Showing the 2018 3 Series GT. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 2.0 L or 3.0 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
23–36 mpgcombined; city 19–31, highway 29–43; every version of this model year; plug-in hybrid versions on gasoline, 71 MPGe on electricity
Five years of fuel
$12,870–$17,500U.S. average; Ohio $13,040–$16,490 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026. Plug-in hybrid versions: $13,750, EPA's own estimate for plug-in hybrids: its national gasoline and electricity prices and the share of miles it expects on electricity; not priced for any state
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2018 3 Series. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 3 Series. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
23
3
2
2
Electrical system
15
2
2
3
Fuel/propulsion system
13
0
1
0
Unknown or other
9
1
0
1
Fuel system, diesel
7
0
0
0
Power train
7
1
0
1
Air bags
4
2
0
1
Service brakes
4
2
0
0
Vehicle speed control
4
1
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
3
0
0
0
Steering
3
1
0
0
Chest clip, buckle, harness
1
0
0
0
9 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Structure
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2018 3 Series over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2020 530e xDrive, 2017-2019 740Le xDrive, 2018-2020 530e iPerformance, 2016-2018 330e iPerformance vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Risk: A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 30, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 28, 2026.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 328D SportsWagon, 328D xDrive SportsWagon, 328D xDrive, and 328D diesel vehicles equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Risk: Smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler, inspect and replace the intake manifold, if necessary, and clean the EGR pipe connecting the cooler to the manifold, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 5, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 5, 2025. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V907.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon, 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV, and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV diesel vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. The EGR cooler may leak internally, causing coolant to mix with diesel engine soot, which could result in smoldering particles and a melting intake manifold.
Risk: A melting intake manifold increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the EGR cooler and inspect the intake manifold, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755. Vehicles previously recalled under 18V-755 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall. An interim owner notification letter was mailed on January 18, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in June 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 6, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2018 328d, 328d xDrive, X5 xDrive35d, 2014-2016 535d, 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, and 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d vehicles. The high-pressure fuel pump may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 14, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2013-2018 BMW 328d and 328d xDrive, 2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon and 328d xDrive Sports Wagon, 2014-2016 535d and 535d xDrive, 2015 740Ld xDrive, 2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV and 2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV vehicles equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler. If the EGR cooler leaks internally, the coolant can mix with diesel engine soot. The high EGR temperatures may result in these particles possibly smoldering and melting the intake manifold.
Risk: The melting intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the EGR cooler as necessary. If a leak has already occurred, the engine intake manifold will also be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 330e iPerformance, i3 Rex, i3 Sport Rex, X5 xDrive40e, i3 BEV, i3 Sport BEV and 2019 i8 and i8 Roadster vehicles and 2018-2019 530e iPerformance, 530e xDrive iPerformance and 740Le xDrive iPerformance vehicles. Capacitors within the TurboCord Portable Chargers may fail, possibly resulting in a shock hazard or a fire.
Risk: An electrical shock or a fire can increase the risk of injury or death.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the charging cable, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 22, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
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 recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, 740i, 740i xDrive, MINI Cooper, Cooper S, JCW, MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), and MINI Clubman (Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, JCW All4) vehicles.
Risk: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 129 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 3 Series, the latest on Jun 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (47), electrical system (35), engine and engine cooling (25), engine (13), power train (10).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Engineering analysis EA23001 High pressure fuel pump failure · covers 4 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 3 Series.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
320i Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
24 / 35 / 28
320i Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
23 / 35 / 27
320i xDrive All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
23 / 34 / 27
328d Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Diesel
31 / 43 / 36
328d xDrive All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Diesel
30 / 40 / 34
328d xDrive Sports All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Diesel
30 / 40 / 34
330e Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline or Electricity 14 miles on electricity, 350 miles in all
28 / 34 / 30 on gasoline 71 MPGe on electricity
330i Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
24 / 34 / 27
330i Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
21 / 32 / 25
330i xDrive All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
23 / 33 / 27
330i xDrive Gran Turismo All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
23 / 33 / 27
330i xDrive Sports All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
23 / 33 / 27
340i Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
21 / 32 / 25
340i Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
19 / 29 / 23
340i xDrive All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
21 / 31 / 25
340i xDrive All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Manual 6-spd
Premium Gasoline
19 / 29 / 23
340i xDrive Gran Turismo All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline
20 / 29 / 23
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data