Model year 2018 · Compact Cars, Small Station Wagons, Large Cars
2018 BMW 3 Series: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings
EPA rates the 2018 BMW 3 Series at 23–36 mpg combined across 17 versions. NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 73 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Safety recalls
7
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, 328D, 330E, 330E IPERFORMANCE, 330I, 340I.
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.
2018 BMW 3 Series recalls
NHTSA's recall file lists 7 safety recalls for the 2018 BMW 3 Series, newest first.
Electrical system: Starter assembly: Relay
NHTSA 26V441000Reported Jul 8, 2026Park outside
Filed by
BMW of North America, LLC
Units affected
29,119 (estimate)
Problem
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2020 530e xDrive, 2017-2019 740Le xDrive, 2018-2020 530e iPerformance, 2016-2018 330e iPerformance vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Risk
A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 30, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 28, 2026.
Fuel system, diesel; Engine and engine cooling: Exhaust system
Units affected
112 (estimate)
Problem
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 328D SportsWagon, 328D xDrive SportsWagon, 328D xDrive, and 328D 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
Smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the EGR cooler, inspect and replace the intake manifold, if necessary, and clean the EGR pipe connecting the cooler to the manifold, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 5, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 5, 2025. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V907.
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.
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 of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
Risk
An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, 740i, 740i xDrive, MINI Cooper, Cooper S, JCW, MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), and MINI Clubman…
Risk
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.
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2018 BMW 3 Series fuel economy by version
EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination; electric figures are in MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). 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.
2018 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.
2018 BMW 3 Series NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
Forward collision warning
2018 BMW 3 Series 4 DR AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2018 BMW 3 Series 4 DR RWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2018 BMW 3 Series GT 5 HB AWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
5 stars
9.5%
Optional
2018 BMW 3 Series PHEV 4 DR RWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
—
Optional
2018 BMW 3 Series SW 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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2018 BMW 3 Series owner complaints
Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 BMW 3 Series, most recently on Oct 14, 2026. 6 mention a crash, 4 a fire, 4 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.
Most-cited components in 2018 BMW 3 Series complaints
Component named in complaints
Mentions
Engine
23
Electrical system
14
Fuel/propulsion system
13
Unknown or other
9
Power train
7
Fuel system, diesel
6
Air bags
4
Service brakes
4
Vehicle speed control
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.
