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 384,293 complaints for FORD
Incident date: Sep 2, 2026
Car has been cutting off while idleing, or at a stop light. It has also cut off while driving. It has also lost a form of power while going down the highway. The car doesn’t cut off, but pressing the gas does nothing and the rpm’s go crazy, then eventually it catches and the gas peddle works again.
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
The vehicle had approximately 113,000 miles on the odometer when the initial engine problems began. It began intermittently shaking violently for several seconds immediately after startup. This occurred periodically for approximately one week. During this time, the check engine warning lamp illuminated, and diagnostic trouble codes P0300, P0302, and P0304 were recorded, indicating multiple-cylinde... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
lariat ranger 2024 changes modes without input from driver. This has happened dozen times btu not consistent It has happened at 80mph on interstate ,35 mph on road, leaving parking space, and turning corner after stopping for stop light This time went in to 4wheel drive low on dry pavement very difficult to steer until stopped and put back into 2 wheel drive. Has happened in dry weather and rainy... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
lariat ranger 2024 changes modes without input from driver. This has happened dozen times btu not consistent It has happened at 80mph on interstate ,35 mph on road, leaving parking space, and turning corner after stopping for stop light This time went in to 4wheel drive low on dry pavement very difficult to steer until stopped and put back into 2 wheel drive. Has happened in dry weather and rainy... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2026
Got home and vehicle would not go into park. I can get it to drive but its only low range. Upon having it inspected, it was discovered the shift cable bushing at the transmission lever was missing.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2015
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that the battery was drained. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure was persistent. The contact stated that the vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2015
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that the battery was drained. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure was persistent. The contact stated that the vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the driver's side and passenger's side exterior A-pillar trim detached. The contact used tape on the driver's side to secure the molding to the windshield. The contact stated that the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached and fell off the vehicle. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
accelerated from a stop sign and engine cut out, leaving me stopped dead in the middle of the street, the engine would not restart after 4 tries, I let it sit, I googled the incident, and was told to let car sit for a minute and try to restart. I let it sit for a minute and it restarted like nothing happened. Google said there was a sensor fault because of an error temperature reading in the crank... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
accelerated from a stop sign and engine cut out, leaving me stopped dead in the middle of the street, the engine would not restart after 4 tries, I let it sit, I googled the incident, and was told to let car sit for a minute and try to restart. I let it sit for a minute and it restarted like nothing happened. Google said there was a sensor fault because of an error temperature reading in the crank... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
accelerated from a stop sign and engine cut out, leaving me stopped dead in the middle of the street, the engine would not restart after 4 tries, I let it sit, I googled the incident, and was told to let car sit for a minute and try to restart. I let it sit for a minute and it restarted like nothing happened. Google said there was a sensor fault because of an error temperature reading in the crank... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
On July 7, 2026, at approximately 113,080 miles, my 2016 Ford Escape displayed a “Transmission Fault – Service Now” warning. The exact failed component is currently UNKNOWN, but the issue appears to involve the transmission/powertrain and possibly an electrical fault. While driving, I experienced abnormal symptoms including a rotational/squeaking noise from the front-right area and an air-le... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
On July 7, 2026, at approximately 113,080 miles, my 2016 Ford Escape displayed a “Transmission Fault – Service Now” warning. The exact failed component is currently UNKNOWN, but the issue appears to involve the transmission/powertrain and possibly an electrical fault. While driving, I experienced abnormal symptoms including a rotational/squeaking noise from the front-right area and an air-le... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2026
On July 7, 2026, at approximately 113,080 miles, my 2016 Ford Escape displayed a “Transmission Fault – Service Now” warning. The exact failed component is currently UNKNOWN, but the issue appears to involve the transmission/powertrain and possibly an electrical fault. While driving, I experienced abnormal symptoms including a rotational/squeaking noise from the front-right area and an air-le... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
The coolant is getting consumed by the engine. I need to add coolant every so often and there is no visible leaks in the hoses. It cause the check engine light to come on, a rough idle at start, and a cylinder to misfire.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
The coolant is getting consumed by the engine. I need to add coolant every so often and there is no visible leaks in the hoses. It cause the check engine light to come on, a rough idle at start, and a cylinder to misfire.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
