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: Feb 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 BMW 330I. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light and "Stop Immediately" message was displayed. The contact pulled off the highway and noticed white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact safely placed the vehicle in park(P), turned the vehicle off, exited the vehicle, and lifted the hood. The contact stated that a l... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328D. The contact stated while in traffic with the vehicle idling, the vehicle started jerking. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle jerked increasingly. The message "Drivetrain Malfunction - Drive Carefully" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
Pulley bolts for power steering, water pump and I believe alternator broke and I lost power steering function which almost caused me to crash into another car and guard rail. I have seen many reports of this problem on social media with other X5 owners. Car has 139k in miles.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. 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 after turning off the vehicle, she noticed that the engine was extremely h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
I brought my 2015 BMW 328i to a local BMW dealership service center to inspect why my check engine light turned on. As part of their multi-point inspection, the service technician found an unrelated problem with the rear left tail light. This was identified as a critical electrical issue that required immediate repair. The details are listed in the service center's repair estimate /invoice: Mu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
While driving, an error message appeared on the car screen that said: Passenger restraint system malfunction: Contact BMW Carefully drive to the closest service center. Passenger restraint system is limited. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt. 1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Passen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
While driving, an error message appeared on the car screen that said: Passenger restraint system malfunction: Contact BMW Carefully drive to the closest service center. Passenger restraint system is limited. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt. 1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Passen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
While driving, an error message appeared on the car screen that said: Passenger restraint system malfunction: Contact BMW Carefully drive to the closest service center. Passenger restraint system is limited. Increased risk of injury in case of a collision. Continue wearing safety belt. 1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Passen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
I had the recall repair for the HVAC harness done in 2018, and the recall fix failed in 6/22, I took it into BMW and they determined there was a short, I do not know why a replacement part failed so soon in my eyes after being replaced for a recall. I had to pay $670 to fix this issue from a "free" recall fix, this seems like an issue to me with their replacement harnesses. There are a lot of po... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2018
Passenger seat indicator light keeps going off intermittently. Dealer says its a seat pad issue. We identified it in 2018 but dealer was not able to fix it and it continually keeps happening and didn't do anything because dealer did not fix it at that time. Now dealer is re-diagonising it saying it is a different diagnostic code but we have seen the same issue since we got the car. After rease... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2018
Passenger seat indicator light keeps going off intermittently. Dealer says its a seat pad issue. We identified it in 2018 but dealer was not able to fix it and it continually keeps happening and didn't do anything because dealer did not fix it at that time. Now dealer is re-diagonising it saying it is a different diagnostic code but we have seen the same issue since we got the car. After rease... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2018
Passenger seat indicator light keeps going off intermittently. Dealer says its a seat pad issue. We identified it in 2018 but dealer was not able to fix it and it continually keeps happening and didn't do anything because dealer did not fix it at that time. Now dealer is re-diagonising it saying it is a different diagnostic code but we have seen the same issue since we got the car. After rease... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2018
Water linkage down door panels to the floor, Drivers side ECM is located in that area, water damages the components and caused it to produce codes, interfering with car engine, causes surges, and vehicle to all of sudden shut off even while driving on freeway or streets. Water linkage on the passenger side down into the fuse box. All so causing electrical malfunction that opens the door for poten... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2018
Water linkage down door panels to the floor, Drivers side ECM is located in that area, water damages the components and caused it to produce codes, interfering with car engine, causes surges, and vehicle to all of sudden shut off even while driving on freeway or streets. Water linkage on the passenger side down into the fuse box. All so causing electrical malfunction that opens the door for poten... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2018
Water linkage down door panels to the floor, Drivers side ECM is located in that area, water damages the components and caused it to produce codes, interfering with car engine, causes surges, and vehicle to all of sudden shut off even while driving on freeway or streets. Water linkage on the passenger side down into the fuse box. All so causing electrical malfunction that opens the door for poten... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2021
My car is suffering from recall 19V472000 for my bmw 328i . My car horn dash lights windshield wipers and all my electric functioning in this aspect have continued to go on and off causing me to almost wreck numerous times as well as causing others to wreck into my car. Yet my vin is not included in this recall when I type in my vin. My car type year and model is however. I have another recall jus... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
Car was parked in fairly level spot with engine off, gear selector in park position, , key fob not near vehicle. Approx 30 minutes later, I returned to find vehicle approx 30 feet behind parking spot, having apparently drifted into another car in parking lot. No idea how car moved. I believe some electronic release of parking selector allowed car to roll.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
Car was parked in fairly level spot with engine off, gear selector in park position, , key fob not near vehicle. Approx 30 minutes later, I returned to find vehicle approx 30 feet behind parking spot, having apparently drifted into another car in parking lot. No idea how car moved. I believe some electronic release of parking selector allowed car to roll.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
Car was parked in fairly level spot with engine off, gear selector in park position, , key fob not near vehicle. Approx 30 minutes later, I returned to find vehicle approx 30 feet behind parking spot, having apparently drifted into another car in parking lot. No idea how car moved. I believe some electronic release of parking selector allowed car to roll.
