BMW Série 3 VII (G20/G21) recalls: manufacturer campaigns

Is your version affected?

Find your engine (fuel type and power on the registration document): each row lists the campaigns that concern it. A recall often covers only a production period: only the vehicle identification number (VIN) settles it.

Each campaign in detail

1. 330e high-voltage battery: recall for fire risk

   Manufacturer recall

   Debris may have got into cells of the high-voltage battery during manufacture at the supplier, which can cause a short circuit and a fire risk; the affected modules are replaced (NHTSA, BMW). An extension of the recall states that the battery may not have been built to specification, with a possible short circuit while charging, and BMW asked owners not to charge it until it was repaired. The production dates quoted (from March 2020 to early 2021 depending on the documents) vary from one source to another, and these campaigns are American: check the VIN with BMW France.

   Fixed free of charge by a dealer and not counted in the reliability score: ask for proof the work was done (invoice, or a VIN check at a dealer).

   Versions

   330e BVA8

   Onset

   not documented

   Repair

   not documented

   Sources

   • Safety Recall 20V-601 High-Voltage Battery - 2020-2021 BMW 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, I8, X3 SAV, X5 SAV — BMW OEMDTC (new tab)
   • Part 573 Safety Recall Report 20V-601 (batterie haute tension) — NHTSA (new tab)
   • BMW expands recall to most 2020-2021 plug-in hybrids over battery fire issue — Green Car Reports (new tab)

2. Steering tie rods: recall of cars built up to mid-2019

   Manufacturer recall

   The steering tie rods of G20 cars built between 30 October 2018 and 5 July 2019 (US campaign) can become damaged and break, which affects handling and increases the risk of an accident; the repair consists of replacing both tie rods. An equivalent recall exists for 2018-2019 3 Series cars in the UK. The safety defect is corrected by the recall; confirm using the VIN.

   Fixed free of charge by a dealer and not counted in the reliability score: ask for proof the work was done (invoice, or a VIN check at a dealer).

   Versions

   318d, 320d BVA8, 330i BVA8, 330d xDrive BVA8, 330e BVA8

   Onset

   not documented

   Repair

   not documented

   Sources

   • BMW 3 Series (2018 - 2019) - Steering tie rod can become broken — Car Recalls UK (new tab)
   • Recall 20V-355: Steering gear tie rod (BMW) — NHTSA (new tab)
   • Recall 20V-355: Steering Gear Tie Rod - 2019-2020 BMW 3-Series, X3 M, X4 M, & Z4 — BMW OEMDTC (new tab)

3. 330i balance shafts: recall with engine replacement

   Manufacturer recall

   In the United States, 217 BMW 330i and 330i xDrive cars built between November 2018 and August 2019 were recalled: the needle bearings of the balance shafts may have been fitted incorrectly, and the shaft can work loose and cause severe engine damage. BMW replaces the engine free of charge. Fiches-auto also mentions a January 2020 recall for a balance shaft defect that could seize the engine on cars built up to September 2019.

   Fixed free of charge by a dealer and not counted in the reliability score: ask for proof the work was done (invoice, or a VIN check at a dealer).

   Versions

   330i BVA8

   Onset

   not documented

   Repair

   not documented

   Sources

   • Part 573 Safety Recall Report 19V-732 (arbres d'équilibrage) — NHTSA (new tab)
   • Safety Recall 19V-732 Engine Counterbalance Shafts - 2019-2020 BMW 3 Series, 2019 Z4 — BMW OEMDTC (new tab)
   • Rappels BMW — Fiches-auto (new tab)

Official notices published in France (RappelConso)

Notices from the French consumer authority (DGCCRF) linked to this model, collected on 29 October 2026.

• 20 February 2026 — La défaillance concerne le démarreur rsw22, type rwt (renforcé pour l'étanchéité). Une abrasion accrue du contact magnétique peut entraîner la formation de dépôts au point le plus bas de l'intérieur du relais. Cela peut à son tour augmenter la résistance du contact du relais, provoquant un allumage accidentel ou même des courts-circuits, entraînant éventuellement une réaction thermique et un incendie.

  Models or references

  Série 2 - série 3 - série 4 - série 5 - série 6 - x3 - x4 - x5 voiture de tourisme.

  Risk

  Incendie

  Official notice (new tab)

• 20 February 2026 — La défaillance concerne le démarreur rsw22, type rwt (renforcé pour l'étanchéité). Une abrasion accrue du contact magnétique peut entraîner la formation de dépôts au point le plus bas de l'intérieur du relais. Cela peut à son tour augmenter la résistance du contact du relais, provoquant un allumage accidentel ou même des courts-circuits, entraînant éventuellement une réaction thermique et un incendie.

  Models or references

  Série 2 (g42) - série 3 (g20 g21 g28) voiture de tourisme.

  Risk

  Incendie

  Official notice (new tab)

• 20 February 2026 — La défaillance concerne le démarreur rsw22, type rwt (renforcé pour l'étanchéité). Une abrasion accrue du contact magnétique peut entraîner la formation de dépôts au point le plus bas de l'intérieur du relais. Cela peut à son tour augmenter la résistance du contact du relais, provoquant un allumage accidentel ou même des courts-circuits, entraînant éventuellement une réaction thermique et un incendie.

  Models or references

  Série 2 - série 3 - série 4 - série 5 - série 6 - série 7 - x3 - x4 - x5 - x6 - z4 voiture de tourisme.

  Risk

  Incendie

  Official notice (new tab)

Recalls of rival models

The same data for the alternatives suggested in the guide.

Recall FAQ