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: Jul 20, 2026
The contact’s wife who owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound and the vehicle intermittently stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2026
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The suspected failed component is the front differential carrier bearing on my 2021 BMW 750i xDrive. [XXX] BMW of Westmont, Illinois diagnosed carrier bearing damage and oil leaks and recommended replacement of the front differential. The vehicle has approximately 53,791 miles. The failed differen... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 BMW X3. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine hesitated while turning over. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Under FMVSS 101, if a screen experiences a momentary "black screen" or reset cycle while driving, it is considered non-compliant because the driver loses immediate access to the speedometer, safety and ADAS functions of the vehicle. The OEM (BMW North America) does not acknowledge this issue in their vehicles and ignores repairs violating NHTSA standards.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Under FMVSS 101, if a screen experiences a momentary "black screen" or reset cycle while driving, it is considered non-compliant because the driver loses immediate access to the speedometer, safety and ADAS functions of the vehicle. The OEM (BMW North America) does not acknowledge this issue in their vehicles and ignores repairs violating NHTSA standards.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Under FMVSS 101, if a screen experiences a momentary "black screen" or reset cycle while driving, it is considered non-compliant because the driver loses immediate access to the speedometer, safety and ADAS functions of the vehicle. The OEM (BMW North America) does not acknowledge this issue in their vehicles and ignores repairs violating NHTSA standards.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
On August 19, 2026, my 2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i experienced multiple safety\-related warnings at approximately 50,411–50,427 miles\. The vehicle first displayed “Increased steering effort” and instructed me to drive carefully to a service center\. It then displayed a red power\-supply warning stating: “Stop carefully\. Do not continue driving\. Continued driving will lead to malfunction of s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
On August 19, 2026, my 2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i experienced multiple safety\-related warnings at approximately 50,411–50,427 miles\. The vehicle first displayed “Increased steering effort” and instructed me to drive carefully to a service center\. It then displayed a red power\-supply warning stating: “Stop carefully\. Do not continue driving\. Continued driving will lead to malfunction of s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
On August 19, 2026, my 2022 BMW X7 xDrive40i experienced multiple safety\-related warnings at approximately 50,411–50,427 miles\. The vehicle first displayed “Increased steering effort” and instructed me to drive carefully to a service center\. It then displayed a red power\-supply warning stating: “Stop carefully\. Do not continue driving\. Continued driving will lead to malfunction of s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 BMW 528XI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle came to a stop and the Automatic START/STOP feature activated; however, the engine failed to restart. The message "Drive Train Malfunction Error" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the timing chain had fractured, causing unknown parts to enter the engin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2006 BMW M5. The contact stated that while opening the trunk of the vehicle, the positive terminal on the battery was fully melted and was very hot. The contact believed that the issue was a fire hazard and was lucky to have found the issue before any other damage could occur. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V126000 (Electrical System) as a possible cause for the... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2025
On May 28, 2025, my 2023 BMW X7 underwent BMW recall B340224. Repair Order 669956 specifically states: “0077067 REPLACING INTEGRATED BRAKING SYSTEM.” After this recall repair and replacement of the Integrated Braking System, the vehicle began experiencing abnormal and potentially dangerous braking behavior that did not exist before the recall repair. The brake pedal can initially feel unusual... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
-The component that is failing is the Transfer case which is shuddering and jerking. Yes, available for inspection. -UNKNOWN because I take the vehicle to the dealership service immediately when the issue presents due to concern, and to avoid further damage to the vehicle or delay and risk issue to the safety of myself and others -Yes, the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealerships ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
-The component that is failing is the Transfer case which is shuddering and jerking. Yes, available for inspection. -UNKNOWN because I take the vehicle to the dealership service immediately when the issue presents due to concern, and to avoid further damage to the vehicle or delay and risk issue to the safety of myself and others -Yes, the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealerships ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2002 BMW 325CI. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V318000 (Air Bags) and 13V172000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the recall repairs were completed. The vehicle was retrieved from the dealer. The contact stated that upon retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, the contact's husband stated that while starting the vehicle, the i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2002 BMW 325CI. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V318000 (Air Bags) and 13V172000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the recall repairs were completed. The vehicle was retrieved from the dealer. The contact stated that upon retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, the contact's husband stated that while starting the vehicle, the i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact had received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 17V676000 (Electrical System), and 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer in June 2026. The contact later received a phone call on June 23, 2026, and was informed that the vehicle was ready to be retrieved. The contact went t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact had received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), 17V676000 (Electrical System), and 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer in June 2026. The contact later received a phone call on June 23, 2026, and was informed that the vehicle was ready to be retrieved. The contact went t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 BMW 230I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000(ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was m... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I was driving at 70 mph on the highway when the car suddenly and without warning went into neutral, lost all functionality, and displayed the warning "Drivetrain Malfunction--Stop Driving Immediately--Call Roadside Assistance." I had to drift (barely) to side of a busy highway and exit the vehicle to get to safety. The dealer review of fault codes include: High-voltage system: No voltage establis... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I was driving at 70 mph on the highway when the car suddenly and without warning went into neutral, lost all functionality, and displayed the warning "Drivetrain Malfunction--Stop Driving Immediately--Call Roadside Assistance." I had to drift (barely) to side of a busy highway and exit the vehicle to get to safety. The dealer review of fault codes include: High-voltage system: No voltage establis... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2026
I was driving at 70 mph on the highway when the car suddenly and without warning went into neutral, lost all functionality, and displayed the warning "Drivetrain Malfunction--Stop Driving Immediately--Call Roadside Assistance." I had to drift (barely) to side of a busy highway and exit the vehicle to get to safety. The dealer review of fault codes include: High-voltage system: No voltage establis... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 BMW M4. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera became inoperable, preventing the contact from safely reversing the vehicle. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V684000 (Back Over Prevention) as a possible cause for the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 650I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a red light, the vehicle accelerated and then lost motive power. There was no warning prior to the failure; however, the engine light illuminated immediately after the vehicle stalled, and the contact was able to coast to safety. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2026 BMW R 1300 GS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the fuel tank area and above the frame of the motorcycle. The contact became aware that there was oil leaking onto the ground and oil spraying onto the motorcycle. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact's boot was covered in oil. The motorcyc... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2026
2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e. Experiencing intermittent/sudden drivetrain malfunction warnings. Vehicle loses power or enters limp mode while driving. Max eDrive / electric drive becomes disabled even with battery charged. Multiple warning lights appear. Issue appears related to the hybrid system (possible EME, SME, Safety Box, or high-voltage battery faults). This creates a safety risk because power can... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
I believe my car is effected by the active bmw recall NHTSA Campaign 23V-707. I have called bmw and gave them my vin number and was rudely rushed off the phone being told my car has no active recalls. I have done a ton of research and the car sounds just like every other car effected by this recall. The car starts and idles fine initially but as soon as it drops to normal idle rpms it makes a loud... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
Had an oil change through BMW with their pre-packaged oil service. 6 days later my oil pump chain guard broke inside the engine and now they're telling me I need a new engine which cost $33,000. I believe the chain guard was either broken during the time of their possession or they could at least have told me that the chain guard was cracked or broken when they did the oil change by looking down t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
While driving eastbound on [XXX] on XXX between approximately 9:29 and 10:21 AM, the vehicle suddenly displayed a red warning instructing the driver to “Take over braking function immediately.” At that moment, adaptive cruise control braking and automated braking assistance disengaged without warning, requiring the driver to manually brake while in traffic. This created an unexpected safety h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2026
This happened on my vehicle. Oil pump is supposed to last life of the vehicle per BMW. This left me stranded on the side of the road for hours and now is costing $9k to replace oil pump. My car has less than 100k miles. I'm reporting a safety issue with BMW vehicles equipped with the B58TU engine, primarily 2019-2021 models. These vehicles have an oil pump with an internal plastic component that ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2026
There were several radiatior hose leaks that happened in the winter due to the outdated plastic housing and lines that seized and cracked with colder temperatures. It has become extremely common historically and not considered affordable part or labor to replace.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
I put a new battery and I need to unplugged the negative every time I turn it off. If I don’t do this, the next day, the battery would be dead. I checked with the Ancel OBD2 and there’s nothing wrong. It doesn’t detect anything bad.
