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: Jun 14, 2022
Error Codes : 1. E11480 No Message (Alive Counter Safety 0xD7) Receiver Instrument Cluster Transmitter Airbag 2. E11482 Message (Alive Counter Safety 0xD7) Not Current Receiver Instrument Cluster Transmitter Airbag 3. B7F685 Under Voltage . 4. E114DB Instrument Panel: Demand Based Service Message, Message From CBS Subscriber (BBV) Missing 5. E114DC Instrument Panel: Demand Based Service Message,... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Car won't start up on first try anymore. Taking 3 tries. Keeps saying that there is no signal. Seems like from the bimmer forum a lot of people are having the same issue. Also saying to close the hood when the hood isn't open. It's happening every day now that the messages are popping up and the car won't start! I hope there is a recall asap. I've only had this car for a year and is has $38k mile... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
7/19/2022 I got a drivetrain warning. Turned car off and on and it cleared the warning but now I am getting a secure vehicle against rolling notice every time I turn car off. This appears to be the same problem with other BMW X 1s.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2022
7/19/2022 I got a drivetrain warning. Turned car off and on and it cleared the warning but now I am getting a secure vehicle against rolling notice every time I turn car off. This appears to be the same problem with other BMW X 1s.
Incident date: May 10, 2022
Collision warning is often inaccurate. Signaling collision when no obstacles are present. Also, EGR Cooler recall still pending.
Incident date: May 10, 2022
Collision warning is often inaccurate. Signaling collision when no obstacles are present. Also, EGR Cooler recall still pending.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
Upon starting my vehicle there is a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin. The car was making a noise that has been diagnosed by a mechanic as engine failure and this vehicle is only 10 years old. This car is my only means of transportation. I need someone to help figure out what to do with it. These cars are too costly to consumers to be just be dead in a year span. There is no possible way the m... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2022
Upon starting my vehicle there is a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin. The car was making a noise that has been diagnosed by a mechanic as engine failure and this vehicle is only 10 years old. This car is my only means of transportation. I need someone to help figure out what to do with it. These cars are too costly to consumers to be just be dead in a year span. There is no possible way the m... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
The Lighting Control Board Module (LKM) of the 1996 BMW 840Ci failed in a manner that caused it to catch fire even though the vehicle was not running at the time, and in fact had not been driven in several days. The fire damaged surrounding modules and wiring inside the passenger compartment of the car, and filled the garage with smoke, necessitating dispatch of the local fire department. The fail... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
The Lighting Control Board Module (LKM) of the 1996 BMW 840Ci failed in a manner that caused it to catch fire even though the vehicle was not running at the time, and in fact had not been driven in several days. The fire damaged surrounding modules and wiring inside the passenger compartment of the car, and filled the garage with smoke, necessitating dispatch of the local fire department. The fail... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 13, 2022
A strong odor of gasoline was noted and it dripped from the tank when the car was driven. Mechanic reported the tank had a leaking seam which he would patch with plastic, so the car can be used while waiting for a replacement tank.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
Picked up from a stop light no aggressive but normally and a few seconds after going around 20-30ish mph the car stalls and goes into neutral. I was really confused and panicking of what happened, the cars behind me almost crashed into me and I was trying to manage to pull the car over to the side of road and thankfully I did. This could have caused a serious injury to me and others. As I was able... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
Picked up from a stop light no aggressive but normally and a few seconds after going around 20-30ish mph the car stalls and goes into neutral. I was really confused and panicking of what happened, the cars behind me almost crashed into me and I was trying to manage to pull the car over to the side of road and thankfully I did. This could have caused a serious injury to me and others. As I was able... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
Picked up from a stop light no aggressive but normally and a few seconds after going around 20-30ish mph the car stalls and goes into neutral. I was really confused and panicking of what happened, the cars behind me almost crashed into me and I was trying to manage to pull the car over to the side of road and thankfully I did. This could have caused a serious injury to me and others. As I was able... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X1. The contact stated his wife was driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle down however her purse got entrapped near the brake pedal and accelerator pedal causing her to crash into the vehicle in front who was stopped. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to retract. The contacts wife collided with the steering wheel due t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530XI. 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 had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
