BMW 230i

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

49% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 17V719000

  If the display does not illuminate during start up or does not illuminate various control and warning symbols while driving, it can increase the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster display software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 18V465000

  A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 19V352000

  An improperly folded and assembled air bag may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the knee air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 21V342000

  The support may separate from the roof liner and fall into the passenger compartment, increasing the risk of injury during a crash necessitating the deployment of the head air bag.

  Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the roof liner as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters will not be sent. The one owner was notified on June 15, 2021 by telephone and the vehicle has been repaired. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 21V554000

  During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.

  Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).

• 25V636000

  A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.

  Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.

• 26V056000

  Fire increases the risk of injury.

  Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.

• 26V438000

  Fire increases the risk of injury.

  Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on August 28, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 28, 2026. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall 26V056.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  Engineering analysis, opened September 2021, still open.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

BMW filed 14 bulletins about the 2026 230i.

• Electrical system: 7
• Exterior lighting: 4
• Structure: 2
• Engine: 1

• Due to an implementation error in various OBD diagnostics in the vehicle's control units, in very rare cases itmay happen that stored fault memory codes (DTCs) and the MIL (warning light) are not… · July 2026
• After replacing the Multifunctional Display (MFD), the Central Information Display (CID) is black. The backlight of the CID is illuminated, and touch function does register an audible sound. · May 2026
• 1. Use of aftermarket accessory hang-on cellular phone holders and/or air fresheners can break the instrument panel air vent slats. Damage and/or issues caused by outside influences are not covered… · May 2026
• After programming the vehicle via ISTA/RSU to 25-07-5xx, some of the interior ambient lighting strips (examples circled) may no longer function properly. · May 2026
• The following message is displayed on the central information display (CID): “Storage space running out”.Afterwards, apps can no longer be updated, and additional content can no longer be loaded. · March 2026
• BMW AG is conducting Voluntary Emissions Recall (effective March 11, 2026) on certain Model Year 2023 -2026 BMW vehicles that were produced between January 14, 2022, and September 16, 2025. · March 2026
• Delivery Stop Rear Lights · February 2026
• Rear Light Return · January 2026

6 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.