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: Nov 3, 2023
I was driving on the freeway on Jan 17 when I heard a pop and then the electrical warning system on the car lit up. I lost power to the car and was only able to accelerate minimally. I turned on my hazard lights and was able to get to the shoulder of the freeway and fortunately was close to an exit and was able to exit the freeway. It was towed to a dealership and I was told there was a problem w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2023
Was driving on a public road about 35 mph when the car decelerated on its own and engine rpm went up significantly (maybe to 4000 rpm) due to the transmission downshifting to first gear. While trying to change to manual shifting (M) I noticed the speedometer was reading zero even though we were moving now approximately 20 mph. Eventually I was able to manually shift to 3rd gear but no further. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
The contact owns a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The vehicle was able to restart immediately on some occasions and restarted after a while on other occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. Several independent mechanics replaced the fuel filter and the fuel pump and installed an unknown computer software on... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was 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 not experie... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the front passenger’s side tire detached. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ball joints had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted, and th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
Drivers side seat belt frayed at the point where it comes out of the vehicle when I am seated and buckled in. This is nearly impossible for me to see and I only saw it by chance pulling the seat belt out for some incidental reason. I am unclear how long it had been like this. Otherwise this defect is completely hidden as it disappears into the vehicle when I unbuckle.
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
Over the past 18 months I have had numerous issues with the coolant system causing the car to over heat and leak coolant. It is the same issue with the coolant system every time.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
The car had a warning light in December “stop safely electrical fault detected” Land Rover dealership told me nothing was wrong, except I don’t drive enough & the battery was low. Eventually, the warning went away. This week, the warning light was back, along with additional warnings. The car literally shut down & quit working while it was running. I was sitting in a drive-through. I could n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the contacted coasted the vehicle to a stop light. No warning light was illuminated. After several attempts, the contact was able to restart the vehicle, and continued driving to the destination. The contact refueled the vehicle and attempted several times to restart the vehicle. The... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Jan '22 - Reported check engine light had begun to turn off and back on when gas tank was low. Feb '22 At 19k miles catalytic convertor reported failed for code (P0420), 3 way catalyst, upper and lower gaskets, and manifold all needed to be replaced - took 4 days Aug'23 called to request service for check engine light because it was coming off and on over periods of time. Scheduled for Sep'23 Sep ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Jan '22 - Reported check engine light had begun to turn off and back on when gas tank was low. Feb '22 At 19k miles catalytic convertor reported failed for code (P0420), 3 way catalyst, upper and lower gaskets, and manifold all needed to be replaced - took 4 days Aug'23 called to request service for check engine light because it was coming off and on over periods of time. Scheduled for Sep'23 Sep ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
This is a safety concern I have faced on multiple occasions with this pickup. I have owned it since new and kept up on maintenance and recalls. Today it happened again. What it is, the windshield wipers will erratically wipe, sometimes not wipe, not shut off, as well as come on at random. I reside in the wet side of the state of Oregon where it can be super dangerous to loose wipers in a torr... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
I have had to have my engine and my transmission replaced within 2 months apart I keep writing and calling everyone I can I keep hearing the 1.0 l engines are blowing up too due to the wet belt and they're doing nothing with the 1.5 l engines due to the coolant issues I had no warning lights going off in my car and it blew the motor if it wouldn't have been for me going downhill I could have easil... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
As I was driving down the road,I started to see steam/smoke coming out of the enginge. I went to pull over and lost my brakes. I ended up tapping the car in front me. My car started to fill with smoke and then engulfed in flames. By looking at the pics, it appears the fire started on the driver's side. The car is a total loss.
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
What does it mean when my car says service StabiliTrak and service traction control? Its main function is indicating that the traction system has been turned off manually to remind you to turn it back on when necessary. However, the StabiliTrak warning light may also signal potential damage to vehicle components that allow the system to work effectively. Loss of Power to Engine, Can't stear, feel... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
We are having issues with our new CRV hybrid. We hear clicking sound whenever we are on uphill curvy road. Another issue is the driver’s side mirror appears distorted/blurry.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
My 2019 GMC Acacia SLT would not go into park to allow me to shut off my vehicle. It ran for over an hour before it finally went into park. This was dangerous as I had a young child to pick up in a busy part of town and I had to leave it running to try to get help. With a 3 year old child this was crazy. This is not the first time it has done this. My car had a recall and whomever fixed it didn’... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
While driving at highway speeds the power steering suddenly stopped working. It was definitely a safety hazard as I had all I could do to get off the road!
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
I was driving home Sunday night, Dec. 10, 2023 when the car started to smell like it was on fire and the Malfunction symbol came on. I pulled over on the side of the road, but car was still blocking the road, so after a few minutes, I decided to try to make it home as it was only about 1/2 mile. I was able to get a ride to work for 3 weeks. On Jan. 2, I had to go buy another car so I could get ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
[XXX] Kia Dealer replaced the 2015 Kia Sportage engine under an extended warranty not a recall. (10 months ago) Kia failed to notify us there was a connection issue of the high pressure fuel line on replacement motors. [XXX] daughter drove from Boston to Maine when she arrived home gas vapors were coming out the front grill and between the hood and windshield. When I removed the plastic engine cov... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 manufacturer was made... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
Tire info: Continental Procontact Size: 245 / 35 R 20 I was driving on city streets at normal speed during a rainy day. I turned right from one road to another road, and as I started to accelerate out of the right turn, my driver side front tire blew out and the TPMS started screaming because it read the tire pressure as 0. I immediately pulled over and checked the tire and saw a huge gash on th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
Diagnosis - rear floor boards and trunk well full of water. Diagnose and report - Founds traces of water running down rear pillars, starting just under the taillights. Remove rear taillights and found access hole tape failed, allowing water to enter vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
While performing a normal U-Turn at a stop sign, I turned the wheel all the way to the left. When the wheel reached it's max rotation to the left, the Power Steering light on the dash flashed for a second, but at the same time the whole car turned off and then back on. I was stopped mid-turn until the car restarted. Not knowing what happened, I continued the turn slowly and when the wheel reached ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
When this seat is first installed with the seat belt, it has a tight fit. However, the install seems to loosen for no apparent reason on its own. This occurs frequently. The seat is properly installed with pulling the slack out of the seat belt, securing the snuglock, and then locking the vehicle seat belt. I am concerned that the install will loosen in the event of an accident, and my toddler wil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
Car just randomly “ gave “ out . I couldn’t accelerate in the middle of intestate traffic !! The engine and the transmission blew at the same time. No warning , no check engine light ! Up to date on oil changes and other maintenance. Car only has 150k miles on it , no way this both happens at the same time. Complete limp mode. Danger to myself and most importantly my kids. How the engine an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
Unsure what first came on but the check engine light came on there would be no issues when driving nor lack of power, then filled up my tank and first try the engine would stall second try engine would take a longer time to roll over and revs would slightly fluctuate almost sounding like it would stall out again but didn’t after and when ever starting up the vehicle nothing else happened after w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
UNKNOWN. I was driving from Alabama to Atlanta [XXX]. Pouring rain but no hail, no thunder nor lighting. I was not around nor under an overpass and my sunroof spontaneously shatters. I just bought this vehicle 2 weeks ago at Carmax. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
This has been a contiuned issue with not only the Alpine but Montana as well. Especially with Front Slide outs. The unit is cracking at the lower front frame of the slide out. Causing dangerous cracks to the inner frame. The unit is over flexing and therefore causing the Welds to break , which will cause the walls to crack and you could end up with extreme damage. My unit ended up with $20,000... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
This has been a contiuned issue with not only the Alpine but Montana as well. Especially with Front Slide outs. The unit is cracking at the lower front frame of the slide out. Causing dangerous cracks to the inner frame. The unit is over flexing and therefore causing the Welds to break , which will cause the walls to crack and you could end up with extreme damage. My unit ended up with $20,000... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
While driving, all lights on the dash will light up and the gas pedal loses power. The only way to move the car to the side of the road out of danger is by coasting to the shoulder which can be very unsafe on the interstate. The car remains running with no power until it is cut off and turned back on. This has happened four times with the dealership being unable to specifically identify and fix th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I own 2015 Jeep Cherokee. the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v338000((electrical system, structure); 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 recall was announced in May of 2023. It is now February 2024. The only solution for this urgent r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the gear was stuck, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the clut... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
2022 ford raptor. Oil leak passenger side vehicle, Exhaust rattle while idle. Parked vehicle in garage smell oil inside garage, upon inspection found large oil leak on garage floor, when underneath vehicle and found oil leak from cover plate and front axle, steering components. Made a service appointment with local Ford dealership Long Lewis ford Prattville, Al. Vehicle odometer reading on vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
2022 ford raptor. Oil leak passenger side vehicle, Exhaust rattle while idle. Parked vehicle in garage smell oil inside garage, upon inspection found large oil leak on garage floor, when underneath vehicle and found oil leak from cover plate and front axle, steering components. Made a service appointment with local Ford dealership Long Lewis ford Prattville, Al. Vehicle odometer reading on vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
My wife was pulling into a parking spot when all of a sudden the cars engine accelerated causing the car to jump one curb, hit a step and striking a pole before finally the brakes stopped the car from going through a storefront. None of the safety crash features stopped the vehicle. My wifes foot was on the brake, not the accelerator. Previously we had the vehicle in for service to reset the co... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
The Steering on my Vehicle is sticky at moderate to high Speeds! Whenever im driving and i need to make small corrections, the steering sticks causing me to have to apply more force to the Steering Wheel to overcome the Stickiness which then is causing my Vehicle to swerve slightly, i believe under the right circumstances that can become dangerous! Honda dealer was Notified, inspection was carried... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
I was stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake, and had been for at least 30 seconds. The jeep all the sudden revved and started moving forward. I continued to push on the brake but the jeep didn't stop. I attempted to turn the jeep to the right to avoid the car in front of me, but was unable and slammed into the back of the car. Despite my foot being on the brake the jeep continued to rev... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
2 times on freeway and 1 time on city streets, no vehicles within 100 yards and vehicle came to complete random stop. On freeway, tires skidded it was so abrupt and had neck pains for a few days thereafter. One time also on city street, corrective steering pulled shaply to right almost causing accident. Called hyundai and the representative had no advice or care to even intake the issue for record... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The timing chain loose up and cause car to not start up
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
I have had 14 incidents over two years where this vehicle suddenly, rapidly accelerates from slow speed, usually less than 15 mph, and six of those incidents had a near collision. Most of the incidents happen in a parking lot or drive-thru and require immediate fast braking to avoid collision. This sudden, unexpected acceleration has been widely discussed on the Mach-E Forum and there is general a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 manuf... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
I live in a hands free phone state while driving. My vehicle constantly looses contact between my phone and the vehicle.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
While merging into the highway at approximately 49 to 52 mph, acceleration was applied to merge into the highway between moving vehicles. The vehicle responded by greatly increasing the rpm but not applying the power to the wheels. The engine revved up with very little acceleration. After 5 to 8 seconds, the power was finally transferred to the wheels and the vehicle sped up. The vehicle behind me... Read more