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: Jun 27, 2023
It was diagnosed as the Telecommunication Module, this part malfunctioned causing issues with audio in the vehicle. The audio would at times play normal, at times go completely out losing all sound to turn signals, hazard signals, and safety sensor audios inside the vehicle. It would additionally lose communication between the key fob and the unit causing warnings during driving and non-start issu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
On 6/26/23 I was driving the Tucson. I was stopped at a light in traffic waiting for the light to change. Suddenly the icons on the dashboard turned red and started flashing. A message “Engine Off” displayed and the engine turned off. I was able to turn the vehicle back on and was able to drive. The automatic shut off of the engine while driving presents a safety risk.
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
I was driving home from work on the expressway driving around 60 miles when my car out of no where started jerking and lost speed as driving at some points I could go over 40 I had to put my hazards on and drive at a speed of 30 on the expressway when I parked the car and put my foot on gas pedal I could not drive had a mechanic look at it they said it was my knock sensor
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
I was driving home from work on the expressway driving around 60 miles when my car out of no where started jerking and lost speed as driving at some points I could go over 40 I had to put my hazards on and drive at a speed of 30 on the expressway when I parked the car and put my foot on gas pedal I could not drive had a mechanic look at it they said it was my knock sensor
Incident date: Feb 13, 2022
My control arm ripped completely off my fram on the passenger side due to excessive rust putting me and my family and any one else on the road at risk of something catastrophic.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
After starting the car, upon first acceleration, the car hesitates badly and has the tendency to lunge forward. It feels like it may stall. When I say cold, I mean when the engine has cooled down. This does not have to do with outside temperature. It happens when it's warm outside as well and the engine has cooled down. This issue has been present since taking ownership in Dec 2022. This poses a s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I was in a car accident on June 20, 2023. I was stopped in traffic and was hit in the rear and pushed into the vehicle in front of me. The air bags detonated but did not deploy. The steering wheel and both front seat side air bags had some coming but the airbag did not deploy.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Multiple critical recalls - 22V-904, 23V-060, 22V-140, and 22V-835. Two of these represent fire hazards! For the last several months they either didn't have the parts or availability to service. I tried multiple dealerships in my area. Getting these serviced has become extremely difficult due to lack of responsiveness or availability by the dealer.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
Occasionally, the vehicle sometimes doesn't start and allow me to engage to Drive gear from being turned off/Parked. I sometimes have to turn the car off and back on 1-2 times for the car to start like normal and allow me to select drive or reverse. Additionally, I have never been able to successfully sync my vehicle with my hyundai bluelink account despite efforts to troubleshoot with Bluelin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
Ecodiesel engine suddenly seized up while driving.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
Ecodiesel engine suddenly seized up while driving.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The rear backup camera quit working making it more dangerous to back up without it. The dealer was too busy to examine it for awhile. I believe it may be a cable problem like was identified on other Honda models recently because my camera screen is also blank.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
When i turn the A/C on, it appears a message on the screen that says A/C off due to high engine temperature. The car is losing coolant without external leak. A mechanic performed a cold pump test to the cooling system and no external leak was found. After that it was performed a compression test at a shop to each cylinder, finding that there's a bad head gasket. My car only has 70.000 miles and it... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
When i turn the A/C on, it appears a message on the screen that says A/C off due to high engine temperature. The car is losing coolant without external leak. A mechanic performed a cold pump test to the cooling system and no external leak was found. After that it was performed a compression test at a shop to each cylinder, finding that there's a bad head gasket. My car only has 70.000 miles and it... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
My customer satisfaction number is W20. I have been waiting since December 2022 to get the catalytic converter replaced. I was told there were 2 people ahead of me. Everytime I called I was told they were still trying to reach the people. They did update the software but now my Jeep is sluggish. I have to force the gas pedal to force the accelerator to the floor to pick up speed. So my gas mileage... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
My customer satisfaction number is W20. I have been waiting since December 2022 to get the catalytic converter replaced. I was told there were 2 people ahead of me. Everytime I called I was told they were still trying to reach the people. They did update the software but now my Jeep is sluggish. I have to force the gas pedal to force the accelerator to the floor to pick up speed. So my gas mileage... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
The frame above the RT rear tire has rusted completely through. It's where the rear end bolts to the frame, at a wedge welded to the frame with bolt holes in it. It's like it wants to flip over and darts left or right every time there's a dip or rough spot in the road. I chained it and put a tow strap around everything I could to keep the rear end from coming out & killing me or someone behind me
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
Lost turn signal on front of car but have on back air bags or on recall do to Decoty air bags and my steering going down the road went from soft to hard and couldn’t turn my car at all loss of power steering
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Transmission over temp is a never ending light that lights up daily. I've had 3 reprogrammed PCMs and the ECM replaced as well. The car was also reprogrammed at the dealership twice with the results the same. It will work for a couple days then right back to the original issue and including a few more. Recently the trans over temp came on and stalled in rush hour traffic. Resulting in a almost... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Transmission over temp is a never ending light that lights up daily. I've had 3 reprogrammed PCMs and the ECM replaced as well. The car was also reprogrammed at the dealership twice with the results the same. It will work for a couple days then right back to the original issue and including a few more. Recently the trans over temp came on and stalled in rush hour traffic. Resulting in a almost... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
Vehicle is consuming an excessive amount of oil, I see this is a common issue with this make and model , even a TSB regarding this issue. Yet, dealership states it is normal. I’m sorry but I have never owned a vehicle where it is normal to have to add 4 qts of oil between oil changes. This is a serious concern for engine wear and tear. I would like to escalate this issue to seek resolutio... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
My car have barely 10k miles and every 3k miles the oil engine light turn on. I thought was a leak but there is no leak or spilled oil anywhere. I find out that lots of 2021 mazda engine have the same issue and that BURN oil for a valve fail that Mazda still didnt recall. To confirm i had a mechanic check for it and they state that engine is burning oil and is not supposed to, expecially because t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
My 2013 Honda crv LX locks keep locking and unlocking by itself replaced drivers side lock actuator still has the same problem replaced with OEM.
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Car consumes excessive oil – one quart about every 500-700 miles. This has caused sludge in the engine and the car hesitates significantly on starting from a stopped position and now hesitates even at highway speeds. This has become a definite safety issue. If the car stalls it is only a matter of time before I am hit by another driver. The dealer first stated the oil consumption was fine IF it ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
Engine requires multiple tries to start when cold due to inadequate fuel supply from fuel sensors or fuel injectors. A recurring issue, this happens upon starting every time the engine is cold. This is a known issue by KTM. When the bike was returned to dealer, they reset the sensors and the bike operated normally for a short time and then returned to faulty starting procedure. The starting issue ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V172000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the reca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
Just quit working after being adjusted still not fixed though has been to Hyundai. Say parts are back ordered for months
Incident date: Feb 5, 2023
While driving and using the cruise control the car suddenly braked hard. On some occasions we lost 20 mph before reacting and applying pressure to the accelerator. At other times we only lost 3 mph before the car corrected itself. We had perhaps 15-18 incidents in less than 2 hours. We tried switching off the AEB system but that did not help. In all cases there were on I-25 between Pueblo and Trin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Forest River Forester built on a 2022 Ford E-450 chassis. When the contact arrived at her destination, she turned on the propane tank she would smell propane inside the cabin of the RV. The contact stated she smelled propane outside the RV also. The contact stated that on two occasions the carbon monoxide alarm activated after turning on the propane tank to heat the hot wat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Vehicle was traveling down the roadway, attempted to make a right turn when vehicle lost steering control and vehicle drive straight into the curb and over the sidewalk. After which the truck threw a code for "power steering assist fault" This feature should not be disable while In motion. It caused an accident.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
The tailgate with no apparent reason or indication all of a sudden failed to latch. The latches on both sides of the tailgate would no longer engage the pin that holds the tail gate in place. There is no way to secure cargo or equipment is side the cargo bed as the tailgate will not hold the tailgate up and keep secured and closed. It appears that Ford will not cover the electronic tailgate doo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2003
Similar to recall campagn #2017020018 or 17V-078. My car may have a damaged steering column-mounted shift lever module. If the internal circuit board is damaged, moving the shift lever will not select a transmission gear. Both the auto-P function and automatic parking brake will continue to operate as intended and prevent the vehicle from moving forward or rearward. The problem could also be the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
Front cylinder head number two is misfiring. It is a known problem with this engine and older models have an extended warranty. My 2019 is not covered. It’s an expensive repair and seems like a problem.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
2021 the driver side seatbelt broke which resulted in a recall. Same thing has happened again; the thick metal coil within the plastic cover snapped. We have a scheduled appointment today with the dealer to have it again replaced. They said it's our responsibility to pay even though the first time we were eventually reimbursed. This is a defective part; no seat belt should break again in two ye... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The regulator and motors have failed in all four windows. Two have been replaced with "panel assembly" parts - on 03/24/2022 the parts cost $383.09 and on 10/07/2022 the same [XXX] cost $470.16. I have not yet replaced the back two windows which are held in place by tape. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
The high beams are not working, since the low beams work there is no reason to change bulb as it only has one. It appears that the shutter is not working.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
The 2.0T engine failed and the vehicle is currently at Hyundai service department waiting on my warranty company to do an inspection of the engine. My safety was at risk as the engine failed during normal operation of the vehicle on a busy city street near a blind curve which other vehicles travel at high rates of speed. Hyundai Service department has confirmed the engine has failed which it needs... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
The screen flashes will completely go blank.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2023
Transmission issues. I was driving and thought my truck started skipping a little didn't think much of it. I stopped at gas station. Started to put off and my truck wouldn't move.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
Exactly what is described in TSB 22-2025 and 21-2147. Ford did not put an engine cover on my truck, and water has intruded into the spark plug wells and corroded the equipment. Ford is refusing to fix the issue, as the NHTSA didn't include my VIN in the two previously issues TSBs about this.
Incident date: May 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle sporadically swerved into the right lane. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Gerald Nissan of Naperville (1575 W Ogden Ave, Naperville, IL 60540) who informed the contac... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2023
On the freeway going 70 mph our car decided to slam on the brakes. We had it on supercruise which also uses adaptive cruise control. It was not raining, it was overcast, we were in farm country with no bridges or signs over the roadway. No cars around. It was very scary! I have 2 other cars with adaptive cruise control and have never experienced this.
Incident date: May 19, 2023
On the freeway going 70 mph our car decided to slam on the brakes. We had it on supercruise which also uses adaptive cruise control. It was not raining, it was overcast, we were in farm country with no bridges or signs over the roadway. No cars around. It was very scary! I have 2 other cars with adaptive cruise control and have never experienced this.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
Driving 25-30 MPH engine died, no warning lights illuminated prior to the engine stopping. The vehicle drifted to a stop on the side of the road. There was no loss of power steering. Safety was at risk due to sudden engine loss while driving on a road. Vehicle was towed to nearby service center for evaluation. Motor is seized per service center.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while having an inspection performed on the vehicle, she was informed that the rear sub frame was corroded and had holes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V228000 (Structure). The contact stated that the rear support brace was added. The vehicle was repaired but the me... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the camshaft rocker arm to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle on several occasions, the vehicle shut off and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. Additionally, the interior and exterior lights became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
My Tesla Model Y is experiencing phantom braking, due presumably to a faulty collission avoidance safety system. With cruise control enabled (not autopilot with lane keeping, only cruise control by depressing the stalk once vs. twice for lane keep) the car will phantom brake, where it slams on the brakes thinking their is a vehicle in its path when there is no vehicle in the front lane. This has ... Read more