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 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started wobbling. The contact then stated that the vehicle suddenly changed and drove as if the vehicle was merging, while intending to drive straight. The stability track warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear suspension toe lin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that fluid was leaking underneath the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
I keep getting multiple messages to service my vehicle's safety restraint system. It has come through and gone away multiple times over the past few weeks. No accident has happened.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Hello, I am the second owner of this car since 6+ years. I had given the car for fluid flush as part of regular service at a local Firestone. The technician was on a test drive after service and the engine hydrolocked. I have been without a car since last 5 days and no one seems to take the responsibility and help me with replacing the defective engine as it has major known issues with engine. Ple... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
My 2019 Ford Edge was sitting in my garage over the weekend at the end of March. I got in on Monday morning to find my sunroof had shattered. Upon further examination, nothing fell in or on the car. The sunroof had actually blown upwards.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
service active handling/service traction control
BMW
X3
(2013) - VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:AIR HANDLER/CHAMBER, DUCTS, AND VALVES
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
With high outside temperatures A/C unit was on, but only the heating system was working. Air Conditioning system was not functuning and heating system would not go off. With windows down, inside tempearture was over 100 degrees and passing out due to heat was happening. Ford Dealer inspected the problem and said it was a manufacture malfunction. After repairing, the same issue developed again five... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
I was at a stop light with the car in drive and the wipers on intermittent. The auto on/off feature was also enabled since the car was stopped. There was a failure related to the auto on off that seems to correlate with the windshield wipers being used. The engine shut off and the error message appeared on the screen "engine stopped steering power low". The check engine and power steering lights c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for unrelated repairs, the mechanic determined that the rear subframe needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V604000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate fail... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V574000 (Power Train). The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
Vehicle states “ secure vehicle from Rolling” message. This could be a safety issue with something with the trans selector and/or parking brake and/or a door open, or not being recognized as being closed. I’ve read lots of other complaints Online too so thought be worth posting.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2022
Car has a hard time starting mutiple times. Battery is fine and starter is fine.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2022
Car has a hard time starting mutiple times. Battery is fine and starter is fine.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2022
I am losing engine power. My OBD2 gives me P2138 and P0700 codes. I have changed the accelerator and knock sensors.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
There has been a series of constant issues with this model and each issue has been brought to a certified Honda dealership and was supposedly "fixed" engine code P0300 (random/multiple cylinder misfire),P2651 B rocker arm Actuator system, P0087 Fuel Rail/system pressure, P0304,P0303 cylinder 3 and 4 misfire, engine temperature always above normal. These issues on multiple situations has put my ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
There has been a series of constant issues with this model and each issue has been brought to a certified Honda dealership and was supposedly "fixed" engine code P0300 (random/multiple cylinder misfire),P2651 B rocker arm Actuator system, P0087 Fuel Rail/system pressure, P0304,P0303 cylinder 3 and 4 misfire, engine temperature always above normal. These issues on multiple situations has put my ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
There has been a series of constant issues with this model and each issue has been brought to a certified Honda dealership and was supposedly "fixed" engine code P0300 (random/multiple cylinder misfire),P2651 B rocker arm Actuator system, P0087 Fuel Rail/system pressure, P0304,P0303 cylinder 3 and 4 misfire, engine temperature always above normal. These issues on multiple situations has put my ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
My car loose power engine light and sometime A orange light . Vibration and cheking and clicking Temperature engine go up when start ac come down. I already change spark plug sprockets coil Water pump thermostat . I have same problem . Leaking oil. The inspection failed Code 0302 105
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Car rolled down driveway while in park three separate times. Could have killed someone.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
Same fatal error I've been reporting for over 6 months and about 10 "OVER THE AIR UPDATES" Yes we all really 'NEEDED' more ways to make fart and poop sounds and open our rainbow LED [XXX] by voice command BUT WHAT ID REALLY LIKE IS FOR LITERALLY ANYONE IN ALL OF AMERICA TO DO THEIR JOB! Maybe if someone would do an investigation into to how much FRAUD there is at literally every level of Tesla fro... Read more
Crash
Fire
99 injured
99 deaths
Incident date: May 24, 2022
My abs, traction control, and my AWD service light all have been on making my car jump before I can accelerate and it then drives fine but today it would not allow me to go over 15MPH and all I could hear was grinding noises! This was the first time that has happened, I’ve replaced the wheel sensors, bearings, and all new tires it turned off for a couple months but now is back on! This is a huge... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2022
Took 2016 Ford Explorer in for an oil change. Was informed that there is an Engine Water Pump leak and needs replacement. There were no warning lights or notifications. Concerns are a malfunction of only vehicle available to me and my family.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while her uncle was driving approximately 65 MPH, the instrument panel display became inoperable. During the failure, the speedometer was inoperable. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic found no failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Services Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the headlights failed to adequately illuminate the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the headlamp actuators were inoperable, and the headlamp housings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
I drove my vehicle on Saturday April 1, 2023 without incident. There was no occurrence anything hitting the windshield. I returned home and did not drive the vehicle again until Monday April 3, 2023. I went to the garage to leave for work when I noticed a 15 inch crack in the windshield. The crack originates from the leading vertical edge on the driver side. There is no visible chip or other damag... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owned a 2017 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 70 MPH, he was rear-ended by another vehicle which caused him to crash into the vehicle in front of him. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Her son was taken to the hospital where he was treated for multiple injuries to his head, both legs, both wrists, and back. The whereabouts of the other drivers w... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
