2017 Bmw I3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 66 complaints
66
Total Complaints
10,000mi
Median Mileage
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

5,000 25th Percentile
10,000 Median Mileage
27,590 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
STEERING
11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
STRUCTURE:BODY
7
POWER TRAIN
6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
3
AIR BAGS
3
SERVICE BRAKES
2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
2

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
1
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BMW LEASED ME AN I3 AFTER THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE IT HAD BEEN RECALLED. I HAVE ATTACHED AN INTERNAL BMW MEMO WHERE NOTICE WAS PROVIDED TO THEIR STAFF NOT TO LEASE THE CAR AND MY LEASE OCCURRED AFTER THE RECALL AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEMO."
"THE FRONT WINDSHIELD IS IRREGULAR, WHICH CAUSES EXTREME DISTORTION OF THE VIEW. DRIVING IS DANGEROUS AS THE DISTORTION CAUSES DIZZINESS. THE IMAGES I SEE ARE SEVERELY DISTORTED WITH THE CAR STOPPED OR IN MOTION BUT IT GETS WORSE WHEN MY CAR AND THE CAR AHEAD ARE IN MOTION AS BOTH THE ROAD AND THE CA..."
"RIGHT REAR SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM SNAPPED (STEEL FRACTURED) UNEXPECTEDLY. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR ROAD DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, AND THE FRACTURE OCCURRED AFTER GENTLY ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER, AND ALIGNMENT ..."

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