The 2013 BMW M3 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 899,965 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 6, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0170002020-01-1559,965 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i,…
Consequence
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
AIR BAGS16V0710002016-02-05840,000 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons, 2007-2013 328i,…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
7
2crashes2injuries
ENGINE
4
POWER TRAIN
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
Total complaints17
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact filed the complaint on behalf of her son who owned a 2013 bmw m3. The contact stated the vehicle was parked in a school parking lot, and the contact's son was sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle when the vehicle was crashed into violently by four vehicles. The vehicle was…”
“There is a burning smell when I run my a/c. I took it to mechanic and they stated it's an issue with the blower motor wiring, which is covered under recall. But I checked the recall notice and it only covers my vehicle up to 2011, but mine is a 2013. However, the blower motor parts in my car are…”
“I initially experienced abrupt catastrophic clutch failure this past december 2019 when without any prior warning. I depressed the clutch and it failed to release leaving the vehicle in gear. Fortunately I was on a secondary road in 2nd gear and was able to bring the car a stop and then pushed it…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 2013 bmw m3. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 16v071000 (air bags). While driving 40 mph, the contact rear ended another vehicle. The air bags deployed. The contact's left arm was struck by the air bags and was injured by metal…”
“While driving on surface street at approx 35mph I was forced to swerve due to being cut off by an adjacent wreckless vehicle. My 2013 bmw e93, with just over 43,000 miles, and which I had purchased less than 30 days prior, immediately shut down entirely without warning. I was literally left in the…”
“While driving on surface street at approx 35mph I was forced to swerve due to being cut off by an adjacent wreckless vehicle. My 2013 bmw e93, with just over 43,000 miles, and which I had purchased less than 30 days prior, immediately shut down entirely without warning. I was literally left in the…”
“Rod bearings. There is clicking noise that I am hearing more and more often. Since summer of last year, I had heard subtle clicking noises occasionally which I wasn't able to locate at the time and had scheduled an appointment with the service department at park ave bmw service on october 2016 to…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 bmw m3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v071000 (air bags). The contact stated that the parts needed for the recall remedy were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was not available.”
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 2013 BMW M3 as of
July 6, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.