Suspension Problems of BMW 323

The contact owns a 2000 BMW 323i. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, an abnormal rattling noise would emit from the rear end of the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered part of the rear driver’s side subframe had detached from the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact called the dealer about the failure and they offered no assistance. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 205,721.

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Rear subframe body has separated from subframe mounting support. The chassis is no longer properly attached to the frame. The tied down bolts have sheared off. This is a major safety defect.

Tl- the contact owns a 1999 BMW 323i. The contact stated that while inspecting the under carriage of the vehicle, it was noticed that there was a tear near the mounting of the rear suspension near the sub frame. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,600. Wh.

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I was unaware of the previous defect notices about the frame / body having a weak spot and was driving at 40 mph when my rear shock and the part that holds the shock in place went through the metal frame ripping the metal away and allowing the shock to puncture through the frame just below the trunk area and the car was then inoperable. I was quoted a price for repair of 6500 and was informed of the 2005/2006 lawsuit where BMW was sued for this defect and repaired some cars for a year after the lawsuit ended but this was prior to my purchase of the vehicle and when I contacted BMW of no America headquarters, they asked me to take the car to the nearest BMW dealer and have them do a diagnosis which I immediately did and that cost was over $10k of which BMW offered to pay only 20%. I then took it to another BMW mechanic who repaired it for $3000 and BMW will not pay any part of the bill because it was not done at a dealership, I do not understand how BMW can get away with a defect like this and so many cars affected by it and not have to repair it at their cost? it is their defect.

After 6 months of squeaking & rattling sounds coming from the rear of my vehicle, I was driving on CA route 10 when I noticed the sounds were becoming more prevalent, as the car's handling began to feel loose. I reduced speed for the remainder of the trip, fearing loss of control of the vehicle, and upon arriving home had my vehicle inspected by beverly hills BMW, where they told me that my vehicle's subframe was damaged to the extent that the car was "not road worthy" ([xxx]) and I was advised to have the vehicle towed out of the shop. I contacted BMW customer service agent [xxx], who informed me that BMW had a program (that I believe is part of a settlement agreement of a class action lawsuit), in which they recognized there was a problem with some of the early e46 BMW models' sub-frames and offered to have them inspected & in some cases would pay for the cost of the repair. BMW chose to deny me repair, citing that they had mailed me a letter about the program previously (that I had never received) & that the program had now ended. After having my vehicle repaired by an independent party, I contacted[xxx]to see if BMW would reimburse me for some of my costs of repair and car rental, seeing as how they were a fraction of the quote from BMW. She told me to forward my invoices ($2207. 70 in total) to her email, which I did. Despite 3 follow-up emails, 3 voice mails, and one certified letter, I have received no further communication from BMW. The mechanical / structural integrity of a vehicle's frame, or sub-frame, should never be compromised by regular use. Having a defective sub-frame in a car manufactured in the last 80 years is wholly unacceptable and constitutes a need for investigation concerning a potential recall, rather than some manufacturer-controlled program with time limits that affect the safety of its customers. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The subframe has ripped away from the floorpan. Through investigation this has been determined to be a very common failure on e46 BMW 3 series. This should be a mandatory recall by BMW to fix this issue. The subframe should last the life of any car.

Rear subframe mounts defect.