NHTSA Safety Recalls
BMW i3 Recalls by Year
NHTSA's files hold 5 recall campaigns for the BMW i3, across 4 model years from 2014 to 2017. The 2014 has the most (4); the fewest among years with a recall is 2016 (2).
- Model years
- 4
- Recall campaigns
- 5
- Most recalls
- 2014
- Owner complaints
- 215
2014–2017, with a recall
4 recalls
all model years, NHTSA
Owners have filed 215 complaints with NHTSA about the BMW i3 across 7 model years; the most, 54, concern the 2014.
Owners marked a crash on 10 of the BMW i3 complaints (5%) and a fire on 2.
Across all BMW i3 model years, owners name the steering most often (at least 48 complaints), then the structure (40).
NHTSA received the most complaints about the BMW i3 in 2019: 34, across all model years.
The component recalled most often on the BMW i3 is air bags: frontal, in 5 model-year listings.
The newest BMW i3 recall, 17V720000, was reported on November 16, 2017 and concerns the air bags: frontal.
BMW i3 years to avoid
Too few BMW i3 model years have a complete complaint window to rank them: 3 of the 5 needed.
The ranking uses owner complaints in each model year's first years on the road, adjusted for NHTSA's complaint volume for that model year. It is not adjusted for sales and is not a reliability rating. Method
Recalls and complaints by model year
First years: complaints received from the year before the model year to three years after it.BMW i3 years without a link have no recall page on this site.
What gets recalled most on the BMW i3
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL5
- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS4
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE2
- AIR BAGS1
BMW i3 model-year listings per recall component; one campaign can cover several years.
Every BMW i3 recall campaign (5)
| Campaign | Component | Years | Risk named | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17V720000November 16, 2017 | air bags: frontal | 2014–2017 | injury | 32,000 |
| 17V088000February 9, 2017 | fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings | 2014–2017 | fire | 19,130 |
| 16V914000December 20, 2016 | air bags | 2017 | injury | 3,506 |
| 15V628000October 7, 2015 | air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module | 2014–2015 | crash and injury | 6,073 |
| 14V422000July 14, 2014 | air bags: frontal | 2014 | crash and injury | 27 |
Vehicles: NHTSA's count of potentially affected vehicles in the whole campaign, not only the BMW i3. Each campaign page has the defect, risk and fix in NHTSA's words.
Newest record on this page: October 19, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted