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 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the dealer was servicing the vehicle, she was informed that the vehicle was experiencing a minor engine oil leak due to the engine oil being overfilled. The dealer cleaned the engine compartment. The contact stated that the engine was running rough, and the vehicle was vibrating while idling. The contact stated that while driving w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving with the low-beam headlights activated, the low-beam headlights became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to replace the bulbs. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the wiring connector was burned on the passenger’s side. The contact cal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the contact made a right turn, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became firm. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the steering torque sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made awa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 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, who determined there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle was swaying from side to side. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to a tire repair shop for alignment and tire rotation services; however, the contact was informed that the services could not be performed because the rear crossmember was severely corroded and frac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2023
The Audi dealership in Tysons Corner VA is denying to repair a known flaw that has resulted in Failed emissions. This is a constant struggle with the VW brand, kindly help how to resolve. The following are attached a) The emissions failure report from DEQ with the CEL code P2015 b) Technical service bulletin that details that repair and how it should be covered c) The extended warranty d) EPA g... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
While driving in normal street conditions, the dashboard lit up and all the lights came on. Traction control, stability control, check engine light, tire pressure, brake, ABS all lit up. The digital dash showed two errors: 1. Forward Collision System Unavailable and 2. Steering assist is reduced, drive with care. I noticed that steering became much more difficult and braking was extremely difficul... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The steering began making a rubbing noise for a day and the next day the rack and pinion steering completely froze up, not able to turn steering wheel at all. The vehicle was in my driveway when the steering froze so there was no accident however this could have been fatal had this happened on a street or highway, there would have been no way to avoid another vehicle or object. My vehicle was to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
My truck began idling hard and stalling out. I've contacted the local dealership multiple times to have the recall fixed for the CP4 fuel pump replaced and software updated and keep getting told they don't have the parts. I'm now having to schedule to have the truck looked at out of my pocket.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
My truck began idling hard and stalling out. I've contacted the local dealership multiple times to have the recall fixed for the CP4 fuel pump replaced and software updated and keep getting told they don't have the parts. I'm now having to schedule to have the truck looked at out of my pocket.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to shift it to the Neutral position even with your foot on the brakes. Sometimes you have to attempt it three or four times after it being in the drive position. You can move it forward strongly and softly it does not matter...this needs to be adjusted/corrected as sometimes we have to put it into neutral position and it will not work. I see this as a ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
The base of the carseat does not stay locked into position. it freely slides from 5-1 and back. i have video footage showing the carseat rocking forward and backwards when locked. this puts a child at risk for positional asphyxiation and at risk for severe injury or death in the event of an accident. evenflo is refunding the money for both of the carseats that i bought in the beginning of august a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2020
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60-70 MPH, a message indicating that the vehicle was overheating and to pull over was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The contact continued driving, however, the vehicle was not accelerating as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred 7-8 times within on... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and determined that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
While driving the vehicle at any speed the steering wheel will get stuck. I have to put some decent pressure on the wheel to make it unstuck, which causes an over-correction. It is scary to drive as it will at times pull me hard to the right or left. I dont feel comfortable driving it as I feel it will pull me into the other lane or off the road. I have taken the vehicle to the Honda dealership t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
We purchased a new 2023 Chevy Silverado in approximately January 2023. The onset of the problems with the new truck was Friday, August 4, 2023. The engine light came on, skipping occurred when accelerating - powertrain issues. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and was jerking when shifting between the first and second gear. No warning lights were illuminated. Then after arriv... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
We purchased a new 2023 Chevy Silverado in approximately January 2023. The onset of the problems with the new truck was Friday, August 4, 2023. The engine light came on, skipping occurred when accelerating - powertrain issues. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and was jerking when shifting between the first and second gear. No warning lights were illuminated. Then after arriv... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2023
This will be my Second Review about this dealer's service department. I'm not reviewing the service technicians but I'm reviewing the customer service, porters and advisors. I had my vehicle towed there on the 23rd of August after waiting a full month for my appointment. I have called to check on any updates to see have my 2014 Kia has been looked at. 1st time they didn't even know my vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
On July 9, 2023 the steering failed as I was driving, resulting in loss of control. With great difficulty I was able to return the vehicle to my house. The vehicle stayed there untill it was repaired on August 8, 2023. Repairs required an expense of $3,251.36.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
The reverse camera either doesn't work while backing up, or it freezes while backing up. I have video of it screen frozen showing in reverse while driving forward down the road.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
Acceleration fails or hesitates on acceleration from zero mph. This has occurred every day since new (June 2023) and only happens for 5 minutes after start up. It feels like it is going to stall out, but so far it has not. Each time I accelerate for the first time, my car makes a jerky start. It usually goes away after I've been driving a bit. I've tried letting it warm up a couple minutes, but th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
The gas gauge isn’t reading correctly. I’m a mother of a one year old son and I didn’t noticed that my car was reading wrong until I put in gas and it didn’t give me the correct reading. I have spoken to many people who owns a Ford Explorer and they have said the same thing. I don’t even know where to start on why it wouldn’t work. The problem has been reported and I didn’t get a war... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
Rear toe link and bushing issues. I have the same car as my sister. She has a 2016 with the same rear toe link as my 2019 and her car is covered under the recall and mine isn't.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