Car engine caught on fire while driving today and stopped. No smoke or other issues prior. Worried this is related to the recall issued by BMW recently, however my car is not covered under the recall yet. The car is currently located in Vancouver Canada. It was purchased in Tulsa, OK
Fire
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
Car engine caught on fire while driving today and stopped. No smoke or other issues prior. Worried this is related to the recall issued by BMW recently, however my car is not covered under the recall yet. The car is currently located in Vancouver Canada. It was purchased in Tulsa, OK
Fire
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
All BMW n20 engines have a timing chain malfunction causing damage to the engine and hazardous driving. There was a lawsuit settled two years ago, however, anyone who wasn’t alerted of the settlement or had not experienced mechanical issues yet are now left with costly repairs on their as the claim window has closed. BMW lost the lawsuit - there is a manufacturing defect that should have been ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X3. 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X3. 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
I’m having an issue with the warning light saying “Secure Vehicle from Rolling“. Vehicle has less than 47K miles. Many other owners reporting same issue in online discussion groups and forums. Identified multiple reports for the same issues already identified on NHTSA's website for complaints.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
I’m having an issue with the warning light saying “Secure Vehicle from Rolling“. Vehicle has less than 47K miles. Many other owners reporting same issue in online discussion groups and forums. Identified multiple reports for the same issues already identified on NHTSA's website for complaints.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
My car is experiencing stalling and stuttering issues due to the failed EGR Cooler that's in recall. This part was replaced by BMW 2 years ago with a different recall with the same part. It's unsafe. Sometimes, my car stalls or stutters while driving which poses a huge risk (especially when turning out onto a street where there's traffic coming towards me). This has happened numerous times. I get ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2022
POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER: This recall involves an engine component known as the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve heater. The PCV valve heater may not have been produced to specifications which could lead to a short circuit. Safety Risk: Should a short circuit occur, the PCV valve heater could overheat, lead to smoldering, and possibly start melting. In extremely... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
POWER CABLE FROM BATTERY TO FUSE BOX IS LOOSE ON FUSE BOX, I LOST THE POWER 3 TIMES. THEY RECALL THE VEHICLES E84 BMW BECAUSE OF THE SAME ISSUE BUT THE DIDNT INCLUED X1 2013, IT IS SERIOS PROBLEM, I FIXED THAT PROBLEM AND SPEND OVER 500$ TO FIX, IT HAS TO BE FREE https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RCMN-19V472-7907.pdf SAFETY RECALL NOTICE To: All Center Operators, Sales Managers, Servi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
I have soft closing doors on my vehicle. My doors won’t unlock/open, the only way I can get the driver side door open is using the physical key. When trying to unlock the door with the key fob, it makes the sound but none of the doors unlock. The unlock button inside doesn’t work and when trying to open the other doors (passenger side and rear doors) manually, it won’t open! Thank goodness ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
I have soft closing doors on my vehicle. My doors won’t unlock/open, the only way I can get the driver side door open is using the physical key. When trying to unlock the door with the key fob, it makes the sound but none of the doors unlock. The unlock button inside doesn’t work and when trying to open the other doors (passenger side and rear doors) manually, it won’t open! Thank goodness ... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2022
Lumbar support automatically inflates without driver pushing button. This causes the driver to become distracted, uncomfortable and losing focus trying to deflate lumbar support while driving. Has not been inspected but I did ask dealer about this being an issue. No warning of any kind alerts driver of inflation of lumbar.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
When putting the vehicle in park, I got an alert that said "secure car from rolling". I was unable to find this warning in the owner's manual but I found online that it is a frequent problem with this vehicle, usually around 40k miles. It's a broken spring in the shifter that requires that the entire center console be removed to be replaced but the part was $7.27 including shipping from China. H... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2022
