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: Apr 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328i. The contact received a notification for 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 of the issue. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode and the engine overheated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. The contact then towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode and the engine overheated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. The contact then towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the vehicle and a burning rubber odor was detected. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notificat... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 70 MPH the vehicle began to emit smoke from under the hood. The contact's son was able to safely pull off of the highway, there was no fire and the smoke abated after the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that her son did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had the... Read more
Fire
BMW
328XI
(2007) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
Apr 19, 2022
Incident date: Jan 19, 2022
The contact owned a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated that upon pulling into the driveway, he saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire started inside the hood and extended to the rest of the vehicle. The contact stated that there were explosions of fire with objects flying al... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2012 BMW Z4. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the vehicle overheated and started decelerating independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The warning message "Engine Overheat; Pull Over and Turn Off Vehicle" was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 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: Jan 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started smoking from the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the smoke extinguished by itself. The contact drove the vehicle home and called the dealer. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer but the vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owned a 2006 BMW 328XI. The contact stated while his son was driving approximately 50 MPH on a slick road, the vehicle made a loud boom sound. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel. The driver depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle skidded into a telephone pole where the front of the vehicle caught on fire. All air bags deployed. The vehicle was destroyed by fire and ... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the front driveshaft detached and damaged the transmission. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The dealer stated that the U-joint had dislodged and caused the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X5. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer 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 failur... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2022
glass sun roof exploded spontaneously while driving at freeway speeds.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2022
I was rear-ended during a traffic slowdown in freeway, while driving my 2014 BMW 328i sedan. Due to the collision, my vehicle’s safety system got invoked, which made the gear automatically go into neutral and the flashers turned on. However, my seatbelt (driver, left-front seat) unbuckled automatically. This caused me to hit the steering wheel during the accident. I didn’t suffer major injury ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, she smelled a strong burning odor inside the vehicle. The warning message "Service Engine Soon" was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the service brakes, spark plugs, and radiator needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
I hear a whining noise coming from the engine and sounds like the timing chain is getting ready to snap. this is a common problem in this type of engine, resulting in a damaged engine.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
I turned my car on an out of nowhere a seatbelt and airbag light came on. I did not get into a bump up or disconnect any sensors it just popped up one day.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
I turned my car on an out of nowhere a seatbelt and airbag light came on. I did not get into a bump up or disconnect any sensors it just popped up one day.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
Positive battery cable heat up cause fire above battery. Blow off wire worked blowing off. Distribution box and power pole connection sparking heating up causing arc fire. No recalls for my specific Vin but 2008 through 2012 recalls this part but not for my vehicle. 2009 335 convertible. ? $1132 to fix. 9 months ago 2021 BMW could not find problem recommended changing my a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
Positive battery cable heat up cause fire above battery. Blow off wire worked blowing off. Distribution box and power pole connection sparking heating up causing arc fire. No recalls for my specific Vin but 2008 through 2012 recalls this part but not for my vehicle. 2009 335 convertible. ? $1132 to fix. 9 months ago 2021 BMW could not find problem recommended changing my a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
Positive battery cable heat up cause fire above battery. Blow off wire worked blowing off. Distribution box and power pole connection sparking heating up causing arc fire. No recalls for my specific Vin but 2008 through 2012 recalls this part but not for my vehicle. 2009 335 convertible. ? $1132 to fix. 9 months ago 2021 BMW could not find problem recommended changing my a... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 8, 2022
Warning on dashboard “Secure vehicle against rolling” appear when vehicle is on parking mode and hand brake on.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2022
Warning on dashboard “Secure vehicle against rolling” appear when vehicle is on parking mode and hand brake on.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2022
I like to report the incident with the sudden collapsing of the ECU car electronic on 01/23/2022 during night, which had raised my serious concerns regarding the car safety in general. During driving the car in the nighttime of Sunday 01/23/2022, my wife was on her way to return from Pompano, FL to her home in Plantation, FL, using the Turnpike, she experienced that ECU engine speed control had re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2022
