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: Sep 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 35–40 MPH, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times, including three times while driving to the dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V438000 (Electrical System) which w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
- Kept regular 5K-6K oil changes since 2022 when I purchased the vehicle -Took the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership, multiple times, to ask about the engine stalling at a stop or slow turn, and/or jerking. -July '25 new oil change and flushed engine -October'25- no engine or oil lights. Engine seized and needs to be replaced. - VIN didn't populate recall but the symptoms are the same
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
- Kept regular 5K-6K oil changes since 2022 when I purchased the vehicle -Took the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership, multiple times, to ask about the engine stalling at a stop or slow turn, and/or jerking. -July '25 new oil change and flushed engine -October'25- no engine or oil lights. Engine seized and needs to be replaced. - VIN didn't populate recall but the symptoms are the same
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
- Kept regular 5K-6K oil changes since 2022 when I purchased the vehicle -Took the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership, multiple times, to ask about the engine stalling at a stop or slow turn, and/or jerking. -July '25 new oil change and flushed engine -October'25- no engine or oil lights. Engine seized and needs to be replaced. - VIN didn't populate recall but the symptoms are the same
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
Noticed there’s a crack on the passenger side dashboard of the car that’s about 12 inches long. From what I read this could cause issues with any possible airbag deployment.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
There are 3 recalls on my engine type but kia dealership says no recalls,#21V6220000,#22V031000,#21V260000. ENGINE TYOE 2.0L NU MPI ENGINE(SC210),MY ph#XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
There are 3 recalls on my engine type but kia dealership says no recalls,#21V6220000,#22V031000,#21V260000. ENGINE TYOE 2.0L NU MPI ENGINE(SC210),MY ph#XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
I am Having direct issues with the engine when the vehicle is started and continues while idling or driving at any rate of speed.There's a continuous "Knocking" noise that has concerned me for a while now. My vehicle (2020 GMC Sierra 6.2 liter gas engine) with almost 100,000 miles has been doing this for a while now (at approximately 50,000 miles) and (was documented at the dealership when I made ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
My brakes stopped working randomly. Alarms started going off in the car. Thankfully I was able to quickly turn right instead of rolling into traffic. This was terrifying and could have caused a very serious wreck.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
We went to a dealership to get it inspected due to a knocking noise in the engine. They used a tool and said it was most likely cylinder 3 piston slap. There was an issue with this according to Hyundai in the past. This puts my wife at risk because if it ends up blowing up, it could send shrapnel through the motor or cause her to wreck her vehicle if it happens while driving. This was diagnosed by... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
3 out of 4 of my doors have to be locked and unlocked by hand instead of using my Nissan key button to unlock my car. 3 of the motors are bad or it's some kind of electrical issue that goggle says is common in 2019 to 2020 Nissan Altimas. I feel like I shouldn't have to pay out of pocket myself to get this fixed if it's a noted common issue on goggle.
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
3 out of 4 of my doors have to be locked and unlocked by hand instead of using my Nissan key button to unlock my car. 3 of the motors are bad or it's some kind of electrical issue that goggle says is common in 2019 to 2020 Nissan Altimas. I feel like I shouldn't have to pay out of pocket myself to get this fixed if it's a noted common issue on goggle.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
After hearing a grinding noise coming from the engine, I took the vehicle (2020 RAM 1500 w/5.7L eTorque) to the dealer. It's been waiting for a replacement MGU (Motor Generator Unit) for over 3 weeks but I'm told it might take months to get a replacement part. Fortunately, I discovered this before having a breakdown on a busy highway or up in the mountains. Had that occured, I most certainly wou... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
My 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum VIN [XXX] miles suddenly began harsh shifting violent kicking/jerking and lunging between gears while driving at highway speeds 65-80mph. The vehicle slams into gear unexpectedly and has nearly caused loss of control on multiple occasions. Dealership diagnosed CDF drum failure in the 10R80 automatic transmission requiring full transmission replacement at a cost of... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
My CT6 had a default engine light on,.Dealer reports broken EVAP line.Car has never been in an accident or damaged.Upon inquiry dealer reports no issues known to them with this problem.However ,this same vehicle had transmission issue when purchased new and the dealer stated same findings.Then recall was issued and transmission was repaired for a known problem and repaired under a recall notice.My... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2025
MY DRIVERSIDE FRONT DOOR WON'T OPEN, WHEN DOOR IS UNLOCKED, BOTH OUTSIDE AND INSIDE HANDLE WONT'T OPEN THE DOOR. YOU HAVE TO CLICK ON THE UNLOCK/LOCK BUTTON 15-20 TIMES TO GET THE DOOR OPEN. ALL THE OTHER 3 DOORS WORKS FINE.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2025
I was driving home, about a 30 min drive, in heavy rain. Once I got home, I left my car running to run inside. When I came back out the car was shaking and idling funny. A "low steering power" diagnostic came up and then also a parking malfunction. I turned the car off. It would barely turn over and still multiple diagnostic lights on. I pulled in into the garage and after sitting off for about 1... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2025
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection? The ADAS system (IPMA front camera module, BLIS, Cross-Traffic, Park Aid, and alert-history logging) continues to malfunction even after Ford installed a new IPMA/IPA module on Nov 14. Vehicle is at the dealership and available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Safety... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Sporadically, when shifting from first to second gear, the engine/transmission will stall, causing a loss of power for several seconds. This is generally when pulling away from a stop sign/light into traffic. I picked a single date below, but this continually happens from time to time.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, a 2012 Mazda CX-7, allegedly going at 70 MPH traveled through an intersection and crashed into her vehicle. The Mazda later crashed into another unknown vehicle. All the air bags deployed; however, the driver's side air bag exploded in her face. The air bag dust was in the vehicle. The contact was rendered... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V512000 (POWER TRAIN). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that a fluid spill was found on the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the hub bolt had sheared off and damaged an unknown oil component loca... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2025
The brakes are grinding, pads were checked at local shop and were noted to be 11mm and should not be grinding
Incident date: Nov 9, 2025
The brakes are grinding, pads were checked at local shop and were noted to be 11mm and should not be grinding
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
"STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED" This message appears on the instrument panel once in a while, and I have to get a mechanic to reset it. Many other people who drive the 2018 GMC Acadia, are reporting the same problem. This occurs so frequently on this model, that it obviously was a manufacturing design flaw.
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
Brake booster has gone out at 100,000 miles. Brakes do not work when vehicle is first started. Problem was diagnosed by an independent mechanics shop. There was no warning light until after the first incident.
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The front suspension on my 2021 Tesla Model Y developed progressive creaking and groaning noises during low-speed turning, especially in parking lots or when maneuvering. The noise began intermittently around 45,000 miles and became much louder by around 86,000 miles, which made me concerned about a potential safety issue before a long family trip. The sound comes from the front lower suspension ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
Hazard (fishtailing risk): In rain with LTA ON, small but critical driver steering corrections near center are overridden by EPS/LTA, which apply centering torque into steering dual compliance creating a real steering wheel deadband canceling the driver’s turning of the wheel across the deadband; then the steered wheels snap abruptly to the steering wheel position. The significantly delayed resp... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
Check engine light comes on and dash says reduced engine power
Incident date: Oct 22, 2025
We were driving on the highway with no other cars around when the sunroof exploded. My wife was driving and she panicked, slowing down on the highway trying to get off the road. The shade was closed, but if it wasn’t the glass would have fallen on my 1 year old baby who was in a rear center car seat. There was no indication that something hit the sunroof. Ford refused to acknowledge that it coul... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
At approximately 7:00 p.m., it was already dark, and I relied on my vehicle’s rear parking-aid sensor to assist me while backing out of my driveway. However, the rear collision/parking-aid sensor did not activate and provided no audible or visual warnings. Because the sensor failed to operate, I continued reversing and unintentionally collided with a vehicle parked across the street. The malfunc... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Grand Design Solitude RV. The contact stated that while hauling the RV and depressing the brake pedal to stop, the RV pushed up against the rear of the pickup truck. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who discovered that the RV brake shoes had crumbled and failed. The contact was advised that the brake shoes and braking system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Grand Design Solitude RV. The contact stated that while hauling the RV and depressing the brake pedal to stop, the RV pushed up against the rear of the pickup truck. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who discovered that the RV brake shoes had crumbled and failed. The contact was advised that the brake shoes and braking system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
Routine oil change by professional local mechanic. Upon completion we were told that the vehicle would not turnover. The mechanic diagnosed and found that were 2 recalls for our vehicle - one for the fuel pump module and one for the engine. We had our vehicle towed to the local GM dealership. They then replaced the fuel control module. GM tried to manually crank over but engine seized once again.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2025
we own a Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 model 2021. Our vehicles engine has stopped running on two different occasions, resulting in a very scary near miss accident situation. The first time this happened was it 22,000 miles, the engine shut off as a result of a failure in the engine cylinder head valve that burned up, causing the car to shut off in the middle of an intersection. The second incident hap... Read more
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
Refusing to replace bad suspension components under warranty due to Toyota being above the law and more concerned about profits than safety on the road ways.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
Currently on the newest Tesla Full Self Driving software v14.1.4, it is phantom breaking as well as phantom swearing out of nowhere. It is swerving and using the breaks so hard it actually affects the steering wheel and self disengages it's self (without the big-loud safety alert to immediately take over control), it just does the soft disengage audio notification, like if you wanted to cancel FSD... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
The engine seized back in August 2025. The engine stopped working while I was driving on a Main Street and almost caused an accident. Unfortunately I put other drivers at risk when this happened. The engine issue was confirmed and inspected by the victorville Hyundai dealership in California. There was not any warning lamps prior to this.
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
Initially in May 25, my Sportage started accelerating on its own, unprompted, up to 4500 RPMs many times and also hesitated. In 6/25 the info screen, (whole dash) went black 4-5 x’s for about 3minutes while driving 60 mph on bypass. Beginning of July, Siri didn’t work and said it was inaccessible, and also the navigation said it was not updated however, when I pulled into the dealer, all of a ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
Initially in May 25, my Sportage started accelerating on its own, unprompted, up to 4500 RPMs many times and also hesitated. In 6/25 the info screen, (whole dash) went black 4-5 x’s for about 3minutes while driving 60 mph on bypass. Beginning of July, Siri didn’t work and said it was inaccessible, and also the navigation said it was not updated however, when I pulled into the dealer, all of a ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V611000 (STRUCTURE) and 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while washing the vehicle, the silver paint on the driver side was peeling. The paint near the driver’s side mirror was peeling. Upon further inves... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the second-row passenger’s side seat belt inadvertently unlatched while the contact’s daughter was in the seat. No warning light was illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V607000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure became more frequent after the initial failure. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the transmi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility which prevented the driv... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
the CMBS activated when driving when no other vehicle was in front of my vehicle. the car came to a stop.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that the front brakes were making an abnormally loud squealing sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2025
My Nissan Kicks SV was sitting in my carport, with no temperature extremes and no weather when the back windshield exploded. I called the College Station Texas Nissan dealership and they said that my warranty did not cover the exploded windshield. My car is less than 2 years old and only has 13, 015 miles on it. The dealership told me it would cost me over 400.00 dollars to have the windshield rep... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
2024 nissan rogue sv Engine light illuminated & the car engine cut off on the road. When the engine locked up almost us causing a serious car accident. While driving the 2024 nissan rogue sv. The vc turbo engine completely failed. After 1 year. The vehicle due to manufacturing defect from nissan the engine needs a full vc turbo engine replacement. Nissan Consumer Affairs & Antwerpen Nissan Cla... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
2024 nissan rogue sv Engine light illuminated & the car engine cut off on the road. When the engine locked up almost us causing a serious car accident. While driving the 2024 nissan rogue sv. The vc turbo engine completely failed. After 1 year. The vehicle due to manufacturing defect from nissan the engine needs a full vc turbo engine replacement. Nissan Consumer Affairs & Antwerpen Nissan Cla... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
IN NOVEMBER AROUND THE 20TH -BATTERY WENT DEAD-CHARGED BATTERY AND TOOK VEHICLE TO BROTHERS AND STARTED TO SHIFT FUNNY-BATTERY WENT DEAD AGAIN-CHARGED AND DROVE HOME -THEN WENT GOT NEW BATTERY -PUT IN AND IT WOULD NOT SHIFT RIGHT SO DROVE IT A LITTLE WHILE TO SEE IF IT WOULD STOP MADE NOISE AND TAKEN TO GARAGE IN SOUTH WAYNE-TOLD US SAID THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT-HE HAULED IT TO DUBUQUE IOWA TRANS... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2025
I own a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 with the 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder M270 engine. The check-engine light came on and an OBD-II scan showed fault code P052E / P052E71, which indicates that the valve for crankcase ventilation (PCV / crankcase ventilation valve integrated into the valve cover) has a malfunction and the actuator is blocked. The vehicle is available for inspection and, if the repai... Read more