2016 BMW I3

Driver airbag warning light illuminated. Vehicle was diagnosed at BMW of Sherman Oaks (RO# 176741) and confirmed as a faulty driver airbag module - part# 32-30-6-870-366. BMW technician found fault code 930904: Driver's airbag interval stage 1, resistance too high stored. BMW NA declined goodwill repair assistance despite the failure occurring within 20 days of warranty expiration. This is a safety-critical federally mandated system. Multiple BMW i3 owners in online communities report the same issue and reference TSB SI B65 18 16 as a known defect related to a cable being too short. I believe this may be a widespread defect affecting 2014-2018 BMW i3 vehicles that warrants investigation.

While driving my 2016 BMW i3 with Range Extender, the vehicle experiences sudden and complete loss of propulsion at very low state of charge (0–1%). The car abruptly loses motive power, forcing me to pull over, sometimes while in traffic. After sitting for several minutes, limited power may return, but the vehicle often shuts down again, and in some cases the Range Extender engine does not engage at all. This has occurred repeatedly and creates a serious risk of being stranded or hit while merging or driving on public roads. BMW has inspected the vehicle twice (07 Nov 2025 and 13 Jan 2026) and confirmed the loss of propulsion and need to pull over but classified the behavior as “normal” without performing high-voltage battery diagnostics. The failure appears consistent with high-voltage battery voltage collapse under load, causing the battery management system to shut down the drivetrain. This is not normal power limiting — it is a sudden drivetrain shutdown that occurs without warning and poses a significant safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2016 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the air bag warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel filler had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

The roof is bubbling and peeling up. Water gets in it when it rains, then it bubbles greatly. BMW won’t fix it, repair shops don’t want to fix it because it’s an obscure roof. They recommend I take it to BMW which won’t fix it (roof replacement suggested). I just bought this car and drive it as normal, and the special carbon fiber roof is degrading too fast.