AutoUtility currently tracks 51 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 BMW i3. Body & Structure issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 11 complaints (21.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 51 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Body & Structure (11 reports • 21.6% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Steering System (11), Electrical System (7)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 BMW i3
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Body & Structure
Steering System
Electrical System
Powertrain & Transmission
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #16V914000 AIR BAGS
- Campaign #17V720000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 BMW i3
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The carbon fiber roof panel is starting to delaminate and I am concerned that pieces could fly off and cause an accident."
"On May 30, 2026, I was driving on the NJ Turnpike with high winds and I heard loud sounds like hard rain on the roof of my BMW i3. I saw sheets flying off the roof. When I parked the car, the clear coat covering the roof had delaminated, exposing the carbon fiber. The BMW collision shop told me..."
"I bought the car new in 2017. Last summer, I noticed bubbles on the roof. On May 30, 2026, as I was driving 65 mph on the NJ Turnpike, I heard sounds on the roof like hard rain but it was not raining. I saw large sheets flying off my roof towards other cars, and some flying sheets were large enough..."
"We have experienced a mechanical issue with the harness system. Specifically, the straps become extremely difficult to tighten or loosen over time. To adjust them, I have to pull with the full force of a 200lb adult, to the point where it literally shakes the car. Despite following all manufacturer..."
"After purchasing this car used, I signed up for MyBMW remote services. My account portal stated Emergency SOS call button and crash detection services were active on my car. I decided to test, and it turns out it's not, due to the issue in SIB 84 09 22. The car will just receive a call failed..."
Complaint History for BMW i3
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2021)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 BMW i3 | 47 | 1 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 BMW i3 | 33 | 3 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 BMW i3 Current Page | 51 | 2 | 3 | Current |
| 2018 BMW i3 | 14 | 0 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 BMW i3 | 13 | 1 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 BMW i3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 BMW i3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2021 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 BMW i3
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 24 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS,OTHER/I AM NOT SURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.