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2019 BMW i3 problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2019 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
- 13owner complaints
- 1crash report
- 0fire reports
- 10%fail the UK MOT
The least complained-about BMW i3 year on file: 13 complaints, against an average of 43 for the other model years.
Every BMW i3 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2019 BMW i3?
The components named most often in the 13 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2019 BMW i3 owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 13 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2019 BMW i3 been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2019 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 2019 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.
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.
UK DVSAThe electric motor electronics printed circuit board was not manufactured according to the specifications
Risk: The Electric Motor Electronics (EME) printed circuit board was not manufactured according to specifications
Fix: The Electric Motor Electronics (EME) of vehicles affected will be replaced.
EU Safety GateFaulty production of high-voltage batteries may lead to that high voltage cell modules can overheat, increasing the risk of fire.
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
How often does the 2019 BMW i3 fail its MOT?
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 2019, 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 2019 BMW i3 owners report?
12 of the 13 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.
The car has lost power on the highway multiple times and gone into Limp mode with no warnings on the dashboard. The Rex engine has failed to start as well. Very dangerous on the highway going 20 mph trying to make the next exit. The car has been back to the BMW dealer multiple times (over 2.5 months at the dealer ) with no repair. They are now offering to take the car in trade. The car is still under the EV warranty in California. Seems they and BMW engineering don’t know how to repair the car and are now putting the burden on the consumer.
This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership that I had the car towed to did some diagnostic work and said that "EME" had failed. The EME is the main processor that controls all electrical functions in the vehicle. My understanding is that 2019 BMW…
In early September, a "driver retention system" error appeared the dash display of my '19 i3. I searched the issue on line and tried but failed to resolve it. A few weeks later, the seat belt alarm stopped going off when the belt was clasped. At this point, I had no choice but bring it in for a fix. The dealer advised that there would be a $305 fee to diagnose the problem. They found a faulty belt buckle that failed in normal use. To fix it was going to cost another $805.22 to replace the buckle. I had no choice but to authorize this work. I believe safety related equipment should be covered…
We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us forward, but there was no car behind us. We were moving as though we had just started a drag race - full acceleration - and the brakes did not respond. We crashed into the car in front of us at full acceleration despite me pumping the brakes at least twice. It was surreal. We drive a 2019 BMW i3. It’s…
The contact owns a 2019 BMW I3. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic on a bridge, the vehicle stalled, and independently shifted to park(P). The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The Police arrived on the scene and directed traffic around the vehicle until a tow truck arrived to take the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) module had failed and short circuited the safety box inside of the high voltage battery and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
The range extender did not turn on while I was driving the car. When the range extender failed to work the car slowed down from 70+ mph to as low as 7 mph in minutes. The car then limped along for several minutes at this dangerously slow speed until the range extender turned on. Once the range extender began working, the car took off like a rocket, going from 7 mph to 70 in seconds. There are no warning lights or indicators in the car that show if the range extender is going to turn on or if it will fail to turn on. This has happened four times while I was driving on a a highway and once while…
The drivetrain system malfunctioned while increasing from 60 MPH to 70 MPH. The vehicle lost all propulsion mid-journey. This put myself as well as other drivers around me at risk while I coasted to a stop on the freeway. The vehicle's warning system stated: “Drivetrain Malfunction: Stop carefully and turn off engine. Do not continue driving. Call Roadside Assistance.” There are error codes that were considered by the manufacturer's nearest service center. And while certain reduction in efficiency of the High Voltage battery were identified, the vehicle was re-initialized and test-driven…
The 12V battery and EME module failed/malfunctioned on Sep 10, 2024. The original 12V battery was replaced by BMW of Wesley Chapel after it was towed by BMW roadside assistance. They should have it and the EME model for inspection upon request depending on their disposal procedures for the battery. My safety was put at risk due to the fact that the EME could shut down electrical power, lead to a loss of propulsion, and increase the risk of a crash. There was a recall for this component for my year make and model but my VIN was not included but possible should have given the related issue and…
On July 4, 2021, I realized that the charge port on my BMW i3 would not accept a charge plug - it appeared to be blocked. I took the car to the dealer and they informed me that the charge port had been damaged (melted) by heat from a defective charger. In addition to public charging, I had typically been using a home charger - a MUSTART Level 2 40-amp charge cable purchased from Amazon on February 4, 2019. The BMW technician requested to see the cable and it was confirmed to be damaged also. BMW attributed this incident to the charger rather than the vehicle, so the repair (over $2400) was not…
LOST POWER STEERING AS I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE, MAKING CAR VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THINKING I HAD A FLAT TIRE, I TURNED AROUND AND RETURNED HOME. SHUT DOWN THE CAR, CHECKED THE TIRES (THEY WERE FINE), RESTARTED IT, AND POWER STEERING RETURNED. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN A FEW DAYS.
ON THE WAY BACK HOME FROM WORK, STEERING FELT QUITE HEAVY AND IT KEPT PULLING TOWARDS THE RIGHT SIDE. I INITIALLY THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT TIRE BUT THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS NORMAL. DRIVING BACK HOME ON FREEWAY FELT VERY UNSAFE AS IT WAS QUITE UNSTEADY AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 30MPH
STEERING HAS BEEN NORMAL UNTIL NOW. SUDDENLY ON TWO OCCASIONS AFTER STOPPING AT A LIGHT IT WAS HARD TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. STEERING FELT AS IF TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW. PRESSURE WAS NOT LOW. THIS IS FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON INTERNET SEARCHES. HAVE NOT DRIVEN I3 AGAIN SINCE INCIDENT.
2019 BMW i3: questions owners ask
Is the 2019 BMW i3 reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 BMW i3; the most common categories were electrical system (6, 46.2%), steering (4, 30.8%), power train (3, 23.1%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 1 complaint mentions a crash.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 BMW i3?
Across 13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are electrical system (46.2% of complaints), steering (30.8% of complaints), power train (23.1% of complaints), engine (15.4% of complaints), fuel/propulsion system (15.4% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2019 BMW i3 have any recalls?
As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2019 BMW i3. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2019 BMW i3 stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
4 of the 13 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2019 BMW i3 (30.8%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "The car has lost power on the highway multiple times and gone into Limp mode with no warnings on the dashboard. The Rex engine has failed to start as well. Very dangerous on the highway going 20 mph trying to make the next exit." (NHTSA complaint 11751920, July 2026). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
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 2019 only; combines NHTSA's entries for I3 BEV and I3 REX.