Problems · NHTSA complaints

2022 BMW 3 Series problems

Owners filed 15 complaints about the 2022 BMW 3 Series with NHTSA between Jan 2022 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is power train (3).

Complaints
15
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train3
  2. Electrical system3
  3. Tires3
  4. Steering2
  5. Engine2
  6. Wheels1
  7. Air bags1
  8. Suspension1
  9. Service brakes1
  10. Other / unknown3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20222
20236
20240
20251
20266

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

3 reports
“Vehicle threw code 21A50A (Starter Pinion Timeout) and a Drivetrain Malfunction warning. Car still starts and drives. This is the exact mechanical failure described in Starter Recall 26V-438 / 26V-441, but my 2022 330e VIN is currently excluded.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 24, 2026Power train, Electrical system, EngineODI 11752593

Electrical system

3 reports
“See attached document for complaint.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 2, 2026Electrical systemODI 11747875

Tires

3 reports
“Driving at 75 mph on highway, tire "exploded". Tire air pressure immediately dropped to zero, resulting in some lack of steering control. Warning message on dash appeared upon tire failure. Drove with caution lights to open gas station. A 4-inch slash was visible in the sidewall of the tire. Car was towed to dealership and tire was replaced at my expense.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 27, 2023TiresODI 11524136

Steering

2 reports
“I was driving and going to pickup something from the store localy around like 8 pm, and suddenly my car's wheels stopped responding, and the sign's came up on the car of something like "impaired driving" , and the car was telling me to pull over, i was nearby walmart and i pulled into the parking lot slowly, and could not figure out what was wrong with my car, I left it there and went back next morning to find out that my Tie rod connecting my wheel to the steering rack had completely broken in half while the vehicle was in motion, now I don't know how or why this happened but it was a very unsafe event for me. Now there had been recalls on BMW models similar to mine like a year older or so, and I was denied the repairs on my car by BMW north america and my local dealership, at first they said they would do it but left me for months, I was forced to put a brand new tie rod on my car, but only to find out later on that my whole steering rack had been damaged due to engieering done by BMW. Also I found out later that they never made a claim or case on my situation, so I had to remake a new case but they still did not help at all. I bought the car very new, it was…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 24, 2026Steering, WheelsODI 11766796

Engine

2 reports
“Water pump failure and coolant reservoir leak.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 13, 2025EngineODI 11648018

Wheels

1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.