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: Apr 1, 2024
Occupant Air bag sensor is on constantly and Air bag light on dashboard. My vehicle has never been in an accident. There was a recall issued for my vehicle in 2016. I purchased my car in 2017 new and it was overstock vehicle. The recall was cleared in August 2016 by dealer and I just found this out when vehicle was taken to Nissan dealership for different recall on 4/6/24. Since the vehicle is out... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Power steering malfunction caused by computer glitch when we had a bump. SeeNHTSA recall #17V-595 for earlier manufactured Metris.Yes- available for inspection. Yes, loss of power steering endangered us an anything in our path as we attempted to steer the van without powered steering I don’t know if it can be confirmed by a independent service center, but there is a history of this with other ow... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Reoccurring check engine light for the omissions system. Damage to the catalytic converter, diagnostic codes. Poor gas mileage and abnormal engine combustion. Oil is burning extremely fast in engine, having to get oil changes more frequently. Incident where vehicle was driving, came to a complete stop and would not accelerate in the middle of heavy traffic. Had to replace all 4 fuel injections and... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Within one month of purchase I noticed a bubble in the paint. The bubble is now cracking and affecting the gunmetal blue paint. I’m concerned this paint problem will lead to chipping and peeling in the paint.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
Steering has become extremely rough and sticks, dangerous to drive because it sticks hard and may not straighten out easy sometimes. Will take to dealer soon, suspect rack and pinion failure.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, another motorist yelled out that the brake lights were not working. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic four times where it was diagnosed that the housing, LED conversion, tail light bulb, socket, and connector needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the fail... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. There was a recall on airbags for the Mercedes C300 within the year my vehicle was made, however, the recall did not include my VIN. Also, the sunroof drain is faulty, which was also recalled on other Mercedes C300s within the same production year, again not my VIN, but upon inspection by a certified dealership, it appears to be the same issue a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a valve knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment, the check engine light had illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The contact received codes that indicated an engine misfired in cylinder three and cylinder five. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
Experienced safety restraint system failure on all four seats. Had them all fixed for ~$2,000. Front passenger restraint failed again next month. Know. Issue among the message boards online. Investigation into number of these repairs is likely merited.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The vehicle pre-sense stopped the vehicle due to the detection of an object however, there was no object. This happened going forward and in reverse multiple times, causing the car to come to a sudden, abrupt stop even at speeds in excess of 30mph. This resulting in my teen daughter having bruising from the seat belt. The car was taken to the dealership and the dealership recalibrated the control ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The following two events happened during the first week of April 2024 EVENT #1: While driving at 65 MPH on a freeway, the car decelerated and failed to travel above 40 MPH. Simultaneously, three warming lights appeared on the dash: a yellow triangle, the check engine light and a "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" warning. EVENT # 2: Same symptoms and dash displays as event number one while traveling at 40 ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Doors unlock without warning while driving.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and mostly occurred while driving up an incline. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not yet contacted... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
So the recalls were done on my vehicle in September 2023 , I purchased the vehicle in August and after the recalls were performed the truck would seem different but I thought it was just me, we'll I had an alignment done because it was driving crazy , this wasn't done at the chevrolet dealership, so recently we've experience some braking issues and pulling off to the side well I took it to the rya... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag was flopping around. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no assistance was provided. The contact called the local dealer, where it was determined that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. T... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
An unintentional powertrain control module (PCM) reset occurred while the vehicle was in motion and resulted in park system damage. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
I was driving down the road in a 45. My car started to have no power. I no warning came on. Literally Cruising down the road it sounded like the motor blew. Had it towed to my local mechanic and he said it wasn’t good. Never had any faulty components prior to. No warning lamps have come on still and when started you get smoke and a loud knock. When driving I could’ve been hurt or hurt another ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The vehicle will occasionally freeze on the infotainment splash screen. This prevents the rear view camera from activating when the vehicle is in reverse. Furthermore, the vehicle has already been serviced for a prior issue where the infotainment system (and rear view camera video) would momentarily freeze (1-4 seconds) when the camera was activated
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Kia K5. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aw... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2024
I started the vehicle and it displayed a message on the infotainment system screen that the system had lost power. I believed that this would only affect the radio functionality which I was not concerned about immediately. I placed the vehicle in reverse and I accidentally backed up into a parked car. At no point before the accident did I realize the rear camera did not work and the collision a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
I started the vehicle and it displayed a message on the infotainment system screen that the system had lost power. I believed that this would only affect the radio functionality which I was not concerned about immediately. I placed the vehicle in reverse and I accidentally backed up into a parked car. At no point before the accident did I realize the rear camera did not work and the collision a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
water intrusion resulted in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park multiple times while being washed. This apparently happened throughout the night, assuming voltage was being used to send open signal, which resulted in drained battery. In my case my vin is not on the recall that is out on GMC for tailgate issue. And dealership determined there is a pinch in tailgate sp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
