Problems · NHTSA complaints

2015 BMW M4 problems

Owners filed 12 complaints about the 2015 BMW M4 with NHTSA between Nov 2018 and May 2026. The most-cited component is engine (5).

Complaints
12
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine5
  2. Electrical system4
  3. Power train4
  4. Service brakes1
  5. Structure1
  6. Visibility/wiper1
  7. Other / unknown1

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 10, 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
20182
20193
20203
20210
20221
20230
20242
20250
20261

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

Engine

5 reports
“The BMW OEM intercooler/charge air cooler is a known faulty equipment issue within this generation of cars/engine (S55 Engine, F80, F82, F87 chassis) and I have thousands of people within the community that were affected and willing to attest to this. This issue is a safety risk as having the intercooler leak coolant into the combustion chambers this will be a catastrophically damage the engine. As I've mentioned this problem has been confirmed by dealers and independent service centers, and I have thousands of people in the willing to attest to this being a very common issue in this generation of cars. There is usually supposed to be a service warning/check engine light that comes up on the car when there is a coolant leak, I received nothing. The symptoms I've experienced are as the following: My radiator fans kept coming on after drives, I had to physically check that coolant was in fact leaking and the reservoir being bone dry within days, I scanned my vehicle for codes and of course the coolant leak code came back.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 27, 2022EngineODI 11449103

Electrical system

4 reports1 fire
“The instrument cluster display no longer functions. Unable to see odometer. Unable to see any vehicle warnings such as fuel warnings, airbag warnings, adas warnings. If I am unable to utilize the instrument cluster display it puts myself and others in harms way as if there is an issue with the vehicle or a warning, I would be unaware as there is no way for that information to reach me. The issue has been confirmed with a code of : B7f694 The display back lighting has failed. BMW states this out of their warranty/workmanship coverage. Leading up to the display failure, the display would cut in and out.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2024Electrical systemODI 11613582

Power train

4 reports1 related recall
“I WAS DRIVING LIKE I NORMALLY DO TO WORK AND MY TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WENT LIMP AND A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE CLUTCH TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ALSO. IT STOPPED DOING IT FOR A WHILE AND NOW IT DOES IT VERY OFTEN BUT DOES NOT PUT A CODE IN THE CARS COMPUTER DATABASE SO IT CAN'T BE TRACKED. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN A IN CITY WITH LIGHTS ETC AND SOMETIMES ON THE HIGHWAYS ALSO.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 30, 2020Power trainODI 11342183

Service brakes

1 report
“The ABS module, which controls the brake drying feature, is malfunctioning. This BMW feature is designed to lightly pulse the brakes when the windshield wipers are active to wipe water off the rotors for better braking performance. The intervention is supposed to be imperceptible. Instead, the system intermittently applies hard, sudden brake pressure while the windshield wipers are operating. This causes abrupt, strong deceleration that feels like the brakes are slamming on by themselves. The problem occurs in wet conditions when wipers are on. It has happened multiple times and has nearly caused rear-end collisions or loss of control on multiple occasions. This unexpected hard braking at speed in wet conditions creates a significant risk of rear-end collision, loss of vehicle control, or accident, especially on highways or in traffic. The only workaround is to drive without wipers in the rain, which is also dangerous due to reduced visibility. I have not yet brought the car into the dealership to have it inspected but I do intend on getting that done within the week. There are no warning lights or messages to suggest there even is a problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 24, 2026Service brakesODI 11739821

Structure

1 report1 related recall
“DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK FAIL TO UNLOCK TO ALLOW DOOR OPEN WHEN INTERIOR DOOR RELEASE PULLED. OCCURRED OCCASIONALLY AT FIRST, NOW REGULARLY BUT NOT ALWAYS. THE CAR DESIGNED TO AUTOMATICALLY LOCKS WHEN DRIVEN, ONCE CAR PARKED AND READY TO GET OUT, DOOR LEVER FAILS TO UNLOCK AND ALLOW DOOR TO OPEN. NORMALLY FIRST PULL OF INTERIOR DOOR LEVER UNLOCKS AND SECOND RELEASES DOOR. WHEN THIS ISSUE HAPPENS FIRST PULL FAILS TO UNLOCK, THE LOCK BUTTON BY DOOR COMES UP, BUT SPRINGS BACK DOWN, TRAPPING THE DRIVER AS DOOR UNABLE TO BE OPENED. ONLY WAY TO UNLOCK TO GET OUT IS TO PRESS CENTRAL LOCK BUTTON, SO IF BATTERY DIES, WILL BE TRAPPED IN VEHICLE. WEB SEARCH WILL SHOW THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS. IT'S A RATHER CONCERNING ISSUE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION TO POTENTIALLY BE TRAPPED. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 13, 2020Electrical system, StructureODI 11324374

Visibility/wiper

1 report
“THIS ISSUE AFFECTS VEHICLES MOVING IN REVERSE AT NIGHT. THE REAR VIEW CAMERA IMAGE AT NIGHT IS VERY DARK AND OBJECTS CANNOT BE SEEN. THE ISSUE IS SEEN ON WHITE OR LIGHT COLOR VEHICLES WHEN THE LIGHT FROM THE LICENSE PLATE REFLECT ON THE BUMPER CAUSING THE CAMERA NOT TO FOCUS PROPERLY. WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS TURN OFF THE REAR VIEW CAMERA HAS A BETTER VIEW. TURNING OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO DISTINGUISH OBJECTS AT NIGHT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. PLEASE ASK BMW TO CORRECT. I HAVE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS THAT I CAN SUGGEST BUT WILL DEFER TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR THE FINAL SOLUTION.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 19, 2018Visibility/wiperODI 11162402
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

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