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: Sep 7, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
GM has issue with Part restriction on the bottom end of the motor and rocker bearings going bad. No recalls on this just TSB. With that being said the motor blew a rod through the block because of the part restriction on the bottom end of the motor. GM wont fix it because it just a TSB. GM states that this is an issue the customer needs to fix and to look out for these issues. Even though the bott... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
I own a 2019 Mazda cx 5 and it has 78,000 miles. I noticed smoke coming from the engine and a lot of oil leaking on the ground. I brought the car into my independent service center and they confirmed that there was a crack in the engine cylinder head. There is a TSA # SA-031-21 on this problem. I feel that my safety was at risk, since the engine could have seized while driving. This vehicle is ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
Fuel lines, strong gas smell inside the cabin, the gas leak posed a significant safety hazard, risk of fire or explosion, risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, risk of injury or death to myself and/or others. It has happened while driving, while parked, during refueling, this vehicle has been inspected twice, the last inspection was done at Star Motors Auto Repair Shop in Sacramento, CA, I request t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was debris from the engine in the oil pan, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Sunroof exploded. There is a sunshade which protected passengers. Infiniti dealer and it is my understanding that the Company are aware that it happened. Repairs have been made. Three appeared to be no reason for the sunroof to explode.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 228I. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 228I. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle jerked abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission jerked intermittently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer; Greenville Mitsubishi (325 W... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
On Monday, August 5, 2024 when I started the vehicle and began driving to work I noticed upon startup the engine was clearly noticeably louder. It also made a strange bogging downshift type noise when idling. Upon driving, the noise seemed to go in and out but once reaching approximately 40mph the noise got noticeably loud again and the vehicle seemed as though it was having gear shifting issues. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
On Monday, August 5, 2024 when I started the vehicle and began driving to work I noticed upon startup the engine was clearly noticeably louder. It also made a strange bogging downshift type noise when idling. Upon driving, the noise seemed to go in and out but once reaching approximately 40mph the noise got noticeably loud again and the vehicle seemed as though it was having gear shifting issues. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
Vehicle hesitates when accelerating from a stop.
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
Brakes were malfunctioning and did not work. I was traveling South of Hwy 99 in the middle lane and noticed the vehicles in front of me were slowing down and braking. I attempted to applied the brakes but it was not working. I swerved to the left to avoid a collision with the vehicles in front of me. As I swerved to the left onto the fast lane, I hit the vehicle in that lane. Myself, along with th... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
The EPS system failed while driving on a major highway. I was in the passing (left) lane, and had to manually steer the vehicle. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership. The service department has had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks. They said that when they ran the diagnostic, there was a code. They cleared the code, and drove the vehicle. They were unable to duplicate the incident. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Driving on the interstate without cruise control on at 70 mph. I had a vehicle passing in the fast lane and a vehicle in front of me slowing down so I applied a little pressure to my brake peddle and my truck automatically began to accelerate on its own. I kept pushing on the brake peddle and it was stuck in a acceleration. The brakes tried slowing it down but it would not stop acceleration once I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2025
2nd row captains chair seatbelts spontaneously release without pressing button. This has happenned on both sides and multiple times. The issue occurs even after driving for a bit after hearing the click and tugging on the seatbelt to confirm initial latching.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
There is standing water on the driver’s side floorboard and a sloshing noise can be heard while driving. This appears to match conditions described in a Technical Service Bulletin (reference: NTB14-105a). The issue is especially bad in rainy conditions and the accumulation of moisture causes condensation on the inside of the windshield and windows making it difficult to clear off to see while dr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
Smell of Gas coming from the the fuel line, and the radio changes stations on its own
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
My car refuses to shift gears despite being able to start. The car and its gear shift (and transmission, power train, and any other potentially affected parts) are available for inspection upon request; however, the vehicle would have to be towed as it cannot be driven. There was zero prior warning, notice, etc. Cold weather may be a contributing factor, but this issue has been reported numerous t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Shark fin antenna - Telematic control module malfunctioning. Seems to have a leak issue causing modules inside/under antenna to get wet from rain or car washes. This is causing an error message "SOS emergency call system malfunctioning", you will not be able to make calls under an emergency. Other issues include GPS, remote start, lane assist, adaptive cruise control etc... not working properly a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
While driving on the interstate at 75 mph, the top trim from my grill flew off unprovoked hitting my windshield and roof of the truck. Luckily there wasn't anyone behind us but the noise definitely spooked myself and the passenger not knowing what just hit the windshield. I took it into the dealer from who I purchased the truck and told the entire grill must be replaced for a whopping $1571.26 n... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
The headlight and tail light went out unexpectedly. I brought my vehicle to a shop and they told me that my headlight got water inside of it. The shop informed me that this is a known issue with multiple BMW models. The headlight seal will slowly fail allowing moisture inside the housing which damages the electronics. The taillights have to have their electronics replaced due to some defect form t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the driver's side air bag warning light continued to blink on and off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V521000(AIR BAGS, ELECTRIC... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, he heard the sound of the tailgate opening independently. When the contact stopped the vehicle, he observed that the tailgate was open and he was able to raise and secure the tailgate. The contact stated that later he was starting the vehicle and saw that the tailgate was again open, however, he was not abl... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to stop for a traffic signal, the vehicle's rear end was swerving to the right and left directions. The contact stated that the rear wheels had at moments stopped turning which made the vehicle skip and bounce before he was able to stop. Additionally, the contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
Both passenger sliding doors will not open when vehicle is running or turned off. Manually trying to open the doors will not work as well.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
This vehicle is an electric vehicle and driven primarily in one pedal drive. When stopped, without any input to the accelerator, it will sometimes start moving forward. This has happened at least fifty times in the 2.5 years I have owned this vehicle. I have been fortunate enough to not strike another car (or pedestrian) at a stop light when the car will suddenly start moving forward, but there ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the heating system and defroster were inoperable. The contact stated that both the heater and defroster would not function properly as no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump may have failed and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
I was driving on the freeway, when All of the sudden the driver seat started to move by itself, and the door locks started locking and unlocking by itself.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Issue associated with existing TSB 22-014. Rear windshield glass spontaneously shattered when opening driver door. No other damaged to the glass prior, the car power was off as car had been sitting during work hours. Car was brought to local dealership and issue discussed with service team. It was escalated to service director, Dave. With the existing manufacturer warranty being expired as the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Backup camera faulty won’t connect just black screen
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
Mechanics told us there is coolant leaking into the engine because of a crack in the engine because of a flawed engine design.
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the power transfer unit needed to be replaced, but the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Trai... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V720000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution discon... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
My steering column will make a clicking sound, and the steering wheel and column will vibrate excessively.
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in unt... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2024
Passenger front head rest exploded/ejected while pulling into driveway.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
Whenever the temperatures drop below 40 degrees, the driver seat belts stops functioning properly. Have to pull several times before the seat belt strap can pull all the way to be clicked on. Once seat belt is locked in place, while driving the seat belt feels like it could choke me. Once temperatures are normal, the seat belt operates normally. Also, the rear center seat belt intermittently will... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
Transmission lock-up while driving. Rear end of vehicle jumped up felt like I was rear ended. If this happened at higher speed or when towing it could cause serious injury to myself or others. The problem is well known by the dealers and GM manufacturing, they have recalled over 400000 trucks with this issue years 2020 to 2022 and yet they are still installing the faulty control bodies in the tran... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Ridgeline The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 22V867000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 m... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The 12 volt battery keeps going dead or puts the car in to sleep mode. Ive been to the dealers 7 times and they have replaced the battery twice . I only have 14000 miles on it. this has been going on for most of the time i have had it. there is no safety issue at this time, it just wont start.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
Driver side outside rear view mirror shakes and makes driver nauseous. Mirror was replaced in December and replacement mirror shakes as well. Right side (passenger) doesn't shake. Vehicle now has 6500 miles on it. Original equipment windshield has a wavy appearance for the right 1/3 of it (in front of the front passenger seat). Both issues have been brought up with Mitchell Toyota in San An... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available The approximate... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
While using Actually Smart Summon to get my Tesla model X out of a parking spot it turned into the car next to mine and proceeded to try exit the space while scraping the doors of the Tesla and bumper of the BMW M5 next to me. Even though I was watching the car I couldn’t stop the crash from happening in time. There was a near miss with another person getting into the car adjacent to the vehicle... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
We were driving south on [XXX] near Ashland, Oh. We heard a knocking that got very loud and bad quickly. There was a loud metal on metal BANG. The entire dash lit up for a few seconds, I braked quickly pulling off the interstate as safely as I could. Shut the car off and called for a tow. We had it towed to Mikes Auto in Barberton, Oh. Thats where still is. The mechanic diagnosed the issue as GREN... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an alignment, but the mechanic was unable to perform the alignment due to a hole in the subframe. The contact was informed that the subframe had corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the RPM was fluctuating while driving. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repai... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the RPM was fluctuating while driving. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repai... Read more