2016 BMW M
The 2016 BMW M is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact sedan with 19 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the M2, is EPA-rated at 22 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 37 complaints, most often about the engine.

Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 20 | 26 | 22 | $3,750 |
| M2 | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 18 | 26 | 21 | $3,900 |
| M3 | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 26 | 20 | $4,100 |
| M4 Convertible | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 26 | 20 | $4,100 |
| M4 Coupe | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 26 | 20 | $4,100 |
| M3 | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 24 | 19 | $4,350 |
| M4 Convertible | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 24 | 19 | $4,350 |
| M4 Coupe | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 17 | 24 | 19 | $4,350 |
| M4 GTS | Gas | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 16 | 23 | 19 | $4,350 |
| M5 | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,850 |
| M6 Convertible | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,850 |
| M6 Coupe | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,850 |
| M6 Gran Coupe | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,850 |
| M5 | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 20 | 16 | $5,150 |
| M6 Convertible | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 20 | 16 | $5,150 |
| M6 Coupe | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 20 | 16 | $5,150 |
| M6 Gran Coupe | Gas | RWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 20 | 16 | $5,150 |
| X5 M | Gas | AWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 19 | 16 | $5,150 |
| X6 M | Gas | AWD | 4.4L 8-cyl turbo | 14 | 19 | 16 | $5,150 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37275, 37274, 36725, 36715, 36731, 36726, 36789, 36732, 37347, 36093.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 | 5–6 / 10 | Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| M3, M4 Convertible, M4 Coupe, M4 GTS, X5 M, X6 M | 5–6 / 10 | Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| M5, M6 Convertible, M6 Coupe, M6 Gran Coupe | 5 / 10 | Bin 5 / LEV-II LEV | 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. Gas-guzzler tax applies to M5, M6 Convertible, M6 Coupe, M6 Gran Coupe — a federal excise the manufacturer pays and prices in.
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 | Coupe |
| Doors | 2 |
| GVWR class | Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 6 |
| Displacement | 3 L |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 365 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
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, 4-series, 5-Series, GC). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2016 BMW M 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 (7)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseChild Seat
Power Train
Air Bags
Structure
Power Train
Seats
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 M
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.
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 M, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2016 BMW M
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 M →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 involved a crash · 3 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported
Filed per year: 2016: 1 · 2017: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 1
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.
Diagnosed with cooling system issue, 2nd cooling system dry/low or leaking, transmission issue, code 537, power train issue, car is quick shifting and skipping from 5th to 7th gear with a buzzing sound, and without a drop in power. The car only has 48,000 miles.
I purchased my BMW 2016 in October of 2024. The BMW had 109,000 when I purchased it. It now has 112,000, I drove it twice to Dallas, Texas and only occasionally on the weekends, but has been garage kept most of the time since I purchased it from Dodge Bluebonnet Motors, 547 S.
The contrast of the gauges are so poor that in certain lighting (dusk, dawn, moments of shadow by trees) they become illegible. It is exaggerated by wearing sunglasses. The current models have corrected this, but owners of 2016-2017 models (myself included) have no recourse. Straining to see the tachometer or speedometer is not safe!
I am writing to report a critical structural safety defect involving the front steering knuckle (wheel carrier) on my 2016 BMW M4 GTS. Upon inspection, the original factory steering knuckle has developed severe structural cracks on both the top and bottom sections of the component.
The contact owns a 2016 BMW M4. The contact stated that under previous ownership, the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 15V782000 (Power Train) at a local dealer. The contact stated that two years later, the contact was unsure if the vehicle was included or repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 18V713000 (Power Train).
My 2016 m6 bmw gran coupe, as if Sep. 27. 2024 I have passengers restrain and airbag malfunction , so many bmw owner's complain about this issue in the pass, it’s dangerous in case of an accident, please help with this issue 🙏🙏🙏 god bleess
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: 6 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 6 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every M 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 19 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 6,000 and 41,000 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 NCAPNHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications- 15 years or 150,000 miles · BMW warranty extension 5135900100The coverage period for qualifying lower rear side panel water drain repair that addresses the issues described in the Service Information Bulletin has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles, as…
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: Equipment, Electrical System, Engine, Service Brakes, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.
- B010826 Warranty extension2026-09-03 · Structure — Body
- The coverage period for qualifying lower rear side panel water drain repair that addresses the issues described in the Service Information Bulletin has been extended to 15 years / 150,000 miles, as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.
- B340921 Service bulletin2025-01-14 · Service Brakes
- A turbine-like noise can be heard from the rear axle while deceleration during the first 300 miles of operation when braking from low speed.
- B611305 Service bulletin2024-01-11 · 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.
- B310124 Service bulletin2024-01-09 · Suspension
- With the vehicle is on a lift and the front struts are in the extended position, there may be a cracking and orclicking type noise when turning the steering wheel left/right. See attached video V31 01 24. The sound can reoccur when the vehicle is lowered, and the wheels are once again under load. The noise might also be heard for a short time while driving.
- B360121 Service bulletin2024-01-08 · 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.
- B513218 Service bulletin2023-11-08 · Structure
- The paint finish on the door jamb (above the door striker) is scratched due to the inner door cavity window seal.
- B340714 Service bulletin2023-10-13 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
- Functional noises (squealing/honking) when braking shortly before the vehicle comes to a stop. CAUSE Material-
- B340914 Service bulletin2023-06-01 · Wheels
- The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) warning light comes on while driving. The following DSC fault codes for the wheel speed sensors are stored: 480712 and/or 480715 and/or 480718 and/or 48071B They cannot be cleared, even though the wheel speed sensors work correctly and no problem can be found with the wiring harness.
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 2016 BMW M failed the emissions check on 11.3% of first inspections — higher than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%).
failed emissions
389 initial inspections of 374 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2016 M | Every 2016 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 11.3% | 4.2% | 388 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 0% | 2.2% | 389 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.51% | 0.27% | 389 |
| Miles driven a year | 5,958 | 10,028 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 61,175 | 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).
Common questions about the 2016 M
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2016 BMW M have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 7 recall campaigns for the 2016 BMW M. The most serious on file is 20V094000, covering Exterior Lighting. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2016 BMW M?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2016 BMW M yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it D (65/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2016 BMW M?
Across the 19 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 BMW M, the best EPA combined figure is 22 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2016 BMW M?
Owners have filed 37 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 BMW M, most often about engine, power train, suspension. Of those, 3 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 2016 BMW M?
The EPA smog rating for the 2016 BMW M runs 5 to 6 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 LEV, LEV-II ULEV, LEV-II ULEV125 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2016 BMW M?
The manufacturer has filed 1007 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 BMW M, most often covering equipment, electrical system, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-09-03. 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 M do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 BMW M failed the emissions check on 11.3% of first inspections — higher than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0% (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 | 19 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 19 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 7 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 37 | 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 | 1007 | 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 | 7 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| 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.