In the competitive world of electric vehicles, where seamless technology is as crucial as range and performance, a recent personal account has spotlighted ongoing challenges with the BMW i4. TechCrunch journalist Rebecca Bellan detailed her frustrations in a September 1, 2025, article titled “BMW, I am so breaking up with you,” describing how relentless software glitches prompted her to count down the days until her lease ends on the 2022 model she leased nearly two years prior. What began as an exhilarating introduction to electric driving has devolved into a saga of workarounds and exasperation, raising questions about the reliability of premium EVs in an era of rapid software evolution.
The BMW i4 entered the market in late 2021 as a pivotal offering in the German automaker’s push toward electrification. Positioned as a gran coupe blending the aesthetics of the traditional 4 Series with fully electric powertrains, it quickly garnered acclaim for its balanced chassis, responsive steering, and interior refinement. Models range from the entry-level eDrive35 with 281 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 272-mile range to the high-performance M50, which delivers 536 horsepower and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. Priced starting around $52,000, the i4 appeals to buyers seeking a sophisticated alternative to mainstream EVs like the Tesla Model 3, with unique features such as optional individual extended color options and a curved display that integrates the instrument cluster and infotainment.
Despite these strengths, Bellan’s narrative underscores a disconnect between hardware excellence and software execution. She recounts initial joy in the vehicle’s “smooth” ride and “beautiful” design, which made her feel like “we were going places.” However, everyday interactions soon revealed flaws: the digital key system failing to unlock doors via smartphone, forcing improvised solutions amid everyday hassles like carrying groceries. This issue, she notes, is emblematic of broader user hierarchy problems in the iDrive system, where guest profiles disrupt personalized settings, automatically linking to other drivers’ devices and preferences after a single use.
Infotainment woes compound these inconveniences. Apple CarPlay integration, a staple for many iPhone users, fluctuates between unreliable and hazardous. Post-update disruptions often necessitate full system reboots, while the reverse camera’s behavior—dumping users back to the home screen instead of resuming navigation—poses safety risks during maneuvers. Bellan describes the backup camera as “practically useless in low light,” with the screen heating up uncomfortably during use. These glitches extend to exterior lighting malfunctions, where vehicles enter a “pseudo-sleep mode” that leaves lights on, draining the battery and turning parked i4s into unintended nightlights.
Software updates, intended as remedies, frequently exacerbate problems. BMW deploys over-the-air (OTA) patches every few months, but Bellan reports them stalling at partial completion, requiring dealer interventions. Connected services like traffic data, weather feeds, and remote parking vanish post-update, leaving owners in a state of digital amnesia. Her tech-savvy husband, she adds, must “meditate for a bit” after particularly vexing sessions, highlighting how these issues erode the premium experience expected from a vehicle costing over $50,000.
Bellan’s decision to end the lease stems from this cumulative aggravation. “Car ownership shouldn’t be a constant source of aggravation,” she writes. “I shouldn’t have to maintain a mental database of workarounds for features that should just work.” Contrasting the i4 with her previous reliable rides—a durable Mazda SUV and a no-frills VW Golf—she laments how BMW’s over-engineered systems demand undue patience, treating customers as unwitting beta testers.
This personal tale aligns with a pattern of recalls plaguing the i4 since its debut. The 2022 model year alone saw six safety actions, including a severe one urging owners to avoid parking indoors due to fire risks from battery issues. More recently, in June 2025, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Recall 25V-395, affecting over 71,000 vehicles across BMW’s EV lineup, including the i4 from 2022 to 2025 models. The culprit: a software error in the electric drive motor that could erroneously shut down the high-voltage system, resulting in sudden power loss and heightened crash risk.
BMW’s remedy involves a free OTA software update or dealer reprogramming, with owner notifications mailed by August 5, 2025. This follows an earlier 2025 recall for improperly assembled battery modules in select i4, iX, and i7 variants, which could also lead to propulsion failure. These incidents underscore vulnerabilities in EV software calibration, where intricate integrations of power management and user interfaces amplify the impact of coding oversights.
Recalls and Their Implications for i4 Owners
The string of recalls reflects BMW’s aggressive expansion into EVs, where software governs everything from propulsion to parking aids. For the i4, these actions have practical repercussions: owners must monitor NHTSA alerts and schedule services, potentially disrupting daily routines. While BMW asserts that updates resolve issues without hardware changes, the frequency—six in the first year for 2022 models alone—erodes confidence in long-term dependability.
Consider the fire risk recall from 2022: it stemmed from a high-voltage battery short circuit, prompting BMW to advise against indoor parking until fixed. Subsequent probes revealed similar patterns in battery control units, capable of abrupt power cutoffs during operation. By mid-2025, the power loss recall expanded to encompass i4 sedans alongside i5, i7, and iX SUVs, totaling 70,852 units in the U.S. alone.
