Problem Lookup › BMW › i3 › 2018

Car problem report

2018 BMW i3 problems, recalls and owner complaints

What the 2018 BMW i3 has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.

  • 0safety recalls
  • 14owner complaints
  • 0crash reports
  • 0fire reports
  • 10%fail the UK MOT

14 complaints, against an average of 43 for the other 5 BMW i3 model years.

Every BMW i3 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.

What goes wrong with the 2018 BMW i3?

The components named most often in the 14 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.

  1. Fuel/Propulsion System3 (21.4%)
  2. Steering3 (21.4%)
  3. Structure3 (21.4%)
  4. Vehicle Speed Control3 (21.4%)
  5. Air Bags1 (7.1%)
  6. Electrical System1 (7.1%)
  7. Forward Collision Avoidance1 (7.1%)
  8. Power Train1 (7.1%)

Has the 2018 BMW i3 been recalled?

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2018 BMW i3 as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.

Is the 2018 BMW i3 recalled in the UK or Europe?

Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.

UK DVSADuring supplier s production process of the battery cells a manufacturing defect occurred with the winding of cell-internal films for the…During supplier s production process of the battery cells a manufacturing defect occurred with the winding of cell-internal films for the high-voltage battery. Recall R/2022/322 · Nov 14, 2022 · built Nov 2018 to Jul 2021 · Risk and fix

Risk: During supplier's production process of the battery cells a manufacturing defect occurred with the winding of cell-internal films for the high-voltage battery.

Fix: The defective cell module will be replaced.

Check on GOV.UK

EU Safety GateFaulty production of high-voltage batteries may lead to that high voltage cell modules can overheat, increasing the risk of fire. Alert A12/01450/22 · reported by Germany · Oct 21, 2022 · Measures

Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown

View on EU Safety Gate

How often does the 2018 BMW i3 fail its MOT?

10.2% of 3,052 MOT tests in 2023 on BMW i3s first registered in 2018 were a fail5.6 points better than the average car of the same age
  1. Tyres58%
  2. Lights and electrics23%
  3. Visibility (windscreen, wipers, mirrors)19%
  4. Brakes4%
  5. Suspension4%
  6. Body, chassis and structure3%

Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2018, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.

What do 2018 BMW i3 owners report?

12 of the 14 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.

