Reliable Auto DB

2020 BMW Z4 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 BMW Z4 over 7 years — 1 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 11 Z4 years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Relay, Engine, and Tank.

2012 BMW Z4
Photo by Green Yoshi, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

5

Per year

1

Recalls

6

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (2 of 5), then Engine (2) and Service brakes (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Z4 has 5 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2021 has 1 complaint, 0 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

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 2020 BMW Z4. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

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 Engine 2021-08-02 · NHTSA campaign 21V598000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 M340i, M340i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, X3 M40i, 2020-2021 X4 M40i, 745Le xDrive, 2019-2021 Z4 M40i, and 2020-2021 Toyota Supra vehicles. During engine start, the engine management software may cause loss of braking assist. Full mechanical braking (without assist) remains available.
Remedy Dealers will update the engine management software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall gasoline fuel system, storage, tank 2020-11-12 · NHTSA campaign 20V700000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Z4 and 2020-2021 Toyota Supra vehicles. The weld between the fuel tank halves may have been insufficiently welded, causing the weld to fail.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2020-08-27 · NHTSA campaign 20V516000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The headlamps are able to be adjusted horizontally. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlamp vertical and horizontal adjustment plugs, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2020. BMW owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2019-11-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V850000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 Z4 M40i, Z4 sDrive30i, 330i and 330i xDrive vehicles as well as 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The headlight control units may fail causing a loss of one or both of the headlights.
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headlight control units, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V684000
Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

Complaints by component (5 total)

Electrical system
2
Engine
2
Service brakes
2
Steering
2
Structure
1
Suspension
1
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120192202022026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The engine starter failed on my 2020 BMW Z4 M40i. The vehicle experienced starting failures and the repair shop diagnosed a faulty/shorted engine starter assembly. The symptoms and component failure match the exact…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-07-21
  • "Engine starter safety recall came out in September 2025, with no remedy or parts existing for fixing it. 5 months later, and no timeframe is provided for a remedy. This is a major fire risk given the amount of rain now…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-02-19
  • "DON'T KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING IT. THERE IS MAJOR SQUEAKING/WHINING/GRINDING NOISE IF EVEN A TINY BIT OF WATER GETS IN THERE AND LAST COUPLE DAYS AFTER THAT. AND WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT THE…"
    Steering, Suspension, Service brakes · filed 2020-11-26
  • "WAS IN A DRIVE THRU ON 9/6/2020 WAITING OUR TURN. APPROX. 7 CARS IN FRONT OF US. AS WE ARE SLOWLY MOVING UP TO ORDER, CAR IN IDLE, FOOT ON BRAKE. AS WE ARE MOVING FORWARD, WHEN WE WERE UP TO 3 CARS, STILL IDLING AND…"
    Structure, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2020-10-07
  • "BMW'S LANE DEPARTURE SYSTEM ACTUALLY PULLS THE CAR'S STEERING LEFT OR RIGHT, AND COULD CAUSE THE CAR TO COLLIDE WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE OR RUN OFF THE ROAD. I EXPERIENCED THIS WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN…"
    Steering · filed 2019-12-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 BMW Z4 C 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
Z4 M40i 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 24 31 26 MPG $3050
Z4 sDrive30i 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 24 32 27 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

Tracked generation(s), 2012–present
Body styles Convertible
Oil SAE 0W-20 (N20/G29); SAE 0W-30 (E89 N55 sDrive35is; confirm under-hood label)
Tire size 225/35R19–225/45R18 (E89/G29; trim-dependent), 255/30R19–255/40R18 (staggered packages) front / 255/30R19–275/40R18 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport / sDrive35is) rear

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA complaints and recalls for BMW Z4 vehicles in the tracked years include air-bag, braking (vacuum pump lubrication campaigns such as 13V-454 on related N20 engines), lighting, and electrical themes shared across BMW 3/4/5/7/M lines. Confirm each campaign by VIN; many unit totals span multiple BMW models.

Compare

Previous year 2019 BMW Z4 Next year 2021 BMW Z4 See every BMW Z4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 BMW Z4 reliable?

Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 BMW Z4 over 7 years — 1 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 11 Z4 years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Relay, Engine, and Tank.

What are common problems with a 2020 BMW Z4?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (2 of 5), then Engine (2) and Service brakes (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2020 BMW Z4 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 Z4 has 5 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2021 has 1 complaint, 0 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 BMW Z4 been recalled?

The 2020 BMW Z4 has 6 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 2020 BMW Z4?

Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 2020 BMW Z4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 BMW Z4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 BMW Z4 is 26.5 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 Z4 use?

SAE 0W-20 (N20/G29); SAE 0W-30 (E89 N55 sDrive35is; confirm under-hood label)

What tire sizes fit a US BMW Z4?

Published US specs commonly list front 225/35R19–225/45R18 (E89/G29; trim-dependent), 255/30R19–255/40R18 (staggered packages) and rear 255/30R19–275/40R18 (trim-dependent; staggered on M Sport / sDrive35is); confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.

What NHTSA recalls affect the US BMW Z4?

NHTSA complaints and recalls for BMW Z4 vehicles in the tracked years include air-bag, braking (vacuum pump lubrication campaigns such as 13V-454 on related N20 engines), lighting, and electrical themes shared across BMW 3/4/5/7/M lines. Confirm each campaign by VIN; many unit totals span multiple BMW models.