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: Mar 10, 2023
At about 115,000 miles my carefully maintained one-owner vehicle began to occasionally shudder, and then finally stalled on a couple of occassions. I found out later (after the check-engine light was activated, apparently due to a failing catalytic converter) that the shuddering, and the ruined catalytic converter, were both due to excessive oil consumption--the result of a piston ring defect that... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 1995 Nissan Frontier XE. The contact stated upon opening the hood to check the engine oil level at the fuel station, the radiator blew out and propelled a hot anti-freeze that burned his upper body. The contact was transported to the hospital with the assistance of a friend. The contact received medical assistance and was informed that he had sustained second and third-degree bu... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
We barely use it and just for Sunday service only which our church is just 2 miles away from our home. We did the oil change last July 2022 and on December 2022, Suddenly the engine stops working (ONLY 120 MILEAGE ADDED). NO WARNING LIGHTS or INDICATION saying ENGINE OLI needs to change. My son heard a clunk noise while he's on the way home. Huntington Beach Hyundai Service center said that the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
There were two different times my Acura 2013 ILX was involved in two different accidents and the airbags didn’t deploy. 1. Back on 4/2018 brakes didn’t respond properly, then ceased to another vehicle and airbags didn’t deployed. No major injuries, but high bills. 2. January 2019, my husband was rear ended by an Audi, was sent to the opposite side of the street, car was total loss, airbags... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
i was driving in the highway 50 mph and i was braking and my car slipped in the other line of the highway and almost had and accident !!!! and cars switched off when driving almost had incident!!!! i saw that many people have the say problem like me about rusted component please do something because people are losing their lifes.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission made grinding sounds when shifted into neutral(N), 1st, and 2nd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the dealer stated that the fuel control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the part to repair th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving in a car wash drive-thru line, the brakes applied independently. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated an unknown yellow and black warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was unable to open or start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving in a car wash drive-thru line, the brakes applied independently. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated an unknown yellow and black warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she was unable to open or start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2023
Was in the middle of driving when a loud alert sounded and the dashboard showed the error "Stop vehicle and check power supply". The car otherwise behaved normally. I pulled into a parking log, looked at the only thing I knew how to look at (12v battery), confirmed it was still plugged in, and turned the car back on. The error was still there, but now the car wouldn't go over 26mph. I limped h... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
I saw a similar NHTSA report for this car, so I will just repeat it here: <start of similar NHTSA REPORT>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NHTSA ID Number: 11440588 The door locks have become ‘sticky’. This means that when pulling on the interior door release handle, the lock is moving to a stuck position that is not permitting egre... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2023
Car was garage kept and in mint condition, yet the rear subframe has completely rusted through and while breaking the car lurches to the right. Also the breaking performance is noticeably impaired. There was no signs of this failure as the car still looks new, only way of knowing was the near crash while driving and trying to stop.
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
Smart Power Control Unit stopped working and had to pay out of pocket over $1200 due to no warranties applicable. Have heard from online forums that this is a very common part malfunction in the 2016 models from Honda and due to the high amount of incidents and for how expensive of a repair this turns out to be the part should be covered by Honda as they already cover the actual on and off switch ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2023
March 10,2023 2019 Ram 2500 Cummins 6.7L Diesel I picked up my truck from the dealership this morning, after they did the outstanding CP4 fuel pump recall. I drove the vehicle home (approx 20) miles. Parked the car in the driveway for about 3 hours. Then took a short trip to the store. After the store, when leaving the parking lot I noticed an electrical/plastic smell. Within in seconds s... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Foggy back up lens since purchase in 2019. Progressively getting worse. Now can NOT see anything on the back up camera image. Received a recall notice in this issue from Ford in Sept of 2022. (Recall notice - 22S51). As of today, 10 March 2023, the part to repair the problem is still not available. This is an unreasonable amount of time to have this issue resolved. I request Ford replace with a ne... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2018
Death Wobble. At approximately 20,000 miles it began to experience the 'death wobble' routinely. An internet search uncovered the problem. The vehicle now has 20,400 miles on it and routinely goes into the wobble on the highway - (3 times on 04MAR23 driving from Orange County, CA to Barstow, CA.) The wobble does not stop until you pull over and come to a complete stop.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2018
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Mustang. The contact stated the trunk failed to open as needed. The electrical sensors were inoperable. While driving at an undetermined speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V387000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 stated that the check engine warning light... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
Fuse out and back doesn't open by its self. Not sure if it's supposed to . I don't remember and the guy who sold it to me no longer works there. I was in park and the lane assist came on .
Incident date: Nov 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact noticed that the moonroof had fractured in half and then detached. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V197000 (Structure). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2023
Car stalled at stoplight. Loud tone sound with ‘power steering low’ indicator with check engine light on. Wheel locked. Needed to put in park and restart car. Very scary and unsafe! Multiple people on Reddit and YouTube have reported this!
