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BMW · NHTSA safety record

2010 BMW 3 Series

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 30 safety complaints about the 2010 BMW 3 Series with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the engine and its cooling.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 10 complaints, 33% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 59,256 miles, the median across the 20 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2010 to February 2019 · How this is counted

What is on file

30 complaints on file

30

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 10 · 33%
ENGINE 6 · 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 17%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 10%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 7%
TIRES 2 · 7%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 · 3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 3%
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY 1 · 3%
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 · 3%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 30.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 8.

12 9 6 3
10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2010 to 2019.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2010 BMW 3 SERIES, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 2-DR. w/SAB 4-DR. w/SAB
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 9.3% 10.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. NHTSA made its frontal crash test harder for the 2011 model year, and says ratings from before that change should not be compared with ratings after it. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

23V707000 · October 20, 2023

The defect
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 loosen over time and possibly break.
The risk
Loose or broken VANOS unit bolts can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the four VANOS bolts, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 157,796 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)

22V119000 · March 2, 2022

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
The risk
An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
The remedy
This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 917,106 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL

fire · 38,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BMW 3 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, SMOKE STARTED TO EMIT FROM THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN ORDER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONCE THE HOOD OF VEHICLE WAS OPEN, HE OBSERVED FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO STATED THE EMISSION VALVE OVERHEATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

NHTSA complaint 10639084. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · 85,178 miles

DRIVING FROM WORK ON A SNOWING DAY, GOING ABOUT 25 TO 35. THE REAR OF THE CAR STARTED GOING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF LANE. I TRADED TO GET CONTROL BUT IT WAS TO LATE. I HIT A GUARD RAIL AND THE AIR BAGS NEVER CAME OUT. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10702037. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

85,000 miles

AIR BAG LIGHT JUST CAME ON, HAD IT CHECKED BUT STILL THERE

NHTSA complaint 11176210. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

100,000 miles

FOUND A BROKEN BOLT OF THE INTAKE CYLINDER HEAD, WAS BROKE WITHOUT ANY REASON. I NOT THE ONLY ONE, FOUND THIS VIDEO. THERE ARE 3 MORE BOLTS INSIDE THE CYLINDER HEAD THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE ON THE ENGINE IF BROKEN.

NHTSA complaint 11145232. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

103,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL - I THINK AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON ALL THE TIME. BMW SAYS THERE IS NO RECALL AFFECTING THIS. BOTH STATIONARY AND MOVING.

NHTSA complaint 11132144. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TOO LONG TO REMEDY

NHTSA complaint 11119313. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
IN NOVEMBER 2017, BMW SENT ME LETTERS REGARDING POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS DUE TO DEFECTS OF THE BLOWER MOTOR WIRING AND THE PCV VALVE HEATER (RECALL NUMBERS 17V-676 AND 17V-683). NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AND NO REPAIR OFFERED TO CORRECT POSSIBLE DEFECTS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEM RELATED TO THESE PARTS. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE SERIOUS NATURE OF THESE ISSUES, BMW SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL AND REPAIR AFFECTED CARS PROMPTLY.

NHTSA complaint 11099988. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL

NHTSA complaint 11019259. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 3 Series

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2013 21 0 —

Other 2010 BMW models

328I 155 X5 124 528I 65 535I 58 335I 41 X3 32 750LI 30 X3 SAV 23

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every BMW on this site — 257 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst