Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 BMW i3, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Steering15
- Air bags7
- Structure7
- Electrical system6
- Vehicle speed control6
- Power train4
- Engine3
- Seat belts2
- Fuel/propulsion system2
- Unknown or other2
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2015 BMW i3 failed the safety check 2.91% of the time — 40% more often than the average 2015 passenger car (2.08%). Median odometer at inspection: 59,163 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2015
8,540 new BMW i3 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2015; the largest markets were the United Kingdom (2,209), Germany (2,191), France (822).
- Average mass
- 1,341 kg
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol/electric 57% · Electric 41% · Diesel/electric 1.4%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
In the Netherlands
526 first registered in 2015 are on Dutch roads; 24% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €48,368.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde265
- Band onvoldoende profiel225
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm195
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld97
- Band beschadigd78
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht43
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage39
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect37
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,834 cars built in 2015 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 46 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,933 of these cars first registered in 2015 took their annual MOT test. 86% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2015 the figure was 75%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| Visibility | 3.5% | 3.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2.8% | 7.7% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| Suspension | 1.2% | 6.4% |
| Brakes | 1.0% | 5.1% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
137 of these cars first registered in 2015 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 124,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
190 2015 cars are on the New Zealand register; 99% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 BMW I3 5 HB RWD | — | 0.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2015 BMW i3.
| 2024544 15 Aug 2024 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "N… |
| 2017068 10 Feb 2017 | Fuel System On certain i3 REX models, a section of the fuel tank vent line could chafe against an adjacent ribbed wire protector. Over time, this chaffing could lead to the… |
| 2015343 30 Jul 2015 | Electrical Certain vehicles, which were parked at the port of entry in Halifax during the ice storms in February 2015, may have been exposed to excessive standing water an… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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."
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2017 i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. The fuel tank vent line may rub against the ribbed wire protection sleeve of the battery positive (B+) cable, creating a hole in the vent line and causing a fuel vapor leak.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper two-door vehicles, 2015-2016 MINI John Cooper Works and MINI Cooper S and MINI Cooper four-door vehicles and 2014-2015 BMW i3 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the passenger frontal air bag may not deploy properly in a low speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2015 BMW i3: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11012073 | the High-Voltage (HV) Battery Assembly Cell Modules Temperature Sensors (Internal NTC repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date. |
| 11012072 | The High-Voltage (HV) Battery Assembly Cell Modules Temperature Sensors (Internal NTC repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date. |
| 10249438 | The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) air bag warning lamp is illuminated, and the air bag control units (ACSM4i) fault memory has stored one or both of the following fault codes: 930904 Airbag Driver 1st Stage: "Resistance too large 93090A Airbag Driver 2nd Stage: Resistance too large" |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10214990 | The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 4 (HU-H4, also called MGU21) superseded the MGU starting with certain MY2021 vehicles with option code 6U3 Live Cockpit Professional. This uses map North America JOY. The ENTRY Media/Navigation (HU-B) is the low line business version of the navigati |
| 10205606 | For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Fuel Injectors to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date. |
| 10204660 | The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 3 (HU-H3, also called MGU) superseded the NBT-EVO starting with certain MY2019 vehicles with option code 6U3 Live Cockpit Professional or 6U2 Live Cockpit Plus. This uses map North America LIVE. The ENTRY Media/Navigation (HU-B) is the low line busi |
| 10204657 | Different air temperatures are felt from left to right out of the front fresh air grilles (air vents). |
| 10201145 | Different air temperatures are felt from left to right out of the front fresh air grilles (air vent). The following fault code is saved in the IHKA (integrated automatic heating/air conditioning system) control unit: 801189 - Engine mixed air right: Initialization fault. |
| 10200487 | TELEMATICS UNIT DEACTIVATION DUE TO 3G CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY DISCONTINUATION: The discontinuation of 3G cellular communication for Combox, TCB 3G and ATM 3G (Telematics ControlModule) can no longer be supported by the cellular network provider starting February 2022. |
| 10198907 | DELIVERY STOP: CHARGING CABLE (NON-TURBOCORD VERSION): BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective May 3, 2021) on a small number of Model Year 2021 BMW i3 vehicles that were produced between March 1, 2021 and April 26, 2021. The vehicle cannot be charged on Level 1 because the Occasional Use Charging Cable (Standard OUC/Level 1/Mode 2), may have not been included. |
| 10193496 | The vehicle may exhibit any of the following at very low State of Charge (SOC) ? less than 8%: - Power loss or high voltage system shutdown while running range extender (REx). - Inconsistent performance of the REx. - High voltage system shutdown in vehicles without REx. - Excessively high range displayed in instrument cluster. |
| 10190849 | STEERING ASSISTANCE SPORADIC REDUCTION: 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. |
| 10187463 | I3 REX FRONT (UPSTREAM) OXYGEN SENSOR: If a vehicle listed above arrives with engine malfunction indicator (Check Engine) warning light on, performing a Vehicle Test. |
| 10186218 | ?SPORADIC REDUCTION OF STEERING ASSISTANCE: 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. |
| 10186206 | BMW MAINTENANCE BOOKLET AND OEM TIRE MANUFACTURERS' WARRANTIES: In efforts to provide a digital experience to our customers, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is proud to announce a digital version of both the BMW Maintenance Booklet and BMW Original Equipment Manufacturers' (OEM) Tire Warranties. |
| 10184584 | Low Washer Fluid Warning Light is illuminated when the Washer Fluid Tank is Full: Low Washer Fluid Warning Light is illuminated when the Washer Fluid Tank is Full.There are no faults stored in the system for the washer fluid level switch. |
| 10182911 | SERVICE ACTION - RENEW INTERIOR MIRROR HOLDER: The bonding of the interior mirror holder was not performed correctly. Incorrect bonding during production. |
| 10182612 | SERVICE ACTION - RENEW INTERIOR MIRROR HOLDER: The bonding of the interior mirror holder was not performed correctly. Incorrect bonding during production. |
| 10181231 | BMW TURBOCORD PORTABLE EV 120 V/240 V CHARGER: The BMW-approved accessory TurboCord electric vehicle (EV) charger will not charge the vehicle. |
| 10181227 | SERVICE ACTION - RENEW INTERIOR MIRROR HOLDER: The bonding of the interior mirror holder was not performed correctly. Incorrect bonding during production. |
| 10181216 | I01 REX MISFIRES AT HIGH ALTITUDES USING WINTER-BLEND FUEL: The check engine light (MIL) is displayed, and in some cases the range extender (REx) engine will run rough for about 1 to 2 seconds during cold start. |
| 10179009 | NAVIGATION SYSTEM - REPORTING MISSING OR INCORRECT ROADMAP DATA: Do not replace parts and do not program the vehicle. Roads can change by up to 15% every year. To ensure the best navigation experience, we do everything in our power to create the best maps. Your reports help us to detect changes in your area and keep future versions of our maps as accurate as possible. Therefore, a road map error or missing data must be reported directly to the map supplier. |
| 10178996 | TICKING NOISE WHILE CORNERING WITHOUT THE BRAKES APPLIED: Ticking noise coming from front wheel while cornering without brakes applied, noticeable at low speeds. The vehicle must be moving. |
| 10176377 | CCM DISPLAYED "INCREASED BATTERY DRAIN" CAUSED BY CONTROLLER: A yellow CCM (Check Control Message) ID 415 is displayed- "Increased battery drain! // Battery. Electrostatic discharge at standstill / start engine. Energy management" The results of the Energy Diagnosis test plan identifies the Controller as the root cause of the CCM. The Controller delays the vehicle going to sleep by up to 6 minutes. In some cases this will cause the CCM 415 to be displayed when starting the vehicle. Replacing the Controller in this case will not correct this situation. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation