The 2018 BMW 330i has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 5,309 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 39 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING18V4650002018-07-115,309 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the…
Consequence
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2018 bmw 330i. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, unknown warning lights were suddenly illuminated, indicating that the engine was overheating. The message instructed the driver to shut off the vehicle immediately. The contact pulled over and turned…”
“The engine overheated and suddenly lost power/ acceleration while driving in rush hour traffic at highway speed. I had to move across 3 lanes of traffic to get on to shoulder of highway safely while car and engine sputtered and slowed to a stop with no power or acceleration. After having vehicle…”
“The coolant system and oil housing filters. The entire coolant system components fails in this vehicle after 60,000 mile due to the parts not being all aluminum. This fix alone is about 8k from the bmw dealership. This isn’t fair to the customer! This needs to be a recall! The parts needs to be…”
“The coolant system and oil housing filters. The entire coolant system components fails in this vehicle after 60,000 mile due to the parts not being all aluminum. This fix alone is about 8k from the bmw dealership. This isn’t fair to the customer! This needs to be a recall! The parts needs to be…”
“The contact owns a 2018 bmw 330i. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 mph, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that there was an oil intake leak and a coolant leak. There were several warning lights illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent…”
“Car keeps overheating. Water pump, water hose and expansion tank have been replaced several times and the car still overheats.”
“While driving on the highway, my vehicle unexpectedly caught fire due to no fault of my own. Upon investigation, it appears the fire originated from a short in the rear window defroster wiring, which led to significant damage in the right rear c-pillar area, headliner, rear window, and rear deck.…”
“I smelt and saw smoke coming from the back of my vehicle. I pulled over on to the left side of [xxx] bound. Then, I jumped out of the car to check the truck. I didn't see anything, then I popped the hood and still did not see anything visible. I then went back to the trunk to check it again, and…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 BMW 330i as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.