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 41,082 complaints for BMW
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Since delivery of my new Tesla Model 3, the haptic turn signal buttons intermittently fail to register inputs despite repeated presses. This issue began immediately and occurs without any warning lamps or error messages. I am requesting the NHTSA to investigate this matter promptly due to the significant safety risks posed by the malfunctioning turn signal system in the Tesla Model 3. The inabili... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
Driving the car on the road the car stalled went off and I could not turn it on at all. It has to be towed to the dealership. Luckily, we avoided an accident
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
I purchased a 2024 Honda Pilot on [XXX]. In March, between the 4th & 22nd (approx 1800 mi) I thought I saw a crack but as my vehicle had been parked in the parking structure where I live adjacent the ports of LB & LA (prone to excessive dust) & recent rain/moisture causing the dust to form into lines I figured to wait until washing before confirming. On 3/22 I confirmed a crack - no point of impac... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
I picked up my new lease on 9/23/24. I don't understand why the rear taillights at the hatch level don't also work as turn indicators/brake lights. I learned that there is a set of lights on the lower half of the rear end, closer to the fascia. Once I was following another Buick Envista and I was amazed at how low those lights are. On another occasion when I was using the adaptive cruise control, ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
ABS and brake lights lit at around 141000 miles code C1391 came up during diagnosis.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
dash reads Stop safely engine will shut off soon. Just before that the driver will loose power steering and brakes for a second. no acceleration or ability to stop safely have to just role and pray.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
dash reads Stop safely engine will shut off soon. Just before that the driver will loose power steering and brakes for a second. no acceleration or ability to stop safely have to just role and pray.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
The cars smart car controls stopped working. ACC, Collision Mitigation System, LKAS, Road Departure Mitigation, and Auto High Beam Problem warning lights are on.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
MY GUAGE CONTROL WENT BLACK (It's the screen behind my steering wheel that tells me how many miles the car as, the odometer and speedometer (now don't know my speed!) and has maintenance info that is missing from my view now too! This is a serious safety issue! It also activates cruise control. They want to charge me $2K to replace it. The car is a 2020 with about 32K miles on it! And charged me... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering assembly gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact did research and discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V250000 (Steering) however... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with no other vehicles or objects around, the forward warning collision system was activated. As a result, the automatic emergency braking system applied the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The accident happened at Noon on [XXX] at the Amazon Fresh/Post office parking lot’s far right exit lane facing [XXX] The address is [XXX] . We were leaving the parking lot and I stopped at the exit lane with 2 cars in front of us. After the first car exited, the second car, a black Ford Explorer, moved forward. I released the brake slightly but my foot was still on the brake pedal. At this mo... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ABS sensor had failed and replaced the ABS light. While driving approximately at55 MPH and decelerating, the contact applied the brake pedal but failed to respond. The vehicle was co... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
Engine: Severe surging at low power settings, especially during engine warm-up. This surging is not related to air conditioner compressor cycling on/off, or turbo lag. Body: Rear hatch "kick to open" feature often activates suddenly without warning and without a deliberate kick motion by operator. This feature cannot be disabled; only the actuator can be disabled using instrument panel menus.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The driver's side wiper arm became loose and travelled around the driver's side front corner of the vehicle where it became stuck and motionless. The incident occurred during a rainstorm as I was passing a semi on I-95 going about 60 mph. The driver's vision was dangerously obscured by rain on that side of the windshield as it was not being removed by the stuck wiper blade. Passenger assistance... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
On Friday 10/11 at 10:45 a.m I was in traffic on Day Street in Moreno Valley, California. This was the third time I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration with my Tesla. I would have hit the car in front of me, but I was able to swerve into an island on my left to avoid the car. The car went over the curve and stopped. I am unsure what happened but after my prior experiences, I knew how ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
