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: Apr 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the contact became aware of a delay while shifting gear. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the transmission needed to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
The Jeep's engine decided to shut off at a red light. This jeep has the automatic shutoff for the engine when idling too long. I could not restart the engine. I blocked 2 lanes of traffic, and was unable to push the vehicle out of the way. I Tried restarting the engine several times. The accessories would come on, but the parking brake would NOT disengage and I had several issues trying to get the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
The backup camera on my 2015 Mustang GT has been intermittently going out leaving a blank screen or a failed image on the dash display saying I need to contact Ford. I have been notified of a recall by the manufacturer on my particular vehicle. However, after taking my car in they said the recall span as determined by Ford apparently does not include my particular car, even though mine was manuf... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Freightliner XC-M. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V379000 (Tires) 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 contact stated that the RV was displaying inaccurate tire pressure numbers and tire temperature numbers as well... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
SAFTE CONCERNS: 1. Vehicle has sever severe pulsing/shaking/jerking behavior in motion. So far I have encountered this problem when the vehicle was under 20 mph; 2. Vehicle lightly pulsing/vibrating when braking and does not stop smoothly; 3. Stepping on the gas pedal for 100% acceleration, the vehicle only went up to 30~40% power. BACKGROUND: I purchased this vehicle (with 25miles shown) on 4/2... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
SAFTE CONCERNS: 1. Vehicle has sever severe pulsing/shaking/jerking behavior in motion. So far I have encountered this problem when the vehicle was under 20 mph; 2. Vehicle lightly pulsing/vibrating when braking and does not stop smoothly; 3. Stepping on the gas pedal for 100% acceleration, the vehicle only went up to 30~40% power. BACKGROUND: I purchased this vehicle (with 25miles shown) on 4/2... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
Rod bearing almost completely out making the vehicle unsafe to drive car only has148000 miles
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Lexus SC430. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, the radio was activated and there was an abnormal sound coming from the antenna. The contact noticed the antenna hanging off the holster and structuring the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,000.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
After being parked for 4 hours the vehicle caught on fire. Burnt passengers rear corner and rear tailgate
Fire
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle momentarily shifted into neutral and failed to immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change; however, the contact stated that after the oil change was performed; while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal pop underneath the hood and then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
While driving my 2020 Ford Ecosport it spontaneously caught fire and exploded on Sunday, May 29th. •I purchased my 2020 Ford Ecosport from Ford or Helfman Ford in Stafford Texas on Monday, May 25th, 2020. I immediately had problems with the vehicle and have taken the vehicle in multiple times for overheating issues and the check engine light coming on. •May 25th, 2020 – overheating and... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
While driving my 2020 Ford Ecosport it spontaneously caught fire and exploded on Sunday, May 29th. •I purchased my 2020 Ford Ecosport from Ford or Helfman Ford in Stafford Texas on Monday, May 25th, 2020. I immediately had problems with the vehicle and have taken the vehicle in multiple times for overheating issues and the check engine light coming on. •May 25th, 2020 – overheating and... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 22, 2023
The rear parking assist break does not turn off, yes it is available for inspection. I had an emergency, I could not reverse out of my parking spot because the emergency break would automatically stop my vehicle, it was sensing there was something behind it. The problem has been confirmed by dealer stated it is an internal failure with the factory radio. It has not been inspected by the manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 35 MPH or lower, the vehicle was hesitating and jerking. The RPM’s would erroneously be reduced. The failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into c... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
I am a CPST that is once again receiving questions from parents about whether or not they can use an unsafe product called the Smart Kid Belt Booster Seat. We have received this question from parents since 2018. Can we do anything to stop sales of this product in the U.S.? This is a "booster seat" that claims to adjust the belt for a child but leaves the lap belt in a dangerous position across the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I am writing in regards to a recall that has previously been serviced on my vehicle. I bought my 2008 Nissan Titan through a private party on 4/16/23. The truck had no issues until 4/20/23. The fuel gauge read that I had a quarter tank of gas. However I was driving to work that morning and all of a sudden the truck acted as if it would when one runs out of fuel. I was not able to use the breaks an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and then stalled. The transmission, check engine, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The contact's husband diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P0720 (Output Speed Sensor). The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
I was driving on a dry road, going 70mph when my car began flashing the abs indicator and it began breaking and controlling my steering taking me into another lane. The car slowed my vehicle suddenly down to 60 mph and then went off like it never happened. I then had control. There was no reason for the car to do this. There was nothing in the road and luckily no one was to close to me or the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
LEFT REAR (DRIVER SIDE) TRAILING CONTROL ARM CAME OUT OF THE MOUNTING BRACKET CAUSING THE TIRE ASSEMBLY TO FALL OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND NARROWLY ESCAPED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THIS DEFECT HAS A RECALL NOTICE IN CANADA BUT NOT USA. I NOTICED SIMILIAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHICH IS A DESIGN DEFECT BY HONDA WITH NO GOOD REMEDIATION. THIS COUL... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
I took the vehicle in for the air bag recall repair, and was informed by both the dealership and Chevy that while the cost oof replacing the air bag itself was covered under the recall, any damage to the dash or other parts of the vehicle that must to be removed to replace the air bag would NOT be covered under the recall. This policy is deplorable and immoral, and possibly illegal, but I confirme... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2023
Unknown The brake and gas pedal are so close to each other that when I switched from one to the other my foot scraped the brake pedal causing the car to stop or speed up. I am afraid to drive it. I paid cash($44000) for it. I notified the dealership and then had to come to the nursing home for rehab and have been unable to take it back so it’s sitting at my daughters house for over 6 mos. The de... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2023
Transmission malfunction. No light indicators turned on to signal transmission issues. Took car to dealer x 2 to file complaint. Told car was fine and that was how car functions. 3rd time went to dealer for same issue and told new transmission needed.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2023
The timing chain rattled, wearing a hole in the timing cover causing oil leak. After driving my car and parking it, all of the oil leaked out on to the ground. When trying to drive the car, even before the oil leak, the car would completely shut off whenever I would slow down, including in the middle of intersections. After taking it to a mechanic, they told me that the timing chain had worn a h... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
stopped at a stop sign started going front tire locked up threw me to the ground. Picked the scooter up got it to the side of the road. started back up and the abs is flashing now. My right shoulder is in pain left hip, and knee.