Mr. And Mrs. [XXX] / [XXX] [XXX] 90717 [XXX] Not been inspected since left Carnac in aTorrance,Ca Hollow doors , WiFi hacking, Bluetooth to wide spread caused unwanted criminals to follow my gps and satellite INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
Mr. And Mrs. [XXX] / [XXX] [XXX] 90717 [XXX] Not been inspected since left Carnac in aTorrance,Ca Hollow doors , WiFi hacking, Bluetooth to wide spread caused unwanted criminals to follow my gps and satellite INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The steering rack continues to fail in the VW Atlas.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
While parking my car, with my foot on the brake, the accelerator engaged and went to the floor. This caused me to jump a medium and pull on to the road before I was able to stop the car. I was ale to stop with the engine still racing. I put the car into park and the accelerator disengaged. The dealer determined the accelerator was defective.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
While parking my car, with my foot on the brake, the accelerator engaged and went to the floor. This caused me to jump a medium and pull on to the road before I was able to stop the car. I was ale to stop with the engine still racing. I put the car into park and the accelerator disengaged. The dealer determined the accelerator was defective.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
The brakes on my 2023 Chevy Trailblazer LT. At slow speeds the brakes sound like they are metal on metal and make horrible noise. I have only had this vehicle for 6 months. I did notify the dealer they said they can grease them and they would do it again. And that the only recall fix was for 2021 and 2022 trailblazer having this issue not the 2023 yet
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
On approximately July 23, 2023, I noticed the vehicle transmission shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear and then during the following week, this began to occur every time I drove the vehicle. There were no warning indicators appearing on the vehicle for this problem during vehicle operation. Then at higher steady speeds, the engine RPMs began to suddenly and intermittently surge slightly higher, and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
I want to bring 2 issues to your attention: First, with all the technology in vehicles today, I can't figure out why there isn't an audible warning if the lights aren't on at night and why they don't come on automatically when windshield wipers are turned on. I often find that I am driving without lights because either my wife or some valet turned them off from 'auto' without my knowledge. I... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
This incident has happened to me more than once in the past few months. I am driving along the highway and all of a sudden I lose my power steering. The dashboard reads STEERING ASSIST FAULT. Service required. As well as Service Advance Trac. Safety issue because going at moderate speed to get onto highway and losing all power steering could cause me to go off road if in bad weather like rain or... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
This incident has happened to me more than once in the past few months. I am driving along the highway and all of a sudden I lose my power steering. The dashboard reads STEERING ASSIST FAULT. Service required. As well as Service Advance Trac. Safety issue because going at moderate speed to get onto highway and losing all power steering could cause me to go off road if in bad weather like rain or... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Steering wheel doesn’t stays straight u have to force it almost by pulling it left and then right, it also makes a click noise on any turn or even if you turn while stationary it clicks on the slightest turn of the steering wheel
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
I received a recall notice from NHTSA about my Pilot. The MOST cable connected needs to be replaced. I am writing because I have contacted two different dealerships. They are unable to address the defect until January 2024 or April 2024 respectively. You letter said that if the repair could not be done within 60 days of receiving the letter, to contact the NHTSA. The second dealership informed me ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
I had an error message that power steering was not available and I was unable to steer.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
My vehicle, an a whole host of others according to other owners online, have an issue with defective sealing in the rear bumper and underbody of the vehicle which allows water to enter, flooding the trunk which fries the electrical harness and audio system. As a result, all warning systems including the Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Parking Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
My vehicle, an a whole host of others according to other owners online, have an issue with defective sealing in the rear bumper and underbody of the vehicle which allows water to enter, flooding the trunk which fries the electrical harness and audio system. As a result, all warning systems including the Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Parking Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Actuators on sliding doors fail and doors become stuck in the locked position. Rear passengers become stuck.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2023
The car was parked, started up to pull out of the parking space, preceded to back up. The car moved a couple of inches out of the parking space. The car position was half in the parking space and half way in traffic. Then the car locked up with lights appeared on the dashboard, engine light comes on, ESC and car with wiggly lines. The car would not move forward, reversed, nor could I cut off the e... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2023
I have a toyota rav4 2008 2.4 the motor is no leaking oil, no blue smoke but i put 4 quarts oil on 1.000 miles,the comsuption oil is too much and the steering wheel column have problem and that is danger .i see on Google the problem on this car toyota rav4 2008 2.4 is came with factory problem on pistons and rings I call bernardi toyota framingham,ma on 08/27/2022 and i talk a service guy the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Hybrid Harness Malfunction. As reported on FaceBook by my wife to [XXX] of LIA Toyota: "Well my husband's RAV 4 wasn't safe and you knew it. And corporate knew it. You are in the business of saving lives by informing your customers when you find a defect in your cars. This faulty harness is dangerous. And the repair is costly and there aren't many of these parts available to make the repair. Yo... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
The leather is pulling loose on dash. It is bubbled up from passenger side starting over into drivers side
Incident date: Aug 22, 2023
On about 4 to 5 occasions while driving on the highway, the car sort of stalls and a loss of control happens where everything feels locked up for a few seconds and a big thump is heard. It feels like the transmission has completely dropped out or that I have been hit but I have not been hit, it’s just the jerking motion I was feeling. It has happened both when excelerating to change lanes and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
Vehicle was sitting, not driven and parked for a couple days, got into the car and the saw the front passenger headrest airbag had deployed. Vehicle has not been in an accident or been damaged.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
2020 Hyundai Palisade Limited rear and front shock towers and/or stabilizer links rattle and are not stable at low speeds, and probably at high speeds also but for traffic noise. Causing instability when navigating in traffic and under road conditions
Incident date: Aug 20, 2023
vehicle had 65,732 when the timing chain and both turbo chargers seized costing $8,770.46. Complaining because we feel ford is at fault for this failure. engine has hardly any miles. Other Ford vehicles with many more miles had this recall but ford says mine was not covered. then under 2,000 miles later the power steering went costing $3,130.96 which was also another recall on other ford vehicles... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 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 local 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 made... Read more