The coolant is getting consumed by the engine. I need to add coolant every so often and there is no visible leaks in the hoses. It cause the check engine light to come on, a rough idle at start, and a cylinder to misfire.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving, the transmission became stuck in fifth gear. The “WRENCH” warning light was illuminated at start-up. The contact stated that while shifting from neutral(N) to reverse(R), the vehicle made a clunking sound and lurched backward. The failure became progressively worse. While driving at various speeds, the transmission unex... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving, the driver's side B-Pillar trim detached and was hanging off the vehicle with the wiring exposed. The contact used a bungee cord to secure the driver's side B-Pillar trim to the vehicle. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The rear toe arms came unhinged or disconnected from their placement and sank down to continuously rub a groove in the inner rim. The suspension was affected, the steering was effecting especially when turning, it made the brakes stick, and made loud crunching and rolling noises. It is quite frankly dangerous. It was through no fault of mine that this happened, just weak design. I took it to a sho... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The rear toe arms came unhinged or disconnected from their placement and sank down to continuously rub a groove in the inner rim. The suspension was affected, the steering was effecting especially when turning, it made the brakes stick, and made loud crunching and rolling noises. It is quite frankly dangerous. It was through no fault of mine that this happened, just weak design. I took it to a sho... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The rear toe arms came unhinged or disconnected from their placement and sank down to continuously rub a groove in the inner rim. The suspension was affected, the steering was effecting especially when turning, it made the brakes stick, and made loud crunching and rolling noises. It is quite frankly dangerous. It was through no fault of mine that this happened, just weak design. I took it to a sho... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
Coolant intrusion caused full engine to need to be replaced. Started with white smoke and engine overheating.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complain To whom it may concern, My Name is [XXX] I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty equipped with the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel engine (VIN: [XXX]). At approximately 137,900 miles, my vehicle suddenly lost engine power while driving and stalled without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. After stalling, the truck would not restart and... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complain To whom it may concern, My Name is [XXX] I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty equipped with the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel engine (VIN: [XXX]). At approximately 137,900 miles, my vehicle suddenly lost engine power while driving and stalled without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. After stalling, the truck would not restart and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2026
I’m concerned about the 1080R transmission CDF drum issues that ford had on these year models.Mine is downshifting hard at times not every gear but more between 5-8 gears, or especially coming to a stop light it will down shift hard from 3rd to 1st. Shifting up is not as bad as the downshifting but it still does shift harder than normal.Just doing research on others that had the bad parts in the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2025
Coolant reservoir is disappearing and I have a check engine light on with a misfire code
Incident date: Sep 5, 2026
The engine is having issues. There is coolant leaking into the engine. Causing for the engine to shake upon starting the car. Issues that can come from operating the vehicle are overheating, fire and explosion of engine. I took the car for diagnostics at a Ford dealership and they confirmed that it is a fault with the engine that Ford is aware about but issued no recall. The check engine light fir... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
Transmission slips gears and sometimes shifts violently. I took the truck to a Ford dealership for an assessment and was told I need to replace the whole transmission. I also have a problem with oil consumption from the engine. I was told by the same dealership that this was a known problem with the 5.0 engines built from 2019 to, I believe 2023 and that it would require an engine replacement. I b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2026
My vehicle's transmission changed gears suddenly and unexpectedly causing a slight difficulty to control. Following the sudden gear change, some lights on the dashboard began flickering erratically. I have video of the dashboard after the gear change. For this incident, I was driving about 25 MPH. I experienced similar behavior before and at highway speeds. Since then, the vehicle was serviced by... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
IN 2022 THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED (DUE TO A FORD DEFEC CALLED COOLANT INTRUTION) THE MILAGE WAS 49000. THE MILAGE IS NOW 78825 AND THAT ENGINE IS FAILING DUE TO COOLANT INTRUCTION. AS A SINGLE GRANDPARENT I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FORK OUT $11000 DOLLARS FOR A NEW ENGINE IF ITS STILL A FORD DEFECT
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
While driving the power steering goes completely out. It jolts suddenly and causes to steer off course. The steering tightens up making it difficult to safely make turns. Occasionally the steering assist goes back on without warning, forcing another jolt and overcorrection. It can not be safely driven with this malfunction. It forces the wheel to suddenly turn hard unexpectedly., making it dangero... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2026
While on the interstate on Friday, the vehicle started violently shaking, and felt like I was driving on an egg-shaped tire. A Ford shop said the belt was separating from the driver’s side front tire, and they pulled it off and put the spare on. On Sunday, again on the interstate and maybe 100 miles later the shaking started again- but from the passenger side tire; and then I felt a catastro... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
