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
HONDA
CIVIC HYBRID
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 8, 2024
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed that there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. No further information was provided. The vehicle was towed to United Auto Care, where the head gasket was replaced twice due to a coolant leak; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs, and the ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the valve cover needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. There was gray smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the local... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 1... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while accelerating from a stationary position, the vehicle experienced severe jerking, vibrations, and hesitation. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the transmission clutch but later the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. Upon inspection, it was discovered that there was no coo... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 8, 2024
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte EX. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 55 MPH, she noticed smoke emerging from the vehicle. The driver pulled over and called roadside assistance. All the warning lights illuminated. Upon arrival, roadside assistance informed the driver the engine had caught fire and had seized. It was unknown how the fire was extinguished. The contact stated t... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, and depressing the accelerator pedal, the check engine light was flashing. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was being depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled over, turned off the vehicle, and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a loud tapping and then a ba... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a misfire of the engine cylinders. The mechanic replaced all the spark plugs and one igniti... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection, the contact became aware that the coolant level was being consumed very quickly. In addition, the contact became aware of an unusual burning odor and saw white smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant had leaked into the engine and tha... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed, causing the fan belt to be damaged. The mechanic replaced the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
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 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 contact had no... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 7, 2024
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Veloster. The contact stated that while driving 76 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and decelerated to 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced intermittent, unintended acceleration. The contact shifted the transmission to neutral(N), but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact then pressed the shift lock rele... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the engine seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an oil pump and engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 83,790.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2014) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 7, 2024
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine was overheating. The temperature gauge increased to high(H). The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving at approximately 35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the message " Coolant Low - Stop Vehicle" was displayed. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was parked, and the contact observed condensation underneath... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the driver observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low, prompting him to refill the coolant reservoir. The following day the driver observed white ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the low coolant pressure warning light was illuminated. Upon closer inspection, the contact had not seen any leaks, but the coolant level was very low. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired due to the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to stop. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the vehicle had backfired, and the dealer determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 4, 2024
Incident date: Aug 23, 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sputtering sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted and the vehicle shut off while driving at an undisclosed speed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. While the vehicle was at the dealer, the contact received notification of NHT... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Acura TLX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 contact ha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the temperature gauge was fluctuating from Normal(N) to Hot(H) very quickly. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The contact had received a notification regarding an Extended Warranty coverage for the engine overheating and oil consumption. The dealer was notified of th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the oil level was low after a routine oil change. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gasket and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly but after warming up the vehicle was running normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the messages "Engine Overheating" and "Pull Over and Stop Vehicle" were displayed. The contact ch... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle started, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #4 and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The message "Coolant Overheated" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to Firestone, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak into the cylinder head gasket. The contact was informed that the cylinder head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being operated, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was later taken to a local dealer for a second opinion, but the diagno... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 4, 2024
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost engine pressure with the check engine warning light illuminated. 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 tim... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 4, 2024
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW C650 GT Maxi-Scooter. The contact stated while riding 5 MPH, the engine made an abnormal sound. The contact rode the scooter to the residence; however, upon arrival, the scooter shut off independently. The scooter was taken to the dealer; however, the scooter was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V264000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated 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 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 r... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS, service brake, and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine had been running hot, resulting in damages to the engine even though the temperature gauge had failed to indicate that the engine was hot(H). The contact was informed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shuddered and there was a temporary loss of automotive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder; and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The coolant fan seized and failed to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the knock sensor, coolant fan clutch,... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE450
(2016) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 3, 2024
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving and exceeding 60 MPH, the temperature gauge became high and suddenly dropped to "0". Additionally, the contact stated that the temperature gauge was fluctuating while driving at various speeds and while at a complete stop. The contact's husband scanned the vehicle with a vehicle scanner but was unable to retrieve d... Read more
HANKOOK
VENTUS S1 NOBLE
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 3, 2024
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact smelled an abnormal burning odor and observed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, when the light turned green, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled. The contact state... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 8-10 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the steering wheel seized, nearly causing a crash. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact turned on the hazard lights and drove 20 MPH to the nearest deale... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Oct 3, 2024
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal coolant odor inside the cabin of the vehicle while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking onto the ignition coil #2. The mechanic replaced the spark plugs... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally but returned to normal functionality afterward. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had caused a misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
The contact called on behalf of a consumer who owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact pulled over and allowed the vehicle to cool down for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The check engine warning light was illumina... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. 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 vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power and was vibrating and shaking abnormally. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and failed to restart, with an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact... Read more