NHTSA vehicle safety data

2016 BMW M3 Recalls & Complaints

The 2016 BMW M3 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns and 5 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized BMW dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2016 BMW M3. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

Pre-purchase inspection checklist → Reliability & 5-year cost forecast →

2016 BMW M3 owner complaints

Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW M3, describing incidents dated December 8, 2016 to December 18, 2019.

Most-cited components

Engine 3 complaints
Power Train 1 complaint
Structure 1 complaint
Suspension 1 complaint
Unknown or Other 1 complaint

Newest complaints

ODI #11290215 · Filed December 19, 2019
THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. IF THE CRANK HUB SPINS WHILE THE CAR…
ODI #11289964 · Filed December 18, 2019
THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. IF THE CRANK HUB SPINS WHILE THE CAR…
ODI #11289880 · Filed December 18, 2019
THE CRANKHUB ON THESE CARS ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS AND IS LIKELY TO FAIL JUST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY FORCING HUGE REPAIR BILLS. IN SOME CASES, A "LUCKY" FEW JUST NEED TO BE RETIMED AND ONLY REQUIRE 18 HOURS OF LABOR. HOWEVER, OTHERS HAVE NOT BEEN SO LUCKY AND HAVE REQUIRED AN ALL-NEW ENGINE. THIS IS AN…

Read all 5 complaints

Driveshaft may Separate from Flange

NHTSA #18V713000 · Power Train — Driveline — Driveshaft · NHTSA notice

Reported October 11, 2018 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 2,661 vehicles

Repair completion: 95.69% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified April 9, 2019 · Vehicles built June 28, 2016 – September 30, 2016 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2016-2017 BMW M3 Sedans, 2016-2017 BMW M4 and M4 GTS Coupes and 2017 BMW M4 Convertible vehicles. The connection between the driveshaft and the flange may fail resulting in a loss of propulsion.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer remedy

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.

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.

Rear Sub-Frame Bolts may Loosen

NHTSA #16V653000 · Structure — Frame and Members · NHTSA notice

Reported September 9, 2016 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 196 vehicles

Repair completion: 97.94% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified November 3, 2016 · Vehicles built June 17, 2014 – July 1, 2016 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer remedy

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.

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.

Driveshaft Slip-Joint may not have been Greased

NHTSA #15V782000 · Power Train — Driveline — Driveshaft · NHTSA notice

Reported November 23, 2015 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 42 vehicles

Repair completion: 97.62% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified January 14, 2016 · Vehicles built May 30, 2015 – September 2, 2015 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles manufactured May 30, 2015, to September 2, 2015, 2016 M4 Coupe vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to September 11, 2015, and 2015-2016 M4 Convertible vehicles manufactured May 29, 2015, to August 4, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driveshaft with a slip-joint that may not have been filled with grease. As a result, the slip-joint may fail over time.

Safety consequence

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.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

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.

2016 BMW M3 4 DR RWD

—

out of 5

Overall Safety Rating

Not Rated

Frontal Crash

Not Rated

Driver: Not Rated, Passenger: Not Rated

Side Crash

Not Rated

Driver: Not Rated, Passenger: Not Rated

Side Pole

Not Rated

Rollover

Not Rated

Safety Technology

Electronic Stability Control

5 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW M3.

Engine

ODI #11290215

Incident: July 27, 2019 · Filed: December 19, 2019

THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. IF THE CRANK HUB SPINS WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING, IT CAN LEAVE THE CAR IN A DANGEROUS STATE WITH NO POWER. LINKS ABOUT IT: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/RESULTS... SPECIFIC VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE CRANK HUB ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF A CAR: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SJR3ZHEGS_U?T=160 THIS ISSUE HAS PERSONALLY HAPPENED ON MY M3. I WAS COASTING DOWN A HILL TOWARDS A GREEN STOPLIGHT, AND A DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR POPPED UP ON MY SCREEN. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED IN THE CLUTCH, AND WITHIN 1 SECOND MY ENGINE TURNED OFF. MY CAR WAS LEFT WITH NO POWER, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. I GOT THE CAR HOME BY TOWING IT, THEN USING A WINCH TO GET IT IN MY GARAGE. I USED MY OBD2 READER TO READ THE DTC'S AND ALL THE CODES THAT CAME UP WERE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE CRANK HUB SPINNING. IT WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE I WAS APPROACHING A BUSY INTERSECTION. I HAD TO PUSH MY CAR OUT OF THE INTERSECTION. I WAS NOT INJURED, I DID NOT CRASH, AND I DID NOT LOSE CONTROL. ALTHOUGH IF I WAS GOING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED, IT WOULD BE EASY TO LOSE CONTROL FROM THIS ISSUE.

Engine

ODI #11289964

Incident: July 27, 2019 · Filed: December 18, 2019

Engine

ODI #11289880

Incident: December 18, 2019 · Filed: December 18, 2019

THE CRANKHUB ON THESE CARS ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS AND IS LIKELY TO FAIL JUST OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY FORCING HUGE REPAIR BILLS. IN SOME CASES, A "LUCKY" FEW JUST NEED TO BE RETIMED AND ONLY REQUIRE 18 HOURS OF LABOR. HOWEVER, OTHERS HAVE NOT BEEN SO LUCKY AND HAVE REQUIRED AN ALL-NEW ENGINE. THIS IS AN ISSUE BMW IS FULLY AWARE OF BUT HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSBILITY FOR THEIR INSUFFICIENT ENGINEERING.

Suspension; Power Train; Structure

ODI #11232137

Incident: July 13, 2019 · Filed: July 15, 2019

KEEP HEARING A KNOCKING SOUND ON DRIVER SIDE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. FEELING VIBRATION UNDER CAR UNDER ACCELERATING AND BREAKING. CARBON FIBER ROOF LAMINATE PEELING OFF.

Unknown or Other

ODI #11099977

Incident: December 8, 2016 · Filed: June 5, 2018

I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN TO THE SERVICE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE I'VE PURCHASED THE CAR BACK IN NOV. 2016. I NOTICED A CLUNKING AND JOLTING SENSATION FROM MY REAR AXLE WHICH I KNEW WAS NOT NORMAL. THE DEALER AFTER DIAGNOSING THE ISSUE TOLD ME IT IS NORMAL AND THERE ISN'T AN ISSUE AT ALL. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE AND PERSONAL FRUSTRATION KNOWING I'M PAYING FOR A NEW CAR WHICH DOESN'T FEEL NEW AT ALL, I FOUND THE ATTACHED RECALL NOTICE. MY CAR HAS A PRODUCTION DATE OF MAY 20, 2016 WHICH FALLS IN BETWEEN THE TIMELINE MENTIONED IN THE ATTACHED RECALL MEMO WHICH WILL REQUIRE A REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. ALSO, SEARCHING ONLINE ON THE BMW M3 FORUMS, MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SIMILAR VEHICLE HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE AND I AM WORRIED THIS MIGHT ALSO POSE A SAFETY THREAT TO ME. FOR THESE REASONS, I AM SUBMITTING THIS FORM HERE.

Other BMW M3 model years

Check your 2016 BMW M3 VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your BMW M3 at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a BMW VIN