Worst years for a BMW M3
Owners have filed 552 complaints about the BMW M3 with NHTSA across model years 1988 to 2025. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.
Avoid
2008 BMW M3102 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.
Every BMW M3 year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2023 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2022 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2021 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | Airbags |
| 2018 | A | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2017 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2016 | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2015 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2013 | D | 17 | 2 | 0 | 20,000 | Airbags |
| 2012 | — | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | Airbags |
| 2011 | C | 41 | 0 | 2 | 44,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2010 | C | 20 | 3 | 0 | 56,000 | Airbags |
| 2009 | D | 54 | 2 | 0 | 5,600 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2008 | F | 102 | 5 | 2 | 32,250 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2006 | A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 75,000 | Airbags |
| 2005 | A | 12 | 0 | 0 | 85,000 | Airbags |
| 2004 | C | 38 | 0 | 0 | 68,750 | Airbags |
| 2003 | F | 69 | 5 | 1 | 78,960 | Airbags |
| 2002 | C | 48 | 2 | 1 | 78,750 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2001 | B | 20 | 1 | 0 | 129,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 1999 | C | 13 | 4 | 0 | 61,800 | Airbags |
| 1998 | C | 18 | 2 | 0 | 71,500 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 1997 | D | 28 | 4 | 0 | — | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1996 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 1995 | C | 16 | 4 | 0 | 87,000 | Brakes |
| 1988 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | Engine & Cooling |
What breaks on a BMW M3
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Worst in 2004
Worst in 2008
Worst in 2003
Worst in 1995
Worst in 1997
Worst in 2003
Worst in 2008
Worst in 2003
Worst in 1997
Exactly what failed on a BMW M3
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every BMW M3, by the month it reached NHTSA.
BMW M3 problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the BMW M3
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.