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: Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 BMW 430i. The contact stated while his wife was driving below 10 MPH and depressing on the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver parked the vehicle and then had the vehicle towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake booster replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
Car stop completely on main st / took car to dealer and they said it’s the fuel pump ( defective ) / cost to replace about 2000. Lucky no lots of cars behind us at the time ( 2012 / 328 i BMW )
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
Car stop completely on main st / took car to dealer and they said it’s the fuel pump ( defective ) / cost to replace about 2000. Lucky no lots of cars behind us at the time ( 2012 / 328 i BMW )
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
engine overheating, passenger safety belt, failed speed control (difficulty accelerating) Due to these issues and malfunctions; it causes injury to the driver as the airbags/seat belts are not stable. If the car suddenly stops it can injure the driver. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly, vehicle loses power/ says to drive moderately or stop driving/ the car drives slow does not past 35 mph, the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
engine overheating, passenger safety belt, failed speed control (difficulty accelerating) Due to these issues and malfunctions; it causes injury to the driver as the airbags/seat belts are not stable. If the car suddenly stops it can injure the driver. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly, vehicle loses power/ says to drive moderately or stop driving/ the car drives slow does not past 35 mph, the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
engine overheating, passenger safety belt, failed speed control (difficulty accelerating) Due to these issues and malfunctions; it causes injury to the driver as the airbags/seat belts are not stable. If the car suddenly stops it can injure the driver. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly, vehicle loses power/ says to drive moderately or stop driving/ the car drives slow does not past 35 mph, the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled in the middle of the highway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter was unable to veer to the side of the road due to oncoming traffic. The police arrived on the scene and stopped the traffic before assisting the contact's da... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled in the middle of the highway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter was unable to veer to the side of the road due to oncoming traffic. The police arrived on the scene and stopped the traffic before assisting the contact's da... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
"Secure vehicle against rolling" warning effecting my vehicle. Looking online, I can not believe how many others have this very same error. Bmw should do a fix recall because they want to charge 3000 dollars for a 5 dollar spring replacement.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
"Secure vehicle against rolling" warning effecting my vehicle. Looking online, I can not believe how many others have this very same error. Bmw should do a fix recall because they want to charge 3000 dollars for a 5 dollar spring replacement.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
Driver side Seat mysteriously burned. Not sure how. Seat warmers were not on at the time.
Fire
Incident date: Jan 11, 2022
No emergency lights detecting any problems but the ebreak does not Work
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Car spontaneously caught fire
Fire
Incident date: Jan 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 740LI Sedan. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph when the vehicle backfired which resulted in the vehicle exploding. The drive train malfunction warning light was illuminated. There was black smoking coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle and caught fire. The contact was able to jump out of the vehicle and sustained a sprained ankle and men... Read more
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The windows keep getting stuck. Not just one but both. We have replaced the windows 3 times. The window regulator keeps getting wound up in the gear. The motor in the window has to keep getting replaced. This is causing the window to get stuck or tight. Which ever you choose to call it. when it gets this way it causes the window to pop the crack or break. This has happened twice. my BMW is still i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The vehicle keeps stalling on the highways and on the streets. We have taken the car in and have towed the car in to the bmw dealership costing us hundreds of dollars on what they think the problem is and it does not fix the issue. They perform a diagnosis and can’t find an issue but the car keeps stalling. The car first starting stalling last year around February.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The vehicle keeps stalling on the highways and on the streets. We have taken the car in and have towed the car in to the bmw dealership costing us hundreds of dollars on what they think the problem is and it does not fix the issue. They perform a diagnosis and can’t find an issue but the car keeps stalling. The car first starting stalling last year around February.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2022
The xenon projector bowls in the headlight assembly on both sides of the vehicle have slowly been burning. The bowl is made of plastic and with the heat of the xenons burns the plastic creating not only a fire hazard but also greatly reduces the effectiveness of the headlight beam, rendering it almost useless. This is specific to the OEM manufacture of the headlight assembly, ZKW. This has also be... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2021
The contact owns the 2020 BMW X3. The contact purchased the vehicle in March of 2021 and then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V601000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer since December of 2021 unrepaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable am... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
On January 7, 2022 I was driving in the neighborhood and applied the brake to stop. As the car was slowing down, the engine revved to 3,000 RPM making stopping difficult. I came to a full stop and the engine continued to rev. I quickly lifted my foot off the brake pedal and re-applied the brake pedal and the RPM returned to idle. On the same day about an hour later, I experienced the same issu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2022
The incident that happened to us was the shattered front panel sunroof while driving in a cold temperature on the highway. We don't believe this was caused by a rock because it should have cracked the whole panel but instead, it shattered.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The car came to a complete stop due to the Drivetrain Malfunction. The surprising part was that I noticed the error after 45 mins of buying the car.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The car came to a complete stop due to the Drivetrain Malfunction. The surprising part was that I noticed the error after 45 mins of buying the car.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
Vehicle is equipped with soft closing doors. Passenger door actuator malfunctioned which prevented the passenger door from locking. That malfunction short circuited the entire vehicle locking system. It created a unsafe driving condition which locked the driver side door from the inside and outside of the vehicle. Basically locking the driver inside the car. The only way for the driver to exit the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
Vehicle is equipped with soft closing doors. Passenger door actuator malfunctioned which prevented the passenger door from locking. That malfunction short circuited the entire vehicle locking system. It created a unsafe driving condition which locked the driver side door from the inside and outside of the vehicle. Basically locking the driver inside the car. The only way for the driver to exit the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323I. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, an abnormal rattling noise would emit from the rear end of the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered part of the rear driver’s side subframe had detached from the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact called the dealer about the failure and they offered no assistance. The man... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2022
The hatch will randomly auto-close either immediately after opening, or sometimes 15+ seconds after opening where you think it's safe to load items in or out. Sometimes it doesn't do it at all. Others report the issue: https://f48.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1392539 I had it in for other repairs and they quoted me at around $700 for repairs. Since it's intermittent, I'm not confident t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
Failure of High Pressure Fuel pump. My vehicle has low mileage, and BMW has had issues with High pressure fuel pump with same engine as my vehicle. I feel this defect is extended to more vehicles than was stated BMW.
Incident date: Jan 26, 2018
Electric water pump failed. While driving, engine overheated and warning light illuminated. I immediately pulled over and my car was towed in for repairs. Why wasn't the N54 engine not included in the recall campaign#11V-521? Also, my fuel line was found to be leaking when this car was towed in for the electric water pump repairs. I did smell fuel on days prior to this incident, but I mistakenly... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2018
Electric water pump failed. While driving, engine overheated and warning light illuminated. I immediately pulled over and my car was towed in for repairs. Why wasn't the N54 engine not included in the recall campaign#11V-521? Also, my fuel line was found to be leaking when this car was towed in for the electric water pump repairs. I did smell fuel on days prior to this incident, but I mistakenly... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
We have a warning that says "Secure Vehicle Against Rolling when stopped. Consult service center." I learned online that this warning is common and that it occurs due to the malfunction of an $8 spring but BMW charges $3,000 to $4,000 to replace it. BMW should issue a recall if this is a common safety issue.
BMW
K 1600 GTL
(2013) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jan 3, 2022
Incident date: Dec 28, 2021
On December 26, 2021, I purchased a used BMW K1600 GTL from a private party near Houston, TX. I then proceeded to drive the motorcycle to my home located just north of Dallas, TX. The motorcycle exhibited no issues and ran perfectly. Two days later as I was driving it to get the title and registration put into my name, I began to notice the smell of fuel. At first I thought it might have been ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
While I was driving approximately 35 mph the vehicle shut off. Then a check engine light came on. When a code reader was placed on the vehicle a code p0335 for the crankshaft position sensor. Thankfully I was able to coast the car safely to the shoulder of the roadway. Had I been on an interstate highway who knows what the outcome would have been.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2021
Driver passenger door would not open when the car is locked from inside. Typically the driver can double pull the door handle which unlocks the car. When attempting to unlock, the pin goes up but comes back down. There are several documented complaints on BMW forums with many owners experiencing this safety issue. If a driver gets into an accident or if the battery dies, the door may fail to open ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
"BMW Motorrad no longer offers repair manuals for our motorcycles" BMW Motorrad has stopped offering Motorcycle service Data to consumers/end users. This lack of service data creates a significant safety hazard to those that perform their own repairs & maintenance! From: Customer Service BMW Motorcycles Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2021 9:15 AM To: ME Subject: Your Motorrad Correspondence Dear X,... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2021
Ever since the rain starter my aux water pump don't work and brake light too. And it seems like something has been draining my battery because battery discharge comes up. And I think the idle idle pulley issue affects almost most of that year bmw X5 because my serpentine belt only installed 10,000 miles ago and already see threads being worn out. Unless that's how long they last. I had to bring th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2021
Ever since the rain starter my aux water pump don't work and brake light too. And it seems like something has been draining my battery because battery discharge comes up. And I think the idle idle pulley issue affects almost most of that year bmw X5 because my serpentine belt only installed 10,000 miles ago and already see threads being worn out. Unless that's how long they last. I had to bring th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
Passenger brake light harness keeps melting. This is my second Bmw and both had the same problem. The car keeps having loss of power while driving on the freeway. Probably something to do with fuel pump.
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
Passenger brake light harness keeps melting. This is my second Bmw and both had the same problem. The car keeps having loss of power while driving on the freeway. Probably something to do with fuel pump.
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
Passenger brake light harness keeps melting. This is my second Bmw and both had the same problem. The car keeps having loss of power while driving on the freeway. Probably something to do with fuel pump.
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
Possible Class Action Law Suit knowingly neglect, mislead, purposely avoiding known recall & obvious risks of possible LIFE / PROPERTY LOST 08/2012, NYS Bear Mt Parks Camp ground Unknown reason Low battery resulted locked steering, stranded tow $450 /park+$450 tow truck to Shop E141st Bronx Friend a Westchester BMW dealer mechanic 1988~2019 (Will testify): official instruction to replace Steering... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
Possible Class Action Law Suit knowingly neglect, mislead, purposely avoiding known recall & obvious risks of possible LIFE / PROPERTY LOST 08/2012, NYS Bear Mt Parks Camp ground Unknown reason Low battery resulted locked steering, stranded tow $450 /park+$450 tow truck to Shop E141st Bronx Friend a Westchester BMW dealer mechanic 1988~2019 (Will testify): official instruction to replace Steering... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
Possible Class Action Law Suit knowingly neglect, mislead, purposely avoiding known recall & obvious risks of possible LIFE / PROPERTY LOST 08/2012, NYS Bear Mt Parks Camp ground Unknown reason Low battery resulted locked steering, stranded tow $450 /park+$450 tow truck to Shop E141st Bronx Friend a Westchester BMW dealer mechanic 1988~2019 (Will testify): official instruction to replace Steering... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
The EGR Cooler has gone bad and I have been driving around with carbon monoxide in my car causing extreme headaches and nausea. I did not know that was the problem and it took 2 visits to the dealer to figure it out. The EGR cooler was dirty and blocked before we purchased the vehicle and there have been a couple other indicators that this was an issue. Also the car did NOT have an engine light on... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
After stopping for a red light for a right turn vehicle does not accelerate in hybrid mode when commanded to do so. No alarms are present. Car is shown to be in Drive. After numerous attempts to switch transmission gears and restart the engine, switched to gas (sport) mode and was able to accelerate the car. Occurred on at least 3 occasions. A dangerous event because drivers behind the car could a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2021
Vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The dealer mechanics diagnosed a failed engine mount bolt. Vehicle mileage is 66965. This vehicle is driven lightly and this failure seems to be premature.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
Car has broken down five times, each after having been driven several hours. Car suddenly looses power and dies. Will not restart- requires tow. All repair attempts have been made at BMW dealers. We have been placed in dangerous situations, including once with my six year old grandson in a highway construction zone with no shoulder. Please see attached correspondence with manufacturer.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
It appears that a component in the gear selector has failed to properly detect the gear selector position, specifically when it is in park. Even though the gear selector is in park and the parking brake is applied as indicated by lights and physically attempting to move the vehicle, there is a warning message to secure a vehicle with parking brake to prevent it from rolling. Therefore the function... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
I hit a mild pothole in June and got a sidewalk bubble. Had the tire replaced. Now I’m noticing another bubble in the replaced tire, and in the other from driver side tire. After researching I’ve discovered thousands of forums where this particular brand and tire is known for this issue. These tires are over $500 apiece.
Incident date: Dec 25, 2021
UNKNOWN CAR STARTED SHAKING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SUDDENLY LOST POWER. SHOWN ERROR 'POWER TRAIN MAILFUNCTION'