heater hoses had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagno... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine was making an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts, with an abnormal ticking sound while driving at various speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to report the issue to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact refer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
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 the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine, causing head gasket failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and referred... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking and clicking sound. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced engine hesitation intermittently, and the failure became permanent. The contact stated that the vehicle ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2024
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was a loud rattling and knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2024
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started, however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated the vehicle eventually started. In addition, the contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and the veh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the vehicle stalls until the contact engages the vehicle in sport mode. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V704000 (ENGINE ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 4, 2024
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into limp mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the side. The contact inspected the vehicle with a vehicle scanner and received two error codes p0302 -cylinder misfiring and p1299 – cylinder overhead failure. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the vehicle, where coolant was added to the vehicle; however, the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cooling system was replaced. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 Entegra Aspire RV. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated along with codes indicating that the Selective Catalytic Reduction Unit had failed. The vehicle was taken to the local RV service center who reprogrammed the Selective Catalytic Reduction Unit but later the failure reoccurred. The engine manufacturer (Cu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while his son was driving at undisclosed speeds, the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V224000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be in working orde... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a misfire coming from ignition coil #3. The dealer replaced the ignition coils; however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the diagnostic trouble codes were cleared. Addi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. While the contact’s daughter was driving at various speeds, the RPM started fluctuating, the vehicle stalled, and lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact's daughter was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. Additional... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 60 MPH, the engine warning light was flashing. The driver pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that there was a fractured engine valve spring. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 BMW X5. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was a grinding sound coming from the engine compartment. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle and waited for the engine to cool down. The vehicle failed t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized due to coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption, and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe while starting the vehicle and while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was running rough, and the vehicle almost stalled while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the cool... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clunking sound while starting the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving a undisclosed speeds, the engine overheated. The contact stated that there was an extremely loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 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 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 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Eco Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine and the powertrain malfunction warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to a family member’s residence. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact discovered that an unknown substance was leaking from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion into the cylinder, and that the thermostat and several other unknown parts n... Read more
BATTLE MOTORS
LET2
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Dec 3, 2024
Incident date: Oct 10, 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak into the engine and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328XI. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Fusion. The contact stated the vehicle was started and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure and r... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who confirmed the engine failure and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change by an independent mechanic, it was determined that there were metal shavings inside the oil filter. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE23023 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Engine). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was slowly losing coolant, and there was no indication of the location of the leak. While the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The contact's son refilled the coolant reservoir. The warning light went off and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the failure... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 2500. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, there was diesel fuel leaking from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that there was diesel fuel leaking from the fuel filter connected to the diesel fuel heater. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted but no assistance was offered. The contact was info... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 29, 2024
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 20 mph the check engine and oil pressure warning lights had illuminated, a burning odor was present inside the vehicle and white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipes. The daughter was alerted by another motorist that the vehicle was on fire. After parking and exiting the vehicle flames an... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle off to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was initially towed to a friend's residence and then towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the timing belt and the oil pump dri... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E550
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 29, 2024
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered momentarily. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 27, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that 30 quarts of oil had been added to the vehicle in the past four months. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH on the freeway, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to exit the freeway; howeve... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light illuminated after a while. The vehicle was taken back to ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at higher speeds, the vehicle experienced a momentary loss of motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to Auto Zone where a diagnostic... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2009) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Nov 27, 2024
Incident date: May 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535I. The contact stated that the engine cooling fan was running at abnormal high speed upon starting the vehicle and while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, and the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an ind... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated the vehicle was hesitating while starting the vehicle and was jerking into gear while shifted into drive(D). The contact stated that the failure also occurred while stopped at a traffic signal. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the hesitated and then lurched forward. The contact stated that the vehicle also los... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure occurred five months after the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started knocking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a valve adjustment, but the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2024
The contact owned a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an un... Read more