BMW 330i

Where it stands out against its peers

• Unknown or other: more complaints than 93% of 2017 cars — 31% of its 71 complaints, where an ordinary 2017 car has 16%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

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.

• 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.

• 19V684000

  The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

• 19V732000

  If the counterbalance shaft loosens, severe engine damage could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 19V755000

  If a person were inside the trunk compartment, they may not be able to get out, increasing their risk of injury.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the interior trunk release cable and properly install the cable, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 19V850000

  Headlight failure can reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headlight control units, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

• 19V912000

  In the event of a crash, if the seat belt pretensioners fail to lock, there is an increased risk of injury.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear seat belts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 10, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer at 1-800-525-7417.

• 20V164000

  If the air bag and/or seat belt pretensioners deploy improperly in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt buckles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

9 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

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.

• Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  Engineering analysis, opened February 2015, still open.

• Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  Preliminary evaluation, opened June 2014, closed March 2015.

• Rear Lamp Illumination

  Engineering analysis, opened December 2009, closed September 2011.

• Rear lamp illumination

  Preliminary evaluation, opened August 2009, closed December 2009.

• Rear lamp illumination

  Defect petition, opened April 2009, closed August 2009.

• Bmw airbag light illumination

  Engineering analysis, opened January 2008, closed December 2008.

• Delayed transmission engagement

  Defect petition, opened February 2004, closed May 2004.

• Inadvertent side-impact air bag deployme

  Engineering analysis, opened July 2002, closed June 2003.

• Inadvertent side-impact air bag

  Preliminary evaluation, opened January 2002, closed July 2002.

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 9 bulletins about the 2026 330i.

• Electrical system: 7
• Service brakes: 1
• Structure: 1

• For the identified G20 vehicles, there may be cosmetic material separation issue in the top vinyl layer of thefront door trim panels that does not interfere with the operation of the vehicle. · 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
• This communication contains the Release Notes for the BMW 2026-03 Remote Software Upgrade. · April 2026
• The vehicle may experience various operational issues with the Multifunction Display such as: Intermittent black screen Permanent black screen Intermittent head unit functions not displayed (i.e.,… · January 2026
• The vehicle may experience various operational issues with the infotainment system such as: Resets of the head unit Delayed start-up of the head unit (longer than 30 seconds) Failed start-up of the… · January 2026
• When performing a vehicle test, diagnostic trouble code “ 8013FE Software run time error” is found in theIHKA module. If this fault is set for two consecutive life cycles, it will turn on the check… · January 2026
• There may be an internal leakage in the brake fluid expansion tank (aka brake fluid reservoir). In the rarecase of a leak, the filling level sensor might malfunction over a relatively long period of… · January 2026
• This communication contains the Release Notes for the BMW 2025-11 Remote Software Upgrade. · December 2025

1 more.

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