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: Jun 20, 2023
New resistance in steering at highway speed trying to keep steering centered and straight. No indicators or warning lights noting issue. Noted Honda TSB 18-103, 54 vehicles ONLY were recalled. Symptoms similar to TSB, brought to dealer, master tech diagnosed replacement of rack and gearbox, paid by extended service warranty because this vehicle NOT recalled by Honda. Once repaired, within the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
Our vehicle dies while driving down the highway, twice now in less than 30 days. I drivetrain and low-power warning came on, but the car died and wouldn't start. The obvious risk is that we were driving on the highway and barely avoided being in an accident as I tried to steer us off the road. The second time we were at a park. In both instnances, the temperature was over 100 degrees and my 3 and ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V312000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
My vehicle was parked next to a fire hydrant and when i returned to the vehicle none of the warning cameras or alerts was able to pick up the object. There seems to be a glitch when the vehicle is turned completely off and then restarted with a small object in the blind spot.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 22, 2023
Unknown, my car since ive got it has steadily ran way too hot for my comfort zone it does not redline. But it runs sometimes past 223-225 and i feel like i have to pull over and that is not safe. I have had it checked out NUNEROUS times and have been told nothing is wrong but genuinely that does not add up to me.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
Vehicle stalls/doesn’t start when gas tank is full. This has happened while driving.
Incident date: May 8, 2023
7/17/23 Vehicle starting lunging erratically down a busy highway while driving. Called dealership to make appointment. The car was taken in on 7/19/23. Dealership reports the transmission blew and metal shards in the fluids. Tech expressed concern it was able to drive and lunge down road given the situation. No warning lights or indicators went off. The car is currently at the dealership awaiting ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
Shifter failure: IN DRIVE mode, the shifter moves to neutral with slight movement of wrist. The shifter is NOT locked thus requiring intentional shift movement, alas simply brushing your arm against it as you reach for the coffee or the radio causes the vehicle to STOP driving Safety Risk: While driving, the car STOPS accelerating and requires the owner to manually put the car back into drive, wh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
I was driving the car without any issue or problem. All of a sudden the sunroof glass shuttered. It sounded like a blast. When I stopped the car, the sunroof was broken to small pieces.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
I was driving the car without any issue or problem. All of a sudden the sunroof glass shuttered. It sounded like a blast. When I stopped the car, the sunroof was broken to small pieces.
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
While driving on the freeway at 70 mph, my car started sputtering and out of instinct I placed the gear into neutral. Shortly after doing that the car died while moving. I tried a rolling/moving restart on the car by placing it in 6th gear, hold the clutch in and restart the ignition with no luck. Coasted the car to the nearest freeway exit and into a parking lot. If the car would have died while ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2023
While driving the Brakes locked in the middle of the Freeway and Street it happen 3 Times already and the only thing that the Service department from Mercedes Benz saids is that they cant duplicate the malfunction a return the car It Dangerous because it just stops the brakes lock and the car stops completly in the middle of the road
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The vehicle in question was 14 years old with 20,950 original miles on it. This safety issue was the direct result of a faulty part from the factory [leaking fuel pump flange assembly] that manifested itself in a very strong fuel smell, both in the vehicle while driving, as well as in my garage. It was caused by raw gasoline leaking out of the primary fuel pump that was cracked and leaked out of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Honda Element. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear driver's side trailing arm fractured without warning. The contact was able to veer the vehicle off the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear driver's side trailing arm was rusted and needed to be replaced. Ne... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
Parked on a slight hill, shifted out of drive and applied the ebrake by pulling up firmly. Unbucked my seat belt, opened the door, and got out of the vehicle. Left the door open to go in my house, grab my wallet, and come back. The car stayed in neutral instead of shifting into park which should have happened but multiple components of the car failed to detect me exiting (door latch sendor, sof... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
I had my three young children in the car and was driving a brand new 2022 Ford Expedition when I heard a loud sound and my sunroof completely shattered, causing shards of glass to fall on me and my 3 children, as well as almost causing me to get into an accident due to the shock of the incident.