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
On August 4, 2026, my vehicle was involved in a direct frontal collision with a brick wall. I was driving with two minor passengers, one seated in the front passenger seat and one seated in the rear passenger seat. The collision resulted in significant front-end damage and a total loss determination by USAA. Despite the frontal impact, none of the vehicle's airbags deployed. Prior to the collisi... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
Vehicle History Report 07/07/2026 05:37 PM 2026 BMW X2 M35I (A7) 4DR SUV Repair Order: 755783 Mileage: 2212 Total: $0.00 Open Date: 05/29/2026 Closed Date: 05/30/2026 Service: CSDR Customer states just test drove shop foreman stated steering wheel off centered and recommending alignment again. Complaint: Customer states just test drove with shop foreman and shop foreman stated steering wheel ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
Vehicle History Report 07/07/2026 05:37 PM 2026 BMW X2 M35I (A7) 4DR SUV Repair Order: 755783 Mileage: 2212 Total: $0.00 Open Date: 05/29/2026 Closed Date: 05/30/2026 Service: CSDR Customer states just test drove shop foreman stated steering wheel off centered and recommending alignment again. Complaint: Customer states just test drove with shop foreman and shop foreman stated steering wheel ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2026
I am reporting a premature oil pump failure on my 2020 BMW M340i xDrive with 42 thousand miles. The vehicle has been well maintained and has not experienced any oil pressure warning lights. However, the electronic engine oil level measurement repeatedly fails to complete once the engine is fully warmed up. I have also received stored BMW fault code 21B2C7 relating to engine oil pressure plausibi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The entire car shut down while on the highway with no prior notifications on/from the system. The entire safety of myself and family was put at risk because there where several cars behind us on the highway that could have hit us. I am not sure the dealer has been able to reproduce the issue - Unknown. There was no warning lamps, messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure or the car... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
The entire car shut down while on the highway with no prior notifications on/from the system. The entire safety of myself and family was put at risk because there where several cars behind us on the highway that could have hit us. I am not sure the dealer has been able to reproduce the issue - Unknown. There was no warning lamps, messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure or the car... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
My 2022 BMW X5 is having the transfer case star to fail. Where the symptoms currently are at is the car has a shudder in certain situations. I can feel it when maneuvering at slow speeds and I can feel it at times at speed or when on a steep hill. I bought the extended warranty for the car and the maintenance package for the vehicle. I'm at 68k miles and the shudder started before that but I ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2026
My 2022 BMW X5 is having the transfer case star to fail. Where the symptoms currently are at is the car has a shudder in certain situations. I can feel it when maneuvering at slow speeds and I can feel it at times at speed or when on a steep hill. I bought the extended warranty for the car and the maintenance package for the vehicle. I'm at 68k miles and the shudder started before that but I ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
I am filing an official safety recall non-compliance and documentation fraud complaint against the franchise dealership, BMW of [XXX], regarding their handling of active safety campaigns B110724 (Electric Water Pump) and B120921 (DME Control Unit).Following a severe engine overheating failure related to the water pump recall, both BMW Roadside and the dealership denied my request for a safety tow,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
My 2026 BMW X5 xDrive50e experienced a serious freeway safety event involving loss of braking/brake power, loss of vehicle power/functionality, and multiple vehicle warnings/errors. The incident occurred while I was driving on the freeway and substantially affected my ability to safely operate the vehicle. BMW Emergency Services subsequently towed the vehicle to Irvine BMW on 07/09/2026. Irvine B... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
My 2026 BMW X5 xDrive50e experienced a serious freeway safety event involving loss of braking/brake power, loss of vehicle power/functionality, and multiple vehicle warnings/errors. The incident occurred while I was driving on the freeway and substantially affected my ability to safely operate the vehicle. BMW Emergency Services subsequently towed the vehicle to Irvine BMW on 07/09/2026. Irvine B... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
My 2026 BMW X5 xDrive50e experienced a serious freeway safety event involving loss of braking/brake power, loss of vehicle power/functionality, and multiple vehicle warnings/errors. The incident occurred while I was driving on the freeway and substantially affected my ability to safely operate the vehicle. BMW Emergency Services subsequently towed the vehicle to Irvine BMW on 07/09/2026. Irvine B... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1:... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1:... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
On [XXX], my 2026 BMW X5 (VIN [XXX], 22,314 mi) was damaged during an automated reverse parking maneuver by BMW Parking Assistant, with automatic emergency braking enabled. Three failures occurred. I have used Parking Assistant nightly for ~6 months to back into my home garage: ~180 identical maneuvers, zero prior incidents or warnings. Nothing about the garage or environment changed. Failure 1:... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
The brake calipers and brake rotators in the front are a safety concern. In other recalls the rear calipers and rotors have been flagged for recall. The front also has the same issue. Unrelated the visibility of the front windshield is extremely obstructed by the plastic body that surrounds the windshield. It is over 6 in wide and very unsafe when trying to exit Ally's or before turning at traf... Read more