BMW · 3 Series · 2018
0
Recalls
58
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2018 BMW 3 Series has no recalls and 58 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: engine (11 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
9.5% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
While driving on the highway, my vehicle unexpectedly caught fire due to no fault of my own. Upon investigation, it appears the fire originated from a short in the rear window defroster wiring, which led to significant damage in the right rear C-pillar area, headliner, rear window, and rear deck. This event was not only hazardous to my physical safety but also deeply traumatic on a personal level. As someone who suffered severe burns as a child, experiencing a fire while operating a vehicle triggered a powerful emotional response. The trauma of the incident has had a profound impact on my mental health and sense of safety. I have always trusted BMW for its engineering excellence and commitment to safety, which makes this situation even more disheartening because they refuse to fix my vehicle.
I smelt and saw smoke coming from the back of my vehicle. I pulled over on to the left side of [XXX] bound. Then, I jumped out of the car to check the truck. I didn't see anything, then i popped the hood and still did not see anything visible. I then went back to the trunk to check it again, and that is when I saw flames pop out from the back seat area. It was in the area where the back de-frost wires and some other wires are as well. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Was simply driving my vehicle to work. It started overheating parked it right away before it got worse as the car alerted had it towed to a shop. The shop informed me that the motor was blown in the pistons went through the motor something with the oil the mechanic and I were looking further into this and it looks like my make and model in year had some recalls about the motor overheating in the past so I would really like this looked into as this might be a recall I’m not sure what else this could be or why this would happen with such low miles
My 330i 2018 bmw has a cracked in the oil housing unit. This is due to bmw putting plastic parts instead of aluminum. After researching this I found thousand of people complaining about the sane thing. The car overheats and sometimes the oil gets mixed into the coolsnt system b causes more damage. This seems to happen on cars with mileage between 60-70 on engines B46, B48 n B58z
Car just shut off when driving at 65mph and never started back up, took it in and repair was a bad fuel pump and fuel rail line causing metal shards to go through fuel tank and injectors.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 330E. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal squealing sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Oil Filter Housing failed and coolant gushes all out which makes the car undrivable and risk of engine overheating and failure.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 330I. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheating message was displayed on the instrument panel with the temperature gauge rising to hot(H). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the coolant reservoir was topped off however, the failure persisted. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that recently the vehicle began to leak coolant. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the manifold needed to be taken off to perform a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the oil filter housing unit and the water pump both needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,150.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 328D. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering significantly. The contact was able to pull over and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's workplace. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no record of a recall on the VIN. However, the contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V586000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL). The vehicle remained at the workplace and had not been driven since. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
The vehicle gave a warning that the engine coolant was low and to power down before it overheated. Upon taking it to the dealer, it was discovered that the oil housing unit was defective. After doing online research, this is a very common issue with this part. I had a previous vehicle with a similar issue that caused the vehicle to shut down in traffic from overheating.
The contact owns a 2018 BMW 330E. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, stalled, and restarted independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V576000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), however the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 103,000.
My passenger airbag sensor malfunctioned and the repair is over two thousand dollars. The car is only 6 years old and I believe airbags should last longer than 6 years. BMW has extended warranties for airbags on some models (mine not included) for 15 years without mileage limitation. If a collision occurs, my passenger would be in extreme danger.
On 12/03/2024, while traveling at approximately 35mph, the "top off coolant" light came on. After traveling for approximately 10 more minutes, in route to get coolant, a warning message came on the screen advising to drive cautiously to prevent engine scorching. The vehicle then began to slightly lose power while traveling on a busy road. The vehicle was then shut down and towed to BMW dealership. During the tow, it was discovered that coolant was leaking from the center area of the engine block. The manufacturers dealership service rep advised that the technicians discovered that the oil filter housing needed to be replaced. They also found that the coolant pump also needed to be replaced. The rep advised that the coolant seal on the oil filter housing had worn down and caused the coolant leak. He also advised that the coolant pump needed to be replaced, as it was also leaking. It was later discovered because the valve that the pressure propelled, hot coolant flows through in the oil filter housing is made of plastic, it often wears down and coolant leaks out heavily. The water pump is also effected by the part manufacturing issue. In addition to receiving a $4,270.42 invoice for repairs today, we just recently purchased the $199.00 BMW Vehicle Check Service from the dealership on 9/23/2024. At that time, we were advised there were no issues with the vehicle. We have sense learned that there have been multiple recalls on various BMW models for this exact same issue. However, the VIN on my vehicle has not yet been identified for recall. Had this issue gone on for mere moments more, the engine could have caught fire, and or, a catastrophic crash could have ensued, effecting any driver on the road.
Gas tank began leaking from top of blind flange, similar to other extended warranties (SIB 01 03 22 and SIB 01 07 22). BMW is refusing to cover my specific model year (I have sent letters requesting reimbursement and called multiple times). It created an explosion hazard in my garage. Had mechanic repair, I do not have part. Cost $2,000 for new tank that will probably develop same issue. There were no warning lamps.
Car coolant is leaking due to a bad plastic coolant vent line. I had this issue in January 2023 where it was covered under a recall. I tried contacting the bmw dealership who fixed this recall and they stated there was no current recall. Although is the same issue again.
My 2018 BMW 330i has the same problem that the recall for the fuel sensor level on 2018 BMW M5! I broke down on the side of the interstate and had it towed to BMW and they said it was the fuel sensor reading more than it should and wanted to charge almost 3,000 to fix it. There are similarities to the other recalls and my vehicle should also be included in that recall. I had to pay 300.00 just for them looking at it. I found it odd the sensor would do that and my investigation has brought me here. There was no warning and I was stranded on the interstate
At around 65k miles multiple plastic engine coolant connectors and hoses crack and fail. 5 locations at the same time! Coolant pump leaks. I went to an independent repair shop for a second opinion and repairs for $2,400 so far. Cheaper than the BMW service department. There was a recall done 2 years ago for 1 hose I believe. The entire cooling system should be recalled. We could be stranded somewhere in a bad situation and the engine could be destroyed if overheated. Awful and bad design.
Multiple codes came on right after I had gotten my thermostat and my water pump fixed. However it ended up being that there was more leaks throughout the rest of the car. The car has currently cost me $3400 to fix and it’s still not fixed because nobody can figure out where the actual leak is coming from. The coolant is leaking and nobody can figure out where, it’s been having jerking issues since it started leaking and I read on other Bmw’s that the coolant leaks into the head gasket, causing the engine to blow
My oil filter housing failed at about 53,000 miles. While driving to work I got a low coolant warning and pulled over to see coolant dumping out of my car. The low coolant warning only comes on when the expansion tank is almost completely empty which can lead to oil and coolant mixing and overheating which will lead to premature engine damage without any early warning signs. I’ve read through forums and everyone on there has their oil filter housing fail at the same time, (around 50-60k miles). This is a huge issue in the community and BMW wants to charge almost 3,500 to replace it with their “revised part”. The housing has been revised 3 times now and so the manufacturer should replace these failed designs with the new revised ones. There’s already been a recall on the B48 engine for the plastic cooling line that leads into the head of the engine and it looks like the oil filter housing is the next biggest common failure. I tried to upload a screenshot from the service center at BMW with the quote and failure but it’s not working on my mobile.
The contact owned a 2018 BMW 330I. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for a Manufacturers Recall: 0017150200 related to the Coolant Leak to be completed. The contact stated that after driving 7 miles to her home at 35 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. All the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was powered off and the smoke extinguished on its own. A fire report was not filed. There were no visible flames. The local dealer was called and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was confirmed that the pressure test was not completed and there was no coolant in the vehicle. The dealer informed the caller that the struts needed to be replaced however the coolant failure was repaired. The vehicle was repaired for the coolant failure however the contact mentioned that the vehicle was not performing as designed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,086.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2018 BMW 3 Series has 0 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 58 owner-reported complaints for the 2018 BMW 3 Series.
The 2018 BMW 3 Series received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2018 BMW 3 Series are engine (11 reports), electrical system (6 reports), fuel system, diesel (6 reports).
NHTSA does not currently list any recalls on record for the 2018 BMW 3 Series. To verify the status of your specific vehicle, check nhtsa.gov/recalls with your VIN.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.