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: Jan 23, 2025
Engine had to be replaced at 25000 miles.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
SWC 4WD notice Car starts shaking go beyond 60 mph
Incident date: May 23, 2024
Unknown, I was pulling into a parking spot, at Sam's Club, and lightly tap the gas petal for the turn and the truck lunched forward in the one carlink, and hit a concrete parking pole (Sam's club in Southgate Michigan has security cameras) it warped around the pole and bent the frame as if though it was 90 mph and a telephone pole.. I had taken it in twice under warranty for the gas pedal not wor... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of an unknown NHTSA recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2024
My ABS system is not working Anti-traction control and cruise control. Dealer says parts not available for last 2 years. No reasons for manufacturer delays. dealer says part cannot be ordered.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
On a day which had a high temperature of 16F our Kia Carnival Hybrid SXP, after not being used most of the day, when driving would not exceed 31 miles per hour. The engine would not rev loudly or give any indication of an error but would not go over 31 mph even with the gas pedal fully depressed. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the problem did not repeat.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
On a day which had a high temperature of 16F our Kia Carnival Hybrid SXP, after not being used most of the day, when driving would not exceed 31 miles per hour. The engine would not rev loudly or give any indication of an error but would not go over 31 mph even with the gas pedal fully depressed. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the problem did not repeat.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The truck was dropped off on November 11th of last year due to a valve body failure, and I’ve been informed that repairs cannot be completed because the necessary parts are unavailable. I purchased the truck in late August of last year and am now stuck making payments on a vehicle I can’t even drive. When I approached the GMC dealer about trading it in or having them buy it back, they said tra... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
On the evening of December 5, 2024 my 2012 KIA OPTIMA's engine completely seized out of no where while traveling on a very busy road where the speed limit is 50mph putting my life and other drivers that share the roads life in danger. Thank god I was able to succesfully merge over into a safe place as the car came to a hault. Previous to this incident the car was running perfectly fine with no das... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Brake System malfunctioned. Brakes making horrible grinding noise at 25000 miles. Took to dealership under warranty and was told "that is just the sound that GM brakes make" and they refused warranty repair. Assured noise wouldnt worse, but continued. Paid to have brakes replaced and the SAME exact noise continues today. Brake fluid leaked everywhere and totally disabled the entire braking system ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Vacuum pump and vacuum pump belt replacement. Experiencing increased brake pedal effort, hard brake pedal, and increased stopping distance. Confirmed by an auto shop and mechanic that this is the issue. There was special coverage given by General Motors to this vehicle to address this issue that expired in November (but I did not know that this existed). The vehicle has not yet hit 150,000 mil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
I have a Cadillac XT4 with 33K miles. Last week my battery was dead. As a senior citizen who is a widow it is important that I not be stuck in a situation where I cannot get my car started which is why I am diligent with my maintenance. After I finally got my car to the dealership where I was charged $425 for the battery I started to investigate other owners complaints of this nature. Based on ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
I got the high voltage battery warning error on my dashboard after one random night of charging. The error doesn’t go away after 3 days and at times, the vehicle could not charge. I contacted my salesman and he suggested a hard reset which involved turning off the car and keeping the car fobs at least 20ft away, which worked. However I’m still concerned there is an issue with the battery. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
I have had this truck for about 3 weeks and the first day I brought it home the Parking brake was engaged upon starting the truck along with the collision light. It finally came off and drove the truck. Took it to the dealer they checked it and said it was fine per their assessment. Couple days later it happened again took back to dealer as the collision and parking brake light and brakes were stu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2025
I have had this truck for about 3 weeks and the first day I brought it home the Parking brake was engaged upon starting the truck along with the collision light. It finally came off and drove the truck. Took it to the dealer they checked it and said it was fine per their assessment. Couple days later it happened again took back to dealer as the collision and parking brake light and brakes were stu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The engine failure in my 2017 Lincoln MKC was caused by coolant intrusion, a known design flaw affecting thousands of 2015-2019 models. This serious issue presents a severe safety risk to drivers and passengers. Symptoms Engine light illumination Shakiness and sputtering at startup Misfire on cylinder #3 Rapid coolant loss Intermittent engine light warnings Battery-like symptoms (vehicle not sta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to close the trunk manual, there was an electrical shock where her hand came in contact with the trunk. As a result, the contact's wife sustained a minor burn to her left hand. The contact was a physician who confirmed that his wife sustained a second-degree burn and treated his wife for the injury. The... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
Car will randomly stop while in reverse. This would happen even without obstructions or other vehicles in view. This happens at least every few days. I made sure to keep the camera free from debris and dry. The parking break will also enable as soon as it brakes.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the buttons located on the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. Due to the failure, the contact could not access several of the safety features such as Lane Assist, Blind Spot Assist, or Parking Assist. The contact called the manufacturer for assistance after discovering online that the part needed to repair the vehicle was on ba... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was consuming an abnormal amount of coolant. Additionally, the contact stated there was an abnormal burning odor coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed previously for an engine coolant leak. The vehicle was left parked at a gas station wh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
I just read about a NHTSA probe or study that's been upgraded for unexplained braking on Honda Insights. This unexplained sharp automated braking has happened at least half a dozen times in my car. There was never anything in or near the vehicle path that would explain the braking. It was always good weather (no hazard road conditions). In every instance it was a brief but sharp braking (with a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
The following has happened 4-5 times now on our Kia Carnival 2025 SXP Hybrid: After turning on the car, the car can be driven but does not allow the driver to increase the speed beyond ~30 miles per hour. No warning indicators or messages are displayed when this occurs. Turning the vehicle off and then on again temporarily resolves the issue. One of the times it occurred, I went straight from a 2... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The shock absorbers have prematurely failed as other recalled 2020 GLS vehicles, but our VIN is not showing under the recall campaign 20V329000. Can our vehicle be included on this recall?
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The Check Engine Oil warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the VIN not being under recall. The vehicle was towed to the residence. Upon fu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
Was on the interstate driving 75 mph, with my daughter, her friend, my wife. And the car cut off, and dealership said engine locked. 45 minutes prior i was on a snowy mountain road, and this vehicle has 939 miles on it, one month old. Now i am reading about the investigation, and feel this is negligence on gmc. This could have been a disaster and life changing for me. I dont care if its a 75k vehi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s seats headrests failed to remain in an upright position. The contact stated that the headrests were not able to be raised into positions and locked to accommodate passenger's necks and back of the heads. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagn... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The engine seized up at approximately 20,000 miles while exiting the highway. I took the vehicle to GM and they needed to replace the entire engine. I was told it was a common problem with the 6.2 engine by the service manager.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
I don't remember the exact days but the air bag light comes on twice
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump module and the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; howev... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Windows issues multiple times. The first time the driver side front window would occasionally go up then automatically down when I tried to raise the window. Likewise when I tried to open the window it would go up and down. Dealer couldn’t identify a problem since it was occasionally an issue. Then when it finally no longer worked at all it was repaired. Now the driver side window has malfu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
My wife was driving the vehicle when all of a sudden the engine started knocking and throwing a bunch of codes. The engine has a bottom end knock and it seems this is a known problem with these engines.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
Car was misfiring, oil in the spark plugs. Took it to our mechanic and basically told us we need a new engine. The car in a 2017 with 143,000 miles. There was coolant in cylinder 1 of the engine. Mechanic said cylinder walls are not properly sealed causing the head gasket to fail repeatedly even after replacement.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
I was driving my Car when it stalled the police helped me to get my car towed to my home I then had it towed to Gilbert Az Kia Dealership where it is now and waiting for Kia to approve Engine Replacement
Incident date: Jan 19, 2025
The seat belts unbuckle on their own while driving. They are fully engaged and the safety light indicator turns off but then as you are driving they will intermittently unbuckle themselves. I have taken it to the dealer several times and have been told it’s a corporate issue and there is nothing they can replicate so they can’t do anything about it.
Incident date: May 5, 2023
The vehicle was driving and lost all power and came to a stop. After about 5 seconds vehicle regained power. The "check engine light" illuminated on the dash. took to dealer and stated could not replicate problem. Only have the report from vehicle computer and the EV technician did not understand the information and had to call GM for help. Got car back and problem happen again. Dealer had GM spe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The engine at 108,000 had a lifter that failed. There were no prior warning signs before this happened. This caused the engine to lose power. As a result of the lifter failing this caused other internal damage to the engine. It was towed to a local dealer where I was told it was going to cost over $9000 dollars to repair. It has also had some hard shifting in the transmission as well and many othe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
I cannot back out of my garage or down my 20 foot driveway without the car emergency braking 2-3 times. There is nothing behind me. This happens every time. I had to disable the following features. - Park Assist with Braking - Rear Cross Traffic Braking
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
I purchased this vehicle on January 1, 2025. I drove it last night for the first time after dark. The headlights were so dim I could hardly see to drive. I had to use my brights except when a car was coming towards me, then I put them on dim and slowed way down. Leaving them on bright would have endangered other drivers and myself. I purchased the car with no warranty so now I either drive only du... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
1. The authorized dealer repair center stated my engine has failed and needs to be replaced. It is currently at the dealer so it's unknown if it is available for inspection. I'm sure if the inspector would go to the dealer I can make that process happen. 2. The point of complete engine failure has not occurred as of yet to me so It is unknown how this would effect my safety. One would have to as... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
I lost power and was sandwiched between semis and as I was going over one of the mountains, I went from 70 mph which was the speed limit at the time down to 45 to 50 I mean I couldn’t keep the speed. It was sudden with no warning and also had this happen on previous occasions which was reported to KIA. It caused road rage from drivers and also almost multiple accidents over time. I thought at on... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
4100 Miles - Asked service dept. at dealership to check for noise coming from underside of vehicle. No service was completed. 4800 Miles - Asked service dept. at dealership to check again for noise on suspension. Service indicated it was a parking brake cable that was rubbing. 9800 Miles - Asked service dept. at dealership to check fluttering noise coming from engine. No service was completed. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
My 2018 Jeep Renegade was manufactured in 2017..There is a recall on high oil consumption for this car.My car has burned oil since it was bought l every 3 months I bring it in to dealership and it is completely empty. It has stalled right in the middlle of traffic and shut off. As the car has gone up in miles the issue seems to be getting worse. I now run out every two months and there seems to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
Engine fails to start after shutoff and after engine temperature is hot. Inability to start engine on the road after cutting ignition can increase risk of being hit on the road. The dealer has not been able to reproduce. The vehicle has been inspected by BMW repair shop and had me replace the battery but the problem still persists. Subsequent service appointments have resulted in BMW technicia... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
I am writing to bring to your attention a serious concern regarding General Motors (GM) and the incomplete recall of certain vehicles that pose significant safety risks to consumers. Specifically, I am referring to the recall announced on May 10, 2023, under Manufacturer Recall Number N232404980 and NHTSA Recall Number 23V334, affecting the 2014-2017 model year Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2024
I have 2009 Toyota Camry LE, the problem is engine oil, if I changed/filled the engine oil in certified stores, but after 400 miles the engine oil is not in the engine chamber I checked the leaks or any other sort of damage but there's nothing like that I verified the same thing with the dealership too. Basically my point is due to extensive consumption of engine oil the engine will brake in the m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
Car will stop abruptly even when simply reversing out of my garage when there are no obstacles behind me. This poses a safety risk to me and others. Car has not been inspected. I was told by the dealer this is a known complaint. No warning lights or messages.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
I crossed over the west bound lanes and turned left in the east bound lanes and under slight acceleration when my truck started jerking as if i was braking/accelerating back and forth. My diesel engine then went into limp mode and my transmission was stuck in a low gear and would not shift. I could only drive approximately 20 mph at 3000rpm. The people coming up behind me had to slow down because ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The issue involved multiple systems, including the ABS system, brake system, and electronic stability system (ESG), along with a significant loss of braking power. These components may still be available for inspection. My safety and that of others were seriously at risk during my morning commute in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The truck lost braking capability, nearly causing a collision with t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
When vehicle hits pot hole front end steering wheel vibrate shakes steering wheel and whole car. I took it to Jeep dealership in Beeville Tx and was told it’s not under warranty
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
The vehicle comes with an HondaLink app that allows control of many features and is needed to claim the valuable charging credits (EVGo) that come with the vehicle. It has been more than a month since we bought the vehicle and the HondaLink app has never worked. I have been on the phone with Honda many times with no fix. They have sent me email links to patch the issue, but none of the links ha... Read more