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: Dec 13, 2021
2011 BMW x6m 115k miles the car system was burning smell coming. Smell like electrical problem the system of the car shuts down no power just enough power to pull over off the road. Turned it off and back on it went away. Check engine light and reduced of power keeps coming on. We look into the truck water is leaking into the electrical. Trunk electrical broken. Comfort access not working. This ca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 BMW 750LI. The contact stated that upon refueling the vehicle, he smelled a strong gas odor. The contact recalled that the same issue had occurred with a BMW vehicle that he previously owned, so he drove the vehicle to his residence and restarted it. The contact exited the vehicle and as he was looking around, he noticed fuel leaking onto the rear driver’s side wheel and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the contact rear-ended another vehicle. All the air bags except for the passenger’s side air bag deployed upon impact. The contact suffered a migraine from the collision but did not receive medical attention but planned to go to urgent care afterward. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
New vehicle purchased this past Saturday. Found out that BMW no longer ships the lug adapter in the vehicle. Sales person and BMW telephone call center rep. confirmed this. They said to order one thru the parts department at the dealer. Parts department said it might take a month and a half to get... What do I do in the meantime if the tire needs to be changed due to damage. My wife and I were goi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
BMW has recalled the HPFP and EGR Cooler but not the EGR valve, which also fails and causes power loss, due to the same issues noted in the other recalls. The EGR valve should be added to the EGR cooler recall. The dealers are hiding behind ambiguity on this point to charge consumers for a common failure that should be covered, for the same reasons the EGR cooler has been recalled.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
BMW has recalled the HPFP and EGR Cooler but not the EGR valve, which also fails and causes power loss, due to the same issues noted in the other recalls. The EGR valve should be added to the EGR cooler recall. The dealers are hiding behind ambiguity on this point to charge consumers for a common failure that should be covered, for the same reasons the EGR cooler has been recalled.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
BMW has recalled the HPFP and EGR Cooler but not the EGR valve, which also fails and causes power loss, due to the same issues noted in the other recalls. The EGR valve should be added to the EGR cooler recall. The dealers are hiding behind ambiguity on this point to charge consumers for a common failure that should be covered, for the same reasons the EGR cooler has been recalled.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2021
Leak from fuel pump located under passenger rear side (right rear). Gasoline pooling next to electrical connection and excess gasoline dripping into interior and exterior. Explosion risk. Gasoline fumes.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
- Automatic transmission gearshifter, torsion spring. - The vehicle could roll when it is parked without engaging engine break and hit other vehicles and pedestrian. - Not confirmed by the dealer yet. The service visit is scheduled. However, on the Internet, many people complaining for $2,000-$3,000 repair estimates for $10 or less torsion spring breakage. - The problem started December 5, 2021.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
I turned on my heated seat and within about a minute and a half I smelled a burning smell. Pulled over as I started to feel a burn on my leg because the seat heater has burnt through the leather in my car. This is a known problem at BMW and they have not issued a recall for this.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
I turned on my heated seat and within about a minute and a half I smelled a burning smell. Pulled over as I started to feel a burn on my leg because the seat heater has burnt through the leather in my car. This is a known problem at BMW and they have not issued a recall for this.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2021
I have owned my 2020 BMW m340iX for 2 years. During that time I have had 5 tires blow out, including 3 in the past 3 months alone. The tires are "run flat" and need to be completely replaced if they develop any issues. The dealer I use for service, who is owned by the manufacturer, says it is simply wear and tear - but this pattern is concerning and a potential safety issue for the car and tires.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
UNKNOWN- NOT SAFETY RELATED ISSUE: VEHICLE CAN NO LONGER PROVIDE NAVIGATION RELATED FEATURES REASON: BMW NORTH AMERICA DECLINED TO UPGARE CELLULAR 3G COMMUNICATION CAPABILITY TO 4G (SIM CARD INTERFACE) REASON: NORTH AMERICAN CELLULAR NETWORKS ARE DISCONTINUING THEIR 3G NETWORKS AND AND ARE UPGRADING TO 4G NETWORKS. MANY CANY MANUFACTURERS PROVIDE VEHICLE RELATED FEATURES THAT REQUIRE THE VEHICL... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
Occasionally it is impossible to unlock the door from the inside with the manual door unlock. The door operates in a two-step manner - pull the door latch once to unlock the door, and then pull again to open the door. However, sometimes the first pull fails to unlock the door and the only way to unlock the vehicle is with the electric door unlock. When this occurs, there is notable tension in t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 328d. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V586000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V586000 (Fuel System, Diesel) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and attempti... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2021
Purchased the car Feb 2020. Over 6 months ago, back seat belts (middle and left side) stopped working. Seat belt will not click. Brand new car with nonfunctioning seat belts. Been trying to get hold of the dealer to fix and did not get anywhere. After months of hassle, they ordered the seat belts to be replaced. After dropping off the car, I get an email asking me to approve the fix for a co... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
Timing Chain Guide failure after 75k miles resulting in catastrophic engine damage. I was in heavy traffic at 60 mph when the engine began to knock loudly, just as quick the drivetrain malfunction warning came on along with the oil pressure warning light. Immediately lost power & the vehicle went into “Limp Mode” and within a 3 seconds it completely shut down causing a plethora of problems tha... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2021
My car is leaking oil from one of the rings in the engine and it’s leaking on the manifold
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
The contact's daughter owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the engine malfunction warning message appeared on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact's daughter had the vehicle towed to the dealer where they performed a diagnostic test and diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The contact's daughter then had t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2021
Engine Compartment Suddenly Caught Fire and Came into the Vehicle Cabin of my 2011 328i E90 BMW on 12/04/2021 at 10:04 AM PST in the city of Garden Grove, CA. Emergency first responder Captian Rick King of the Garden Grove Fire Department conducted an initial investigation of the cause of the fire due to a defective fuel pump. BMW North America LLC should be held accountable for this accident as i... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag sensor warning light illuminated, whether a passenger was seated in the seat or not. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated even without a passenger seated in the seat. The contact was unable to reach the local dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V56... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag sensor warning light illuminated, whether a passenger was seated in the seat or not. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated even without a passenger seated in the seat. The contact was unable to reach the local dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V56... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2020
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat mat sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2020
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat mat sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 535I. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the drivetrain malfunction warning message flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. The contact had a friend replace the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact then had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 535I. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the drivetrain malfunction warning message flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. The contact had a friend replace the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact then had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2021
2017 BMW 340I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO MILEAGE DISCREPANCY. THE CONSUMER STATED THE COMPANY OFFLEASEONLY WAS RUNNING A SCAM, WHERE THEY ADVERTISE LOW MILEAGE CARS WHEN IN ACTUALLY THE MILEAGE IS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
Loss of power failure, it lights up several times when turning corners and then accelerating.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
Loss of power failure, it lights up several times when turning corners and then accelerating.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
Loss of power failure, it lights up several times when turning corners and then accelerating.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2021
Malfunction of the passenger restraint system. Warning indicator states system is not working properly.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2021
Malfunction of the passenger restraint system. Warning indicator states system is not working properly.
