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Emergency

Before you buy a used BMW i3 / i4 / i5 / i7 / iX / iX3.

2013–2026 · Electric · 1 engine

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

BMW i3 / i4 / i5 / i7 / iX / iX3, real photo of this generation
Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

Eléctrico

Electric

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official BMW dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Recall: i3 current sensor calibrationElectric powertrain

How to check it: Check VIN and recalibrate per campaign.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 3 checked

High-voltage battery

  • Look out for: Sudden loss of drive from a high-voltage system shutdown; risk of battery overheating or fire; drive-system fault warnings.

    Ask them to check: Check every campaign by VIN; if a drive-system warning appears, stop in a safe place.

Climate control

  • Look out for: Whistling from the centre console or dashboard with the climate control fan at speed 2 or above; it goes away at full speed and is louder with the rear console vents closed, near the phone charging tray.

    Ask them to check: Check whether the whistle changes when you open and close the rear console vents with the fan at speed 2; if so, ask the garage to inspect that seal.

Steering

  • Look out for: A creaking noise when turning the steering wheel from one lock to the other.

    Ask them to check: Tell the garage it creaks when turning lock to lock and ask them to apply bulletin SIB 32 05 26 (steering rack bolts) before replacing the rack.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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