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2009 BMW 3 Series recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There is 1 US recall for the 2009 BMW 3 Series, and 10 in Canada. Owners filed 53 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags.

1US recalls
0urgent recalls
53owner complaints
–overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (1)

Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system, emission control

2022-03-02 · campaign 22V119000 · 917,106 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.

Remedy: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Canadian recalls (10)

Show 10 Canadian recalls

Label

2024-08-15 · campaign 2024-544

Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.

Airbag

2024-07-03 · campaign 2024-392

Issue: This recall applies to vehicles that may be equipped with a replacement sport or M-sport steering wheel that has a Takata airbag. Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-front airbag module. To learn if your vehicle is affected by this recall, owners may: • Visit <a href= https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html> https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html</a> • Contact your preferred or local BMW Retailer • Call BMW Customer Relations Recall Services at 1-855-217-3002

Engine

2022-03-02 · campaign 2022-095

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K 6-cylinder engine, a manufacturing problem could cause the PCV valve heater (blow-by heater) to short circuit and overheat. Note: This replaces Transport Canada recalls 2017-470 and 2019-170. Only vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K engine require this repair. Safety Risk: An overheated engine PCV valve heater could create the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install a wire harness repair kit. BMW recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors until the recall repairs have been completed.

Airbag

2020-01-15 · campaign 2020-008 · 47 vehicles

Issue: This recall is for certain vehicles that had an airbag inflator replaced as a part of an earlier recall campaign. This recall provides a final repair. Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to inspect the driver-front airbag inflator. The driver-front airbag module or inflator will be replaced as necessary. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

Electrical

2019-06-20 · campaign 2019-310

Issue: On certain 3-series and M3 vehicles, the positive battery cable connection to the fuse box may fail. This could cause a loss of electrical power while driving. As a result the engine could turn off and various electrical systems may not work, including the lights. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power and/or loss of vehicle electrical systems could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the positive battery cable connector with an updated version. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2013-048.

Electrical

2017-11-30 · campaign 2017-588

On certain vehicles, the blower regulator wiring harness crimp connection could start to corrode over time. This in combination with high current flow (IE maximum blower fan speed) could cause the harness to overheat and melt, which could lead to a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the blower regulator wiring harness and inspect other components for damage, replacing them as necessary.

Engine

2017-09-28 · campaign 2017-470

On certain vehicles equipped with the N52 6-cylinder engine, an electrical short could occur in the PCV valve heater due to manufacturing irregularities. If this occurs, the surrounding plastics could overheat, melt and potentially cause a fire, which could increase the risk of injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the PCV valve heater.

Airbag

2016-03-31 · campaign 2016-142

On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator or air bag module, depending on the vehicle model.

Electrical

2013-02-07 · campaign 2013-048

On certain vehicles, the positive battery cable connection to the fuse box could fail while the vehicle is being driven. This could interrupt the vehicle’s electrical system, resulting in engine stalling, loss of vehicle propulsion and a loss of function of various vehicle systems, such as lights. A loss of vehicle propulsion and electrical vehicle systems, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver’s reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the positive battery cable connector with an updated version.

Powertrain

2008-11-05 · campaign 2008-399 · 133 vehicles

On certain M3 vehicles equipped with the multistage downshifting of the double clutch gearbox, during some cases involving rapid vehicle deceleration, the transmission software may perform a multistage downshift. In this situation the clutch is open for a approximately 200msec. When this occurs, positive gear engagement is interrupted. In conjunction with the engine's over run fuel cut-off at low speed, there is a possibility for the engine to stall. Loss of propulsion, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash. Correction: Dealers will re-program the Engine Electronic Control Module.

Owner complaints (53)

Owners filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 BMW 3 Series (4 crashes, 2 fires, 9 injuries reported). Among 21 model years of this model, it ranks #7 for the most complaints (median 25).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Air bags15
Electrical system8
Fuel/propulsion system6
Engine5
Exterior lighting5
Unknown or other4
Fuel system, gasoline3
Visibility3

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2009 BMW 3 Series.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2009 BMW 3 Series 4-DR. w/SAB–––4★
2009 BMW 3 Series Convertible w/SAB––––
2009 BMW 3 Series Wagon w/SAB–––4★
2009 BMW 3 Series 2-DR. w/SAB––––

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2009 BMW 3 Series version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
328ci 3.0 L Manual 6-spd182821$3,900
328ci 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182822$3,750
328ci Convertible 3.0 L Manual 6-spd172720$4,100
328ci Convertible 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182721$3,900
328ci xDrive 3.0 L Manual 6-spd172520$4,100
328ci xDrive 3.0 L Automatic (S6)172520$4,100
328i 3.0 L Manual 6-spd182821$3,900
328i 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182822$3,750
328i Sport Wagon 3.0 L Manual 6-spd172720$4,100
328i Sport Wagon 3.0 L Automatic (S6)182721$3,900
328i Sport Wagon xDrive 3.0 L Manual 6-spd172520$4,100
328i Sport Wagon xDrive 3.0 L Automatic (S6)172520$4,100
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.