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
Driving on highway got Low Oil Pressure light followed by Drivetrain Malfunction. Engine failed, managed to pull over on shoulder because road was deserted. Could have been rear ended or crashed into another vehicle if any cars were on road. Also dangerous to be stranded on the shoulder of a deserted dark highway at night. Towed to BMW Dealer and they diagnosed premature Oil Pump failure causing ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Warning light appears: Secure Vehicle Against Rolling Error. I went online to see what the issue was and found that there were numerous complaints by BMW X1 owners who discovered that it was a $10 spring in the shifter that dealers were charging between $2,000 and $3,000 to repair. Many opted not to do the repair due to the excessive cost, a decision that could prove catastrophic for some. In the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Warning light appears: Secure Vehicle Against Rolling Error. I went online to see what the issue was and found that there were numerous complaints by BMW X1 owners who discovered that it was a $10 spring in the shifter that dealers were charging between $2,000 and $3,000 to repair. Many opted not to do the repair due to the excessive cost, a decision that could prove catastrophic for some. In the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2019
low oil pressure light then Drivetrain malfunction light came on car completely shut off, no steering, no control very hard to get it to the side of the road. Would not go into neutral for tow, had to be dragged onto a tow truck bed. BMW knows of this problem with the PLASTIC drivetrain, BMW still refusing to recall this car, or engine. MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE!!! CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT APPARENTLY I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
EGR Cooler leaking soot/exhaust into engine compartment.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2021
Experienced a catastrophic failure of the throttle body cable cam mechanism on the throttle body of the motorcycle. In fact, both cams (2-cylinder motorcycle) are made of plastic, which degrades over time, and failed simultaneously, leaving me without the use of the throttle. This can be a catastrophic failure if happens at highway speeds or heavy traffic. Luckily for me, it happened close to h... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2021
component: headlight covers, fogged risk: significantly reduced headlight illumination confirmed: Fields BMW service Winter Park Florida inspected by Fields BMW service Winter Park Florida No warning lamps/messages/other symptoms Message sent to email: [email protected] -- "2014 BMV X1 headlight covers are fogged. "This safety concern has no solution besides buying $2,000 new headlight covers.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
Our BMW X1 needs a new front differential. It has 88,500 miles. Dealer explained that this could cause the vehicle to stall in an unsafe way. BMW has developed a repair kit for this fix and we have found many complaints from owners online saying they've had the same problem atttributed to a flawed bearing design. A repair on this vehicle is $4,157 for a new BMW unit or $2800 for a used unit. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2021
On November 21, 2021 Will I was in church my vehicle caught on fire while it was park and not running. Before I went into church I was waiting for my friend and his wife in the parking lot for about 20mins, just sitting there without the car running. I did not see any fire/smoke or even smell any smoke when I got out of the car. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Nov 23, 2021
Vehicle stalled with no power while driving highway speed. Engine is locked up and needs to be replaced
Incident date: Dec 2, 2021
The contact leased a 2021 BMW X3. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V601000 (Electrical System) 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 notified of the issue and confirmed that... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
While driving the vehicle will loose all power steering, and becomes very difficult to steer, warning lamp comes on with a steering wheel and a exclamation point. Has been diagnosed as needing a steering wheel column assembly.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
headlights faulty module no longer sealed and taking water water making all components in the headlights malfunction to repair this issue costing me 2,800.00 for ONE HEADLIGHT
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
The timing belt broke with no warning and destroyed the engine.
Incident date: Nov 23, 2021
On 23 Nov at approx 8:30 pm I was on I35N heading home in my 2012 BMW 328i. Out of nowhere I get a low oil pressure light, followed immediately by the Drivetrain malfunction light. I pulled over to the side of the road immediately for safety. I stopped the engine and sat for a couple of minutes to see if the error may have cleared, which it did not. I attempted to restart the engine and it would... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 525I. The contact stated that there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer where it was both diagnosed that the vehicle was leaking fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 188,318.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
The wiring inside of the headlights has dried up and fallen off, leaving bare electrical wire. The resulting was both of the headlights became non operational at night. To replace the headlights in the car with all the factory features is about 3200.00 for parts alone. I know of others who have had this happen, and everyone i know who owns one, has the same exact problem. The vehicle in question b... Read more