2011 BMW M3 Owner Complaints

Starting from a traffic light at Woodlands Parkway and Gosling Road in the Woodlands, TX - Vehicle accelerated normally during shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd - Engine RPM went to ZERO and vehicle suddenly lost all power and died. There was a large Ford F150 behind the car. Thankfully, I was watching the tachometer and coasted to the shoulder before attempting to shift back to 2 and try a rolling start at which point vehicle came to an abrupt and sudden stop. Car was towed to an approved mechanic and was diagnosed as "another seized S65" engine. OPINION of Expert engine builders and bearing manufacturers is that the original BMW S65 bearing dimensions result in inadequate journal clearance and has been thoroughly documented. This, coupled with any potential "tolerance stacking" (- clearance) can result in a final bearing clearance which is significantly tighter than ideal and is the reason why we have seen engines fail after only a few thousand miles. This was half a second or less from being a fatal accident.

NHTSA ID

11542797

Incident

Jul 18, 2023

When I put the battery terminals after swapping a new battery, my FRM got damaged. No brake or head lights are working, no turn signals, no windows moving etc. It's a safety issue on the road

NHTSA ID

11489153

Incident

Oct 13, 2022

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ACCELERATING WHEN I HIT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH MY CAR WAS MAKING A LOUD REVVING SOUND AND METAL CLANKING SOUND IN MIDDLE AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE VEHICLE VERY THICK WHITE SMOKE ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR SLOWED DOWN AND ALL THE LIGHTS WERE BLINKING ON THE DASH ALMOST GOT INTO ACCIDENTS WHILE CARS AVOID HITTING! MY CAR WASN'T GOING OVER 5 10 MPH THERE WAS SO MUCH SMOKE WAS GETTING WORRIED,SOME HOW I MANAGED TO EXIT THE FREEWAY AND PARKED I WAS TOLD MY ENGLISH WAS BLOWN! MAINTENANCE WAS UP-TO-DATE ONLY DROVE IT ON THE WEEKENDS ONLY HAD 52,000 MILES NIGHTMARE 2011 BMW M3

NHTSA ID

11390611

Incident

Jan 14, 2021

Mileage

52,000 mi

BETWEEN 11/04/16 AND 11/08/16 I LEFT MY VEHICLE WITH REEVES BMW DEALERSHIP IN TAMPA, FL FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL WHICH THEY TOLD ME THEY COMPLETED. I CONTINUED TO GET WARNING LETTERS FROM THE NHTSA FOR THIS RECALL AND RECENTLY I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A DIFFERENT BMW DEALERSHIP WHICH TOLD ME THE REEVES BMW DEALERSHIP REPORTED THEY COMPLETED THE WORK AND MY AIRBAG COULD NOT BE CHANGED UNDER THE RECALL. I TOOK MY AIRBAG OFF THE STEERING COLUMN AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE LABEL ON THE BACK WHICH SHOWS THE AIRBAG INSTALLED IN MY CAR WAS PRODUCED IN MAY 2010 WHICH IS PART OF THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL BATCH AND WAS PRIOR TO THE ASSEMBLY OF MY CAR AT THE FACTORY. I AM VERY ANGRY THIS RECALL WORK WAS NOT COMPLETED BY REEVES BMW DEALERSHIP AS I WAS TOLD AND THAT I HAVE BEEN PLACED AT UNNECESSARY RISK FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS. I WOULD LIKE ASSISTANCE IN HAVING THIS TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL COMPLETED SO THAT I AM NO LONGER AT RISK OF DEATH OR INJURY AS BMW APPARENTLY HAS MY VEHICLE INCORRECTLY MARKED OFF AS RECALL COMPLETED AND WILL NOT COMPLETE THE RECALL WORK. I'VE ATTACHED AN IMAGE OF THE LABEL ON THE AIRBAG IN MY CAR AND THE PAPERWORK FOR THE REPAIR WHICH WAS NOT DONE. THANK YOU FOR THE HELP.

NHTSA ID

11355276

Incident

Nov 8, 2016

Mileage

65,699 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF, AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT INTO NEUTRAL. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, AND PULLED TO A STOP SIGN. I GAVE MY CAR A FEW REVS JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS FINE. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO CHECK OUT, SO I CONTINUE DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40MPH AND STRAIGHT, THE CAR SHUTS OFF AGAIN, AND THIS TIME I HAVE A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES. THANKFULLY I MANAGE TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME BY USING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE SLOWLY. THIS TIME THE VEHICLE DID NOT TURN BACK ON. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE IT'S BECOME APPARENT THIS VEHICLE IS ACTUALLY KNOWN TO DO THIS. ROD BEARINGS AND MAIN BEARINGS HAVE CAUSED THESE MOTORS TO SEIZE WHILE DRIVING, AND BMW REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE. I COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE FROM THIS ISSUE, BUT IT'S SAD ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS DOLLARS AND CENTS.

