"How reliable is the 2009 Bmw M3?"

"Based on 54 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Bmw M3 has a median complaint mileage of 5600 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Bmw M3?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Bmw M3 is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 54 total complaints filed."

2009 Bmw M3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 54 complaints

Total Complaints

5,600mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

1,500 25th Percentile

5,600 Median Mileage

44,300 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE

POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

STRUCTURE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY 09 BMW M3 WITH DCT IS EXHIBITING GEAR SHIFTING SLOWNESS AND POWER LAGGING PROBLEMS AFTER HARD BRAKING. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT WAS A NEAR REAR END COLLISION TODAY THAT REQUIRED ME TO BRAKE HARD FROM 70MPH, TO 40, SWITCH LANES AND ACCELERATE TO AVOID BEING HIT BY APPROACHING TRAFFIC FROM BEHIND. ..."

"IN THE 2009 BMW M3 SEDAN WITH DCT (DUAL CLUTCH) TRANSMISSION, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT LAG OR HESITATION OF AT LEAST 1 SECOND BETWEEN APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CLUTCH ENGAGING AND GIVING ACCELERATION TO THE WHEELS. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN FROM A STAND-STILL, BUT OCCURS PRIMARILY WHEN T..."

"THIS OCCURS REGULARLY, PERHAPS 10 TIMES PER WEEK OR MORE DEPENDING ON SEVERITY. ON DECELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION WILL DISENGAGE THE DRIVELINE. WHEN THE THROTTLE IS DEPRESSED AGAIN TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A LONG DELAY (GREATER THAN 1 SECOND). THIS OCCURS AT SLOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 20 MPH), FOR EXA..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28