2016 BMW 4 Series

No clear pattern

1.2% of complaints about the 2016 BMW 4 Series arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2016 vehicle, but with only 83 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (25 complaints), typically at 9.3 yr or about 115,000 miles.

Covers 2 variants: 428I (70), 435I (11)

Complaints: 83
Median age at failure: 8.9 yr
Median mileage: 35,000 n=24
Crash / fire / tow: 7.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

24V608000 2024-08-13

Engine and engine cooling:cooling system:pump

BMW of North America, LLC. (BMW) is recalling certain 2012-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, 2016-2018 X5 xdrive 40e, 2014-2016 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, 2013-2017 X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, 2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i, 2015-2016 428xi vehicles. An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit.

An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 33,000 mi 5.3 yr in service

THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR-DRIVER'S SIDE PERIODICALLY STICKS IN A LOCKED POSITION. WHEN I ATTEMPT TO EXIT THE CAR,THE LOCKING MECHANISM DOES NOT RELEASE WHEN DOOR HANDLE IS PULLED.I HAVE TO PRESS UNLOCK BUTTON TO DEACTIVATE THE LOCK AND HAVE HANDLE RETURN TO NORMAL FUNCTION.I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED BY BMW

Electrical system mileage not reported 9.1 yr in service

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

Electrical system mileage not reported 8.9 yr in service

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Engine cooling mileage not reported 9.1 yr in service

The contact owns a 2016 BMW 428i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

Other 4 Series model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2016 BMW 4 Series

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other 4 Series model years

How to read this