Two problems related to rear suspension have been reported for the 1999 BMW 328. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 1999 BMW 328. The contact stated the rear sub frame was separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken for a maintenance check where it was determined that the mount for the rear wheels have separated from the rear axle and sub frame. The contact spoke with the manufacturer in regards to the vehicle and was told that a class action lawsuit was won in June of 2009 and that the time for the manufacturer to make the repair has elapsed. The contact is concerned because the rear wheels have separated from the vehicle. The failure mileage and current mileages were 190,000.
1999 BMW 328i (e46) - design defect in the rear suspension leading to a crack in the chassis floor where the rear sub-frame attaches to the chassis. This is definitely a safety hazard as the rear suspension is no longer attached to the frame of the car. There are at least 50 instances of this, occurring on 1999 - 2000 BMW e46 cars and almost all occur on the driver's side, discussed on the internet. Simply do a google search for: "BMW e46 rear subframe cracks". BMW has agreed to pay 75% of the repair cost but I believe this is a serious design issue affecting the safety of the vehicle and could be extremely unsafe for unsuspecting drivers. This seems to be a clear situation requiring a recall to fix and/ or strengthen the suspension in these cars. I do not believe I should have to pay anything to fix what is clearly a design defect affecting the safety of this model (e46). My wife drives this car with my three children ages 6, 5, and 2!.