Owners like Bellan navigate these waters amid mixed reliability signals. Consumer Reports, a benchmark for automotive assessments, projects the 2025 i4 as “much more reliable than the average new car,” scoring it 82 out of 100 based on 2023-2024 data and BMW’s brand history. This places it atop EV rankings, with a perfect 5/5 in owner satisfaction from early surveys. Yet, the report acknowledges data gaps—”NA” ratings for trouble spots like in-car electronics due to insufficient sample sizes—hinting at underreported glitches.
Common Trouble Spots in Owner Feedback
While aggregate scores shine, granular owner input reveals persistent pain points. Edmunds consumer reviews for the 2025 i4 praise acceleration and handling but flag infotainment as a detractor, with several noting CarPlay dropouts and navigation quirks. Kelley Blue Book echoes this, with 80% of reviewers awarding five stars overall, though a vocal minority cites software as the sole letdown in an otherwise stellar package.
To illustrate, here is a compilation of frequently reported issues drawn from verified owner surveys and NHTSA complaints for 2022-2025 i4 models:
- Digital Key and Access Failures: Multiple owners describe smartphones failing to authenticate as keys, stranding users outside their vehicles. This often requires app logins and physical key fobs as backups, adding steps to routine entries. In low-connectivity areas, the issue worsens, turning a convenience feature into a liability.
- Infotainment Freezes and Reboots: The iDrive system’s curved display sporadically locks up, demanding prolonged holds on the power button for resets. Post-OTA updates, these freezes spike, interrupting audio, climate controls, and safety displays. Owners report this as particularly disruptive during highway drives, where quick access is essential.
- CarPlay and Connectivity Disruptions: Integration with Apple devices falters after firmware pushes, causing audio skips or full disconnections. Navigation rerouting via reverse gear fails reliably, posing risks in tight spaces. Android Auto users face similar Bluetooth pairing battles, with profiles overwriting each other unexpectedly.
- Lighting and Battery Drain Anomalies: Exterior lamps remain illuminated post-parking due to incomplete sleep cycles, siphoning charge overnight. This not only reduces daily range but alarms neighbors with glowing vehicles. BMW attributes it to sensor misreads, fixable via updates, but recurrence frustrates many.
- OTA Update Stalls: Downloads halt midway, leaving vehicles in limbo for days and necessitating tow-ins for manual flashes. The MyBMW app often misreports progress, building anxiety over incomplete safeguards. While free, these visits consume time better spent charging or driving.
- Navigation and Learning Features: The system’s “learning” mode reactivates post-update despite user disables, suggesting inefficient routes. This overrides preferences for fuel-saving paths in EVs, indirectly hiking energy use. Owners must repeatedly toggle settings, viewing it as an intrusive nanny state.
- Climate and Accessory Glitches: Heated seats or AC fail to respond via voice commands, defaulting to manual inputs. In extreme weather, this delays comfort, especially for preconditioning via app. Tied to broader electrical gremlins, it ties into the 2025 power loss recall’s root causes.
- Profile Synchronization Errors: Multi-driver households suffer as the car auto-adopts the last user’s data, scrambling seats, mirrors, and media. Deleting guest profiles proves labyrinthine, requiring dealer resets. This undermines the i4’s family-friendly pitch, alienating shared-use buyers.
These complaints, while not universal, highlight a tension between innovation and stability. Forums like i4talk.com and Reddit’s r/BMWI4 brim with threads on July 2025.38 updates re-enabling unwanted navigation learning, or March 2025.47 firmware trapping upgrades in eternal loops. Yet, positive voices dominate: a February 2025 Reddit post hails the i4’s 82/100 Consumer Reports reliability as “far and away the most reliable EV,” with users logging thousands of trouble-free miles.
The Broader Landscape of EV Software Challenges
BMW’s i4 issues are not isolated but emblematic of industry-wide growing pains in EV software. As vehicles morph into rolling computers, codebases balloon, integrating propulsion, autonomy assists, and entertainment. Tesla, a software pioneer, iterates via frequent OTAs, but even it faces scrutiny over Autopilot bugs. BMW, traditionally hardware-focused, grapples with this shift, as evidenced by its 2025 recall spanning four models.
The NHTSA’s June 13, 2025, safety report details how the electric drive motor software “may erroneously cause a shutdown of the high-voltage system,” a nuance distinguishing recall components from unaffected ones. BMW’s fix reprograms the module to prevent false triggers, underscoring the precision required in EV logic trees. Industry analysts note that such errors arise from rushed integrations, where battery management systems clash with user-facing apps.
Comparatively, rivals like the Polestar 2 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 report fewer infotainment hiccups, thanks to Google Automotive Services partnerships yielding smoother Android integrations. A February 2024 Polestar Forum thread contrasts user polls: 61% of i4 owners report no major problems, but 36% cite glitches from minor to severe, versus Polestar’s cleaner slate. Tesla owners, per a June 2025 Tesla Motors Club review, appreciate the i4’s “nicer” interior but decry its “bad” non-Tesla charging ecosystem ties.
BMW’s response emphasizes proactive updates. In a July 2025 press release tied to the recall, the company committed to “swift OTA deployments” for all affected vehicles, prioritizing safety without cost to owners. Dealer networks stand ready for manual interventions, and the MyBMW app now flags update statuses more transparently. However, Bellan’s piece critiques this as reactive, arguing premium pricing demands flawless execution from launch.
Evolution of BMW’s Software Strategy
Since the i4’s inception, BMW has refined its approach. Early 2022 models shipped with iDrive 8, lauded for its minimalist interface but prone to beta-like bugs. By 2025, iDrive 8.5 introduces enhanced voice controls and quicker boot times, per Car and Driver’s annual review. OTA frequency has doubled, from quarterly to bimonthly, aiming to patch vulnerabilities faster than hardware revisions allow.
Yet, execution lags. A September 2025 i4 Forum discussion on the 07/2025.51 update reveals mixed results: some praise seatbelt auto-adjustments, others lament persistent chafing from overcorrections. BMW engineers, speaking anonymously in a Jalopnik June 2025 piece, attribute delays to rigorous testing regimes, ensuring updates don’t cascade into new failures—a conservative stance contrasting Tesla’s agile releases.
Financially, these efforts pay dividends. BMW’s EV sales surged 20% year-over-year in Q3 2025, per company filings, with the i4 comprising 15% of U.S. electric deliveries. Reliability accolades from Consumer Reports bolster this, certifying the i4 among the lowest-emitting vehicles in its class. Still, lemon law firms like Sierra Litigation note rising inquiries from i4 owners facing unresolved electrical gremlins, hinting at undercurrents of discontent.
Owner adaptations fill gaps left by official fixes. Communities share rituals: triple iDrive resets for touchscreen revivals, or app deletions to purge profile ghosts. A June 2025 Facebook group post details a blank screen resolution via volume knob holds, echoing Bimmerpost tips from April 2022. These DIY solutions foster camaraderie but underscore a DIY ethos unbefitting luxury buyers.
Looking Ahead: Prospects for i4 Reliability
As 2025 progresses, BMW eyes software maturation with iDrive 9 teases for 2026 models, promising AI-driven personalizations and seamless ecosystem ties. Partnerships with Qualcomm for faster processors aim to mitigate freeze risks, while expanded OTA infrastructure reduces dealer dependencies. Early 2025 i4 adopters, per Edmunds, report 4.2/5 average ratings, with reliability edging up as updates accumulate.
Regulatory scrutiny intensifies too. The NHTSA’s focus on EV powertrains, amplified by the i4 recall, pressures manufacturers toward zero-tolerance coding. BMW’s compliance—full remedy rollout by Q4 2025—positions it well, but precedents like the 2022 fire advisory linger in owner psyches. Top Gear’s December 2023 review (updated 2025) dubs the i4 “better than Tesla or Polestar” in dynamics, urging software parity to match.
Individual stories like Bellan’s humanize data. Her shift from delight to dread mirrors a subset of owners trading i4s for “bulletproof” Hyundais or Lexus hybrids, per anecdotal swaps on i4talk.com. Yet, for many, the i4’s visceral appeal endures: a September 2025 Facebook thread lauds minor CarPlay fixes as “game-changers,” with iOS updates sharing blame.
Balancing these views requires context. Consumer Reports’ March 2025 ranking crowns the i4 and i5 as top EVs, with 91/100 road-test scores and 5/5 satisfaction. This optimism stems from robust powertrains—few battery or motor failures—and agile handling, offsetting electronic quirks. As sample sizes grow, 2026 predictions may refine, potentially addressing infotainment as a dedicated metric.
In parallel, BMW invests in owner education. Webinars and app tutorials demystify updates, while premium roadside assistance covers glitch-induced tows. A April 2025 Facebook poll reveals 70% of i4 owners planning lease renewals, citing driving purity over tech tangles. This resilience suggests software stumbles, while irksome, don’t derail the model’s trajectory.
Conclusion
The BMW i4 stands at a crossroads of triumph and tribulation, its hardware prowess shadowed by software shortcomings that have driven at least one owner to premature parting. Rebecca Bellan’s lease-end lament encapsulates frustrations with digital keys, infotainment lapses, and update pitfalls, echoed in recalls like the 2025 power loss alert affecting thousands. Yet, glowing reliability forecasts from Consumer Reports and enthusiastic reviews on Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book paint a rosier picture, with the i4 topping EV charts for satisfaction and efficiency.
Common gripes—from CarPlay chaos to profile pandemonium—highlight EV software’s nascent hurdles, where BMW’s OTA commitments offer hope amid industry parallels. As updates proliferate and iDrive evolves, the i4’s future hinges on bridging this gap, ensuring that gorgeous design and spirited performance aren’t undermined by digital discord. For prospective lessees, the message is clear: test the tech thoroughly, as the drive may dazzle, but the interface must enchant to endure.