Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime) is the only cast member to appear in every theatrically-released Transformers film. He had voiced the character in The Transformers: The Movie (1986), as well as the original series and reprised the role in the live-action films, including this one.

When Charlie is getting dared to jump off of the cliff, Bumblebee briefly plays "The Touch" by Stan Bush on his radio. "The Touch" was the main theme song for The Transformers: The Movie (1986) and subsequently used in the television series.

Peter Cullen revealed at a convention in 2020 that he didn't particularly enjoy working on this film. This is because the studio decided to use a different voice actor during production, so they wouldn't have to pay Cullen for multiple recording sessions, and only brought him in at the very end to re-record all the lines. As such, Cullen had to match the other actor's performance, since the animation for Optimus Prime had already been completed and couldn't be altered.

With a budget of $102-128 million, this is the least expensive Transformers movie to date.

Despite being the lowest-grossing Transformers film in the series (with a worldwide gross of $468 million), it was still considered a box office success following the failure of Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), which reportedly lost $100 million.

Continuity

Optimus knowingly sends Bumblebee to Earth, knowing that its survival is crucial to theirs. In the original Transformers (2007), nobody pays Earth any mind until they realize the Allspark is there.

In Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee was said to have played a role in World War 2, however in this movie he only arrived to Earth in 1987.

When Charlie first turns on Bumblebee in its VW Beetle form at her uncle's scrapyard, she's wearing shorts. Then she's seen driving it home from there, but when she exits the car in her garage, she's wearing ankle length jeans.

Bumblebee's tire pattern changes a few times throughout the movie.

When Charlie is holding the wrench her hand goes from closed around it to only her thumb around it. Also she does not have her hands up but in the next scene she does.



Factual errors

When Bumblebee plugs into the wall socket, he plugs into the ground line. This should have had no effect.

Before Charlie finds out Bumblebee is a robot she uses a creeper to look underneath him. There is nowhere near enough clearance under a Beetle to do this without first putting it up on jacks or ramps.

Agent Burns is shown with the rank insignia on his shoulders (05) that do not match his collar devices (06).

The movie takes place in 1987. When Charlie comes out to throw away the trophies, the step-dad is wearing an Izod shirt. Izod and Lacoste didn't split until 1993. The logo should have been the alligator.

The fender comes off bumblebee at several points. Each time there are no wires for the headlights.



Incorrectly regarded as goofs

In the original movie continuity, Bumblebee is said to have had his voice damaged in a battle with Megatron and Ratchet had been trying to fix it. In this movie his voice box is ripped out by Blitzwing. However, the 2007 movie itself never establishes that it was Megatron who took Bumblebee's voice, only the tie-in comics which already have been contradicted by the other movies in many ways. As this is the only movie that in fact shows how Bumblebee lost his voice, it should be taken as canon over any previous statement, even if it is a retcon.

Set in 1987, in the opening sequence of the movie the military men, John Cena, are using Humvees. The United States military did not start using Humvees until 1989.



Revealing mistakes

When Dropkick flies down to attack Bee from the transmitter, the boat explodes just before the two robots hit it.

When Charlie puts on the record with Sam Cooke it starts playing even though the tone arm isn't lowered.

When Bumblebee's meteor hits the Sector 7 crew, Burns requests medical assistance for the injured, yet as soon as Bumblebee runs, Burns and his team is suddenly after him. What happened to the injured and Burn's concern for his team?



Miscellaneous

When the Decepticons locate Bumblebee at Sector 7, the location pulls up on a large map of the US with the town name labeled. Dr. Powell then asks where the signal is coming from despite it being clearly displayed.



Anachronisms

In wide shots of the Golden Gate Bridge with downtown San Francisco in the background, we see the skyline-dominating Salesforce Tower, which only broke ground in 2013.

Towards the end of the movie, Shatter enables a hologram of the International Space Station from her wrist. The ISS was not launched until 1998.

Charlie's collection of The Smiths tapes includes "Rank," which wouldn't be released until September 5, 1988.

During the cliff-side party, the song It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock was playing. This song was released on August 2, 1988, one year after the movie's setting.

In one sequence, Bumblebee is seen crushing a can of Tab Cola with his fingers. The can however is of modern vintage, as shown by the can's shape (with the tapers, as opposed to the more purely cylindrical can of 1987) and the calorie count mark on the label (which was added sometime after 2010).



Audio/visual unsynchronized

Charlie starts playing the first track (of a vinyl record) on Sam Cooke's album Sam's Songs, which ought to have been "Little Things You Do" rather than "Unchained Melody". "Unchained Melody" (the song heard in the film) doesn't even appear on the album, being the last track on side A of Cooke's earlier release "Hits of the '50s."



Errors in geography

It is implied that the fictional town in which Charlie lives is located north of San Francisco, as several locations in the northern part of the San Francisco Bay Area are seen throughout the film, including San Pablo Bay, Point San Pedro, Rodeo Beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It is highly unlikely that she would drive a moped to work at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, over 90 miles to the south.



Plot holes

Following the chase in her moped to catch up to her mother (who is driving Bumblebee), Charlie asks to take over driving the car. We see her mother walking to passenger side & Charlie getting into the driver seat. Who is driving the moped home?

None of the Transformers have ever been to Earth, yet, even on their home planet they have the features of specific Earth-made vehicles.

There is no reason for the service vehicle to be equipped with an harpoon. This is not standard and they have never encountered a Transformer before.



Character error

When Burns first meets the Decepticons in Texas he demoted himself two pay grades by introducing himself as "Major Burns." In his previous scene while sitting at his desk, the rank of Colonel is on his lapels.

Dr. Powell remarks that the Decepticon modifications to the Sector Seven computers have created an "interconnected web of information," implying that the technology behind the Internet originated from the Decepticons. However, the idea of an interconnected network of computers for communications and data transfer had been developing for decades prior to the film's setting of 1987, and the term "Internet" first appeared in the mid-1970s.

After Bumblebee's fight with Blitzwing , Jack is shown inside his Humvee with a massive cut down the side of his face. Later when he is at the docks he has no facial scar.