2018 BMW 3 Series
Plug-in hybrid Gas Diesel Compact car
The 2018 BMW 3 Series is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, gas and diesel compact car with 17 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 328d, is EPA-rated at 36 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, 5 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 72 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330e | Plug-in hybrid | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 83kW DCPM | 28 | 34 | 30 (38 MPGe blended) | 14 mi electric | 47 | 2 h | $2,600 |
| 320i | Gas | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 24 | 35 | 28 | — | — | — | $2,750 |
| 320i | Gas | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 35 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 320i xDrive | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 34 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 330i | Gas | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 24 | 34 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 330i xDrive | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 330i xDrive Gran Turismo | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 330i xDrive Sports Wagon | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 27 | — | — | — | $2,850 |
| 330i | Gas | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 32 | 25 | — | — | — | $3,100 |
| 340i | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 21 | 32 | 25 | — | — | — | $3,100 |
| 340i xDrive | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 21 | 31 | 25 | — | — | — | $3,100 |
| 340i | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 19 | 29 | 23 | — | — | — | $3,350 |
| 340i xDrive | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 19 | 29 | 23 | — | — | — | $3,350 |
| 340i xDrive Gran Turismo | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 20 | 29 | 23 | — | — | — | $3,350 |
| 328d | Diesel | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 31 | 43 | 36 | — | — | — | $2,500 |
| 328d xDrive | Diesel | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 30 | 40 | 34 | — | — | — | $2,650 |
| 328d xDrive Sports Wagon | Diesel | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 30 | 40 | 34 | — | — | — | $2,650 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
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Recalls (7)
Electrical System
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2020 530e xDrive, 2017-2019 740Le xDrive, 2018-2020 530e iPerformance, 2016-2018 330e iPerformance vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Risk: A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 3, 2026. Another letter will be mailed after the remedy is confirmed. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 28, 2026.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 328D SportsWagon, 328D xDrive SportsWagon, 328D xDrive, and 328D diesel vehicles equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Risk: Smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler, inspect and replace the intake manifold, if necessary, and clean the EGR pipe connecting the cooler to the manifold, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 5, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 5, 2025. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V907.
Fuel System, Diesel
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Risk: A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer
Fuel System, Diesel
highProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.
Risk: The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Equipment
criticalProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
Risk: An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling
highProblem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel System, Diesel:Delivery:Fuel Pump — High pressure fuel pump failure (open)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed rec
Opened Mar 17, 2023 · action EA23001
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (open)
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002
Owner complaints
72 complaints filed
6 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 4 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2018: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 16 · 2026: 9
Most-cited components
- Engine — 22
- Electrical System — 14
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 13
- Unknown Or Other — 9
- Air Bags — 5
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 4 DR RWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 5 HB AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| SW AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Other 3 Series model years
2026 3 Series
0 recalls · 0 complaints
B2025 3 Series
1 recalls · 4 complaints
D2024 3 Series
3 recalls · 8 complaints
F2023 3 Series
5 recalls · 10 complaints
D2022 3 Series
3 recalls · 14 complaints
F2021 3 Series
9 recalls · 33 complaints
F2020 3 Series
11 recalls · 52 complaints
F2019 3 Series
9 recalls · 41 complaints
F2017 3 Series
4 recalls · 77 complaints
F2016 3 Series
6 recalls · 100 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 39407, 39134, 39135, 39136, 39132, 39133, 39178, 39180, 39286, 39137, 39139, 39138). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.