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: Jan 30, 2026
The car broke on the highway (possibly drive train? Waiting for mechanic). Despite no impact, the steering wheel airbag deployed.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
While driving my new Ford explorer, with 638 miles on it, on the highway I heard a loud pop, and lost power steering. I was barely able to pull the vehicle over to the shoulder to get off the highway. If I would have been on an interstate or a busier highway it could have been very dangerous. I believe that this has put me in danger having to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the highway and sit... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
Cruising at 50 mph in 7th gear and the truck randomly down shifted to 2nd causing a rapid brake action and was almost rear ended. Now the transmission will not shift properly.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
CPST Tech ID #[XXX] [XXXX] findings during a car seat check of a Cosco Kids Easy Elite Slim, Manufactured 2024-09-19, Model # CC319-GZD2. The parent was concerned with the central front adjuster. They reported they were not able to loosen nor tighten the straps. After a detailed inspection from myself, CPST Tech ID # [XXX], the central front adjuster button was dislodged causing the adjuster strap... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and accelerating over a speed bump, the key slid out of the ignition switch. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, and it was determined that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
2024 odyssey sport vin [XXX] in the drive through lane at a reataurant activated the auto start stop feature and shut off the van. The van did not restart when trying to move foreward again and had to cycle the starting ignition system via placing van in park and pressing the start button. Taking the van to the hennesey honda dealer in woodstock ga for inspection. Thank you [XXX] [XXX] [XXX]... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Engine Coolant Intrusion on Cylinder 2. Hydrolocks on start up. Yes available for inspection. Unknown. Yes dealership inspected and confirmed the issue. Recommendation was engine replacement. No inspection by manufacturer,police, or insurance. Check engine turned on for random misfire. After further investigation, coolant levels kept dropping and noticed misfires on start up. 2018 ford escap... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
The cover of this car seat has only been cared for per the manufacturer instructions, and the warning labels on the sides are peeling, creating a choking hazard. Clek has issued a recall for Liing before for this specific issue, but is saying that my Liing is not included despite being manufactured after the recall. It appears the issue has not been resolved adequately.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Clonninger Auto Body Shop 511 Jake Alexander Blvd S Salisbury NC 28147 The 2024 Bronco Sport owned by Megan Michaels was presented to our service department with a customer concern of a rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle, along with abnormal tire wear on the rear tires. Our Master Technician performed a road test and verified a clunking/rattling noise originating from the left re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
Clonninger Auto Body Shop 511 Jake Alexander Blvd S Salisbury NC 28147 The 2024 Bronco Sport owned by Megan Michaels was presented to our service department with a customer concern of a rattling noise coming from the rear of the vehicle, along with abnormal tire wear on the rear tires. Our Master Technician performed a road test and verified a clunking/rattling noise originating from the left re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Ford Fusion. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. While attempting to trade the vehicle, the contact was informed that the odometer had been rolled back, as indicated on the Carfax Report. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 86,785. It was discovered that the mileage was 125,121. The initial... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
Shifting into and out of first gear causing the front end to slam down almost sending my daughter and myself threw the windshield. It clunks and slams into gears causing the car to buck, shaking when trying to start moving.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment center independently blinked on and off. The rear-view camera displayed an error message of the rear wheels. The accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving forward or while ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment center independently blinked on and off. The rear-view camera displayed an error message of the rear wheels. The accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving forward or while ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
Breaks squeal consistently only 34,000 miles was doing it when I bought it last year and they said it was just cause it was sitting and would get better never really has always squeals when breaking Steering when turning is glitchy catchy sticks like doesn't turn smooth or go back to center smooth causing you or car to jerk turn unsafe like I see recalls for these same similar things but my car ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
Breaks squeal consistently only 34,000 miles was doing it when I bought it last year and they said it was just cause it was sitting and would get better never really has always squeals when breaking Steering when turning is glitchy catchy sticks like doesn't turn smooth or go back to center smooth causing you or car to jerk turn unsafe like I see recalls for these same similar things but my car ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2026
My cylinder head is leaking coolant. There is a well known and well documented issue with these cylinder heads cracking due to poor casting. This has become such a big issue that Mazda has even recalled the cylinder heads, BUT, only if the engine is equipped with Turbo. However, this issue is becoming enormous even for non turbo owners and is a huge safety issue as it can lead to overheating, stal... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The vehicle’s ICCU unit stopped working out of the blue. This happened on a busy intersection and the car came to a sudden and violent halt. Luckily we were not involved in an accident. It’s a very well known issue with these vehicles and it’s really criminal that Kia has done nothing to fix it. They just change the ICCU unit and then it happens again.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The vehicle’s ICCU unit stopped working out of the blue. This happened on a busy intersection and the car came to a sudden and violent halt. Luckily we were not involved in an accident. It’s a very well known issue with these vehicles and it’s really criminal that Kia has done nothing to fix it. They just change the ICCU unit and then it happens again.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The vehicle’s ICCU unit stopped working out of the blue. This happened on a busy intersection and the car came to a sudden and violent halt. Luckily we were not involved in an accident. It’s a very well known issue with these vehicles and it’s really criminal that Kia has done nothing to fix it. They just change the ICCU unit and then it happens again.
