Owners have filed 171 complaints on the BMW i3, covering 2014–2017. The system named most often is Steering (39 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2017, 2015; cleanest: 2016, 2015, 2017. 9 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 5.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW i3
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 171 i3 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 39 Read
On multiple occasions, when pulling away from a parking sport or accelerating from low velocity, the power steering on left appears to lose power. The car begins to pull very heavily to the left. The issue continues the entire drive. The steering became hard. After turning the car off, the steering returned to normal
Steering intermittently becomes heavy, making vehicle harder to control. Turning the car off and back on again clears the problem. It's hard to describe the feeling of the steering: you are able to turn but it feels like the car is trying to prevent you from turning the wheel. The problem seems software-related rather…
While driving on dry pavement, steering suddenly became difficult. I felt resistance and I clearly needed both hands to turn the wheel
Structure 32 Read
The roof of my car is delaminating. It's discoloring and developing bubbles. I looked online and found this is a common issue with the vehicle. I believe this may be a structural concern considering the cars body is composite and the roof contributes to the structural integrity of the vehicle. Not to mention the…
Carbon roof delaminating due to lack of UV protection. Parts of i3 roofs dethatching at highway speeds
I'm writing this in anticipation of my carbon-fiber roof failing, though it has not yet. It is showing standard early signs, consisting of blistering of the clear coat, which appears to be directly over the fiberglass composite roof surface proper. I keep it covered, and that probably has much to do with the…
Power Train 21 Read
The contact owned a 2017 bmw i3. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, his vehicle accelerated independently into on coming traffic without warning. As the contact struggled to regain control of the vehicle, he steered the vehicle into a wooded area where he hit a trash dumpster. The air bags did not…
Car stopped all of sudden while driving without any heads-up. Simply said call drivetrain malfunction please call roadside assistance. The most scary part is that the sudden stop
A day after the recommended service. While driving on I 95 with range extender, noticed the drive train malfunction alert with rapid deceleration needing to pull to the right shoulder quickly. Bmw assist took the car to the nearest bmw dealer, who said it was lack of electric charge, plugged the car in charger and…
Air Bags 20 Read
Summary On September 30, 2025, the passenger in a 2017 BMW i3 REX was involved in a severe frontal collision with a Gas Company Utility Vehicle. The impact struck the driver’s side extending toward the passenger side, causing the vehicle to spin violently and nearly flip. The passenger reports seatbelt failure with…
Involved in a frontal collision and air bag did not deploy. Airbag could've prevented more serious injuries suffered. I contacted the service center at BMW Roseville and left a message for the service manager, no return call. The vehicle has been inspected by an insurance authorized collision center and is considered…
The contact owns a 2014 bmw i3. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and remained stuck causing the vehicle to crash into a brick wall. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained chest and neck injuries, which required medical attention. The…
Electrical System 16 Read
I turned on the car, opened the gate and put the car in reverse. I pressed the gas peddle lightly and the car flew out of the driveway, hit the gate, flew out into the street and hit a parked car. During this time, the car brakes never worked. It was as if the gas peddle was stuck and the brakes did not work to stop…
While driving on the freeway's hov lane (fully charged, not on the extended range), the car gave "drivetrain malfunction" and the propulsion died shortly after
In emergency situations when activating the horn, there is an unacceptable delay between when the horn is pressed and when there is actually sound produced. I have taken this up with the dealer and have been informed "that's just how it is." In looking across the internet, I see this is affecting all BMW i3 and some…
Vehicle Speed Control 8 Read
I turned right into a parking spot in front of a commercial buidling. I remember slowing down as I approached the parking space. As the car slowed, it suddenly jerked and then accelerated causing it to go over the concrete parking header and collide into building exterior and metal gate. The car was in slow speed as I…
When the vehicle is in eco pro plus mood. While speed is above 56mph the vehicle will somtimes automatically break to 56 mph. When in cruise control this seems to happened when cruise control is disengaged every time. I feel this is a safty concern especially when I try to accelerate but the car will ignore my input…
When electric range is out, the engine kicks in and speed immediately drop to 50+mph on the freeway climbing up a hill the first day I bought the car which scares me and I have to stay on the left lane and quickly exit. I just read the lawsuit which is exactly what happen to me too
Fuel/propulsion System 4 Read
Bmw leased me an i3 after they should have been aware it had been recalled. I have attached an internal bmw memo where notice was provided to their staff not to lease the car and my lease occurred after the recall and their distribution of the memo
While driving the console had a message: "drivetrain malfunction". I was able to coast over to the side of the road but could accelerate after the message on the console. Very dangerous situation. No warning, once the message appeared on the console the car would not accelerate
After a recent software update, the computer is unable to indicate the accurate state of charge, causing unexpected power loss. My range extender was not able to engage before power loss, and the car indicated 50+ miles of range remaining. I was driving on a freeway when the power loss occurred, which took me from 65…
Engine 4 Read
The contact owns a 2014 bmw i3. The contact purchased the vehicle used in june of 2019. In early august, a loud grinding noise was heard when the air conditioning was activated. While braking, the contact released the accelerator pedal and heard a thumping sound and the drive train malfunction indicator illuminated.…
I was stopped at a stop sign and when I accelerated the rear of the car felt like it got rear ended. I walked around the car, nothing was wrong. It drove fine up to 40 mph, then on the highway, it made a rrrr sound. The next day I found out that the engine mount bolt snapped
I've had to replace the engine motor mount bolts twice in 3 years
i3 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 3 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 79 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.2 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.1 years |
A model average of 2.2 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the i3?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2017, 2015 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which i3 years are the cleanest?
2016, 2015, 2017 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW i3 have?
171 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2014–2017. Of those, 9 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.