Incident date: Apr 8, 2021
The start/stop system error. I have taken the vehicle in and every time I’ve been told there is nothing they can do to fix it, only annotate the codes. The first incident I had been driving for about 10 minutes and was on the highway and had to slow down. When attempting to accelerate past 50 mph I could not. Multiple incidents have occurred since each has been on city streets. It makes the car ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2021
The car caught on fire in our driveway
Fire
Incident date: Apr 8, 2021
The car caught on fire in our driveway
Fire
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Driver's door keeps unlocking while driving. Swung open several times while driving. Also, sometimes difficult to unlock driver's door from the outside. All this seems to be be related to error messages concerning Auto Hold (which this vehicle does not have) and Travel Assist not being available. All this began after my first one year scheduled service on 2/17/23. Taking in vehicle on 3/10 concer... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V633000 (Trailer Hitches). The contact stated that the fuse was removed and that the exterior lights became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
The Primewell 215/45R17 Valera Sport, will not hold air, I've went back over and over to Tires Plus, I'm concerned that the tire / tires will blow out, please help..
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
ABS light and Tracking control lights flicker on and off constantly. No warnings just came on one day. I have 38,000 miles on my truck not very many for warning lights to come on. I cannot use cruise control as well as about half of my controls. Including tracking control which is now permanently off and is a major hazard! Took it to the dealership in Concord, CA and was told the control module is... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2020
The dealer service that repaired the vehicle said the positive crank ventilation system (PCV) froze up and there was no where for the pressure to go so it blew out the rear seal. General Motors knows about the problem because they sent out a service bulletin No. 14882. It is a recurring problem with the 2.4 L engine. The car started making a loud noise and we made it home but oil just started spra... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
Engine light comes on with a warning saying "Stop soon, Vehicle may shut off". A few times that light does not come on but the vehicle applied brakes while driving (5mph) on the road. Felt as if it put the parking brake on by itself. Engine light is still on now constantly saying to pull over. Dealer checked it out and re-grounded some wires but issue is still happening.
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
Engine light comes on with a warning saying "Stop soon, Vehicle may shut off". A few times that light does not come on but the vehicle applied brakes while driving (5mph) on the road. Felt as if it put the parking brake on by itself. Engine light is still on now constantly saying to pull over. Dealer checked it out and re-grounded some wires but issue is still happening.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2023
I purchased the car in April 2022. Did not have any issues until February 2023. Initially, the engine light came on with a turtle icon in the dash screen. I was driving and the car would not go over 45 mph. on a busy street . The car was hesitating badly and also said something about the propulsion? Volvo Ontario towed it from my business and supposedly fixed it. Fast forward the following w... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle fa... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
My passenger door came open while I was driving. I was not able to get it to close.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where they repaired the bushing shifter cable. The failure recurred and the steering wheel became stiff. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately causing the contact the steering wheel became stiff. Addit... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where they repaired the bushing shifter cable. The failure recurred and the steering wheel became stiff. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately causing the contact the steering wheel became stiff. Addit... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 5, 2023
The frame is corroded and rusted to the point that it’s not safe to drive. This was discovered by our service technician when we had the vehicle inspected for a rattling noise in the rear. I reached out to Toyota and was told that no problems are available regarding this issue. I have maintained my 4Runner meticulously and timely since I purchased brand new. There is no rust on the body, just th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
The booster went out needs replaced and on other sites it said it is recalled
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
Hello, I was taking my car reverse and my car door was open slightly and it hit my garage door, and that was my mistake. My only problem here is, the driver side rear window broke and it broke into MILLIONS OF PIECES and shattered all over inside.the car. Not sure what the technology is, and it should not break into millions of tiny, tiny pieces. It's a brand new car and struggling to clean it be... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
My name is [XXX]. I purchased a 2019 ram limited about three months ago. I noticed every time it rains. The rear of my roof has water stains. And my rear window leaks water. I have pictures and videos to show proof. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident date: Mar 3, 2018
There is an issue with the dash of this vehicle. The dash AC button does not work at all, and the pre collision is not working either. The Ford dealerships local to me refuse to even look at it, even though there is a recall on this exact issue, put out by Ford. Recall 22S65. Getting Ford to do anything for you is a joke. There is one dealer in the entire state that works on Ford chassis rv's and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
2018 Coachman Prism 14K miles. I've always had issued maintaining the correct air pressure in my rear tires. On 3/3/23 I took my RV to Discount Tire to have my tires checked. The technician pointed out where the rims were leaking at the welds. This same defect was observed on the wheel next to it. Discount Tires has provided a written statement of their findings. I called the service advisor at m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
I was doing a 3-point turn in the driveway, and heard a pop sound from under the rear seats. A warning light came on in the dash, after a little bit of time the warning changed into an error that stated pull the car over and do not drive. OBD sensor reported codes P1A90 and P0C17. Car also went into "turtle" mode preventing it from being driven normally. Had it towed to the dealership, but took... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal with excessive force, the brake pedal responded but with a delay. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The dealer and the manu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer also stated that the vehicle was not included in the r... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2023
Abs/traction control lights come on and disconnects the cruise control dangerously wen pulling a trailer, code is c0020-01 this is a very common issue with these trucks parts unavailable, I’ve talk to many other owners with same issues please address the problem before someone gets hurt thanks.
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to two independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Fleetwood Flair Motorhome constructed on a 2019 Ford F53 Chassis. The contact stated that the RV was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V655000 (Suspension). The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after taking possession of the RV, hydraulic fluid was leaking underneath the RV. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2023
While driving home from work late at night, the car just stopped without warning and would not start again. It was towed to the dealership where I was informed that there would be a $750 diagnostic fee, but that Kia would probably not replace the engine under warranty because the recall had not been taken care of. I am the second owner of the vehicle and bought it the same year that the recall w... Read more