Total Complaints
6 filings
BMW M3 · model year
6 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012BMWM3 carries 6 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. 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 2012 M3 is air bags with 4 filings, followed by engine (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 2012 M3. 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.
Total Complaints
6 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 4 |
| ENGINE | 2 |
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2009 328i and 328xi, 2009-2011 335d, 2008-2012 M3 Coupe and M3 Convertible, and 2008-2011 M3 Sedan vehicles. The connection of the positive battery cable at the fuse box terminal may degrade, resulting in an intermittent loss of electrical power.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi,
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons,
APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AFTER RECEIVING THE VEHICLE THE ROD BEARINGS AND CRANK SUFFERED COMPLETE FAILURE. I WAS IN MOTION AROUND 60MPH ON A RURAL HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. AFTER AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT I SAFELY PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. THE SEIZED ENGINE WAS DIAGNOSED BASED ON AN IMMOBILE CRANK AND OIL CONTAMINATION BY THE MANUFACTURER'S DEALERSHIP. I THEN HAD THE OIL PAN COMPLETELY REMOVED AT AN INDEPENDENT SHOP TO CONFIRM THE MANUFACTURER'S DIAGNOSIS, IT WAS CONFIRMED. ALL PREVIOUS OIL CHANGES WERE DONE AT THE MANUFACTURER'S DEALERSHIP BY THEIR TECHNICIANS MORE OFTEN THAN THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS. THE MOST ALARMING PART IS THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 23000 MILES. I'VE REACHED OUT TO THE MANUFACTURER, MENTIONING THIS VERY WELL-KNOWN ISSUE AND THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CLASS- ACTION LAWSUITS PENDING ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE, ONLY FOR THEM TO TELL ME THEY ARE NOT LIABLE. THEIR PRODUCT FAILED BEFORE 23000 MILES, THEY KNOW ABOUT THE I
Mileage: 22,839
WHEN I CALLED BMW TO HAVE MY DEFECTIVE AIRBAG REPLACED THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART AVAILABLE. THE DEFECT CAN APPARENTLY LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH SO I THINK IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THEY DO THIS IMMEDIATELY.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW M3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 ( AIR BAGS) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTIFICATION IN MARCH OF 2016. THE DEALER ( BRAMAN MOTORCARS 2901 OKEECHOBEE BLVD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL, 33409) STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR, AND RECOMMENDED THE CONTACT TO SPEAK TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REPAIR, AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HE WOULD BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE AND NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT...UPDATED 08/22/17 *BF **UPDATED 08/31/17*LJ UPDATED 12/5/2017*JS *TR
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW M3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS) WAS RECEIVED IN FEBRUARY. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE RECALL REMEDY WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE AND NO ESTIMATED TIME FOR RECEIVING THE PARTS COULD BE PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
TAKATA RECALL IS TAKING TOO LONG TO REPLACE MY DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG IN MY 2012 BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE. I CALLED RUSNAK BMW IN WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA IN NOVEMBER 2016 FOR A STATUS UPDATE AS TO WHY THEY STILL HAVE NOT CONTACTED ME TO REPLACE MY DRIVER'S SIDE TAKATA AIRBAG DESPITE A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH OF 2016. THEY INDICATED THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO MY MODEL YEAR AND THAT REPLACEMENT TAKATA AIRBAGS ARE NOT COMING AS QUICKLY AS THEY SHOULD.
Mileage: 63,000
DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT, SHIFTED FROM 1ST GEAR TO SECOND GEAR AND AT 4000 RPMS, THE CAR STOPPED. IT WOULD NOT RESTART. TOWED CARD TO DEALER AND IT NEEDED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY.
Mileage: 24,600
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.