2016 BMW I3 problems
The 2016 BMW I3 has 41 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (24%) concerns body & structure. Next are steering (20%) and air bags (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 41 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 28,000 miles 19 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 19 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 28,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the BMW I3 with enough data (19 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Involved in a frontal collision and air bag did not deploy. Airbag could've prevented more serious injuries suffered. I contacted the service center at BMW Roseville and left a message for the service manager, no return call. The vehicle has been inspected by an insurance authorized collision center and is considered totaled. There were no warning there was a problem and didn't appear until the collision happened and it didn't deploy.
On a freeway driving around 65MPH front car came to sudden stop so applied brakes at full strength but car continued at the same speed for few seconds and then brakes took effect but it was too late by then. There seems to be some sort of lag between when brake pedal pressed and actually breaks get applied to slow down vehicle. All 4 tires are new and servicing done 4 months back.
When electric range is out, the engine kicks in and speed immediately drop to 50+MPH on the freeway climbing up a hill the first day I bought the car which scares me and I have to stay on the left lane and quickly exit. I just read the lawsuit which is exactly what happen to me too.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. While driving 35 MPH, both windows rolled down, the power steering seized, and the engine shut off. The contact restarted the vehicle and pulled into a fuel station. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle. After another two weeks, a regional service manager from the manufacturer diagnosed the failures and stated that a software repair was needed, but it would not be available for possibly another two months. The vehicle was not repaired and was currently still at the dealer.
The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the air bag warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel filler had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.