2016 BMW 3 Series
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 93 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 10th highest complaint count among 21 3 Series model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 12 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 11 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints
93 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 16, 2023, fire
known what failed the entire car was on fire= if there was no one near by it could have consumed more cars/buildings it has been inspected by BMW of north america and Geico the car was overheating the night before and had a check engine light. it was taken to the shop immediately and the fire started within less than 24 hours of the initial symptoms occurring.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Jul 26, 2023
Need to recall as it is Common Knowledge among the BMW technicians that these vehicles are plagued with hazard of Parking / Emergency Break line clip breaking and for the line contacting the rotating drive shaft. The holding clip Mfg Part # 34406854898 breaks regularly ! the plastic parking brake retaining clip (BMW part # 34 40 6 854 898) deforms due to age/heat. The cable guide does not hold the cable in place anymore and Hazardously starts to rub against the rotating driveshaft, causing the Emergency parking lines which makes a noise that and sounds like coming from the center console. This is endangering the occupants, and also it is very costly replacement with the same plastic part again. This is such a prevalent issue that there are alternative clips being sold to replace for this manufactures omission of quality: [XXX] also there are videos on this [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Air bags, Structure, Engine, Jun 18, 2023
Yes
Steering, Jun 16, 2023
The steering rack in the car failed prior to 100,000 miles. BMW has had issues from models 2012 to 2015 and recalled their steering racks. The same issue was happening in the 2016 year.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 6, 2023
BMW released a SIB 01 03 22 Plastic Fuel Tank (B58/N20/N55/S55) Ltd Emission Wty Ext To 15 Yrs/150,000 Miles. I have a plastic fuel tank with this problem but the range for the warranty is for models F30 2013 to 2016 320i and xDrive Sedan that are produced between July 02, 2012 to April 30, 2016 . My vehicle was produced on May 2016 but has the same plastic fuel tank. Upon calling BMW north america they said they said they can not make exceptions and there is no escalation path. My point is if the same plastic fuel tank is used for the vehicles with in the warranty date range, why isn't my car covered? It is reasonable for BMW to add my VIN to the exception list.
Electrical system, Service brakes, May 25, 2023
The front brakes are locked up and I went to the dealer and they are asking $7000 to replace the dsc module. It was also braking while I was driving on the highway and I got scared and pulled over and checked everything looked okay but i didn’t know what happened. I am glad nobody was behind me when the car (bmw)brakes it self while it was running. I hope you do a further investigation and see what is happening to the bmw brakes. It only had 52139 miles when I send it to bmw of Dallas and they took 3 days to find the problem and told me I need to pay $7000 to replace the dsc module (abs module) I can’t afford to pay that kind of money what do I do
Service brakes, May 22, 2023
while driving on the high way while raining the car is braking it self to slow down. and release after it slow down to 40 mph or lower. I also notice my front brake is garbing the brake while driving and it does not release the brake when you release the brake pedal
Exterior lighting, May 3, 2023
My right turn signal suddenly stopped working. The BMW dealership diagnosed the problem as the fem module failure.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 14, 2023
The central locking system frequently goes out and I'd have to replace the three doors actuators that don't work consistently. many times I'm locked in the car with the only way of getting out is by lowering the window and climbing out. according to my service advisor at BMW, this is a known problem with different models of BMW in this time frame. I really wish it would be considered a recall so at least myself and my family will feel safe and know that I can escape the car if necessary.
Power train, Engine, Feb 14, 2023
My vehicle functioned normally without any faults for the approximately year and a half/ ~20,000 miles I used it. The one day I attempt to start my vehicle in colder weather (-6 degrees fahrenheit) and my starter fried and my engine seized up. I have heard of other occurrences like this happening where BMW owners attempted to start their vehicles in colder weather, have a fault come up as "starter/ignition malfunction" and then leading to an engine seizing. I believe this to be a faulty product from BMW.
Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2023
There is an issue with older BMWs (2016 BMW F30 body style in my case), the door handle stickiness issue. Even there's a name for it created by BMW service, it is called "Melting Door Handle". There are thousands of complaints and actually a solution (a bad one) by third parties, Lego-Like part to cover the sticky handle. I believe this should be recalled regardless if it is a safety issue or not. BMW charges $1000 to replace the handle. I had it once and it went bad again. Its the material they used so, it needs to be fixed somehow to prevent the ongoing problems. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=f30+door+handle+cover https://www.google.com/search?q=f30+sticky+door+handle
Seat belts, Dec 13, 2022
Hi BMW I have noticed issues with my seatbelts but more specifically my engine light keeps turning on. My driving seat will not buckle. Simple last Saturday.
Engine, Nov 18, 2022
When starting a cold engine, a “plume of blue smoke” can be seen emitting from the exhaust tailpipe for approximately 10-20 seconds. There is no engine malfunction light illuminated (no” turbocharger boost faults are stored) and no drivability issues are detected.
Seats, Nov 12, 2022
I have referred to the owner's manual of my vehicle and it does not show me nor indicate how to get access to the trunk from the inside of the vehicle in an emergency situation. I've looked for a seat release latch handle and there is not one. I've researched and contacted BMW experts and they state normally it should have one, other times it may not... I've pulled the middle seat armrest down to expose the plastic access hatch and when I pulled it out of the way, it exposed a metal frame that was in the way and appeared it was part of the backseat metal frame. I've felt around, looked and mentioned this to experts, and they could not explain anything of the sorts other than "normally it should have one, other times it may not...". Ultimately, I find this extremely hazardous, because it is very misleading in the manual to offer a trunk cable release handle (in the trunk) but not a single way to get access to the trunk from the inside of the vehicle if an emergency/accident happened...
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Oct 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328I. The contact stated that an abnormal, coolant odor would emit throughout her vehicle without warning while driving at various speeds. As the failure persisted, a heavy, white smoke began to emit from the tailpipe with the check engine warning light on the instrument panel. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on her vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 13, 2022
The high-pressure fuel pump failed causing the engine to stop completely without any prior warning and the car put itself in park on the highway and would not get out of park to go into neutral or any other gear. This could have caused a very serious crash and highly increased my risk of injury or death. You are more than welcome to inspect it. It is currently sitting at the dealership waiting for a resolution. My safety and the safety of many others on the 65mph highway were put at risk when the car completely stopped in the middle of the road and would not move until the tow truck arrived to drag it on their truck (would not even go into neutral). The problem was confirmed by the BMW dealership of Cincinnati and inspected by them as well. There were absolutely no warning messages, signs, or anything informing me of an issue before this occurred. However, once the car was towed and we turned it back on once it arrived at the dealership and warning lamp appeared on the dashboard. Here is the link to the video the dealership sent me after it was inspected :: https://api.mykaarma.com/video-walkaround/details?inspection_uuid=633c93939e372707d24145f0&fileType=video
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Oct 8, 2022
Vehicle disengaged itself from gear while driving on hwy going between 75-85 mph. Failed to re engage into gear when stepping on accelerator causing vehicle to just coast and slow down as fast moving traffic (semis) we’re approaching. Construction zone didn’t have shoulders to pull aside which made situation worst. Car did accelerate after a few attempts. The car did illuminate a “unable to recharge batteries, stop carefully and contact your nearest service shop” just prior to the situation. Seems like the i3 models are currently under a class action lawsuit for a similar defect and I fear that given that these cars are designed similarly within the same years using the same parts that this could be a similar situation. I noticed that the car acted in this way once the battery level indicated under 3% charge on the dash.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 20, 2022
When I drive and come to a stop, the car shifts into nuetral. This has happened several times. I have to put the car in Park and restart it. We have checked the codes and have replaced the battery. The car only has 51k miles on it and is not driven more than 2-4 days a week.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 12, 2022
I have smoke that comes from my exhaust pipe only whenever I first start my vehicle at the beginning of the day. I had a diagnosis done on my vehicle and was advised that my oil feed line was faulty. This is a known design flaw with BMW vehicles from years 2013 through 2016. I would like for BMW to repair the flaw on my vehicle since this is a known manufacturer issue which is something out of my control. Please contact me by email or cellular phone @ [XXX] or [XXX]. Thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 19, 2022
Collision warning is often inaccurate. Signaling collision when no obstacles are present. Also, EGR Cooler recall still pending.
Fuel system, Diesel, Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 328D. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V907000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 9, 2022, fire
I was at a red light while driving my car.When I stepped on the gas once the light turned green the car stalled and started jerking i immediately smelled smoked and seen smoke coming through the cabin..lt made a strange sound from the engine The service engine light came on and said reduced engine power/ drive train malfunction get service immediately.I was able to coast the car to a curb luckily in front of a car shop as soon as i can get out of the car a worker from the shop ran outside yelling your car is on fire! We lift the hood and he had a water hose on the side of the shop he then sprayed the area of the fire and it was put out.I have kept regular routine maintenance on the car no prior signs of car malfunctioning or service engine light on no warning at all this was unexpected.This occurred February 8th 2022 I had the vehicle towed to my local Firestone auto care and they said the ignition coils were melted and something strange happened and to check with bmw because it was too catastrophic for them to fix since then I have had the vehicle at my home parked and after calling bmw they said there were no known recalls at the time…
Structure, Other or unspecified, Mar 9, 2022
Sunroof exploded while driving on the highway
Service brakes, Jan 27, 2022
Vibration in the brakes heavily at higher speeds when gradually pressing brakes shakes. When pressed harder during shaking goes away with the breaking. Brand new brakes brand new rotors alignment yet the vehicle is still having this issue I’m hoping that the vibration doesn’t cause any electronics or braking mechanism not to properly work to me this is a safety concern a safety issue and I’m seeing it pop up a lot I watch video reviews on magazines pros and cons of this vehicle the one thing stayed it was a vibration in the brakes that the reviewer could not answer and he says it wasn’t a problem but it has to be a Manufacturing issue. I hope this helps anybody else Only the manufacture can answer this question
Engine, Nov 26, 2021
Car is smoking when starting upon looking up this is a common issue with my 2016 bmw 328i m sport. From what I have been reading bmw knows of the issue and made a change to the part but are making customers come out of pocket to buy the updated part and pay for the repair.