2019 BMW 3 Series
The 2019 BMW 3 Series is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize sedan with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 330i, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 41 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330i | Gas | RWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 26 | 36 | 30 | $2,750 |
| 330i xDrive | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 25 | 34 | 28 | $2,950 |
| 330i xDrive Gran Turismo | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 27 | $3,050 |
| 330i xDrive Sports Wagon | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 27 | $3,050 |
| 340i xDrive Gran Turismo | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 20 | 29 | 23 | $3,550 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 41157, 41158, 40495, 40501, 40496.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330i | 7 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
| 330i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330i xDrive Sports Wagon | 7 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| 340i xDrive Gran Turismo | 3 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 | 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 vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sedan/Saloon |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 2 L |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 255 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 2 |
| Seating capacity | 5 seats |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | AWD/All-Wheel Drive |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 8 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning
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: 3-Series, xDrive). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 182.3–190.2 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 71.3–72.0 in |
| Height | 56.3–59.4 in |
| Wheelbase | 110.6–115.0 in |
| Track, front | 60.2–62.2 in |
| Track, rear | 61.8–63.0 in |
| Curb weight | 3,494–3,968 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 48/52 to 52/48 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 6 configurations: 330E 4-door Sedan, 330I xDrive 4-door Sedan, 330I xDrive Gran Turismo, 340I xDrive Gran Turismo, M340I xDrive 4-door Sedan, Touring 330I xDrive 4-door Wagon. 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.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2019 BMW 3 Series is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (9)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseSeat Belts
Seats
Back Over Prevention
Steering
Toyota: 20TA09Seat Belts
Engine
Back Over Prevention
Air Bags
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.
Whether any of this applies to one specific 3 Series
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2019 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.
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 2019 BMW 3 Series, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2019 BMW 3 Series
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this 3 Series →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 involved a crash · 5 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported
15 per 10,000 built · BMW reported 27,974 3 Series built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2019: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 13 · 2026: 10
Most-cited components
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.
My 2019 BMW 330i has a recurring cooling system defect, including coolant leaks, heater inoperative, and risk of engine overheating. The defect began while the vehicle was under warranty and was repaired by BMW, but it recurred.
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 330i. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH on a three-lane highway, traveling in the exit lane, and using the hands-free calling system to speak with his wife, the vehicle crashed into an unknown metal object in the roadway, which tore the undercarriage.
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 330I. The contact recently purchased the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V636000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available.
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 330I. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and there was an abnormal sound. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed, the brakes failed to engage as designed.
I have heavy condensation in my BMW 330i xDrive driver side headlights. Comes during rainy and moist weather and takes couple of days to go away. upon dealer inspection its underlying issue with BMW's and sadly my warranty just expired 5 months ago and BMWusa is not helping in this regard
One of the four original tires, pirelli cinturato p7 all season 225 /45 r18 95h xl bsw bm rf, had blowout on the internal wall within only 15,000 miles. The tire blew out at rest. No notification of failure on the monitoring system. No damage to the tire rim. Unless it struck a pothole not felt well driving.
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: 7 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 9 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 25 per 100,000 built. Every 3 Series model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
When owners reported it
miles, typically
Half the 14 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 4,000 and 57,000 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.
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| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 HB AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| SW AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications- 15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 1390900300For this vehicle, the EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years/150,000 miles, from the original 10 years/120,000 miles…
- 15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 5174900200The Radiator Grilles Lower Active Air Flap Assembly limited warranty for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first…
- 10 years or 120,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 6577900500The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passenger’s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to…
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · BMW warranty extension 85810103NAA vehicle listed above may arrive with a Check Control Message (CCM), and/or malfunction indicator lamp(MIL) illuminated.
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · BMW warranty extension B011624The Telematics Control Units (TCU) Internal Emergency (Backup) Battery for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 6 years without mileage limitation, as determined from the…
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · BMW warranty extension 8410900300The Telematics Control Units (TCU) Internal Emergency (Backup) Battery for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 6 years without mileage limitation, as determined from the…
2 more in this page’s JSON.
