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: Oct 7, 2024
HIGH BEAM LIGHTS FAILED ON, THE HI-LO BEAM SWITCH IN TURN, HAZARD, WIPER COMBO SWITCH LATER OVERHEATED, BURN UP, SMOKE IN CABIN CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF LAMPS, WIPERS AT NIGHT IN RAIN. CLEARLY A COMMON ISSUE BASED ON WEB. IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEND FULL LOAD CURRENT WITH NO CONTROL RELAYS FORCE A HIGHER STANDARD ON DESIGN MARGINS AND AND MTTF. YOU HAVE (4) HEAD LAMPS ON A CAR NO REASON A DESIGN SHOU... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
The contact owned a 2020 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000 (Power Train) 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 while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle began to inadvertently roll away. The cont... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
I took my Ford edge to the service department of Pine belt Ford. They let me know that there was a crack in my engine block, causing coolant to leak into the engine.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V198000 (Air Bags); 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms part... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
My 2016 m6 bmw gran coupe, as if Sep. 27. 2024 I have passengers restrain and airbag malfunction , so many bmw owner's complain about this issue in the pass, it’s dangerous in case of an accident, please help with this issue 🙏🙏🙏 god bleess
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
While returning home with my wife and cat, we were approaching a train crossing when I attempted to slow down, already under the posted speed limit and I pressed the brakes very lightly to begin slowing to a stop. The brakes locked up and we began sliding toward the train crossing arms and moving train on the tracks, I attempted pumping the brakes at that point realizing something was very wrong. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
Ford Escape is experiencing multiple symptoms: * Fuel smell in the cabin * Sluggish acceleration * Hard start (cranks several seconds without ignition) after refueling * (RARE) Engine stall when coming to a stop.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Ford Escape is experiencing multiple symptoms: * Fuel smell in the cabin * Sluggish acceleration * Hard start (cranks several seconds without ignition) after refueling * (RARE) Engine stall when coming to a stop.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
I was driving on [XXX] across Kansas and my car suddenly braked hard. I was in cruise control when it occurred. I was not in automated driving mode as I don’t have that feature. This happen once before earlier this year on a two lane highway when a truck was coming toward me in the opposite lane. This time I was on a 4 lane highway with a large dividing median and there were no cars near me. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
Front left safety restraint system fault/Service is required
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
Front left safety restraint system fault/Service is required
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
When not coming to a complete stop for at least 5 seconds and trying to get going again the car bogs down / hesitates almost feels like it has stalled for around 3 to 5 seconds then lurches forward and engine continues to rev even after accelerator has been released. For example coming up to a red light that turns green before you finish stopping, yield signs or slowing into a turn lane and tryin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
When not coming to a complete stop for at least 5 seconds and trying to get going again the car bogs down / hesitates almost feels like it has stalled for around 3 to 5 seconds then lurches forward and engine continues to rev even after accelerator has been released. For example coming up to a red light that turns green before you finish stopping, yield signs or slowing into a turn lane and tryin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2024
Service shifter light came on and gear shift lights are all red. There does not seem to be a mechanical issue but the message does not go away until after a restart. Also, while the message is displayed, you cannot access any other visual features like the speedometer or navigation system.
Incident date: May 10, 2023
This bike was bought as new and has been a problem since it was new. This bike comes with a Hill Hold Assist, Meaning when on a hill the operator engages the hill hold feature by depressing the front or rear brake further after a stop while the clutch lever is depressed to disengage. The rear caliper locks the brake pads locking the rear rotor from moving. To disengage, the operator applies the t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
One day the car didn’t want to speed up and we almost had a car wreck
Incident date: Sep 17, 2024
One day the car didn’t want to speed up and we almost had a car wreck
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Passenger's seat belt sensor is alarming when no one is in the seat. The passenger side airbag warning light is also coming on and off. I took it to the dealer, and they confirmed that the sensor in the seat pad is bad. The airbag light was intermittently going on for several weeks before I took it in. The car has been at the dealer since mid-August, and I am told that the part is currently ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
I was driving and stopped in the center lane and the SUV would not move. I was left in an unsafe position. I was there about 10-15 min and got pushed out of the road. I turned the suv off and on a few times with no difference in response. I let the suv sit there about another 5 min and was able to move the suv and the problem has not occured today but it does seem to be shifting a little hard and ... Read more
BMW
C650 GT MAXI-SCOOTER
(2014) — VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
Oct 4, 2024
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an unintended opening and closing of the sunroof. The contact stated that the sunroof was opening and closing independently while driving and while the vehicle was parked and turned off with no keys nearby. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be replicated. The dealer con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
Reference recall No. 24V-576, I believe the issue reported in the recall is related to the 'Auto Start' feature of the vehicle. As a result of this failure, the safety issue can be much serious than what is stated in recall. In addition to the electrical overload of the starter, leading to risk of fire, the vehicle will not start, unable to shift out of Park therefore, potential of stranding the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Genesis G70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V528000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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 failure. Parts distribut... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
Anti-lock Braking System module failure due to poor/defective manufacturing and/or parts. This is a known issue with 2018 RAM 2500/3500 trucks. Safety is at risk due to failure of the ABS module which affects stopping performance. The RAM delear has diagnosed the issue as intermittent. The warning lights go on/off constantly while driving causing a distraction as well. This part should be rec... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
Lift gate stopped opening. Would no longer operate with any of the buttons in the car or key fob. Dealership states that they are seeing this happening a lot with this vehicle at around 60,000 miles. This is a safety issue. What if you needed to get out of your trunk due to an emergency. The lift gate latch quit working due to having 60,000 miles on your car. That makes absolutely no sense. I feel... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH and coming upon a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop, and the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The contact activated the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact became aware of brake fluid underneath the vehicle near the wheel and brake ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
ABS / BRAKE / TRACTION CONTROL/CRUISE CONTROL I am having problems with the list above. I have had my brakes, rotors and abs sensors replaced. Not to mention the dealership (Nyle Maxwell -Killeen, TX) supposedly did thorough check up and also changed out all the brake necessities a few years back. ****I will NEVER take my truck back to them EVER.**** The problem is because of this, I am a hazard... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
The manufacturer, Lexus, is unable to remedy an airbag safety recall (24LB05/24LA05) for my vehicle in a timely manner. Additionally, they are unwilling to provide a comparable 7-seat loaner. Our insurance has also threatened to drop coverage for the vehicle as it is unsafe to drive. In the meantime, we are unable to drive or sell the vehicle.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The infotainment system on the Mazda consistently glitches causing vehicle settings to be changed while the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The volume changes, navigation settings change, maintenance settings change including door settings and any setting that can be controlled by the touch screen. If a phone is connected to the system it will make calls and stop volume on system. Additionally, w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The infotainment system on the Mazda consistently glitches causing vehicle settings to be changed while the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The volume changes, navigation settings change, maintenance settings change including door settings and any setting that can be controlled by the touch screen. If a phone is connected to the system it will make calls and stop volume on system. Additionally, w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
car would not speed up no matter how hard i pressed accelerator, vehicle wouldn't speed up kept going at slower speed had to have towed to dealership. Don't know what is wrong. I was scared someone would hit me, or my speed would cause an accident. Only after issue started did engine light come on.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota 4Runner. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was discovered that the undercarriage was rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle jerked and almost crashed into another vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and pulled over the shoulder of the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The vehicle's LCD screen has become delaminated which causes the control of the radio, air conditioning, navigation, and other features controlled by the "radio" portion of the car to become dysfunctional. The car will randomly beep, change air temperatures, start navigation, cause the loss of hands-free communication. This is a safety hazard as it causes the driver to be distracted in order to at... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I purchased the vehicle used on 8/7/24 with 4,507 miles on it. On 8/13/24 while stopped at a red light in the fast lane, the car failed to accelerate and all the warning lights on the dashboard illuminated including the AT oil temp light which according the to owner's manual indicates the transmission. It stands for automatic transmission oil temperature. After turning on my hazard lights, I put t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the front driver side A-pillar trim detached and almost struck another vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owned a 2019 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 25 MPH, there was smoke emerging from the vehicle. The driver was able to pull over, and the vehicle caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, crash or airbag deployment. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. A police report was filed. The fire department was on... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
While approaching an overpass the collision mitigation system activated my brakes nearly causing the vehicle behind me to rear end my trailer, hit my brakes so hard i was thrown forward.
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
While approaching an overpass the collision mitigation system activated my brakes nearly causing the vehicle behind me to rear end my trailer, hit my brakes so hard i was thrown forward.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
While driving the speed suddenly reduced and brakes locked up on me. I was lucky enough to be able to veer to the left and get off the busy street without crashing into anyone or anything. When I stopped the car cut off and would not start back up even with a jump. This happened to me twice before and they did a recall on the same part. I need ot fixed again. I also had to replace the battery ever... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
While driving the speed suddenly reduced and brakes locked up on me. I was lucky enough to be able to veer to the left and get off the busy street without crashing into anyone or anything. When I stopped the car cut off and would not start back up even with a jump. This happened to me twice before and they did a recall on the same part. I need ot fixed again. I also had to replace the battery ever... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle has spontaneously locked up the front brakes/wheels three separate times. All three times have been at 55- 65mph and have completely locked up the front brakes leaving tire marks on the pavement. No Automated Braking System engaged, just full lock up. No warning lights or OBD codes and the dealer mechanics can find nothing wrong.
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
For about 1 month when I turned ignition on to pull off my steering would lock then once I started off it would be fine. I was driving from work and the steering completely locked up. And now the steering has completely went out. I am aware of the recall. And when Ford pulls up my vin it is part of the recall however, they won't approve it to be fixed under the recall 14S06 OR 15N01 because they s... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
Engine developed a ticking sound at idle. Turned out to be broken bolts on the exhaust manifolds which could have caused carbon monoxide to leak into cab of truck.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
Under certain braking conditions, going over gaps in the road/bumps/railroad tracks and using the brakes, the brakes will lock up and stop working. The ABS seems to stop working, brake shakes hard and the car will not stop at times. Issue can occur at any speed, seems to be more common in lower speeds, under 25. Mentioned problem to specific dealership in Colorado and they did not seem to care abo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
While driving 80 mph using cruise control on flat straight freeway, vehicle randomly would downshift from 10th gear into much lower gears, causing rapid deceleration. This happened multiple times, after transmission issues were reported to dealer and dealer "could not find any issues." Dealer eventually said new transmission was needed, replaced it, and then 30k miles later similar transmission is... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal because the steering wheel failed to unlock to return to normal functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The steering wheel remained inoperable. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
Multiple systems failure simultaneously. Lane Keep assist system, adaptive cruise control, braking system failure and automatic emergency braking as well as forward collision warning. This appears to be due to some fault within the system that multiple owners experience — many mentions of this issue in online forums. When taken to Honda they cannot even determine why but just start suggesting re... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
This vehicle is using insurmountable amount of engine oil.since I purchased the vehicle in 2024 I've had the oil changed once and twice the engine oil was down 3-4 quarts and when I started it,the engine was rattling because of oil disappearing.i purchased this nice looking car for.$5000.,so it's not junk to me it must be fixed.i think GM should be responsible for this problem.