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
I have to turn on my car start driving it no more than like 15 to 10 mph and then it shakes it jerks and cut off and it does that repeatedly until I pass second gear
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact discovered that oil had splashed throughout the engine. The contact also stated that while at a complete stop white colored smoke was coming from underneath the hood. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that the oil separator had cracked. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer who informed him that... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 McLaren 570S. The contact stated that while at the dealer for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the front driver's and passenger's door hinges were cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 8,500.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2023
Stopped on a level surface, at a fuel station/bathroom stop, 6 year old granddaughter in booster seat behind driver in back seat. The seat belt was released and retracted tight over the booster seat arm rest and would not release to allow child out of the seat and child began to panic, had to cut seatbelt to get upset child out!
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
Over the course of approximately four months, my 2018 F-150 transmission progressively shifted more and more abruptly resulting in enough physical damage to warrant the replacement of the entire transmission. It began as a rough shift from 1st to 3rd gear and got worse, eventually becoming a shift from 1st to 3rd, losing power, dropping back to 1st, and then violently slamming into 4th gear. This ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. Additionally, the contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
Hello I would like to open a case on a fire recall :VIN wb10313089zu47089 2009 BMW 1200gs Motorcycle , The motorcycle did start on fire casing much burn damage at the fuel line , needed the update fuel line and pump update. Rider was able to escape the flames and get a fire extinguisher and put out the fire ! I called BMW of north America , at first they said take it to the Dealer for a inspec... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
723 miles and fuel pump stoped working
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
Unknown cause of issue. Vehicle states a notice to “Shift to Park” after it has already been shifted in to park and prompted to turned off. The electricity in the vehicle will not shut off until the notice disappears which doesn’t happen unless the button on the shifter is pressed multiple times. This issue will cause the battery to die in the vehicle if not treated, which in turn, will lea... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to lunge forward. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the turbo was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer that stated that the engine was misfiring, and that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not under recall. The v... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
Check engine light came on, Cylinder 3 misfire, head gasket cracked and leaking coolant into cylinder, need to replace entire motor.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2021
the infotainment screen flashes a warning on red screen "911 Car Phone malfunction contact dealer". It has done this intermitently for the past couple of weeks. A few times I've started the vehicle and the screen is black, no back up camera, no a/c, no back up warning tone (I back up the vehicle from parking spot using the mirrors and the screen comes on a few minutes after vehicle is moving). ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
The car completely stalled out. Engine Light on.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
The Sync 3 system has been rendered useless by recent software upgrade by Ford. Rear camera sporactically remains on when moving in forward direction. Pop-up messages requiring driver conformation occur after vehicle startup. Navigation, phone, radio are all associated with upgrade. Ford has acknowledged problem and stated that they are working on a software upgrade, none is available at this tim... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
When going from stop light, car died in middle of intersection. Couldn’t get it started. Had it towed to dealership.Dealer did diagnostics and couldn’t find any issue. Drove car home. Turned it off. The car would not restart. Had it towed back to dealership. Not sure if it’s starter, alternator, auto engine stop features. Battery seems to be Gett drained. Danger is that the car randomly dies... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
Front right brake hose ruptured.
Incident date: Jul 13, 2023
The transmission failed. I was towing our bumper pull trailer on a narrow country, curvy road on the way to a National Park Campground and the truck failed. We are very lucky this didn't result in an accident. There was a loud clunk from underneath the truck, then a myriad of warning lights and the truck would not go forward. The truck had just slightly over 12,000 miles. The dealership has determ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
I have been driving my car, utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, and on a few occasions, have received a 'Check Forward Safety System' error message. Additionally, when utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, my vehicle does not recognize the vehicle in the lane directly in front of me, but instead, will recognize the vehicle in the lane to the left of me, as though it is in front of me (i.e. - ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. I could start it but if I put it in reverse or drive it would stall immediately. I was stuck in the middle of the road unable to go forward or back. The police put up cones because my rig was not able to even be moved to the side of the road. I was on the road for over 4 hours before I was towed because of the size of my rig. It was a very scary exper... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
I was getting out of my car and when I opened my door it sounded like someone had hit my car. I checked to see if there was any damages and there was none. After further investigation I noticed that the spot welds on the driver side door of my 2020 Ford Escape came loose and the door was starting to move freely inside the door. This causes the door to not be able to open all the way. I took my ve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
Came off the frwy and stopped and once I got back and accelerated the car began to make metal grinding sound from the engine drove immediately to the dealership that was less then quarter of a mile away. I left it over night and was told the next day it was not safe to drive at all and there was no loaner cars or rental service. 5 days later a loaner was provided. There was no warning light or ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Vehicle is 100% BMW Serviced for it's history, showroom to present. Vehicle had been smoking after sitting 2-3 days and driving. We'd park and see wisps of smoke coming from the wheelwells and engine bay. Alarming! Never witnessed open flame, but as the saying goes, if there's smoke... Questionable component: 328xd Fuel Sensor Probe (BMW part #13-53-8-594-893 Fuel Feed Line 135040 ) Complaint/R... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The rear rotor/axle bolt was found to be sheered off; the bolt head was located within the hub simply rattling around loose. There is no warning outside of someone possibly hearing the bolt head rattling in the hub as the truck passes by. Thankfully, someone heard mine; otherwise, I would have had no idea the problem existed. This issue has been reported numerous times in multiple online forums, a... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V181000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribut... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
While driving vehicle shuts off unexpectedly, with steering wheel losing power steering. It will then have trouble starting again. Turning on and off by itself. It will then work just fine after 15-20 minutes.. It has been doing this every few months for a couple years now. I have taken to dealer a couple times, and they have had me change battery initially. But can’t give me a reason why it kee... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
Windshield trim piece came loose and broke off while driving on the highway. I had to tape down the part that was still on there two times before I could have it repaired so that I did not lose the rest of it on the highway and cause an accident. The driver's side failed first and now my passenger side has split apart and is rattling while on the highway, so I have to have both sides repaired out... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
Check engine light came on and the code was saying cylinder 3 was misfiring. After numerous tests it was determined coolant was leaking into the cylinder from a crack in the block. Doing my own research I found this is a known issue for this make and model and year of car, however FORD has refused to recall it. There is a TSB about it but nothing else. I had to pay $10,000 for the shop to put in a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V624000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
I brought my 2017 X5 xDrive40e to my local dealer (Ray Catena in White Plains NY) after getting a ‘Drivetrain Malfunction” Error. After several weeks at the dealer, and thousands of dollars in repairs, I’m being told today that: -The car needs a new Electric Drive… cost $12,000 -The replaced electric drive may not solve the issue, which might be the transmission.. replacement cost $16,0... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had misfired, and the ignition coils and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the followi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
ABS dash light illuminated. "Service Electronic Braking System" message. ABS, Traction Control, and Cruise Control disabled, while driving. Repair shop indicates faulty ABS Module/Control Unit. This part is widely known to be faulty on this year/make/model. Part also extremely backordered and not available for replacement or repair. The replacement part has been redesigned/updated - yet no recal... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
BMW of North America is hiding problems with brand new vehicles. Their German website returns at least 2 recall codes for my car and the US website states there are none, yet my car has been in the service department just days after taking delivery until now which is a month later with no repair or solution in sight.. German Website: https://www.bmw.at/de/footer/quick-link/technische-aktionen.htm... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
Truck has only 65, 000 miles on it, I’m the second buyer, has never haul anything or hitch a trailer, I’m having this electrical brake system failure ABS, this vehicle is to expensive and new to have early issues on it. ABS Motor Control- General Electric failure. I seem other similar problems reported with same year and same problems.