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 →
Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility, Structure.
- B010224 Warranty extension2026-06-26 · Engine
- The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
- B010224 Warranty extension2026-05-05 · Engine
- The EVAP systems purge (vent) valve limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original in-service date.
- B010325 Warranty extension2026-03-06 · Structure — Body
- The Radiator Grilles Lower Active Air Flap Assembly limited warranty for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
- 11029010 Over-the-air update2026-02-05 · Suspension
- It was found that the rubber mounts of the wishbone or the tension strut were not correctly pressed in due to a manufacturing fault at the supplier's end. This can lead to an acoustic abnormality in the vehicle.
- B720225 Warranty extension2025-06-11 · Air Bags
- The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Front Passenger’s Seat Occupancy Capacitive Interior Sensor (CIS) Mat for defects in materials and/or workmanship that causes a false seat occupancy alert to occur has been extended to 10 years / 120,000 miles as determined from the vehicle's original in-service / first delivery date.
- B010825 Warranty extension2025-05-14 · Structure — Body
- A vehicle listed above may arrive with a Check Control Message (CCM), and/or malfunction indicator lamp(MIL) illuminated. After carrying out the vehicle test, one or more of the stored faults indicate that the operation of the front bottomactive air flap is obstructed or blocked. Thoroughly inspect the front bottom air flap, when applicable, remove any contamination that is found caught inand betw
- B011624 Warranty extension2025-01-16 · Electrical System
- The Telematics Control Units (TCU) Internal Emergency (Backup) Battery for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 6 years without mileage limitation, as determined from the vehicles original first in-service / delivery date. This coverage is subject to the same vehicle eligibility requirements, limitations, and exclusions that apply to the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
- B011824 Warranty extension2024-12-31 · Electrical System
- The Telematics Control Units (TCU) Internal Emergency (Backup) Battery for defects in materials and/or workmanship has been extended to 6 years without mileage limitation, as determined from the vehicles original first in-service / delivery date.
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 DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2019 BMW 3 Series failed the emissions check on 5.2% of first inspections — higher than the 2.7% for every 2019 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.1% (every 2019 vehicle: 1.7%).
failed emissions
1,327 initial inspections of 1,303 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2019 3 Series | Every 2019 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 5.2% | 2.7% | 1,321 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.1% | 1.7% | 1,327 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.30% | 0.20% | 1,327 |
| Miles driven a year | 8,188 | 9,904 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 59,850 | 72,084 | 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 2019 vehicle” is every 2019 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).
Common questions about the 2019 3 Series
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2019 BMW 3 Series have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 9 recall campaigns for the 2019 BMW 3 Series, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 25V636000, covering Electrical System. There is an active park outside advisory — act on it before driving. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2019 BMW 3 Series?
NHTSA gave the 2019 BMW 3 Series 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 5-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it F (56/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2019 BMW 3 Series?
Across the 5 EPA-rated configurations of the 2019 BMW 3 Series, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2019 BMW 3 Series?
Transport Canada measured it at 182.3–190.2 in long, 71.3–72.0 in wide (body, without mirrors), 56.3–59.4 in tall, on a 110.6–115.0 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,494–3,968 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 2019 BMW 3 Series?
Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 BMW 3 Series, most often about engine, unspecified, electrical system. Of those, 2 involved a crash, 5 a fire, 2 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2019 BMW 3 Series?
The EPA smog rating for the 2019 BMW 3 Series runs 3 to 7 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 — California LEV-III SULEV30, California LEV-III ULEV125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2019 BMW 3 Series?
The manufacturer has filed 441 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2019 BMW 3 Series, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-06-26. 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 2019 BMW 3 Series do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2019 BMW 3 Series failed the emissions check on 5.2% of first inspections — higher than the 2.7% for every 2019 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.1% (every 2019 vehicle: 1.7%). 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 | 5 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 5 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 9 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 41 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 441 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| 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 | 12 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.