Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 40,555 complaints for BMW
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
The vehicle automatically lost power, shut down, and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. During the shut down, I was unable to accelerate, brake, or steer the vehicle to the side of the road to a safe stopping location. The vehicle computer appeared to take over and shut down the vehicle and I was unable to stop it from happening. I was informed by the dealer that the issue was ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the passenger’s side windshield was cracked without impact. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the second local dealer: Stocker Subaru (1454 Dreibelbis St, State College, PA 16801), where it... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
Began to receive error messages stating "Front Camera Fault" and "Forward Collision Detection Fault". For a while it fixed on its own, then the messages started to become more and more frequent until now the error messages come up every time we turn on the car. With the malfunction that is happening with front camera and collision detection, it prevents cruise control from being used (which is ada... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
Vehicle stopped at a red light, auto stop/start activated. Took foot off brake when light turned green, car struggled to restart, all lights/system went off and finally restarted. Kicked the auto emergency break on and the auto stop/start warning light came on. Has happened 5-10x in the last month. Started around July 2023. Sometimes forward collision breaking turns on out of nowhere, when cars ar... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
After consulting many others that own or previously owned 328i bmw from around the same years (2015-2017); a common issue was found and assumed to be the timing belt. when i press on the accelerator moderately/ as per usual, my RPMs and speedometer hesitate for a solid second then it will catch up and start shaking. i suspect its the timing belt.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted 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 not ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
While driving with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the car has suddenly braked (hard) when the associate optical system encountered a shadow or some anomaly on the road ahead. This "phantom braking" has occurred numerous times on our vehicle, and speaking with our son who also has a Tesla Model Y, he has experienced the same behavior. To date, I have not contacted Tesla, due to the intermit... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. 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... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
Malfunction Indicator Lamp illuminated with VCT diagnostic trouble codes stored in module; increased induction noise while driving; reduction in performance; and camshaft over speed. This was covered in N481 but has expired. I have owned my vehicle since June 2020 and was not notified of this Service Action Notice by my dealer or Range Rover. The last 6 numbers of my VIN falls within the range o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2023
1.- Found water in the doors electrical connectors, the radio, alerts, blinkers sounds stops working and makes an electric short circuit sound. Informatic radio systems works on and off. 2.- break pedal with unusual play this make the stop lights turn on all the time and triggers the stabilitytrack system fails the car it’s like speeding up and down. 3.- the previous problem play in the break ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Headlight high beams turn on with left turn signal, also when actuating the high beams it turns on the left turn signal. You can not signal left without blinding other traffic with the high beams. No service lamps, happened since I bought the truck new. Ram has failed to service the vehicle and fix the issue. 3 trips to the dealer and 2 conversations with ram cares.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Headlight high beams turn on with left turn signal, also when actuating the high beams it turns on the left turn signal. You can not signal left without blinding other traffic with the high beams. No service lamps, happened since I bought the truck new. Ram has failed to service the vehicle and fix the issue. 3 trips to the dealer and 2 conversations with ram cares.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
A Recall Repair (19S07) was performed on 4/24/2023 at which time the truck had 161711 miles. Prior to the Recall Repair I had not experienced any issues at all. I had only brought the truck into Ford Service for a different repair at which time they took care of the Recall (19S07). On 7/9/2023 the truck would not start (No Crank/No Start) A Tow Truck Service was called at which time confirmin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
The roof on outside is starting to flake off in chunks and expose bottom layers.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
THE COMPUTER FUSE FOR THE FUEL PUMP HAS BLOWN THREE FUSES AND 2 FUEL PUMPS WITHIN 12,000 MILES.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Constantly having warning lights on, car jerking into other lanes, emergency braking randomly, brakes went to the floor and car propelled through an intersection
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
I have an electric power, steering rack and assist and it failed on the way to Pennsylvania to visit my daughter and grandchildren. I had to drive an additional 42 miles with no power steering. There was a recall, supposedly completed for the bolts in the Assist, and I no longer have a warranty on this. it was fine until 5 hours into my trip.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
I was involved in an accident last year where I took out a gaurd rail next to a building. My air bags never deployed and now my car will not run.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
As I was driving down the highway in the rain, my check engine light came on and I was unable to accelerate my vehicle over 30mph and the speedometer stopped working. I was turning onto the road I live on, so I was able to make it home. I then shut my car off and turned it back on about 5 minutes later, and that issue was no longer happening. I had an upcoming appointment for an oil change at a Ki... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Vehicle windshield developed a crack unknown reasons. Crack developed at the very bottom of the windshield below the trim. Nothing has impacted the windshield whatsoever.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the front driver's wheel detached from the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The air bags did not deploy. The insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled. The contact was injured; she had a concussion. The contact received medical attention. The vehicle was towed... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
My 2015 Santa Fe V6 AWD engine had 2 pistons seize up while driving. NO warning lights. I bought the Car with approximately 75K Miles and by 85k miles engine lights came on and engine was losing power. Local mechanic spent $2K trying to fix it but could not. Sent to Hyundai dealer where I purchased it. I spent another 2K (they covered about 3K as Hyundai would NOT cover repairs so dealer did). Af... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Blown engine in the middle of the highway. The car have been consuming excessive amounts of oil. I though that, if the car has the oil change done more often, the engine would be fine, but that was not the case.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2021
Power steering does not work below 50 degrees F.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal down to the floorboard and the vehicle responded, however, the transmission shifted hard. The contact stated that the transmission was not shifting in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
My 2017 Pacifica just passed 96,000 miles and started acting weird. We sent it into the mechanic and they said there is a blown head gasket on cylinder 1. The repair will be between $4,500 and $5,000. Under normal conditions, a head gasket should not be blown on a regularly maintained vehicle with less than 100,000 miles.
Incident date: May 3, 2021
I was driving along Hwy 37/151 between San Antonio and Mission, Texas. The trip is long straight and flat highway. During the round trip, my Model Y had 5 episodes of phantom braking. Twice in auto-steer mode and thrice under regular cruise control. In each case there were no cars within meaningful proximity, and no debris or other obstruction that should trigger the brakes. In every case the c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle had been idling roughly. The contact stated that the engine would vibrate and shake the entire vehicle while stopped at a traffic signal. The contact stated that she was adding amount of engine oil to the vehicle every week. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact had taken... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
Good Afternoon, the problem that I have encountered for is is that the rear camera does not work all the time a blue screen appears and I am not able to see what is behind me and that can cause me to have an accident. I do not feel safe
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Loss of power while accelerating. Engine overheat notification. High oil temperature.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 27, 2023
Was stopped at stop light jeep still running and all sudden neutral flashing and wouldn’t shift back up into park at all. Had to disconnect battery wait 30 seconds and hook back up for it to shift into park… started it up and everything is now good. For now
Incident date: Aug 5, 2023
Just had the vehicle in for the it’s 60k mile service and no issues reported. Today, at 63k miles I had the same dealer look at a headlight malfunction and the service technician reported the rear coil springs are failing and need replaced.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
"Service Electronic Braking System", & "Service Anti-Lock Braking System" indicators flash & ding constantly. Started on 8/15/23. Vehicle can be available for inspection. It has not been inspected by a licensed mechanic yet. ABS, & Traction Control lights on the cluster are lit up.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2023
"Service Electronic Braking System", & "Service Anti-Lock Braking System" indicators flash & ding constantly. Started on 8/15/23. Vehicle can be available for inspection. It has not been inspected by a licensed mechanic yet. ABS, & Traction Control lights on the cluster are lit up.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
I NEVER GOT A RECALL ON THE LIGHT REPAIR. HAS MOISTURE IN HEADLIGHT. YOU CAN NOT SEE AT NIGHT. LIGHTS ARE VERY LOW LIGHTING. IT IS A SAFETY RISK. GOING TO CHURCH AT NIGHT IS IMPOSSIBLE. YOU CANNOT SEE OUT AHEAD. TRYING TO WATCH FOR DEER. I GOT ONE LIGHT FIXED FEW YEARS AGO. I CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER. IS THERE A RECALL. THE PICTURE LOADED IS WHAT LIGHT LOOKS LIKE ON DRIVERS SIDE. I PRAY THEY STAND B... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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. The manufacturer was m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
While driving today the vehicle stopped shifting and the check engine light turned on. When I pressed the gas pedal the RPM gauge would go to 4 or 5 but the vehicle wouldn’t move initially. It jolted forward after a few seconds of pressing the gas. Because I had my children in the vehicle, I slowly drove to the garage I see regularly. They checked the code and with that revealed it was something... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
Over 20 times our van has breaked when it was not needed. This usually happens when going up a hill and turning, or when a car slows but not enough to need to break. In several instances we have almost been rear-ended due to the sudden breaking. We try to turn off the service, but it has to be turned off each time. With the amount of traffic we have in the area, this is very dangerous.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The stabilitrak power steering system fails randomly at high speeds causing loss of control and risk of crashing. This is a known problem to GMC and a recall was issued for 2015 canyon trucks requiring the dealer to replace the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly free of charge due to defective electrical connections within the assembly. They have excluded 2016 and it is a serious problem. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The stabilitrak power steering system fails randomly at high speeds causing loss of control and risk of crashing. This is a known problem to GMC and a recall was issued for 2015 canyon trucks requiring the dealer to replace the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly free of charge due to defective electrical connections within the assembly. They have excluded 2016 and it is a serious problem. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2023
My sunroof just shattered in my 2023 KIA Sportage as I was driving to work. There was no one in front of me and nothing hit it. Sounded as if a bomb went off, just a big kaboom and then flapping sound as if I blew a tire, and sounded like it was raining. I pulled over, no flat and when I looked on top, my whole sunroof had exploded and the raining sound was glass falling onto my cloth cover, which... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
Regenerative braking system remains applied/engaged/enabled when accelerating.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
2017 Ford Explorer with 114,000 miles. Engine coolant light came on while driving. The car was taken to a Ford Dealer and diagnosed with a failed water pump. As the water pump is installed inside of the engine this is now a major repair and if not caught early, can cause permanent damage to the engine. This failure can cause the engine to stop leaving you stranded. Currently having the engine ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V158000 (Seat Belts) 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 experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2023
Car was parked, no cars or objects within approx. 40 feet (to rear). Started car and placed in Reverse. Backed up about 3 feet and brakes activated automatically and fully. Warning lights flashed on the dash. Car was immobilized. Shifted to Drive and pulled forward. Shifted to reverse and the same thing occurred again. Repeated two additional times with same result. On the fifth time we backed up... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
My sunroof exploded!! Nothing hit me, I wasn’t driving crazy. My family and I were on our way home from visiting my dad and we heard a loud bang, like a shotgun, and glass pieces. I pulled over immediately and saw the sunroof looks like it was punch from inside the car out. Just exploded! I had to google to see if this has happened before and surprised to see it has to other palisade owners. I ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
Was driving car on highway and car stopped no excelleration nothing just stopped. Pulled over with no visible signs of anything wrong. Car would not start. After a few moments car started drove down highway about 10 miles to my home car stopped again but this time would not start at all. Gave code for power train.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
Was driving car on highway and car stopped no excelleration nothing just stopped. Pulled over with no visible signs of anything wrong. Car would not start. After a few moments car started drove down highway about 10 miles to my home car stopped again but this time would not start at all. Gave code for power train.