The 2019 BMW I3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 139 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 6, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM19V5990002019-08-14139 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019 i3 BEV, i3 REx, and i8 vehicles. A circuit board problem within the Electric Motor Electronics (EME) module may shutdown the supply of high-voltage electrical power.
Consequence
A shut down of high-voltage electrical power would result in a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EME module, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
5
1crashes
STEERING
4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
1crashes
ENGINE
1
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
SEAT BELTS
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
1crashes
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
Total complaints21
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was…”
“This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was…”
“This is an electric vehicle. I experienced a sudden loss of all power while traveling on the interstate in heavy traffic. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as it would not respond to my inputs. I had to cross two lanes of dense interstate traffic to get to a safe area to pull over and it was…”
“In early september, a "driver retention system" error appeared the dash display of my '19 i3. I searched the issue on line and tried but failed to resolve it. A few weeks later, the seat belt alarm stopped going off when the belt was clasped. At this point, I had no choice but bring it in for a…”
“We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us…”
“We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us…”
“We were sitting at a traffic light for a few minutes behind another vehicle. Suddenly, our car accelerated very quickly. My foot was on the brake when the car accelerated. I felt the brake pedal depress further as it accelerated. I initially thought a car had hit us from behind and propelled us…”
“The contact owns a 2019 bmw i3. The contact stated that while stopped in traffic on a bridge, the vehicle stalled, and independently shifted to park(p). The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The police arrived on the scene and directed traffic around the vehicle…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2019 BMW I3 as of
July 6, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.