What BMW 320I owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See BMW 320I safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 94 |
| 2017 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 276 |
| 2016 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 353 |
| 2015 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 421 |
| 2014 | 53 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 486 |
| 2013 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 530 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
The vehicle systems named most often in BMW 320I complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
The contact owns a 2014 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating with the check engine warning light illuminated, with the message "Drive Train Malfunction" displayed. The contact stated that later while attempting to drive there was a loud sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was parked due to the fear of a crash. The failure mileage was 77,000.
The engine drivetrain malfunctioned and there is a message. My safety and safety of others was put at risk when I was driving the car it was shaking kicking moving on its own not braking I couldnât control the car. I felt as if the car was about to hit someone on the road and the engine was going to blow up or transmission. I was afraid it was very scary! There is an engine misfire No When I bought it, it was a tire sign and shaking but the salesman said it was just the tires after two weeks the engine sign was on and a drivetrain malfunction message came up and the car was shaking kicking moving on its own about to hit some people on the road and I couldnât control it and the engine o…
After tightening the harness, the straps slip and loosen completely on their own without pressing the release button. This happens due to normal movement while driving, leaving my child completely unrestrained and unprotected. I have already followed the manufacturer guidelines to thoroughly clean the adjuster mechanism and the strap area with warm water to rule out any debris or buildup. While it seems to hold for a brief period, the mechanical failure returns after a couple of days.
The fuel system was causing my engine to shut down, and I got it replaced at a mechanic. About some time later, after fixing the fuel system, I received a letter from BMW telling me that they had extended the warranty on the Fuel tank, but when I took it in, they said that there was no such extended warranty. The letter is from April 2022, but I just recently found it.
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 320I. The contact stated that the Drive Train Failure, Check Engine, and Engine Overheating warning lights were illuminated. There was a fuel odor coming from the vehicle, and fluid was leaking underneath the vehicle near the muffler and under the driver's side seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the codes were cleared but the failures persisted. Another dealer, Hendrick BMW Northlake (10720 Northlake Auto Plaza Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28269); was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched and found information about a recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not …
I was driving on a on a busy interstate after work and out of nowhere I get the Temperature warning and start losing power. This is Dangerous! I am submitting this complaint to report a safetyârelated defect involving the electric water pump on my 2014 BMW 320i. This issue is widely documented among BMW owners, and several 3âSeries models from the same production years have been included in recalls or service bulletins for premature water pump failure. However, the 2014 BMW 320i (F30 chassis, N20/N26 engine) is not included, despite experiencing the same failure pattern. In my case, the water pump failed without warning. During the coolant bleeding process, there was no circulation or …
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unexpectedly started rolling forward. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to immediately respond. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact referenced an unknown recall for the failure, but the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
On 09/16/25, I was exiting the Florida turnpike onto Sawgrass Highway via the exit ramp on exit 71. As I decelerated from 60 MPH to 35 MPH to match the speed of the exit ramp, I was in the left most lane in the two-lane exit ramp. My car spun out and I lost control of the vehicle, which caused the vehicle to spin through the two lanes of the ramp several times and ended up drifting onto the edge of the retention pond on the left of the exit ramp. I probably had spun around over three times and my car hung off the edge of the retention pond with the only thing preventing my car from falling into the pond being the rocks to prevent erosion on the side of the pond. The airbags on the drivers si…
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle âÃÂÃÂdischarged batteryâÃÂàcomplaints.
DIESEL FUEL INJECTORS: LTD WTY EXTENSION TO 10 YEARS/120,000 MILES
PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE (PCV) EXTENDED LTD WTY 15 YEARS/150,000 MILES
Check Control message (CCM) indicates: (ID 213): Stop, exercising due care. Voltage supply The Service Engine Soon light is on with the following DME Fault Code: 21B209 - Starter alternator / belt for 48V system (OSA_RIEMEN_RISS): Belt betweenCombustion engine and starter generator torn And/or one or more of the following other issues are also occurring: Noise in the area of the belt drive. Odor from the engine compartment. Smoke formation in the area of the belt drive. Drive belt damaged or prematurely worn. Torn drive belt.
After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.
The 3G network in the US has been shut down. This means that only the 4G network will be available. In the 4G network, voice calls will be transferred via the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) function. For this purpose, the SIM card must perform an IMS registration in the mobile communication network. Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. The Connected Drive voice services (Concierge Call, BMW Assistance, and emergency call voice) can no longer be used regionally in the US in vehicle with telematics control units ATM-1 and TCB-4G. Voice cont
Exterior rear lights do not work.
After an automatic engine start (MSA start), the transmission intermittently goes into the Park "P" or Neutral "N" position without any customer influence.
For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Fuel Injectors to 10 years/120,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date.
Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration.
Component specific limited warranty extension. For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Sensor(s) to: 10 years/120,000 miles as determined by the vehicle original in-service date.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 20
In a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According to BMW, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in imprope
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2012–2018, owners most often name: engine, electrical system, air bags. 153 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.