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: Nov 1, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased from the local dealer. Upon purchase, the dealer's Odometer Disclosure Form indicated that the odometer mileage reading was 82,823. However, after obtaining a Carfax Report, the contact discovered that the last odometer mileage reading was 126,170.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The integrated central control unit failed on my Hyundai Ioniq 5. A warning flashed on my dashboard stating that the car needed to be turned off immediately because of a power issue. I was in traffic on a very busy road and was trying to navigate to a safe place when my car stopped and turned off. After several attempts, I was able to start it enough to get off the street and to a safe place. I wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
I am experiencing a steering defect in my vehicle that closely mirrors the condition described in Recall No. 6524A, although my specific vehicle VIN is not currently included in the recall. While driving, particularly at highway speeds, the steering wheel intermittently becomes difficult to turn and appears to “stick.” During one incident, I was traveling approximately 55 mph on the freeway w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
Purchased my 2016 Honda pilot with 3.5 v6 engine at Baierl Honda in November 2024. In December 2025 my engine failed. Towed to dealer I purchased from . Mechanic said there is metal in the oil the motor is done and needs replaced. Many of these motors were recalled , but for some reason mine is not on the list. I still owe 12,000 on loan on this car. I contacted Honda said nothing they can do b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
At some point in June 2025, between approximately 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., I was driving southbound on the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles, just south of the 134 interchange, at approximately 45 mph. Traffic was light, with no vehicles in front of me and no vehicles attempting to merge into my lane. Without warning, a bright red alert appeared on the dashboard of my 2019 BMW x3 and the vehicle suddenly app... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 15, 2025
My rear window exploded while parked and powered off. Absolutely NOTHING hit it in any way. I was just reaching for the handle to get out of the car when it happened. Please note I’ve only owned this vehicle for two weeks now. This happened one week after purchase. Warranty did not cover rear glass. I paid out of pocket for replacement. (I have receipts) I have found that in the 2 weeks of own... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not expe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2026 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving 5-10 MPH, the brakes locked up. The contact stated that the parking brake unexpectedly engaged and failed to release. The driver’s side rear wheel locked up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake actuator needed... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
The vehicle paint is bubbling and peeling
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Announcing the recall in September 2025 and still no remedy available 4 months later is unacceptable. My car is at risk of catching fire randomly even if it's parked with ignition off. I need a fix and I need BMW to pay for it.
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 25 MPH and turning left onto another street, the instrument cluster illuminated with several unknown warning lights, and the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to coast the vehicle off the road. The engine was still running, but while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unexpectedly started rolling forward. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to immediately respond. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact referenced an unknown recall for the failure, but the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was driven to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
2018 3.5 Ecoboost with plastic oil pan. Ford acknowledges poor engineering and changed production to a single aluminum oil pan half way through 2018 production, but refused to fix the trucks already built. The RTV sealant leaks on the plastic oil pan causing reliabilities and protentional safety issues with the engine components if not caught in due time. Ford issued a TSB 20-2015 report out fo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
NHTSA Complaint Narrative I am filing this complaint regarding a 2010 Mazda 3, VIN [XXX] . The vehicle experiences intermittent transmission control failures, including difficulty shifting out of first gear and warning indicators triggered by vibration. The transmission and transmission control module have already been replaced. The dealership has identified the wiring harness as the cause of th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
On the morning of January 12, 2026, I attempted to unplug my 2023 Volvo XC90 Recharge (plug-in hybrid) from my home charging station in order to drive to an appointment. I had turned on the climate control remotely from the Volvo app while inside the house. When I went to unplug the vehicle, the charging connector was locked in the vehicle’s charging port and could not be removed. I contacted Vo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
On [XXX]. My car went into unintended acceleration at full throttle of 8000 RPMs. The engine was stuck at maximum power and would not slow down. My car slide until it hit a curb and was forced to stop. However, the engine was still running at full maximum capacity at full unintended acceleration. My [XXX] son had to go to ER and it almost cost the lives of 4 other people. I am very scared to... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
On [XXX]. My car went into unintended acceleration at full throttle of 8000 RPMs. The engine was stuck at maximum power and would not slow down. My car slide until it hit a curb and was forced to stop. However, the engine was still running at full maximum capacity at full unintended acceleration. My [XXX] son had to go to ER and it almost cost the lives of 4 other people. I am very scared to... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 27, 2025
