Rank | Heat | Nation | Athletes | Time | Notes |
1 | 1 | | Denean Hill, Jearl Miles, Dannette Young, Natasha Kaiser | 3:22.29 | Q |
2 | 2 | | Marina Shmonina, Lyudmila Dzhigalova, Yelena Ruzina, Liliya Nurutdinova | 3:22.91 | Q |
3 | 2 | | Sandra Douglas, Phylis Smith, Jennifer Stoute, Sally Gunnell | 3:25.20 | Q |
4 | 1 | | Catherine Scott, Cathy Ann Rattray, Claudine Williams, Juliet Campbell | 3:25.55 | Q |
5 | 1 | | Susan Andrews, Renee Poetschka, Cathy Freeman, Michelle Lock | 3:25.68 | Q |
6 | 1 | | Rosey Edeh, Karen Clarke, Camille-Anise Noel, Charmaine Crooks | 3:26.09 | q |
7 | 2 | | Uta Rohländer, Heike Meissner, Linda Kisabaka, Anja Rücker | 3:26.25 | Q |
8 | 2 | | Marta Moreira, Eduarda Coelho, Elsa Amaral, Lucrecia Jardim | 3:29.38 | q, NR |
9 | 2 | | Kathrin Lüthi, Regula Scalabrin, Martha Grossenbacher, Helen Burkart | 3:31.26 | |
10 | 2 | | Esther Lahoz, Cristina Pérez, Gregoria Ferrer, Julia Merino | 3:31.35 | |
11 | 1 | | Edit Molnár, Agnes Kozary, Eva Barati, Judit Forgács | 3:33.81 | |
12 | 1 | | Saleerat Srimek, Sukanya Sang-Nguen, Srirat Chimrak, Noodang Pimpol | 3:35.48 | |
13 | 2 | | Jacqueline Soliz, Sandra Antelo, Gloria Burgos, Moré Galetovic | 3:53.65 | |
| 1 | | Nancy McLeón, Odalmis Limonta, Daysi Duporty, Ana Fidelia Quirot | | |