BMW i3 Complaints

237 consumer complaints on file.

#11695052October 22, 2025
SEAT BELTS
In early September, a "driver retention system" error appeared the dash display of my '19 i3. I searched the issue on line and tried but failed to resolve it. A few weeks later, the seat belt alarm stopped going off when the belt was clasped. At this point, I had no choice but bring it in for a fix. The dealer advised that there would be a $305 fee to diagnose the problem. They found a faulty belt buckle that failed in normal use. To fix it was going to cost another $805.22 to replace the buckle. I had no choice but to authorize this work. I believe safety related equipment should be covered by the manufacturer, beyond the normal warranty for a minimum of 10 years. Using AI, i find conflicting information about who is responsible for safety equipment when it fails. I am writing this to find out the NHTSA regulation that covers this, so when I call BWW customer service for an accommodation or hopefully, a full refund, I have all the information I need to plead my case. Thank you! Bob H.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695130October 22, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
When driving down the interstate the carbon fiber roof suddenly delaminated of its top layer causing the cars behind me to have to slam on the brakes as chunks of carbon fiber flew off the car. This is a known issue with the BMW carbon fiber roofs that is worse on the i3 because of instead of a weave it is forged carbon.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692851October 11, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The carbon fiber roof is bubbling and disintegrating. I have one section behind the passenger door that is the size of my FULL hand that is in a circle shape where the roof is scaling and peeling. Each day that passes, the known spot is getting bigger and bigger. It's embarrassing to see this happening to my car and makes my care look worthless. Definite eye sore. I currently have the (1) i3 EV that is the family car, (2) M3's mine is a convertible and the other is my husbands, of course, (1) M1 my son's and (1) M235 I which is my daughters. We are definitely a BMW family. Shame on BMW if they do not cover this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690344September 29, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that there were discolored bubbles developing on the roof of the vehicle. The roof of the vehicle was delaminating. Upon further inspection, the contact found out that the hot climate and UV rays and the composite structure might be the factors causing the failure. The vehicle was taken to a body shop. The contact was informed that the carbon fiber used on the vehicle might have caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690435September 29, 2025
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper fluid failed to function as intended. The contact's husband checked the windshield wiper reservoir; the hose had rodent teeth marks, and part of the tubing was missing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the failure persisted. The contact's husband checked the reservoir and found that rodents had eaten the tubing again and had built a nest inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's husband repaired the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the contact found out that the manufacturer had added soy to all the plastic tubing in the vehicle, which was an attractant to the rodents. The failure persisted. The vehicle remained at the dealer pending the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684619September 2, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
There was an electrical fault in the door handle, specifically for the comfort access function circuit inside the handle itself. There was smoke and extreme heat. Luckily no fire started, before the battery was disconnected. Our understanding is, this is a known problem with the circuit board having corrosion and creating a short, but no recall exists.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680869August 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
back in march 2025 my 2014 BMW i3 REX gave out a "Drivetrain Malfunction" error. The car's propulsion died while driving. I was driving in the street on the way home from picking up my chidren from school when the power completely shut off while driving. I had a full battery charge and also had about 44 miles worth of gas to use. I pull over to the side of the road, turn the car off and tried to turn it back on but it wouldnt move. i was about 1 mile from home and was able to get the car towed home using AAA. The error code disappeared the next day and i kept driving the car it felt as if it the problem went away. Fast forward Augist 1 2025, the car once again shut off while in the middle of the street driving. I could not get it back on and once again had to get it towed. Once home it started back up like nothing wihtin a few hours. A week later on August 8 it did it again but this time i was driving on the freeway. I was soo afraid for my life because the car started to slow down as if it was runing out of gas and barely made it to get onto the side of the road away from traffic. Once again the car got towed home i was 4 miles away from home. These occurences continue to happen more frequently now. With each time the car started the error message reappeared and the propulsion died. This is gettting out of hand and becoming dangerous for me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11677072July 29, 2025
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Faulty airbag warning
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673642July 15, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Carbon fiber roof is experiencing sun damage beyond what is normal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673269July 14, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Carbon fiber Roof delaminate and risk of flying off