I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS 2014 HYUNDAI TUCSON. IN AUGUST 2025 I NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR LOCKS SEIZED. THIS MEANT THE DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE, OUTSIDE OR REMOTELY. THIS PRESENTED A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION , OVERTURN , FIRE OR FLOOD. nO PASSENGER COULD EXIT, AND NO RESCUER COULD OPEN THE DOOR. I NOTIFIED HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
the 10 speed transmission is shuddering, slipping, and missing gears. This is extremely dangerous when driving through intersections and needing to maintain speed especially when turning/crossing lanes with oncoming traffic. Also, when driving up a hill and you have power loss.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
In August 2025 my 2022 Kia Sorento S began having the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Malfunction Indicator light flashing. It comes on, flashes for a while, then goes off again. Shortly after the first time this happened (a week or so), my steering began losing all power steering intermittently at random. I took it to the local Kia dealership, but they did nothing even though I am still under war... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Driving on interstate and gradual onset of clicking/knocking. Within 5 minutes complete loss of propulsion and throttle. RPM went to zero. Oil pressure/temperature/engine lights all fine. Dealership states "catastrophic engine failure." My family was in the vehicle. Fortunately still had power steering and brakes and able to guide vehicle to shoulder.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Very bad clunnk on driver side when hitting any bump on the road and it's loud.dealer ship sold me the car like that . Electrical issue gauge cluster radio cluster turn signals your first camera anything that works off the instrument cluster of the radio TV screen goes off while I'm driving comes back on hit a bump it comes back on no headlights driving at night time. The dealership sold me the ca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
INCIDENT SUMMARY: On January 9, 2026, at approximately 1:30 PM, while traveling at 50 MPH in North Carolina, the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic engine seizure without any prior "Limp Mode" warning or Check Engine Light. This resulted in an immediate, total loss of motive power in active traffic. I was forced to navigate a dead multi-ton vehicle across lanes without power steering or va... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
INCIDENT SUMMARY: On January 9, 2026, at approximately 1:30 PM, while traveling at 50 MPH in North Carolina, the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic engine seizure without any prior "Limp Mode" warning or Check Engine Light. This resulted in an immediate, total loss of motive power in active traffic. I was forced to navigate a dead multi-ton vehicle across lanes without power steering or va... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The trim on the driver's door broke in half causing it to fly into the traffic behind me.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
While driving, the vehicle displays a warning of "Eyes on Road, Hands on Wheel". It has happened 6x since vehicle purchase, most recent on 10 Jan 26. The most recent occurrence was 10 Jan 26. Hyundai has issued a bulletin that this could occur when wearing sunglasses. The most recent time it was raining, no sun, no sunglasses and hands were on wheel at 10/2. Warning message displayed for seve... Read more
BMW
I4 XDRIVE40
(2025) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jan 9, 2026
Incident date: Nov 29, 2025
I was pulling my gooseneck trailer with equipment on it and had to stop quick because car pulled out in front of me an when I pushed the brake pedal it was very hard to push an my exhaust brakes did not come on an I noticed check brakes light an anti trac light were both on.exhaust brake was turned on in full exhaust an exhaust light on dash showed it to be on but exhaust brakes did not start work... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
I am reporting a safety-related engine failure involving my 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T. In November 2025, at approximately 90,000 miles, the vehicle experienced a sudden engine failure while driving, including loss of power and abnormal engine noise. This created an unsafe driving condition and required the vehicle to be removed from service. Component/System Involved: The engine (Theta II 2.0T) s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
The "4WD Needs Service" light appeared on the dashboard of our 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. We took vehicle to the Enumclaw Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealer located in Enumclaw, WA. Their service technician determined that the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) was failing and found active code c14a7-97 "ptu motor-component or system operation obstructed or blocked". Had the PTU completely failed we could ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 335i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the following day, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). 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: Jan 1, 2026
While traveling down the highway at approximately 60-65mph I pressed the accelerator to change lanes and pass a tractor trailer when it felt like my transmission slipped very abruptly. There was a very noticeable power loss and the truck would not accelerate. Then I noticed a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. No check engine light or any other indications on the dash to let me know there... Read more
BMW
X4
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
Jan 9, 2026
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while leaving the driveway, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud squeaking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact thought that the catalytic converter had been stolen. The vehicle was taken t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to report a serious safety incident involving my Tesla Model Y (2026) licence plate : [XXX] that occurred on [XXX], at approximately [XXX]. While attempting to slowly park in a parking lot located at [XXX], East [XXX] and forcefully accelerated forward. I was performing a low-speed parking maneuver and did not intentionally press the accelerator. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
The starter failed and car would not start, requiring replacement by the BMW dealership. Car is only 4 years old and had 29,699 miles at the time of replacement. Wondering whether noticed starter issues requiring replacement in 2021 BMW x3 m40i models in addition to other 2021 BMW x3 models that have been recalled and required starter/relay replacement.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
The contact owns a Nuna car seat, Model Type: Rava, Model Number: CS05103CVR, Manufactured Date: July 14, 2022. The car seat was being used in a 2017 BMW X5. The contact stated that the left side harness on the safety car seat was loose, preventing the child from being securely restrained in the car seat. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The car seat was not repaired or replaced... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Transmission will randomly jump while accelerating and downshift to the point that we have to get to the interstate shoulder. This has happened many times.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2025
Headlights are too bright. I've seen reports that headlights are at a minimum, twice as bright as they were a decade ago, up to 10 times as bright directly from the manufacturer. While it may be your opinion that it is within regulations, makes roadways brighter, etc., the fact remains that it increases driver fatigue. Staring at headlights 10 times brighter then they were 10 years ago, for hours ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the contact released the brake pedal and depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact believed that the failure was related to the gas saving feature. The vehicle then stalled, but was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mec... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V544000 (Service brakes, Hydraulic) and 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
loss of steering likely to wreck because of no power steering. My safety and my family was put at risk during this process. The problem has been reproduced at the car repair shop. Warning light activated and message on dash. 15S18 is the recall number for make and model. I was told Ford will not fix by a customer representative.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
I own a 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500, the truck currently has 51,400 miles on it. I started noticing a vibration while driving home from work that continued to get worse. After some quick online research I learned that the torque converter on the newer Chevy and GMC trucks is a weak point in their assembly. This is a very common issue and complaint for owners. The manufacturer has done nothing to res... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
Safety issue involving loss of power and braking Prior to receiving a PTU recall notice in January 2025, my vehicle began experiencing sudden and unexpected loss of power while driving, particularly when braking. Since that time, the issue has worsened significantly and now occurs more frequently. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has failed to accelerate properly after braking, creating danger... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
Total loss of Electric power steering assistance while driving on the interstate.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
We got the message that our steering may be impacted and then our temperature gauge wasn’t working nor the stop/start feature. Trip to service dealer resulted in a $1,186.14 repair for the replacement of the thermostat. This car only has 37,269 miles. We were told by service tech this is a common issue in GM models and this year of car. This was a financial hardship on us and our well maintai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel intermittently went blank. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a defective valve body and... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2025
One to two times per month upon starting my Cybertruck I receive multiple notifications for systems not working including "Driver Assistance - Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable" and "Steering & Braking - Adaptive ride control degraded/Ride comfort may be reduced." These alerts cause the disablement of the regenerative braking, auto-hold (braking), emergency braking, adaptive ride control... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
It need to fill the oil ever two to three weeks - oil consumption? Now this morning it has the a lot of oil in the ground - I won’t drive the car
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
Transmission seems to be faulty. While accelerating the transmission will shift from 4th gear to 1st gear then up to 3rd gear. Sometimes it will return to normal operation at the point, sometimes it will continue to shift up and down at random. I have been told by the shop (more than 1) that the transmission is fine. This random and hard down shifting cause the vehicle to lose speed which is very ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
My wife [XXX] ) was traveling in her 2024 Nissan Rouge at highway speed on her way to work on 1/5/26, in Southeast Alabama, no defroster on, or other car in sight. While traveling her rear windshield randomly busted into a thousand pieces. She immediately notified myself [XXX] ) and the local Sheriffs Office, first believing someone had shot at her car. After deputies arrived and a thorough inve... Read more