Warning sign in front dashboard. Transmission: Secure vechicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult Service Center. From doing research found out this warning message is very common in BMWX1 requiring a small spring to be changed in a lot of the vechicles. But no recall being issues yet by Bmw. Just astronomical fees to change a little spring.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
The front lights - water gets in impact visibility. The only repair is to replace the entire unit which is $2k per light. There is not other options. The adaptive warning sign does not go away due to this water.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2021
We had a 2017 bmw 330i x-drive. It had approximately 67000 miles. The car stalled while driving about 6 times. The first time was in 3/2021. The diagnostics were for a faulty high pressure fuel pump. We replaced the HPFP. It stalled again while driving. The diagnostics were for a faulty low pressure fuel pump. We replaced this. The car then stalled while driving 2 more times. The car stalled again... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2021
We had a 2017 bmw 330i x-drive. It had approximately 67000 miles. The car stalled while driving about 6 times. The first time was in 3/2021. The diagnostics were for a faulty high pressure fuel pump. We replaced the HPFP. It stalled again while driving. The diagnostics were for a faulty low pressure fuel pump. We replaced this. The car then stalled while driving 2 more times. The car stalled again... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2021
We had a 2017 bmw 330i x-drive. It had approximately 67000 miles. The car stalled while driving about 6 times. The first time was in 3/2021. The diagnostics were for a faulty high pressure fuel pump. We replaced the HPFP. It stalled again while driving. The diagnostics were for a faulty low pressure fuel pump. We replaced this. The car then stalled while driving 2 more times. The car stalled again... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
Failure of emission system. SCR active tank failed at 66K miles. Manufacture warranty does not cover the fix.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the issue and confirm... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
Wipers hit hood, Wiper Fluid pump motor leaks, leaks all the fluid out of tank. Visibility is impaired due to Windshield that can not be cleaned while driving.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 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 dealer had been notified about the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the ac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530XI. 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
When applying brakes and releasing the brakes there is a grinding sound. The grinding sound is pronounced when applying the brake and turning the steering wheel at the same time. When I took the vehicle to Checkered flag BMW of Virginia Beach, I was told per BMW engineering it was norm operating characteristic. The Shop Foreman said he had several customers complain about the same problem and dupl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 430i. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the low coolant/add coolant warning light illuminated. The contact stated she saw a coolant leak underneath the engine. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
I was driving at 20mph and the brakes failed at a red light and it felt that a misfire in the engine as well I didn't have other option to force my way to the side because I could push the front car and pedestrians where crossing.
Crash
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
I was driving at 20mph and the brakes failed at a red light and it felt that a misfire in the engine as well I didn't have other option to force my way to the side because I could push the front car and pedestrians where crossing.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
Multiple times while driving, my key FOB in my pocket has opened the trunk. Extremely dangerous, and apparently very easy to accidentally press. Same thing with the alarm, almost caused me to have an accident.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
Multiple times while driving, my key FOB in my pocket has opened the trunk. Extremely dangerous, and apparently very easy to accidentally press. Same thing with the alarm, almost caused me to have an accident.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Vehicle started smelling like smoke and making loud screeching noise in February. Took car to BMW certified shop to be fixed, put out thousands of dollars to have valve replaced, check engine light will still not turn off. In April I received a letter from BMW about the a recall on the PVC Valve. It is now July and they just diagnosed a remedy. Called around to every local dealership, they cannot ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2022
Vehicle started smelling like smoke and making loud screeching noise in February. Took car to BMW certified shop to be fixed, put out thousands of dollars to have valve replaced, check engine light will still not turn off. In April I received a letter from BMW about the a recall on the PVC Valve. It is now July and they just diagnosed a remedy. Called around to every local dealership, they cannot ... Read more