2018 BMW I3 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
16
Owner Complaints
3
Recalls
15
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2018 BMW I3
The 2018 BMW I3 has received a total of 16 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 4 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY, EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL. 15 technical service bulletins have been issued by BMW of North America, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Steering (3 complaints), Structurebody (3 complaints), and Fuelpropulsion System (2 complaints).
Recalls for the 2018 BMW I3
NHTSA has recorded 4 recalls for the 2018 BMW I3, potentially affecting up to 35,819 vehicles.
Recall 19V310000 — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
| 159 vehicles affected
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 i3 BEV and i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. A circuit board problem within the Electric Motor Electronics (EME) module may shutdown the supply of high voltage electrical power.
Consequence: A shut down of high-voltage electrical power would result in a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EME module, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
View full details →Recall 19V310000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
| 159 vehicles affected
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 i3 BEV and i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. A circuit board problem within the Electric Motor Electronics (EME) module may shutdown the supply of high voltage electrical power.
Consequence: A shut down of high-voltage electrical power would result in a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EME module, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
View full details →Recall 18V652000 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
| 3,501 vehicles affected
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a...
Consequence: An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
View full details →Recall 17V720000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
| 32,000 vehicles affected
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 BMW i3 electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Unbelted, small adult, drivers may be at a higher risk of neck injury in the event of a frontal crash. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: During a frontal impact, unbelted, small adult, drivers could be at a higher risk of neck injury.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the Driver air bag control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at the dedicated i3 recall number 1-855-269-3361.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2018 BMW I3
16 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2018 BMW I3. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
Roof delaminating and is danger of flying off
This isn't a safety issue, rather it's a known problem with the factory AC compressor inside of BMW i3s and i8s that seem to constantly fail. I had a replacement under the car's factory warranty and the part already failed again right outside the part's warranty period. The replacement itself was quoted as a little over $9,000 but the dealership has since gone down to just under $4,000 to replace something that's just 2 months outside of warranty (but is probably something that would have failed an inspection had I just "taken it in" earlier). NUMEROUS people in online forums have confirmed this to be a known issue, but the company is holding their ground. Car companies should be held to a higher standard, and I'd like to ask the NHTSA to intervene and assist in this matter.
My car has a problem with the carbon fiber roof panel. In the sun, the clear epoxy of the roof is de laminating from the carbon fiber beneath it. This is a safety issue because as it delaminates the clear epoxy is no longer properly attached to the roof and may fly off and into other vehicles when traveling at highway speeds. This is a well documented issue with these cars on the Reddit forum r/BMWi3.
The roof is cracking, yellowing and bubbling. I have heard that this is the beginning of roof failure and de-lamination. There have been reports and incidents of others roofs delaminating and having large pieces flying off and hitting other cars.
On two occasions the power steering failed while i was driving, once several months ago and again last Wednesday. Fortunately i was driving on surface streets close to home. i parked the car for twenty minutes and upon starting it the problem seemed to be gone. After the first occurance i went to the dealer and they said they knew nothing about the problem. I also called BMW USA.... again they knew nothing. The second time, last week, i took the car to the dealer again and they located a software update. Without actually acknowledging the problem, BMW had a software update and after initially asking me to pay for it, they agreed to pay.
Safety Rating for the 2018 BMW I3
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2018 BMW I3 in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2018 BMW I3
BMW of North America, LLC has issued 15 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2018 BMW I3. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
B321119 — FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
SPORADIC REDUCTION OF STEERING ASSISTANCE: This Service Information Bulletin (Revision 1) replaces SI B32 11 19 dated October 2019. The driver notices a reduction of steering assistance sporadically while in certain driving situations. Steering control is never lost when the reduction of assistance occurs. The fault may self-correct for no...
B650720 — EQUIPMENT
VEHICLE SOUND GENERATOR IS DIFFERENT AND LOUDER AFTER PROGRAMMING: Vehicles sound is different and louder after programming to an Integration level (I-level) between I001-1911-500 and I001-19-11-556. Software in the Vehicle Sound Generator (VSG).
B511619 — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
OUTER DOOR HANDLE LOOSE. One or both front outer door handles are loose. Improper tightening torque during vehicle production.
B611018 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE DISPLAY GOES BLACK, THE ENGINE CAN BE SWITCHED OFF ONLY VIA THE EMERGENCY-OFF.. * On board computer and navigation system goes black or resets. * The engine can only be switched off by pressing the START/STOP button three times (Emergency STOP) * Various Check Control messages are displayed. *...
B660118 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
"?REMOTE KEY WILL NOT OPEN OR START VEHICLE. Remote key battery in service significantly less (under a year) than expected two-year life-span. Remote key will NOT: * Open/close vehicle door locks * Start engine (except when held directly against steering column) CC message ""Battery of remote key empty (ID:00067)"" displayed...
B610518 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE ACTION: KLE - CONVENIENCE CHARGING ELECTRONICS I01 REX: OBD relevant diagnoses of the KLE (convenience charging electronics) cannot be processed correctly because of a data transmission error in the EME (electrical machine electronics).
B611116 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
THE CHARGING CABLE DOES NOT RELEASE FROM THE CHARGING SOCKET AFTER CHARGING: The charging cable does not release from the charging socket after charging.
B610518 — POWER TRAIN
SERVICE ACTION: KLE - CONVENIENCE CHARGING ELECTRONICS I01 REX: OBD relevant diagnoses of the KLE (convenience charging electronics) cannot be processed correctly because of a data transmission error in the EME (electrical machine electronics).
B840818 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
HEAD UNIT HIGH 2 RESET WHILE BLUETOOTH IS CONNECTED: The following event may cause an unexpected reset of the Head Unit High 2 (NBT EVO) when:
B660918 — EQUIPMENT
CHECK CONTROL STATES REMOTE KEY IS MISSING WHEN THE KEY IS LOCATED IN THE VEHICLE: Only affects vehicles that have been programmed with ISTA 4.10.1x and I-level 18-03-511 or 18-03-576
Showing 10 of 15 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2018 BMW I3
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the BMW I3
- 2014 BMW I3 — 70 complaints
- 2015 BMW I3 — 62 complaints
- 2016 BMW I3 — 40 complaints
- 2017 BMW I3 — 65 complaints
- 2018 BMW I3 (current)
- 2019 BMW I3 — 18 complaints
- 2020 BMW I3 — 0 complaints
- 2021 BMW I3 — 0 complaints