Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 40,555 complaints for BMW
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Coolant lines How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car would state that it is overheating a month after oil change and fluids replaced Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Dealer confirmed that there is a coolant issue Has ... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2020
Rear drive shaft universal joint failed causing the motorcycle to lose power to the rear wheel. If I had been in a turn when the motorcycle lost power, I could have lost control of the vehicle, and my passenger and myself may have crashed and been harmed or died. Per BMW: There have been a mounting number of instances where condensation within the hollow swingarm unit has caused corrosion to acc... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
When I drive and come to a stop, the car shifts into nuetral. This has happened several times. I have to put the car in Park and restart it. We have checked the codes and have replaced the battery. The car only has 51k miles on it and is not driven more than 2-4 days a week.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
When I drive and come to a stop, the car shifts into nuetral. This has happened several times. I have to put the car in Park and restart it. We have checked the codes and have replaced the battery. The car only has 51k miles on it and is not driven more than 2-4 days a week.
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
When I drive and come to a stop, the car shifts into nuetral. This has happened several times. I have to put the car in Park and restart it. We have checked the codes and have replaced the battery. The car only has 51k miles on it and is not driven more than 2-4 days a week.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
Under "B" drive mode which is the "one pedal driving" with automatic regenerative braking, occasionally when I release the pedal completely expecting the vehicle to slow down/stop, the vehicle instead will lunge forward. This has happened twice, thankfully at low speeds in a parking lot where I was able to slam on the brakes. On BMW forums, there are also others with the same issue so I figure i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
Fuel tank ventilation system malfunctioning
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
I am having the same exact issues at the models 2015 and up have experienced with the fuel injectors. 2014 wasn’t involved in the extension of the warranty when It experiences the same failures because It’s the same parts. I have 3 fault codes for injectors
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the battery had failed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery, battery cable, and fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Vehicle breaking down/stalling out due to overheating with no visible defects that would cause a vehicle to overheat. Vehicle is maintained regularly and very well taken care of but persists having overheating issues and smells of burning plastic or burning electrical smell with no visible cause. The most recent incident that occurred on 9/12/22 happened while I was making a very routine drive on ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
The drivers side (soft close door) motor or components is malfunctioning and not closing. It’s making a grinding noise.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The service indicator warning window obscures access to the TFT-display and the rider cannot use or see the display controls which include fuel tank levels, range etc. This is a potential hazard for an operator. The problem is exacerbated by limited availability of service appointments and in my case, the local dealer has been unable to upgrade/fix the BMW software needed to reset the service warn... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
Error message "Secure Vehicle against rolling engage parking brake" on starting car and when parking. Come to find out there have been several complaints about 2017 BMW X1 having this same problem, error message caused by a faulty spring in the Shifter panel. Seems to me that this should be put on a Recall list as soon as possible as this could cause a safety issue if in fact the system malfunct... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illumi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
-Windshield cracks spontaneously with no impact, while kept in desirable conditions, and while stationary -Steering wheel clicks at least 3 times when signaling and turning, verified defective at Advantage BMW; dealership GM tried to cover it up-Reported to Advantage BMW General Manager on or about June/July 2022; -GPS faulty, provides inaccurate directions that led to a brick wall, and nearly o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
-Windshield cracks spontaneously with no impact, while kept in desirable conditions, and while stationary -Steering wheel clicks at least 3 times when signaling and turning, verified defective at Advantage BMW; dealership GM tried to cover it up-Reported to Advantage BMW General Manager on or about June/July 2022; -GPS faulty, provides inaccurate directions that led to a brick wall, and nearly o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2022
