| Rank | Heat | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | | DeeDee Trotter, Monique Hennagan, Mary Wineberg, Natasha Hastings | 3:23.37 | Q, WL |
| 2 | 1 | | Yelena Migunova, Natalya Nazarova, Lyudmila Litvinova, Tatyana Levina | 3:23.49 | Q, WL |
| 3 | 1 | | Yulyana Yushchanka, Iryna Khliustava, Anna Kozak, Sviatlana Usovich | 3:25.14 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | | Lee McConnell, Donna Fraser, Marilyn Okoro, Nicola Sanders | 3:25.45 | Q, SB |
| 5 | 1 | | Shericka Williams, Anastasia Le-Roy, Davita Prendagast, Shereefa Lloyd | 3:26.14 | Q, SB |
| 6 | 2 | | Agnieszka Karpiesiuk, Grażyna Prokopek, Zuzanna Radecka, Anna Jesień | 3:26.45 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | | Aymée Martínez, Daimí Pernía, Zulia Calatayud, Indira Terrero | 3:27.04 | q, SB |
| 8 | 2 | | Zudikey Rodriguez, Gabriela Medina, Nallely Vela, Ana Guevara | 3:27.14 | q, NR |
| 1 | | Folashade Abugan, Christy Ekpukhon Ihunaegbo, Olouma Nwoke, Sekinat Adesanya | 3:27.97 | SB |
| 10 | 2 | | Thélia Sigère, Marie-Angélique Lacordelle, Phara Anacharsis, Solen Désert | 3:29.87 | |
| 11 | 2 | | Sayaka Aoki, Asami Tanno, Satomi Kubokura, Mayu Kida | 3:30.17 | NR |
| 12 | 1 | | Nataliya Pyhyda, Antonina Yefremova, Olha Zavhorodnya, Oksana Shcherbak | 3:30.76 | |
| 13 | 2 | | Maria Laura Almirão, Emily Pinheiro, Sheila Ferreira, Josiane Tito | 3:34.34 | |
| 14 | 1 | | Taisia Crestincov, Liliana Popescu, Elena Mirela Lavric, Ionela Târlea-Manolache | 3:35.69 | |
| 2 | | Mandeep Kaur, Manjeet Kaur, Chitra K. Soman, Iyleen Samantha Lawrence Anthony | | |
