BMW 230i Complaints

11 consumer complaints on file.

#11759476August 25, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2022 BMW 230I. The contact stated that while his son was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact's son attempted to start the vehicle again, and the check engine warning light was blinking. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a misfire and crankshaft failure. The contact was informed that the valve cover, fuel tank, and spark plugs need to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact demanded a second opinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact reached out to the manufacturer, but there was no response. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757630August 18, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2024 BMW 230I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V438000(ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that at start-up, the vehicle was shaking, vibrating, and had shut off unexpectedly. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The failure mileage was 15,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743512June 11, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 BMW 230i. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V056000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and the manufacturer were contacted. The contact had not experienced a related failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733468April 23, 2026
ENGINE
On January 30, 2026 BMW was made aware of a problem with their starter motors in their 230 series cars that could result in the mechanism failing or in a worst case scenario, a fire starting. They have been aware of this problem for almost four full months and still have no remedy. This is a blatant safety issue and they have taken no action to correct it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727536March 27, 2026
STEERING
The contact owns a 2026 BMW 230I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH in the Hospital Emergency Room Parking Lot, the steering wheel erroneously turned to the right, causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel, and the vehicle drove over a curb. During the failure, the vehicle sustained front body damage, and the front passenger’s side tire was flattened. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact later experienced the same failure while driving approximately 60 MPH on the freeway, and the steering wheel erroneously turned to the right, causing the contact to lose control of the steering wheel and causing the vehicle to drive to the right and off the road, nearly crashing into a wall. The contact regained control of the steering wheel and continued driving to the residence. During the drive to the residence, the steering wheel continued to malfunction and erroneously turned to the right. The contact forcibly held the steering wheel while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who was unable to identify a failure; however, the dealer deactivated the Lane Departure feature. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 400.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671176July 3, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The following systems are not functioning or malfunctioning Forward Collision Warning with light braking function Pedestrian Warning with City Collision Mitigation Active Blind Spot Detection Rear-end collision preparation Parking collision warning
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632053December 23, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I purchased all available packages which include pedestrian warning in rear and front, collision warning and automatic breaks, rear collision warning, etc… none of the systems have worked except for the parallel parking assist but now it is starting to malfunction and apply the breaks 100% while I am driving or parking causing near collisions and inability to to move my car while on the road. I also purchased 5G cell service in the car and it has no cell service but says it does however it forces me to use my phone to connect to cellular service through the car. This has created many issues, one being that the gps of my car is off by a few miles to many miles, the navigation system telling me to go the wrong way, requiring me to focus on getting my phone to connect to the car while driving and causing dangerous situations.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620898October 20, 2024
ENGINE
Vehicle was parked at approximately 3:45 PM. While parked, the vehicle engine caught fire sometime in the next hour, approximately. Many eyewitnesses stated that nobody was seen near the vehicle as it started smoking, and then caught fire, with multiple explosions heard. The engine was completely destroyed, but the passenger cabin did not seem to be impacted. BMW has several recalls out for engines catching fire - this model was not included in this recall, but clearly needs to be.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581580April 7, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Rear traffic cross is a joke. Had in the shop twice and was told it worked as required, took it and checked with cars coming behind me. Maybe worked 30% of the time if the other car was within 3ft. This is not a safety feature as stated. My Cad would notify me when a car was 12ft away.. was told the shop can't do anything further until BMW notifies them. No accidents yet but it may hit the car and not go off. Called the factory rep and he knew of other complaints but his hands were tied, put it inmy file. BMW needs to be able to rectify this with a reliable solution
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511877March 14, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
None of the 3 navigation apps work in my BRAND NEW 2023 BMW. You’ll see it has me going thru oceans & thru forests or golf courses to get to my destination. But, MORE IMPORTANTLY, the incorrect GPS data is also being sent to EVERY app that utilizes GPS. Therefore, if I need the police or 911 & look at my phone on any app that has GPS my location could be off by miles. If my car is stolen & I look in the MY BMW app the locations could be off by miles. Below, you will see two photos on the same page. They were taken within seconds of each other. The photo has me at a CVS store in a town called Mamaroneck & the screenshot has me at a private home in a town called White Plains. I have never even been to this private home or on that street recently. I have contacted BMW over 40 times. They keep repeating the same response which is “just don’t use navigation apps. There is no fix available. There may be a fix by summer. Only use the BMW onboard navigation”. But they do not understand that it is all affecting all GPS apps. Not just navigation apps. But any apps that use GPS. Again, if I need 911 then my location is completely off by miles because of their faulty IDrive 8. Emergency services will never find me. BMW clearly doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation. The dealer said he won’t take back a lemon or buy back my car at any price. BMW corporate says “too bad, don’t use navigation apps”. I have made them very well aware of the safety ramifications. They do not care. This started many many months ago. At first I thought it was Waze. Then I was told it was my phone. I spent $1000 and bought a new phone. And then I figured out it, along with others who have a similar issue, it’s because of the faulty IDrive 8 in my new BMW.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421161June 16, 2021
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
The contact owns a 2021 BMW 230i. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and while attempting to open the driver’s side front door, there was a scraping sound from inside the door brackets. The local dealer was contacted to schedule an appointment which was still pending. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,800.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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