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673052July 12, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
roof damage
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671462July 6, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us forward, but there was no car behind us. We were moving as though we had just started a drag race - full acceleration - and the brakes did not respond. We crashed into the car in front of us at full acceleration despite me pumping the brakes at least twice. It was surreal. We drive a 2019 BMW i3. It’s an electric vehicle and I wondered if there was som electrical failure. The car stopped only because of the car we ran into.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667003June 15, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear window shattered for no apparent reason. I was directly next to the vehicle with the tailgate closed when I witnessed happened without any probable cause. Please advise. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656031April 22, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the air bag warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel filler had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646562March 5, 2025
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2019 BMW I3. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic on a bridge, the vehicle stalled, and independently shifted to park(P). The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The Police arrived on the scene and directed traffic around the vehicle until a tow truck arrived to take the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) module had failed and short circuited the safety box inside of the high voltage battery and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V599000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646070March 3, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The roof has bubbled and peeled away leaving an exposed permeable roof, meaning if it rains, water will get into the car because of the roof material being not safe, not strong, peeling away. Just terrible! Looking online, so many people with i3s ha e all had the same issue!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640459February 3, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Translucent protection coat on roof delaminated; pieces blown into air. Bare roof and some coat pieces available for inspection upon request (no inspection yet). Other BMW i3 owners have reported same issue. No prior indication of problem on vehicle itself.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638411January 24, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The range extender did not turn on while I was driving the car. When the range extender failed to work the car slowed down from 70+ mph to as low as 7 mph in minutes. The car then limped along for several minutes at this dangerously slow speed until the range extender turned on. Once the range extender began working, the car took off like a rocket, going from 7 mph to 70 in seconds. There are no warning lights or indicators in the car that show if the range extender is going to turn on or if it will fail to turn on. This has happened four times while I was driving on a a highway and once while I was driving on a road with heavy traffic. The first instance happened in [XXX] on my ride back from a conference. The car seemed fine for a bit until it began happening regularly in the summer of 2024*. Each time the range extender should have turned on, it failed to do so and the car came to a dramatic instant slow down posing a danger for me and the drivers nearby. The danger was once again realized when the range extender would finally turn on the car car would dramatically propel forward within a matter of seconds. I took the car to the dealership on 10/1. I intentionally ran the battery down because I wanted the mechanic to experience the problem. The shop foreman was able to experience the problem that day and he also caught it on video so he could show it to the BMW engineers. My car remains at the dealership awaiting a new battery. I am told this will fix the problem but I am concerned this will happen again. I am also equally concerned this has or will happen to others. This dangerous situation comes on without warning and could cause a major accident and possibly death to the people in the vehicle and people in vehicles nearby should the range extender fail to start. * While I experience this five times, I can only provide two exact dates this occurred. The first date of [ZZZ] and the final date (before taking the car to the dealer) on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629361December 6, 2024
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The drivetrain system malfunctioned while increasing from 60 MPH to 70 MPH. The vehicle lost all propulsion mid-journey. This put myself as well as other drivers around me at risk while I coasted to a stop on the freeway. The vehicle's warning system stated: “Drivetrain Malfunction: Stop carefully and turn off engine. Do not continue driving. Call Roadside Assistance.” There are error codes that were considered by the manufacturer's nearest service center. And while certain reduction in efficiency of the High Voltage battery were identified, the vehicle was re-initialized and test-driven multiple times, successfully moving of its own power. Notably, the vehicle's battery capacity was noted to be at 70%, not below the federally-mandated capacity for manufacturer-covered repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618578October 7, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
The carbon fiber roof is delaminating and a portion of it came off and hit the front windshield of another car, causing them to partially lose control of their vehicle almost causing an accident. This is a known issue BMW has not taken an action to resolve it. I’m afraid that a larger chunk may hit somebody’s car and cause a severe accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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