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 12, 2024
Without incident or warning, front passenger seatbelt will not retract, pull out or lock when jerked. Inspected 1/13/25 by Capital CDJR, Garner,NC 919-582-0202, found to require replacement per Mopar Warranty Bulletin#D-21-04 dated 3-24-2021. Service Advisor and Parts stated that seatbelt is on NATIONAL BACKORDER, can't be ordered and no ETA can be provided, although my name was added to "the list... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact was notified 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 45 MPH, the tailgate unexpectedly opened. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over onto the side of the highway and closed the tailgate. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the lock actuator was faulty and needed... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I am respectfully requesting that MHTAS submit to Ford an alternative Ford parts subsitution to nullify the recall for my Bronco and others to whom this applies. The recall states that replacement parts will not be available until 3rd quarter of 2025. I have been informed by the dealership service manager that these defective rear shocks could be replaced with Ford heavy duty shocks which shoul... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
I currently own a 2022 GMC Sierra with 75823 miles on the vehicle. I purchased the vehicle new from Bill Cramer GMC, and just learned today that the engine has to be rebuilt due to bad lifters, cam shaft damage, and excessive oil consumption. According to the dealership and further research, this is a common issue with the GM 5.3L engine that is currently in my truck. Because the truck is now o... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The auto start system (the gas saving feature that shuts the engine off and on when the car idles) causes the car to shut completely off. This has happened on the freeway at a traffic light and while turning into traffic. When the auto start feature is off I don’t have this problem. It’s a major safety issue and I’ve seen numerous complaints about this on Facebook
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
Vehicle has problems shifting between 1st and 2nd gear. Stutters and has issues accelerating. Has almost caused me to be hit while turning left against traffic. Was serviced at Hyundai dealership today and they cannot replicate the issue or find anything wrong and reprogrammed the clutch touch point engagement. It happened again on the way home.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
Vehicle has problems shifting between 1st and 2nd gear. Stutters and has issues accelerating. Has almost caused me to be hit while turning left against traffic. Was serviced at Hyundai dealership today and they cannot replicate the issue or find anything wrong and reprogrammed the clutch touch point engagement. It happened again on the way home.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
I purchased Honda Prologue Elite Model in May 2024. In around December, a warning sign "Service High Voltage System" message showed up. We left the EV for service twice since then and the first time the honda dealer mentioned that the A/C and Battery Sensors were in swapped positions and they fixed the issue by swapping positions and was set right. The warning came back again around two weeks ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
The engine failure was confirmed by dealer. My wife and I were traveling on I-74 at approximately 72 mph when the truck began to jerk slightly. This continued for about a mile, prompting me to ask if she felt it too. Suddenly, the truck lost power while we were driving on a two-lane interstate, putting our safety at risk. Fortunately, we were close enough to an exit and managed to coast to a nearb... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
The valve body failed on my transmission. My safety was impacted because as I was towing my 40 foot camper and my vehicle went into limp mode on the freeway at 70 miles an hour and I could only go 45 with four children in the vehicle. Yes the problem has been confirmed by a local dealership. There was a check engine light present, but eventually it went away and the truck returned to normal. This... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
I keep having both my low beam headlight bulbs burning out and one of them started catching on fire. The driver side caught some type of electrical issue causing it to start smoking and eventually melted the connector and lightbulb housing
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
Driving at a slow rate of speed turning onto my road the engine started making a loud knocking noise, I could actually feel the knocking through the steering wheel and seat. Loss of power due to the problem. No warning before the issue started. Had to have vehicle towed to my local dealer. They are currently looking into the problem.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Jeep recently pushed an update through the vehicle over the air. Since the update the forward collision disable warning light has been illuminated on the front cluster. All attempts to correct the issue have rendered useless. The update has caused the safety feature of the front collision warning (sound and/or breaking) inoperable.
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
The vehicle will automatically extremely hard brake while moving for no apparent reason, with no obstructions present. This problem startles driver and passenger and can present a danger to vehicle of being hit by other vehicles not expecting a hard braking situation for no apparent reason. Please investigate and make manufacturer responsible to fix the issue. Thank You
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
Passenger seat belts closest two both driver side and passenger side in the back seat do not lock properly. We tried to vacuum it clean and blow compressed air in it to clean it out but still not working. We took it to a local jeep dealer and they confirmed they would need to be replaced but only the extended warranty covers $599 (we owe $386). This should be an automatic safety hazard because ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
Subaru is aware of a specific set of year/model/makes that start to make a sound coming from the drive shaft center bearing in cold weather. Unnatural wear occurs on the bearing but the only remedy is to replace the entire drive shaft which is a really costly repair for something that is a structural design issue. There is a service bulletin for it: [XXX] It seems unfair that this is a repair th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
Driver side headlight keeps going out. Bulb doesn’t blow and fuses are fine….take the bulb out and put back in and after a couple minutes light starts working again for a couple days before it goes back out. If you go to the passenger side and pull that one out the bulb is smoking.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
Engine check light came on at 10,500 miles and under 300 hours of engine time. Initially thought it was due to a wheel speed sensor failure from the salt and brine build up from winter weather. After having the code ran the engine is misfiring and has a rough idle. This is an L87 6.2L motor on a 2024 Silverado ZR2. After researching this problem it is way more frequent than the total of 39 officia... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
There was a recall on my car before (due to freeze plug) but since it fell out of the manufacturer window of the recall it was not accept yet it is the same exact issue . My car is pouring out fluids from the same spot, it will not hold anti freeze not matter how much i put and doesn’t hold for more than 1-2 miles up the road with overheating, smoking giving me warning signs
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
When operating the turn signal and using the wipers on delay, I smelled a plastic like burning smell thinking it was the wiring in the controller arm. This happened several times and eventually the wiper runs 100% on the time delay with no way to turn off except by pulling the fuse. I can operate the normal speeds of the wipers when it rains if needed but I still get a smell sometimes. I have not ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
I recently had my alternator fixed and the torque converter last year. I was having issues with the battery staying charged, car would jerk, radio, heat and air would shut off and come back on, car would go in reverse although I'm trying to go forward, shift to park warning message when car was in park and there are shortages out something that will connect and disconnect the Bluetooth when I'm on... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
My car is doing exactly as said in the recall that is not available. I'm not driving my bmw due to this problem. Please help
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
Electrical system crashes which makes the car lose the ability to brake, accelerate, and steer. The center display and general display both go out at random times. Sometimes more issues are prevalent when this happens and sometimes less. I do have several videos of this issue occurring.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
Power steering motor went I have no power steering
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
Subject: Engine Failure – 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (6.2L V8 •VIN: [XXX] Issue Description: While driving on [XXX], I noticed the transmission would downshift but not upshift. Within seconds, a warning appeared: “Oil temperature high, idle engine.” I began merging onto the shoulder, but before I could get there, the engine shut off completely, and the transmission shifted into neut... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2024
Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, collision avoidance, regular cruise control, and more all shut down after my cars Honda sense camra died.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The left front door stopper makes an abnormal sound, a popping noise when the door comes open.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
Engine light came on and car shakes a bit when car is first turned on for the day and has been off for a few hours. This started in early January 2025. We took it to a mechanic on January 10th 2025. Mechanic reported white exhaust smoke and stated this could be due to a coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Was told the short block, head gasket or the entire engine would need to be replaced. As of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The steering relay rod or drag links that connect to my idler arm is giving very loose steering and have been known to go bad. It randomly pulled when going on the highway. It also clunks when maxing the steering wheel and sometimes pulls me towards one side. The tie rods are loose as well. I hasn't been inspected by Toyota but there was an act in 2005 for a recall for this particular reason, same... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
parking brake light blinking and vehicle would not drive forward or reverse.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