I like to report the incident with the sudden collapsing of the ECU car electronic on 01/23/2022 during night, which had raised my serious concerns regarding the car safety in general. During driving the car in the nighttime of Sunday 01/23/2022, my wife was on her way to return from Pompano, FL to her home in Plantation, FL, using the Turnpike, she experienced that ECU engine speed control had re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW X5. 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 while accelerating from a complete stop at the stoplight, the vehicle hesitated. The contact smelled a burning plastic odor within the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 428i. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal cracking sound. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). T... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528i. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she smelled a burning odor and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and through the vent. The (!) malfunction indicator warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk intermittently while driving. The contact received recal... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 14, 2022
Hello why you send me letters saying that , you guys gonna take my car away for what or why if its my car .If I don't have any warning or letters with the Police that say my car gonna be taking away for no reason !? that doesn't make sense to me cuz I'm not the only person who's driving a BMW car .My car is in good conditions, few days ago I did the smoke check. the car pass everything clean. Like... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 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 dealer had been notified of the issue and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exc... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate as it jumped a curb, crashed into a ditch, before finally beco... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate as it jumped a curb, crashed into a ditch, before finally beco... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
The vehicle was at a complete stop, when the gas pedal was tapped to move forward slightly the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. There was an attempt to apply the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate and "Drive Train Malfunction" began to flash on the dashboard of the vehicle. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate as it jumped a curb, crashed into a ditch, before finally beco... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 128i. 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, the vehicle lost motive power. There was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed wi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. 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 had been notified 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... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Engine Service Soon" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
I have contacted NHTSA and BMW several times. I want this in writing in the case myself or my children are injuried when in this vehicle. My bmw x3 is my only form of transportation the engine light is on and it has started to smoke twice when engine is off. I just purchased the car second week of March 2022. It is hard for the car to accelerate and once the car is stopped at light or stop sig... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2022
I have read on the BMW forums that the plastic cams that are attached to the throttle bodies will crack. If a crack is spotted the cams need to be replaced because they can fail causing the motorcycle to stop running. This spring while doing my spring maintenance I inspected the cams and found both of the throttle body cams cracked. I replaced both of the cams with after market aluminum cams that ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2022
The bike is a 2008 BMW R1200RT. The throttle bodies for each cylinder has a plastic cam that is the point of attachment for the throttle cable. That plastic cam broke and completely detached from the bike. I was accelerating to merge into traffic on Interstate 64E at Corydon, IN. Once established in the right lane, the bike suddenly lost power and slowed rapidly while I was approached from the rea... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2019
Water pump failure Radiator hose disconnected Thermostat Assembly
Incident date: Jun 26, 2019
Water pump failure Radiator hose disconnected Thermostat Assembly
Incident date: Jun 26, 2019
Water pump failure Radiator hose disconnected Thermostat Assembly
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
Broken coolant pipe causing engine to overheat
Incident date: Mar 30, 2022
X3 started locking up the brakes, it seems that every time you pressed the breaks the calipers will engage and would not release them, making the vehicle completely stop or force you to accelerate to move the vehicle forward by force and get out of the moving traffic. No error codes came up at all or warning lights on the dashboard. The only way to resolve the issue was to turn the vehicle off ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 528i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
The car overheating due to the pcv valve heater core. Causing severe damage to my engine. Good have put me in danger. BMW should have taken care of this a long time ago if there was a issue with it. Now my car is damaged and undrivable. I need a new engine. It could have caught fire.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
After running errands and car had been parked for an hour or so, I returned to my vehicle and it would crank but would not start. After trying to start a few times it finally started and I was able to make it home without having to call a tow truck (Or being abandoned in a mall parking lot in the middle of the night). My car drove fine the next day, after driving for about an hour I parked at my p... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
After running errands and car had been parked for an hour or so, I returned to my vehicle and it would crank but would not start. After trying to start a few times it finally started and I was able to make it home without having to call a tow truck (Or being abandoned in a mall parking lot in the middle of the night). My car drove fine the next day, after driving for about an hour I parked at my p... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2022
After running errands and car had been parked for an hour or so, I returned to my vehicle and it would crank but would not start. After trying to start a few times it finally started and I was able to make it home without having to call a tow truck (Or being abandoned in a mall parking lot in the middle of the night). My car drove fine the next day, after driving for about an hour I parked at my p... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice to be diagnosed. The diagnostic test was performed; however, the contact was unsure of the results. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure t... Read more