BMW i4 Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability

On November 18, 2025, I was driving a 2025 BMW i4 eDrive, VIN [VIN], at approximately 10–15 mph in slow traffic. I applied the brake pedal firmly when the vehicle in front of me slowed, but the vehicle did not decelerate as expected. The vehicle continued moving forward, resulting in a rear-end collision with the car in front of me, which in turn struck another vehicle. Prior to this incident, the vehicle occasionally exhibited brief reductions in forward drive power that were subtle and initially attributed to drive mode (e.g., comfort/eco or battery status). At the time of the incident, the vehicle was subject to Safety Recall 25V-395, but I had not received any recall notification prior to reporting the incident to BMW. This appears to be a potential vehicle safety defect involving braking performance or interaction of propulsion and braking systems, as the vehicle did not stop when brake input was applied under normal conditions. I am reporting this to NHTSA for investigation of a possible safety defect. Related documents, including accident reports, repair invoices, and correspondence with BMW regarding ongoing investigation and requested diagnostics, are available upon request.

The contact owns a 2025 BMW I4 EDRIVE40. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced pulling and skidding to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle became unsafe to drive and was a severe safety hazard to the driver and other motorists. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the failure was replicated. The dealer replaced the tires and performed a front-end alignment, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced seven different tires and had performed 2 front-end alignments, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 22.

I am writing to formally report a serious and ongoing safety defect with my BMW i4, present since the beginning of ownership. The vehicle pulls and skids to the right while driving and intermittently swerves, making it unsafe to operate and posing a clear risk to both myself and other road users. This is a safety-critical issue, not a comfort or preference concern. Despite repeated repair attempts, the defect remains unresolved. To date, the following actions have been taken without success: Six (6) tire replacements Two (2) wheel alignments Multiple inspections and service visits at BMW of West St. Louis All work was performed while the vehicle is under warranty, yet I have also incurred out-of-pocket expenses attempting to correct this safety issue. After these failed repairs, I escalated the matter to BMW of North America. A case manager was assigned, but after one initial call, I received no response despite more than seven follow-up emails and three voice messages. Only after I indicated that I would contact consumer protection agencies did BMW respond and offer a little monetary amount credit. I want to be clear that I am not seeking goodwill or compensation. I am seeking a safe and reliable vehicle. Due to the unresolved safety defect and lack of effective support, I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I remain loyal to the BMW brand and am willing to purchase another BMW; however, given the repeated failed repairs and ongoing safety risk, I am requesting that BMW repurchase this vehicle and provide a replacement or buyback solution. This matter involves vehicle safety and requires urgent attention. I respectfully request prompt assistance and a fair resolution. Numerous incidents that occurred and tire burst with steering tight and goes on left and right hand side. Documents attached. Two major incidents out of 6: 1st - Car first time swerving: [XXX] - No crash-Fire-Injury-Police Report. 2nd: [XXX] mentioned in additional details.INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On September 10, 2025, while my son was driving, the lane assist system activated twice during a single drive without a cause. The first activation was manually corrected, but the second caused the vehicle to veer into a roadside barrier. There were no environmental or road condition that would justify the intervention. The vehicle was declared a total loss by our insurance provider. (Please see attached Vehicle Safety Complaint Report pdf for more detail) I am concerned this may reflect a defect in the lane assist system and could pose a risk to other drivers. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether similar incidents have been reported.

While parking the car it accelerated up over the curb and into the bushes in an office parking lot. The sudden unintended acceleration occurred in B mode with the automatic cruise control system setting to follow the posted speed limit when activated. The cruise control was not activated by the driver at the time of incident. The car went from 0mph to full acceleration while the parking distance system was activated. I am reporting this issue to make others aware of the accident, in case a similar issue happens with other cars. The car is new and only has about 250 miles on it at the time of accident. The insurance company has received the initial claims info and is fixing the car. No warning, messages or indicator preceded the accident.

On March 23, after driving approx 2 miles, I was at a red light. The light turned green and I began accelerating. There was a loud "bang" from under the car toward the rear, the car abruptly halted, the displays turned red with a message (all caps) DO NOT DRIVE. I power cycled the car a few times and the error cleared, but my state-of-charge had dropped from 77 to 59%. I drove the car the 1 mile home and called BMW Roadside Assistance. The rep asked for permission to pull logs from the car, told me he would be sending a flatbed Monday morning and advised me, in no uncertain terms, DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR. I asked if I could pull the car out of the driveway and he said no; he would send skids with the driver. Friday afternoon I was advised there was nothing wrong and to pick up the car. The work order is blaming an LA DWP 50KWh charger I had used 2 days prior to charge from 65 to 81% and recommends avoiding this charger. Just to be clear, I charged 15% on 3/21 and the car went "bang" on 3/23, and that was the fault of the charger.

The door to access the charging port stopped opening leaving me stranded unable to get home or to a dealer for repair. If this happened on a highway I would be terrified

I recently had an accident with the car. I was driving in a gated subdivision under very low speed, when I put the shifter in reverse in order to back up the car, the car failed to go into reverse and gave no warning, I assumed that the car was in reserve mode and tried to accelerate , the car lurched forward instead, hit some rocks and stopped. We requested BMW engineering team to inspect the car. they failed to identify any issue with the shifter or explain why the shifter did not go into reverse and gave no warning when it happened

My BmW I4 M50 was parked and turned off. While I was behind the wheel the car. Suddenly the car took off and hit a curb and went thru some trees. I took my cat to creviar bmw and an engineer from bmw came to check out the vehicle. The engineer checked out the car, BMW had my car for 3 and half weeks and after told me nothing was wrong with the car. I don’t trust bmw. This is my second EV. I think BMW is trying to cover up the issue.

The contact owns a 2022 BMW i4. The contact stated that while pulling into her apartment's parking garage, the vehicle surged forward as the steering wheel independently maneuvered to the left without warning. The vehicle initially hit the rear bumper of her passenger's vehicle and then a concrete planter. The vehicle finally came to a stop once it hit her apartment building's wall. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Bystanders called the authorities as both police and medical aide arrived at the scene. The EMT examined both the contact and her passenger at the scene. The next day, they both went to the hospital where her passenger was treated for a contusion to his sternum. The contact suffered injuries to left hand, right shoulder, both ankles, and both wrists. A police report was filed. The contact reached out to the manufacturer and was advised to have the vehicle towed to a dealer; the vehicle was eventually towed to a dealer after several other informed her that they did not service electrical vehicles. The contact stated that a crack had damaged the side of the apartment building as a result of the failure. The failure was investigated and the contact was found to be partially at fault for the failure; the contact objected to the finding and maintained that an electrical defect caused the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,800.

The contact owns a 2022 BMW I4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V026000 (Back Over Prevention, Forward Collision Avoidance) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2022 BMW I4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V944000 (Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair appointment; however, the contact was informed that the recall remedy would not be completed due to failures with the navigation and stereo systems. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.