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: Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 BMW X1. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear liftgate door would erroneously open. During the failure, the lift gate door would open approximately halfway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the key fob needed to be reprogrammed to press twice to open the liftgate. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The V... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Footwell module. Computer system that controls turn signals, headlights, highbeams, windows, door locks etc. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I can't use my turn signals, highbeams, headlights, Windows. I can't signal my cars lane change... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Footwell module. Computer system that controls turn signals, headlights, highbeams, windows, door locks etc. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I can't use my turn signals, highbeams, headlights, Windows. I can't signal my cars lane change... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Footwell module. Computer system that controls turn signals, headlights, highbeams, windows, door locks etc. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I can't use my turn signals, highbeams, headlights, Windows. I can't signal my cars lane change... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323i. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag deployed but did not inflate. There was no crash to cause the air bag to deploy. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of several recalls regarding the driver’s side air... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328D. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reaso... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 BMW 530i. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the sunroof exploded and glass entered into the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the weather. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
Passenger side safety restraint malfunction. Passenger airbag no longer enabled because seat occupancy sensor is faulty. Passenger is at risk as airbag no longer working. This problem was confirmed and diagnosed by an independent auto technician. BMW fault code 93c3 The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer as BMW wants $2,500 to make the repair. Warning lights on dash say Passenger... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
Passenger side safety restraint malfunction. Passenger airbag no longer enabled because seat occupancy sensor is faulty. Passenger is at risk as airbag no longer working. This problem was confirmed and diagnosed by an independent auto technician. BMW fault code 93c3 The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer as BMW wants $2,500 to make the repair. Warning lights on dash say Passenger... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2022
The problem has been reproduced and the car went back to dealership with the same problem for the 3rd time.
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Sunroof on 2018 BMW M550i "exploded" while driving home from work. Weather was cloudy, light rain in the 50's, late March in northern California, USA. Sunroof was in closed position and cars HVAC was not being used to create temperature or pressure difference. Heated seat was being used. Had been parked outdoors under an awning during the day and had been on the road for less than 15 minutes. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2020
The contact owned a 2019 BMW X7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The dealer was made aware of the failure and the vehicle was traded in for another vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2022
I have a 2011 BMW 328i Sedan, the car has only 50,000 miles on it. No accidents. The VIN number is [XXX] I've been hearing the increased engine noise on my vehicle, then the car engine has stalled while it's stopping in the intersection a couple of days ago. The engine has failed to start after that. I've called my mechanic he removed the engine's valve cover, he found 4 bolts attached to the VA... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2022
I filled tank up with gas and developed a gas leak with strong gas odor and gas dripping onto the roadway. My safety was put at risk because gasoline was dripping past my hot exhaust piping which has the potential to catch on fire. My independent service center has confirmed this issue. The manufacturer has denied that their is a systemic failure that could result in a gasoline fire. There ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I had no mechanical issues with the motorcycle upon purchase and took it in to the dealership for the 600 mile service. I rode the motorcycle a few times and had no mechanical issues. On 3/13/22 I was in 3rd gear decelerating to stop at a stop sign and the motorcycle quit running. The engine abruptly shutoff and a message appeared on the TFT which read “Fault in the engine control. Onboard ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I had no mechanical issues with the motorcycle upon purchase and took it in to the dealership for the 600 mile service. I rode the motorcycle a few times and had no mechanical issues. On 3/13/22 I was in 3rd gear decelerating to stop at a stop sign and the motorcycle quit running. The engine abruptly shutoff and a message appeared on the TFT which read “Fault in the engine control. Onboard ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I had no mechanical issues with the motorcycle upon purchase and took it in to the dealership for the 600 mile service. I rode the motorcycle a few times and had no mechanical issues. On 3/13/22 I was in 3rd gear decelerating to stop at a stop sign and the motorcycle quit running. The engine abruptly shutoff and a message appeared on the TFT which read “Fault in the engine control. Onboard ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
OC3 mat in passenger seat malfunctions and disables passenger-side airbag. BMW is aware of this problem with OC3 sensors affecting different models. See, e.g., https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCRIT-17V428-3205.pdf pertaining to various E Series vehicles that have the same part. BMWNA claims the recall and extended warranties that covered the OC3 part in these other vehicles has not been... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
OC3 mat in passenger seat malfunctions and disables passenger-side airbag. BMW is aware of this problem with OC3 sensors affecting different models. See, e.g., https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCRIT-17V428-3205.pdf pertaining to various E Series vehicles that have the same part. BMWNA claims the recall and extended warranties that covered the OC3 part in these other vehicles has not been... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the check engine warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the #3 fuel injector was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but approximately 3 weeks later the failure reoccurred and the vehicle was returned to the dealer who diagnosed th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the check engine warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the #3 fuel injector was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but approximately 3 weeks later the failure reoccurred and the vehicle was returned to the dealer who diagnosed th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
2014 BMW 328i Xdrive, 62K miles. Routine oil change and filter change serviced at BMW dealership Feb 2022. March 2022 (<30 days later), suffered catastrophic engine failure related to camshaft oil starvation and sudden loss of power while driving on highway at 60 mph. Dealership investigation unable to determine the cause, ruled out N20 timing chain and oil pump chain issues. Neither BMW NA nor de... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2022
2014 BMW 328i Xdrive, 62K miles. Routine oil change and filter change serviced at BMW dealership Feb 2022. March 2022 (<30 days later), suffered catastrophic engine failure related to camshaft oil starvation and sudden loss of power while driving on highway at 60 mph. Dealership investigation unable to determine the cause, ruled out N20 timing chain and oil pump chain issues. Neither BMW NA nor de... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i convertible on March 10th 2022. On March 18th I left my house and as I was pulling out of my neighborhood the vehicle cut off at about 25 miles an hour and as I pulled over I noticed black smoke coming out from under the hood. There were no warning lights on with the exception of a random airbag light that came on the day after I bought the car and a tire pressure monitor ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i convertible on March 10th 2022. On March 18th I left my house and as I was pulling out of my neighborhood the vehicle cut off at about 25 miles an hour and as I pulled over I noticed black smoke coming out from under the hood. There were no warning lights on with the exception of a random airbag light that came on the day after I bought the car and a tire pressure monitor ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i convertible on March 10th 2022. On March 18th I left my house and as I was pulling out of my neighborhood the vehicle cut off at about 25 miles an hour and as I pulled over I noticed black smoke coming out from under the hood. There were no warning lights on with the exception of a random airbag light that came on the day after I bought the car and a tire pressure monitor ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 328XI. 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 and BMW of Springfield Parts & Accessories (391 US-22, Springfield, NJ 07081: (908) 232-1466) were contacted and made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had ex... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2022
Passenger side rear sub-frame crack observed . Vehicle has never been in any accident or collision. It's a commonly know problem about BMW 3 series made between 1999 to 2006 that happens naturally without cause due to manufacture issue, so I decided to look under my car to look for any cracks as described. I identified at least one crack. After calling BMW USA for assitance, I was instructed to br... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 128I. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local BMW dealer. The dealer diagnosed the root cause of the warning light to be a failure of the passenger seat occupancy detection mat. When this part fails the passenger side air bags will be permanently deactivated. This... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V755000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The EGR cooling message was displayed in the information center. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where she... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V755000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The EGR cooling message was displayed in the information center. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where she... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the drivetrain malfunction warning light was illuminated and the speed began to decelerate. The contact was able to drive to his residence approximately at 25 mph. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and the engine intake manifold to be repl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred 6 months later. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the drivetrain malfunction warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact placed the vehicle into park(P) but could not restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. Additionally, the contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2019
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328i. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) however, upon picking up the vehicle and driving 25 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated and the vehicle started making abnormal beeping sounds. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed the contact that he needed ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2022
Passenger door lock failed and does not allow the door to be opened in an emergency. The door is designed to be unlocked by the first pull of the door handle then unlatched with the second pull of the handle, however after the first handle pull the lock immediately locks again preventing the second pull from unlatching the door. The system would be available for inspection. This problem has been... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2022
There's not a current solution available for the car from the dealer or anyone please advise on what needs to be done?
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
Fuel level sensor failure. Fuel gauge showed half a tank full, but it was actually empty. The engine stalled. Brakes do not work with engine stalled. The BMW dealer confirmed the malfunction and said it was a common failure. There were not previous instances of this same problem with my motorcycle. No warnings of any kind.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2022
Received the vehicle less than a week ago, rear right damper/shocks need replacement.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
I am getting a this message “passenger restraint system malfunction. a lot of people are getting the same message. I find out the reason for that is Water is getting inside the car every time is raining from the passenger side and moisture buildup causing that. Every time I have to use a space heater to dry the car and is cleared it. But I am afraid the airbag not work properly if this keep hap... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2022
I am getting a this message “passenger restraint system malfunction. a lot of people are getting the same message. I find out the reason for that is Water is getting inside the car every time is raining from the passenger side and moisture buildup causing that. Every time I have to use a space heater to dry the car and is cleared it. But I am afraid the airbag not work properly if this keep hap... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The Instrument Cluster Display Shakes and goes completely black unable to know haw fast Your driving with all the system down You never know when its going to happen
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
ISSUE: HPFP High Pressure Fuel Pump is failing resulting in an increasing deposit of metallic shavings within the pump housing and a corresponding deviation in the measured fuel rail pressure. SAFETY: The vehicle will code and shut down while you are driving. BMW DEALERSHIP: Replaced items other then the root cause HPFP. A new fuel rail and sensors installed at my expense because of dealership dec... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
The bracket welds on the front of the right side fuel tank support strap pulled out while on the highway, leaving the fuel tank supported by only one strap. The bracket pulled right out of the sheet metal, leaving two holes where it was previously spot welded to. The support strap itself was hanging off its rear mount, dragging behind the car and potentially sparking. This was extremely dangero... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
My BWW X5 hybrid give me a sudden error in the middle of the road. The error was Drive train malfunction and suddenly it stopped couple of seconds after the warning. Leaving me in the middle of the road. Thankfully I was on a low traffic road, so there was no accident. It was a scary situation to be at. After that, I managed to start the car after couple of tries and pull it over to a safer pla... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
My BWW X5 hybrid give me a sudden error in the middle of the road. The error was Drive train malfunction and suddenly it stopped couple of seconds after the warning. Leaving me in the middle of the road. Thankfully I was on a low traffic road, so there was no accident. It was a scary situation to be at. After that, I managed to start the car after couple of tries and pull it over to a safer pla... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
My BWW X5 hybrid give me a sudden error in the middle of the road. The error was Drive train malfunction and suddenly it stopped couple of seconds after the warning. Leaving me in the middle of the road. Thankfully I was on a low traffic road, so there was no accident. It was a scary situation to be at. After that, I managed to start the car after couple of tries and pull it over to a safer pla... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The FRM module has failed for a 3rd time in my 328xi. This module distributes power to many components and since it has failed I have no headlights, no turn signals, no interior lights, no dashboard lights, and cannot roll my windows up or down. This is a known flaw with these cars and if you look on eBay there are bootleg repair services than can temporarily reset it however they often fail again... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The FRM module has failed for a 3rd time in my 328xi. This module distributes power to many components and since it has failed I have no headlights, no turn signals, no interior lights, no dashboard lights, and cannot roll my windows up or down. This is a known flaw with these cars and if you look on eBay there are bootleg repair services than can temporarily reset it however they often fail again... Read more