Model Year Index

Which BMW 4 Series years to avoid

Across 6 scored model years, the 2015 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · BMW 4 Series Full report
F
Grade 2014–2019
2015 vs model median 2.4×
Model median3× median
Electrical 6
Airbags & Restraints 5
Engine 5
Avoid

2014 · 2015

Best

2017 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2014
1.95× 38 F
2015
2.44× 39 F
2016
0.77× 17 C
2017
0.40× 13 B
2018
1.23× 25 C
2019
0.53× 14 B
2025 P
0.82× 15 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2014 F 38 reports · median 19,000 mi

  1. Engine 8

    On 7/9/14, I backed our new 435i up to our garage (outside for the night). The garage door was open, and the warning system let me know that I was close to our lawnmower. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Fuel System 8

    Car surging and caused accident, very dangerous. According to dot recall notice, car may have bad fuel pump that caused irregular and unsafe acceleration. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 5

    I was at a stop waiting to enter freeway, had my foot on the break pedal and my 428i started accelerating on its own. I was very scared since it would not stop and nearly rammed into the vehicle in front of me. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

9 crash · 5 fire

2015 F 39 reports · median 6,545 mi

  1. Electrical 6

    I smelled a funny smell, and then the entire dash went black. A "engine malfunction" warning came on. I stopped right away, got out of the car just as it burst into flames. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Airbags & Restraints 5

    The contact owns a 2015 bmw 435i. While driving at approximately 30 MPH, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 5

    The contact owns a 2015 bmw 435x (na). While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and was unable to restart. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

13 crash · 3 fire · 11 injuries

The best year for the 4 Series

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2017 is the best-scoring 4 Series model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79.2 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2017 0.40× 13 B
2019 0.53× 14 B
2016 0.77× 17 C

Recalls

17 campaigns on record.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
24V608000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:PUMP 2014–2016 720,796
15V189000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2014, 2015 18,054
14V627000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 2014 8,988
24V288000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2014, 2015 5,761
18V465000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 2019 5,309
19V352000 AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER 2019 5,079
25V202000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY 2025 4,557
16V914000 AIR BAGS 2017 3,506
18V713000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT 2016, 2017 2,661
15V148000 AIR BAGS 2015 2,067
24V527000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2014, 2015 1,145
25V871000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:HEAD 2014 851

+ 5 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2015 were reported at a median of 6,545 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which BMW 4 Series years should you avoid?
2015, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any BMW 4 Series model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the BMW 4 Series?
2017 is the best-scoring BMW 4 Series model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79.2 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the BMW 4 Series have?
At least 17 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored BMW 4 Series model years — a minimum, because NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name and its campaigns have to be collected one trim at a time. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2015 4 Series
Complaints in window
39
Severity-weighted
98
Model median (weighted)
40
vs model median
2.44×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
7
Open investigations
1
Score 20.8 F