I opened the hood to check engine oil, and saw hot coolant sprayed all over under hood. coolant level was very low. upon closer examination, there's a crack in the top plastic of the radiator from which coolant was spraying out before i turned the engine off. this is a safety issue both due to the potential of burns/scalding, but also engine damage and fires while traveling due to low coolant. further research revealed this is a very common problem at 6-8 years of age and around 100,000 miles. i can't upload a photo since i've had it cleaned and repaired to make it drivable (at my expense).