2021 BMW M440i reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 BMW M440i holds 4 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 4 M440i years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Seat belts, Thorax air bag, and Camera.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (1 of 4), then Forward collision avoidance (1) and Seat belts (1). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2022

The 2022 M440i has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than 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 M440i. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

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 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 air bags, side and window, thorax air bag 2021-03-15 · NHTSA campaign 21V176000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 430i and M440i 4 Series Convertible vehicles. In certain side-impact crashes, the head-thorax air bag may not deploy as intended.

Remedy Dealers will update the software, at no charge. All affected vehicles are still in dealer inventory, and therefore no owner letters will be mailed. The recall began March 9, 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.

Recall electrical system, 12V/24V/48V battery 2020-12-09 · NHTSA campaign 20V761000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 M340i xDrive, M440i xDrive Coupe, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 840i Gran Coupe, 840i xDrive Gran Coupe, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X6 sDrive40i, X6 xDrive40i, and X7 xDrive40i vehicles. The connection between the 48-Volt battery and the starter-generator may not have been assembled properly, which can cause increased electrical resistance at the connections.

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connection between the 48-Volt battery and the starter-generator assembly, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 12, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Complaints by component (4 total)

Engine

Forward collision avoidance

Seat belts

Seats

Service brakes

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I am seeing a lot of concerns regarding the seatbelt extenders, the buckle end pretensioner, seat wiring harness and the yellow box connectors that are where the main power and air bag SRS connections sit under the…"
Seat belts, Seats, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-07-28
"The car basically blew up on the highway at rush hour. BMW knows of this issue with this model and has some of their other models under a recall for this very thing. I have a service action from BMW saying that the…"
Engine · filed 2025-06-17
"Vehicle brakes malfunctioned."
Service brakes · filed 2023-01-02
"Brought a New 2021BMW M440 only 5 months ago, garage kept, has less than 4,000 miles. I woke up with a 10” crack across windshield @ 6:30 am on 9/28/2021with popping sounds. Windshield was shown on camera the night…"
Unknown or other · filed 2021-09-29

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
M440i convertible	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	23	31	26 MPG	$3050
M440i xDrive Coupe	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	22	31	25 MPG	$3200

Specs and fitment

G22/G23/G26 M440i, 2021–present

Body styles Coupe, Convertible, Gran Coupe

Oil 0W-20 , 6.9 qt capacity

Tire size 225/45R18, 225/40R19, 245/45R18, 245/40R19, 245/35R20, 255/35R19, 255/35R20, 255/40R18

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 20V-761 recalled certain 2021 BMW M440i xDrive Coupe vehicles because 48-volt battery cable connections to the starter-generator may not have been assembled to specifications. Over time, increased resistance at those connections can, in rare cases, lead to a thermal event. Dealers inspect the connections and replace hardware as needed free of charge. The Part 573 report lists about 36 potentially involved M440i xDrive Coupe vehicles within a shared multi-model population of about 812 units that also includes M340i, 5 Series, 7 Series, 840i Gran Coupe, X5, X6, and X7 entries from the same assembly rework window.

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See every BMW M440i model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 BMW M440i reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 BMW M440i?

Is the 2021 BMW M440i more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2022 M440i has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 BMW M440i been recalled?

The 2021 BMW M440i has 5 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 M440i?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2021 BMW M440i with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 BMW M440i get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 BMW M440i is 25.5 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 M440i use?

0W-20 With filter, about 6.9 qt is commonly listed for this generation—confirm in the owner manual.

What tire sizes fit a US BMW M440i?

Published US specs commonly list front 225/45R18, 225/40R19, 245/45R18, 245/40R19, 245/35R20, 255/35R19, 255/35R20, 255/40R18 and rear 225/45R18, 225/40R19, 245/45R18, 245/40R19, 245/35R20, 255/35R19, 255/35R20, 255/40R18; confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.

What NHTSA recalls affect the US BMW M440i?