Reliable Auto DB

2021 BMW 330i reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 0 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 BMW 330i over 6 years — 0 per year. The other 330i years sit at about the same rate: their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Starter, Relay, and Seat belts.

2017 BMW 330i
Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

0

Per year

0

Recalls

7

Years on the road

6

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 330i has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2020. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 BMW 330i. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall electrical system, starter 2026-01-30 · NHTSA campaign 26V056000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Toyota Supra, 2022-2023 2 Series Coupe, 2021-2024 5 Series (xDrive), 2021-2022 Z4, 2022-2024 4 Series (Gran Coupe), 2021-2024 4 Series (Convertible and xDrive Convertible), 2021-2023 4 Series (Coupe), 2021-2024 3 Series, 2021-2023 X4, 2021-2024 X3 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all models. The engine starter may overheat and catch fire due to wear on an internal component.
Remedy Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 24, 2026.
Recall electrical system, starter, relay 2025-09-23 · NHTSA campaign 25V636000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Remedy Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.
Recall Seat belts 2023-08-16 · NHTSA campaign 23V584000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2022 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, 2022 430i Coupe, 2021-2022 430i, M440i Convertible, and 2020-2022 228i xDrive Gran Coupe vehicles. The receiver audio module control unit software may fail to properly generate audible seat belt warnings to the driver to fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Dealers will update the receiver audio module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 12, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall Seats 2023-03-29 · NHTSA campaign 23V211000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i xDrive, 2020-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, 2021 X3 xDrive30e, X4 xDrive30i, and X4M vehicles. The seat frame may not have been welded properly to the seat rails.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat frame and back rest, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall Seat belts 2021-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 21V554000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), Rolls Royce Ghost, MINI Countryman (Cooper S E All4), Rolls Royce Phantom, Rolls Royce Cullinan, and Toyota Supra vehicles. The passenger seat belt Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) may deactivate early, before the webbing fully retracts. As such, these assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).
Recall seat belts, front, buckle 2021-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 21V298000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M3, and 330e xDrive vehicles. The bolt securing the seat belt assembly to the frame was not tightened to specification.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belt buckle assembly connection and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2021-02-19 · NHTSA campaign 21V096000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible and Grand Coupe, 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, M8, 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le, 745Le xDrive, X5 xDrive45e, X3 xDrive30e, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M50i, X6M, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 740i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, M760i Drive, M760Li xDrive, 750Li xDrive Alpina, Alpina B7 xDrive, and 2021 4 Series Coupe 430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive vehicles. When shifting into Reverse, a small portion of the rearview image may be obscured, or the screen may not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Complaints by component (0 total)

No complaints on file with NHTSA for this model year.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
330i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 26 36 30 MPG $2650
330i xDrive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 25 34 28 MPG $2850

Specs and fitment

G20 3 Series, 2019–present
Body styles Sedan
Oil SAE 0W-20 (B48/B58; confirm BMW LL spec on under-hood label)
Tire size 225/45R18, 225/40R19, 255/35R19 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport) front / 225/45R18, 255/35R19 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport) rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 25V636000 covers certain 2019-2021 330i vehicles (with Z4, 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 430i, and 230i in the same ~199,674-unit campaign) where the engine starter relay may corrode, overheat, and short circuit, increasing fire risk; owners are advised to park outside until dealers replace the starter. Recall 21V096000 covers certain 2019-2021 330i and 330i xDrive models among a larger multi-model rearview-camera software campaign (~13,858 units total) where the reverse image may be obscured or blank.

Compare

Previous year 2020 BMW 330i See every BMW 330i model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 BMW 330i reliable?

Owners have filed 0 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 BMW 330i over 6 years — 0 per year. The other 330i years sit at about the same rate: their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Starter, Relay, and Seat belts.

Is the 2021 BMW 330i more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 330i has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2020. The 2021 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2022.

Has the 2021 BMW 330i been recalled?

The 2021 BMW 330i has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 BMW 330i?

Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 2021 BMW 330i with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 BMW 330i get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 BMW 330i is 29 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a US BMW 330i use?

SAE 0W-20 (B48/B58; confirm BMW LL spec on under-hood label)

What tire sizes fit a US BMW 330i?

Published US specs commonly list front 225/45R18, 225/40R19, 255/35R19 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport) and rear 225/45R18, 255/35R19 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport); confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.

What NHTSA recalls affect the US BMW 330i?

Recall 25V636000 covers certain 2019-2021 330i vehicles (with Z4, 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 430i, and 230i in the same ~199,674-unit campaign) where the engine starter relay may corrode, overheat, and short circuit, increasing fire risk; owners are advised to park outside until dealers replace the starter. Recall 21V096000 covers certain 2019-2021 330i and 330i xDrive models among a larger multi-model rearview-camera software campaign (~13,858 units total) where the reverse image may be obscured or blank.