Owners have filed 11 complaints
about the 2012 BMW 3 Series with NHTSA between 2012 and 2017.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 13 of 13 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 6
Against the median year of the BMW 3 Series. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 85
50% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2012 BMW 3 Series
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Engine & Cooling
327.3%
Median failure at 51,279 miles
Fuel & Propulsion
218.2%
Median failure at 47,500 miles
Other & Unspecified
19.1%
Median failure at 51,279 miles
Seats
19.1%
Acceleration & Cruise Control
19.1%
Median failure at 25,989 miles
Body & Structure
19.1%
Median failure at 5,150 miles
Steering
19.1%
Median failure at 25,989 miles
Airbags
19.1%
Median failure at 55,000 miles
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
1,000 – 9,999 miles
110.0%
10,000 – 24,999 miles
110.0%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
330.0%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
550.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
May 2012peak 3Oct 2017
NHTSA investigations into the 2012 BMW 3 Series
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
PE13030Opened 6 Sep 2013Closed 25 Oct 2013SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM
Loss of power assist braking
In a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According to BMW, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in improper pump operation and loss of power assist braking.On July 11, 2013, BMW initiated a change to the ca...
Recalls on the 2012 BMW 3 Series
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2024544587,250 units in Canada
Label
Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.
Recall 202446878,381 units in Canada
Engine
Issue: On certain vehicles, fluid from the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system could leak on the intake air hose. As a result, the fluid could enter the electrical connector for the water pump and cause a short circuit. Safety Risk: A short circuit can create the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW advises you to park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs are completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the water pump and electrical connector. The dealer will also install a shield on the connector.
Recall 202439244,131 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: This recall applies to vehicles that may be equipped with a replacement sport or M-sport steering wheel that has a Takata airbag. Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-front airbag module. To learn if your vehicle is affected by this recall, owners may: • Visit <a href= https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html> https://www.bmw.ca/en/ssl/VehicleRecall.html</a> • Contact your preferred or local BMW Retailer • Call BMW Customer Relations Recall Services at 1-855-217-3002
Recall 202209598,111 units in Canada
Engine
Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K 6-cylinder engine, a manufacturing problem could cause the PCV valve heater (blow-by heater) to short circuit and overheat. Note: This replaces Transport Canada recalls 2017-470 and 2019-170. Only vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K engine require this repair. Safety Risk: An overheated engine PCV valve heater could create the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install a wire harness repair kit. BMW recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors until the recall repairs have been completed.
Recall 20210931,519 units in Canada
Steering
Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that attach the electric power steering assist motor to the steering gear may corrode and break. This could cause a loss of power steering assist. Safety Risk: A loss of power steering assist may result in a sudden increase in steering effort, especially at low vehicle speeds. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the bolts and apply a wax sealer. If one or more of the bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed.
Recall 20193102,294 units in Canada
Electrical
Issue: On certain 3-series and M3 vehicles, the positive battery cable connection to the fuse box may fail. This could cause a loss of electrical power while driving. As a result the engine could turn off and various electrical systems may not work, including the lights. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power and/or loss of vehicle electrical systems could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the positive battery cable connector with an updated version. Note: This is an expansion of recall 2013-048.
Recall 2016142104,151 units in Canada
Airbag
On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator or air bag module, depending on the vehicle model.
Recall 2015369637 units in Canada
Lights And Instruments
Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. The front side markers may be inoperative due to a vehicle software update. This could result in the front side marker lamps not illuminating in conjunction with the parking lamps or headlamps, and no warning message would be displayed in the instrument cluster. The turn signal function of the front side marker lamps would remain operational. This could cause the vehicle to fail to comply with the requirements of the standard, and reduce vehicle conspicuity, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will update vehicle software.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
at 55,000 milesVero Beach, FL
AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL I HAVE CONTACTED COGGIN BMW FT. PIERCE FL. SEVERAL TIMES TO GET MY AIRBAG FIXED. OVER A YEAR NOW AND STILL THEY CLAIM THAT THE PARTS HAVE NOT COME IN YET. IS THIS TRUE AND WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS RECALL TAKEN CARE OF.
NHTSA complaint #11034723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 71,000 milesSAN Antonio, PR
ENGINE
AUGUST 6, 2016 - CAR STALLED AT ABOUT 50MPH, JUST WHEN ABOUT TO GO UPHILL. I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER LEAVING THE CAR BLOCKING TRAFFIC WITH MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER IN IT. ONCE IT STOPS, IT PUTS ITSELF IN PARK, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PUSH ASIDE. WE CREATED A TRAFFIC JAM AND POLICE BARRICADED WHILE WE WERE TRYING TO MOVE THE CAR. EVENTUALLY, IN ABOUT 30 MINS, THE CAR TURNS ON. HAPPENED AFTER AN HOUR OF HIGHWAY DRIVING. CAR SEEMED FINE AFTER THAT. AUGUST 17, 2016 - ON ANOTHER LONG TRIP, THE CAR STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. WOULD CRANK BUT NOT TURN ON. ALMOST EXHAUSTED THE BATTERY. CALLED A TOW TRUCK BUT BY THE TIME IT GOT THERE, AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR, THE CAR RESTARTED. HAD MY ODB-II SCANNER WITH ME AND GOT CODE USED MY OBDII READER AND GOT CODE P142E - PRESSURE TOO LOW IN HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH NOT STARTING AND THE AND THE FUEL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO AUTOGERMANA SERVICE CENTER, THAT SAME DAY. SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 - STALLED ON A MAIN ROAD, WITH MY DAUGHTER, ON THE WAY TO THE PEDIATRICIAN. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE RIGHT LANE AND PARK ON A GAS STATION. AMBIENT TEMP WAS 94F. WAITED ABOUT 30MINS AND THE CAR RE-STARTED. THE DEALESHIP WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE FAILURE. SENT EMAIL TO BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS BUT THEY REFERRED ME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP.
NHTSA complaint #10925651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 71,000 milesSAN Antonio, PR
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
AUGUST 6, 2016 - CAR STALLED AT ABOUT 50MPH, JUST WHEN ABOUT TO GO UPHILL. I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER LEAVING THE CAR BLOCKING TRAFFIC WITH MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER IN IT. ONCE IT STOPS, IT PUTS ITSELF IN PARK, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PUSH ASIDE. WE CREATED A TRAFFIC JAM AND POLICE BARRICADED WHILE WE WERE TRYING TO MOVE THE CAR. EVENTUALLY, IN ABOUT 30 MINS, THE CAR TURNS ON. HAPPENED AFTER AN HOUR OF HIGHWAY DRIVING. CAR SEEMED FINE AFTER THAT. AUGUST 17, 2016 - ON ANOTHER LONG TRIP, THE CAR STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. WOULD CRANK BUT NOT TURN ON. ALMOST EXHAUSTED THE BATTERY. CALLED A TOW TRUCK BUT BY THE TIME IT GOT THERE, AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR, THE CAR RESTARTED. HAD MY ODB-II SCANNER WITH ME AND GOT CODE USED MY OBDII READER AND GOT CODE P142E - PRESSURE TOO LOW IN HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH NOT STARTING AND THE AND THE FUEL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO AUTOGERMANA SERVICE CENTER, THAT SAME DAY. SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 - STALLED ON A MAIN ROAD, WITH MY DAUGHTER, ON THE WAY TO THE PEDIATRICIAN. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE RIGHT LANE AND PARK ON A GAS STATION. AMBIENT TEMP WAS 94F. WAITED ABOUT 30MINS AND THE CAR RE-STARTED. THE DEALESHIP WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE FAILURE. SENT EMAIL TO BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS BUT THEY REFERRED ME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP.
NHTSA complaint #10925651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 24,000 milesChicago, IL
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY ROAD IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND THE CAR JUST SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND WON'T MOVE. OF COURSE CAME CLOSE TO BEING CRASHED FROM BEHIND. I AM GRATEFUL AND LUCKY THAT THE CARS BEHIND WERE ABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND MANEUVER AROUND ME TO AVOID COLLISION. THE BMW DEALER INSPECTED THE CAR AND TOLD ME THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND ITS CONTROL UNIT IS FAULTY. I HAVE ATTACHED THEIR DIAGNOSIS AS WELL. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A LESS THAN 4 YEAR OLD CAR WITH UNDER 25K MILES ON IT HAS A FUEL PUMP FAILURE, UNLESS IT WAS FAULTY TO BEGIN WITH. I CHECKED INTO THE RECALLS FOR BMW 328I MODELS FOR FAULTY FUEL PUMPS AND IT SEEMS BMW RECALLED MODELS FROM 2014, BUT IT SEEMS THE 2012 BMW HAS THIS ISSUE AS WELL. I WAS SAVED BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE NO ONE ELSE IS HURT BECAUSE OF FAULTY PARTS THAT CAR MANUFACTURERS FAIL TO CHECK BEFORE SELLING IT TO UNSUSPECTING CONSUMERS, WHO THINK THEY ARE SAFE WHEN DRIVING THESE EXPENSIVE CARS WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND PRECIOUS ONES IN IT. I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO BE STILL ALIVE, SAFE AND OK TO WRITE THIS MESSAGE.
NHTSA complaint #10925545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 25,989 milesEL Cajon, CA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE IN LINE IN A DRIVE THRU THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF SUDDENLY LOSING ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND POWER STEERING. UPON TRYING TO START "CHARGING MALFUNCTION" APPEARED ON THE INFORMATION SCREEN IN WITH A RED WARNING SIGN. TRIED 2-3 TIMES TO TURN OVER STARTER. WHEN VEHICLE TURNED ON IT WAS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. WHEN TRYING TO EXIT DRIVE THRU DRIVE WAY VEHICLE WAS VERY HEAVY AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. FINALLY AFTER SEVERAL BACK AND FORTH ATTEMPTS VEHICLE WAS MOVED ABOUT 50 FEET TO A SAFE PARKING LOCATION.
