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2021 BMW 3 Series recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 0 US recalls for the 2021 BMW 3 Series, and 10 in Canada. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

0US recalls
0urgent recalls
0owner complaints
5★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 (0)

No US recalls found for the 2021 BMW 3 Series.

Canadian recalls (10)

Show 10 Canadian recalls

Lights and instruments

2026-06-09 · campaign 2026-285

Issue: Under certain conditions, the windshield wiping system may not meet certain requirements of Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: This small error does not affect safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. BMW has made changes to ensure that all new vehicles meet Canadian regulations.

Engine

2026-01-30 · campaign 2026-040

Issue: On certain vehicles, the engine starter may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the starter could overheat. Safety Risk: A starter that overheats can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW recommends not using the remote start function and not leaving the vehicle unattended with the engine running until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the engine starter.

Electrical

2025-09-23 · campaign 2025-499

Issue: On certain vehicles, water could leak into the starter relay and cause it to corrode. If this happens, the relay could short circuit and the starter could overheat. Safety Risk: A short circuit and/or a starter that overheats can create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW advises that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the engine starter.

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.

High voltage

2021-09-24 · campaign 2021-596 · 170 vehicles

Issue: On certain plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), debris may have entered the high-voltage battery during production. As a result, the battery could short circuit. Note: This recall is for potentially affected vehicles that did not have battery cell module(s) replaced as a part of TC Recall No. 2020-464. Under this new recall the battery cell module(s) must be replaced. Safety Risk: A short circuit in the battery could create a fire risk. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and inform you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the battery cell module(s) of the high-voltage battery. BMW recommends that you should not charge your vehicle and that you should not drive the vehicle in manual mode, sport mode or use the shift paddles until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW also recommends that you should drain the high-voltage battery via iDrive, by setting/leaving the charging state at 30%, until the recall repairs have been completed.

Seats and restraints

2021-07-21 · campaign 2021-448

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger seat belt assemblies may contain defective automatic locking retractors (ALR). As a result, the seat belts may not properly lock to secure a child seat. Safety Risk: A seat belt that is not properly locked could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the seat belts. They will be replaced, if necessary.

Visual system

2021-02-18 · campaign 2021-078

Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image not to appear correctly in the central display. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the transmission is shifted into reverse gear. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that does not display correctly could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the rearview camera software, if necessary.

Brakes

2021-02-10 · campaign 2021-061 · 45 vehicles

Issue: On certain vehicles, an internal part in the integrated brake system could fail during hard braking. If this happens, there would be a reduction in brake boost and the antilock brake system (ABS) would turn off. This can cause an increase in brake pedal effort that is required to stop the vehicle. Safety Risk: A sudden increase in brake pedal force and a loss of ABS braking could lead to an increase in stopping distance. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer replace the integrated brake system (hydraulic unit and master cylinder).

Electrical

2020-12-10 · campaign 2020-605 · 130 vehicles

Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that connect the 48-V battery cables to the starter-generator may not have been installed correctly. As a result, the electrical connections could overheat. Safety Risk: Electrical connections that overheat could increase the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the bolts connecting the 48-V battery cables to the starter-generator and replace them, if necessary.

High voltage

2020-09-30 · campaign 2020-464 · 194 vehicles

Issue: On certain plug-In hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), debris may have entered the high-voltage battery during production. As a result, the battery could short circuit. Safety Risk: A short circuit in the battery could create a fire risk. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and inform you to take your vehicle to a dealer to test the high-voltage battery. The cell module(s) will be replaced, if necessary. BMW recommends that you should not charge your vehicle and that you should not drive the vehicle in manual mode, sport mode or use the shift paddles until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW also recommends that you should drain the high-voltage battery via iDrive, by setting/leaving the charging state at 30%, until the recall repairs have been completed.

Owner complaints

No owner complaints found for the 2021 BMW 3 Series.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2021 BMW 3 Series.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2021 BMW 3 Series 4 DR RWD5★5★5★5★
2021 BMW 3 Series 4 DR AWD5★5★5★5★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2021 BMW 3 Series version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
330e 2.0 L Automatic (S8)253328$2,950
330e xDrive 2.0 L Automatic (S8)223025$3,300
330i 2.0 L Automatic (S8)263630$2,750
330i xDrive 2.0 L Automatic (S8)253428$2,950
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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.