Skip to content
SteeringPart report

2014 BMW I3 Steering Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
13%of 54 total for the year
Median mileage
24,800miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the steering of the 2014 BMW I3, 13% of the 54 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 24,800 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Sometimes while driving highway speeds steering feels hard to turn. Seems like steering want to remain centered or overly turns suddenly at low speed. Very random. I looked online and many people reported the same issue. I believe it needs a software update. No warning lights or codes stored in vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #11338790, filed 2020-07, 10 miles

“I was driving the car and the steering suddenly became heavy - no longer self-centering. The car would still go where I pointed it, but the wheel wouldn't return to center like usual. It felt very stiff. After shutting the car off for a few minutes, it returned to normal.”

NHTSA complaint #11181286, filed 2019-02, 50,000 miles

“While pulling onto the road my car started pulling strongly towards the left and was very hard to steer. It had very heavy difficult steering. It felt absolutely different than anything I've felt in the two years of ownership. I pulled into a parking lot and 'googled' I3 difficult steering and came across multiple forum posts and discussion of this issue. It appears the I3 power steering can randomly stop working and then returns with an ignition cycle. I locked the car, went in a store for 5 minutes, and normal steering resumed when I drove away. …”

NHTSA complaint #11256755, filed 2019-09, 42,000 miles

“Temporary loss of power assist. From a stop, the assist will function correctly until 30mph. From then on, there will be no power assist until coming to a full stop. The pattern repeats itself for the remainder of the trip. Once the vehicle is turned off, it could take days or months for this to happen again. Bmw states they can not reproduce . This situation makes the vehicle very unstable and dangerous.”

NHTSA complaint #11182758, filed 2019-02, 24,800 miles

“Intermittently, the power steering does not come on when the car is turned on. Steering is heavy and slow. Turning the car off and back on generally corrects this fault. It has happened several times over the past year. I documented below approximately the date of the first event.”

NHTSA complaint #11245653, filed 2019-08, 20,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Steering: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2019431%
2018321%
20171121%
2016824%
20151532%
2014713%

Other parts of the 2014 BMW I3

Transmission and drivetrain
14 complaintsEngine
9 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsWheels
5 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2014 BMW I3

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology