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: Nov 12, 2024
After starting the vehicle, backup camera and infotainment screen would not work. Car shut off and would not restart with “check system” message. Vehicle had to be towed.
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made awar... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the engine overheated and there was white smoke coming from ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
I took my van to the dealer and they told me that the sensor inside of the front mirror is faulty, causing the following lights to continue to cycle if the car is on: Adaptive cruise control problem (ACC); Auto high-beam problem (A); Road departure mitigation system problem; collision mitigation system problem; lane keeping assist problem (LKAS); brake system lights. I am unable to engage or di... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
I took my van to the dealer and they told me that the sensor inside of the front mirror is faulty, causing the following lights to continue to cycle if the car is on: Adaptive cruise control problem (ACC); Auto high-beam problem (A); Road departure mitigation system problem; collision mitigation system problem; lane keeping assist problem (LKAS); brake system lights. I am unable to engage or di... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Manufacturer refuses to fix open recalls via its dealer network. I have been calling my local Honda dealer, Wolfchase Honda in Bartlett, TN (ZIP: 38133) for almost two months asking them to fix my vehicle. They tell me they do not have the parts for either the steering gearbox recall (NHTSA recall number: 24V-744) or the fuel pump recall (NHTSA recall number: 24V-763) and to call back. When I cal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Manufacturer refuses to fix open recalls via its dealer network. I have been calling my local Honda dealer, Wolfchase Honda in Bartlett, TN (ZIP: 38133) for almost two months asking them to fix my vehicle. They tell me they do not have the parts for either the steering gearbox recall (NHTSA recall number: 24V-744) or the fuel pump recall (NHTSA recall number: 24V-763) and to call back. When I cal... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and failed to properly shift gear. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed and repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Vehicle goes into reduced power mode and prevents safe acceleration in traffic and is a major safety concern. The Coolant Control Valve is the issue which has been a problem in the Silverado for a few years. This part is also on national backorder.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
While driving on a state highway in cruise mode, the vehicle displayed a “CHECK CONTROL” message: •Support from Driver Assistance restricted •You can continue driving. Driver Assistance permanently restricted. •Check Control messages (1) Suddenly, the car exited cruise mode. While this is designed as a safety feature, it should not disengage abruptly during driving, as it may lead to pot... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
When refueling and the engine is on the revolutions (rpm) go up and down and then engine will turn off by itself. It then takes 2 to 5 minutes to restart engine and then you have to raise the rpm’s until it’s drivable. During this process you can also smell fuel from gas tank area.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The clutch Spring on these trucks have been failing heavily. We have a couple more of these trucks and they all have the same issue. the housing for the clutch springs are cracked or damaged at less than 500,000 miles on a heavy duty truck. These clutches are supposed to last over 1MM miles. Its not a coincidence that every truck we have is failing at the same mileage. These clutches are made defe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
While driving in a straight line the steering wheel seems momentarily disconnected from the wheels. The car feels like it is "fishtailing" and veers violently to one directing before returning to it's previous direction of travel. This action is random with no identifiable cause. The occurrences seem to be increasing in frequency. The last incident started with the vehicle traveling approxima... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The info center becomes unreadable therefore, if you use the back up camera, you cannot see clearly the objects behind your car. Volkswagen does not have a fix on this. They just recommend for now doing a hard reset on the info center. This is a concern of mine because it is a safety hazard when I try to use reverse I have to rely on mirrors and otherwise I have blind spots that I cannot see where... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
UNKNOWN- 2015 Honda Fit has been driving perfectly until 2 days ago I came to a red light and it lost power and shut off. Waited for a few hours cranked and shuts off.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
UNKNOWN- Vehicle gas gauge cuts off all of a sudden and takes a while to come back on.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The low beam left headlight (matrix LED) has had a dark spot in the drivers view since the vehicle was purchased in new in March 2024. This dark spot limits visibility at night and I feel is a serious safety issue. It has almost caused me to hit a pedestrian on more than one occasion. I raised this issue with Tesla service immediately after taking delivery of the vehicle. It's still not fixed. ... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2022
While returning from a recent camping trip my wife while following the trailer home noticed the house structure was swaying and bouncing too much. She had thought the rig would fall apart. We arrived home and notice that the slide was out 2-4 inches, the cabin door had opened, an interior wall had separated from exterior wall and a side wall had flexed 2 or more inches out by another slide. There... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
Windshield is coated with a plastic to prevent rock chips. The wipers have grooved the plastic. If the sun is shining and we were to try to clean the windshield it would be very hard to see the road. Seems like a manufacturing defect.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
During colder weather the power steering does not work. Any time the temperature is below 65 the light blinks and there is no steering. Even after cleaning battery connections well and replacing the fuses it does not work. We were towing just fine in the afternoon then in the morning when we attempted to drive it was out!
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
During colder weather the power steering does not work. Any time the temperature is below 65 the light blinks and there is no steering. Even after cleaning battery connections well and replacing the fuses it does not work. We were towing just fine in the afternoon then in the morning when we attempted to drive it was out!
