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 146 complaints for LOTUS
Incident date: Oct 12, 2004
WIRING ON AUTO HAS BEEN A MESS SINCE NEW, AUTO TOWED 15 TIMES FOR MECHANICAL REASONS AND ADDITION TIMES TOW TRUCK WAS COMING AND CAR WOULD START. SHIFTER BROKE OFF AT 2,000 MILES, TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES ALARM SYSTEM, ALTERNATOR,SPEAKERS,TURN INDICATORS, FRONT STEERING BOX (RACK), VEHICLE COMPUTER (SPEED INDICATED ON DASH HAS BEEN AT LEST 15% HIGH SINCE TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACE... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2004
WIRING ON AUTO HAS BEEN A MESS SINCE NEW, AUTO TOWED 15 TIMES FOR MECHANICAL REASONS AND ADDITION TIMES TOW TRUCK WAS COMING AND CAR WOULD START. SHIFTER BROKE OFF AT 2,000 MILES, TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES ALARM SYSTEM, ALTERNATOR,SPEAKERS,TURN INDICATORS, FRONT STEERING BOX (RACK), VEHICLE COMPUTER (SPEED INDICATED ON DASH HAS BEEN AT LEST 15% HIGH SINCE TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACE... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2004
WIRING ON AUTO HAS BEEN A MESS SINCE NEW, AUTO TOWED 15 TIMES FOR MECHANICAL REASONS AND ADDITION TIMES TOW TRUCK WAS COMING AND CAR WOULD START. SHIFTER BROKE OFF AT 2,000 MILES, TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES ALARM SYSTEM, ALTERNATOR,SPEAKERS,TURN INDICATORS, FRONT STEERING BOX (RACK), VEHICLE COMPUTER (SPEED INDICATED ON DASH HAS BEEN AT LEST 15% HIGH SINCE TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACE... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2011
AS I WAS PULLING ONTO MY STREET, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. I IMMEDIATELY FOUND A PLACE TO STOP AND PARK THE CAR, AT WHICH TIME I NOTICED THE SMELL OF OIL IN THE CABIN. UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED OIL ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE & WHEEL, AND APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER PARKING THERE WAS A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL UNDERNEATH THE FRONT HALF OF THE CAR. MY ONLINE SEARCH FOR A POSSIBL... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2011
AS I WAS PULLING ONTO MY STREET, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. I IMMEDIATELY FOUND A PLACE TO STOP AND PARK THE CAR, AT WHICH TIME I NOTICED THE SMELL OF OIL IN THE CABIN. UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED OIL ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE & WHEEL, AND APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER PARKING THERE WAS A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL UNDERNEATH THE FRONT HALF OF THE CAR. MY ONLINE SEARCH FOR A POSSIBL... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2011
I WAS DRIVING WHEN I NOTICED SOME SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. WHEN I PULLED OVER, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS SMOKING FROM THE ENGINE BAY, AND THERE WAS OIL DRIPPING DOWN FROM THE UNDER PANELS. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED TO A LOTUS CERTIFIED SHOP, WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE OIL SANDWICH PLATE THAT CONNECTS TO THE FRONT OIL COOLER BROKE, ALLOW... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 19, 2011
OEM OIL COOLING LINE CRIMP LET GO THAT IS IN FRONT WHEEL WELL TO OIL COOLER. ENGINE OIL POURED ALL OVER FRONT TIRE AND BRAKES. EVEN AT 15 MPH I LOST CONTROL. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR
Incident date: Sep 19, 2011
OEM OIL COOLING LINE CRIMP LET GO THAT IS IN FRONT WHEEL WELL TO OIL COOLER. ENGINE OIL POURED ALL OVER FRONT TIRE AND BRAKES. EVEN AT 15 MPH I LOST CONTROL. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *TR
Incident date: Aug 15, 2011
OIL COOLER SUPPLY LINE CONNECTED TO THE SANDWICH PLATE WHERE THE OIL FILTER SCREWS IN, ON MY 06 LOTUS ELISE BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE COUPLING, SPRAYING OIL EVERYWHERE AND PERMANENTLY DAMAGING MY ENGINE. THE ENGINE ONLY HAS 50K MILES ON IT, AND NOW IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. NEW MOTOR, AND LABOR COSTING OVER 6000 DOLLARS TO FIX. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY LOTUS, AS N... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2011