Recurring dangerous transmission defect in my 2020 Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost, 10-speed 10R80, ~136,826 mi). It has lost power and shifted violently multiple times, each a crash risk. 1) ~Aug 22, 2026: Accelerating to pass on the highway, the whole vehicle shut down. I lost all power INCLUDING power steering and had to coast off the road. It restarted after stopping. Losing power and steering... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - STEERING
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
Recurring dangerous transmission defect in my 2020 Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost, 10-speed 10R80, ~136,826 mi). It has lost power and shifted violently multiple times, each a crash risk. 1) ~Aug 22, 2026: Accelerating to pass on the highway, the whole vehicle shut down. I lost all power INCLUDING power steering and had to coast off the road. It restarted after stopping. Losing power and steering... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - POWER TRAIN
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
Recurring dangerous transmission defect in my 2020 Ford Expedition (3.5L EcoBoost, 10-speed 10R80, ~136,826 mi). It has lost power and shifted violently multiple times, each a crash risk. 1) ~Aug 22, 2026: Accelerating to pass on the highway, the whole vehicle shut down. I lost all power INCLUDING power steering and had to coast off the road. It restarted after stopping. Losing power and steering... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
Cracking of the roof which has caused leaks. Common issue for Broncos, but only recalled for 2021-2022 Broncos. My Bronco is 2023 and has the same issue. It should also be a recall.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
Cracking of the roof which has caused leaks. Common issue for Broncos, but only recalled for 2021-2022 Broncos. My Bronco is 2023 and has the same issue. It should also be a recall.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
It all started with a cylinder 3 misfire warning code, spark plugs replaced, coils replaced. Then a coolant leak. No obvious signs of a leak no cracked tubing no puddles. Just coolant leaking. Was informed I have a coolant leak intrusion and need a new engine block. I still owe $14k on this vehicle and am past my warranty. This repair is going to cost $12k. Researched and found out this is a probl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the horn pad on the steering wheel, the horn failed to provide an audible sound as intended. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clockspring needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
Ford diagnosed the A-Pillar recall (Ford Recall Notice 24S02) condition on January 13, 2026, confirmed that the vehicle requires the recall repair, and placed the vehicle in the repair queue. The obstacle preventing completion of the repair is not the dealership. Rather, it is Ford Motor Company's continued inability to provide sufficient replacement parts to its dealer network. I have been advi... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving downhill on the freeway with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the transmission independently shifted into neutral, the vehicle lost power, and failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and shifted back into drive. The contact exited the freeway, and the vehicle was towed t... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Sep 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while driving downhill on the freeway with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the transmission independently shifted into neutral, the vehicle lost power, and failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and shifted back into drive. The contact exited the freeway, and the vehicle was towed t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard but failed to respond as intended. The contact enabled the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle had experienced catastrophic brake failure.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2026
Bought car in 2023, one year later engine failure due to overheating from head gasket issue widespread with this vehicle. Replaced engine, and two years later facing identical issue with another engine failure. Unidentifiable coolant leak led to low oil pressure and car shaking on the highway. Will require yet another engine replacement.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2026) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Ford Maverick. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred because of the manufacturer's capability to access the computer system without the owner’s knowledge. The contact stated that when the manufacturer accessed the computer, the electronics were left on, which... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the contact attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to stop as needed and the braking distance became extended. Additionally, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2026
I have the 2.0 Ecoboost that is the subject of internal coolant leak with a potential diagnosis that matches the TRB on this issue. The car has 50K miles and is a 2018 Edge. If this is the issue it should be fixed by Ford without the need for me as an owner to foot the bill for their poor design especially since it was know for a couple years prior by Ford before I purchased this vehicle new. NHT... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted erratically. The messages "Service Advancetrac”, "See Owner’s Manual" and an unknown message were displayed. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while depressing the brake pedal, and the vehicle lurched forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cont... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2024) - Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
Sep 9, 2026
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
I recently discovered that the car seat harness is fraying on both sides. This is near the base (by hips of child in seat) where they enter the cushion and connect to the car seat. I think this is a defect and poses a risk, especially if I were to get in an accident. When I submitted a complaint with photos to Baby Jogger they replied "After reviewing the concern, please note that fraying is not... Read more