-Windshield cracks spontaneously with no impact, while kept in desirable conditions, and while stationary -Steering wheel clicks at least 3 times when signaling and turning, verified defective at Advantage BMW; dealership GM tried to cover it up-Reported to Advantage BMW General Manager on or about June/July 2022; -GPS faulty, provides inaccurate directions that led to a brick wall, and nearly o... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made rattling noises with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Vanos housing bolts had fractured and detached into the oil pan, causing damage to the engine. The dealer informed the contact that both of the variable camsh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the Coolant Temperature warning light was illuminated, and he saw smoke existing from under the hood. The contact stated he continued driving to his residence. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2022
The contact's son owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer for battery replacement; however, 2-3 weeks later while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the turn signals failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer and the vehicle failed to restart. The dealer d... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
On September 1st 2022, under heavy rain, the rear bumper fell partially, and the part that was still attached to the car dragged it along with the cables, camera, sensors, etc. The car only notified a sensor cleaning malfunction. I kept driving when saw the sensor warning. There was no noise or indication of anything going on in the car. It was when another driver made gestures for me to stop, and... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2019
I have had continuous issues with the electrical system in the front drivers side headlight with burnt plastic housing to the main headlight and the plug for the blinker system. Sometimes it will work and most of the time it won't. I cant tell you the amount of times it has stopped working in the middle of using the blinker. Every time I attempt to change it out, the bulb ends up still in good sh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2019
I have had continuous issues with the electrical system in the front drivers side headlight with burnt plastic housing to the main headlight and the plug for the blinker system. Sometimes it will work and most of the time it won't. I cant tell you the amount of times it has stopped working in the middle of using the blinker. Every time I attempt to change it out, the bulb ends up still in good sh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2019
I have had continuous issues with the electrical system in the front drivers side headlight with burnt plastic housing to the main headlight and the plug for the blinker system. Sometimes it will work and most of the time it won't. I cant tell you the amount of times it has stopped working in the middle of using the blinker. Every time I attempt to change it out, the bulb ends up still in good sh... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
The sunroof in my car exploded yesterday morning as I was driving in clear weather on the open freeway. There were no other vehicles or other obstacles near the car when the incident occurred; nothing to "throw up" a rock onto the car and cause the damage as BMW says occurs often in situations like this. When the sunroof blew out, it sounded like a gun went off in my car, My dad and I were was sho... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
No oil change or engine light on dash. Passed state emissions test with no indicator lights on weeks ago. Engine timing chain malfunction. A warning light displayed once the engine stopped my vehicle. Also, pressed SOS button for 911 after vehicle stopped right off highway and stopped mid intersection, but learned it doesn’t work after 5G towers upgraded.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
No oil change or engine light on dash. Passed state emissions test with no indicator lights on weeks ago. Engine timing chain malfunction. A warning light displayed once the engine stopped my vehicle. Also, pressed SOS button for 911 after vehicle stopped right off highway and stopped mid intersection, but learned it doesn’t work after 5G towers upgraded.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
No oil change or engine light on dash. Passed state emissions test with no indicator lights on weeks ago. Engine timing chain malfunction. A warning light displayed once the engine stopped my vehicle. Also, pressed SOS button for 911 after vehicle stopped right off highway and stopped mid intersection, but learned it doesn’t work after 5G towers upgraded.
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) 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 confirms parts... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Headlight internal wiring insulation completely degraded, exposing wires and causing electrical shorts/arcing. Unchecked this will certainly cause a fire.
Incident date: Jun 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Coolant) 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that pr... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2022
Front passenger occupancy sensor failure
Crash
Incident date: Jul 26, 2022
Front passenger occupancy sensor failure
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 BMW K 1600 GT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V0230000 (Suspension). The dealer had been notified of the issue and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
while im driving at my normal speed about 70mph the car start to get in safe mode, i was on the free way at the time so the car start to stop and lost accerlation, when i checl with my mechanic he told me i need to change the fuel pump and i found out there is a complane "Report Receipt Date: MAR 31, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V189000 Component(s): FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Potential Number of Un... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
Engine failure Defective timing chain and components BMW part/guide unstable plastic on low mileage vehicle
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
BMW turns off driving down the road. Loss of power, power steering and brakes. Dangerous due to the fact that it is hard and sometimes impossible to pull over and get it to restart. When it happens on the freeway it is very dangerous because it is almost impossible to pull over. The SUV just quits working for no apparent reason. This has happened several times and not just one incident. Last time ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 BMW IX. The contact stated that under certain circumstances, while driving approximately 65 MPH, the automatic safety feature indicated a false emergency stop. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle made a false detection and the Interrupted Assisted Driving warning light illuminated indicating that the contact’s hands were not on the steering wheel; h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2022
I have smoke that comes from my exhaust pipe only whenever I first start my vehicle at the beginning of the day. I had a diagnosis done on my vehicle and was advised that my oil feed line was faulty. This is a known design flaw with BMW vehicles from years 2013 through 2016. I would like for BMW to repair the flaw on my vehicle since this is a known manufacturer issue which is something out of my ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2022
I have smoke that comes from my exhaust pipe only whenever I first start my vehicle at the beginning of the day. I had a diagnosis done on my vehicle and was advised that my oil feed line was faulty. This is a known design flaw with BMW vehicles from years 2013 through 2016. I would like for BMW to repair the flaw on my vehicle since this is a known manufacturer issue which is something out of my ... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2022
4/2021 Prior to 4/2021, I had complained verbally with visits and calls to the dealership about an intermittent (CC ) Cruise Control issue. They could not find a problem w/the CC. I now consider this issue is related to the rear caliper ceasing. 5/30/2022 (RC) Rear caliper ceased without any indications. The (MC) motorcycle, presented w/a power loss otherwise unknowingly to me until later in... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2022
4/2021 Prior to 4/2021, I had complained verbally with visits and calls to the dealership about an intermittent (CC ) Cruise Control issue. They could not find a problem w/the CC. I now consider this issue is related to the rear caliper ceasing. 5/30/2022 (RC) Rear caliper ceased without any indications. The (MC) motorcycle, presented w/a power loss otherwise unknowingly to me until later in... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2022
4/2021 Prior to 4/2021, I had complained verbally with visits and calls to the dealership about an intermittent (CC ) Cruise Control issue. They could not find a problem w/the CC. I now consider this issue is related to the rear caliper ceasing. 5/30/2022 (RC) Rear caliper ceased without any indications. The (MC) motorcycle, presented w/a power loss otherwise unknowingly to me until later in... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
My BMW 330XI 2018 wagon recently passed 40000 miles. My wife heard a rubbing noise when braking a few days ago. We took car into a repair shop and they found the rear brake pads were worn down to the metal. At no time did a brake wear warning light ever alert us to this!
Incident date: Aug 13, 2022
Unknown, design fault! I’m having an issue with the warning light saying Secure Vehicle from Rolling every time I turn on/off my car. My main menu or radio doesn’t appear until I confirm notice about the parking brake. There were no warnings before this it just toned and has been consistent every time. The dealer says it may be a small spring in the gear box, while the gears are working good.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 but provided no assis... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
I was driving to work one morning On the highway, when I suddenly heard a loud sharp noise from the engine bay that followed with the engine and battery lights turning blinking on my display with sudden loss of steering. I panicked but quickly put my vehicle into neutral with my hazard lights on and slowly hit my brakes till I came to a complete stop on the highway. I got my vehicle towed back and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
I was driving to work one morning On the highway, when I suddenly heard a loud sharp noise from the engine bay that followed with the engine and battery lights turning blinking on my display with sudden loss of steering. I panicked but quickly put my vehicle into neutral with my hazard lights on and slowly hit my brakes till I came to a complete stop on the highway. I got my vehicle towed back and... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
I was driving to work one morning On the highway, when I suddenly heard a loud sharp noise from the engine bay that followed with the engine and battery lights turning blinking on my display with sudden loss of steering. I panicked but quickly put my vehicle into neutral with my hazard lights on and slowly hit my brakes till I came to a complete stop on the highway. I got my vehicle towed back and... Read more