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, AND AFTER ABOUT HALF OF A MILE I STARTED TO SMELL BURNING OIL AND THOUGHT TO MYSELF "BOY, I'M GLAD THAT SMELL ISN'T COMING FROM MY CAR!" I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MPH. I LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND SAW A THICK TRAIL OF OIL FOLLOWING ME AND LOOKED AT MY OIL LIGHT AND SAW THAT IT WAS ON. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. THERE WAS OIL COVERING THE RIGHT REAR TIRE, BRA... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2010
WAS DRIVING MY 2007 LOTUS ELISE WHEN THE OIL HOSE PULLED OUT OF THE CRIMPED FITTING AT THE RIGHT REAR CONNECTION TO THE ENGINE JUST ABOVE THE OIL FILTER. THIS CAUSED ALL OF THE OIL TO QUICKLY LEAVE THE ENGINE AND COAT THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. I WAS LUCKY I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A HIGHWAY AT THE TIME AND WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON A CORNER, WITH TRACTION LOST ON THE REAR TIRE... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2010
THIS IS A COMPLAINT FOR A 2005 LOTUS ELISE OIL LINE FAILURE. I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED TWO OIL LINE FAILURES TOGETHER BUT IN RETROSPECT SHOULD HAVE REPORTED THEM INDIVIDUALLY AS THEY OCCURRED AT SEPARATE TIMES. THE FIRST OIL LINE FAILURE OCCURRED ON 3/29/2010. I CAME OUT TO MY CAR IN THE PARKING LOT AND THERE WAS A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL UNDER IT. I DID NOT EVER SEE A DROP OF OIL FROM THE CAR PREVIOU... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2010
THIS IS A COMPLAINT FOR A 2005 LOTUS ELISE OIL LINE FAILURE. I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED TWO OIL LINE FAILURES TOGETHER BUT IN RETROSPECT SHOULD HAVE REPORTED THEM INDIVIDUALLY AS THEY OCCURRED AT SEPARATE TIMES. THE FIRST OIL LINE FAILURE OCCURRED ON 3/29/2010. I CAME OUT TO MY CAR IN THE PARKING LOT AND THERE WAS A LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL UNDER IT. I DID NOT EVER SEE A DROP OF OIL FROM THE CAR PREVIOU... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LOTUS ELISE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 14,200. THE RIGHT REAR OIL LINE AT THE METAL FITTING IS CURRENTLY LEAKING OIL. UPDATED 10/28/11
LOTUS
ELISE
(2005) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:HOSES/LINES/PIPING/FITTINGS
Aug 12, 2011
Incident date: Oct 1, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LOTUS ELISE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 14,200. THE RIGHT REAR OIL LINE AT THE METAL FITTING IS CURRENTLY LEAKING OIL. UPDATED 10/28/11
Incident date: Aug 3, 2006
OIL LEAKING FROM UNDER THE CAR IN THE FRONT CLAM AREA. *TT
Incident date: Aug 15, 2010
I BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM A PRIVATE SELLER IN PENNSYLVANIA. AFTER DOING THE FIRST OIL CHANGE MYSELF I NOTICED THE WAS OIL SEEPING FROM ONE OF THE OIL LINE FITTINGS AT THE SANDWICH PLATE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG LOTUS' YEARS 2005-2007, AND CAN RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE OIL LINE AT SPEED CAUSING A CRASH OR FIRE. IT HAS ALSO BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LOTUS ELISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE; HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE OIL LINE WAS LEAKING AT THE FITTING WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE ENGINE AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE11022 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:HOSE) THAT MAY BE RELATED TO ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2011
I CURRENTLY HAVE A 2007 LOTUS EXIGE S. MY VEHICLE HAS A LEAK IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE OIL COOLER. MY ID ON LOTUSTALK.COM IS [XXX] : I HAVE A THREAD WITH PICTURES LOCATED THERE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Incident date: Oct 12, 2010
OIL COOLER LINE CRIMP FITTING FAILED AT THE SANDWICH PLATE ADAPTER WHILE DRIVING ONTO A HIGHWAY RAMP. CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE APPEARED IN REARVIEW MIRROR AND OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. TURNED VEHICLE ENGINE OFF AND REPAIRED MYSELF BY MODIFYING THE CRIMP THAT FAILED. *TR
Incident date: Jun 15, 2011
