Total Complaints
5 filings
BMW Z4 · model year
5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2016BMWZ4 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, 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 Z4 is seat belts with 1 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (1) and unknown or other (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 1 active recall campaign, 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 Z4. 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
5 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:PUMP
BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 201
The contact owns a 2016 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The air conditioning system has a very very foul musty smell when you first start the vehicle after sitting for a few hours. It will go away after a few minutes, but the dealer nor repair shops can fix the issue. System was cleaned, new micro air filter was installed, but still have the musty odor. Even the a/c drain was cleaned, all to no avail. This seems to be a class thing with all BMW vehicles according to the many BMW owners I have spoken with. But no one can fix the problem.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS STOPPED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AN UNKNOWN NOISE WAS HEARD AS, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT CAUSING THAT VEHICLE TO CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF IT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONTAL AND KNEE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY REPAIR FACILITY. THE CONTACT CALLED THE BMW OF TEMPLE DEALER (6006 S GENERAL BRUCE DR, TEMPLE, TX 76502) AND WAS TOLD TO CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AS THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING THE REPORT FROM THE EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR) AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED AS HE WANTED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE TO BE DIAGNOSED BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO HM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,000. THE VIN WAS NOT A
Mileage: 8,000
ABOUT 20% OF TIME, DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT JAMS, WILL NOT RELEASE FROM RECESS/RETAINER BEHIND SEAT WITHOUT USING MY HAND FOR COUPLE MINUTES TO JIGGLE ENOUGH. NO PROBLEM ONCE I GET IT TO RELEASE. THEN FITS IN CONNECTOR AND ALSO RELEASES OK. TWO LOCAL DEALERS UNABLE TO FIX. ONE EVEN REPLACED ENTIRE MECHANISM, STILL JAMS. MANAGER SAID THIS MODEL SEEMS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS OCCURS AT A STAND STILL, BEFORE PUTTING CAR IN GEAR, SOMETIMES WITH MOTOR ON, SOMETIME BEFORE I START THE ENGINE. SOMETIMES JUST OPENING THE DOOR CAUSES THE RELEASE. OTHER TIMES, I HAVE TO PUT MY HAND UNDER THE BELT AND MANEUVER THE BELT UNTIL IT RELATES FROM THE RETAINER INTO WHICH THE BELT RETRACTS. NO PICTURES INCLUDED. JUST A STANDARD SEAT BELT. HAD A BMW 3351 FOR 7 YEARS. NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM ONCE.
Mileage: 200
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.