Third row seat malfunction sending rear seat back unlocked appearing on dash. Switch for third row seat is faulty and need to be replaced. Warning states a safety issue with seat being unlocked. Inspected by bmw passport. The notice came up 3 days ago on dash vehicle was purchased from global auto outlet 12/26/24
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal bell sound detected. The power steering assist fault message was displayed. The power steering became inoperable. The contact stopped and looked underneath the hood but was unable to find a power steering fluid reservoir. The contact checked the Owner's Manual and determined that there was no p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
Third row seat headrest on passenger side will not stay up, so actually does make the seat unusable. Numberous complaints have been posted on line as a manufacturing defect, and a service bulletin was issued. I do not think it has ever worked I purchased the car in March of 24 with only 27,000 miles still under Honda Warranty. Discovered the issue when trying to use the third row seat. Deale... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
In February 2024 we received a safety recall from Honda stating the fuel pump could prevent an engine from starting, cause a vehicle to lose drive power, or stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. It has been a year and we have not received any notice of replacement parts. Honda is producing new cars but cannot correct a problem with a 2019 car?!!! It should not take a ye... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Car makes loud humming noise when accelerating and safety break go off for no reason when backing up or parking . I try put gas’s but it doesn’t let me keep the nozzle in . Gas’s light always going off
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after plugging in the charger to the vehicle, the cable charger started blinking red. The contact had to jumpstart the vehicle to open the doors. The blinking red light on the cable charger had not stopped blinking. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18E086000 (EQUIPMENT); however, the VIN was not included in the re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
There is an active recall for my fuel pump and I’ve tried several times to get it fixed and they refuse to fix it
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The 2023 Jeep Wrangler has been inspected by two different dealerships 6-7 times, and I have submitted four cases through Jeep Wave, including a request for a buyback. While driving on the highway or on city streets, the vehicle experiences a speed reduction to 5-10 miles per hour, with a stiff steering wheel and hard brakes. Warning messages appear, including: "Engine Light," "Service Transmissio... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
On January 27 I started my truck to drive and within minutes the power steering became extremely difficult and impossible to turn . I believe it's the EPS system failure which I have found out is know to fail in the trucks ., There were not any warning messages until it happened.it is available for inspection
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
There is a courtesy replacement on the main fuel injector. I just recently had to replace my turbo. No my car bogs down won't go and smells like eggs which is the catalytic converter. The injection brakes the converter which brakes the turbo and Ford is not interested in helping very much. How can
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
An OTA update was released for the 2021 VW ID.4, but that update ended up killing the Car Net Module. I brought the car in to the dealership due to this issue, but they were unable to do the recall because the car net module was no longer functioning. They said it would be over $1,000 to have the part replaced and then they would be able to perform the recall. So at this time my vehicle is stil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while at a stop light the Auto START/STOP feature malfunctioned. The contact stated that after releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle turned off instead of restarting the engine. The contact stated that several minutes had passed before being able to restart the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2020
My car's acceleration pedal stopped responding while driving, and the oil warning light turned on in the dashboard. Gradually, the check engine light came on, and the car stopped moving. After researching, I found that a common issue with the 2017 Kia Forte is a potential problem with the oil pump, where foreign particles can become trapped inside, leading to oil pump failure and possible engine d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Passat. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the “Service Now” warning light was illuminated. Several local dealers were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recal... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
Driving down highway, hit dip at bridge seam, when the car bounce up from dip, the right rear control arm snapped in half. Car lost control to right, fortunately I was able to maintain control somewhat and avoided accident. Right rear wheel tilted at 45 degree angle. Car currently at repair shop with snapped lower rear control arm
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Ecu Malfunction leading to Cooling system malfunction The car after idling more than 30 min with the A/C off has a "drive system malfunction". The warning displays on the dash and the engine runs violently rough until the car shuts itself off. The Audi has done this several times, though not while driving. This problem creates a lot of heat in the engine bay and has led to a problem in my coolin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
Starting in early 2021, I had my Jeep serviced, and noted a constant banging noise and feeling while driving my car. It was inspected (for lots of money) and test driven. I was told the noise is "normal." As time went on, it progressively got louder, more vibrating, and more frequent. I noted this as a continuing concern--I was told "it is normal for this vehicle." I just spoke with the dealersh... Read more