Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 BMW M3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I've been driving BMW for over 12 years. My absolute favorite car to drive. I've had my M3 for a year. My dream car. I took the upmost care of her. Coming home from work late Monday driving around 65-70 miles per hour. I heard a loud noise from my car and an engine malfunction notification on my car. Almost hit an 18 wheeler as my car lost control before I swerved into a ditch. Had it towed to my mechanic where he confirmed a piece of a rod poking out the lower part of my block. I never thought the rod bearing failure would ever happen to me! It happened. I currently have no car and I still make payments. I have to get a ride to work which I hate. BMW should be held responsible for all s65 motors that have these no clearance rod bearings. This was my baby. Now she'll never be the same again.
I have a BMW e92 chassis. I have spoken to many, many owners of the same BMW and they have said the same thing. The throttle body actuators are defective on these bmws. When the malfunction takes place the BMW goes into limp mode. The car is not able to rev above 3K RPM nor go a speed of over 55 MPH. This is incredibly dangerous on the interstate when your car does this. I did not feel safe as well as many people I've talked to and this has happened to them. It is a known issue on the e92 BMW around 79,000 miles. The BMW M3 of this year is very popular and there are many owners. The rod bearings also go out in this car and create the same safety issue. I believe the throttle actuators and rod bearings going bad and putting the car into limp mode is an incredibly dangerous issue. I have called BMW na and they will not look into them as they are not an 'active recall'.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 BMW M3. While driving approximately 50 MPH, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rod bearing and the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the rod bearings were replaced. The contact mentioned that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.
I was driving my car at bout 1 am on a clear 45 degree morning. I was driving at about 54 MPH on a freeway. I heard a noise come from my engine, it sound like metal being grind. My vehicle then shut off I lost power steering causing me to run into a ditch. When I finally came to a stop I noticed the vehicle will not re start. I called a tow truck. When the truck moved my car I noticed a lot of engine oil under the car. I had the truck towed to a BMW mechanic. The mechanic told me " one of your rod bearings broke sending a rod through your oil pan". And I have tiny pieces of metal all inside of my engine. He also told me that I will need a new engine.
Engine began suddenly making a very loud knocking sound without any warning, and I drove it straight to sandy sansing BMW service center, where they stated that the vehicle has suffered a catastrophic crank bearing failure. The engine has to be replaced now... Car has been meticulously maintained and always serviced at BMW dealers since it was new... A car with 56K miles on it should not have such an extreme failure in this nature...
Rod bearing failure! Today while entering the freeway I heard a loud boom followed by the engine turning off. I towed the car home and after inspection I found the cylinder 8 piston has blown through the block. The car has just broke 100K miles,has always been serviced on time and showed no prior indication of any issues. I had this car in the shop for a check up from BMW's "master tech" with no notes of any noises or issues.
Connecting rod bearing failure. Well maintained at dealership and certified indy shop. Crankshaft was heavily damaged because lack of oil due to incorrect bearing and connecting rod clearances from factory. Engine is unrepairable. Check by BMW and refuse to assist in replacement. Car was stationary and had been idling for 1 min.
Throttle actuator problem: is caused by an engineering defect in the actuator gears which deteriorate under 60,000 miles and cause the engine to go to "limp" mode. Once in limp mode the engine May stall and won't accelerate as normal; which was my case when it occurred on the highway causing a great danger to myself and society.
The 2008 me has the s65 engine which has been heavily reported to have rod bearing failures due to poor design of the factory rod bearings. My car engine has seized due to this and I am looking at from BMW $30,000 plus in repairs!! The new BMW m3s had an updated rod bearing material which prevented it from failure.
Received a loss of power warning for the car. Took it to the shop, shop was unable to diagnose the problem but stated that it was probably a bent red. Took it to get a second opinion. No compression in the 4th cylinder but there is obvious cylinder wall deformation and small piston shrinkage.
Engine complaints in other M3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2008 BMW M3?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2008 BMW M3, 26% of the model year's 82 complaints. The component named most often is engine (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 BMW M3 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2008 BMW M3, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 BMW M3 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.