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: Jun 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the VANOS assembly bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not r... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 10, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact sta... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle began to shake and vibrate abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant inside the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced but shortly af... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that engine grid heater had overheated, causing damages to the engine. The engine was replaced, and the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 9, 2024
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 535I. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the message that the engine was overheating was displayed, with a message to “Drive Moderately” displayed as well. The driver started to slow down and the message to turn off the engine was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle four times and waited 15 to 20 minutes. There were no warning lights il... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (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 contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jaguar F-Pace. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. There was a red triangle displayed on the instrument panel. The battery warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the coolant level, coolant hose, and seals needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact’s daughter owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced inconsistent acceleration and rough driving with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The mechanic later discovered coolant insi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the dealer was informed of the failure by phone. The contact stated that the issue persisted, and the sound became louder; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #3. The cylinder #3 spark plug, and ignition coil were replaced; however, while driving 55 MPH, the message "Engine Over Heating" was displayed. Upon inspection, it was discovered... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 580
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 6, 2024
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated abnormally while idling. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off independently while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was take... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact pulled over and waited approximately 20 minutes before restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had occurred at various speeds. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact's mother owns a 2008 Smart ForTwo. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was notified of the recall but informed the contact that the recall could not be serviced at their location. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a dealer that was 180 miles away. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's husband connected the vehicle to the diagnostic machine. The contact retrieved a code for a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the spark plugs were replaced. The failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to move. The contact stated that there was no oil in the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the message that the “Engine was overheating - Stop Driving" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 5 MPH. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine blo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his wife was starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that after a while the sound ceased. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causi... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 6, 2024
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to the fuel pump failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 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 not aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to start while pressing the Start button on the key fob. The contact was able to start the vehicle while pressing the Push to Start button inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independen... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 6, 2024
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Emission failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle lost motive power and then stalled. The contact had to depress the accelerator pedal continuously to regain normal acceleration. The failure occurred four times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 6, 2024
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir, but one week later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that when the independent mechanic started the vehicle, the oil level was at five. The vehicle was turned off; however, the vehicle was re... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool off before continuing to drive home at slow speeds. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant w... Read more
KTM
790 ADVENTURE R
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the message "Engine Overheated" was displayed and the vehicle started losing motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the cylinder head was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but approximately three months later the... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had leaked into the cylinders. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA 250
(2018) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled, nearly causing a crash. The messages "Engine Coolant Low" and “Overheating - Safety Stop" were displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head was fractured, causing oil intrusion in the engine. The contact stated ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. 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 with a cracked particulate filter. The contact was advised that the particulate filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part to complete the repair was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking onto the spark plugs, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, a case was... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking, vibrating, and idling roughly. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to reset the computer. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had t... Read more
TOYOTA
GRAND HIGHLANDER
(2024) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving or while the vehicle was started, a message to an unknown message to “Stop the Vehicle” was displayed and the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that a small radiator hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle was r... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2016) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the message "Top Off Coolant" was displayed several times while there was sufficient coolant in the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway. An unknown message was displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. The ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 5, 2024
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated with coolant leaking from the engine. Additionally, the vehicle shut off while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to Eddie Gilstrap Motors, Inc. (207 S Main St, Salem, IN 47167) where the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak. The dealer determined that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz Smart ForTwo. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the 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 manufacturer scheduled an appointment at t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 19, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that for approximately an hour while... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle experienced severe shaking and vibrations coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, there was a clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was advised that the engine needed... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact was advised that the earliest the vehicle could be repaired was March 16, 2027. 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 had ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The dealer determined that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the oil warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before gaining forward momentum. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and occurred while slowing traffic or a traffic signal. The oil warning light was occasion... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle experienced rough idling and an abnormal vibration. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the fai... Read more