2014 BMW 320i Problems & Complaints

Avoid4.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the 320i at the same age

Owners have filed 53 complaints about the 2014 BMW 320i with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is 4.5× as many as a typical 320i model year at the same age, which makes the 2014 one of the 320i years to avoid. The most reported problem area is the engine & cooling (13 complaints, typically around 95,000 miles). 7 recalls cover this model year.

53complaints
7recalls
5crashes
1fires
4injuries
0deaths

Most common 2014 BMW 320i problems

  • Engine & cooling~95,000 miles
    1325%
  • Other / not specified~67,000 miles
    1121%
  • Fuel & propulsion system~76,000 miles
    1019%
  • Electrical system~47,000 miles
    917%
  • Transmission & drivetrain~50,000 miles
    917%
  • Lights~72,000 miles
    713%
  • Air bags~67,000 miles
    59%
  • Steering~17,000 miles
    48%
  • Brakes~48,000 miles
    36%
  • Body & structure~0 miles
    36%
  • Seats~140,000 miles
    24%
  • Seat belts~140,000 miles
    24%
  • Wheels & tires~2,000 miles
    12%
  • A/C & heater~17,000 miles
    12%
  • Speed control & acceleration~18,000 miles
    12%
  • Windows, wipers & sunroof~75,000 miles
    12%

Share of the 53 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

BMW 320i complaints by model year

201220132014201520162017201839533425921
Owner complaints per model year, BMW 320i. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best 320i years: 2012, 2013, 2017. Years to avoid: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018. Compare all years →

2014 BMW 320i recalls (7)

Air bags › Side/window › Head

NHTSA recall 25V-871 · Dec 17, 2025 · 851 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive, 435i, 435i xDrive), 3 Series Sedan (320i, 320i xDrive, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive), and 2014-2015 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i, M235i xDrive) vehicles.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the head air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 12, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 24V-527 · Jul 11, 2024 · 1,145 vehicles

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5 Series Gran Turismo, 2014 5 Series Sedan, 2015 6 Series Convertible, 2015 6 Series Coupe, 2014 X5, 2013-2014 X3, 2014-2015 3 Series Sedan, 2014 4 Series Coupe, 2014 4 Series Convertible, 2014 3 Series Gran Turismo, and 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe…

Remedy: The driver's front air bag will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Air bags › Side/window

NHTSA recall 24V-288 · Apr 24, 2024 · 5,761 vehicles

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)…

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.

Exterior lighting

NHTSA recall 15V-520 · Aug 17, 2015 · 7,727 vehicles

BMW North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, and ActiveHybrid3 vehicles manufactured October 20, 2011, to June 22, 2015, 2014-2015 328xi Sports Wagon vehicles manufactured March 21, 2013, to March 17, 2015, 2014-2015 328d, 328xd vehicles manufactured June 28,…

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2015.

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 15V-189 · Mar 31, 2015 · 18,054 vehicles

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 228i Coupe, M235i Coupe, 320i, 320xi, 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi, ActiveHybrid 3, 328xi Sports Wagon, 428i Coupe, 428xi Coupe, 435i Coupe, 435xi Coupe, 428i Convertible, 428xi Convertible, 435i Convertible, 328xi Gran Turismo, 335xi Gran Turismo, and 2015 428i…

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notices on May 28, 2015. The recall began on July 6, 2015.

Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

NHTSA recall 14V-627 · Oct 7, 2014 · 8,988 vehicles

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014 BMW 328i xDrive Sports Wagon, 2012-2014 BMW 320i Sedan, 328i Sedan, 320i xDrive Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 2012-2013 BMW 528i Sedan, 528i xDrive Sedan, 2013-2014 BMW X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i Sports Activity Vehicle, 2013-2014 BMW X3 xDrive28i Sports Activity…

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will install a locking ring in the camshaft to retain the camshaft seal disk in the proper location, free of charge. The recall began on December 2, 2014.

