2018 BMW 440I Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2018 BMW 440I, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical440.0%
- Body & structure330.0%
- Airbags220.0%
- Seat belts110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
There is already an SIB 513316 out on similar defects. Sloshing noises/water in pax compartment due to rain water intrusion that has caused damage in electronic modules in the trunk due to a defective drainage system--holes are not large enough. Failure of control units located in damaged area--which are no longer functioning such as convertible rooftop will not fuction, radio system, check engine light are just a few we have noticed togther with the recent battery replacement we made. Water is pooled in the luggage comparment and rear pax area. Poor drainage resulting from vehicle design defect. BMW needs to remove or modify the drain outlet to prevent repeat flooding. The warranty and extended warranty never checked for this-- drainholes functionality which results in electronic malfunctioning and safety concerns. 2019 SIB should have enforced extended warranty to investigate and cover this design defect in this vehicle. We are submitting complaint to the office of defects and investigation and requesting a good will repair and replacement of faulty systems and mold abatement which will require replacement of the damaged and mold in the pax and rear trunk areas. I can not give a date as this has been an ongoing concern and I have only recently been able to address. I made an approximation only.
- My car started having intermittent electrical issues. The first warning something was wrong was always the cars instrument cluster would start flashing, and the audio system would also drop in and out. Then later other malfunctions would start to show up on the center Nav Screen, some of the warnings are listed here : ○ Audio/speakers would cut out randomly while listening to music ○ Air Conditioning instrument cluster display lights would flash going in and out ○ “Parking assistance malfunction” warnings ○ "Increased Steering effort required" warnings (one time the steering locked while driving ~30mph for half a second) ○ Transmission malfunction warning (I have the transmission ‘jerk’ suddenly 1 time when I was slowly backing up in a 3 point turn), ○ Drivetrain malfunction warning. - My safety was put at risk because the power steering locked once, sometimes the steering would become difficult, and the engine jerked while driving - I brought it into a mechanic: they originally thought it was something wrong with my alternator (Invoice 1), but they couldn't really figure out the problem since it was intermittent. The alternator ended up not fixing the problem. I brought it back to them after the alternator was replaced and the same issues were present. They ended up checking the battery and saw that the positive battery cable had come loose (Invoice 2). Once they replaced the positive battery cable the issues went away. - I did research on the NHTSA Safety database and it looks like this has been a problem for ~400,000 BMW vehicles over the last ~15 years. See references: SIB 61 06 17, SIB 61 09 18, SIB 61 11 19, SIB 61 14 12 - The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives. It was brought into an independent service center - There were warning lamps and other symptoms that showed up after the instrument cluster started flickering while driving (that was always the first sign). I attached screenshots of those warnings.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
There is already an SIB 513316 out on similar defects. Sloshing noises/water in pax compartment due to rain water intrusion that has caused damage in electronic modules in the trunk due to a defective drainage system--holes are not large enough. Failure of control units located in damaged area--which are no longer functioning such as convertible rooftop will not fuction, radio system, check engine light are just a few we have noticed togther with the recent battery replacement we made. Water is pooled in the luggage comparment and rear pax area. Poor drainage resulting from vehicle design defect. BMW needs to remove or modify the drain outlet to prevent repeat flooding. The warranty and extended warranty never checked for this-- drainholes functionality which results in electronic malfunctioning and safety concerns. 2019 SIB should have enforced extended warranty to investigate and cover this design defect in this vehicle. We are submitting complaint to the office of defects and investigation and requesting a good will repair and replacement of faulty systems and mold abatement which will require replacement of the damaged and mold in the pax and rear trunk areas. I can not give a date as this has been an ongoing concern and I have only recently been able to address. I made an approximation only.
My husband bought a BMW through the military sales program, had it delivered to the United States, and we took it with us to Germany where we currently live. The car is made to U.S. specifications and I had been driving the car weekly in Germany to keep the battery running while he is away on a deployment. On April 11, 2022, as soon as I pressed the ignition button, the dashboard flashed a strange indicator light which I didn't have time to examine because my attention was immediately diverted when a metal bar next to the right rear headrest deployed from inside the seat and punched through the windshield. It sounded like someone threw a brick into the car. The check engine indicator also lit up but deactivated after a few minutes. According to the owner's manual, the metal bar is one of a set of two rollover protection rods which are designed to deploy in the event of a sufficiently serious accident or if the car's longitudinal axis is tilted excessively (i.e. if the car flips over). But there was no accident... All I did was turn the car on. The car remained in park the entire time. We can't find any evidence of this type of misfire occurring with this model car. The car is currently in the shop for repairs after being towed to a local BMW dealership. They investigated the incident, wrote me an email saying they did not notice any technical defects, and refuse to pay for repairs or take responsibility for this incident. Something like this is dangerous and should not happen at all. I think it meets recall criteria, and I definitely think BMW should pay to fix it.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owned a 2018 BMW 440i. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a donkey. There were no airbags deployed upon impact. The windshield glass shattered and hit the contact's face. Her boyfriend's knees hit and cracked the passenger's side dashboard, and her daughter sustained bruises on her right side from hitting the passenger's side rear door; however, no medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a credit towards the purchase of another vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 36,900.
I was rear ended. My airbag did not deploy. I do not think my seatbelt restrained me because I was not sore in that area, but do not remember. My head hit the stearing wheel. I spent 3 months in a neuro-recovery program and still deal with post-concussive syndrome. The car is available for whomever would like to see it. I incurred a closed head injury with significant effects. No one has tried to reproduce the issue, and I'm actually scared that if there is a problem and another accident it's like I don't have airbags. I went to the BMW dealership and they just said that my VIN was not under a recall and I would have to deal with BMW legal for any further information. The car has been repaired from the rear end collision. There were no warning lights or anything. Other than this, I love the car. I want to make sure that if anyone in my family is driving and is hit their head will be protected from the steering wheel. the doctors have told me that if I get another concussion it could be devasting. Please let me know how to proceed. Thank you.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was rear ended. My airbag did not deploy. I do not think my seatbelt restrained me because I was not sore in that area, but do not remember. My head hit the stearing wheel. I spent 3 months in a neuro-recovery program and still deal with post-concussive syndrome. The car is available for whomever would like to see it. I incurred a closed head injury with significant effects. No one has tried to reproduce the issue, and I'm actually scared that if there is a problem and another accident it's like I don't have airbags. I went to the BMW dealership and they just said that my VIN was not under a recall and I would have to deal with BMW legal for any further information. The car has been repaired from the rear end collision. There were no warning lights or anything. Other than this, I love the car. I want to make sure that if anyone in my family is driving and is hit their head will be protected from the steering wheel. the doctors have told me that if I get another concussion it could be devasting. Please let me know how to proceed. Thank you.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .