BMW bulletin B012021
What it saysFor the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Fuel Injectors to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 1, 2021, received Dec 27, 2021, about the electrical system. It names 6 model years (2016–2021). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
Get the next BMW i3 bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's Fuel Injectors to: 15 years/150,000 miles as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date.
One of the 432 warranty extensions and special-coverage programs on file — every make, with the term each runs to.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B012021 | Service bulletin | Nov 1, 2021 | 10205606 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the fuel injection system for the 2021 i3 →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.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new BMW bulletins for the i3
A weekly email, sent only in a week when BMW files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 114 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 26 of them name Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion System, Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
In emergency situations when activating the horn, there is an unacceptable delay between when the horn is pressed and when there is actually sound produced. I have taken this up with the dealer and have been informed "that's just how it is." In looking across the internet, I see this is affecting all BMW i3 and some other BMW vehicles.
2017 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 1, 2022 · ODI 11471951
The car has lost power on the highway multiple times and gone into Limp mode with no warnings on the dashboard. The Rex engine has failed to start as well. Very dangerous on the highway going 20 mph trying to make the next exit. The car has been back to the BMW dealer multiple times (over 2.5 months at the dealer ) with no repair.
2019 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 21, 2026 · ODI 11751920
On May 2, 2022, the car began to power down involuntarily every time I applied the brakes. This happened 2-3 times, and I was able to restart. The final time was in the middle of an intersection, the car would not restart, could not be placed in neutral to be moved out of the intersection, and I had to have a police tow.
2018 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 11, 2022 · ODI 11464231
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group4 other manufacturer communications filed against the BMW i3 under the same component group (electrical system), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0084380200 | Service campaign | Jul 10, 2026 | Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a BMW Data Services trigger for Remote Services… |
| 6127900700 | Warranty extension | Mar 13, 2025 | The High-Voltage (HV) Battery Assembly Cell Modules Temperature Sensors (Internal NTC repair kit-specific) limited warranty for defects in m… |
| B611305 | Service bulletin | Jan 11, 2024 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased… |
| SIB651312 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2022 | The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for BMW, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is BMW B012021 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the B012021 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every BMW warranty extension on file lists the ones BMW has filed.
Which vehicles does B012021 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2021 BMW i3, 2020 BMW i3, 2019 BMW i3, 2018 BMW i3, 2017 BMW i3, 2016 BMW i3. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.