AutoUtility currently tracks 14 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 BMW i3. Fuel & Propulsion System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 3 complaints (21.4% of submitted records). Zero crashes, fires, injury reports, or fatality reports are cited across these complaint records.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 14 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Fuel & Propulsion System (3 reports • 21.4% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Body & Structure (3), Steering System (3)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 0 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 BMW i3
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #19V310000 HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
Body & Structure
Steering System
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #17V720000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 BMW i3
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"After reviewing BMW’s warranty documentation, I believe that the part replaced — specifically the evaporative emissions (EVAP) valve or purge valve AND vapor canister (active charcoal canister) — should be covered under the California Extended Emissions Warranty (TZEV) for my 2018 BMW i3 with Range..."
"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..."
"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..."
"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."
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 | 51 | 2 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 BMW i3 Current Page | 14 | 0 | 3 | Current |
| 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 2018 BMW i3
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 9 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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.
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