DURING A TIRE ROUTINE TIRE CHANGE, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL OIL STAIN CREEPING UP THE INSIDE OF THE FENDER WELL ON THE LEFT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THE OIL COOLER WAS LEAKING AT THE FITTING AND A NEW FITTING WAS INSTALLED TO CORRECT. THE LEAK OCCURRED RATHER SUDDENLY AS THE CAR HAD JUST BEEN IN THE BODY SHOP TO HAVE SOME MINOR BODYWORK FIXED (NON-STUCTURAL AN... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2006
FAILURE OF OIL LINE CONNECTOR. SPREAD OIL OVER FRONT BRAKE, SO AS TO MAKE CAR STOP POORLY. HAS HAPPENED TWICE: ONCE WHEN CAR WAS 1 MONTH OLD, NOW 6 YRS LATER. *TT
Incident date: Jun 14, 2011
MY CAR IS AN EARLY 2005 LOTUS ELISE WITH TWIN OIL COOLERS. THE BYPASS HOSE CONNECTING TO THE DRIVER SIDE OIL COOLER STARTED TO LEAK OIL AT A FAIRLY FAST PACE. THIS HOSE CONNECTS FROM THE LEFT OIL COOLER TO THE RIGHT COOLER UNDERNEATH THE CLAMSHELL. COSTS TO FIX THIS SERIOUS ISSUE OUT OF WARRANTY ARE EXTREMELY HIGH AS THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING THE ENTIRE OIL COOLER AND HOSE SYSTEM. THERE ARE NOW... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2011
DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS THROUGH CITY TRAFFIC WHEN THE OIL INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE RODE AND CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL. SHOWED IT WAS EMPTY WITH OIL SPILLING ON THE GROUND. TOWED IT TO A REPAIR SHOP TO DISCOVER THAT THE OIL HOSE FITTING HAD BROKEN OFF THE ENGINE CAUSING THE OIL LOSS. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE FUNCTION HAD I NOT PULLED ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2011
DRIVING IN SECOND GEAR AND CHANGING INTO THIRD GEAR THE RADIATOR EXPLODED AND SPLASHED HOT COOLANT ALL OVER THE WINDSHIELD. FORTUNATELY I HAD THE ROOF ON, OTHERWISE THE HOT COOLANT COULD HAVE LANDED ON ME OR MY 8 YR. OLD SON. LOTUS USES A TERRIBLY DESIGNED RADIATOR THAT HAS PLASTIC EDGES, WHICH BECOME BRITTLE AND EXPLODE OVER TIME. THIS IS A COMMON DOCUMENTED ISSUE ON WWW.LOTUSTALK.COM. WHY THEY D... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2011
THE HOSE CONNECTING THE TWO OIL COOLERS IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR FAILED ON THE FREEWAY. I FELT THE CAR DANGEROUSLY LOSING TRACTION ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER AND I ALSO SAW THE OIL LIGHT COMING ON, AND PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. I HAD TO REPLACE THE HOSE, IT COST ME $775. TWO WEEKS FROM THAT, THE HOSE FITTING FAILED AGAIN, MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW, WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH THE DAMAGE IS NOW. *T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2011
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I SUDDENLY SMELLED OIL AND LOOKED DOWN TO SEE MY OIL PRESSURE LIGHT COME ON. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND FOUND OIL COMING OUT OF THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE CAR ONTO THE RIGHT FRONT AND REAR TIRES. UPON HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOULD THEY FOUND THAT THE INCOMING OIL LINE INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OIL COOLER HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE CONNECTOR. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2011
AFTER READING OF SERIOUS OIL LINE FITTING FAILURES ON MY MODEL OF CAR, I INSPECTED MY OIL LINE FITTINGS AND FOUND ONE THAT WAS LEAKING. IF THIS FITTING HAD FAILED TO THE POINT WHERE THE HOSE CAME OFF (WHICH HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS), IT WOULD HAVE SPRAYED OIL IN FRONT OF MY RIGHT REAR WHEEL, WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, AND RUINED MY ENGINE. I REPAIRED IT WITH A NEW FITTING THA... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2011
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LOTUS ELISE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OIL LINE HOSE FITTINGS CONNECTION FAILED CAUSING THE OIL TO SPILL ONTO THE ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE FILLED WITH SMOKE FROM THE OIL THAT SPILLED ON THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE HE NOTICED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE CONTACT PUT THE... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 10, 2011
