The Used Car Index

2021 BMW M3 problems

NHTSA lists 3 complaints for the 2021 BMW M3, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW M3.

At a glance

Complaints
3
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
21,537
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
64

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS133.3%
SEAT BELTS133.3%
STEERING133.3%
SUSPENSION133.3%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER133.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure133.3%0.65
noise or comfort133.3%0.85
restraint or airbag133.3%0.99
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate266.7%0.55
low133.3%0.89

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 3 tagged complaints of 3 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

21V554000

Date: 2021-07-21. Systems: SEAT BELTS.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M (excerpt)

Consequence: During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota). (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V298000

Date: 2021-04-28. Systems: SEAT BELTS.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M3, and 330e xDrive vehicles. The bolt securing the seat belt assembly to the frame was not tightened to specification.

Consequence: An improperly installed seat belt assembly may not restrain an occupant as expected, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belt buckle assembly connection and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V062000

Date: 2021-02-10. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 8 Series Coupe, Grand Coupe and convertible 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8 and 740 Li, 740 Li xDrive, 750 Li xDrive, M760 Li xDrive, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xdrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, and 2019-2021 X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M50i, X5M, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, and 2021 M3, M3 Competition, M4 Coup (excerpt)

Consequence: A loss of ABS and a reduction in braking assistance can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

64 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT23
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM19
STEERING6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC4
STRUCTURE4
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY3

11027766

Date: 2026-01-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

While driving on a smooth and/or unevenroad, a a crackinga sound is heard from therear wheel arch area (highlighted in orange) on either the right or left side.

11022101

Date: 2025-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

While driving on a smooth and/or uneven road, a a crackinga sound is heard from the rear wheel arch area (highlighted in orange) on either the right or left side.

10249027

Date: 2024-01-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle A A?A A A A discharged batteryA A?A A A A compl

10249016

Date: 2024-01-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SUSPENSION.

With the vehicle is on a lift and the front struts are in the extended position, there may be a cracking and orclicking type noise when turning the steering wheel left/right. See attached video V31 01 24. The sound can reoccur when the vehicle is lowered, and the wheels are once again under load. T

10249015

Date: 2024-01-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system(NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5mm

10244237

Date: 2023-10-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-

10239601

Date: 2023-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop effective June 6, 2023 on certain Model Year 2023 - 2024 BMW vehicles that were produced between October 26, 2022 and May 8, 2023.

10239602

Date: 2023-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

A vehicle arrives at your center to be diagnosed for a micro-leak in the fuel evaporative (EVAP) system (NVLD natural vacuum leak detection). For this condition, the following fault is stored in the DME: 190302 - fuel tank ventilation and scavenging air system, micro-leak: leakage more than 0.5 mm.

10239610

Date: 2023-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

Condensation is present on the inner surfaces in one or both taillights (circled).

10239611

Date: 2023-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

Headlight check control (CC) message 128 "High beam headlight failure" is displayed. The following fault codes are stored during a vehicle test: 80419A - Left high-beam headlight: Short circuit and/or 8041A5 - light outputs: Number of permitted short circuit cycles exceeded

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
M33

Same model, other years

All model years | All BMW models

Other BMW models, 2021

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=BMW&model=M3&year=2021"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.