NHTSA ID

11322610

Incident

Apr 24, 2020

Mileage

73,800 mi

I DID SOME RESEARCH IT LOOKS MY CAR HAS THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE RECALL NOT DONE IT'S MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE!! UP ON FURTHER INFORMATION CARS BUILD FROM DATE 2008-2012 MY VEHICLE PRODUCTION DATE IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2010. I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED MY RECALL LATER PLEASE SOLVE ISSUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THANKS.

NHTSA ID

11269801

Incident

Oct 20, 2019

I WAS DRIVING CASUALLY WHEN THE MOTOR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. NO NOISE INDICATING ENGINE FAILURE EVER HAPPENED. I COASTED OFF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO RESTART. NOTHING BUT A CLICK. EVENTUALLY TRIED REPLACING STARTER MOTOR BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK. NO ENGINE LIGHTS OR CODES EVER POPPED UP. TURNS OUT ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO FAILED ROD BEARINGS.

NHTSA ID

11269732

Incident

Jul 10, 2019

Mileage

107,000 mi

TWO WEEKS AGO, WHEN THE CAR WAS DRIVING NORMALLY, IT SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN AND COULD NO LONGER START. WHEN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS TOOK THE ENGINE APART, THEY FOUND THAT THE CRANKSHAFT AND ROD BEARING BUSH WERE OVER-WORN AND BURNT OUT. THE ENGINEER TOLD ME THAT THE OIL I USED WAS TOO STICKY TO LUBRICATE THE ROD BEARING. I CHANGED THE ENGINE OIL 8,000 MILES AGO, USING THE 10W-60 OIL SUPPLIED BY BMW.

NHTSA ID

11235191

Incident

Jul 13, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

WHILE SHIFTING INTO 3RD GEAR, MY ENGINE THREW A ROD THROUGH THE BLOCK, CAR HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED, HAS 43,300 ORIGINAL MILES, ORIGINAL OWNER.

NHTSA ID

11218617

Incident

May 28, 2019

Mileage

43,300 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V676000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) WAS RECEIVED IN NOVEMBER OF 2017. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALER (BMW OF HUDSON VALLEY, 2068 SOUTH RD, POUGHKEEPSIE, NY) AND THE MANUFACTURER, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REMEDY THE DEFECT WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL APRIL OF 2019. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11155842

Incident

Nov 1, 2017

O2 SENSORS CONSTANTLY GO OUT REPLACED 3 TIMES, THROTTLE BODY ACUTATORS CONSTANTLY GO BAD PUTTING CAR IN LIMP MODE VERY DANGEROUS MY CAR CUT OFF AT 65MPH ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS WITH MY FAMILY!!! SOMETHING BAD COULD OF HAPPENED. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BMW M3 2008-2013 PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. ROD BEARINGS GO BAD ASWELL

NHTSA ID

11100142

Incident

Jun 2, 2018

Mileage

60,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED FUNCTIONING AND THE ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC ENTERED THE CABIN. THE CONTACT DISCONNECTED THE FUSES TO THE AIR CONDITIONER TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. REEVES IMPORT MOTORCARS DEALER LOCATED IN TAMPA, FLORIDA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V676000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000. *TT *TR

NHTSA ID

11073899

Incident

Feb 16, 2018

Mileage

38,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY LOW MILAGE 2011 BMW M3 (42K MILES) ON THE HIGHWAY, OUT OF NO WHERE, I NOTICED THE CAR DRIVING A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND SLIGHTLY SHAKING. THIS HAPPENED MOMENTS BEFORE I REACHED MY EXIT. I PULLED OVER AT A GAS STATION RIGHT OFF THE EXIT AND OPENED THE HOOD, THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A TINGING/SCRAPING NOISE WITH EACH REVOLUTION. I CLOSED IT UP, AND DROVE TO MY HOME WHICH WAS A COUPLE MINUTES AWAY. WHILE DRIVING, THE NOISE WAS HAPPENING MORE IN LOWER GEARS. WHEN I GOT HOME, I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SAW IT WAS LEAKING OIL, AND STILL MAKING THE NOISE. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATION, I LEARNED THE ROD BEARINGS IN THE ENGINE HAD FAILED, RESULTING IN COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AN AUTHORIZED BMW STORE AT 38K MILES IN MAY OF 2017, I ALWAYS SERVICED IT AT MY LOCAL BMW STORE - THIS OCCURRED FEBRUARY 3RD, 2018. AFTER READING UP, I AM LEARNING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE S65 ENGINES THAT ARE IN THIS MODEL OF M3'S. BMW HAS YET TO MAKE A RECALL, BUT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN, BUT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. I CAN'T AFFORD A NEW ENGINE (IT COSTS 30 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICH IS ALMOST AS MUCH AS I PAID FOR THE CAR), AND THE ENGINE CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I FEEL WRONGED BY BMW, AND ADVISE THE NHTSA TO URGE BMW TO RECALL THIS ENGINE TO SAVE FUTURE CUSTOMERS FROM CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11071817

Incident

Jan 4, 2018

Mileage

42,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 16V071000 (AIR BAGS), HOWEVER THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE STEVENS CREEKS BMW (4343 STEVENS CREEK BLVD ST CLARA CA 95051 800-298-1501) AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WERE NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11052621

Incident

Dec 5, 2017

AT 63,860 MILE THE S65 ENGINE IN MY 2011 BMW M3 FAILED. DEALER DIAGNOSED ENGINE BEARING FAILURE. FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11047832

Incident

Oct 4, 2017

Mileage

63,850 mi

ENGINE KNOCKING. CONNECTING ROD BEARING AND MAIN BEARING FAILURE RESULTING IN REQUIRED ENGINE REPLACEMENT. ENGINE NOT ABLE TO BE REBUILT DUE TO CRACKED MAIN BEARING SADDLES.

NHTSA ID

11047061

Incident

Oct 1, 2017

Mileage

46,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL - THIS RECALL HAS BEEN ACTIVE NOW FOR OVER A YEAR AND THREE MONTHS WITH NO REPAIR FROM THE MANUFACTURER. I HAVE TRIED TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS IN THE AREA AND NEITHER OF THEM HAVE A PART AVAILABLE TO FIX. WHAT IS THE HOLDUP?

NHTSA ID

10984727

Incident

May 10, 2017

ROD BEARING FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10979247

Incident

Apr 19, 2017

THE CAR WAS PARKED AT A FLAT SPACE PARKING LOT. WHEN I TRIED TO OPEN THE VEHICLE USING A FOB KEY, THE ALARM STARTED TO GO OFF. I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCESS THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN USING A KEY BLADE TO OPEN THE DOOR MANUALLY, HOWEVER ALL SYSTEM WAS DEAD. I HAVE REPLACED THE FOB KEY BATTERY, CHECKED THE BATTERY STATUS, AND RAN THE ERROR CODE SYSTEM, BUT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I'VE FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THE SIMILAR MODELS (BMW 3 SERIES) FOR A FUSE BOX - BATTERY CONNECTION ISSUE. AND GIVING A GOOD PRESS TOWARDS THE FUSE BOX LOCATED IN THE GLOVE-BOX DID FIX THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY, HOWEVER THE ISSUE HAS KEPT HAPPENING SINCE THEN. 3 SERIES MANUFACTURED MARCH 2007 THROUGH JULY 2011 HAVE BEEN RECALLED DURING THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 13V044000. MY MODEL, M3, USES THE SAME DESIGN AND SAME PARTS AS 328I AND 335I FOR THE FUSE BOX AND BATTERY CONNECTION, AND THE SAME ISSUE HAS BEEN OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES NOT JUST TO ME BUT TO OTHER M3 MODELS, BUT THIS MODEL FOR SOME REASON HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED THE PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN.

NHTSA ID

10955248

Incident

Feb 8, 2017

Mileage

69,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10929859

Incident

Dec 5, 2016

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10927369

Incident

Feb 5, 2016

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ON THE ROAD MY ENGINE AUTOMATICALLY PLACED ITSELF ON NEUTRAL, THE STEERING FROZE, AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. AFTER TURNING THE SYSTEM OFF, I TURNED IT BACK ON AND DROVE AWAY NORMALLY. ONCE I APPROACHED THE A STOP LIGHT THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AGAIN BUT THIS TIME IT HAD A CRACKING-RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, OIL LIGHT, MY CAR SUFFERED FROM BROKEN MAIN AND ROD BEARINGS AS STATED BY THE BMW DEALER. THIS HAS CAUSED A LOT OF METALLIC DEBRIS THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE CAUSING ENGINE FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10893768

Incident

Jul 14, 2016

Mileage

40,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AIR INTAKE BECAME FILLED WITH WATER, CLOGGING THE HYDRO LOCK TO THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A CLOGGED HYDRO LOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

NHTSA ID

10672572

Incident

Dec 11, 2014

Mileage

29,000 mi

2011 BMW DCT M3 ENGINE TURNS OFF BY IT SELF WHILE DRIVING THROUGH INTERSECTION. TRANSMISSION GOES INTO NEUTRAL. "N" POPS UP ON THE CENTER COCKPIT. STEERING WHEEL LOCK. BRAKES WORK. HAD TO MAINTAIN FOOT ON BRAKES. HAVE TO PUSH "ENGINE START" BUTTON. CAR STARTS UP AGAIN. ENGINE STALLING AND SHUTTING OFF IS A SAFETY HAZARD, ESPECIALLY IF THE CAR IS IN MOTION. COULD CAUSE DEATH TO END USERS OR OTHER PEOPLE. CAN CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGES AS WELL. THIS HAS HAPPEN TWICE WITHIN A 8 WEEK PERIOD. MOST RECENTLY ON NOV 26,2014 APPROXIMATELY 430PM BMW "AUTO START STOP FUNCTION" RULED OUT BECAUSE THE LED LIGHT ABOVE THE BUTTON IS LIT, FUNCTION IS DISABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10661151

Incident

Oct 30, 2014

Mileage

44,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW M3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT FLICKERED WHILE THE SEAT WAS OCCUPIED OR UNOCCUPIED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE. UPDATED 1/13/15*CN UPDATED 03/03/15*JB

NHTSA ID

10654689

Incident

Sep 8, 2014