I had a 2022 Toyota tundra I bought it new and had it serviced at two Toyota dealerships. The truck had numerous recalls but my truck had no significant problems. I was on a trip 10 hours from my house when I heard a slight knocking sound and noticed oil on the ground under the truck. I checked the oil it was between the two marks but on the low side. I drove it to the nearest Toyota dealership to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Water is leaking in through my trunk due to a flaw manufacturing design
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
My car has 55k miles on it and the power steering has failed. Last October, I brought it in to the service center and they wanted $4000 to replace my steering rack. At the time, the car only had about 50k miles on it. It seems like these parts are failing much faster on the Teslas then previous cars that I've owned.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Steering system, it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While driving at highway speeds, the steering is sticking and requires effort/driver input to keep the car straight. While making correction, the steering seems to take additional force to get ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
See attached document for complaint
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
Recently I was driving and heard a knocking/creaking noise in the left rear. When braking I felt as though I was going to lose control of the vehicle...vehicle appeared to fishtail and pull to the left. I first noticed it on [XXX] when I was driving on the highway in excess of 60 MPH. On [XXX] I brought it to my mechanic (Genesee Auto Repair, 40 Liberty Street, Salem, NH (603)898-1899) and my mech... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the shift assists malfunction warning light illuminated. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mecha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 not made aware of the issue.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering assist fault and traction control warning lights illuminated. In addition, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. Th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
status display screen shows multiple false signals
Incident date: Jul 8, 2023
The 2013 pruis has developed the notorious brake booster fault triggering the brake light abs light and traction control light to stay illuminated. Toyota has many complaints about this brake booster issue and needs to recall and fix this issue as they have done on other Toyotas. This is leaving owners with a $2500 repair or having to take a big risk driving these cars with a big prevalent brake... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2024
On Sun April 7, 2024, I was entering the highway and was driving about 10 MPH due to congestion when the motorcycle stalled on me. I was able to start up the motorcycle and continued to my home. I purchased the motorcycle new in 2022. I had experienced the same issues a few times in 2022 and contacted the Piaggio of the issue. It took over two months before they were able to resolve this issue. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
7-21-23 Unit stalled 3 times today. The last time was while driving. Check engine light on. 1-29-24 Today I was responding to an emergency backup for an officer that was fighting two subjects. The subjects were fleeing from a stolen vehicle and it was dispatched that these subjects were armed. I never made it to this call because my vehicle #10688 would not accelerate past 23mph and then shu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
Massive battery drain issue, resulting in dead battery, causing the need to replace the battery yearly. Lane keep does not function at all. Does not provide any assistance in staying in the lane. Lane departure warning only has a dash indicator and no further alert to inform operator of possible lane departure
Incident date: Apr 5, 2024
Multiple reports of; Codes P0171 System too lean bank 1 P0138 O2 sensor circuit high (b1s2) P0087 Fuel pressure too low P0036 B1S2 *** frequent fuel pump and fuel injector replacements/ services due to defects in the system. Causing major damage in other systems including engine.***
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
Forward collision warning: activates randomly. I had to decrease the warning sensitivity to near to reduce the rate at which I was receiving false alarms. Powertrain: noticeable delay after shifting down when using paddle shifters in manual mode. Electrical: The in dash audio radio station seeks down without user input.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
Happens weekly, the car breaks randomly when making a left turn, but it slams on the breaks to where you feel like you’ve made impact. It does this in the middle of the intersection and we could be hit head on or rear ended. It continues to happen, it has been in for service at least 3 times over the past year and Audi continues to say there isn’t a problem. Yet people are complaining about th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2024
Autonomous Driving Problem [XXX] Driving from Cornelia, GA to Commerce, GA on [XXX] at 60 mph driving on the right lane with very lite traffic. 6 different times the FSD (Full Self Driving) (Supervised) 2021 Tesla Model 3 starts signaling left and changes lanes with no traffic or vehicles in front. The 5th time FSD (Supervised) changed lane to the left was a near car accident because a car was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked on level ground, the contact attempted to shift the gear shifter into reverse and drive however, the transmission failed to respond as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Cam... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
My car says service stabilitrak and my traction control light is still on whether I hit the button or not I just spent a grand for it to be fixed and it I’m still having the same issue my brakes will lock up or my wheel locks up uncontrollably I have almost gotten into numerous accidents because of it.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
My car says service stabilitrak and my traction control light is still on whether I hit the button or not I just spent a grand for it to be fixed and it I’m still having the same issue my brakes will lock up or my wheel locks up uncontrollably I have almost gotten into numerous accidents because of it.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to overheat. The contact was able to move the vehicle to the shoulder before taking the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer determined there was a crack in cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to overheat. The contact was able to move the vehicle to the shoulder before taking the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer determined there was a crack in cylinder #3, and the engine needed to be rep... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2024
As I was driving with my wife on our way back home, my vehicle flashed every warning light, and my dashboard went dark. I was going about 40–45 mph, the engine was still running, and we made it home, which was only less than 2 miles from my house. As I was driving on my way home, the media console had this message: "vehicle network communication error," but once home, I could not get the SUV to ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was utilizing the shifter knob, she cut her hand on the chrome shifting knob. The chrome edge was very sharp. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's spouse did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the chrome knob needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 24, 2023
The anti lock brake controller is failing and keeps the traction controller and cruise control from working properly.