*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Power train
My vehicle intermittently loses drive power while being driven, suddenly and with no warning. Sometimes it drives normally, then fails repeatedly later. Before any warning appeared I had isolated instances of hesitation or power loss, but with nothing on the cluster I assumed I was misperceiving it. On August 25, 2026, the vehicle lost power four times while I was driving on the freeway and displayed a drivetrain malfunction warning for the first time. I took the car to an authorized dealer on August 28, 2026, at 60,676 miles. The dealer ran the manufacturer's diagnostic test plan, found multiple stored drive motor electronics faults, and identified rotor position sensor faults in both the…
Aug 25, 2026Steering
The steering wheel would suddenly become stiff (frozen or locked) during normal driving especially during turning. When it happened, I lost total control of the car causing dangerous situations on the road. A warning message appeared stating: "Changed steering effort, drive moderately and contact service center." At a BMW dealership, the problem was reproduced and confirmed. They replaced 12 Volt battery, and the car was released. The new 12 volt battery didn't help the steeling issue. After a few weeks, the steeling system completely failed. The car has to be towed to BMW dealership for repair. It was identified that the steeling issue was caused by premature failure of the BMW electronic…
Jul 15, 2026Electrical system
The dashboard turn signal indicators are blocked by the steering wheel unless I adjust the steering wheel to a very high position that makes driving unsafe. When the turn signals are on, there is no clicking noise like many cars have. I suggest that BMW update the vehicle software to allow the driver to adjust the location of the turn signal indicators within the digital dash display, or also include turn signal indicators in the heads-up display.
May 1, 2026Electrical system
While driving my 2023 BMW i4, the vehicle suddenly displayed multiple drivetrain and chassis malfunction warnings shortly after charging the vehicle at a ChargePoint station. The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power/propulsion while driving, creating a serious safety concern. After stopping, the vehicle began rolling backward unexpectedly and several systems appeared to malfunction. The center display/screens became partially or fully unresponsive/blank and multiple warning messages appeared simultaneously. Due to the loss of propulsion and safety concerns, CHP assistance was required to safely move the vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle was later towed to BMW service for inspection…
May 18, 2026Unknown or otherCrash
While driving on frewway in HOV lane next to tall concrete center barrier, side collision mitigation system suddenly began to aggressively and continuously jerk steering right and left. After about 10-20 seconds this caused loss of control, with vehicle turning around 180 degrees and, during the spin, impacting the center concrete wall, causing deployment of all airbags. Traffic was very heavy, and although there were no injuries or collisons with other vehicles, the loss of control was life-threatening. This route was driven previously under exactly the same conditions (clear, dry day in HOV lane) with no problem more than 20 times. This problem occurred about two weeks after the latest…
Apr 29, 2026Electrical system
On [XXX], while driving on a public highway, the vehicle shut off and came to a complete stop as I was going around a roundabout. I was in the inside lane, had just finished charging in Yuma, Az., and was just about to get back on the freeway heading back into California. Thankfully, there was no one behind me at that moment and I was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. After arriving at my destination in Winterhaven, CA, I later saw that I had two missed calls from BMW Roadside Assistance. They called to check on my welfare as, unbeknownst to me, the vehicle sent out an alert as a result of the incident. 12/30/2023, I took the vehicle to BMW of San Diego (where I leased the…
Dec 27, 2023Suspension
I am reporting a recurring, catastrophic suspension defect in my 2023 BMW i4 eDrive40 that results in life-threatening rear tire failure. Despite adhering to all maintenance schedules, the vehicle's rear axle geometry fails to maintain stability, leading to extreme, accelerated inner-tread wear while the center and outer tread remains healthy. Timeline of Events: Initial Incident 5/4/2025 (21,493 miles): Suffered a sudden rear tire blowout while driving due to the inner tire wall wearing down to the metal cords. The dealer (BMW of Fort Lauderdale) performed an alignment and replaced the tires on my expense. Recurring Failure 3/6/2026 (35,200 miles): Less than 14,000 miles after the…
Mar 6, 2026Electrical system
I was driving about 30 mph when I was prompted with the following error message, âDrive train fault, restart not possible, High Voltage Battery,â I was able to drive home which was about 1 mile away. I drove the car home, parked it and turned it off for 45 minutes then I attempted to turn it on but was unable to and continued to receive the same message. Side note, this vehicle was purchased from BMW Beverly Hills on 1/25/26 and not a month went by before I ran into this issue.
Feb 19, 2026
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.