2017 BMW 6 Series

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
18–24 mpgcombined; city 15–21, highway 24–30; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$16,770–$22,360U.S. average; Ohio $15,800–$21,070 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
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Recall campaigns
1over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
1filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2017 6 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
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system1000
Seats1000
Structure1000

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.

  1. 20065
  2. 20072
  3. 20086
  4. 20090
  5. 20100
  6. 201223
  7. 201322
  8. 201413
  9. 20159
  10. 20161
  11. 20171
  12. 20185
  13. 20192

Every 6 Series year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2017 6 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.

Air bags

NHTSA campaign 16V914000 · reported Dec 20, 2016 · 3,506 vehicles potentially affected

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2017 BMW 640i, 640i xDrive, 650i, 650i xDrive, M6, 535i, 535i xDrive, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, M4, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, i3, i8, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Mini Clubman Cooper, Clubman Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, Mini 4-Door Cooper, Cooper S, Mini 2-Door Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and 2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, M5 and 535d vehicles. The affected vehicles have seat- mounted side air bag inflator initiators that may fail to ignite during a crash.

Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the seat-mounted air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 201 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2017 6 Series, the latest on Jan 21, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (81), electrical system (64), engine (30), equipment adaptive/mobility (18), fuel system (13).

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.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Engineering analysis EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
Air bagsSep 17, 2021Open
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

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 2017 6 Series.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: subcompact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 3–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
640i
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline21 / 30 / 24
640i
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline20 / 29 / 23
640i Gran
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline20 / 29 / 23
640i xDrive
All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline19 / 28 / 22
640i xDrive Gran
All-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline19 / 28 / 22
650i
Rear-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline17 / 24 / 19
650i Gran
Rear-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline17 / 24 / 19
650i xDrive
All-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline16 / 24 / 19
650i xDrive
All-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline15 / 24 / 18
650i xDrive Gran
All-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline15 / 24 / 18
Alpina B6 xDrive Gran
All-Wheel Drive
4.4 L, 8 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Premium Gasoline15 / 24 / 18

Sources and dates

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