Total Complaints
3 filings
BMW M3 · model year
3 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2017BMWM3 carries 3 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 2017 M3 is electrical system with 1 filings, followed by power train:driveline:driveshaft (1) and fuel system, gasoline (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 2 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 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
3 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
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.
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
My car was leaking fuel. This has been reported in numerous vehicles of the same make and model. There is an active warranty extension for this issue, I have attached the bulletin from BMW. My car is not covered for some reason although earlier years of my exact same car are covered. My car was was manufactured a few months after the latest covered date in the attached bulletin. This is a huge safety concern. There was always fuel dripping from my car. This resulted in puddles of fuel if my car was parked for longer than 30 mins. The slightest spark or someones cigarette could have lit up my entire vehicle in flames. Not only is it a safety concern, it should be an environmental concern as well. Everywhere I parked, fuel would be on the ground. Picture of my fuel tank attached. It is consistent with the issue in the bulletin. Photo is from the dealership that repaired my car.
The contact owns a 2017 BMW M3. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle failed to operate as designed, without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the driveshaft was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V713000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.
Mileage: 53,000
VEHICLE IS A 2017 BMW M3 WITH 6352 MILES. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE THE VEHICLE HAD STARTED AND HAD BEEN OPERATING NORMALLY THE DAY PRIOR. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AND WOULD NOT START.IT WAS CLEAR THERE WAS NO POWER GETTING TO THE ELECTRONICS EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERY WAS FULLY CHARGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED BY FLATBED TRUCK TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP INVESTIGATED THE ROOT CAUSE AND FOUND THE PRIMARY BATTERY CABLE CONNECTOR TO THE ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION BOX HAD FAILED WHERE THERE WAS NO LONGER ELECTRICAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE CABLE END AND THE DISTRIBUTION BOX TERMINAL. THE DEALERSHIP HAD NOT INITIALLY DISCLOSED THAT THEY HAD DONE REPAIR WORK ON OTHER MODELS FOR THE SIMILAR TYPE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS RECALLS FOR MANY DIFFERENT MODELS OF BMW INCLUDING 1 SERIES, 3 SERIES AND Z SERIES FOR THE SIMILAR FAILURE MODE OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FAILURE AT THE BATTERY CABLE/
Mileage: 6,352
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.