| Rank | Heat | Lane | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | | Olesya Povh, Nataliya Pohrebnyak, Mariya Ryemyen, Viktoriya Pyatachenko | 42.70 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | 8 | | Leena Günther, Anne Cibis, Tatjana Lofamakanda Pinto, Verena Sailer | 43.03 | Q, SB |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | | Carima Louami, Ayodele Ikuesan, Jennifer Galais, Christine Arron | 43.12 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | | Marika Popowicz, Daria Korczyńska, Marta Jeschke, Ewelina Ptak | 43.13 | Q, SB |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | | Michelle Cueni, Jacqueline Gasser, Ellen Sprunger, Léa Sprunger | 43.51 | q, NR |
| 6 | 2 | 7 | | Yevgeniya Polyakova, Yekaterina Kuzina, Yekaterina Voronenkova, Olga Belkina | 43.62 | Q, SB |
| 7 | 1 | 5 | | Volha Astashka, Katsiaryna Hanchar, Elena Danilyuk-Nevmerzhytskaya, Yuliya Balykina | 43.69 | q |
| 8 | 2 | 3 | | Esther Akihary, Marit Dopheide, Eva Lubbers, Kadene Vassell | 43.80 | Q |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | | Olivia Borlée, Hanna Mariën, Hanne Claes, Anne Zagré | 43.81 | SB |
| 10 | 2 | 5 | | Gloria Hooper, Audrey Alloh, Martina Amidei, Ilenia Draisci | 43.90 | SB |
| 11 | 1 | 7 | | Alja Sitar, Sara Strajnar, Kristina Žumer, Merlene Ottey | 44.28 | SB |
| 12 | 2 | 4 | | Maria Räsänen, Noora Hämäläinen, Minna Laukka, Hanna-Maari Latvala | 44.65 | SB |
| 13 | 1 | 8 | | Gabriela Laleva, Tezdzhan Naimova, Karin Okoliye, Vaia Vladeva | 45.25 | |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | | Belén Recio, Plácida Martínez, Alazne Furundarena, Sara María Santiago | 45.47 | |
| 2 | 6 | | Anyika Onuora, Montell Douglas, Hayley Jones, Ashleigh Nelson | | R 163.3a |
| 2 | 2 | | Julia Skugge, Erica Jarder, Freja Jernstig, Lena Berntsson | | R 170.7 |