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side brake light was inoperative. The failure occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
The vehicle has experienced persistent engine performance issues that have not been resolved through standard repairs. Initial diagnostics indicated knock sensor faults, which were replaced at significant cost. However, the issue persisted and additional codes related to air fuel imbalance (P219B) appeared. The vehicle continues to exhibit reduced power, hesitation, and inconsistent acceleration ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
Over 1 year (2025) steering front end shaking began. Our dealership on oil changes did not tell us to watch for anything and we should have been warned. When the shaking occurred we changed Ford shock asborbers from Ford dealership. Problem still occured. We lost faith in Ford and our regular dealership. We then at Moore's tires purchased 4 Michelin premium tires for F250 heavy duty truck and tol... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
Severe premature paint failure on hood, roof, & cab of 2015 Toyota Tacoma. Paint has completely oxidized and failed, exposing underlying surface. This appears consistent with a broader pattern of paint defects reported by other Toyota owners. Manufacturer has declined coverage despite the failure being clearly beyond normal wear.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
[Incident Description & Manufacturer's Bad Faith] On April 6, 2026, an authorized Honda dealership (McConnell Honda in Montgomery, AL) diagnosed my vehicle (2019 Honda Odyssey EX-L, 143,097 miles) with DTC P219A (Rec replacing fuel injector set and fuel feed pipe at this time), requiring a fuel injector replacement. This exact mechanical failure is documented in Honda’s official Service Bullet... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2026
[Incident Description & Manufacturer's Bad Faith] On April 6, 2026, an authorized Honda dealership (McConnell Honda in Montgomery, AL) diagnosed my vehicle (2019 Honda Odyssey EX-L, 143,097 miles) with DTC P219A (Rec replacing fuel injector set and fuel feed pipe at this time), requiring a fuel injector replacement. This exact mechanical failure is documented in Honda’s official Service Bullet... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
2024 Toyota Tundra 4X4 SR5 CrewMax 6.5, VIN: [XXX] , 28,500 miles. Three distinct, worsening vibration issues affecting separate systems: 1 — Powertrain/Driveline: Significant vibration on initial acceleration, under tow load, and on inclines. Suspected driveshaft carrier bearing, U-joint, or engine main bearing failure. Recall 25V-767 (V35A engine bearing debris, 2022–2024 Tundra) — VIN rec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
2025 CADILLAC XT6 AWD SPORT, VIN [XXX] , PURCHASED NEW FROM CENTRAL [XXX] CADILLAC ON FEBRUARY 20, 2026 WITH 3,950 MILES. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS OF DELIVERY THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED AN ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE AT COLD START AND AN INTERMITTENT VIBRATION DURING DRIVING. I REPORTED BOTH SYMPTOMS TO CENTRAL HOUSTON CADILLAC BY PHONE AND TEXT MESSAGE. DEALER PERSONNEL TOLD ME THE NOISE WAS "NORM... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2026
While driving at highway speed under normal operating conditions with the accelerator engaged and no braking input, the vehicle suddenly experienced a sustained 6-minute-12-second ADAS/EDR degradation cascade. This included OVERHEAT_PROTECT_FANONLY activation, repeated AEB_CAN_STATE_UNAVAILABLE toggling, FAULT 14.0 brake-signal mismatch, impossible negative brake pressures, and 27+ ABS/EBD/ESP fau... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
The dash indicates the driver side air bag is not operational. After the car starts, the air bag indicator stays on, indicating the driver's air bag is defective. If I were in an accident, the Nissan dealership told me the air bag would not deploy. The car was inspected by the dealer. The car has never been in an accident and the air bag has never deployed. But after the air bag sensor came on, it... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
ENGINE BREAKDOWN 1.5TURBO IN 11/28/25 WITH 16820 MILES ON IT. IT IS NOT AVAILABLE I HEARD A BANG AND SMOKE OUT OF BACK LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGH WAY DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED BUY A DEALER GOODWIN CHEVROLET IN BRUNSWICK ME YES BUY GM DEALER. NO THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS OR OTHER SYMPTOMS BEFORE FAILURE. CAR WAS CHECK ON 3/30/2023 AT 10383 MILES FOR SHAKING AND LOSING POWER.CAR DID COME OUT ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
This is the second time I have taken it to the dealership. When sitting at a stop and the automatic stop and start happens, it acts like it does not want to crank back up. Last time the dealership said it was the battery; they replaced the battery, but that has not fixed the issue. if I am at a stoplight and it does not start back, that is not a good feeling my wife now does not want to drive t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2026
I own a 2024 Genesis G90 with two active NHTSA recalls: 25V474 and 25V833. On April 19, 2026, the vehicle suffered a total electrical failure: “Check brake system” warning Engine would not start Electronic door handles failed; occupants trapped inside for over 20 minutes Turn signals operate abnormally The dealer previously repaired only by reset (no recall fix). This is a life-threatening saf... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the AC compressor became inoperable. The contact stated that the power steering fluid was making an abnormal sound like the fluid was boiling. The message "Maintenance Other" was displayed, and the front air bags warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2026
Toyota issued a recall in fourth quarter 2025 for this batch of Toyota Siennas that have bad welds on the second row seats and as a result of these, no one should be sitting in the second row. Toyota still doesn't have a fix in place for the 50k vehicles with this problem. Publicly Toyota says a fix is on the way, but at the dealership the service department has indicated that they've heard nothin... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2026
I was involved in a collision. The front driver's side hit another car, causing a lot of damage. The surprise was the fire. There is no reason for it to have caught for the way it did. The door was jammed, so resorted to unhooking the soft top, while I caught fire. I opened the top and jumped off the top, crawling away with burns and cuts before the entire engine exploded. I could have still been ... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
When taking off it will sometime have hard shifts, shuddering, and acceleration hesitation. While driving, it will do static jolts. Dealer couldn’t pin point problem and advised for a new transmission or we could drive it until it dies. Dealer didn’t recommend to change transmission oil in fear of creating more damage.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
I am filing this updated complaint to supplement my prior complaint (NHTSA ID No. XXX, filed January 27, 2026) regarding a recurring, safety-critical engine defect in my 2020 Lexus IS300 RWD, 8AR-FTS engine. DEFECT: Three documented misfire events over seven weeks. The second (12/11/2025) and third (1/17/2026) each involved a temporary stall in active traffic requiring immediate evasive action. Al... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2026
I am filing this updated complaint to supplement my prior complaint (NHTSA ID No. XXX, filed January 27, 2026) regarding a recurring, safety-critical engine defect in my 2020 Lexus IS300 RWD, 8AR-FTS engine. DEFECT: Three documented misfire events over seven weeks. The second (12/11/2025) and third (1/17/2026) each involved a temporary stall in active traffic requiring immediate evasive action. Al... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
Manufacturer Recall NumberC4B NHTSA Recall Number24V-896 Component has started to fail yet RAM still says parts are not available, however I can go and pay for and then request reimbursement, however if it happens again, I am not covered, additionally since this is a recall and safety related it should have priority an over a year and no fix is not acceptable.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
I was driving my 2025 MINI JCW on a partly cloudy day 42degrees Fahrenheit. I was diving between 35 and 40 mph when the sunroof exploded. There weren't other vehicles nearby, and I didnt hear any rock hit, it just exploded.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with camshaft phaser and timing chain failures. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,540.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel became inoperable, turning on and then shutting off. The contact stated that while driving, the instrument panel was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the instrument cluster had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
Component/System: Engine — 1.5L EcoBoost short block coolant intrusion leading to catastrophic engine failure. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: Vehicle overheated while in operation, creating risk of engine fire, loss of vehicle control, and stranding of occupant on a public roadway. Ford's own TSB 22-2322 acknowledges this defect creates a fire risk. Confirmed by d... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2026
ABS- TRACTION CONTROL- BRAKE- POWERSTEERING ALARM APPEARS STATING TO DRIVE WITH CAUTION- HAVE TAKEN THE VECHICLE IN FOR SERVICE AND THEY STATE THEY CAN NOT REPAIR THE ALARM- I ASKED IF THIS WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A RECALL ISSUE DUE TO SAFTEY ISSUE. AS THE CAR STATES IT IS NOT SAFE TO BE DRIVEN- AS I SEE THIS A AN IMMINATE SAFTEY HAZARD AS THE POWER STEERING DOES NOT WORK AND ABS BRAKE DOES NOT ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2026
When I’m stopped, the car sometimes shuts off. The horn works intermittently. When I start the car, it feels like it’s going to stall. At times, all of the dashboard warning lights come on. Also, when I’m backing out of my driveway with nothing behind me, the car will sometimes automatically brake hard.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on my Genesis GV60 called Highway Driving Assist (HDA) would randomly turn off without warning ever since I purchased the vehicle. I use it pretty much daily for my commute to work (but have to watch closely since it turns off often without warning) and the system would randomly turn off a least a few times a day so I would need to take over quickly. ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The manufacturer is unable to remedy the safety recall 26V123 & 26V117 for my vehicle in a timely manner.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2026
The manufacturer is unable to remedy the safety recall 26V123 & 26V117 for my vehicle in a timely manner.