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 6, 2021
My 2018 x5 had the rear driver side air bag suspension give out where makes the ride very bouncy and hard pound on the uneven roads where makes you lose control of the vehicle and possibly have an incident. Came across a few more X5 owners with the same issue and hasn’t been a recall for these years 14-18. Suspension air seems to just give out under 60,000 miles on many people I have talk to alo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 3, 2021
Egr cooler broken and leaking exhaust gas to cabin making all passengers drousy, a/c vents pulls outside air. Making it a lot worse egr will be replaced and save for warranty inspection etc.. My safety was affected sue to carbon monoxide emissions, others were affected due to the drowsiness effects of the exhaust making the drive drousy at the wheel . No reproductions know. Inspection by owner... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2021
Opened sunroof shade back to see out of sunroof for a few hours. When I tried closing the sunroof shade it stops about a foot out and retracts backs. Seems to be stuck on one side and unsure as to why. Nothing happened it the few hours it was opened
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
- As I was driving down the road, my sunroof exploded. There was a large popping sound like the release of pressurized air, and glass began falling down. I had the visor closed so it was able to catch most of it. When I was able to pull over, There was a large hole, nearly the size of the sunroof. The surrounding glass that remained was shattered. - My safety was in danger from the falling glass,... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 BMW R 1200 GS Motorcycle. The contact stated the vehicle was leaking fuel without warning. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2021
April 22, 2021 (87181 Odometer Out) Virginia Inspection. Passed. Recommended replacement of front rotors and brake pads. July 22, 2021 (87989 Odometer Out) Oil Change, tune up if needed, front rotors and brake pads replaced. Did not reset vehicle computer: hood light as well as brake light came on over the next week. August 5, 2021 Brought back to repair shop. Computer reset (88148 Odometer Ou... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2021
April 22, 2021 (87181 Odometer Out) Virginia Inspection. Passed. Recommended replacement of front rotors and brake pads. July 22, 2021 (87989 Odometer Out) Oil Change, tune up if needed, front rotors and brake pads replaced. Did not reset vehicle computer: hood light as well as brake light came on over the next week. August 5, 2021 Brought back to repair shop. Computer reset (88148 Odometer Ou... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
Loss of power/won't Rev over 2500rpms No fault codes displayed on dash Radiator fan goes to max and cuts off consistently every 30sec-45sec Very dangerous situation when pulling out in front of traffic. I've only owned this car for 3 months! I need to get this fixed asap. Also, this problem occurs at random times in all different conditions. It will also "reset" after turning car off and restartin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
Loss of power/won't Rev over 2500rpms No fault codes displayed on dash Radiator fan goes to max and cuts off consistently every 30sec-45sec Very dangerous situation when pulling out in front of traffic. I've only owned this car for 3 months! I need to get this fixed asap. Also, this problem occurs at random times in all different conditions. It will also "reset" after turning car off and restartin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
Loss of power/won't Rev over 2500rpms No fault codes displayed on dash Radiator fan goes to max and cuts off consistently every 30sec-45sec Very dangerous situation when pulling out in front of traffic. I've only owned this car for 3 months! I need to get this fixed asap. Also, this problem occurs at random times in all different conditions. It will also "reset" after turning car off and restartin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2021
When a door or hatch is opened, the car horn is continuously activated for up to two minutes. No switches or key fob buttons deactivate the horn. The dealer service department thinks it is a defective switch or relay in the steering column. The vehicle is underivable because of he loud noise of the horn. It risks damaging hearing, making other sounds undetectable, disturbing others including drive... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2021
In July 2021 I was driving on a residential street when my vehicle experienced loss of power. The vehicle shutdown and stopped in the middle of the road. Mechanic found metal particles in fuel system that may have been cause by fuel pump failure. It was reported to insurance company. The fuel system was replaced but vehicle continues to have issues with leaks etc.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
Based on research it appears BMW has a long history of issues and even a recall on select years around the passenger seat sensor detector becoming faulty and impacting the ability of the air bags to deploy in a collision. This seems to a critical issue since it could result in serious injury to the passenger in the event of a collision.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
Based on research it appears BMW has a long history of issues and even a recall on select years around the passenger seat sensor detector becoming faulty and impacting the ability of the air bags to deploy in a collision. This seems to a critical issue since it could result in serious injury to the passenger in the event of a collision.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 528I. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle independently decelerated. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle would not restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was inf... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 328D. The contact was informed by a third party that his vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V568000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2021
My sunroof exploded while driving on the interstate. There was a very loud boom almost like a gunshot. All of the glass came crashing down into the cabin. This was an extremely dangerous situation as I was traveling on the interstate. There was no warning, no rocks or any other object hit the glass to initiate this occurrence. The vehicle will be inspected by the bmw dealer 11/1/21 and my insuranc... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2021
Previously reported a steering incident no. 11438343. Dealer indidicated that there was a "bug in the software" and that the car would be entitled to a one time fix under extended warranty. Dealership worked on the issue and completed the warranty repair on 11/28/2021 and I picked up the vehicle. Upon starting the car, the steering felt "different". I turned right to exit the dealership and tri... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2021
Control Modulator that operates the servo brake system failed. The ABS is no longer operational. The system is now only hydraulicly operated when before it was servo assisted. Once the servo system failed the brake system almost would not stop the motorcyle.