VEHICLE INSPECTION FOUND OIL IS LEAKING AT OIL HOSE CONNECTOR DUE TO INSUFFICIENT CRIMPING OF ADAPTER TO OIL HOSE. EVENTUALLY THIS WILL LEAD TO OIL HOSE DISCONNECTION AND A LOSS OF ENGINE OIL.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2007
MY 2005 LOTUS ELISE EXPERIENCED A COOLANT LEAK IN THE P/N A12E0017F ALUMINUM U-TUBE DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUBBING ON A OIL FITTING THAT THE TUBE WAS RESTING ON. DUE TO THE ENGINE VIBRATION AND SHAKING, THE U-TUBE WORE THROUGH THE TUBE WALL COMPLETELY ALLOWING COOLANT TO LEAK OUT. THE U-TUBE IS LOCATED ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE ENGINE AND RUBS ON A OIL LINE FITTING. BASED ON AN ONLINE FORUM (LOTUSTALK... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2011
FAILURE: BROKEN TOE LINK BOLT. EVENT'S LEADING TO THE FAILURE: NORMAL DRIVING OF THE CAR ON PUBLIC STREETS. CONSEQUENCES OF THE FAILURE: REAR WHEEL WILL MOVE FREELY CAUSING TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT FROM MINOR INJURIES TO BOTH THE CAR'S OCCUPANTS AND INNOCENT DRIVERS AROUND THE CAR TO SEVERE PENALTIES SUCH AS DEATH(S). WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2011
2005 LOTUS ELISE. THE OIL LINE RELEASED FROM ITS FITTING ON THE FRONT RIGHT OIL COOLER WETTING THE TIRE WITH OIL RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL. THE CAR SPUN AND LEFT THE ROAD. NO DAMAGE OCCURRED AND THE CAR WAS TOWED FROM THE MEDIAN AND THE LINE WAS REPAIRED. I SELECTED THE YES RESPONSE TO WAS THERE A CRASH BASED ON THE CAR LEAVING THE ROAD. *TR
Crash
Incident date: Feb 8, 2011
ON MY 2006 LOTUS ELISE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I WASN'T IN A POSITION TO PULL OVER FOR A FEW MORE MILES DOWN THE ROAD. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR LOCKED UP AND STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. OIL WAS IN THE TIRES AND ALL OVER THE BACK OF THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THE OIL HOSE CAME LOSE, CAUSING THE OIL TO SPEW OUT OF THE CA... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2011
OIL LINE FAILURE IN LOTUS ELISE - GOT RED "ENGINE OIL PRESSURE LOW" LIGHT, PULLED OVER, CLAMP/HOSE HAD BLOWN OUT AND OIL SPILLED OUT EVERYWHERE. *LN
Incident date: Jan 13, 2011
ON STARTING MY CAR IN THE MORNING, THE PASSENGER SIDE OIL COOLER HOSE FROM THE ENGINE TO THE FRONT OIL COOLER SEPARATED AT THE REAR CRIMP, QUICKLY DRAINING ALL OF THE OIL. THE OIL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND AS I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF THE ENGINE MADE A COUPLE OF RATTLING NOISES. ON ATTEMPTING TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE HOSE, I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE PART IN STOCK, LEADING ME TO HAVE NEW HOSES M... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2010
SAID TO BE A 'COMMON' PROBLEM WHEN LOOKING ON FORUMS;MY 2005 LOTUS ELISE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE OIL LIGHT COMES ON, SO NATURALLY I SEE A GAS STATION AND GO TO PULL IN WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE LOCKS AND SKIDS TO THE RIGHT SIDE . I WAS ONLY DOING LESS THAN 30MPH SO NOTHING BAD HAPPENED . GOT OUT AND MY ENTIRE CRANKCASE OF SYNTHETIC OIL IS ALL UP THE DRIVER SIDE AND COVERING THE FRONT... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2010
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 LOTUS EXIGE S. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED HE NOTICED THAT THE OIL LINES COMING FROM THE OIL COOLER WERE VERY LOOSE. HE WAS FEARFUL THAT THE OIL LINES WOULD POSSIBLY FRACTURE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING NOR WAS IT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 2,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/11/11*LJ
Incident date: Jul 26, 2010
2005 LOTUS ELISE OIL-LINE (COOLER LINE) FAILURE. THE OIL LINE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SIDE REAR WHEEL WAS COATED WITH OIL, CREATING POSSIBLE DEADLY SITUATION. I TURNED CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY. I HOPE THAT THERE WAS NO ENGINE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS AND WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE IN A STRAIGHT LINE. IF THE OIL CO... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2010
OIL LINE CONNECTION FAILED WHICH LED TO THE OIL HOSE POPPING OUT OF THE CONNECTION AND CAUSING OIL TO BE PUMPED OUT OF THE ENGINE ALL OVER THE REAR OF THE CAR AND IN FRONT OF THE REAR TIRES. AS THE CAR WAS BEING PULLED OVER THE REAR END BROKE LOOSE DUE TO THE OIL BEING PUMPED OUT. I WAS LUCKY THE CAR DIDN'T SPIN OUT OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN A MORE DANGEROUS LOCATION. COST $400 IN REPAIRS. *TR
Incident date: Nov 2, 2010
2005 LOTUS ELISE OIL-LINE FAILURE. CATASTROPHIC OIL LINE FAILURE WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. PASSENGER SIDE REAR (DRIVEN) WHEEL WAS COATED WITH OIL, CREATING POSSIBLE DEADLY SITUATION. TURNED CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY, STILL MIGHT HAVE ENGINE DAMAGE. SEVERAL OF THESE CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED... LESS THAN 10,000 OF THESE VEHICLES WERE MADE. *TR
Incident date: Aug 10, 2009
1. NOTHING WAS OBVIOUS LEADING YOU TO THE EVENT. 2. FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED ONCE, BUT CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. 3. ENGINE WAS REPLACED ENTIRELY. *TR
Incident date: Jun 15, 2010
OIL LINE FROM ENGINE TO OIL COOLER FAILED. ALL OIL IN THE ENGINE SPRAYED ONTO BOTTOM OF CAR AND TIRES. ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF CAR ON HIGHWAY. ENGINE SUBSEQUENTLY OVERHEATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *TR
Incident date: Oct 12, 2010
WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN I NOTICED OIL LIGHT CAME ON. DROVE CAR TO NEARBY SERVICE STATION AND NOTICED REAR PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE WAS COVERED IN OIL AND THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL UNDER CAR. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED OIL COOLER LINE. SEVERAL SOURCES (WEB FORUM, MECHANIC) HAVE TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE IN THESE CARS. I AM CONCE... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2010
ON AUGUST 11, 2010 I TOOK MY 2005 LOTUS ELISE WITH 9105 MILES ON IT TO GET THE INSPECTION DONE. THE MAN DOING THE INSPECTION WAS LOCKED IN THE CAR. THE CAR WOULDN'T UNLOCK USING THE KEY FOB OR THE CENTER CONSOLE RELEASE BUTTON. TRIED BOTH WITH THE CAR RUNNING AND OFF. NEITHER WORKED. THE CAR WINDOW WAS DOWN, BUT THE WINDOW IS TOO SMALL TO GET OUT THROUGH. FINALLY, AFTER SEVERAL PEOPLE TRYING TO H... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2010
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS INTERMITTENT AND TURNS ALL ON OR ALL OFF WITHOUT WARNING, MASKING SPEED, FUEL, RPMS, MILEAGE, ETC. (ALL DATA). FROM RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ON WWW.ELISETALK.COM, IT APPEARS THIS IS A PROBLEM COMMON TO 2005 LOTUS ELISE AUTOMOBILES. SEVERE POSSIBILITY OF INCIDENT BY NOT KNOWING HOW FAST YOUR GOING OR HOW MUCH FUEL YOU HAVE, AND, THIS PROBLEM CAN HAPPEN AT ANY MOMENT WITHOUT WARNI... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2010
WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, A LOUD BANG OCCURRED WITH A STRANGE FEELING AT THE REAR OF THE CAR AND THE CAR SPUN 180 DEG. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAW THE REAR PASSENGER CAR TIRE TOED OUT AT ABOUT 20 DEG. THE BOLT CONNECTING THE TOE CONTROL LINK TO THE CHASSIS BROKE, CAUSING THE REAR TIRE TO MOVE FROM ITS NORMAL STRAIGHT AHEAD POSITION TO AN ABNORMAL, EXAGGERATED TOE OUT POSITION. THE TOE CONTROL L... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2009
I OWN A 2005 LOTUS ELISE. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DURING A RAIN STORM THE FRONT DEFROSTER WOULD NOT OPERATE, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY REDUCED MY VISIBILITY AS A CONSEQUENCE, AS I WAS GETTING READY TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND SIT, I RAN INTO FLOOD WATER AS A RESULT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE PROPERLY. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT THE REASON THIS HAPPENED WAS THE FAN MOTOR PACK NE... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 28, 2010
I HAVE A 2005 LOTUS ELISE WITH 18000. MILE ON IT AND MY BLOWER IS NOT WORKING AND WHEN I TURN IT ON IT SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. *TR
Incident date: Feb 28, 2010
I HAVE A 2005 LOTUS ELISE WITH 18000. MILE ON IT AND MY BLOWER IS NOT WORKING AND WHEN I TURN IT ON IT SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. *TR