Model year 2015 · Compact Cars, Small Station Wagons, Large Cars
2015 BMW 3 Series: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings
EPA rates the 2015 BMW 3 Series at 23–36 mpg combined across 17 versions. NHTSA lists 8 safety recalls and 214 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Safety recalls
8
EPA combined mpg
23–36
NHTSA overall rating
5/5
Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT
NHTSA lists this vehicle as 320I, 320XI, 328D, 328I, 328XD, 328XI, 335I, 335XI.
Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a BMW dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.
2015 BMW 3 Series recalls
NHTSA's recall file lists 8 safety recalls for the 2015 BMW 3 Series, newest first.
Engine and engine cooling: Cooling system: Pump and 1 more component
BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.
Risk
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5 Series Gran Turismo, 2014 5 Series Sedan, 2015 6 Series Convertible, 2015 6 Series Coupe, 2014 X5, 2013-2014 X3, 2014-2015 3 Series Sedan, 2014 4 Series Coupe, 2014 4 Series Convertible, 2014 3 Series Gran Turismo, and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe vehicles. Please see the recall report for the complete list of models. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Remedy
The driver's front air bag will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2015 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i), 3 Series Sedan (320i, 320i xDrive, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive, M3, 328d, 328d xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive, M4), and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive) vehicles. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.
Risk
An inflator that ruptures may cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, an inflator that leaks gas may only partially inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the head air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Risk
A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2016 328d xDrive sedans and 2013-2015 328d xDrive station wagon vehicles. The constant-velocity joint which transfers power between the transfer case and the rear drive shaft, may become damaged, possibly resulting in loss of power to the rear wheels.
Risk
A loss of power to the rear wheels can affect vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the vehicle is parked after a loss of power to the rear wheels and the parking brake is not engaged, unintended rollaway can occur, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the constant-velocity joint and inspect the transfer case, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 22, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine and engine cooling: Exhaust system: Emission control: Gas recirculation valve (egr valve)
NHTSA 18V755000Reported Oct 25, 2018
Filed by
BMW of North America, LLC
Units affected
44,368 (estimate)
Problem
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.
Risk
The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to June 22, 2015, 2014-2015 328xi Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured March 21, 2013, to March 17, 2015, 2014-2015 328d, 328xd vehicles manufactured June 28, 2013, to April 21, 2015, and 2014-2015 328xd Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured July 5, 2013, to April 21, 2015. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadvertently makes the front side marker lights inoperative in conjunction with the parking lights or the headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk
If the side marker lights do not illuminate, the vehicle may be less visible at night, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2015. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or by email at [email protected].
Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.
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2015 BMW 3 Series fuel economy by version
EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.
Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.
EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.
2015 BMW 3 Series crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
2015 BMW 3 Series NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
Forward collision warning
2015 BMW 320I 4 DR RWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
No
2015 BMW 320I Xdrive 4 DR AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
No
2015 BMW 328 I 4 DR RWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 328 I Xdrive 4 DR AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 328D 4 DR RWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 328D Xdrive 4 DR AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 328D Xdrive SW AWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
—
Optional
2015 BMW 328I Xdrive GT 5 HB AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 328I Xdrive SW AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 335 I 4 DR RWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 335 I Xdrive 4 DR AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2015 BMW 335I Xdrive GT 5 HB AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.
Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.
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2015 BMW 3 Series owner complaints
Owners have filed 214 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 BMW 3 Series, most recently on Oct 13, 2026. 7 mention a crash, 11 a fire, 4 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.
Most-cited components in 2015 BMW 3 Series complaints
Component named in complaints
Mentions
Electrical system
70
Engine
45
Engine and engine cooling
44
Fuel/propulsion system
33
Unknown or other
32
Power train
22
Service brakes
14
Exterior lighting
11
Structure: Body
10
Fuel system, diesel
6
Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.
