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: Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved loudly while the transmission was stuck in low gear. The check engine, power steering, Forward Collision Avoidance, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that upon exceeding 25 MPH, the engine revved loudly to 4,000 RPM. The contact dr... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle because the steering wheel was stiff. The contact, who is mechanically inclined, inspected the vehicle and discovered that the failure was cau... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after shifting to the drive position the vehicle would shake and vibrate. The failure continued while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the torque convert and reprogrammed the PCM but approximately one year later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
The contact owned a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH and decreasing in speed to exit the highway, a vehicle in front stopped abruptly. The contact depressed the brake pedal with force, however, the brake pedal was soft and traveled to the floorboard. The contact stated she turned the steering wheel in the left direction but was difficult to turn and crashed... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
The contact owned a 2024 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle was unstoppable. The contact stated the option was to crash into the three vehicles which were coming from the opposite direction or to crash in... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 14, 2025
My 2024 Prologue with approximately 3,000 miles has a clunking sound in front of car and noticeable jerk on acceleration. It developed with 1300 miles and was "repaired" by dealer, who claimed it was a loose battery mount. Problem returned within 1000 miles and is getting worse. Dealer now says it is right front axle and part is on backorder. Fundamental safety part crucial to control for car. I... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The car stalls when pulling out. We have had many close calls entering traffic and the car will not react to giving it gas. I’ve taken it to three dealers who all say it is not showing a code and they can’t get it to reproduce the problem. I bought the car new and it has less than 60,000 miles. It does it in all types of weather, extreme cold and hot weather, going uphill or downhill, seve... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, there was an electrical burning odor inside the vehicle. The ABS, brakes, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was driven to the residence. On another occasion, the contact had to redirect the steering wheel into ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
The first time the "aux" battery was not charging completely. 2nd time pretty much same issue, they claimed to have performed a software update, 3rd time warning lights came on "Problem, check electrical system" ..something like this. They told me to bring the vehicle to the dealership. After reading the problems stem from the ICCU, I decided to call them to ask if I should tow it in, due to all t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
Paint is coming off the car down to the metal. The paint has been recalled on other Honda vehicles. Paint #NH788P. . Several areas where paint has come off when driving on highways behind other vehicles.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
1.During December 2024, noticed the wrap or called grill part at the back of the truck detached 2.On 5th February, got a warning :reduce acceleration with caution, when I pressed gas pedal, could not go faster than 35mph, the truck was shaking really hard. It has been in the dealership waiting for valve body until today 13th March, still no idea when it will be fixed
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that his wife was driving at 30-35 MPH, when another vehicle suddenly merged in front of the vehicle causing a T-bone collision. The vehicle was pushed into the middle of the road from the impact where it came to a stop. All air bags deployed. However, the front passenger-side air bag deployed backward onto the front windshield instead of de... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
Interior lights fail to come on when opening doors on entering vehicle. Lights only come on after fumbling to locate and insert key in the ignition in the dark. What good is having interior light if it doesn't come on when you need to see how to enter and insert key. This has been happening from day 1 of receiving vehicle. I have reported it to dealer. But no action so far.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and exiting the highway, the abnormal sound turned into a screeching, grinding, and squealing sound, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed... Read more
Incident date: Mar 7, 2025
i was just driving my bmw and a airbag light and a malfunction error popped up on my dashboard, that read that the Passenger restraint system has malfunctioned. and i was doing some research on what was wrong with my car, and all the forums are indicating that this is a very common issue on these cars due to a bad seat occupancy sensor mat. to fix this you either still have to have an extended war... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Electronic power steering control has starting to glitch, bind, lock, and restrict turning. Occasionally it will be extremely rigid from one side and then it will proceed to be extremely loose and normal to another side. Varying at different times, and occurs randomly. Sometime it will lock in place while driving and other times it will be completely normal altogether.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Electronic power steering control has starting to glitch, bind, lock, and restrict turning. Occasionally it will be extremely rigid from one side and then it will proceed to be extremely loose and normal to another side. Varying at different times, and occurs randomly. Sometime it will lock in place while driving and other times it will be completely normal altogether.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Electronic power steering control has starting to glitch, bind, lock, and restrict turning. Occasionally it will be extremely rigid from one side and then it will proceed to be extremely loose and normal to another side. Varying at different times, and occurs randomly. Sometime it will lock in place while driving and other times it will be completely normal altogether.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and was assisted in pushing the vehicle to a safe location, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
My key is stuck in the I can take it out the o2 seners not reading
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
My key is stuck in the I can take it out the o2 seners not reading
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
2017 short block was replaced in the engine. Only to find out recalls for engine coolant has been leaking into the engine again. Year models built Sept 17, 2015 to year April 8,2019 at lewyviell Kentucky. Ironically my car was made at this location where the cars have been recalled from March 25, 2017. My car was made and the only thing ford company did was replace the short block not the entire ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The fuel strap rutsted through the frame its a recall on previous years and mine it’s the year after the recall. Yes available upon inspection request my gas tank fell in the middle of me driving down the road at 40 and was putting groves in my drive shaft. I’ve read online a lot of people are having this issue. No warning lights just a terrible sound of the broken strap cutting into my drive ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Had to replace rear end now transmission is starting to act up like might be going out (the truck started by like having a shake as you drive ot not for long period just every so often to when i gave ot rhe gas the really loud whinning noise let off gas it stopped )looked up to see if any others and many others with the same model as mine is having same trouble as I am and have not seen any recal... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
Reference vehicle has only 71000 miles, yet according to Lexus dealer the rust has covered so much that vehicle is unrepairable compared to the car value. The rust has spread to frame that caused it to be to safety issue for the occupants. The suspension and associated parts have rusted, and fluids are leaking. Lexus hid the rust information during regular maintenance at the dealership only to cl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the ve... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abn... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The sunroof on my Camry would not close. I took it to Toyota in were they determined that the cables bound up in the track and the only fix was a new roof assembly. This is a safety risk because if the sunroof cannot close it allows the vehicle to be susceptible to outdoor elements as well as safety issues regarding theft. The problem was seen and confirmed by the Toyota dealership, in where they ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
While driving the pilot warning alerts popped up that none of the collision detection, lane assist, cruise control, and seemingly all radar related systems were working. Additionally, the headlights turned off. We have brought this to the Honda dealer on now three occasions, and there doesn’t seem to be any understanding of why this is happening. On the evening of March 11 this issue happened ag... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
While driving the pilot warning alerts popped up that none of the collision detection, lane assist, cruise control, and seemingly all radar related systems were working. Additionally, the headlights turned off. We have brought this to the Honda dealer on now three occasions, and there doesn’t seem to be any understanding of why this is happening. On the evening of March 11 this issue happened ag... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
My vehicle started flashing my seatbelt light when I was driving and I was buckled and then my airbag light came on and my automatic start and stop light came on and have stayed on. I took it into Chrysler Dodge Jeep ram and they charged me $203 to tell me that I don’t have any shorts in the seatbelt wire harness and they found a O.L (over limit) indicating that I have a internal open within the... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Service High Voltage System warning. Have had this come up on my car and I have seen that this issue has happened to many Prologue owners. The issue is with the battery cooling system. I am glad that the car did not just shut off while I was driving. Honda/GM need to make this right.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
Driver's seatbelt is unlatching while driving spontaneously. It is also having issues latching and staying latched. The dealership was not any assistance, as they said it was likely maybe dirt in the seatbelt (there isn't any debris). This is a huge safety concern, as we have a young child and are now concerned about the rest of the seatbelts doing the same thing.
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
On Saturday, March 1, 2025, I took my 2021 Kia Forte LXS for a routine oil change. I had NO PRIOR issues, warning lights or anything with my vehicle. The oil change was performed. I then drove my vehicle less than 20 miles, the vehicle would then not accelerate and started to bog down. I was able to get my vehicle off the major I-4 interstate, however eventually the vehicle then shut down. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
Engine locked up while driving. I was able to get off the highway. Truck would not crank back up. When trying to start it screens would light up then go black. I had truck towed to nearest GM dealership. The GM dealership informed me that the engine was locked up.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the TPMS warning light illuminated, with the “TPMS Fault” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with TMPS failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with an undisclosed recall. The m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the infotainment screen was blank. The vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the digital cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V556000 (E... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
I believe the electrical system may be defective as ever since I have had it the light bulbs frequently have to be changed. We own three vehicles in my households (the other 2 are non-Mercedes) and none of my other vehicles do this. The latest issue with the electrical system is that the rear tail lamp and power lift gate. I was told there was water that was getting in from somewhere but mecha... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for a routine inspection, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a tire replacement kit; however, the swollen lug nuts could cause the contact to be stranded on the side of the road if there was a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the driver's side sliding door failed to open. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the door actuator had failed. The mechanic replaced the door actuator; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact lat... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Driving and slowing down accident brakes and frontal collision and airbags didn't go off
Crash
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
This engine been consuming tons of oil in it and I keep having to add more oil to it and it doing same thing with the coolant causing the engine to heat up a lot and smoked too
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The check engine light came on a few months ago and my mechanic informed me that the vehicle has a recall issues for it. No remedy has been identified and the car is not operable as doing so may result in the car catching on fire. BMW has no timeframe for when they will be fixing this issue.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
Based on driver operator report, Vehicle suddenly stalls on the road/freeway. Dash panel indicates a warning message: "Engine Malfunction Power reduced Service now". I am managing a fleet. Our Company is Golden Route Operations in Las Vegas, NV. We have 35 units of this year and brand model.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
I recently purchased a 2018 Mercedes C300 and I noticed the rear view camera will not show an image. It mechanically will open and all other cameras are fully functional but the image will not show instead I see a icon of a camera in a red crossed circle. When doing VIN serch on my vehicle I don't see any open recalls. However, I noticed that NHTSA campaign number 22V232000 has recalled this exact... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
Collision Avoidance comprised of Following Gap and Alarm / Auto Braking does not function. One dealer after two trips and unable to repair stated that GM is working on a new software update and until that is available repair is not possible. No date was provided by dealer or GM customer service as to when this update would be available. Second dealer stated that system was in fact not functioning,... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2023
On [XXX] my vehicle displayed an engine light on the dash. The light went on and off randomly throughout the day. The vehicle was hooked up to a computer that said there were no issues and everything was fine. On [XXX] I drove the vehicle over 240 miles to Pittsburgh and back with no lights. At one point the vehicle did make a loud noise for the drive but I took it out of cruise control and everyt... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. 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 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 re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle became difficult to maneuver, with the service power steering message displayed. In addition, the contact stated there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact was able to... Read more