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: Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic made the contact ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH in the rain and attempting to clean the windshield, the windshield washer fluid failed to operate as intended, and the windshield wipers became inoperable while driving approximately two weeks later. Additionally, the contact stated that she had noticed a fluid leak on the rear passenger's side interior door... Read more
BMW
R 18 CLASSIC
(2021) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
May 5, 2025
Incident date: May 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown error message related to the coolant was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local service center, where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The loca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Engine Coolant Bypass Valve Issues/Faulty. No problems prior to “engine maintenance message”. Message only comes up when the A/C is turned on.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
Original/factory back-up camera will go blank or not even change displays when the vehicle is placed in reverse. First occurrence began sometime in 2024.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2025
Car loses acceleration while driving. Problems with CVT engine
Incident date: May 1, 2025
I was feeling a shaking throughout while driving. I took it into the dealership to have it looked at as it is a fairly new vehicle with less than 25k miles on it. They informed me that both of the CV Axles had gone out and were replaced. I was so shocked as those are supposed to last a fairly long time on a vehicle. I researched and it appears several Maverick owners have experienced the same thin... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The airbag passenger light has been showing off for about 2 years and on 4/30/25 showed the passenger air bag on the main panel in red color. I bring it today 5/2/25 to the Nissan dealer and they said is not a recall and they didn’t fix it. I been reading that actually is a recall and something can explode and is not recommended to drive the car under this sing.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
Car dies/stalls while in drive when adaptive is engaged. Entertainment / navigation system has quit working despite multiple times I’ve reset. Acceleration is dangerous at times and accelerates too quickly. Also seems to be sluggish due to fuel injector issues requiring me to press gas pedal harder to maintain speed. Windows don’t always respond to button and seem to stall. Check engine ligh... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
On 10/23/24 the vehicle's 6.2 L L87 engine seized while driving on a state highway (similar to the later models already under recall) putting myself and other drivers at risk through a sudden loss of power and speed. The component was inspected at a GM dealership and then replaced AT MY COST. The replacing mechanic said the failure was in the rod bearings (the same as in the recalled engines). The... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
Major engine damage at 83,000 miles (blown head gasket). Vehicle was well maintained. It seems that this is common issues with the Chrysler Pacificas.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
2010 f150 Rear heated window exploded when heat was turned on for window had to replace out of my own pocket also exhaust manifold bolt is gone exhaust leak truck only has 93343miles what happened to the quality for the price of your vehicle that shouldn't fall apart for lack of threads on the bolts to save money. stud on manifold just fell out last year that's not normal wear and tear ,rear win... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the steering wheel was sticking. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but informed the contact that there was ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contac... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
Critical Issue: Gasoline leaks into engine. That causes increasing engine oil level significantly and mixed with engine oil. I dropped off me car (mileage: 11731) at Kia Pro in Glendale, CA on 5/1/2025 as soon as I confirmed that engine oil level exceeds the maximum (twice of max) and smelled Gasoline from the dipstick. The service advisor and a tech confirmed that the excessive engine oil level a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that occasionally, while putting the vehicle into drive or attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle first hesitated or jerked before shifting into gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the CDF drums and seal in the t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
ABS, Parking brake and traction control systems error items showing on dash. These error items indicate that the ABS module needs to be replaced, however Chrysler can no longer supply this part and the dealer has said that they have tried unsuccessfully to install a used part and also am after market part which would not work.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN too... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
We were on the highway going 65 mph and all a sudden a long bang happened. After that the anti skid light came on causing the truck to drive hard and lack of power. The engine had a sound that didn’t seam right.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message "Power Reduction" was displayed, and the check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart; however, upon attempting to drive, the vehicle shuddere... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The message "Power Reduction" was displayed, and the check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart; however, upon attempting to drive, the vehicle shuddere... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while slowin... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Brake actuator along with various other messages displayed
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. Additionally, the remote start failed to start the vehicle. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact’s husband was able to restart the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
I was driving down the interstate and all of a sudden the blinking lights of the check engine light came on and automatically I went from 75 mph down to 63 mph and when I looked up what it was, it was the knock detection system of the 2020 Kia Optima. I could not accelerate beyond 63 mph and I fear that the engine might stall on me so I went to O’Reillys and have them check it and it says it’s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving 25-30 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality while turning into the driveway. The contact was able to park the vehicle at the residence. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 ( Steering). The contact called the local dealer w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
During city driving my L87 engine losses power during acceleration. The start and stop feature makes loud scratching noises when it starts up.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
engine replacement at 60k miles due to metal pieces broken down and shredded in engine, happened while driving. dealer replaced engine because i had extended warranty. Few months later the transmission failed and they replace with a brand new transmission because i had extended warranty. Now 15k miles later my wheels randomly lock up when turning corners. very dangerous. I can dig for every fi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
engine replacement at 60k miles due to metal pieces broken down and shredded in engine, happened while driving. dealer replaced engine because i had extended warranty. Few months later the transmission failed and they replace with a brand new transmission because i had extended warranty. Now 15k miles later my wheels randomly lock up when turning corners. very dangerous. I can dig for every fi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
3.0 LM2 Duramax engine failed at 91,000 miles. It needs a new engine and they are available with a 2-3 week wait time. The engine failure has been inspected and confirmed by the dealer. No symptoms or check engine lights were on prior to the failure. Problem first appeared 03/2025.
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering mod... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Unconnect / head unit malfuctions in a way that makes driving unsafe. Climate control is unusable, gps malfuctions, radio stations change, phone calls people, mutes/unmutes, hangs up. AC/Heat alternates and turns on and off on it's own. It's incredibly distracting.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Recall number 25S42 should include 2015 Ford Explorers. The rearview camera goes blank or is distorted. It causes the driver the inability to see anything behind the vehicle if the object cannot be seen using the mirrors.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Recall number 25S42 should include 2015 Ford Explorers. The rearview camera goes blank or is distorted. It causes the driver the inability to see anything behind the vehicle if the object cannot be seen using the mirrors.
Incident date: May 4, 2018
I was driving home recently and the back of my seat near the base gave out on me, the lower back/bottom raising motor was working but the seat was not going up. Upon inspection I found that the welds on the seat bracket had broken, going online and searching found me countless forums of seat brackets breaking during driving. Two main issues with this 1. I almost lost control due to the sudden drop... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the power steering, service stabili-trak, and the check engine warning lights illuminated, and the steering wheel seized briefly. The contact stated that shortly after the failure, the steering wheel unlocked, and the contact was able to continue driving safely. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
When the Auto Idle feature is on, the car will often completely turn off when at a red light or in stop & go traffic. When it is time to move again, I cannot go. Cars are honking at me to move, but the car will not start. I have to put the car in park, completely turn it off, and restart it. This sometimes happens on the interstate in heavy traffic, which can be extremely dangerous. My car’s eng... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated the steering wheel had seized. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while turning and almost caused a crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed electronic steer... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Below 10,000 miles my truck had the master brake cylinder to put which they repaired under warranty. At about 89,000 miles the engine went out stating a misfire on cylinder 2. After talking with GM the vehicle needed all the rods and cam shaft replaced which was almost an $11k repair of which I had to pay almost $5k. The truck still has sporadic shakes while at idle. Many other owners have co... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
My air bags did not deploy with a head on collision.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
My air bags did not deploy with a head on collision.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
After driving the car for a while, when the car is parked and the car is still ON, the car began displaying - Check Lane Assist warning. From that point, the Smart cruise is not working. The warning displayed for more than 20 days. It happened to me more than 5 times. I reached out to Kia and their engineer is unable to resolve it. The warnings get erased after 20+ days. In the recent visit, Kia e... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2025
Chevy sold me a vehicle knowing that the radio was faulty and known to glitching out. I took it to the dealer and they replicated the problem. GM has known about the issue since 9/2024 when the issued the bulletin about the problem. They sold me the vehicle knowing that the problem existed and did not disclose that to me. That is a violation of CA law.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the contact stated that an abnormal sound was coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The c... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
Within the last couple of days, my truck went into limp home mode 3 times, "Reduced Acceleration Drive with Care", check engine light on, right after the truck jerked a few times while it was shifting. Each time the message went away after a re-start but the check engine light was still on. Now the truck also has another message, "Service Transmission Now unable to shift soon". again after the tru... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
I am unknown of what system has failed but the issue is that while the car is in motion, it will completely shut off. All Electrical will disengage and there have been times where a pop up has come on my screen stating that air bags and seat belts are non functioning to get to a service station as soon as possible. It has happened multiple times while driving on a large highway. This is a severe ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
We were involved in a T-bone type accident at highway speeds. I am filing a complaint because I feel Kia Of America did not pursue potential safety issues with the seatbelts. I called them to inform them of the issue to see if there was any other similar trending reports. they stated that they would send an inspector out which they never did. I believe that the seatbelt failed due to the nature of... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked briefly before shifting into gear. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ABS was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more