BMW
K 1600 GTL
(2012) — ENGINE
Oct 29, 2021
Incident date: Feb 8, 2021
Greetings. I was notified earlier this year of a recall on my bike. The recall was issued in February, 2021 for a safety issue with the fuel pump. While my dealer has been very understanding and responsive, I am told the part is not available and they have no idea when they will be able to repair this important safety defect. It has now been over 8 months since the recall and there is... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
Fine, white particles are blowing out of the cabin air ducts whenever the air conditioner or fan is turned on. My local BMW service center, Herb Chambers BMW of Boston, determined that the debris is flakes of aluminum from the deteriorated aluminum alloy fins of the AC evaporator coil and heater exchanger. The cabin air ducts were scoped and found to be intact with no intrusion of outside contamin... Read more
3 injured
Incident date: Sep 24, 2021
BMW 2 series cars from about 2015-2018 have faulty wiring and brake light assemblies. BMW has admitted this design flaw in the harness and light - they extended the warranty for one year. As you know, brake light failures represent a real risk. It is unreasonable for BMW to charge $900 per light to fix a safety issue caused by a design flaw that they have admitted. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSEN... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2021
BMW 2 series cars from about 2015-2018 have faulty wiring and brake light assemblies. BMW has admitted this design flaw in the harness and light - they extended the warranty for one year. As you know, brake light failures represent a real risk. It is unreasonable for BMW to charge $900 per light to fix a safety issue caused by a design flaw that they have admitted. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSEN... Read more
BMW
K 1600 GTL
(2018) — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Oct 28, 2021
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 BMW K 1600 GTL Motorcycle. The contact stated fuel was leaking from intake. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. The contact stated the failure was related to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2021
Vehicle experiences periodic loss of "power steering". Very difficult to steer or control. Steering does not re-center making control difficult. Steering is restored after shutting down the car for a few minutes. Dealership cannot find any faults or codes.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
Use car once every couple of weeks. Pressed button to retract glass panoramic roof/black liner and after it was about 2/3 of way back I heard a clicking noise, then ripping noise. Stopped retraction and saw the front of liner askew, left side having retracted more than right. Liner can not be extracted. Not covered by our extended warranty. Aside from the performance failure, this means car inter... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 328D. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where they replaced the fuel pump; however, the fuel pump failed during the test drive. The contact was also informed by the dealer th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2014
Inside headlight wiring insulation became brittle and falls off leading to potential shorts and equipment failure. Additional wiring throughout engine compart shows similar degradation and failure. Split wire housing to protect wires from engine heat also show signs of decay, exposing wires to excess heat and inducing failure of insulation. This is not a turbocharged engine and has lower engi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2014
Inside headlight wiring insulation became brittle and falls off leading to potential shorts and equipment failure. Additional wiring throughout engine compart shows similar degradation and failure. Split wire housing to protect wires from engine heat also show signs of decay, exposing wires to excess heat and inducing failure of insulation. This is not a turbocharged engine and has lower engi... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2021
BMW X5 with Sunroof starts leaking water inside. BMW does not cover and when I called them the response was it is an outside factor that clogs the drainage pipe and it happens on all type of cars, so no action needed. BMW knows about something and they have not taken any action to prevent it, rather the answer is "it happens with all the cars, so it is okay to happen with BMW model too". I feel i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2021
The 4 vanos bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit broke and fell into my oil pan. This has caused oil to leak onto and break the eccentric shaft sensor. This has caused my vehicles engine to loose power. Had this occurred at a faster speed, it could have harmed myself and others on the road. My engines light came on just a few miles before my car... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2021
The 4 vanos bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit broke and fell into my oil pan. This has caused oil to leak onto and break the eccentric shaft sensor. This has caused my vehicles engine to loose power. Had this occurred at a faster speed, it could have harmed myself and others on the road. My engines light came on just a few miles before my car... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2021
I have been complaining about roughness for quite some time. Especially when are is cold. I have a 2017 X1, less than 40k and the engine mount cracked BMW Service informed me this is an known issue within BMW. Not only x1 but X2 and some X3 models. Also said the others will crack within 10-20K miles I had made the concern known about the car almost or complete stalling out to the dealer... Read more
