IllustrationWHEN DRIVING, THE UPPER HALF OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CONTAINING THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER IS COMPLETELY UNREADABLE UNDER DARK CONDITIONS SUCH AS GOING UNDER A BRIDGE OR IN AREAS WITH TREE COVERAGE OVERHEAD.
2017 BMW M2
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all M2 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 13 of 17 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
17 reportsINSTRUMENT CLUSTER CAN'T BE READ UNDER DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS. THE SPEEDOMETER AND RPM ARE REALLY DIM AND I HAVE TO LOOK MORE THAN ONCE TO MAKE SURE OF MY CURRENT SPEED ETC. BAD LIGHTING EQUALS HAZARD AND DISTRACTION ON MY PART WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
PLEASE LOOK AT THE ATTACHED PIC. THE SPEEDOMETER/GAUGES CLUSTER LOOKS DARK IN GARAGE, TUNNELS, CLOUDY CONDITIONS, UNDER TREE COVER. THERE IS NO ILLUMINATION DURING THE DAYTIME. YOU CAN'T EVEN READ THE SPEEDOMETER OR RPMS AT A GLANCE WHICH IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I ALMOST CRASHED MULTIPLE TIMES TRYING TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL…
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PLEASE LOOK AT THE ATTACHED PIC. THE SPEEDOMETER/GAUGES CLUSTER LOOKS DARK IN GARAGE, TUNNELS, CLOUDY CONDITIONS, UNDER TREE COVER. THERE IS NO ILLUMINATION DURING THE DAYTIME. YOU CAN'T EVEN READ THE SPEEDOMETER OR RPMS AT A GLANCE WHICH IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I ALMOST CRASHED MULTIPLE TIMES TRYING TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGES. THE CONSOLE LIGHT WHEEL KNOB IS ALREADY TURNED ALL THE WAY UP. I CHECKED ALL THE OPTIONS ALREADY AND THERE IS NOTHING THERE TO CONTROL THE GAUGES CLUSTER ILLUMINATION. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY HAVE IGNORED ALL OF MY INQUIRIES. THIS IS REALLY DISAPPOINTING FROM BMW. A 60K CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. WHEN DRIVING THROUGH A GARAGE OR TREE COVER OR CLOUDY CONDITIONS YOU CAN'T READ THE SPEED YOU'RE GOING. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. THERE ARE POSTS REGARDING THIS ON OFFICIAL BMW FORUMS. PLEASE HAVE BMW PERFORM RECALLS OR FIX THIS.
INSTRUMENT BACK LIGHTING IS INADEQUATE TO VIEW SPEEDOMETER DURING DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS DUE TO NO BACKLIGHTING UNLESS HEADLIGHTS ARE SELECTED ON.
BACKLIGHTING ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES DOES NOT MEET SUFFICIENT CONTRAST REQUIREMENTS. IT'S EVEN WORSE WHEN DRIVING THROUGH SHADED AREAS. TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER APPEAR COMPLETELY DARK AND UNREADABLE. THIS COULD BE AN ACCESSIBILITY ISSUE WHERE CERTAIN DRIVERS COULD HAVE DIFFICULTY READING THE GAUGE DIALS DUE TO IMPROPER CO…
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BACKLIGHTING ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES DOES NOT MEET SUFFICIENT CONTRAST REQUIREMENTS. IT'S EVEN WORSE WHEN DRIVING THROUGH SHADED AREAS. TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER APPEAR COMPLETELY DARK AND UNREADABLE. THIS COULD BE AN ACCESSIBILITY ISSUE WHERE CERTAIN DRIVERS COULD HAVE DIFFICULTY READING THE GAUGE DIALS DUE TO IMPROPER CONTRAST. *TR
DURING CERTAIN DAYTIME CONDITIONS, SUCH AS A CLOUDY DAY OR UNDER SHADE, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FOR SPEED, RPM, ETC. , CAN NOT BE READ. THIS PROBLEM IS MADE WORSE WITH SUNGLASSES.
THE BACKLIGHTING FOR THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER BECOMES COMPLETELY UNREADABLE UNDER SOFT DAYLIGHT SITUATIONS. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE DRIVING THROUGH A WOODED AREA IN FULL DAYLIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT THIS ISSUE IS CREATED BE TWO ISSUES. FIRST, THE COLOR OF THE BACKGROUND AND LETTERING ON THE GAUGES THEMSELVES DO NOT CRE…
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THE BACKLIGHTING FOR THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER BECOMES COMPLETELY UNREADABLE UNDER SOFT DAYLIGHT SITUATIONS. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE DRIVING THROUGH A WOODED AREA IN FULL DAYLIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT THIS ISSUE IS CREATED BE TWO ISSUES. FIRST, THE COLOR OF THE BACKGROUND AND LETTERING ON THE GAUGES THEMSELVES DO NOT CREATE ENOUGH CONTRASTING. SECOND, THE AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR DOES NOT APPEAR TO PICK UP WHEN THIS SITUATION IS HAPPENING AND ENGAGE THE BACKLIGHTING FOR THE CONSOLE. THIS ISSUE MAKES IT VERY HARD, OR IMPOSSIBLE, TO DETERMINE SPEED AT A QUICK GLANCE AND COULD REQUIRE MORE TIME LOOKING AT THE GAUGES THAN USUAL, DISTRACTING FROM WATCHING THE ROAD.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.