Problems · NHTSA complaints

2013 BMW Z4 SDRIVE35IS problems

Owners filed 7 complaints about the 2013 BMW Z4 SDRIVE35IS with NHTSA between Oct 2016 and Feb 2025. The most-cited component is electrical system (3).

Complaints
7
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
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. Electrical system3
  2. Structure2
  3. Air bags2
  4. Service brakes1
  5. Engine and engine cooling1
  6. Service brakes, hydraulic1
  7. Wheels1
  8. Steering1

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 Oct 28, 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
20161
20171
20181
20190
20201
20210
20220
20230
20242
20251

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

Electrical system

3 reports2 crashes
“I got my car serviced at BMW of Tucson in 2022 and they ruined the electrical in my car. Additionally, they might have created another key. I also noticed that my software was downgraded by them and the alarm stopped working correctly.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 27, 2025Electrical system, Structure, Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11645390

Structure

2 reports1 crash
“WATER LEAKED INTO FLOOR FROM AIR CONDITIONING EVAPORATIONS PAN.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 8, 2020StructureODI 11344082

Air bags

2 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 2013 BMW Z4. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, the vehicle failed to reverse without warning upon depression of the accelerator pedal while in the reverse(R) position. The contact stated that the vehicle resumed normal operation upon restart of the engine. A few days later while the contact's husband was driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle continued to accelerate upon depression of the brake pedal. The brake pedal was depressed multiple times but to no avail, as a result, the contact's husband crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not upon impact and no injuries were reported. A police report was not filed. Despite the failure, the vehicle was able driven to the contact's home but was later towed to a dealer. The contact was informed by the dealer that the manufacturer would be sending an investigator to inspect the vehicle. The manufacturer later informed the contact that no fault codes were found on the vehicle; the contact disputed the investigator's finding. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 52,954”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 11, 2024Service brakes, hydraulic, Electrical system, Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11582362

Service brakes

1 report1 crash

Engine and engine cooling

1 report
“The contact owns a 2013 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System ); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. No further information was available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirm parts not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 29, 2024Engine and engine cooling, Electrical systemODI 11622449

Service brakes, hydraulic

1 report1 crash
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

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