RoadVitals

2015 BMW M4

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest May 24, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
3
Latest Apr 24, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 12 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2015 BMW M4, most frequently naming the engine, electrical and powertrain (other) categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 249 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine531.3%
  • Electrical425.0%
  • Powertrain (other)425.0%
  • Body & structure16.3%
  • Brakes16.3%
  • Visibility16.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

Apr 24, 2024
5,761 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2015 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i), 3 Series Sedan (320i, 320i xDrive, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive, M3, 328d, 328d xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive, M4), and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive) vehicles. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.
The risk: An inflator that ruptures may cause sharp metal fragments to enter or exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, an inflator that leaks gas may only partially inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the head air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

Sep 9, 2016
196 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen.
The risk: Loose rear sub-frame bolts may adversely affect vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Nov 23, 2015
42 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles manufactured May 30, 2015, to September 2, 2015, 2016 M4 Coupe vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to September 11, 2015, and 2015-2016 M4 Convertible vehicles manufactured May 29, 2015, to August 4, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driveshaft with a slip-joint that may not have been filled with grease. As a result, the slip-joint may fail over time.
The risk: If the slip-joint fails, there would be a loss of power to the rear axle and therefore the vehicle would stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driveshaft, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 14, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed May 24, 2026

The ABS module, which controls the brake drying feature, is malfunctioning. This BMW feature is designed to lightly pulse the brakes when the windshield wipers are active to wipe water off the rotors for better braking performance. The intervention is supposed to be imperceptible. Instead, the system intermittently applies hard, sudden brake pressure while the windshield wipers are operating. This causes abrupt, strong deceleration that feels like the brakes are slamming on by themselves. The problem occurs in wet conditions when wipers are on. It has happened multiple times and has nearly caused rear-end collisions or loss of control on multiple occasions. This unexpected hard braking at speed in wet conditions creates a significant risk of rear-end collision, loss of vehicle control, or accident, especially on highways or in traffic. The only workaround is to drive without wipers in the rain, which is also dangerous due to reduced visibility. I have not yet brought the car into the dealership to have it inspected but I do intend on getting that done within the week. There are no warning lights or messages to suggest there even is a problem.

NHTSA ID
11739821
Incident
May 24, 2026
Electrical
Filed Sep 9, 2024

The instrument cluster display no longer functions. Unable to see odometer. Unable to see any vehicle warnings such as fuel warnings, airbag warnings, adas warnings. If I am unable to utilize the instrument cluster display it puts myself and others in harms way as if there is an issue with the vehicle or a warning, I would be unaware as there is no way for that information to reach me. The issue has been confirmed with a code of : B7f694 The display back lighting has failed. BMW states this out of their warranty/workmanship coverage. Leading up to the display failure, the display would cut in and out.

NHTSA ID
11613582
Incident
Mar 12, 2024
Electrical
Filed Jun 7, 2024

I had the issue relating to this bullitin [XXX] This issue resulted in both rear window regulators going out due to the water. BMW USA denied to perform any goodwill repair or even acknowledge this issue. This issue consequently results in the convertible top malfunctioning as it cannot roll the rear windows down Many BMW convertible customers have had this issue as it is readily present within online forums. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11593123
Incident
Jun 6, 2024
Engine
Filed Jan 27, 2022

The BMW OEM intercooler/charge air cooler is a known faulty equipment issue within this generation of cars/engine (S55 Engine, F80, F82, F87 chassis) and I have thousands of people within the community that were affected and willing to attest to this. This issue is a safety risk as having the intercooler leak coolant into the combustion chambers this will be a catastrophically damage the engine. As I've mentioned this problem has been confirmed by dealers and independent service centers, and I have thousands of people in the willing to attest to this being a very common issue in this generation of cars. There is usually supposed to be a service warning/check engine light that comes up on the car when there is a coolant leak, I received nothing. The symptoms I've experienced are as the following: My radiator fans kept coming on after drives, I had to physically check that coolant was in fact leaking and the reservoir being bone dry within days, I scanned my vehicle for codes and of course the coolant leak code came back.

NHTSA ID
11449103
Incident
Jan 27, 2022
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 30, 2020

I WAS DRIVING LIKE I NORMALLY DO TO WORK AND MY TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WENT LIMP AND A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE CLUTCH TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ALSO. IT STOPPED DOING IT FOR A WHILE AND NOW IT DOES IT VERY OFTEN BUT DOES NOT PUT A CODE IN THE CARS COMPUTER DATABASE SO IT CAN'T BE TRACKED. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN A IN CITY WITH LIGHTS ETC AND SOMETIMES ON THE HIGHWAYS ALSO.

NHTSA ID
11342183
Incident
Jul 30, 2020
Mileage
57,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 30, 2020

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE ON MARCH 10, 2020 FOR SERVICING. DURING THE TIME THEY HAD MY CAR, THEY REPLACED MY FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS, COMPLETED THE INSPECTION, AND GAVE ME THE CAR BACK AFTER A COUPLE DAYS. ON APRIL 10, 2020, I TOOK MY CAR INTO SERVICE AGAIN AS I WAS HAVING DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTIONS CONSTANTLY. SEVERAL WEEKS OF BEING IN THE SHOP, BMW SERVICE TECHNICIANS FOUND THAT COOLING FLUIDS HAD LEAKED FROM MY TOP MOUNTED INTERCOOLER, INTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND THROUGH THE INTAKE VALVES, AND DIRECTLY INTO THE ENGINE OF MY VEHICLE. SINCE THE ENGINE NOW NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BMW OF FREMONT RECOMMENDED AND REQUESTED FOR AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT BUT BMW HAD REJECTED IT AND STATED THAT THEY FOUND SOME 'TUNE' IN THE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE PLAN FROM BMW DIRECTLY THAT IS STILL ACTIVE. MY ENGINE REPLACEMENT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BUT BMW IS NOT ADHERING TO THAT WARRANTY. AFTER COUNTLESS CALLS AND EMAILS BEING SENT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN ME AND BMW, NEW INFORMATION AROSE STATING THAT BMW FOUND THAT THE 'TUNE' FOUND IN MY VEHICLE WAS MERELY A VALVE CONTROLLER FOR MY EXHAUST SYSTEM. BMW OF FREMONT CLEARLY MENTIONED TO BMW THAT THIS LEAK IS NOT CAUSED BY OR EVEN REMOTELY CORRELATED TO THE VALVE CONTROLLER, AND THAT THIS ISSUE IS MECHANICAL, NOT SOFTWARE RELATED. CLEARLY, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MAJOR ISSUE AT HAND, WHICH IS THE LEAKING INTERCOOLER CAUSING MY ENGINE TO FAIL. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR MY CAR TO BE RUN WITHOUT THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT, AS THE CAR NOW HAS A MUCH HIGHER CHANCE OF BEING HYDRO-LOCKED. MY CAR HAS NOW BEEN AT BMW OF FREMONT FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS. I'M STILL PAYING MY MONTHLY DUES FOR THE VEHICLE DILIGENTLY EVEN THOUGH BMW HAS CAUSED THIS MANY ISSUES. *TR

NHTSA ID
11331846
Incident
Apr 10, 2020
Body & structureElectrical
Filed May 13, 2020

DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK FAIL TO UNLOCK TO ALLOW DOOR OPEN WHEN INTERIOR DOOR RELEASE PULLED. OCCURRED OCCASIONALLY AT FIRST, NOW REGULARLY BUT NOT ALWAYS. THE CAR DESIGNED TO AUTOMATICALLY LOCKS WHEN DRIVEN, ONCE CAR PARKED AND READY TO GET OUT, DOOR LEVER FAILS TO UNLOCK AND ALLOW DOOR TO OPEN. NORMALLY FIRST PULL OF INTERIOR DOOR LEVER UNLOCKS AND SECOND RELEASES DOOR. WHEN THIS ISSUE HAPPENS FIRST PULL FAILS TO UNLOCK, THE LOCK BUTTON BY DOOR COMES UP, BUT SPRINGS BACK DOWN, TRAPPING THE DRIVER AS DOOR UNABLE TO BE OPENED. ONLY WAY TO UNLOCK TO GET OUT IS TO PRESS CENTRAL LOCK BUTTON, SO IF BATTERY DIES, WILL BE TRAPPED IN VEHICLE. WEB SEARCH WILL SHOW THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS. IT'S A RATHER CONCERNING ISSUE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION TO POTENTIALLY BE TRAPPED. *TR

NHTSA ID
11324374
Incident
May 12, 2020
Mileage
13,000 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Dec 18, 2019

THERE'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2015+ BMW F80 M3 S55 ENGINE. THE ISSUE IS THE CRANK HUB SPINNING OUT AND DAMAGING THE CAR. IT LEAVES THE VEHICLE IN A DANGEROUS STATE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND TO OTHERS NEAR BY. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS TO STOCK VEHICLES AND MODDED ONES. LINKS ABOUT IT: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/RESULTS... SPECIFIC VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE CRANK HUB ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF A CAR: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SJR3ZHEGS_U?T=160

NHTSA ID
11289950
Incident
Oct 22, 2019
Mileage
43,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B611305

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

B310124

SUSPENSION

With the vehicle is on a lift and the front struts are in the extended position, there may be a cracking and orclicking type noise when turning the steering wheel left/right. See attached video V31 01 24. The sound can reoccur when the vehicle is lowered, and the wheels are once again under load. The noise might also be heard for a short time while driving.

B340714

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-

B651523

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

After programming the head unit (HU-H2), activating the FSC (German word Freischaltcode) Enabling Codes repeatedly fails.

B514616

STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE

Upon opening and closing the tailgate, a creaking/groaning sound can be heard from tailgate actuator.

B630917

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Exterior rear lights do not work.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW M4 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026010
2025000
2024100
2023000
2022200
2021120
2020120
2019010
2018510
2017230
2016213052.3
2015Viewing123053.6
2014020

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.