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BMW I3Model year report

2016 BMW I3 Problems

Compared with other BMW I3 years

Fewer complaints than typical for this model

21/100 0.5× a typical year · 50 = typical

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
33filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
20,500miles, 16 complaints with mileage
Recalls
2campaigns on record
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
124 MPGecombined, Electric RWD · 137 city / 111 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2016 BMW I3 (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 33 consumer complaints for the 2016 BMW I3. The part named most often is body and structure, with 10 complaints (30% of the total), followed by steering (8) and air bags (6). 16 of the complaints include a mileage, and 81% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 20,500 miles. Of all complaints, 3 involved a crash, 1 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns and 256 technical service bulletins for this model year. Body and structure complaints overlap with 12 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Steering complaints overlap with 19 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Compared with the other 3 BMW I3 model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 21 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (fewer complaints than typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

Body and structure: “Rear hatch glass shattered at tail lights. 2nd time in less than a year. Glass is not replaceable, so whole hatch assembly needs to be installed. Very poor design and wasteful. Around 2000.00 to fix”

NHTSA complaint #11138912, filed 2018-10, 8,744 miles

Steering: “Every 3 to 21 days, my steering pulls hard to the left. This occurs on flat roads on dry pavement. I have to pull the steering wheel hard to the right to keep the vehicle going straight at city driving speeds (0-35 MPH). On one occasion this occurred while on the freeway driving at 70 MPH. Tire pressures are all within spec and tires are in great shape. After stopping and restarting the car, it sometimes will go away. In looking at the Bmw recalls and technical notes, they have no solution to this problem and call it a software issue. This has happened to me at least 6 times.”

NHTSA complaint #11361132, filed 2020-09, 33,400 miles

Air bags: “My bmw i3 has a faulty wiring harness or some other defect that is causing my car to turn off the airbag system. This is a chronic issue with bmw i3’s. Either the wiring harness is bad or the airbag becomes too stiff and the car deactivated the entire airbag system. Dangerous!”

NHTSA complaint #11539172, filed 2023-08

Electrical system: “While driving my 2016 BMW i3 with Range Extender, the vehicle experiences sudden and complete loss of propulsion at very low state of charge (0–1%). The car abruptly loses motive power, forcing me to pull over, sometimes while in traffic. After sitting for several minutes, limited power may return, but the vehicle often shuts down again, and in some cases the Range Extender engine does not engage at all. This has occurred repeatedly and creates a serious risk of being stranded or hit while merging or driving on public roads. …”

NHTSA complaint #11711282, filed 2026-01

Mileage when problems were reported

81% of the 16 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 13,000 and 33,400 miles.

25%0–1031%10–2525%25–5013%50–756%75–1000%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (16 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 20,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: rising. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

2017201920211120242026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2016 BMW I3 version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving); for electric versions it is the cost of electricity and the rating is in MPGe; plug-in hybrid figures are for gasoline-only (hybrid mode) driving, so no annual cost is shown.

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
i3 BEV RWDElectricsingle-speed137111124 MPGe$600
i3 REX RWD0.6L 2-cyl · plug-in hybridsingle-speed413739 gas only—

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2016 BMW I3 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 256 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 256 bulletins →

Other model years of the BMW I3

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2019136,7001—113 MPGe—Not enough data
20181417,0003—118 MPGe—Not enough data
20175310,6503—118 MPGe63 · TypicalRising
20163320,5002—124 MPGe21 · FewerRising
20154730,0003—124 MPGe36 · TypicalFalling
20145423,3004—124 MPGe60 · TypicalStable

All BMW I3 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2016 BMW I3 have?

NHTSA recorded 33 consumer complaints for the 2016 BMW I3 as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2016 BMW I3 is reported most often?

Body and structure is named most often, in 10 complaints (30% of the total), followed by steering with 8.

Has the 2016 BMW I3 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How efficient is the 2016 BMW I3 according to the EPA?

The EPA rates the 2016 BMW I3 (i3 BEV, Electric) at 124 MPGe combined, 137 city and 111 highway, with an estimated annual electricity cost of $600 at 15,000 miles a year. Other battery and motor versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2016 BMW I3 reported?

Among the 16 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 20,500 miles and the middle half falls between 13,000 and 33,400 miles; 81% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

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. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.