Home › BMW › 3 Series › 2019

2019 BMW 3 Series

Gas Compact car

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Specs & fuel economy Recalls Complaints Crash ratings

Safety Signal

35 / 100

FSafety Signal · 35 / 100

9Recalls · 1 critical

41Complaints · owner reports

5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall

30 mpgFuel economy · best combined

⚠️

Active NHTSA advisory: park outside and away from structures until repaired. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2019 BMW 3 Series is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 330i, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 41 complaints, most often about unknown or other. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
330i	Gas	RWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	26	36	30	$2,600
330i xDrive	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	25	34	28	$2,750
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
340i xDrive Gran Turismo	Gas	AWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	29	23	$3,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2019 BMW 3 Series is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Data on this page is never influenced by that.

Recalls (9)

Electrical System

critical

Park outside199,674 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i 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 their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.

NHTSA campaign 25V636000 · reported Sep 23, 2025 · BMW of North America, LLC

Seat Belts

high

144 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2022 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, 2022 430i Coupe, 2021-2022 430i, M440i Convertible, and 2020-2022 228i xDrive Gran Coupe vehicles. The receiver audio module control unit software may fail to properly generate audible seat belt warnings to the driver to fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: An audible chime that does not properly alert the driver to fasten their seat belt increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the receiver audio module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 12, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 23V584000 · reported Aug 16, 2023 · BMW of North America, LLC

Seats

high

51 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, 2020-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, 2021 X3 xDrive30e, X4 xDrive30i, and X4M vehicles. The seat frame may not have been welded properly to the seat rails.

Risk: An improperly welded seat frame may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the seat frame and back rest, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 23V211000 · reported Mar 29, 2023 · BMW of North America, LLC

Back Over Prevention

minor

13,858 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe 43

Risk: If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 21V096000 · reported Feb 19, 2021 · BMW of North America, LLC

Steering

high

2,779 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019 Z4 sDrive30i, 2019-2020 330i xDrive, M340i and M340i xDrive, 2020 X3M and X4M, and Toyota Supra vehicles. In certain driving conditions, such as high temperatures and rough road surfaces, a steering gear tie rod may become damaged, possibly resulting in a fractured tie rod.

Risk: A damaged or fractured tie rod may affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: BMW and Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear tie rods, free of charge. The recall began August 14, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

NHTSA campaign 20V355000 · reported Jun 15, 2020 · BMW of North America, LLC

Seat Belts

high

135 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 330i and 330i xDrive vehicles. The outboard rear seat belt pretensioners may not lock as intended during a crash.

Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat belt pretensioners fail to lock, there is an increased risk of injury.

Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear seat belts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 10, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 19V912000 · reported Dec 20, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Engine

high

217 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 330i, 330i xDrive, and 2019 Z4 vehicles. The needle roller bearings of the counterbalance shafts may have been improperly installed, potentially causing the counterbalance shaft to loosen.

Risk: If the counterbalance shaft loosens, severe engine damage could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 19V732000 · reported Oct 15, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Back Over Prevention

minor

257,473 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted

Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

NHTSA campaign 19V684000 · reported Sep 27, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Air Bags

high

5,079 vehicles

Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive, M2 Competition Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, and 2019 330i xDrive Sportswagon vehicles. The driver and passenger knee air bag assemblies may have been improperly folded and assembled.

Risk: An improperly folded and assembled air bag may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury.

Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the knee air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA campaign 19V352000 · reported May 9, 2019 · BMW of North America, LLC

Owner complaints

41 complaints filed

2 involved a crash, 5 a fire, 2 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2019: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 13 · 2026: 10

Most-cited components

Unknown Or Other — 9
Engine — 9
Electrical System — 7
Power Train — 5
Air Bags — 4

“I was driving on the 5 North Freeway near downtown Stockton at around 9:30 AM when, the sunroof on my car exploded. There was no visible objects or debris that had gone airborne that hit the car. The sunroof was closed and the sun shade was opened. The loud explosion sent glass throughout the interior of the car, left …”Aug 17, 2023 · Unknown Or Other · NHTSA owner report

“Excessive moisture or condensation in the headlights after heavy rain. First one failed which is on driver side but replaced but second one which is the passenger side failed too within months. Replace for headlights would cost 4.5K”May 5, 2023 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owned a 2019 BMW 330i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, smoke was seen coming from under the hood of the vehicle. After stopping and exiting the vehicle, flames were then present coming from under the hood and the fire department was called to the scene. The flames were extinguish…”Jul 21, 2022 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

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
5 HB AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★★	10%
SW AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★★	10%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.

Other 3 Series model years

2026 3 Series

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2025 3 Series

1 recalls · 4 complaints

2024 3 Series

3 recalls · 8 complaints

2023 3 Series

5 recalls · 10 complaints

2022 3 Series

3 recalls · 14 complaints

2021 3 Series

9 recalls · 33 complaints

2020 3 Series

11 recalls · 52 complaints

2018 3 Series

7 recalls · 72 complaints

2017 3 Series

4 recalls · 77 complaints

2016 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 41157, 41158, 40495, 40501, 40496). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API