On Friday 10/11 at 10:45 a.m I was in traffic on Day Street in Moreno Valley, California. This was the third time I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration with my Tesla. I would have hit the car in front of me, but I was able to swerve into an island on my left to avoid the car. The car went over the curve and stopped. I am unsure what happened but after my prior experiences, I knew how ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Dear NHTSA, I am writing to express my disappointment regarding my experience with my 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, particularly in relation to unresolved recalls and inadequate service from dealerships. Last year, I began experiencing significant issues with my truck, ultimately leading me to Southern Motors in Springfield. They diagnosed the problem as needing a new engine, which was concerning. Ho... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2024
The vehicle starting stalling, check engine light would come on, and the vehicle would slipped into “limp mode” while traveling on the freeway. I was amount in two auto collisions because of the vehicle slowing down in the middle of the highway. The problem started in August 2023 and was towed to the dealer on one occasions and towed to my home on another occasion. The dealer ran a diagnostic ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed positive crank valve. The contact was informed that the positive cra... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the ABS, Traction Control and check engine warning lights had remained illuminated. The contact indicated that while pressing the brake pedal to stop, the brake pedal extended to the floor causing the braking distance to become extended. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the ABS mo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I have been waiting on a part that been on back order for months- ABS module anti lock braking system in my 2015 Jeep Wrangler- I'm not the only 1 waiting for this part to come off back order been since Feb 2024 I've been waiting its Oct 2024 - They need to recall it if they cant take off back order very dangerous to drive
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Engine light came on. Independent service operator noted leaking coolant and oil. Sent camera into cylinder from misfiring spark plug and discovered broken head gasket. The car is available for inspection on request.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, a knocking noise came from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the cam phasers failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact learned of the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The manufacturer was made aware of the failu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Genesis G70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V528000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). 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 contact had... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
Coolant is leaking into the engine block. This puts the vehicle at constant risk of overheating due to lack of coolant. This has been inspected by Ford, it is a known issue that has caused them to completely redo how the engine is built in later models. There is also a TSB out on this issue, along with safety recalls on the 1.5 and 1.6L engine models of the same vehicle with this same issue, yet n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
Approximately 90 seconds after startup, every speaker emitted a deafening sound that can be described as a high-powered air compressor. The sound was debilitating, and in the moment it felt like the car would explode (solely from sound, no visible defects). The vehicle was in motion, and could have caused a wreck under different conditions. The issue continued even after turning off then restartin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
On 3 separate occasions this has occurred . When accelerating, the engine or power train completely loses all propulsion. Twice I was starting a left hand turn and crossing oncoming traffic. On one occasion I was turning right onto a 50 MPH highway and quickly veered off the road onto the berm. The only item on dash board flashing on the third incident was the cruise control preset and it was fl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
On [XXX] while attempting to take a trip to WV we were traveling on [XXX] nearing Waynesboro, VA. While driving up the mountain on [XXX] near the Rockfish Gap overlook I noticed our F-150 seemed to mis-shift or slip. As we’d experienced issues during a previous trip that required the transmission to be serviced under warranty I switched the display to the transmission temperature near 245 degree... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the lift gate latch did not function as intended. The contact stated that the lift gate failed to unlock and open. In addition, the contact stated that due to the failure, it took about 20 minutes or more to get the lift gate latch to unlock and open. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an indepen... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
The engine oil cooler line detached from the crimp joints, causing an "oil pressure low turn vehicle off" alert. I was fortunately able to pull over immediately, and catch the 8 quarts of oil which dumped out. This resulted in $634 repair bill, and likely damage to the engine of the truck. Had I not been in a rural area and able to pull over immediately, I would have lost all power to drive and ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
My 2024 Subaru Crosstrek was stopped at a red light behind a car. My cruise was disengaged after the car stopped and my foot was on the brake. Suddenly, the car lurched forward on its own and only stopped when I pressed hard on the brake and moved transmission from drive to park.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
"Service Shifter" light comes on. When this happens, the 9 speed shifter stops working. Also, all of the vehicle information system shuts off.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2024
Sitting at the light and driver side active head restraint deployed into my head.
