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: Oct 15, 2024
Liftgate Opening without pushing the button, it just randomly opens.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
Liftgate Opening without pushing the button, it just randomly opens.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated the fuel tank located on the driver's side had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided. A police report was filed. The contact received... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The sound had become progressively louder over time. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that here was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with fuel pump failure. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
my arcadia shift to park appears when i park my car beginning to happen all the time now .started last month and getting worst i have contacted the dealership and was told no recalls .my car is a 2018 with 34,000 miles on it . i am very disappointed with this vehicle . if you can't stand by your product i can't see myself buying another one. thank you a very disappointed customer [XXX] ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
Excess friction between the worm wheel and worm gear.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
My vehicle has less than 95k miles on it. Purchased it brand new from the dealer in 2016. It was one of the first few Ridgelines in the state. I've always had it serviced on time at the dealer, and kept up with its maintenance and care. The engine started to fail out of nowhere - making a weird tapping/knocking noise. I made an appointment to have it checked out by the dealership, and that same da... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
My vehicle has less than 95k miles on it. Purchased it brand new from the dealer in 2016. It was one of the first few Ridgelines in the state. I've always had it serviced on time at the dealer, and kept up with its maintenance and care. The engine started to fail out of nowhere - making a weird tapping/knocking noise. I made an appointment to have it checked out by the dealership, and that same da... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
My 330i 2018 bmw has a cracked in the oil housing unit. This is due to bmw putting plastic parts instead of aluminum. After researching this I found thousand of people complaining about the sane thing. The car overheats and sometimes the oil gets mixed into the coolsnt system b causes more damage. This seems to happen on cars with mileage between 60-70 on engines B46, B48 n B58z
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the instrument panel failed to illuminate as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V652000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mil... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2024
Jerks when accelerating. Does not accelerate properly when accelerating from a stopped position. Reactions times slower due to the torque converter. FORD has diagnosed it as the torque converter. There are forums online stating this exact problem with other 2019 Edges.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I was driving home at night around 8pm. I was merging into the slow lane and my car completely lost power. A semi truck was right behind me. Luckily I was able to get over to the emergency lane safely. My car had no acceleration at all or any control of the steering. Prior to this incident there was no problem or warnings of any lights on dash or car having problems. It’s a daily driver for me t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
Fuel injectors failed at 43,000 miles and 66,000 miles with no warning. Car misfired and left me stranded.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
Transmission error codes P0706 and P0707. Causes vehicle to be non operational. Cause is due to a bad sensor the lead frame in the valve body of the 6R80 transmission. On the 2011-2014 model years there was a recall issued, but the problem still exists I. The 2015-2017 model years. In my case, the module is failing at 8yrs/92750 miles.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
Brakes went completely out while driving, absolutely terrifying. Pedal went straight to the floor and wouldn't stop. I had to manually downshift until it was under 5 mph and then it would barely stop.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
I was driving on I 95 and my check engine light came on, then the transmission light came on followed by No hill assist light.As I was driving home all of a sudden without warning my SUV dropped to 10 miles an hour while driving at at speed of 55 miles per hour.. For safety reasons I pulled over on to the shoulder, shut the SUV off a waited , and then I restarted the engine. The same lights ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
I was driving on I 95 and my check engine light came on, then the transmission light came on followed by No hill assist light.As I was driving home all of a sudden without warning my SUV dropped to 10 miles an hour while driving at at speed of 55 miles per hour.. For safety reasons I pulled over on to the shoulder, shut the SUV off a waited , and then I restarted the engine. The same lights ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
My SUV is having issues with the tires air and also the sensors are not working properly
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the front end of the vehicle was shuddering. No warning light was illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact noticed an oil leak into the engine air filter. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to a second local deal... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
At 2:38 pm on Thursday, April 17th, I was driving southbound on a street and I had just picked up my daughter from school. There were a lot of cars since school just got out. I was behind a car approaching a light going less than 10 miles an hour and braking lightly, then all of a sudden, the ABS system kicked on and my car jerked and vibrated violently forward for about 5 seconds and would not st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
Electric Parking Brake light and Emissions System light popped up at the same time. Replaced the battery the lights gone immediately for weeks, but reappears again. Disconnected the battery and reconnected it the lights gone for one month and came back again. Search online there are a lot of similar situations. The dealer replaced parts but the issue stated. There must be some malfunctions of the... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-65 MPH, the vehicle jerked and downshifted unintendedly. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced hard and erratic transmission shifts while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
Intermittently, my vehicle will hesitate to accelerate or will move only marginally (disproportionately to the depressing of the gas pedal) from a complete stop. When it occurs, it often does so for a number of seconds. This has been incredibly dangerous given I live off a busy street and I cannot trust that when I press the gas pedal to accelerate to turn onto the street, that my vehicle will b... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2000 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the brake line was leaking brake fluid. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the subframe and rear axle were rusted. The contact had replaced the brakes. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 00V154000 (Suspension). The contact called the independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2000 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the brake line was leaking brake fluid. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the subframe and rear axle were rusted. The contact had replaced the brakes. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 00V154000 (Suspension). The contact called the independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer with the assistance of a Police patrol. The dealer diagnosed that the engine was blown, and the engine was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that while dri... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, 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 time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
Just got my car I’m financing (used) It’s been giving me problems since I got it slow acceleration, overheat . , engine stalling Start and go Option isn’t working . Can I have a professional assist me with a recall maintenance please
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
Steering became sluggish, jerky and erratic. Started sounding like the power steering pump was struggling/straining. I put it in the shop and they claim it’s the eps and rack and pinion gone bad. It is being replaced. How unsafe is this at low or highway speed? How many other complaints are there on this same subject and part? 2019 eps was recalled. How do I find out if I have 2019 parts in my 2... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
Transmission randomly down shift on highway almost sending me into guard rail at 70 mph transmission read code of output speed sensor and it is the same issue that has been recalled in the same year f150 with the same transmission and part. Please I pray you recall this part before someone or a family lose their life! It is a known issue and a known failure in these transmissions there is no reas... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
Driving with children on freeway after picking them up from school and suddenly the vehicle shut down completely nothing on dash neither. In the middle of freeway after doing 55 miles per hour was very scary for me and my family. Tried starting vehicle and would not start for 15 minutes. The next day took it to the dealer where I purchased it and was told it was 5 vehicles there before me that nee... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owned a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact swerved to avoid a crash and moved over to the median. The contact stated that the vehicle spun around, and the contact used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact was unaware of a warning light b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2018
For 3 weeks now, my dash keeps telling me to shift to park when my gear shift is already in park. Car will not allow me to secure it because it thinks the car is not in park!
Incident date: Oct 12, 2018
While driving on a major highway and traveling at 80 mph or so, the vehicle flashed a warning light saying “Press Start Again.” I noticed the gas pedal was no longer responding and the RPM gauge dropped to zero. The vehicle shifted itself into neutral and I was forced to steer the truck to a shoulder and scraped the underside of the front ground effect trim. The vehicle then shifted into park ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2018
While driving on a major highway and traveling at 80 mph or so, the vehicle flashed a warning light saying “Press Start Again.” I noticed the gas pedal was no longer responding and the RPM gauge dropped to zero. The vehicle shifted itself into neutral and I was forced to steer the truck to a shoulder and scraped the underside of the front ground effect trim. The vehicle then shifted into park ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Engine shut off twice driving down the highway at 70 mph. Electronics completely shut down then started back up, engine shifted to neutral and wouldn't let me shift out of it. Pulled over to shoulder and restarted engine. Took to Ewing GMC and no issue was found, vehicle was returned. A week later, exact same thing, but this time engine would not restart. Had to be towed to dealership. Engine is b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 130,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 230,000. Local authorities had been notified.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
While cruising down the highway I shifted up from 4th gear to 5th, power cut off on the engine while going 50 mph. I did an emergency clutch pull and coasted to the emergency lane. Rear tire locked up and i skid to a stop. Come to find out a rod was broken and the motor locked up.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had n... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
On March 2, 2025, while driving my BMW i4 with my daughter, the vehicle suddenly spun out twice into oncoming freeway traffic during a routine lane change, violently crashing into an embankment. Thankfully, we weren’t physically hurt, but my daughter was deeply traumatized. We brought the car to Stevens Creek BMW immediately. What followed only made things worse. Rather than investigate the seri... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
On March 2, 2025, while driving my BMW i4 with my daughter, the vehicle suddenly spun out twice into oncoming freeway traffic during a routine lane change, violently crashing into an embankment. Thankfully, we weren’t physically hurt, but my daughter was deeply traumatized. We brought the car to Stevens Creek BMW immediately. What followed only made things worse. Rather than investigate the seri... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 28, 2025
This vehicle has an electronic shifting transmission and when shifting from drive to reverse, the system lags significantly (1-3) seconds before engaging reverse. This has been an issue causing several close calls. In addition to not being able to back up efficiently and being left hanging in limbo while waiting for the transmission to engage, the vehicle also continues to roll forward causing nea... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
I own a 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T with approximately 9,200 miles. Recently, while the vehicle was parked, I discovered a significant crack in the front windshield originating from the passenger side edge with a length of approximately 10 inches. Notably, there are no visible signs of impact, such as rock chips or debris damage, indicating the crack developed spontaneously. This sudden failure comp... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
The collision warning alert goes of sporadically at the most random times when there is actually no threat at all around the vehicle. This will cause (as it is intended to do) the driver to reactively fully apply the break quickly, which could cause injury such as whiplash in an unnecessary event or worst case a rear end collision.This has happened when driving down straight roads with no other ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2025
[XXX] was driving the 2014 F150 on a multi lane state road in the afternoon on a sunny and dry afternoon. The vehicle was traveling straight with steady traffic at an intense rate of speed (approximately 45-50 mph) when it all of a changed gears and became difficult for the [XXX] to control, causing the vehicle to hit a guard rail. There was no contributing factors to the accident other than the ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
Honda dealership has not had parts for over a year now
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the loss of power warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle and turned off the vehicle. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a contaminated fuel system. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
Subject: Safety Complaint – Fuel Door Malfunction on Genesis Vehicle Dear NHTSA, I am writing to formally file a safety-related complaint regarding a fuel door malfunction on my Genesis vehicle. This defect has left me unable to access the fuel tank, presenting a serious safety risk—particularly the possibility of being stranded without fuel, which poses a threat to both driver and passenger... Read more