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2011 BMW M3 Us

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 7 of 10 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Engine complaints

4 reports
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53,000 miles · Mar 6, 2017
Engine

WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ON A CALIFORNIA INTERSTATE, MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST FORWARD MOMENTUM, POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING. WHEN I LOOKED DOWN TO THE DASH, THE DCT TRANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED ITSELF TO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN. I UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED A RESTART AS I TRIED TO SAFELY MAKE MY WAY THROUGH T…

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WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ON A CALIFORNIA INTERSTATE, MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST FORWARD MOMENTUM, POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING. WHEN I LOOKED DOWN TO THE DASH, THE DCT TRANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED ITSELF TO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN. I UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED A RESTART AS I TRIED TO SAFELY MAKE MY WAY THROUGH THE RIGHT LANES OF TRAFFIC SO I COULD PULL OFF ON THE SHOULDER. AFTER NARROWLY BEING HIT BY PASSING CARS, I MANAGED TO GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND COAST OFF A FREEWAY EXIT RAMP. THE CAR BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND BRAKE. AS I TURNED ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AS SOON AS I HIT 10MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY PUT ITSELF IN PARK, CAUSING A JOLTING SENSATION AND AN ABRUPT, UNSAFE STOP. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN OVER SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. THE NEXT MORNING I WAS ALERTED THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL PAN AND THAT CYLINDER ONE HAD SEIZED DUE TO ROD BEARING FAILURE. THE ENGINE HAD 53,000 MILES WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THIS NECESSITATED A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ODI #10959009

48,000 miles · Oct 5, 2015
Engine

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS TRAVELING AROUND 45MPH. AS I SWITCHED GEARS FROM 2ND TO 3RD I NOTICED AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER. MY VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART MY CAR. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR THEY SAID THERE WAS AN ENGINE FAILURE…

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I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS TRAVELING AROUND 45MPH. AS I SWITCHED GEARS FROM 2ND TO 3RD I NOTICED AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER. MY VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART MY CAR. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR THEY SAID THERE WAS AN ENGINE FAILURE MOST LIKELY DUE TO ROD BEARING FAILURE.

NHTSA ODI #10779796

36,000 miles · Oct 5, 2014
EnginePower Train

MY CAR WAS IN SECOND WASN'T SPEEDING ON A LOCAL STREET AS I PUT IT IN 3RD GEAR MY CAR SHUT OFF THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I TOOK IT TO BMW SINCE I HAVE WARRANTY FOR 3 YEAS MIND YOU I ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 5 MONTHS I GOT THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN TENAFLY,NJ I GOT THE CAR AT 3…

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MY CAR WAS IN SECOND WASN'T SPEEDING ON A LOCAL STREET AS I PUT IT IN 3RD GEAR MY CAR SHUT OFF THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I TOOK IT TO BMW SINCE I HAVE WARRANTY FOR 3 YEAS MIND YOU I ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 5 MONTHS I GOT THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN TENAFLY,NJ I GOT THE CAR AT 31K MILES ON IT AND WHEN MY CAR LAST WORK WHICH WAS LAST WEEK IT HAS 36K THERE TELLING I HAVE TO PAY 26K UP TO FIX . *TR

NHTSA ODI #10641539

8,200 miles · Sep 30, 2013
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

DRIVING IN 60/MPH SPEED. WHEN OVERTAKING A TRUCK; 'ENGINE FAULT' WARNING LIGHT CAME-UP. VEHICLE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY TURNED TO NEUTRAL. ENGINE WAS CUT-OFF. TRUCK WAS ABOUT TO REAR-END MY CAR. UNFORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT (TODDLER WAS INSIDE THE CAR). I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND CALLED THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. TOWED THE…

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DRIVING IN 60/MPH SPEED. WHEN OVERTAKING A TRUCK; 'ENGINE FAULT' WARNING LIGHT CAME-UP. VEHICLE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICALLY TURNED TO NEUTRAL. ENGINE WAS CUT-OFF. TRUCK WAS ABOUT TO REAR-END MY CAR. UNFORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT (TODDLER WAS INSIDE THE CAR). I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND CALLED THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. TOWED THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED TODAY THAT THIS ISSUE WAS DUE TO 'FAULTY FUEL PRESSURE VACUUM SENSOR'. I REQUEST NHTSA & BMW TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE AND DETERMINE IF A RE-CALL IS REQUIRED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM W/ SIMILAR MODEL/YEAR CARS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10546283

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.