2016 BMW I3 Problems & Recalls

Faulty airbag warning

Faulty airbag warning

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 vehicl...

Mileage: 40,000

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 vehicl...

Mileage: 40,000

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 vehicl...

Mileage: 40,000

The roof has bubbled and peeled away leaving an exposed permeable roof, meaning if it rains, water will get into the car because of the roof material being not safe, not strong, peeling away. Just terrible! Looking online, so many people with i3s ha e all had the same issue!

Translucent protection coat on roof delaminated; pieces blown into air. Bare roof and some coat pieces available for inspection upon request (no inspection yet). Other BMW i3 owners have reported same issue. No prior indication of problem on vehicle itself.

Roof panel is deteriorating and loosing integrity. Outer laminate coat broke down in general sun conditions, and now underlying roof structure is breaking down as well. The dealer has not inspected the roof yet, but this is an issue widely discussed on community forums, and it’s breaking down on ...

The roof is bubbling and peeling up. Water gets in it when it rains, then it bubbles greatly. BMW won’t fix it, repair shops don’t want to fix it because it’s an obscure roof. They recommend I take it to BMW which won’t fix it (roof replacement suggested). I just bought this car and drive ...

The carbon fiber roof of my 2016 BMW i3 REx is really starting to bubble and wrinkle. After taking it to two shops any mitigation would cost hundreds of dollars to address. The roof is starting to peel and am worried about water getting to the car. BMW should have engineered these roofs differently....

The carbon fiber roof of my 2016 BMW i3 REx is really starting to bubble and wrinkle. After taking it to two shops any mitigation would cost hundreds of dollars to address. The roof is starting to peel and am worried about water getting to the car. BMW should have engineered these roofs differently....

Roof peeling

Battery degradation

The roof on outside is starting to flake off in chunks and expose bottom layers.

The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the contact heard a whistling sound, and the roof detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance w...

Mileage: 19,000

My bmw i3 has a faulty wiring harness or some other defect that is causing my car to turn off the airbag system. This is a chronic issue with bmw i3’s. Either the wiring harness is bad or the airbag becomes too stiff and the car deactivated the entire airbag system. Dangerous!

My bmw i3 has a faulty wiring harness or some other defect that is causing my car to turn off the airbag system. This is a chronic issue with bmw i3’s. Either the wiring harness is bad or the airbag becomes too stiff and the car deactivated the entire airbag system. Dangerous!

My carbon fiber composite roof is delaminating and separating. There is a risk that the degradation of the roof will become so bad that it will separate off my car while driving and may hit another car. This is a common problem with bmw i3 roofs. It is crazy that the entire roof panel can structural...

Loses power "without warning"; actually, when the REX turns on it automatically mentions that power "could be" lost when the REX turns on. However, that is very understated. In fact, there is nowhere in the owner's manual that raises this issue; doesn't even mention that there could or would be a ...

The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. Additionally, the contact stated that after making a turn, the steering wheel failed to properly return to center. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was ...

Mileage: 88,000

The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated that the driver restraint warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer, and the contact was informed that the front driver’s side air bag system was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The m...

Mileage: 57,000

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...

Previously reported a steering incident no. 11438343. Dealer indidicated that there was a "bug in the software" and that the car would be entitled to a one time fix under extended warranty. Dealership worked on the issue and completed the warranty repair on 11/28/2021 and I picked up the vehicle. ...

Vehicle experiences periodic loss of "power steering". Very difficult to steer or control. Steering does not re-center making control difficult. Steering is restored after shutting down the car for a few minutes. Dealership cannot find any faults or codes.

POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE IN MOTION - OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON PUBLIC ROADWAY - MAKING IT DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TO NAVIGATE A TURN. NO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED.

Mileage: 50,600

EVERY 3 TO 21 DAYS, MY STEERING PULLS HARD TO THE LEFT. THIS OCCURS ON FLAT ROADS ON DRY PAVEMENT. I HAVE TO PULL THE STEERING WHEEL HARD TO THE RIGHT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE GOING STRAIGHT AT CITY DRIVING SPEEDS (0-35 MPH). ON ONE OCCASION THIS OCCURRED WHILE ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING AT 70 MPH. TIRE PRE...

Mileage: 33,400

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 ...

Mileage: 20,000

STARTED THE CAR AFTER CHARGING IT OVERNIGHT AND "DRIVETRAIN: STOP CAREFULLY" AND "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION" APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE CAR HAS BEEN COMPLETELY FINE BEFORE THIS.

Mileage: 13,000

THE STEERING BECOMES HEAVY INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES LIKE THERE IS NO STEERING ASSIST. ALSO WHEEL DOES NOT COME BACK TO CENTER AFTER TURNS. TYPICALLY ON COLDER DAYS AND DRIVING AT SLOW SPEED.

Mileage: 28,000

WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A TWO-LANE PAVED CITY STREET AT ABOUT 30 MPH THE STEERING BECAME HEAVY AND PULLED STRONGLY TO THE LEFT. CLEAR WEATHER, MODERATE TEMPERATURES. I STOPPED THE CAR AFTER A HALF MILE OR SO, SHUT IT OFF COMPLETELY THEN RESTARTED IT. THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. IT HAS NOT YET REA...

Mileage: 21,000

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 FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW NORTHWEST (4011 20TH ST E, TACOMA, WA 98424,...

Mileage: 29,000

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 FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW NORTHWEST (4011 20TH ST E, TACOMA, WA 98424,...

Mileage: 29,000

WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD SPEED ABOUT 40-50 MPH, STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECAME STIFF AND VERY HARD TO TURN. THE WHEEL DOES NOT WANT TO CENTER. IT HAPPENED RANDOMLY AND CAN'T BE REPRODUCE EASILY. IT HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST W MONTHS. I FEEL IT VERY DANGEROUS WHEN THIS HAPPENED WHILE ON THE ROAD...

Mileage: 16,500

REAR HATCH GLASS SHATTERED AT TAIL LIGHTS. 2ND TIME IN LESS THAN A YEAR. GLASS IS NOT REPLACEABLE, SO WHOLE HATCH ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED. VERY POOR DESIGN AND WASTEFUL. AROUND 2000.00 TO FIX

Mileage: 8,744

THE "STOP AND GO" CRUISE CONTROL HAS DISENGAGED OVER 100 TIMES AND HAS SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES FOR NO REASON 5 TIMES. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED TWICE ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS NOT SAFE. I HAVE SHOWN BMW OVER 50 PHOTOS AND 3 VIDEOS OF THIS AND THEY FIND EVERY EXCUSE IN THE BOOK. I AM SCARED FOR MY LI...

Mileage: 500

I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY IN THE MORNING AT AROUND 9:15 AM PREPARING TO PARK BMW I3 ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN TO THE GARAGE. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND WAS WAITING FOR THE GARAGE DOOR TO OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY BUT NOTICE THAT BRAKE WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, MEANING THERE WAS NO FEEL...

Mileage: 35

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.

Mileage: 50