2017 FORD EDGE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 22V-413. THE CONSUMER STATED PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO FIX THE RECALLS.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the transmission independently down shifted to third gear. The contact stated that the vehicle shook abnormally. The contact stated that the "wrench symbol” was illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator failed to function as needed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
I am currently financing the 2017 Ford Escape Ecoboost as of 2019. On multiple occasions my car has been in the shop due to the faulty engineering of the Ecoboost engine system leaking coolant. I have paid close to $4,000 in out of pocket repairs that Ford will not reimburse or address the issue. I have also made multiple calls to Ford where one person told me Ford did not know about this issue ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2023
My Vehicle stalls and shuts while driving in the midst of traffic
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
I was driving and all of the sudden lights came on, on the dashboard and when I started to slow down I noticed the brakes were very "mushy" and barley worked. I then drove it directly to the dealership and on the way the lights went off, and brakes went back to normal. This is a very dangerous situation for anyone to be in and I don't know why NHTSA has not made this a mandatory recall for Toyot... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
Engine lost compression with around 8K miles on it.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AV TECHNOLOGY. UPDATE 06/10/2023- Consumer sent copy of letter sent to the California Dept. Of Justice Public Inquiry Unit in reference to AV Robot car crashing. Steering failures, Consumer mentions issues with possible malware or hacks into the robots computer. And the robot car be designed to provide human driver to steer by the wheel and a 2nd Steering Box for the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
Fuel leaking from fuel tank
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
When I stop at the light my car shake and rocks, then the car goes into limp mode. Where the stabilitrack comes on and the engine goes into reduced mode. And I can't go over 30mps. When this happened on the freeway is the most dangerous and scary feeling ever. I've got So many new parts and put over 3,000 into the car and it still has this issue. I've been do several different mechanics and nobody... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
When I stop at the light my car shake and rocks, then the car goes into limp mode. Where the stabilitrack comes on and the engine goes into reduced mode. And I can't go over 30mps. When this happened on the freeway is the most dangerous and scary feeling ever. I've got So many new parts and put over 3,000 into the car and it still has this issue. I've been do several different mechanics and nobody... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started to lose motive power. Messages indicating that the ABS and the brakes had ceased to operate as needed were displayed. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
i am an owner of Mercedes 2022 EQS, living in Westchester, New York. There are a number of flaws in the auto drive software system that the company refuses to acknowledge. 1) the sensors on the passenger side of the car do not register a car immediately adjacent to you. Thus, while the auto steering feature still keeps the car within the lane, if the car to the right lane of my vehicle is adjac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
i am an owner of Mercedes 2022 EQS, living in Westchester, New York. There are a number of flaws in the auto drive software system that the company refuses to acknowledge. 1) the sensors on the passenger side of the car do not register a car immediately adjacent to you. Thus, while the auto steering feature still keeps the car within the lane, if the car to the right lane of my vehicle is adjac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
i am an owner of Mercedes 2022 EQS, living in Westchester, New York. There are a number of flaws in the auto drive software system that the company refuses to acknowledge. 1) the sensors on the passenger side of the car do not register a car immediately adjacent to you. Thus, while the auto steering feature still keeps the car within the lane, if the car to the right lane of my vehicle is adjac... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2023
I bought this 2014 RAM December of 2022. I drove the truck from Charlotte NC to Cleveland Ohio and back with no issues the week after I purchased it. At the end of January this year the FACTORY AIR SUSPENSION started giving me trouble. The Air bags deflate and will not pump back up and it becomes almost un drivable because it bounces violently and it slams down hard on the bump stops so hard it li... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V337000 (Air Bags) 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 f... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The Tesla was parked and locked unoccupied with all security features enabled. When I returned to the car the front driver's side was completely crumpled with the bodywork torn , like it was reveresed in to. I was gone about 30 minutes. The car gave no notification on the app, the car alarm didn't activate and the sentry mode did not record the incident. All the things they say the car will do. I ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
I purchased a brand new 2018 toyota camry le with nothing but problems from the beginning. The brakes have been bad from day 1. The make noise when braking and they supposedly fixed it. I was driving on the freeway down a hill and when I went to press on the brakes they did not do anything and I had the pedal all the way down. I had to pump the brakes putting me and my passengers in danger. The e... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
First issue: Computer fails to throw codes for issues like low oil or engine overheating because of a cracked radiator that was bone dry when the mechanic looked at it. At the time of the incident with the cracked radiator, mechanic checked fuses and system but could not find any issues. However, they agreed that check engine light should have come on. But it did not. Second issue: Oil some how ma... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
2/14/23 Dash Flashes “Put Car in Park”; battery symbol illuminates, gear shift ‘D’ lit up. Coasted to the shoulder, put car in park, engine was not running. I hit the “Start” button. The engine starts up, I put it into Drive, and pull onto the road. This repeats 2 more times. 2/20/23 Car serviced at Chrysler dealership - Service report said Updated PCM 181906EL Module. ECU from old pa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
2/14/23 Dash Flashes “Put Car in Park”; battery symbol illuminates, gear shift ‘D’ lit up. Coasted to the shoulder, put car in park, engine was not running. I hit the “Start” button. The engine starts up, I put it into Drive, and pull onto the road. This repeats 2 more times. 2/20/23 Car serviced at Chrysler dealership - Service report said Updated PCM 181906EL Module. ECU from old pa... Read more