Crash
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW Z4. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amou... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (BMW error code: 0x93C3) Implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. Similar problems: similar recalls were issued by BMW for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. Previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but persona... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (BMW error code: 0x93C3) Implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. Similar problems: similar recalls were issued by BMW for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. Previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but persona... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D equipped with Nexen Tires, Tire Line: Winguard Sport 2, Tire Size: 225/50/R17, DOT Number 8EJRHMEL2519. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the instrument panel alerted him that the rear driver side tire had begun to rapidly deflate. The contact pulled over and discovered that the tire was nearly flat and that the tread had separated from the tire. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528XI. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a burning odor coming from the engine, and blue smoke from the exhaustion pipe. Additionally, there was oil blowing out from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2018
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 530I. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the A/C vents. The contact also noticed the burning odor whenever opening the hood. The message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the parts to do the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that the "check engine" warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that the "check engine" warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
Vehicle died while driving, luckily it happened when pulling in to a store versus on the busy highway that we had just been traveling on, would not restart. BMW Roanoke determined it to be a failed diesel injection pump. If this had occurred on the highway it could have been a very dangerous situation. I had found that previous and later models of this vehicle have been recalled for this issue,... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated he detected an abnormal plastic burning odor inside the vehicle. 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 t... 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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2022
I recently needed to have my Steering Rack replaced since the internal control unit had a fault. There was no warning prior to the failure and the sudden fault resulted in complete loss of power steering. Luckily, I was driving at a slow speed and was close to my house. I'm concerned because I have read of several other BMW models having similar problems and someone driving at a higher rate of spe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Mat (OC3) for the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS/Air bag system) Failure. Recall was done 06/2018 by BMW dealer, but problem came back 08/2022. Airbag warning light on in dashboard. Reading codes confirms problem. DANGER of bodily harm to passengers because the airbags will not deploy.
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
driver seat will not move forward <driver restraint system malfunction, computer keep restarting while driving and SOS keep popping on the computer
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
driver seat will not move forward <driver restraint system malfunction, computer keep restarting while driving and SOS keep popping on the computer
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
there is an active recall on my current vehicle. i am in california and i cannot reregister until it is completed. recall states may cause fire. dealer states "no remedy available". so now i have a 5000lb paperweight in my driveway.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
there is an active recall on my current vehicle. i am in california and i cannot reregister until it is completed. recall states may cause fire. dealer states "no remedy available". so now i have a 5000lb paperweight in my driveway.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
there is an active recall on my current vehicle. i am in california and i cannot reregister until it is completed. recall states may cause fire. dealer states "no remedy available". so now i have a 5000lb paperweight in my driveway.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
BMW is not providing any owners with service and repair manuals in order to perform service or make any repairs. This is a safety issue, among other things,as these are adventure motorcycles meant to be ridden in very remote areas in difficult terrain where roadside repairs are often required. In addition, they are trying to force owner’s to purchase their services by not providing the required... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
As car is placed in park, and even after the parking brake is applied a message on the dash board and alert pops up saying "Secure Vehicle from Rolling" even though I am on a very flat street. Under details it states "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." The parking brake is engaged!
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
As car is placed in park, and even after the parking brake is applied a message on the dash board and alert pops up saying "Secure Vehicle from Rolling" even though I am on a very flat street. Under details it states "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." The parking brake is engaged!
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
As car is placed in park, and even after the parking brake is applied a message on the dash board and alert pops up saying "Secure Vehicle from Rolling" even though I am on a very flat street. Under details it states "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped. Consult service center." The parking brake is engaged!
Incident date: Jun 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The drivetrain malfunction message was displayed. The contact was able to pull into a driveway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a faulty oil pump which caused damage to the camshaft. The independent mechanic dia... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The drivetrain malfunction message was displayed. The contact was able to pull into a driveway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a faulty oil pump which caused damage to the camshaft. The independent mechanic dia... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal smoke odor coming from the instrument panel. 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 not notified. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reas... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2022
When starting my BMW motorcycle it normally can be started in two modes: (1) in neutral or (2) In gear with the clutch handle pulled back to the handlebar and the clutch disengaged. However, my BMW 2015 BMW R1200RT motorcycle will NOT engage the starter motor to start the engine with the Clutch handled pulled back to the handlebar which disengages the clutch. The problem was noticed at 17,500 mile... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2022
When starting my BMW motorcycle it normally can be started in two modes: (1) in neutral or (2) In gear with the clutch handle pulled back to the handlebar and the clutch disengaged. However, my BMW 2015 BMW R1200RT motorcycle will NOT engage the starter motor to start the engine with the Clutch handled pulled back to the handlebar which disengages the clutch. The problem was noticed at 17,500 mile... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
At 44,000 miles, I began getting the error code "secure vehicle against rolling" every time I started the engine. Took car in to local dealership who advised I needed to have the gear shift assembly replaced as the car could roll even when placed in park. Out of fear that the car could roll and cause damage to myself or others, I requested they order the part immediately. After doing some resea... Read more