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
I was driving in dense fog about 9 am on December 2, 2024. It was about an hour after sunrise. I passed an approaching car without lights on and thought to myself how dangerous it was to be driving in dense fog without lights. I then realized that my automatic headlights were off! That means my fog lights were also off. They were on when I first left the house. The fog was dense enough that cars ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The auto start and stop feature on my vehicle is not working. I called the dealer and they said they won't repair it. The recall for this issue is under investigation. When I have this feature on, and at a red light, my car turns off completely. I have to push to start over, but when I'm in drive and people are behind me waiting, it can be a safety issue because it frustrates cars behind me AND t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X1. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a cloud of blue and white smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB: SI B11 16 15 (Smoke from Exhaust when Starting a Cold Engine); however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact experienced failure known as the death wobble. The contact stated that the vehicle started shaking violently after driving over a bump in the roadway, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact regained control of the vehicle once the vehicle had slowed down and the shak... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
Emergency brakes engage while driving for no apparent reason. This has happened on several occasions over the last 6 months.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
My new 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro with 2440 miles experienced a transmission failure as I was driving up a mountain highway. I lost most propulsion of the vehicle with no advanced notice. I barely was able to make it to a portion of the road with a shoulder. There was heavy traffic due to the thanksgiving holiday traffic. The error on the Vehicle indicated Hybrid System Failure. In the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Brake system lights on dash came on as well as the check engine light. Park light was flashing on the dash. Safety is at risk as parking brake does not work. Took vehicle to dealer and they ran diagnostics. Codes: c0610 05, c0616 5a as per document id: 5709204. They said I need a new Brake System Control Module. Brake System Control Modules are on backorder. Brake System Control Modules have been... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); 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. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that when purchasing the vehicle, while test-driving the vehicle, the contact became aware of an issue with the steering wheel. The contact stated that the steering wheel was shaking and jerking abnormally, and the steering wheel would self-correct. The contact reached out to the Hyundai of Wesley Chapel where the vehicle was purchased, and t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
While driving on the road and passing through an intersection, my car suddenly applied the brakes automatically, attempting to stop the vehicle. During this time, there were no obstacles in front of the car, and I did not step on the brakes.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the SRS and air bag warning lights remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS). The contac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
abs module making noise abs light turn on, parking brake stay on, traction light stay on, odometer does not work, speedometer does not work, steering effort decrease, car also stop all of sudden. Car need it to be tow to my house. I took it to dealership they recommended to replace abs module because of a short. I found a recall for ABS MODULE INSPECTION AND MULTI-FUSE INSTALLATION for my santa fe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
In 2020 I Purchased Meyer Products Night Saber 4 LED Headlights for my snowplow. I thought they would be better than Meyers Nite Blaster 2 Halogen Headlights. Which I have found not to be the case. The Lens Defroster does not work well in heavy snow. They do not stay on constantly to keep melting snow off of the lens. Which becomes heavly snow laden severely impacting driving visibility. On m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Odyssey. 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 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 available. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that within a two week period she has add to add 2 quartz of oil in the engine though she has yet to observe an oil leak. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle has was not taken to a dealer in independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
This is the 2nd time within a year my airmatic suspension system has went out while driving and I have lost control of driving my vehicle. I have paid 3900 to have the problem repaired it has not been a year and the same issue has happened. Faulty dangerous suspension system airbag suspension is dangerous and faulty.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
Cross member holding file tank rusted through causing the fule tank to not be supported and shock mounts no longer support the shocks to frame causing shocks to bounce around with possibility to puncher fule tank or lines Also rear cross member that holders electrical components rusts off Excessive rust on top of fule tank causing a inability to make repairs without replacing fule tank in en... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Mid October 2023, we driving on the freeway and the car started to slow down on its own. We could not accelerate to match the speed of cars around us or to get the speed limits in a 55 to 65 zone, making it dangerous for us and others to continue driving on the freeway at extremely slow/low speeds. We towed it the dealership, who said it was defective spark plugs. This car was only 4 years old wit... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Mid October 2023, we driving on the freeway and the car started to slow down on its own. We could not accelerate to match the speed of cars around us or to get the speed limits in a 55 to 65 zone, making it dangerous for us and others to continue driving on the freeway at extremely slow/low speeds. We towed it the dealership, who said it was defective spark plugs. This car was only 4 years old wit... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Power steering failure along with advanced track faulty. Occurred during mid-drive.
Incident date: Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated several warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel was firm, and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diag... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2024
Cross member holding file tank rusted through causing the fule tank to not be supported and shock mounts no longer support the shocks to frame causing shocks to bounce around with possibility to puncher fule tank or lines Also rear cross member that holders electrical components rusts off Excessive rust on top of fule tank causing a inability to make repairs without replacing fule tank in en... Read more
Incident date: Nov 18, 2024
Cross member holding file tank rusted through causing the fule tank to not be supported and shock mounts no longer support the shocks to frame causing shocks to bounce around with possibility to puncher fule tank or lines Also rear cross member that holders electrical components rusts off Excessive rust on top of fule tank causing a inability to make repairs without replacing fule tank in en... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH on a bridge, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to exceed 20 MPH. The check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that after allowing the vehicle to remain idling for an extended time, th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
I purchased the car brand new March 2023. I noticed the front driver headlight fogs and has condensation in cool weather. I mentioned to the Dealership and they said it was a known issue but no fix for it. The light was sealed properly. This has been on going since 2023. The condensation has gotten worse and is a safety visability issue.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the tailgate inadvertently opened on its own. As a result, the contacts tool box fell from the vehicle potentially becoming a dangerous road hazard. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investiga... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
We were bringing our 2022 wagoneer to the dealership to have them investigate an issue with the battery light coming on this morning. While driving on interstate 95 north, all power cut out on the car, the power steering stopped working and the brakes failed. My husband had to navigate across 4 lanes of traffice with now power or brakes or steering to get to the shoulder. The car was towed to... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2024
Purchasd in January 2024 similar incident reported twice, early 2024 and now this date 12/2/24. Incident includes vehicle warning to “stop Vehicle. Engine will shut down’ followed by errant warning gauges going off, cameras, speedometer other indicators not working. Twice brought to dealer. First time they could not verify condition. Now I at dealer again for incident service. Pending. Seems t... Read more