2012 BMW 3 Series

Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.

Vehicle coverage

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Choose a vehicle to see the official records held for it.

Coverage held for this vehicle

  • OFFICIAL ACTION 10 US Recalls
  • MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 693 Manufacturer Bulletins
  • INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
  • CONSUMER REPORT 167 Consumer Complaints
  • CANADIAN RECALL 10 Canada Recalls

These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

  • 24V608000 2024-08-13

    Recall 24V608000

    BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water…

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 24V513000 2024-07-03

    Recall 24V513000

    BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (324i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi), 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon (325xi, 328i, 328xi), and 2009-2011 3 Series Sedan (335d) vehicles. The original steering wheel may have been replaced with a sport or M-sport steering wheel equipped with an inflator that can explode during deployment.

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 23V707000 2023-10-20

    Recall 23V707000

    BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2010-2012 1 Series Coupe, 1 Series Convertible, 3 Series Sedan, 3 Series Convertible, 2010-2011 3 Series Sportswagon, 3 Series Coupe, 5 Series Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, X3 xDrive 30i, X5 xDrive30i, and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The aluminum bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can…

    Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 10 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 93 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.

Manufacturer Bulletins

NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US

  • 11014417 2025-02-20

    B012016

    The Footwell Module (FRM) limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been supplementarily increased to 15 years / 240,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 11000628 2024-05-09

    B063924

    Hot-Film Air Mass Meter Return

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 10249437 2024-01-16

    B510819

    The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

    Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 693 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 1,699 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.

Investigations

NHTSA Investigation US

  • DP22005 2023-01-27

    Pedestrian alert sounds

    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…

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • PE13030 2013-09-06

    Loss of power assist braking

    In a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According…

    Recorded model years: 2012

A further 15 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.

Canada Recalls

Transport Canada Recall CA

  • 2024544 2024-08-15

    Transport Canada recall 2024544

    Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 2024468 2024-08-13

    Transport Canada recall 2024468

    Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.

    Recorded model years: 2012

  • 2024392 2024-07-03

    Transport Canada recall 2024392

    Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.

    Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 10 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 91 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA Complaint US

167 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.

Outcomes stated in those reports

  • reports mentioning a crash 6
  • reports mentioning a fire 2
  • reported injuries 3

Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.

By system

  • Engine78 (31.1%)Official recall records for this system: 34, covering model years 1995–2024.
  • Air bags (restraint system)51 (20.3%)Official recall records for this system: 52, covering model years 1999–2020.
  • Electrical system27 (10.8%)Official recall records for this system: 32, covering model years 2000–2025.
  • Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)20 (8.0%)Official recall records for this system: 16, covering model years 2008–2023.
  • Seats13 (5.2%)Official recall records for this system: 3, covering model years 2012–2021.
  • Fuel system12 (4.8%)Official recall records for this system: 7, covering model years 2013–2018.
  • Speed control & accelerator7 (2.8%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 1995–2003.
  • Lights5 (2.0%)Official recall records for this system: 13, covering model years 1995–2021.

Other / uncategorized: 16 classifications (6.4%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.

A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.

A further 9,235 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.

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