2019 BMW I3

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

The car has lost power on the highway multiple times and gone into Limp mode with no warnings on the dashboard. The Rex engine has failed to start as well. Very dangerous on the highway going 20 mph trying to make the next exit. The car has been back to the BMW dealer multiple times (over 2.5 months at the dealer ) with no repair. They are now offering to take the car in trade. The car is still under the EV warranty in California. Seems they and BMW engineering don’t know how to repair the car and are now putting the burden on the consumer.

NHTSA ID

11751920

Incident

Apr 4, 2026

This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was terrifying because the car just suddenly shut down while traveling at highway speeds. The dealership that I had the car towed to did some diagnostic work and said that "EME" had failed. The EME is the main processor that controls all electrical functions in the vehicle. My understanding is that 2019 BMW i3's were recalled due to failures of the EME due to corrosion. How my car was missed in that reacall, I can't ascertain. Perhaps because my particular car has an "S" designation, so it is called an "i3S" and it slipped through the cracks on the original recall. At any rate, the failure was catastrophic; it could have caused an accident and killed me. The car lost all power at highway speeds. Please look into why the i3S was overlooked in the original recall.

NHTSA ID

11737149

Incident

Apr 28, 2026

In early September, a "driver retention system" error appeared the dash display of my '19 i3. I searched the issue on line and tried but failed to resolve it. A few weeks later, the seat belt alarm stopped going off when the belt was clasped. At this point, I had no choice but bring it in for a fix. The dealer advised that there would be a $305 fee to diagnose the problem. They found a faulty belt buckle that failed in normal use. To fix it was going to cost another $805.22 to replace the buckle. I had no choice but to authorize this work. I believe safety related equipment should be covered by the manufacturer, beyond the normal warranty for a minimum of 10 years. Using AI, i find conflicting information about who is responsible for safety equipment when it fails. I am writing this to find out the NHTSA regulation that covers this, so when I call BWW customer service for an accommodation or hopefully, a full refund, I have all the information I need to plead my case. Thank you! Bob H.

NHTSA ID

11695052

Incident

Sep 10, 2025

We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us forward, but there was no car behind us. We were moving as though we had just started a drag race - full acceleration - and the brakes did not respond. We crashed into the car in front of us at full acceleration despite me pumping the brakes at least twice. It was surreal. We drive a 2019 BMW i3. It’s an electric vehicle and I wondered if there was som electrical failure. The car stopped only because of the car we ran into.

NHTSA ID

11671462

Incident

Jul 6, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 BMW I3. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic on a bridge, the vehicle stalled, and independently shifted to park(P). The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The Police arrived on the scene and directed traffic around the vehicle until a tow truck arrived to take the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) module had failed and short circuited the safety box inside of the high voltage battery and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V599000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.

NHTSA ID

11646562

Incident

Feb 26, 2025

Mileage

43,000 mi

The range extender did not turn on while I was driving the car. When the range extender failed to work the car slowed down from 70+ mph to as low as 7 mph in minutes. The car then limped along for several minutes at this dangerously slow speed until the range extender turned on. Once the range extender began working, the car took off like a rocket, going from 7 mph to 70 in seconds. There are no warning lights or indicators in the car that show if the range extender is going to turn on or if it will fail to turn on. This has happened four times while I was driving on a a highway and once while I was driving on a road with heavy traffic. The first instance happened in [XXX] on my ride back from a conference. The car seemed fine for a bit until it began happening regularly in the summer of 2024*. Each time the range extender should have turned on, it failed to do so and the car came to a dramatic instant slow down posing a danger for me and the drivers nearby. The danger was once again realized when the range extender would finally turn on the car car would dramatically propel forward within a matter of seconds. I took the car to the dealership on 10/1. I intentionally ran the battery down because I wanted the mechanic to experience the problem. The shop foreman was able to experience the problem that day and he also caught it on video so he could show it to the BMW engineers. My car remains at the dealership awaiting a new battery. I am told this will fix the problem but I am concerned this will happen again. I am also equally concerned this has or will happen to others. This dangerous situation comes on without warning and could cause a major accident and possibly death to the people in the vehicle and people in vehicles nearby should the range extender fail to start. * While I experience this five times, I can only provide two exact dates this occurred. The first date of [ZZZ] and the final date (before taking the car to the dealer) on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI

NHTSA ID

11638411

Incident

Sep 28, 2024

The drivetrain system malfunctioned while increasing from 60 MPH to 70 MPH. The vehicle lost all propulsion mid-journey. This put myself as well as other drivers around me at risk while I coasted to a stop on the freeway. The vehicle's warning system stated: “Drivetrain Malfunction: Stop carefully and turn off engine. Do not continue driving. Call Roadside Assistance.” There are error codes that were considered by the manufacturer's nearest service center. And while certain reduction in efficiency of the High Voltage battery were identified, the vehicle was re-initialized and test-driven multiple times, successfully moving of its own power. Notably, the vehicle's battery capacity was noted to be at 70%, not below the federally-mandated capacity for manufacturer-covered repair.

NHTSA ID

11629361

Incident

Nov 17, 2024

The 12V battery and EME module failed/malfunctioned on Sep 10, 2024. The original 12V battery was replaced by BMW of Wesley Chapel after it was towed by BMW roadside assistance. They should have it and the EME model for inspection upon request depending on their disposal procedures for the battery. My safety was put at risk due to the fact that the EME could shut down electrical power, lead to a loss of propulsion, and increase the risk of a crash. There was a recall for this component for my year make and model but my VIN was not included but possible should have given the related issue and no wear and tear. The dealer reproduced the errors I received when the car started failing during a diagnostic. The vehicle/component has only been inspected by the dealer and is still in their possession. I have not yet filed an insurance claim. There were warning lamps/messages/symptoms a few days before the failure that cleared upon starting the vehicle until it eventually failed.

NHTSA ID

11614361

Incident

Sep 10, 2024

The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.

the High-Voltage (HV) Battery Assembly Cell Modules Temperature Sensors (Internal NTC repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date.

The High-Voltage (HV) Battery Assembly Cell Modules Temperature Sensors (Internal NTC repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service/first delivery date.

For this vehicle, the EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date. This coverage is subject to the same vehicle eligibility requirements, limitations, and exclusion criteria that apply to the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Vehicles that are registered in California or a State that has fully adopted the State of California PZEV(SULEV) / TZEV emission regulations (As applicable, State of registration, model, and model year dependent), the emission-relevant coverage for this component is 15 years / 150,000 miles.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.

Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration.