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: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal chain rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the unrepaired recall of NHTS... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2024
Incident date: Mar 19, 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 not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was coolant cooling leaking into the cylinder and the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the independent mechanic and was diagnosed and determined that engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle... Read more
CYBEX
ATON G SWIVEL
(9999) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 19, 2024
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown message displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the low brake fluid message displayed intermittently even when the brake fluid level was not low. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine nee... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed due to coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was con... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The deale... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2024
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle sputtered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong exhaust odor coming from the vehicle. While attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was hesitating and experiencing a loss of motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the catalytic convertor had failed and need... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2024
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after an oil change, the vehicle was started and revved up and was running rough. The contact turned off the vehicle and confirmed that the oil cap was secured. The vehicle was restarted and the vehicle self-corrected. The next day while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received notification o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated message was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge started indicating that the engine was overheating, and the vehicle then lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an indepen... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 18, 2024
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling noise coming from the vehicle during cold starts. The failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test showed that there was coolant intrusion into engine cylinder #4. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 stated while driving approximately 60 MP... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled while attempting to start the vehicle. The contact stated that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact stated that the failure was a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the engine temporarily lost power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included, and the part was not available. The vehicle was driven to a dealer to be diagnosed. The deal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, the headlights flashed off and on, and the battery failed to remain charged. The contact diagnosed an electrical ground short, a low voltage to the intake air heater relay, and the engine grid heater was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not y... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The message "Engine Fault - Service Now" was displayed on the instrument panel. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact that the engine temperature gauge was in the red zone. The contact stopped and checked under the hood and became aware that coolant level was very low. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir and drove to the destination. The contact stated that fai... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #1 and #2, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low, even though the coolant reservoir had recently been refilled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V308000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that an oil change was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to another loca... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 17, 2024
Incident date: Dec 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications 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 repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 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 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 stated while driving approximately 35 MP... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2007) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 17, 2024
Incident date: Sep 17, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approxim... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly hesitated before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine nee... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 23V751000 (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 repair. The contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicles fo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was smoking with the engine overheating. The wrench symbol was displayed and was flashing on and off. The engine warning light was illuminated and flashing on and off. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was taken to the local d... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
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 not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The c... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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: Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine failure. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V566000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V381000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reaso... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was steam was coming from under the hood. There was an abnormal odor entering into the cabin of the vehicle. The check temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to refill the coolant; however, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was towed. The local dealer was contacted... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the failure was likely related to the cam phasers. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure milea... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 13, 2024
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH several hours after an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the engine seized. The battery, the check engine, and the low oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road close to a swamp. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife driving approximately 65 MPH, she observed that the "High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and his wife was able to coast to the side of the highway. The contact stated that his wife was able to restart the vehicle and drive back to the residence; however... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle jerked and shut off. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The contact stated that on several occasions, while the vehicle was jerking at a complete stop, the contact shifted to park(P) to prevent the vehicle from stalling. T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated with an engine misfire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of th... Read more
MINI
COUNTRYMAN
(2025) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 13, 2024
Incident date: Mar 26, 1958
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was coolant leaking from the vehicle, and the “Engine Fault - Service Now” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the spark plugs and EVAP system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who determined that the head gasket was leaking int... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light activated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the #2-cylinder head had cracked due to coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine was overheating. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The ve... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 13, 2024
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated with the engine overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed an internal engine coolant leak. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified o... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the engine hot warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact allowed the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The following day, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator peda... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 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 an independent mechanic, who determined there was coolant intrusion into the engine causing and engine misfire in cylinder #3, resulting in engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that whenever it was cold outside, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle after starting the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers and the timing chain was skipping. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was idling roughly and shaking abnormally until the engine had warmed up. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusio... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated moments after her son had started, parked and exited the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The under hood caught on fire and the hood failed to open. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the under hood, the front of the vehicle and the front tires burned significantly. A fire depa... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheating message was displayed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed a cylinder #2 misfire within the engine. The spark plugs and engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2007 BMW 328XI. The contact stated that upon reaching his destination, he observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment. After a visual inspection, the contact then observed flames within the engine compartment, shortly after which the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames. Emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. No warning lights were illum... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge rose to HOT, and the vehicle would hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed. The diagnostic result indicated that the O-rings on the bottom of the coolant module were worn an... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 12, 2024
Incident date: Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle experienced rough idling. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the engine block had cracked due to coolant intrusion into the engine, causing the engine to overheat. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be r... Read more