Total Complaints
7 filings
BMW M3 · model year
2016 BMW M3
7 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2016BMWM3 carries 7 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 2016 M3 is engine with 3 filings, followed by unknown or other (1) and structure:body (1). 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 2016 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.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
Recalls (3)
15V78200023/11/2015
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles manufactured May 30, 2015, to September 2, 2015, 2016 M4 Coupe vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to September 11, 2015, and 2015-2016 M4 Convertible vehicles manufactured May 29, 2015, to August 4, 2015. Th
18V71300011/10/2018
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 BMW M3 Sedans, 2016-2017 BMW M4 and M4 GTS Coupes and 2017 BMW M4 Convertible vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange may fail resulting in a loss of propulsion.
16V65300009/09/2016
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of bei
Recent Complaints
20191219ENGINE
THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. IF THE CRANK HUB SPINS WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING, IT CAN LEAVE THE CAR IN A DANGEROUS STATE WITH NO POWER. LINKS ABOUT IT: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/RESULTS... SPECIFIC VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE CRANK HUB ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF A CAR: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SJR3ZHEGS_U?T=160 THIS ISSUE HAS PERSONALLY HAPPENED ON MY M3. I WAS COASTING DOWN A HILL TOWARDS A GREEN STOPLIGHT, AND A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR POPPED UP ON MY SCREEN. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED IN THE CLUTCH, AND WITHIN 1 SECOND MY ENGINE TURNED OFF. MY CAR WAS LEFT WITH NO POWER, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. I GOT THE CAR HOME BY TOWING IT, THEN USING A WINCH TO GET IT IN MY GARAGE. I USED MY OBD2 READER TO READ THE DTC'S AND ALL THE CODES THAT CAME UP WERE DIRECTLY RELATED
Mileage: 20,000
20191218ENGINE
THE CRANKHUB ON THESE CARS ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS AND IS LIKELY TO FAIL JUST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY FORCING HUGE REPAIR BILLS. IN SOME CASES, A "LUCKY" FEW JUST NEED TO BE RETIMED AND ONLY REQUIRE 18 HOURS OF LABOR. HOWEVER, OTHERS HAVE NOT BEEN SO LUCKY AND HAVE REQUIRED AN ALL-NEW ENGINE. THIS IS AN ISSUE BMW IS FULLY AWARE OF BUT HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSBILITY FOR THEIR INSUFFICIENT ENGINEERING.
Mileage: 28,000
20191218ENGINE
THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. IF THE CRANK HUB SPINS WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING, IT CAN LEAVE THE CAR IN A DANGEROUS STATE WITH NO POWER. LINKS ABOUT IT: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/RESULTS... SPECIFIC VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE CRANK HUB ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF A CAR: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SJR3ZHEGS_U?T=160
Mileage: 20,000
20190715STRUCTURE:BODY
KEEP HEARING A KNOCKING SOUND ON DRIVER SIDE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. FEELING VIBRATION UNDER CAR UNDER ACCELERATING AND BREAKING. CARBON FIBER ROOF LAMINATE PEELING OFF.
Mileage: 48,234
20190715POWER TRAIN
KEEP HEARING A KNOCKING SOUND ON DRIVER SIDE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. FEELING VIBRATION UNDER CAR UNDER ACCELERATING AND BREAKING. CARBON FIBER ROOF LAMINATE PEELING OFF.
Mileage: 48,234
20190715SUSPENSION
KEEP HEARING A KNOCKING SOUND ON DRIVER SIDE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. FEELING VIBRATION UNDER CAR UNDER ACCELERATING AND BREAKING. CARBON FIBER ROOF LAMINATE PEELING OFF.
Mileage: 48,234
20180605UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN TO THE SERVICE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE I'VE PURCHASED THE CAR BACK IN NOV. 2016. I NOTICED A CLUNKING AND JOLTING SENSATION FROM MY REAR AXLE WHICH I KNEW WAS NOT NORMAL. THE DEALER AFTER DIAGNOSING THE ISSUE TOLD ME IT IS NORMAL AND THERE ISN'T AN ISSUE AT ALL. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE AND PERSONAL FRUSTRATION KNOWING I'M PAYING FOR A NEW CAR WHICH DOESN'T FEEL NEW AT ALL, I FOUND THE ATTACHED RECALL NOTICE. MY CAR HAS A PRODUCTION DATE OF MAY 20, 2016 WHICH FALLS IN BETWEEN THE TIMELINE MENTIONED IN THE ATTACHED RECALL MEMO WHICH WILL REQUIRE A REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. ALSO, SEARCHING ONLINE ON THE BMW M3 FORUMS, MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SIMILAR VEHICLE HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE AND I AM WORRIED THIS MIGHT ALSO POSE A SAFETY THREAT TO ME. FOR THESE REASONS, I AM SUBMITTING THIS FORM HERE.
Mileage: 3,000
Compare 2016BMWM3 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2016 BMW M3 have?▼
The 2016 BMW M3 has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 BMW M3?▼
The 2016 BMW M3 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 2016 BMW M3?▼
Yes, the 2016 BMW M3 has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 BMW M3?▼
The most-complained component for the 2016 BMW M3 is ENGINE with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and STRUCTURE:BODY.
Is the 2016 BMW M3 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 2016 BMW M3 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.