Show 1 more recall

Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

NHTSA recall 13V-454 · Sep 26, 2013 · 76,191 vehicles

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 320i, 328i, 320i xDrive, and 328i xDrive sedans; model year 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagons; model year 2012-2013 528i and 528i xDrive sedans, model year 2013-2014 X1 sDrive28i and X1 xDrive28i vehicles and model year 2012-2014 Z4 sDrive28i roadsters.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will modify the vehicles to prevent insufficient vacuum pump lubrication, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 31, 2014.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2014 BMW 320i:

Loss of power assist braking

NHTSA investigation PE13030 · opened Sep 6, 2013 · closed Oct 25, 2013 · led to recall 13V-454

In a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According to BMW, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft…

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.

What 2014 BMW 320i owners say

Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 320I. The contact stated that after pulling into a parking lot at approximately 10 MPH and shifting the vehicle into park(P), the message that the engine was overheating was displayed on the instrument panel. After waiting a while for the engine to cool down the contact restarted the vehicle and exited the parking lot. The contact stated that the vehicle began hesitating and sputtering as if the vehicle was going to stall. The contact pulled into another nearby parking lot to park and turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and the contact was informed that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been officially diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. …

95,000 miles · Aug 2024

The engine drivetrain malfunctioned and there is a message. My safety and safety of others was put at risk when I was driving the car it was shaking kicking moving on its own not braking I couldn't control the car. I felt as if the car was about to hit someone on the road and the engine was going to blow up or transmission. I was afraid it was very scary! There is an engine misfire No When I bought it, it was a tire sign and shaking but the salesman said it was just the tires after two weeks the engine sign was on and a drivetrain malfunction message came up and the car was shaking kicking moving on its own about to hit some people on the road and I couldn't control it and the engine or transmission was about to blow up it was making loud noises!

Sep 2026 · crash

Fuel & propulsion system

i purchased this car in 2014 and since then i keep bringing my car for repairs the dealer keep finding so many problems, every time i take it for service. this car has stalled on me few times, and i almost have an accident with my two grandbabies with me, supposedly the dealer fixed it but few months later it broke again with the same issues, they said it was still under the warranty and i didnt pay for that, but they charge of other problems. i told them from the beginning that this car was almost new when i bought it and ,its was not possible that since then, its been having too many problems, and they were the only one that has been taking care of the car. now iit has scaled, to even more and major issues. …

Aug 2016

Timing chain issue that is common with the BMW n20 engines. The chain is starting to loosen and have some slack. Afraid it could brake and jump teeth as it does it so many online horror stories wrecking the car's engine after it breaks and gets sucked into it. I believe a recall should hopefully happen. A sorts of class action lawsuits and settlements but no recall yet.

Nov 2022

Electrical system

The electrical water pump that was just recalled on over 720,000 bmws is the same water pump on the 320is. My vehicle as of now has had issues with the pump completely going out causing high temperature issues with the motor while driving.

Aug 2024

On the night of October 18 2020 around 3:30 am I was woken by my next door neighbors notifying me that me 2014 BMW was currently on fire in a uncontrollable blaze. From the engine bay of the car down to my fuel tank and pumps were shooting out flames covering the car itself by the time I was able to run from my room to my car I can see that the damage was done. I proceeded to call the fire department and put out the fire myself while I waited for them to arrive, I did not drive the car for a total of 8+ hours and it was sitting and parked in front of my drive way. My car showed no signs of catching on fire on its own, it just randomly caught ablaze, after I put out the fire and talked with the fire department from first glance we knew this wasn't arson but a possible electric and or malfunction with the car itself. …

76,000 miles · Oct 2020 · fire

2014 BMW 320i engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
2.0L 4-cyl turbo8-speed automaticRWD23 / 35 / 28
2.0L 4-cyl turbo6-speed manualRWD23 / 35 / 27

EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 BMW 320i a good car?

Based on 53 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2014 320i rates avoid: 4.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the 320i at the same age. It is one of the 320i years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.

What is the most common problem with the 2014 BMW 320i?

The engine & cooling — 13 complaints, 25% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (10) and electrical system (9).

How many recalls does the 2014 BMW 320i have?

There are 7 recalls for the 2014 BMW 320i, the most recent from December 17, 2025 (head). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the BMW 320i?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2013 and 2017. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. See the full BMW 320i years comparison.

At what mileage do 2014 BMW 320i problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 64,000 miles; 35% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.