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2016 BMW 2 Series

Gas

Subcompact Cars
11 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical 1

Complaints1 fire reported 26

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 27 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 BMW 2 Series is sold in the U.S. as a gas coupe with 11 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 228i, is EPA-rated at 27 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 26 complaints, most often about the electrical system.

BMW 2 Series — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — BMW 2 Series · Photo: Calreyn88 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
228i	Gas	RWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	35	27	$3,050
228i Convertible	Gas	RWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	34	27	$3,050
228i xDrive	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	34	27	$3,050
228i	Gas	RWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	33	26	$3,150
228i xDrive Convertible	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	33	26	$3,150
M235i	Gas	RWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	30	24	$3,400
M235i Convertible	Gas	RWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	30	24	$3,400
M235i xDrive	Gas	AWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	30	23	$3,550
M235i xDrive Convertible	Gas	AWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	30	23	$3,550
M235i	Gas	RWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	19	27	22	$3,750
M235i Convertible	Gas	RWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	19	26	22	$3,750

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36788, 36711, 36639, 36638, 36640, 36641, 36203, 36712, 36713, 36642.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
228i	5–8 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV125 / LEV-II SULEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
228i Convertible, 228i xDrive, 228i xDrive Convertible	5–8 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II SULEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
228i, M235i, M235i Convertible, M235i xDrive, M235i xDrive Convertible	5–6 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV125	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Coupe
Doors	2
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

241 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Transmission

Drivetrain

AWD/All-Wheel Drive

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: 2-Series, 2-series, xDrive). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	174.4 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	69.7 in
Height	55.5–55.9 in
Wheelbase	105.5–105.9 in
Track, front	59.8 in
Track, rear	60.2–61.4 in
Curb weight	3,219–3,693 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	50/50 to 53/47

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 5 configurations: 228I 2-door Cabriolet RWD, 228I 2-door Coupe RWD, M235I 2-door Cabriolet RWD, M235I 2-door Coupe RWD, M235I xDrive 2-door Coupe AWD. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

720,796 vehicles 39% reported repaired

Problem BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit. Risk An electrical short increases the risk of a fire. Fix Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF

NHTSA campaign 24V608000 reported Aug 13, 2024 BMW of North America, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture open

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 to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf. Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a subst

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific 2 Series

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. BMW publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →BMW’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 BMW 2 Series, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

26complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 8

Most-cited components

Electrical System 13

Engine 9

Seat Belts 3

Exterior Lighting 2

Visibility/Wiper 2

Fuel/Propulsion System 2

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); 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.

Electrical System Aug 7, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11679128

Driver side seatbelt is slow to retract and keeps getting twisted when retracting. You have to carefully help feed the belt into the b pillar for it not to do that. If not, it will almost get jammed in the b pillar and get stuck and becomes non-functional. It takes a lot of strength and effort to pull to pull it back out.

Seat Belts at 18,000 miles Mar 25, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11404835

The contact owns a 2016 Bmw M235I. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the odor of fuel was present. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel tank had cracked and needed to be replaced. The cause of the damaged fuel tank was not determined.

Fuel/Propulsion System at 28,000 miles Nov 13, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11374618

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 228I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle jerked back and forth and choked. There were no warning lights illuminated.

Engine at 120,000 miles Aug 1, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11677845

In 2019, I purchased a pre-owned BMW 228i from BMW Northwest. Recently, it was discovered that an incorrect front-sized rim has been installed on the rear wheel of my car. This has resulted in having three front rims and only one rear rim on my vehicle.

Wheels Aug 1, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11535957

I recently needed to have my Steering Rack replaced since the internal control unit had a fault. There was no warning prior to the failure and the sudden fault resulted in complete loss of power steering. Luckily, I was driving at a slow speed and was close to my house.

Steering Aug 22, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11480526

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by BMW itself: 1 death-or-injury claim on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every 2 Series model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 28k

miles, typically

Half the 13 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 13,000 and 45,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

Too few readings for a curve — the 13 on file: 3 under 10k, 2 10k–20k, 3 20k–30k, 1 30k–40k, 2 40k–50k, 2 100k–150k.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 3 filings by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 1611900300Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 001611900300Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW bulletin B011423Pressure control valve (PCV) extended LTD WTY 15 YEARS/150,000 miles

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every BMW warranty extension (46) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 598

Most recentmanufacturer date 2024-10-25

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 596 service bulletins, 2 warranty extensions

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Engine, Structure, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.

B010722 Warranty extension
2024-10-25 · Fuel/Propulsion System
Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
B010322 Warranty extension
2024-10-25 · Fuel/Propulsion System
Fuel tank limited warranty for leakage, due to defects in materials or workmanship, has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date
B611305 Service bulletin
2024-01-11 · Electrical System
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.
B360121 Service bulletin
2024-01-08 · Steering
At low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. This can be felt (jerking)/ heard via an acoustic acknowledgement (clunk) as seen at the 11 second mark of the video. See attached video V36 01 21.
B612123 Service bulletin
2023-11-16 · Steering
The steering wheel heating takes a long time to achieve the desired temperature.
B011423 Service bulletin
2023-11-13 · Engine And Engine Cooling
PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE (PCV) EXTENDED LTD WTY 15 YEARS/150,000 MILES
B513218 Service bulletin
2023-11-08 · Structure
The paint finish on the door jamb (above the door striker) is scratched due to the inner door cavity window seal.
B340714 Service bulletin
2023-10-13 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 4.0%

failed emissions

523 initial inspections of 498 vehicles.

Measure	The 2016 2 Series	Every 2016 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	4.0%	4.2%	523
Failed the safety inspection	1.9%	2.2%	523
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.38%	0.27%	523
Miles driven a year	6,579	10,028	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	67,631	103,109	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

2 Series by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A^* 0 0 31 mpg 2026 B 2 1 31 mpg 2025 A 0 5 30 mpg 2024 B 2 5 30 mpg 2023 D 4 7 29 mpg 2022 D 4 12 Park outside 2021 C 4 9 28 mpg 2020 B 3 5 27 mpg 2019 A 1 1 28 mpg 2018 B 2 7 28 mpg 2017 A 0 14 28 mpg 2016 this page B 1 26 27 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 2 Series

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 BMW 2 Series have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2016 BMW 2 Series, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 24V608000, covering Engine And Engine Cooling. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2016 BMW 2 Series yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it B (85/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

Across the 11 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 BMW 2 Series, the best EPA combined figure is 27 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

Transport Canada measured it at 174.4 in long, 69.7 in wide (body, without mirrors), 55.5–55.9 in tall, on a 105.5–105.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,219–3,693 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW 2 Series, most often about electrical system, engine, seat belts. Of those, 1 a fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 BMW 2 Series runs 5 to 8 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II SULEV, LEV-II ULEV125 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 BMW 2 Series?

The manufacturer has filed 598 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW 2 Series, most often covering equipment, electrical system, engine. The most recent is dated 2024-10-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2016 BMW 2 Series do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 BMW 2 Series failed the emissions check on 4.0% of first inspections — close to the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.9% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	11 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	11 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	26	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	598	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	8 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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