Verdict
2016 BMW 3 Series: Complaints, Recalls & Known Issues
What the public record actually says about the 2016 BMW 3 Series — every figure below is a NHTSA or EPA number, not an opinion.
The read
Middle-of-the-pack complaint volume for sedan.
Owners filed 93 NHTSA complaints — more complaints than 62% of 2016 sedans. Engine And Engine Cooling leads the reports (13%). No safety recalls on record.
Based on NHTSA complaint volume against 2016 sedans, not adjusted for how many were sold. It describes the model year, not the individual car you are looking at.
Complaints filed
93
Reports to NHTSA, 2016
Safety recalls
0
NHTSA campaigns on record
NHTSA crash test
Overall NCAP rating
Combined MPG
No data
EPA estimate
Complaint volume vs. segment peers
More complaints than 62% of 2016 sedans
The bar is this car's percentile among 2016 sedans by complaint volume — a full bar means the fewest complaints in its class. Not adjusted for sales.
Known issues
Engine And Engine Cooling issues lead owner complaints (13% of 93 reports), followed by power train (13%).
+ 10 more component categories with fewer reports.
Share of all 93 NHTSA complaints for this model year, grouped by the component owners named. Bars are scaled to the largest category. Examples: ODI 11660445, ODI 11656013, ODI 11655241, ODI 11650543, ODI 11648688.
Recalls
0 recalls — none issued for this model year as of Jul 2026. Recall records can change as NHTSA publishes new campaigns.
A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.
Investigations
0 NHTSA investigations on record
No investigations are on record as of Jul 2026. An empty record is not a clean bill of health.
Crash-test ratings
2016 BMW 3 Series 4 DR RWD NHTSA source
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
2016 BMW 3 Series 4 DR AWD NHTSA source
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
2016 BMW 3 Series SW AWD NHTSA source
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Fuel economy by trim
No EPA fuel-economy record is available for this model year. Some trims and older vehicles were not tested or are not in the current EPA feed.
Before you buy
Useful next checks
Federal records tell you about patterns. These checks can tell you more about the specific car in front of you.
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Compare model years
"Fewest reports" and "most complained" describe raw NHTSA complaint totals, not vehicle reliability. The last few model years are left unlabelled because they have had less road time.
2016 BMW 3 Series: frequently asked
What does the complaint record show for the 2016 BMW 3 Series?
Owners filed 93 NHTSA complaints about the 2016 BMW 3 Series — more complaints than 62% of comparable 2016 sedans, so it sits toward the weaker end of its class. That's a signal, not a guarantee about any single car.
What are the most common problems on the 2016 BMW 3 Series?
The most-reported problem areas are Engine And Engine Cooling (13% of complaints) and power train (13%).
How many recalls does the 2016 BMW 3 Series have?
No safety recalls are on record for the 2016 BMW 3 Series as of Jul 2026.
What gas mileage does the 2016 BMW 3 Series get?
EPA fuel-economy figures for the 2016 BMW 3 Series aren't available yet.