BMW I3 · model year

2017 BMW I3

65 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017BMWI3 carries 65 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 1 fire, 7 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 I3 is steering with 11 filings, followed by unknown or other (10) and electrical system (7). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2017 I3. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

65
Complaints
4
Crashes
1
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

65 filings

Crashes Reported

4 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING11
UNKNOWN OR OTHER10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
STRUCTURE:BODY7
POWER TRAIN6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
AIR BAGS3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2
SERVICE BRAKES2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS2
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
SUSPENSION1
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER1
TIRES:MARKINGS1

Recalls (3)

16V91400020/12/2016

AIR BAGS

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Min

17V72000016/11/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

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 St

17V08800009/02/2017

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2017 i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. The fuel tank vent line may rub against the ribbed wire protection sleeve of the battery positive (B+) cable, creating a hole in the vent line and causing a fuel vapor leak.

Recent Complaints

20260127STRUCTURE:BODY

The roof is delaminating causing a danger to my vehicle and others

20251217CrashAIR BAGS

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 excessive slack, leading to partial ejection from the seat, mid-thigh restraint, and collision with the steering wheel. The head lodged under the steering column, resulting in loss of consciousness and a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with ongoing neurological issues. Only the driver’s curtain and seat airbags deployed; the steering wheel and passenger frontal airbags did not. Seatbelt Failure Analysis Seatbelts in modern vehicles like the BMW i3 include retractors and pretensioners designed to lock and tighten upon impact detection via accelerometers. Excessive slack, as described, suggests a malfunction in the pretensioner system, which failed to eliminate belt lo

20251217CrashSEAT BELTS

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 excessive slack, leading to partial ejection from the seat, mid-thigh restraint, and collision with the steering wheel. The head lodged under the steering column, resulting in loss of consciousness and a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with ongoing neurological issues. Only the driver’s curtain and seat airbags deployed; the steering wheel and passenger frontal airbags did not. Seatbelt Failure Analysis Seatbelts in modern vehicles like the BMW i3 include retractors and pretensioners designed to lock and tighten upon impact detection via accelerometers. Excessive slack, as described, suggests a malfunction in the pretensioner system, which failed to eliminate belt lo

20251011STRUCTURE:BODY

The carbon fiber roof is bubbling and disintegrating. I have one section behind the passenger door that is the size of my FULL hand that is in a circle shape where the roof is scaling and peeling. Each day that passes, the known spot is getting bigger and bigger. It's embarrassing to see this happening to my car and makes my care look worthless. Definite eye sore. I currently have the (1) i3 EV that is the family car, (2) M3's mine is a convertible and the other is my husbands, of course, (1) M1 my son's and (1) M235 I which is my daughters. We are definitely a BMW family. Shame on BMW if they do not cover this.

20250929STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that there were discolored bubbles developing on the roof of the vehicle. The roof of the vehicle was delaminating. Upon further inspection, the contact found out that the hot climate and UV rays and the composite structure might be the factors causing the failure. The vehicle was taken to a body shop. The contact was informed that the carbon fiber used on the vehicle might have caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Mileage: 32,000

20250929VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper fluid failed to function as intended. The contact's husband checked the windshield wiper reservoir; the hose had rodent teeth marks, and part of the tubing was missing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the failure persisted. The contact's husband checked the reservoir and found that rodents had eaten the tubing again and had built a nest inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's husband repaired the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the contact found out that the manufacturer had added soy to all the plastic tubing in the vehicle, which was an attractant to the rodents. The failure persisted. The vehicle remained at the dealer pending the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Mileage: 32,000

20250902ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

There was an electrical fault in the door handle, specifically for the comfort access function circuit inside the handle itself. There was smoke and extreme heat. Luckily no fire started, before the battery was disconnected. Our understanding is, this is a known problem with the circuit board having corrosion and creating a short, but no recall exists.

20250902STRUCTURE:BODY

There was an electrical fault in the door handle, specifically for the comfort access function circuit inside the handle itself. There was smoke and extreme heat. Luckily no fire started, before the battery was disconnected. Our understanding is, this is a known problem with the circuit board having corrosion and creating a short, but no recall exists.

20250714STRUCTURE:BODY

Carbon fiber Roof delaminate and risk of flying off

20250615UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The rear window shattered for no apparent reason. I was directly next to the vehicle with the tailgate closed when I witnessed happened without any probable cause. Please advise. Thank you.

20240725UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This has happened twice: I was driving on the expressway and didn’t hear anything hitting my little sunroof, just suddenly noise from that general area. When I pulled over I saw that the sunroof had cracked and the largest part(s) was missing.

20240713UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Pieces of my roof flew off.

20240604POWER TRAIN

The vehicle has just over 35000 miles of light normal use as a second family vehicle. It developed a loud grinding noise from the etransmission that quickly progressed to a vibration. It was taken to BMW Seattle where it was diagnosed as a known issue of the main transmission bearings disintegrating due to the effect of the permanent magnet motors on the metal roller bearings. The bearings were quietly modified by BMW for the 2019 model year due to this in an effort to mitigate the problem and subsequently BMW abandoned the permanent magnet motor technology due to this . This information was from the various BMW service advisors. The repair is quoted as $7400 to replece the entire e transmission to the new design. If unrepaired there is a " significant risk the transmission will jam at highway speed causing a loss of control due to rear wheel lockup". Calls to BMW NA about this issue were replied with "BMW is unwilling to assist the customer with this issue." It is unconscionable t

20240511FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

A BMW i3 caught fire in our garage. Maintenance on the car had been performed the day prior and it was found that the mechanic left the oil cap off. It took less than 7 minutes from the time the car started smoking to the point where the entire home was engulfed in flames. The fire department was onsite a couple of minutes after the car started smoking. It took 4 fire departments approximately 2 hours to extinguish this fire. A car should not be designed in a way in which an oil cap can cause the complete destruction of a home that quickly putting people’s lives at risk. The car was picked up by Geico, so we do not know if it is still available for investigation, but the fire investigators did confirm the cause was the missing oil cap. At this time, ourselves and three of our neighbors are unable to return to their homes. We are looking at least another year before being able to return. We lost everything in our home along with the car. This included many items which can nev

20240411AIR BAGS

Message saying driver restraint failure, air bags may not deploy properly. Random event, has been an issue with bmw i3 models.

20240407STRUCTURE:BODY

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 blistering not advancing noticeably in recent times.

20240125UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Roof is bubbling, wrinkling, and looks like it is de-laminating

20240119STRUCTURE:BODY

Carbon roof delaminating due to lack of UV protection. Parts of i3 roofs dethatching at highway speeds.

20240119STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Carbon roof delaminating due to lack of UV protection. Parts of i3 roofs dethatching at highway speeds.

20231125STRUCTURE:BODY

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 danger to others on the freeway from large chunks of roof blowing off and hitting vehicles. (not from my vehicle but from other complaints I've read)

Compare 2017BMWI3 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 BMW I3 have?
The 2017 BMW I3 has 65 NHTSA complaints, 4 crashes, 1 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 BMW I3?
The 2017 BMW I3 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2017 BMW I3?
Yes, the 2017 BMW I3 has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 BMW I3?
The most-complained component for the 2017 BMW I3 is STEERING with 11 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2017 BMW I3 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 BMW I3 has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.