CSR

BMW · NHTSA safety record

2021 BMW 430I

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

15

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 BMW 430I have filed 15 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2021 and April 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 of them (40%). The typical failure was reported at 13,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY

26V056000 · January 30, 2026

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all models. The engine starter may overheat and catch fire due to wear on an internal component.
The risk
Fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 87,394 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY

25V636000 · September 23, 2025

Park outside until repaired

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
The risk
A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 199,674 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS

23V584000 · August 16, 2023

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2022 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, 2022 430i Coupe, 2021-2022 430i, M440i Convertible, and 2020-2022 228i xDrive Gran Coupe vehicles. The receiver audio module control unit software may fail to properly generate audible seat belt warnings to the driver to fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
An audible chime that does not properly alert the driver to fasten their seat belt increases the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the receiver audio module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 12, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 144 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS

21V554000 · July 21, 2021

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
During a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 21,537 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:THORAX

21V176000 · March 15, 2021

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 430i and M440i 4 Series Convertible vehicles. In certain side-impact crashes, the head-thorax air bag may not deploy as intended.
The risk
An air bag that deploys incorrectly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the software, at no charge. All affected vehicles are still in dealer inventory, and therefore no owner letters will be mailed. The recall began March 9, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 1,850 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

21V096000 · February 19, 2021

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive vehicles. When shifting into Reverse, a small portion of the rearview image may be obscured, or the screen may not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BMW of North America, LLC · up to 13,858 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 15.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 40%
ENGINE 3 20%
SEAT BELTS 3 20%
POWER TRAIN 1 7%
TIRES 1 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 7.

2021 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

towed · 33,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 BMW 430I. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the light turned green; however, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the power train warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, shifted to drive(D); however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the rear differential oil had leaked out causing the differential to seize. The contact was informed that the rear differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the

NHTSA complaint 11603683, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The recall was issued more than 8 months ago but the remedy is still not yet available, which is very concerning as the problem may cause the event of fire even when the vehicle is parked. Issued SEP 23, 2025 Description of Problem It is possible for water to contact and enter the engine starter. This could lead to corrosion which could cause a short circuit. Safety Risk This could increase the risk of a thermal event or fire during driving or even when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is off.

NHTSA complaint 11734108. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The engine Unknown The problem was confirmed by BMW as they sent me a notice. Unknown Unknown

NHTSA complaint 11729210. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I received a recall notice dated 9/23/2025. The recall is listed as URGENT safety issue that could cause a fire. The notice instructs not to drive the car or park in garage. It has been over 6 months now and there is still no fix. I am requesting the manufacture buyback my vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11724645. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

13,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 BMW 430I. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt chest strap was shredded. The contact was concerned that the seat belt would not safely secure the driver in a crash. The contact stated that the shredded seat belt strap might have been caused by the seat belt strap touching the seat belt retractor while pulling the seat belt buckle up. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was13,300.

NHTSA complaint 11721698. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact called for the owner of the 2021 BMW 430I. The owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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 complaint 11715568. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The component that malfunctioned is the engine starter relay, which is subject to an open BMW/NHTSA safety recall (issued September 2025) due to potential corrosion causing overheating, short circuits, and vehicle fire risk. The recall specifically advises parking the vehicle outside and away from structures until repaired. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.My safety and the safety of my family were put at risk because the dealership (Capitol Nissan in San Jose) failed to disclose this critical fire-risk recall before or during the sale on January 4, 2026, despite it being noted on the provided Carfax report (without any explanation of its severity). I only learned of the

NHTSA complaint 11709689, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the BMW 430I

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 21 3
2018 36 1
2017 24 2

Other 2021 BMW models

Every BMW on this site — 249 vehicles, 484 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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.

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