Owners have filed 10 complaints
about the 2018 BMW M3 with NHTSA between 2019 and 2024.
The largest single group is the fuel & propulsion.
Across this model's run it ranks 16 of 16 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 — 15
Against the median year of the BMW M3. 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 — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2018 BMW M3
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Fuel & Propulsion
660.0%
Other & Unspecified
220.0%
Median failure at 13,500 miles
Transmission & Drivetrain
110.0%
Median failure at 8,000 miles
Engine & Cooling
110.0%
Median failure at 8,000 miles
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.
Apr 2019peak 2Aug 2024
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Granada Hills, CA
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Fuel tank started slowly leaking fuel after filling tank up to full, only discovered after driving back home and noticing a strong smell of fuel. Repair records are with BMW of Sherman Oaks, CA. - Leaking fuel caused my garage to fill with strong odor of fuel which is unsafe as well as posing an extremely dangerous fire hazard with the exposed fuel leaking to the ground.\ - BMW Dealership inspected, verified no foul play and repaired the faulty part. - A CEL was displayed after which I shortly made a service appointment at BMW. It wasn't until filling the tank to full that I noticed the issue. As myself and others suspect, the leak could be due to the material that was used to construct the fuel tank, which is a plastic welding. My car only had ~21,000 before experiencing this issue and the replacement tank is of the same exact kind, so I expect this issue was not remediated by BMW and will probably experience this again.
NHTSA complaint #11608984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Centreville, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2018 M3 gas tank has cracked on the top and gas slushes around and leaks out. I filled up my tank and gas started leaking from the bottom. 2015-2016 BMW covers it but mine is made in 2017 has the same issue but no recall. This is very dangerous because it’s gas related.
NHTSA complaint #11597225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Centreville, VA
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2018 M3 gas tank has cracked on the top and gas slushes around and leaks out. I filled up my tank and gas started leaking from the bottom. 2015-2016 BMW covers it but mine is made in 2017 has the same issue but no recall. This is very dangerous because it’s gas related.
NHTSA complaint #11597225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Delray Beach, FL
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
After filling gas tank a strong aroma of gasoline was noticeable. This happened three successive times.
NHTSA complaint #11550617 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Delray Beach, FL
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Forgot to include on initial complaint that cracked gas tank was identified by dealer. There was a previous NHTSA recall for the same platform, but did not include the 2018 model year.
NHTSA complaint #11550627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Longwood, FL
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Fuel tank rubber gasket failed How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Leaks large amount of fuel and can cause a fire or explosion Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes BMW technician looked over the repair. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lights
NHTSA complaint #11537054 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Longwood, FL
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel tank started leaking gasoline on the driver's side of the car. I only noticed because of the strong smell of gasoline and slipping a puddle of gas. I feel that my safety was at risk if I was to drive around with gasoline leaking out of the car that could have caused an explosion. I took the car to the dealership and the dealership will not cover the repair even though there is an emission warranty on the older versions of this car that have the same fuel tank issue. There was no warning light.
NHTSA complaint #11534711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 8,000 milesRosemead, CA
POWER TRAIN
CRANK HUB WILL BE PRONE TO SPIN AND THEREFORE WILL DESTROY ENGINE WHICH WILL REQUIRE A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT.
NHTSA complaint #11289976 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 8,000 milesRosemead, CA
ENGINE
CRANK HUB WILL BE PRONE TO SPIN AND THEREFORE WILL DESTROY ENGINE WHICH WILL REQUIRE A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT.
NHTSA complaint #11289976 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 13,500 milesEscondido, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
HELLO, I HAVE A 2018 BMW M3 THAT IS ABOUT 12 MONTHS OLD. THERE WAS A SIRIUS XM (SATELLITE RADIO) TRIAL PERIOD OF 1 YEAR, AND NOW THAT IT IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE, THERE IS AN ADVERTISEMENT IN MY NAVIGATION WINDOW THAT COMES UP EVERY TIME I TURN ON THE CAR, THAT HAS TO BE CLEARED VIA PRESSING "OK" OR ELSE IT DOESN'T GO AWAY. THE SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT IF I TURN ON THE CAR AND GO INTO REVERSE, THE REVERSE CAMERA WILL SHOW BUT GETS INTERRUPTED BY THE SIRIUS XM ADVERTISEMENT, AND DOESN'T COME BACK UNTIL THE ADVERTISEMENT TO RENEW IS MANUALLY CLEARED OUT. I ALMOST REVERSED OVER A PEDESTRIAN IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME. I HAVE SPOKEN TO BMW AND SIRIUS AND BOTH PARTIES POINT FINGERS AT THE OTHER SIDE, ALTHOUGH THE PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY A BMW PROBLEM. CHECK THIS FORUM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS - HTTPS://F80.BIMMERPOST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=1450130 THE WORST PART ABOUT THIS IS THAT BMW IS SAYING THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY-COVERED ISSUE AND THAT I NEED TO PAY MY BMW SERVICE SHOP $188 TO HAVE THEM "DIAGNOSE" THE PROBLEM. THEY NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IMMEDIATELY. I BELIEVE THE IMPETUS FOR THIS "HOTFIX" CAN BE FROM AN AGENCY SUCH AS YOURSELF. THANK YOU.
NHTSA complaint #11193822 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.