NHTSA vehicle safety data

2020 BMW 230I Recalls & Complaints

The 2020 BMW 230I has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 2 owner complaints on file as of October 21, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized BMW dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2020 BMW 230I. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2020 BMW 230I owner complaints

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 BMW 230I, describing incidents dated December 11, 2020 to February 26, 2026.

Most-cited components

Electrical System 1 complaint
Visibility/Wiper 1 complaint

Newest complaints

ODI #11746445 · Filed June 25, 2026
BMW F Series models between 2008-2021 have issues with rear turn signal malfunctions. On my car, the left turn signal stopped working and caused a fault warning. The dealership said the housing needed to be replaced, but then it started working normally, and then the right rear did the same. Since…
ODI #11384470 · Filed December 21, 2020
I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 BMW 230I IN MAY 2020. ITS FIRST AND ONLY SERVICING WAS ON 12/9/20 FOR A 10,000 MILE OIL CHANGE AND "MULTI-POINT INSPECTION," IN WHICH ONE OF THE INSPECTION ITEMS WAS "INSPECT SUNROOF OPERATION AND CHECK FOR LEAKS." 12/11/20 I WAS DRIVING TO MY OFFICE NORTHBOUND ON ESTRELLA…

Read all 2 complaints

Knee Air Bags May Not Deploy Properly

NHTSA #19V352000 · Air Bags — Knee Bolster · NHTSA notice

Reported May 9, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 5,079 vehicles

Repair completion: 99.31% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

Owners notified July 8, 2019 · Vehicles built February 21, 2019 – May 2, 2019 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive, M2 Competition Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, and 2019 330i xDrive Sportswagon vehicles. The driver and passenger knee air bag assemblies may have been improperly folded and assembled.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2020 BMW 230I. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

2 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 BMW 230I.

Electrical System

ODI #11746445

Incident: February 26, 2026 · Filed: June 25, 2026

BMW F Series models between 2008-2021 have issues with rear turn signal malfunctions. On my car, the left turn signal stopped working and caused a fault warning. The dealership said the housing needed to be replaced, but then it started working normally, and then the right rear did the same. Since then, I have had intermittent failures on both the left and right sides. A simple google search shows many complaints about this issue as document here: https://www.google.com/search?q=BMW+rear+turn+signal+malfunction&oq=BMW+rear+turn+signal+malfunction&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCTEwMzk0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Because they are turn signals, this is a serious safety issue. BMW charges a lot of money to replace these turn signals when it is clearly a manufacturing defect. There should be a recall ordered by BMW. My car is a 2020 with only 38,000 miles, this should never happen. Thank you!

Visibility/Wiper

ODI #11384470

Incident: December 11, 2020 · Filed: December 21, 2020

I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 BMW 230I IN MAY 2020. ITS FIRST AND ONLY SERVICING WAS ON 12/9/20 FOR A 10,000 MILE OIL CHANGE AND "MULTI-POINT INSPECTION," IN WHICH ONE OF THE INSPECTION ITEMS WAS "INSPECT SUNROOF OPERATION AND CHECK FOR LEAKS." 12/11/20 I WAS DRIVING TO MY OFFICE NORTHBOUND ON ESTRELLA BLVD WHEN AT APPROXIMATELY 8:53 AM, I HEARD WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS AN EXPLOSION. MY INITIAL REACTION WAS THAT PERHAPS A TIRE BLEW OUT. AS I THEN LOOKED AROUND AT THE WINDOWS AND THE DASHBOARD, I HEARD SOMETHING SCRAPING AGAINST THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. I SLIGHTLY OPENED THE INTERIOR SUNROOF HATCH AND SAW THE SUNROOF GLASS WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND THERE WAS A LARGE HOLE VISIBLE. I CLOSED THE INTERIOR SUNROOF HATCH AND THEN HEARD GLASS BLOWING OFF OF THE SUNROOF TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE CAR. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME AS I WAS CONCERNED THE BLOWING GLASS WOULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE. I PULLED TO A SIDE ROAD AS SOON AS SAFE TO DO SO AND MESSAGED MY WIFE ABOUT THE INCIDENT (ADRIANA VALENZUELA @ 8:56 AM). AS THE CAR WAS STILL FUNCTIONAL, I DROVE THE APPROXIMATE 3 1/2 MILES BACK TO MY RESIDENCE. AT 2:32 PM, THE VEHICLE WAS PICKED UP FROM MY RESIDENCE AND TRANSPORTED TO ARROWHEAD BMW. AT 3:30 PM, I RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM ARROWHEAD BMW.".......YOUR CAR JUST ARRIVED AND YOU MAY WANT TO CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS HIT BY A ROCK....." I ADVISED GOMEZ UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD I ACCEPT THAT "A ROCK" HAD HIT MY VEHICLE. I ALSO ADVISED THAT IN MY 23 YEARS AS AN FBI AGENT, I KNEW WHAT AN 'EXPLOSION" SOUNDED LIKE AND WHAT I EXPERIENCED EARLIER THAT MORNING REMINDED ME OF A "FLASHBANG" (USED BY SWAT TEAMS). IN ADDITION, IT IS VERY CLEAR FROM THE PHOTOS THAT THE GLASS HAD BEEN FORCED OUTWARD AND UPWARD FROM THE FORCE OF THE BREAKAGE SHE ADVISED THAT SHE WOULD NOT HAVE AN UPDATE FOR ME UNTIL AT LEAST 12/14/20.

Other BMW 230I model years

Check your 2020 BMW 230I VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your BMW 230I at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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