BMW M3

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

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

53% of 2021 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 4. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 15V782000

  If the slip-joint fails, there would be a loss of power to the rear axle and therefore the vehicle would stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driveshaft, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 14, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 16V071000

  In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 16V653000

  Loose rear sub-frame bolts may adversely affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 18V713000

  A loss of vehicle propulsion can increase the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify vehicle owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 19V472000

  A loss of electrical power can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace and secure the positive battery cable connector, free of charge. The recall began August 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall is an expansion of a previous recall, number 18V-314.

• 20V017000

  An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 21V062000

  A loss of ABS and a reduction in braking assistance can increase the risk of a crash.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

• 21V298000

  An improperly installed seat belt assembly may not restrain an occupant as expected, increasing the risk of injury.

  BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belt buckle assembly connection and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

2 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

  Preliminary evaluation, opened August 2009, closed December 2009.

• Rear lamp illumination

  Defect petition, opened April 2009, closed August 2009.

• Inadvertant side airbag deployment

  Recall query, opened September 1999, 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 2 bulletins about the 2026 M3.

• Engine: 1
• Service brakes: 1

• Delivery Stop - Bearing Shell · March 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

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