RecallScanner Severity Profile

BMW M3

Routine recalls6 campaigns, none flagged critical.

RecallScore

Critical

Fire risk

Crash risk

Injuries

Deaths

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All Recalls

6 campaigns, model years 2017 to 2023

6 recalls💥 6 crash risk

Model year

Software

Feb 23, 2023

1350 days ago

Your car doors can open during a crash if the locking system fails.

Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE · 2023

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2023 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, 330e, 330e xDrive, 430i Convertible, 430i xDrive, M440i, 2022-2023 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive, i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles. During a service visit, a replacement electronic control unit (ECU) may have been installed with incorrect programming, which can cause the automatic door locking (ADL) function to not lock the doors as intended.

Consequence

Doors that do not lock as intended while the vehicle is in motion may open during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Seat Belts

Jul 21, 2021

1932 days ago

Your passenger seat belt can fail to lock during a crash and increase injury risk.

Affected: SEAT BELTS · 2021

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence

During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).

Seat Belts

Apr 28, 2021

2016 days ago

Your front seat belt can come loose and fail to restrain you in a crash.

Affected: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY · 2021

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M3, and 330e xDrive vehicles. The bolt securing the seat belt assembly to the frame was not tightened to specification.

Consequence

An improperly installed seat belt assembly may not restrain an occupant as expected, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belt buckle assembly connection and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Brakes

Feb 10, 2021

2093 days ago

Your brake rotor can separate during hard braking and cause you to lose braking power.

Affected: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC · 2021

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, and 2019-2021 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, and 2021 M3, M3 Competition, M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, X5 xDrive45e, 745 Le xDrive. The rotor and shaft within the integrated brake system may not have been welded properly and could separate during a hard braking event, possibly resulting in a loss of the Antilock Brake System (ABS) and braking assistance.

Consequence

A loss of ABS and a reduction in braking assistance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Other

Oct 11, 2018

2946 days ago

Your driveshaft can disconnect and cause you to lose power while driving.

Affected: POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT · 2017

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 BMW M3 Sedans, 2016-2017 BMW M4 and M4 GTS Coupes and 2017 BMW M4 Convertible vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange may fail resulting in a loss of propulsion.

Consequence

A loss of vehicle propulsion can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify vehicle owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Body

Sep 9, 2016

3708 days ago

Your rear sub-frame bolts can loosen and cause you to lose control of the car.

Affected: STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS · 2017

CRASH RISK

NHTSA

Summary

BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen.

Consequence

Loose rear sub-frame bolts may adversely affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

›Owner complaints (1)

01/15/20252025 M3

LANE DEPARTURE

The lane departure warning in my 2025 BMW M3 is in the form of a vibration alert in the steering wheel. However, even when the vibration alert level is set to the highest, most intense level, it is barely noticeable, and is virtually indistinguishable from ordinary road vibration felt in the steering wheel. I took this to the dealer and was told this is normal. This cannot be normal, and it could easily cause a crash because the driver is probably not going to feel the vibration alert. I have posted about this on bimmerpost and others have complained of the same issue with their BMW M3 cars: [XXX] Assuming this is normal as the dealer claims, or even if it's just a limited problem in some 2025 M3 cars, it is a safety issue because the point of the lane departure warning is to alert the driver that he is drifting into the next lane. I believe this matter needs to be investigated and perhaps a recall is needed. Also, I believe the BMW M4 is essentially the same car as the M3, so if the problem exists in many M3 cars, it probably also exists in many M4 cars. This would be a safety hazard that could result in preventable serious injuries or even deaths. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Complaints are self-reported to NHTSA by owners and are not verified by the agency.

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Full analysis: how to read the BMW M3 recall history

Year range, common components, complaint patterns, and how to use this page.

Understanding the BMW M3 recall history

The BMW M3 currently has 6 recall campaigns and 1 owner complaint indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.

The most frequent recall categories for the M3 in our dataset are seat belt (2), electrical (1), and brake (1). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used M3: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.

The tracked recalls span model years 2017–2023, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2016 and 2023. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular M3 is actually affected by any of these campaigns.

How to use this page

The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific M3 has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used M3before buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.

Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with BMW or any U.S. government agency.

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