2017 BMW i3 owner complaints

The roof of my car is delaminating. It's discoloring and developing bubbles. I looked online and found this is a common issue with the vehicle. I believe this may be a structural concern considering the cars body is composite and the roof contributes to the structural integrity of the vehicle. Not to mention the danger to others on the freeway from large chunks of roof blowing off and hitting vehicles. (not from my vehicle but from other complaints I've read)

The carbon fiber roof is bubbling and disintegrating. I have one section behind the passenger door that is the size of my FULL hand that is in a circle shape where the roof is scaling and peeling. Each day that passes, the known spot is getting bigger and bigger. It's embarrassing to see this happening to my car and makes my care look worthless. Definite eye sore. I currently have the (1) i3 EV that is the family car, (2) M3's mine is a convertible and the other is my husbands, of course, (1) M1 my son's and (1) M235 I which is my daughters. We are definitely a BMW family. Shame on BMW if they do not cover this.

The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that there were discolored bubbles developing on the roof of the vehicle. The roof of the vehicle was delaminating. Upon further inspection, the contact found out that the hot climate and UV rays and the composite structure might be the factors causing the failure. The vehicle was taken to a body shop. The contact was informed that the carbon fiber used on the vehicle might have caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Carbon fiber Roof delaminate and risk of flying off

The vehicle was parked off and started on fire. Upon further research I found out that my vehicle was not the only one that this has happened to. We contacted the manufacturer (BMW) but no one has called back. The vehicle was purchased in april.

Clear coat on the roof is bubbling and peeling. Could potentially come off as a large sheet and fly off hitting another vehicle or obstructing their view.

In extreme heat (119 temp outside) BMW charger was plugged into port and melted. Could have caused a fire.

This has happened twice: I was driving on the expressway and didn’t hear anything hitting my little sunroof, just suddenly noise from that general area. When I pulled over I saw that the sunroof had cracked and the largest part(s) was missing.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? There seems to be a series of faulty electrical/wiring issues happening with our 2017 BMW i3, most notably including the passenger seat/airbag registering system and control panel/console lighting. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? We are unsure how this issue impacts the passenger airbag system. BMW was also not able to tell us whether the passenger airbag is impacted by the electrical issue. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? A local BMW dealership

While driving on the freeway's hov lane (fully charged, not on the extended range), the car gave "drivetrain malfunction" and the propulsion died shortly after.

There was an electrical fault in the door handle, specifically for the comfort access function circuit inside the handle itself. There was smoke and extreme heat. Luckily no fire started, before the battery was disconnected. Our understanding is, this is a known problem with the circuit board having corrosion and creating a short, but no recall exists.

Whileexiting a parking place along a curb - slight veer out,on dry pavement, nightime, on an averagecity street. Steering suddenly became bullish. Within 100 feet and in the processof the 1st upcoming90-degree right-handturn all manner of warnings went off, "pedestrian warning faulty,increased steer effort (duh!) chassis stabilization. I also feltimmediatepainin my right forearm and so the order of warnings may be a bit off. I have been wearing a brace on my arm since that eve for pain relieffrom having to torque on the wheel to the right so hard to avoid crossing over into the adjacentlane.steering is like driving with both front wheels nearly flat. Onboard tire pressure shows all were and are of proper inflation. After one on-off cycle of overnight duration, issues resolved themselves t

I had just turned on the car a few minutes prior to the incident and I was approaching an intersection to turn left onto a 2-lane highway. As I made the left turn, the steering felt wrong like the car was over then under steering. I was able to straighten out, and I felt like the power steering had failed. A quarter mile down the road, I turned left into a gas station, and I could feel the heaviness of the steering. It felt exactly like if the power steering was deactivated. I came to a stop, turn off fans, rolled the window down, and turned the steering wheel to see if there were any odd noises. There weren't. There were no error lamps or messages displayed. I turned off the car for a minute then back on again. The steering felt fine from then on. It felt unsafe because of the sud

Electric steering became unresponsive after driving a short distance. Steering felt sluggish and did not appear to have any power assistance. The feeling of the steering no longer having a power assist LED me to research the vehicle info to determine if the car was experiencing a flat tire(s). The feeling was that both front wheels were flat. On board tire pressure monitoring system indicated that all tires were of proper inflation. The car did not pull to either left or right. It did take more strength to turn the steering wheel than normally experienced.

A day after the recommended service. While driving on I 95 with range extender, noticed the drive train malfunction alert with rapid deceleration needing to pull to the right shoulder quickly. BMW assist took the car to the nearest BMW dealer, who said it was lack of electric charge, plugged the car in charger and gave it to me to head back home town. Few days later the problem again recurred. Now the car is at the dealer in home town.

The car turned off while driving and presented a "drivetrain" error message. The car lost power but I was able to safely steer to the side of the road. Car was taken to BMW dealer and a diagnostic test was performed. Was informed that the EME (Electric Motor Electronics) Module was bad and would need to be replaced. The car is 5 years old and has 31,700 miles and has never been in an accident. The estimate to replace the EME was $7,000

Summary On September 30, 2025, the passenger in a 2017 BMW i3 REX was involved in a severe frontal collision with a Gas Company Utility Vehicle. The impact struck the driver’s side extending toward the passenger side, causing the vehicle to spin violently and nearly flip. The passenger reports seatbelt failure with excessive slack, leading to partial ejection from the seat, mid-thigh restraint, and collision with the steering wheel. The head lodged under the steering column, resulting in loss of consciousness and a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with ongoing neurological issues. Only the driver’s curtain and seat airbags deployed; the steering wheel and passenger frontal airbags did not. Seatbelt Failure Analysis Seatbelts in modern vehicles like the BMW i3 include retractors and pret

The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper fluid failed to function as intended. The contact's husband checked the windshield wiper reservoir; the hose had rodent teeth marks, and part of the tubing was missing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the failure persisted. The contact's husband checked the reservoir and found that rodents had eaten the tubing again and had built a nest inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's husband repaired the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the contact found out that the manufacturer had added soy to all the plastic tubing in the vehicle, which was an attractant t

The UTQG ratings on these tires are fraudulent. The ratings give an A grade for temperature over 115 but these tires wear out rapidly in Arizona. They also rate the tire wear at 400 which is also fraudulent. On my own vehicle I get less than 11,000 miles on each set and I’ve seen online complaints as low as 6,000 miles to failure. This is consumer fraud and tires that wear down this rapidly are a safety hazard.