10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,657 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #7

Jan 232024

i3

  • miles
A BMW i3 caught fire in our garage. Maintenance on the car had been performed the day prior and it was found that the mechanic left the oil cap off. It took less than 7 minutes from the time the car started smoking to the point where the entire home was engulfed in flames. The fire department was onsite a couple of minutes after the car started smoking. It took 4 fire departments approximately 2 hours to extinguish this fire. A car should not be designed in a way in which an oil cap can cause the complete destruction of a home that quickly putting people-??s lives at risk. The car was picked up by Geico, so we do not know if it is still available for investigation, but the fire investigators did confirm the cause was the missing oil cap. At this time, ourselves and three of our neighbors are unable to return to their homes. We are looking at least another year before being able to return. We lost everything in our home along with the car. This included many items which can never be replaced. This BMW i3 put ourselves, the neighbors and the multitude of firefighters this took to put this fire out lives at risk.

- New Berlin, WI, USA

problem #6

Jan 192024

i3

  • miles
Roof is bubbling, wrinkling, and looks like it is de-laminating

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #5

Aug 192023

i3

  • miles
Clear coat on the roof is bubbling and peeling. Could potentially come off as a large sheet and fly off hitting another vehicle or obstructing their view.

- Centennial, CO, USA

problem #4

Jul 272023

i3

  • miles
In extreme heat (119 temp outside) BMW charger was plugged into port and melted. Could have caused a fire.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #3

Jun 302022

i3

  • miles
In emergency situations when activating the horn, there is an unacceptable delay between when the horn is pressed and when there is actually sound produced. I have taken this up with the dealer and have been informed "that's just how it is." In looking across the internet, I see this is affecting all BMW i3 and some other BMW vehicles. The delay is approximately 1/2 second, which actually makes the horn virtually useless in emergency situations. The horn switch fully activates... It is like there is some kind of processor involved that cannot process the signal fast enough to engage the horn. This is really getting dangerous and I am frustrated that BMW is saying "by design."

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #2

Feb 242019

i3

  • 9,600 miles
Car stopped all of sudden while driving without any heads-up. Simply said call drivetrain malfunction please call roadside assistance. The most scary part is that the sudden stop

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #1

Aug 182017

i3

  • 2,000 miles
The vehicle was parked off and started on fire. Upon further research I found out that my vehicle was not the only one that this has happened to. We contacted the manufacturer (BMW) but no one has called back. The vehicle was purchased in April.

- Washington, DC, USA