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 Extender. According to BMW’s California Emissions Warranty documentation (pages 14), the Evaporative Canister / Active Charcoal Filter is explicitly listed as a covered component under the Extended Emissions Warranty applicable to BMW i3 Range Extender vehicles in California. Furthermore, page 18 of…
Fuel/Propulsion SystemNHTSA complaint 11745052 · Jun 18, 2026
Roof delaminating and is danger of flying off
StructureNHTSA complaint 11607941 · Aug 12, 2024
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 quoted as a little over $9,000 but the dealership has since gone down to just under $4,000 to replace something that's just 2 months outside of warranty (but is probably something that would have failed an inspection had I just "taken it in" earlier). NUMEROUS people in online forums have confirmed…
Fuel/Propulsion SystemNHTSA complaint 11604373 · Jul 24, 2024
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 traveling at highway speeds. This is a well documented issue with these cars on the Reddit forum r/BMWi3.
StructureNHTSA complaint 11583327 · Apr 16, 2024
On two occasions the power steering failed while i was driving, once several months ago and again last Wednesday. Fortunately i was driving on surface streets close to home. i parked the car for twenty minutes and upon starting it the problem seemed to be gone. After the first occurance i went to the dealer and they said they knew nothing about the problem. I also called BMW USA.... again they knew nothing. The second time, last week, i took the car to the dealer again and they located a software update. Without actually acknowledging the problem, BMW had a software update and after initially…
SteeringNHTSA complaint 11529897 · Jul 1, 2023
"Driver restraint system malfunction" light came on today. BMW i3's have had recalls in their past models due to design flaws in their airbag systems and assembly. While my car's year hasn't had a recall, searching the web shows that this issue is extremely common on BMW cars. And when the car is out of warranty (after 3 years), the cost for fixing this issue is exhorbitant. BMW should be pushed to fix this issue at no cost versus charging customers thousands for their faulty safety system design.
Air BagsNHTSA complaint 11505089 · Feb 2, 2023
Hello , I am owning a BMW i3REX (2018). Recently like many other users experienced multiple times the loss of power steering after starting the vehicle. While previous events like this were short lived and resolved with stopping, turning off and on the vehicle, this time it was on entering a highway, where the car suddenly lost its power steering and could not be driven properly. I had to exit , switched the car off and restart after a couple of minutes, which resolved this problem completely. I am reporting this to you, as I see this as a major safety risk for the BMW i3, which as it seems…
SteeringNHTSA complaint 11468829 · Jun 12, 2022
On May 2, 2022, the car began to power down involuntarily every time I applied the brakes. This happened 2-3 times, and I was able to restart. The final time was in the middle of an intersection, the car would not restart, could not be placed in neutral to be moved out of the intersection, and I had to have a police tow. The tow service took it to Sport Motoring, where they performed a diagnosis on May 3, 2022. The diagnosis shows 8 faults in the EME module, among other things. I located a recall (Recall #19V310000) for the 2018 i3 which details the exact issue of the car powering down on its…
Electrical System, Vehicle Speed Control, Fuel/Propulsion SystemNHTSA complaint 11464231 · May 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 BMW i3. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at approximately 45 - 50 MPH, the vehicle had unintended acceleration and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle came to a full stop after getting stuck in the mud on the side of the road. The failure nearly caused a collision. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 42,600.
Vehicle Speed ControlNHTSA complaint 11451014 · Feb 8, 2022
CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATES FOR NO REASON CAUSING SUDDEN DECELERATION. OCCURS RANDOMLYN DURING CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MONTHS. BMW DEALER HAS RECIBRATED THE SENSOR AND UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. NO IMPROVEMENT.
Vehicle Speed Control, Forward Collision AvoidanceNHTSA complaint 11387716 · Jan 12, 2021
I CAME OUT OF THE PUBLIC GARAGE WHERE I CHARGED MY 2018 BMW I3'S AT A CHARGE POINT STATION FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN 4 HOURS (ABOUT 47 MILES RANGE), AND SUDDENLY WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, A BIG RED ERROR MESSAGE CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD (DRIVETRAIN SOMETHING....) AND THE CAR STOPPED. I TRIED TO RESTART IT A FEW TIMES AND EVENTUALLY IT STARTED AGAIN AND ALLOWED ME TO GO BACK HOME. I READ A FEW THINGS ONLINE CONFIRMING THAT THERE IS NO WARNING MESSAGE AND THAT THE CAR CAN JUST STOP LIKE THAT AND I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT HAPPEN ON A FREEWAY WHEN DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN IT. THIS IS NOT SAFE!!!
Power TrainNHTSA complaint 11365847 · Oct 22, 2020
IT'S MY 7TH MONTH DRIVING BRAND NEW 2018 I3 BEV. AFTER GOT OFF THE WORK TODAY, THE JULY 25TH, 2019, THE CAR STARTED PULLING TO THE LEFT. I HAD NO PROBLEM I THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT SO I CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR AND IT WAS JUST FINE. I REALIZED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL GOT HEAVIER THAN USUAL AND QUITE DIFFICULT TO TURN. IT WOULDN'T STAY CENTER BUT KEPT MOVING TO THE LEFT WHILE BEING REALLY HEAVY. EVEN ON THE FLAT PAVEMENT. I CHECKED ONLINE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE WITH I3. MOST OF THEM SAID TURNING THE CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON USUALLY FIXES THE…
SteeringNHTSA complaint 11234935 · Jul 25, 2019

2018 BMW i3: questions owners ask

Is the 2018 BMW i3 reliable?

NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 BMW i3; the most common categories were fuel/propulsion system (3, 21.4%), steering (3, 21.4%), structure (3, 21.4%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year.

What are the most common problems with the 2018 BMW i3?

Across 14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are fuel/propulsion system (21.4% of complaints), steering (21.4% of complaints), structure (21.4% of complaints), vehicle speed control (21.4% of complaints), air bags (7.1% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.

Does the 2018 BMW i3 have any recalls?

As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2018 BMW i3. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Check your own i3

Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), DVSA vehicle recalls (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2018 only; combines NHTSA's entries for I3 BEV and I3 REX.

Check another car