The BMW M4 has 12 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2015–2026. On average a defect was admitted 1.18 years after the car was built, the slowest took 9 years. The most recalled system is Air Bags (4 campaigns). Owners also filed 44 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the BMW M4
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Air Bags 4 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive, M2 Competition Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, and 2019 330i xDrive Sportswagon vehicles. The driver and passenger knee air bag assemblies may have been improperly folded and assembled
Risk. An improperly folded and assembled air bag may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the knee air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive, M2 Competition Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, and 2019 330i xDrive Sportswagon vehicles. The driver and passenger knee air bag assemblies may have been improperly folded and assembled
Risk. An improperly folded and assembled air bag may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the knee air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2017 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive and M4 vehicles and Rolls-Royce Dawn vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat-mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash
Risk. If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
Seat Belts 2 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman…
Risk. During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury
Fix. Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and…
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, and M4 convertible vehicles. The Emergency Locking Retractors (ELR) within the front seat belt assemblies may have been produced with incompatible vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism housings
Risk. If the vehicle has an incompatible vehicle-sensitive locking mechanism, the seat belt may not restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary replace, the front seat belt assemblies, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
Power Train 2 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 BMW M3 Sedans, 2016-2017 BMW M4 and M4 GTS Coupes and 2017 BMW M4 Convertible vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange may fail resulting in a loss of propulsion
Risk. A loss of vehicle propulsion can increase the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify vehicle owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 BMW M3 Sedans, 2016-2017 BMW M4 and M4 GTS Coupes and 2017 BMW M4 Convertible vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange may fail resulting in a loss of propulsion
Risk. A loss of vehicle propulsion can increase the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify vehicle owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles manufactured May 30, 2015, to September 2, 2015, 2016 M4 Coupe vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to September 11, 2015, and 2015-2016 M4 Convertible vehicles manufactured May 29, 2015, to August 4, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driveshaft with a slip-joint that may not have been filled with grease. As a result, the slip-joint may fail over time
Risk. If the slip-joint fails, there would be a loss of power to the rear axle and therefore the vehicle would stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driveshaft, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 14, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
Electrical System 1 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2026 M4 and 430i vehicles. The positive battery cables may not be properly connected to the power distribution box, resulting in an engine stall and a fire
Risk. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash and a fire increases the risk of injury
Fix. Dealers will inspect and replace cables and power distribution box as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning…
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, and 2019-2021 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, and 2021 M3, M3 Competition, M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, X5 xDrive45e, 745 Le xDrive. The rotor and shaft within the integrated brake system may not have been welded properly and could separate during a hard braking event, possibly resulting in a loss of the Antilock Brake System (ABS) and braking assistance
Risk. A loss of ABS and a reduction in braking assistance can increase the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
Fuel System, Gasoline 1 Read
What's wrong. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 M2 Coupe and 2020 M4 Coupe vehicles. Fuel injectors may have been installed without a damping component which is used to reduce vibration. If a damping component is not present, vibration will increase at the connection between the fuel line and the fuel rail, which over time, can result in damage at the connection
Risk. A damaged connection between the fuel line and the fuel rail could lead to a fuel leak and, in the presence of an ignition source, increase the risk of a fire
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel injectors and if a damping component is missing, the injectors and the fuel rail will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
Structure 1 Read
What's wrong. BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen
Risk. Loose rear sub-frame bolts may adversely affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
What's wrong. BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen
Risk. Loose rear sub-frame bolts may adversely affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 1.18 years |
| Slowest campaign | 9 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 9.1% |
| Campaigns on record | 12 |
Which M4 years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System | |
| 2021 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | |
| 2018 | Seat Belts | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | |
| 2016 | Power Train | |
| 2015 | Power Train |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the BMW M4 have?
12 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2015–2026. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my M4 still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 1.18 years, and the slowest campaign came 9 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.