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: Aug 1, 2024
UNKNOWN. Center rails for middle seat in second row were hot to the touch. The floor mats in the second row were hot as well as some items and a shirt on the floor. Kids noticed heat, and at first I thought heat was accidentally on but confirmed ac was still on in the rear. Could feel heat radiating, almost as if your hand was over the hood when hot. Concerned about plastics melting, or a fire s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Our 2020 Chevy 1500 Trail Boss was waiting for an ordered instrument cluster at service department. The surveillance camera, film the vehicle catch on fire after being parked for 2 days. The smoke started from the inside, and the vehicle engulfed in flames until the fire department came. After the fire was extinguished very little was left of the vehicle. Basically a frame and engine was the o... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
I turn my car on To go to work realized I didn’t have my phone. Car was in park. I hadn’t touch the gearshift at all I get out of the car. Approximate 20 seconds after I walk away from the car, my home security camera shows the car creeping extremely slowly backwards up into my driveway going up across the crown of the road… across the street and falls into a 10 foot deep ditch. I am 100% ce... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the ABS and the stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated but eventually turned off. The contact stated that the warning lights illuminated intermittently but had gradually illuminated more frequently. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the driv... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, upon reaching the destination, the contact became aware that the headlights would not turn off. After which, the vehicle failed to restart, and the vehicle was towed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated the vehicle stalled and was jerking with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed tha... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
Failed component is the passenger airbag presence module. Failure of the presence module compromises the deployment of airbags. Failure of airbag confirmed by Vetter-McGill Chevrolet, Three Rivers, Michigan. Module component failure confirmed by Chevrolet dealer. Passenger airbag warning light prompted appointment with Chevrolet dealer to determine why the passenger airbag warning light was illum... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the Ford dealer mobile technician replaced the battery, and the vehicle was able to start. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
It’s very hard to see at night and I know there is a recall for 2019 Kia forte with low beam aiming the recall is SC171. Also when I start driving I hear a rattling sound and there is another recall for 2019 Kia fortes. Power train axle assembly. The recall is SC195
Incident date: May 21, 2024
We were driving on the highway when we got a warning to pull over safely as the vehicle will shut down soon. The accelerator became unresponsive, and the vehicle began losing power. This has happened a number of times and we took it into the dealer who replaced the transmission. However, on various social media sites, it has been reported that this has been happening to many many people. This is... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
In March of 2023, I brought my car into service at my local dealer regarding random SOS and assistive cruise control errors that were causing my cruise control to randomly disengage, which caused multiple safety incidents where the cruise control would cause me to nearly hit the car in front of me or cause the car behind me to almost collide into me. After more than a year of working with VW and t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was driving and lost power randomly it came back in less than a minute but just lost power could certainly cause an accident... And the service airbag light is on and seemingly has the same issues as the 2010 Malibu Maxx which was recalled and replaced free of charge and frankly I don't have the 1200 $ to make sure it doesn't kill me I'm not sure why with as many 2007s that this is an issue in w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was driving and lost power randomly it came back in less than a minute but just lost power could certainly cause an accident... And the service airbag light is on and seemingly has the same issues as the 2010 Malibu Maxx which was recalled and replaced free of charge and frankly I don't have the 1200 $ to make sure it doesn't kill me I'm not sure why with as many 2007s that this is an issue in w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
Abs light and traction control light continue to turn on and when they light up my cruise control stops working
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
The headlight setting randomly changes from “Auto” to “Off” without any operator input. This happens roughly every fourth drive.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Rear passenger door does not drain and holds water. This is a potential mold issue which is a health problem. This will also cause the doors to rust.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
On Friday August 2nd. 2024 approximately 11am I was driving my 2019 ram 1500 laramie. At about 28 mph my truck lost power steering. Message in my dashboard says Power steering unavailable. The steering was very hard, harder when the engine is not running. I pulled over and waited 10mns and restarted the truck and everything went well. And I drove off it happened again within 10mns or 5mi. Same th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2021
While driving in the right lane of an Interstate using Full Self Driving (Supervised) mode (version 12.3.6), I was behind a motorcycle that was traveling slower than I. FSD was gaining on the motorcycle, but failed to move to the passing lane. I had to disengage the system so that the car didn't get too close to, or strike, the motorcycle. I manually moved to the passing lane and reengaged FSD. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
While driving at various speeds (25mph or 65mph) I let off on the accelerator to either slow down or come to a stop, when accelerating again I get a check engine light and I have no power. I limp along for several minutes then all of a sudden the fuel pedal sensor that tells the ecu where the fuel pedal is at catches up and I’m able to continue on with my ride. This is a very dangerous situati... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
I was driving at highway speeds and there was a sudden loud noise from the engine compartment and a loss of power resulting in my car becoming a hazard on the road. There were no warning lights or indicators that there was an issue. I was able to get pulled off safely and arranged for a tow to the local dealership. The dealership diagnosed the problem as a failed rod bearing which would result in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V436000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Unknown. Consuming oil at a high rate. Car also randomly loses acceleration power acting as if it’s in neutral.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the "Uconnect Box Service Required - Please visit an Authorized Dealer" message was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the reverse camera screen displayed a blank image while in reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times in reference to the failure. The vehicle had ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The cam phasers have always made a loud noise at startup. When I had this looked at, dealerships told me it was just a noise and nothing to worry about. Over time, the noise got worse. Recently, the cam phasers malfunctioned so that the truck would not accelerate as usual. It was extremely slow and lacked it's typical power on acceleration. The slow acceleration placed myself, my wife and children... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
The contact owned a 2016 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH and attempting to avoid colliding with a second vehicle the driver lost control of the steering and crashed into a utility pole. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bag partially deployed and did not protect the driver. The contact sustained back and neck inju... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 18, 2024
My husband and I bought a 2022 Sea Doo Switch compact sport (BRP) around August of 2022, and with the boat we were given this trailer, which is not compatible with salt water. We are salt water boaters in Florida. In 2022, BRP apparently did not make a trailer for this boat that could handle the salt water, but we heard they did moving forward in 2023. Knowing that our trailer would eventually rus... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, and auto high-beam warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the four windows failed to function as needed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway and changing lanes, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the short bl... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to a coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approx... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to a coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approx... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2024
Coolant began leaking into the cylinders causing my car to overheat while driving making this dangerous
Incident date: Jul 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 5500. The contact stated while driving 50–55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power due to the transmission failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to another local dealer, Speck Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (125 E Allen Rd., Sunnyside, WA 98944), where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
Recently, Polestar released a version of the onboard OS "Android Automotive" that was supposed to deal with an existing safety issue that has been reported to the nhtsa involving the rear view camera being unresponsive/blinking. The version of software released to address this is 3.1.9. Unfortunately, under this new software, the car's camera system has become completely unavailable, with the OS... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
Everything comes on my dashboard it doesn't let me go in fast than 45 or it will shut off when I am driving and it doesn't let me drive uphill it starts to slow down and stop but if I turn it off and back on it will start off going great and then it will stop working again I have taken it in to hoada and it is gotten me no were please help me
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The car all of a sudden has started braking with no reason too. Also has started resetting the dashboard system randomly. Which will shut down the entire from screen console and restart
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
SUV gets a slow down warning and it stops shuts off , it’s happened several times now I’m scared!!you wait few minutes it turns back on , mechanic said this a complain about this vehicle all the time , it has not been repaired I’m disabled with no money , I was on the highway and thank God I was on the slow lane if not I would have been killed by an eighteen wheeler. GMC is waiting for some... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
SUV gets a slow down warning and it stops shuts off , it’s happened several times now I’m scared!!you wait few minutes it turns back on , mechanic said this a complain about this vehicle all the time , it has not been repaired I’m disabled with no money , I was on the highway and thank God I was on the slow lane if not I would have been killed by an eighteen wheeler. GMC is waiting for some... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the water jacket in the cylinder was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,278.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the taillights failed to turn off as designed. The contact had to disconnect the battery for the taillights to be turned off. Additionally, the Hill Assist warning light was illuminated after reconnecting the battery. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the co... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
While driving the speed limit of 70mph on a major highway, the sunroof on my 2017 Toyota Prius exploded. There was no warning of any kind: no other traffic nearby so no rock or debris from another vehicle; no overpass or bridge so nothing from above; it was a mild sunny day of 76 degrees so not a weather factor; and by the angle of the glass that remains being in an outward position rather than ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The fuel pump module failed as I was driving 65 mph on the interstate. Thankfully, I was able to pull over without an incident. My safety was at risk stopping suddenly at this rate of speed and I was thankful I was in the right hand lane and able to pull off the road. After waiting an hour, my car was towed to the dealer and the fuel pump module has been replaced. There were no warning lamps o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The fuel pump module failed as I was driving 65 mph on the interstate. Thankfully, I was able to pull over without an incident. My safety was at risk stopping suddenly at this rate of speed and I was thankful I was in the right hand lane and able to pull off the road. After waiting an hour, my car was towed to the dealer and the fuel pump module has been replaced. There were no warning lamps o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Terrain. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the brakes inadvertently activated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; howev... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
The rails/tracks that the seats slide forward and back on get extremely hot while the car is on. The seat rails/tracks are exposed so the seats can slide and passengers have to step on them to get in and out. The amount of heat coming from the seat rails/tracks poses a burn risk, especially to children’s delicate feet.
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
Approx 17 months after purchase, tailgate release button (the lower button on the tailgate that is used to open (fully) the tailgate) stopped releasing the tailgate, however tailgate releases randomly when opening one of the truck doors. Based on the "fix" that has been subscribed for existing Chevy & GMC trucks with recalls for this same problem (although my truck isn't covered by current recall... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
Vehicle has just over 110,000 miles and the vehicle burns oil like crazy. Piston rings typically last 150,000 miles. Started running low on old 5,000 miles ago. I’ve looked online and found more incidences like mine and are happening around the same mileage. This can cause major engine damage if left untreated. I feel it’s worth an investigation to save people from future issues like this. Veh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated the Auto STOP/START light and head gasket light remained illuminated. While starting the vehicle, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed a leak in the head gasket. While inspecting the vehicle, the dealer became aware of a hole in the engine, and that the engine and head gasket needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 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 a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block R... Read more