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: May 28, 2022
The vehicle hasbeen over heating, my 18 year old son, uses this car for transportation to his school, we are very afraid something can hapen, at this point we need BMW to fix the problem. We are stressing about this problem, every day.
Incident date: May 30, 2022
Transmission secure vehicle with parking break when stationary. The vehicle jumps from park to neural by its self randomly and pops up with the transmission warning. Heard it's a common problem should be recalled
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2022 BMW R 1250 RT. The contact stated while riding 35 MPH, the motorcycle made a whistling sound. The motorcycle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the windscreen; however, the failure recurred. The motorcycle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 5.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2022
Since purchasing the vehicle (prior to the March 2022) recall, I have smelled a burning smell coming from the engine. I have spent thousands of dollars attempting to get rid of the smell. Come to find out it is due to the PCV valve. I have contacted BMW who informed me that there is a "RUMOR" that the remedy is in the works. A rumor? A neighbor who also owns/owned a BMW had their vehicle blow... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that air bag and seat belt warni... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that air bag and seat belt warni... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that air bag and seat belt warni... Read more
BMW
750LI
(2014) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
May 27, 2022
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 750LI. The contact stated while the vehicle was receiving a routine oil change, the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure was diagnosed by an independent mechanic as a PCV valve failure that need to be replaced and properly sealed. The contact stated that the hoses were brittle and fuel was leaking. The contact stated that the independent mechanic also rec... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2022
While driving on the highway, without warning, there was an explosion from the roof of the car which startled me and almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle. I pulled over and found that the panoramic sunroof had exploded. Luckily, we had the sunroof shade closed underneath it, so the glass did not rain down on us. However, cars and a motorcycle behind us swerved to avoid the glass flying... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2008 BMW X3. The contact's daughter 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, a burning odor was detected. The contact pulled over and waited until the vehicle cooled down, then restarted the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she smelled a strong burning plastic odor coming through the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The timing chain malfunctioned and blew out the electronic fuel pump which cause a catastrophic failure of the vehicle. It went in to low power mode came top a stop with a "drivetrain malfunction" warning. Once the car locked in park it was inoperable. I am being quoted by BMW repair $48,000 for a new engine and a new fuel system. This is a well known issue over many years with BMW. There have bee... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The timing chain malfunctioned and blew out the electronic fuel pump which cause a catastrophic failure of the vehicle. It went in to low power mode came top a stop with a "drivetrain malfunction" warning. Once the car locked in park it was inoperable. I am being quoted by BMW repair $48,000 for a new engine and a new fuel system. This is a well known issue over many years with BMW. There have bee... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The timing chain malfunctioned and blew out the electronic fuel pump which cause a catastrophic failure of the vehicle. It went in to low power mode came top a stop with a "drivetrain malfunction" warning. Once the car locked in park it was inoperable. I am being quoted by BMW repair $48,000 for a new engine and a new fuel system. This is a well known issue over many years with BMW. There have bee... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 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 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. The VIN was in... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 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 unavailable. 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 contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool co... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2022
I own a 2019 BMW x3 that I leased in December 2018 and then purchased in Dec 2021 at the end of the lease. It has about 22k miles on it. A few weeks ago, a warning light came on, telling me that my rear brakes needed to be inspected. I took it in and the dealer told me that rear brake PADS and ROTORS had to be replaced. They should not have to be replaced so soon especially since I am not a teenag... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2022
There is a small plastic cam on the throttle body that gets pulled by the throttle cable to control the butterfly valve. They break easily and cause a loss of power and engine control. I have seen many others posting on line with same issue
Incident date: May 24, 2022
There is a small plastic cam on the throttle body that gets pulled by the throttle cable to control the butterfly valve. They break easily and cause a loss of power and engine control. I have seen many others posting on line with same issue
Incident date: Dec 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530i. The contact stated upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle would shudder significantly. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine was misfiring while driving. The transmission warning light and another unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle in the driveway, he smelled a strong burning plastic odor. The conta... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW G 650 GS. The contact stated while riding at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled at approximately 2,000 RPM. The contact coasted safely to the side of the road and restarted the motorcycle. The contact had to maintain a high RPM to keep the motorcycle running. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the motorcycle t... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2020
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light, the brake warning light, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon turning on the air conditioner, smoke would come inside the vehicle through the vents. The vehicle wa... 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool conf... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 128i. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, she smelled a strong burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the strong burning odor caused her to collapse once. The contact sought medical assistance and was informed that her brain was not getting enough o... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X5. The contact stated while he was cleaning the vehicle, he noticed an oil leak on the valve and an unknown odor around the location. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2008 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving at 40-45 MPH, he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact was unsure whether there were warning lights illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact then opened the hood of the vehicle and saw flames. The contact was able to extinguish the flames with the assistance of th... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 535i. The contact stated that after receiving the vehicle back from the dealer after a collision repair, the steering wheel seized while driving. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a faulty oil gasket damaged the serpentine belt, causing an oil leak. The dealer informed the contact that the serpentine belt and drive belt needed to be re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
- Engine timing bolts loosened and sheered off. - Car stalled while running. - Other Vehicles (BMW 328i 2010) have recalls on bolts, mine VIN was not selected for recall. - manufacturer checked and flagged previous recall from 2014. - Vehicle performance effected.
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and slightly turning the steering wheel, the vehicle would emit abnormal grinding sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also taken to a local dealer which diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and slightly turning the steering wheel, the vehicle would emit abnormal grinding sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also taken to a local dealer which diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and slightly turning the steering wheel, the vehicle would emit abnormal grinding sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also taken to a local dealer which diagnosed the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
My Moonroof shade gets stuck when I try to open and close it. This has been a huge problem among other BMW X1s and it is over $2,000 to fix! This has caused a lot of issues in my car. Thousands of other drivers have also reported this issue. It is not safe having my shade stuck since people can see into my car, and the sun shines which will eventually ruin my leather.
Incident date: May 9, 2022
The doors locked and does not open even from the inside trapping passengers inside the car. Door locks click into place and the doors can't be opened from the inside. Pull the handle and the lock will pop up, but the door won't open. Release the handle and the lock snaps back down into its "locked" state (it drops back down as if it has a spring on it). trapping people inside is extremely dangerou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. 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 local dealer was 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 contact had not expe... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
After pulling into a parking space and stopping, the braking system became unresponsive. While stopped with the foot on the brakes, attempts to place the car in park failed. After pumping the brakes, the car rolled forward as the car idled and the brakes were unresponsive as it rolled through a corrugated metal wall and the car only stopped after pressing the ignition button to turn off the car, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
After pulling into a parking space and stopping, the braking system became unresponsive. While stopped with the foot on the brakes, attempts to place the car in park failed. After pumping the brakes, the car rolled forward as the car idled and the brakes were unresponsive as it rolled through a corrugated metal wall and the car only stopped after pressing the ignition button to turn off the car, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
After pulling into a parking space and stopping, the braking system became unresponsive. While stopped with the foot on the brakes, attempts to place the car in park failed. After pumping the brakes, the car rolled forward as the car idled and the brakes were unresponsive as it rolled through a corrugated metal wall and the car only stopped after pressing the ignition button to turn off the car, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
While driving heard a loud noise and oil start pouring out the bottom of the car.. After getting my Vehicle looked at BMW dealership informed me that the drive shaft had broken and fell in the engine and caused a hole in the engine and damaging the oil pan also
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
While driving heard a loud noise and oil start pouring out the bottom of the car.. After getting my Vehicle looked at BMW dealership informed me that the drive shaft had broken and fell in the engine and caused a hole in the engine and damaging the oil pan also
Incident date: Jul 10, 2021
During very warm days in the summer the steering wheel tends to stick during turns. It requires extra force to continue to turn the wheel which becomes problematic during a tight turn or on highway on-ramps.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X5. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the parking brake warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the parking brake needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The approximate failure mileage was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V341000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure an... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2022
2006 BMW 5 SERIES. CONSUMER WITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR VEHICLE REPAIRS RELATED TO SAFTEY RECALL 22V-119.
Incident date: May 1, 2021
When a passenger sits in the front passenger seat, the passenger side airbag seat sensor triggers and illuminates the airbag light, deactivating the passenger airbag. After it is triggered, the light stays illuminated, along with the seat belt light, for several drive cycles, without a passenger present, before resetting. This is a sporadic issue, but rather frequent. It began, very occasionally,... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message; Electrical Malfunction. Contact Service Center was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering assist function... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that he could smell a strong diesel and coolant odor inside the cabin... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2022
Auxiliary cooling fan failed but engine light did not turn on causing EME fault. Cooling fan had to be replaced and overheated my engine.
Incident date: May 2, 2022
Auxiliary cooling fan failed but engine light did not turn on causing EME fault. Cooling fan had to be replaced and overheated my engine.
BMW
325CI
(2006) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
May 20, 2022
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325CI. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, she became aware of smoke coming from under the hood and the odor of something on fire. The vehicle had overheated on several occasions. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with PCV valve heater failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2022
Driver side rear air spring failure.