Vehicle report
2002 BMW M3
This model year
What the record shows
The 2002 Bmw M3 is a subcompact car, and the 15th model year of a nameplate NHTSA records from 1988 to 2026.
The EPA rated one configuration: a single 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive only, a single transmission, Automatic (S6) and running on premium gasoline.
Combined fuel economy is 17 mpg.
The federal record holds 40 owner complaints, 5 safety recalls and 17 service bulletins for it.
Counts are reports, not rates. A complaint is something an owner chose to file; it is unverified and unadjusted for how many of these cars were sold, so the useful comparison is against other model years of the same car. Recalls and investigations carry more weight because a manufacturer or regulator acted on them.
Reading this report
Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.