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
Air dam malfunction causing truck to shut off
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Powertrain fail while driving on the highway
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Attached is a work order request for a defective door handle on my Jeep Compass. The driver side door handle we have determined is wrapped in metal and is delaminating. It has caused a hand injury to my daughter due to the wrapping on the door handle coming apart and being extremely sharp. We have taken the car to our local dealer for inspection and they have verified that this is not normal and w... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
I received notice regarding the recall for this Hybrid vehicle being unsafe to charge and use the electric portion due to the risk of fire. I am also not to park near any structures because of the risk of fire. There is still no fix for this recall, when I attempted to have fix, told there was no fix, then inquired to trade in, I was offered a 2024 grand cherokee hybrid that has the same recall as... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
Got a new battery for the car due to an accident I had back in Feb 2024. The battery lasted me up to August 2024 before I received an error saying that my car won’t charge any more and it’s at maximum charge. I took my car in and the Tesla service center explained there is no physical damage, and that it’s a mechanical issue
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Airbag warning on dash display. Driver side airbag dtc, replaced airbag and clock spring from nissan oem at local shop.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
The car had all of the symptoms of the vanos bolt recall. It started in October of 2023. I received an email notice for the said recall. I called BMW for 9 months, as I was without a car. That's not a timely manner to fix anything. I finally called last month and saw a remedy was available. After taking it in to the dealership, I came home and my car is now shaking violently at speeds above 40 mph... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
The component due to an improperly produced steering gearbox worm wheel, the wheel can swell during use, reducing the grease film thickness between the worm wheel and worm gear in which this was recalled on Oct 3, 2024 but did not discovered it until Oct 13, 2024 in an incident caused by the recall. All of the sudden my steering wheel became hard to maneuver and when I had difficulty turning it, I... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The system that is malfunctioning is the transmission. It is randomly shifting into neutral while at stop lights and while driving down the roads. This is an unsafe problem because the vehicle has to stop and be turned off then restarted before the transmission will allow you to change into drive. Stopping in the road on multiple occasions due to not being able to move to the side, has been caus... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
My car made a loud pop noise when I go to turn it over. Then it was just dead others tried to jump it, but it wasn’t getting enough juice. Along with this all the warning signals start flashing through on the dash before basically dying. There had been warning at all early I had been driving around just fine. When we finally get to the dealership they say it was just the battery. We replace the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
I purchased my 2023 Arcadia FFWD SLT a few months ago used with 11,000 miles. During the past few months I have noticed when reaching a speed of 45-60 mph the vehicle vibrates. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 10-10-24 and they said they could not find anything but they did not do an intensive problem search. I am concerned the problem may be related to a transmission recall dated 6/23. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
I purchased my 2023 Arcadia FFWD SLT a few months ago used with 11,000 miles. During the past few months I have noticed when reaching a speed of 45-60 mph the vehicle vibrates. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 10-10-24 and they said they could not find anything but they did not do an intensive problem search. I am concerned the problem may be related to a transmission recall dated 6/23. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
Please add the 2021 CX9 model to the following bulletin. [XXX] This is exactly what is happening with my car and is extremely frustrating that a recall has not been issued to fix the problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
SAFETY RECALL 23TA15 (Interim Notice 23TB15) was issued December 20, 2023 - almost one year ago. Toyota does not yet have a remedy for this potentially serious safety issue. For several months, Toyota's website has had the following verbiage regarding this "Toyota estimates the remedy can be available in Quarter 3, 2024, but this is subject to change based on parts availability." I cannot continue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
When trying to accelerate from a stop either in an intersection or from a driveway the vehicle takes a long moment before it responds... leaving my family vulnerable to cars coming from the opposite direction. I think it's the transmission but it could have to do with the fuel intake... it has been ongoing for months and months. The dealer has attempted to rectify but to not avail....very dangerou... Read more