BMW
R1200 GS
(2017) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
Oct 21, 2021
Incident date: May 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 BMW R1200 GS. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, there was a sudden loss of motive power and the motorcycle was going at a slower speed, After an hour the motorcyclist was informed by another rider that the contact needed to pull over because they noticed smoke coming from motorcycle saddle bag due to the bag being next to the fuel pipe on the motorcycle. When the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 BMW R1200 GS. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, there was a sudden loss of motive power and the motorcycle was going at a slower speed, After an hour the motorcyclist was informed by another rider that the contact needed to pull over because they noticed smoke coming from motorcycle saddle bag due to the bag being next to the fuel pipe on the motorcycle. When the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 19, 2021
Vehicle suffers from engine 'miss' at cold start / idle, surges / lunges with minor throttle input after driving at lower speeds and accelerating. Has been into dealer for diagnostic and is under 'Extended Warranty' on Diesel High Pressure Fuel Pump. Have had two injectors fail and replaced, boost sensor and pipe, EGR Cooler and intake manifold replaced. NHTSA posted a voluntary recall by BMW on t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2021
Vehicle suffers from engine 'miss' at cold start / idle, surges / lunges with minor throttle input after driving at lower speeds and accelerating. Has been into dealer for diagnostic and is under 'Extended Warranty' on Diesel High Pressure Fuel Pump. Have had two injectors fail and replaced, boost sensor and pipe, EGR Cooler and intake manifold replaced. NHTSA posted a voluntary recall by BMW on t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2020
Hill Start Control malfunction this feature Hold the bike when it comes to a stop uphill or downhill of 5' degree gradient or more for max 2.5 minute, when auto mode on the brake will automatically hold the bike when it comes to a stop on a gradient and release when cultch lever release bike take off, when hill hold suddenly release without warning the bike roll backward or forward depending on th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2021
Driving on the highway, low oil pressure light came on, indicating to slow down. Pulled over to shoulder and as I try to move again, Drivetrain malfunction sign came on. Car engine stalled. Would not restart. Was told by mechanic that catatrophic engine failrue occured and needed to replace engine entirely.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2021
i was told by couple shops the my timing chain as a problem. Car will not start.....stalled out on a major intersection while my son was driving.... the car just stop working had to get it towed back to the house another expense...the car has been parked for four months and still paying the car note ..I see a drivetrains malfunction on the display... Please help me and keep my son safe.. BMW the u... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2021
i was told by couple shops the my timing chain as a problem. Car will not start.....stalled out on a major intersection while my son was driving.... the car just stop working had to get it towed back to the house another expense...the car has been parked for four months and still paying the car note ..I see a drivetrains malfunction on the display... Please help me and keep my son safe.. BMW the u... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2021
i was told by couple shops the my timing chain as a problem. Car will not start.....stalled out on a major intersection while my son was driving.... the car just stop working had to get it towed back to the house another expense...the car has been parked for four months and still paying the car note ..I see a drivetrains malfunction on the display... Please help me and keep my son safe.. BMW the u... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2021
Multiple misfiring due to faulty injectors. Bmw has revised the part 12 times. This is a very common and known problem in the EU where a recall was issued.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 750I. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic, a wildfire began to approach his vehicle. The contact then stated that white smoke obstructed his vision on the highway. As the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled with the transmission disengaged message on the instrument panel. The contact restarted the vehicle three times before the tran... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323I. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V401000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for 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 not notified of the issue. The contact had not ex... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2021
While on a red light we were at a dead stop. As the light turned green to turn right I accelerated the gas pedal and the car stalled out in the middle of the road while traffic was flowing. Had to push the car out of the road and had to get the car towed home. Now the car doesn’t turn on it just cranks over.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2021
I was driving in the number 1 lane (leftmost lane) when the dashboard display indicated there was a transmission fault and warned that I should pull over to a safe spot immediately. With the vehicle rapidly slowing, I had to maneuver through traffic to the right side of the road with great difficulty. It was very dangerous to make that maneuver with freeway traffic traveling at approximately 65 ... Read more