2015 BMW M3 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2015 BMW M3 has 4 complaints with NHTSA after 12 years, or 0 per year. That is about even with the other M3 years here. Their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Side and window, Frame, and Driveshaft.

2012 BMW M3 — Photo by Yu Chu Chin, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Fuel and propulsion system (2 of 4) and Engine (1).

Next to 2013 and 2016

The 2013 M3 has 13 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2016 has 5 complaints, 0 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 BMW M3. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, side and window 2024-04-24 · NHTSA campaign 24V288000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014-2015 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i), 3 Series Sedan (320i, 320i xDrive, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive, M3, 328d, 328d xDrive), 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive, M4), and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive) vehicles. The head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture.

Remedy Dealers will replace the head air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 4, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Recall structure, frame 2016-09-09 · NHTSA campaign 16V653000

Summary BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2016 BMW M2 Coupe vehicles, 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles and 2015-2016 M4 Coupe and M4 Convertible vehicles. During servicing of the rear differential for a prior service action, the rear sub-frame bolts may have been reused instead of being replaced. Reuse of the existing bolts may cause the bolts to loosen.

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear sub-frame bolts with new bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 3, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Recall Driveshaft 2015-11-23 · NHTSA campaign 15V782000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles manufactured May 30, 2015, to September 2, 2015, 2016 M4 Coupe vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to September 11, 2015, and 2015-2016 M4 Convertible vehicles manufactured May 29, 2015, to August 4, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driveshaft with a slip-joint that may not have been filled with grease. As a result, the slip-joint may fail over time.

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driveshaft, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 14, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Complaints by component (4 total)

Fuel and propulsion system

Engine

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Gas tank has a significant leak. This allows for the opportunity to ignite the car putting all persons lives in danger, and effects emissions. Problem has been confirmed by independent Indy shop technician"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2022-05-14
"Fuel tank top weld has failed, and is actively leaking fuel. This is likely to cause ignition of the vehicle during use and poses a threat to the lives of passengers and other drivers on the road as well as emissions…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2022-05-14
"REAR VIEW CAMERA STOPPED WORKING, SCREEN DISPLAYS "NO SIGNAL". FUSE DID NOT BLOW."
Unknown or other · filed 2020-07-28
"CRANK HUB SPUN TIMING SPROCKET CAUSING VALVES TO IMPACT PISTON AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. QUOTED MORE THAN $10K OUT OF POCKET TO REPAIR. THIS IS CAUSED DUE TO POOR CRANK HUB DESIGN. CAR COMPANIES HAVE BEEN USING…"
Engine · filed 2019-12-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2015 BMW M3 4 DR RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
M3	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	Rear-wheel drive	17	24	19 MPG	$4200
M3	3L, 6-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Rear-wheel drive	17	26	20 MPG	$4000

Specs and fitment

F80 M3, 2015–2018

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-30 (S55) , 6.9 qt capacity

Tire size 255/40ZR18 (OE); 255/35ZR19 optional front / 275/40ZR18 (OE); 275/35ZR19 optional rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 15V782000 covers certain 2015-2016 M3 Sedan vehicles (with M4 Coupe and Convertible; 42 units total) whose driveshaft slip-joint may lack grease and fail over time, causing loss of power to the rear axle; dealers inspect and replace the driveshaft as needed. Recall 16V653000 covers certain 2015-2017 M3 Sedan vehicles (with M2 Coupe and M4 Coupe/ Convertible; 196 units total) where rear sub-frame bolts reused during a prior differential service action may loosen and affect handling; dealers install new bolts. Both campaigns’ unit counts include the other M models named in NHTSA’s summaries.

Compare

Previous year 2013 BMW M3 Next year 2016 BMW M3 See every BMW M3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 BMW M3 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2015 BMW M3?

The complaints owners file most often name Fuel and propulsion system (2 of 4) and Engine (1).

Is the 2015 BMW M3 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2015 BMW M3 been recalled?

The 2015 BMW M3 has 3 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 2015 BMW M3?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2015 BMW M3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 BMW M3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 BMW M3 is 19.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a BMW M3 use?

Viscosity depends on generation: late E90 models use 10W-60 (about 9.3 qt on the S65 V8), F80 uses 0W-30 (about 6.9 qt on the S55), and G80 specs cite 0W-30 with generation-specific capacity—confirm in the manual.

What are typical BMW M3 tire sizes?

Staggered fitments are common—for example 245/40ZR18 front and 265/40ZR18 rear on late E90, 255/40ZR18 and 275/40ZR18 on F80, with optional 19-inch sizes; always match the placard for your M3 year.

What NHTSA recalls mention the BMW M3?

Campaigns on file include 20V-017 (Takata driver air bag on many 2008-2013 BMW cars including late E90 M3), 15V-782 and 16V-653 (F80 driveshaft and rear sub-frame bolts with small shared M3/M4 unit counts).