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
The windshield of my 2021 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring CVT has prematurely cracked in two places, inhibiting the frontward-facing view (and ultimate safety!) of both the driver's and passenger's sides of the vehicle. Neither crack was due to a chip or normal windshield damage caused from driving. Again, these cracks are NOT driver-induced and are not considered "wear and tear!" Both cracks ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
The motor has blown in my 2017 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. My radiator and starter as well as my fuse panel. This car needs $11,0000 worth of work
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while activating the air condition, there was no air blowing through vents. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer performed the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System) but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the dealer stated that the wires to the bl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
El motor se apaga inesperadamente como si se cortara la corriente del switch
Incident date: Jan 27, 2023
The driver's side headrest popped forward. OK one day, then when I got in the car the next it was popped forward pushing it against the back of my neck (thinking it was 4/14/23). Looks like the plastic hooks, or plastic parts just broke. I'm 75 years old, 6"3" tall. Very uncomfortable. I am very happy that the thing didn't explode when I was driving the car. I thought my 2014 Grand Caravan w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
Unable to read oil level, high or unusually alarming oil pressure. High oil pressure codes
Incident date: Feb 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The 'Stop Safely, Vehicle Will Shut Off" message was displayed. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion Syst... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
This vehicle is burning/losing oil. It is full, it will have a greasy substance on the dipstick and oil cap. Then after 1k-12k miles the oil is almost empty. I have had almost 5k in repairs at McLaughlin and they state nothing is wrong, yet I keep having the same issue. I went to key Auto mall and oil looked fine and now it is almost empty again. No oil all over the engine or on the ground. I don... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
The driver seatbelt screw came out from the wall at the base of the car. The seatbelt was no longer attached to the car. There was no previous damage or accidents to the seatbelt and the car has few miles on it. Kia towed it to the local dealership where they stated it “just came loose” and stated “it likely wasn’t fully tightened at the manufacturing plant.” They tightened it and said i... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
After a rear-end collision, my passenger front air bag light comes on intermittently. Because of this, I don't know if the air bag was compromised or if the collision caused a faulty sensor. I can't get an answer from Ford.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
2011 gmc Acadia slt gear shift does not lock causing it to slip into neutral with slightest bump of shifter or sudden hard breaking Also passenger seat belt does not.lock at all when breaking and driver side seat belt never unlocks there are safty recalls on these issues for this model but.says mine has zero unfixed recall also defrosting and mirror defrost does not work properly causing me to hav... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
Driving on the freeway at night, cruise control was on and going 70 mph. There were no other cars around and the car started braking on me out of no where. My speed went from 70 mph down to almost 20 mph on the freeway. Luckily there was no one behind me otherwise it would have been a bad crash.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
AC evaporator core failure. It appears Honda Civic has AC problems. This is the second time the AC has stopped working.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Grinding from turning. Numerous Radiators, Transmission problems over and over. Jerking not pulling. Stalling in the road.Control Arm needed again. Brakes and Rotors grinding.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Several times over the last 2 weeks, our 2021 Chrysler Pacifica has been subject to the engine shutdown for which there is a recall. As Chrysler is aware of, when using the gas engine, the engine shut down on us while driving. Having already applied the software update that is the current "solution" to this problem, we did receive a warning that an engine shutdown was about to occur and that we sh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
I dont know exactly what is wrong but from online videos i think power train or transmission. When driving the vehicle will struggle/delay shifting. When it does finally shift its so hard it throws u forward. When having to quickly get on the gas it will delay to where your not really moving. This almost caused accidents multiple times. ( not pulling out in front of people) entering interstate is ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
I dont know exactly what is wrong but from online videos i think power train or transmission. When driving the vehicle will struggle/delay shifting. When it does finally shift its so hard it throws u forward. When having to quickly get on the gas it will delay to where your not really moving. This almost caused accidents multiple times. ( not pulling out in front of people) entering interstate is ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
Steering assist light comes on when I turn vehicle on without warning. It makes it very hard to turn the wheel when it comes on. The light turns off when I restart the vehicle, but comes on again 24-32 hours later. It has not been inspected. There were no warning lamps or messages, or symptoms of the problem appeared 04-17-23
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Sport Contact, Tire Size: 225/40/R19, DOT Number: LMJAD5UR (Front Tires) and Pirelli Tires, Tire Line: P Zero, Tire Size: 225/40/R19, DOT Number: 93X2Y082 (Rear Tires). The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the TPMS warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
Engine shut off on me I've replaced battery and alternator there is a strong smell of burning plastic from engine bay before this my AC went out only was blowing hot air but car now will not start after replacement of alternator and battery only had the car for a bit now everyone is breaking on me I've had it in the shop for half the time I've had it about to call finance company and give up on ve... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and shuddered before responding as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure and happened at various speeds. The contact had taken ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
While driving the sunroof shattered. I felt a weird pressure than it shattered