NHTSA complaint #10892703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 25,989 milesEL Cajon, CA
STEERING
WHILE IN LINE IN A DRIVE THRU THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF SUDDENLY LOSING ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND POWER STEERING. UPON TRYING TO START "CHARGING MALFUNCTION" APPEARED ON THE INFORMATION SCREEN IN WITH A RED WARNING SIGN. TRIED 2-3 TIMES TO TURN OVER STARTER. WHEN VEHICLE TURNED ON IT WAS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. WHEN TRYING TO EXIT DRIVE THRU DRIVE WAY VEHICLE WAS VERY HEAVY AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. FINALLY AFTER SEVERAL BACK AND FORTH ATTEMPTS VEHICLE WAS MOVED ABOUT 50 FEET TO A SAFE PARKING LOCATION.
NHTSA complaint #10892703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 25,989 milesEL Cajon, CA
ENGINE
WHILE IN LINE IN A DRIVE THRU THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF SUDDENLY LOSING ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND POWER STEERING. UPON TRYING TO START "CHARGING MALFUNCTION" APPEARED ON THE INFORMATION SCREEN IN WITH A RED WARNING SIGN. TRIED 2-3 TIMES TO TURN OVER STARTER. WHEN VEHICLE TURNED ON IT WAS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. WHEN TRYING TO EXIT DRIVE THRU DRIVE WAY VEHICLE WAS VERY HEAVY AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. FINALLY AFTER SEVERAL BACK AND FORTH ATTEMPTS VEHICLE WAS MOVED ABOUT 50 FEET TO A SAFE PARKING LOCATION.
NHTSA complaint #10892703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 51,279 milesSAN Ramon, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
VANOS BOLT FAILURE. 4 VANOS BOLT BROKEN. CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET WHILE TURNING. NO POWER AT ALL. IT IS A 2011 328I.
NHTSA complaint #10780872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 51,279 milesSAN Ramon, CA
ENGINE
VANOS BOLT FAILURE. 4 VANOS BOLT BROKEN. CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET WHILE TURNING. NO POWER AT ALL. IT IS A 2011 328I.
NHTSA complaint #10780872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 5,150 milesSouthborough, MA
STRUCTURE:BODY
THIS CAR HAS NO "SAFETY CATCH" ON THE HOOD LATCH THAT THE OWNER OPENS AFTER FIRST RELEASING THE HOOD FROM INSIDE THE CAR. INSTEAD, THE OWNER OPENS THE HOOD BY PULLING TWICE ON THE HOOD RELEASE LEVEL INSIDE THE CAR IN THE DRIVER'S FOOTWELL. THE HOOD THEN OPENS FREELY WITHOUT FURTHER UNLATCHING OUTSIDE THE CAR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS LATCH SYSTEM FAILS TO CLOSE THE HOOD PROPERLY. OFTEN ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER WILL NOT LATCH FIRMLY INTO PLACE. SO, INSTEAD OF TWO LATCHES HOLDING THE HOOD DOWN, ONLY ONE DOES. I TOOK MY CAR TO A DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM, WHO DIAGNOSED IT HAS BEING CAUSED BY "LEAVES" IN THE MECHANISM. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED ON BOTH THE SIDE THEY CLEANED (THE PASSENGER'S SIDE) AND ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE LATCHES. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH THE HOOD ONLY PARTIALLY LATCHED CLOSED, AS I AM SURE YOU WILL AGREE. OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING OF THIS SAFETY PROBLEM. SEE THIS DISCUSSION AND A PICTURE OF THE IMPROPERLY CLOSED HOOD ONLINE ON A BMW FORUM: HTTP://WWW.F30POST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=790560.
NHTSA complaint #10492311 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Temecula, CA
SEATS
WHEN I PURCHASED 328I SOMEONE ACCIDENTALLY PULL UP THE DRIVER-SIDE HEADREST FROM DOWN POSITION. BUT I AM SHORT AND MY HEAD IS PROTECTED WHEN THE HEADREST(CONSTRAINT) IS IN ORIGINAL DOWN POSITION. I WANTED IT TO BE PUT DOWN IN ORIGINAL POSITION. NO ONE INCLUDING SERVICE DEPT TECHNICIAN COULD DO IT. AND DURING THE PROCESS THEY PULL THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADREST UP TOO. NOW BOTH SIDES COULD NOT BE PUT DOWN (BY THE WAY BOTH COULD NOT BE PULLED OUT NEITHER), EVEN THOUGH MANUAL SAID THEY COULD BE PUT DOWN AND OUT TOO. AND I CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWER NOR RELATED INFORMATION. I'M CONCERNED SINCE IT COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME. MAY I ASK YOUR HELP IF IT CAN BE RESEARCHED WHY THEY CAN NOT BE PUT DOWN IN ORIGINAL POSITION? I HOPE IT'S NOT A DEFECT PROBLEM, IS IT?
NHTSA complaint #10457576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.