2018 Bmw I3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (3) · Steering (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Bmw I3 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2019-04-17 · campaign 19V310000 · 159 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 i3 BEV and i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. A circuit board problem within the Electric Motor Electronics (EME) module may shutdown the supply of high voltage electrical power.
Risk: A shut down of high-voltage electrical power would result in a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EME module, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Equipment:electrical 2018-09-20 · campaign 18V652000 · 3,501 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
Risk: An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:frontal 2017-11-16 · campaign 17V720000 · 32,000 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 BMW i3 electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Unbelted, small adult, drivers may be at a higher risk of neck injury in the event of a frontal crash. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: During a frontal impact, unbelted, small adult, drivers could be at a higher risk of neck injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the Driver air bag control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at the dedicated i3 recall number 1-855-269-3361.
Service bulletins (143)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-05-06 · B010525 · Warranty Program/Extension
the evap systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
Electrical System 2024-12-04 · B011124 · Warranty Program/Extension
the high-voltage (hv) battery assembly cell modules temperature sensors (internal ntc repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date.
Electrical System 2024-12-04 · 011024 · Warranty Program/Extension
the high-voltage (hv) battery assembly cell modules temperature sensors (internal ntc repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2024-04-11 · B010524 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for this vehicle, the evap systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date. this coverage is subject to the same vehicle eligibility requirements, limitations, and
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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 ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Equipment:electrical 2022-09-01 · B840922 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an ims configuration.
Showing the 6 most recent of 143 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-18 · Fuel/Propulsion System“after reviewing bmw’s warranty documentation, i believe that the part replaced — specifically the evaporative emissions (evap) valve or purge valve and vapor canister (active charcoal canister) — should be covered under the california extended emissions warranty (tzev) for my 2018 bmw i3 with range extender. according to bmw’s california emissions …”
2024-08-12 · Structure:body“roof delaminating and is danger of flying off…”
2024-07-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System“this isn't a safety issue, rather it's a known problem with the factory ac compressor inside of bmw i3s and i8s that seem to constantly fail. i had a replacement under the car's factory warranty and the part already failed again right outside the part's warranty period. the replacement itself was quoted as a little over $9,000 but the dealership …”
2024-04-16 · Structure:body“my car has a problem with the carbon fiber roof panel. in the sun, the clear epoxy of the roof is de laminating from the carbon fiber beneath it. this is a safety issue because as it delaminates the clear epoxy is no longer properly attached to the roof and may fly off and into other vehicles when traveling at highway speeds. this is a well docu…”
2023-08-18 · Structure:body“the roof is cracking, yellowing and bubbling. i have heard that this is the beginning of roof failure and de-lamination. there have been reports and incidents of others roofs delaminating and having large pieces flying off and hitting other cars.…”
2023-07-01 · Steering“on two occasions the power steering failed while i was driving, once several months ago and again last wednesday. fortunately i was driving on surface streets close to home. i parked the car for twenty minutes and upon starting it the problem seemed to be gone. after the first occurance i went to the dealer and they said they knew nothing about t…”
2023-02-02 · Air Bags“"driver restraint system malfunction" light came on today. bmw i3's have had recalls in their past models due to design flaws in their airbag systems and assembly. while my car's year hasn't had a recall, searching the web shows that this issue is extremely common on bmw cars. and when the car is out of warranty (after 3 years), the cost for fixing…”
2022-06-12 · Steering“hello , i am owning a bmw i3rex (2018). recently like many other users experienced multiple times the loss of power steering after starting the vehicle. while previous events like this were short lived and resolved with stopping, turning off and on the vehicle, this time it was on entering a highway, where the car suddenly lost its power steering a…”
2022-05-11 · Vehicle Speed Control“on may 2, 2022, the car began to power down involuntarily every time i applied the brakes. this happened 2-3 times, and i was able to restart. the final time was in the middle of an intersection, the car would not restart, could not be placed in neutral to be moved out of the intersection, and i had to have a police tow. the tow service took it to …”
2022-02-08 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 42,600 mi“the contact owns a 2018 bmw i3. the contact stated that while driving in the rain at approximately 45 - 50 mph, the vehicle had unintended acceleration and the contact lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle came to a full stop after getting stuck in the mud on the side of the road. the failure nearly caused a collision. the dealer was made aware …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.