BMW I3 · model year

2018 BMW I3

16 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018BMWI3 carries 16 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 I3 is steering with 3 filings, followed by structure:body (3) and vehicle speed control (2). 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 2018 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.

16
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

16 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING3
STRUCTURE:BODY3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
TIRES1
POWER TRAIN1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
AIR BAGS1

Recalls (3)

18V65200020/09/2018

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

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 Turb

19V31000017/04/2019

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

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.

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

Recent Complaints

20240812STRUCTURE:BODY

Roof delaminating and is danger of flying off

20240724FUEL/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 has since gone down to just under $4,000 to replace something that's just 2 months outside of warranty (but is probably something that would have failed an inspection had I just "taken it in" earlier). NUMEROUS people in online forums have confirmed this to be a known issue, but the company is holding their ground. Car companies should be held to a higher standard, and I'd like to ask the NHTSA to intervene and assist in this matter.

20240416STRUCTURE: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 documented issue with these cars on the Reddit forum r/BMWi3.

20230818STRUCTURE: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.

20230701STEERING

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 the problem. I also called BMW USA.... again they knew nothing. The second time, last week, i took the car to the dealer again and they located a software update. Without actually acknowledging the problem, BMW had a software update and after initially asking me to pay for it, they agreed to pay.

20230202AIR 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 this issue is exhorbitant. BMW should be pushed to fix this issue at no cost versus charging customers thousands for their faulty safety system design.

20220612STEERING

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 and could not be driven properly. I had to exit , switched the car off and restart after a couple of minutes, which resolved this problem completely. I am reporting this to you, as I see this as a major safety risk for the BMW i3, which as it seems also other driver experiences and so far no solution has been found by BMW (please see https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5065) ?

20220511ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 Sport Motoring, where they performed a diagnosis on May 3, 2022. The diagnosis shows 8 faults in the EME module, among other things. I located a recall (Recall #19V310000) for the 2018 i3 which details the exact issue of the car powering down on its own due to a faulty EME module. Sport Motoring called BMW Customer Service on May 3, 2022, and asked if the car might need to have this recall applied. They agreed that the symptoms did seem similar and said they would need to have a diagnosis from a dealer. Based on the call with BMW customer service, I had the car towed to Nalley BMW of Decatur. They charged me for an initial diagnosis which

20220511VEHICLE 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 Sport Motoring, where they performed a diagnosis on May 3, 2022. The diagnosis shows 8 faults in the EME module, among other things. I located a recall (Recall #19V310000) for the 2018 i3 which details the exact issue of the car powering down on its own due to a faulty EME module. Sport Motoring called BMW Customer Service on May 3, 2022, and asked if the car might need to have this recall applied. They agreed that the symptoms did seem similar and said they would need to have a diagnosis from a dealer. Based on the call with BMW customer service, I had the car towed to Nalley BMW of Decatur. They charged me for an initial diagnosis which

20220511FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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 Sport Motoring, where they performed a diagnosis on May 3, 2022. The diagnosis shows 8 faults in the EME module, among other things. I located a recall (Recall #19V310000) for the 2018 i3 which details the exact issue of the car powering down on its own due to a faulty EME module. Sport Motoring called BMW Customer Service on May 3, 2022, and asked if the car might need to have this recall applied. They agreed that the symptoms did seem similar and said they would need to have a diagnosis from a dealer. Based on the call with BMW customer service, I had the car towed to Nalley BMW of Decatur. They charged me for an initial diagnosis which

20220208VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

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 of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 42,600.

Mileage: 42,600

20210112VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATES FOR NO REASON CAUSING SUDDEN DECELERATION. OCCURS RANDOMLYN DURING CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS. BMW DEALER HAS RECIBRATED THE SENSOR AND UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. NO IMPROVEMENT.

Mileage: 17,000

20210112FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATES FOR NO REASON CAUSING SUDDEN DECELERATION. OCCURS RANDOMLYN DURING CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS. BMW DEALER HAS RECIBRATED THE SENSOR AND UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. NO IMPROVEMENT.

Mileage: 17,000

20201022POWER TRAIN

I CAME OUT OF THE PUBLIC GARAGE WHERE I CHARGED MY 2018 BMW I3'S AT A CHARGE POINT STATION FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN 4 HOURS (ABOUT 47 MILES RANGE), AND SUDDENLY WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, A BIG RED ERROR MESSAGE CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD (DRIVETRAIN SOMETHING....) AND THE CAR STOPPED. I TRIED TO RESTART IT A FEW TIMES AND EVENTUALLY IT STARTED AGAIN AND ALLOWED ME TO GO BACK HOME. I READ A FEW THINGS ONLINE CONFIRMING THAT THERE IS NO WARNING MESSAGE AND THAT THE CAR CAN JUST STOP LIKE THAT AND I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT HAPPEN ON A FREEWAY WHEN DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN IT. THIS IS NOT SAFE!!!

Mileage: 16,176

20200507TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2018 BMW I3 EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE TIRES, TIRE LINE: ECOPIA, SIZE: 175/55/R20, DOT NUMBER: (NOT AVAILABLE). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 TO 65 MPH THE PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR TIRE SUSTAINED A BLOWOUT. THE CONTACT MOVED THE VEHICLE ONTO THE ROAD SHOULDER AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A TIRE REPAIR FACILITY. THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR TIRE WERE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT TIRES WERE PREVIOUSLY REPLACED ALSO DUE TO BLOWOUTS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

Mileage: 26,000

20190725STEERING

IT'S MY 7TH MONTH DRIVING BRAND NEW 2018 I3 BEV. AFTER GOT OFF THE WORK TODAY, THE JULY 25TH, 2019, THE CAR STARTED PULLING TO THE LEFT. I HAD NO PROBLEM I THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT SO I CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR AND IT WAS JUST FINE. I REALIZED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL GOT HEAVIER THAN USUAL AND QUITE DIFFICULT TO TURN. IT WOULDN'T STAY CENTER BUT KEPT MOVING TO THE LEFT WHILE BEING REALLY HEAVY. EVEN ON THE FLAT PAVEMENT. I CHECKED ONLINE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE WITH I3. MOST OF THEM SAID TURNING THE CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON USUALLY FIXES THE PROBLEM BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. DRIVERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE ALSO SAY THAT IT'S A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AS THE I3'S STEERING WHEEL IS COMPLETELY ASSISTED BY ELECTRICAL MOTOR, NOT A CONVENTIONAL WAY OF HOW POWER STEERING WHEEL IS OPERATED. I FEEL DISCONCERTED AS THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE AND SAFETY. SOME CLAIMED THAT SOFTWARE UPGRADE MAY FIX THE PROBLEM BUT I FEEL STRONGL

Mileage: 6,500

Compare 2018BMWI3 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 BMW I3 have?
The 2018 BMW I3 has 16 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 BMW I3?
Yes, the 2018 BMW I3 has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 BMW I3?
The most-complained component for the 2018 BMW I3 is STEERING with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 2018 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. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.