Frame And Members Problems of BMW 328

The contact owns a 2000 BMW 328i. While driving approximately 45 mph, an abnormal noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehcile, the contact discovered that the rear driver side subframe was cracked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,000.

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2000 BMW 328i substantial subframe cracking at rear differential area.

BMW series 3 subframe cracking. There was a class action suit -- I had no damage during the time period allowed. The damage is just beginning, and it is still a safety issue. BMW should cover the repair ! there is still low mileage on the car -- but if I continue to drive it without the repair (several thousand dollars), there will probably be a major accident.

My 2000 BMW 328i bracket which connects the belt that holds the my gas tank broke off while driving around a residential street. I heard a noise and stop. The bracket connected to the right inside sheet metal was missing. The belt was dragging and my tank drop a few inches. BMW which no longer makes the part quoted me $1. 800 and said they have had 3 similar instances. The repair requires wielding; removal of gas tank; back seat and rug. I took my car to my regular mechanic and he has encourage me to write this letter. He feels this is defective and should be covered by the manufacture.

BMW 328i year 1999. I have had vehicle inspected by a reputable technician who informed me that my car has problem with rear sub-fram seperation and cracking. He mentioned this is a dangerous issue, which could cause the vehcile to lose control. He also mentioned that this year and model have ongoing problem. After additional research on web, there are hundreds, if not thousands of complaints on the same problem with same model year(s) 1999-2002 3 series BMW cars. I have over 200 names myself, of logged complaints on a BMW blog site. Here is my complaint to the NHTSA at about 112k miles I noticed a creaking noise coming from the rear suspension. Upon inspection, the drivers side rear differential mount has multiple stress fractures and seperations at the point where the mount is welded to the uni-body. This vehicle has had all required maint. Inspections at normal intervals. This car is driven on the highway 90% of the time and the rest in residential streets. It is a family car and has had no modifications period. The car was pruchased with a Bmwna cpo warranty that has since expired. The dealership refuses to cover any repair costs ( estimated at >3000 dollars) Bmwna has ignored repeated requests from owners to fix this dangerous condition. In fact, BMW germany has known about this problem and covers the cost of repairs, they even have a method of repair. This situation is very dangerous and requires immediate attention. The suspension should never seperate from the body because of torsional forces from the trans/diff. It is clear that this is a design flaw. I personally have a list of over 100 names with documented subframe cracking/failure of the e46 body years 1999-2000. The overwhelming majority of these have subframe damage at the same rear drivers side diff mount, in other words, out of four possible failure points, the rear drivers side is nearly always the failure point !! please I implore the NHTSA to address this issue now.

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I was told today that my car is not safe as the front sway bar mounts have rusted through.

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Rear sub frame mounting points are tearing through the floor pan. This problem is very common and a result of insufficient structural support.

Common failure on 2000 BMW 3 series cars: the rear subframe tears away from unibody. I just received a report from the dealer that my car is experiencing this problem. It is acknowledged by BMW as a defect in the materials but it is not necessarily covered by BMW. The car is unsafe to drive in this condition and will require upwards of $5000 in repair.

I had been hearing a noise for a couple of months and thought it was the clutch, I took the car into a BMW-approved body shop and they pointed out the flaw in the subframe and rear differential and how the metal had torn due to stress.

In may '06 I purchased my (e46) 2000 BMW 328i. A couple of months later (I don't recall the exact date) I noticed a subtle squeak coming from the rear end. Thinking it was nothing serious, I ignored it for a while as my life was very busy at that time. After consulting some vehicle-savvy friends and a visit to motorsports of lexington (the place to go if you live near lexington, ky); they were unable to locate the source of the squeak as it was winter and just my luck, the squeak was almost non-existent that day. I was asked to bring it back during warmer weather. So today 3/13/2007 (70 degrees and sunny) I took it back to the shop. To my utter dismay I was shown that the rear driver-side differential mount had completely separated from the chassis. They told me this is a common problem with e46's. Total repair costs were estimated between $600-$1000. Out of curiosity I visited the dealer (don jacobs BMW) here in lexington, to see if my powertrain extended warranty covered such damage. To no surprise it does not. However, the shocking part was that the dealer told me they had never heard of this problem. After about an hour of searching the internet for other BMW owners who might have experienced a similar problem, I found many who had the exact same problem, as well as similar problems with the subfloor and not just on the e46. This having resulted in a class action lawsuit in 2005, from what I've read, many people have received reimbursement for this repair. I can send pictures if necessary, as the repairs have not yet been performed.

2000 BMW 328i has cracked and torn rear subframe under normal driving conditions. Vehicle is completely factory original with all services up to date. If left un-repaired, vehicle is a serious safety hazard.

In may '06 I purchased my (e46) 2000 BMW 328i. A couple of months later I noticed a subtle squeak coming from the rear end. Thinking it was nothing serious, I ignored it for a while as my life was very busy at that time. After consulting some vehicle-savvy friends and a visit to motorsports of lexington (the place to go if you live near lexington, ky); they were unable to locate the source of the squeak as it was winter and just my luck, the squeak was almost non-existent that day. I was asked to bring it back during warmer weather. So today (70 degrees and sunny) I took it back to the shop. To my utter dismay I was shown that the rear driver-side differential mount had completely separated from the chassis. They told me this is a common problem with e46's. Total repair costs were estimated between $600-$1000. Out of curiosity I visited the dealer (don jacobs BMW) to see if my powertrain extended warranty covered such damage. To no surprise it does not. However, the shocking part was that the dealer told me they had never heard of this problem. After about an hour of searching the internet for other BMW owners who might have experienced a similar problem, I found many who had the exact same problem, as well as similar problems with the subfloor and not just on the e46. This having resulted in a class action lawsuit in 2005, from what I've read, many people have received reimbursement for this repair.

At about 112k miles I noticed a creaking noise coming from the rear suspension. Upon inspection, the drivers side rear differential mount had multiple stress fractures and separations at the point where the mount was welded to the unibody. This vehicle has had all required maintenance inspections at normal intervals. This car is driven on the highway 90% of the time and the rest in residential streets. It is a family car and has had no modifications period. The car was purchased with a BMW na cpo warranty that has since expired. The dealership refuses to cover any repair costs ( estimated at >3000 dollars) BMW na has ignored repeated requests from owners to fix this dangerous condition. In fact, BMW germany has known about this problem and covers the cost of repairs, they even have a method of repair. This situation is very dangerous and requires immediate attention. The suspension should never separate from the body because of torsion forces from the trans/diff. It is clear that this is a design flaw. I personally have a list of over 100 names with documented subframe cracking/failure of the e46 body years 1999-2000. The overwhelming majority of these have subframe damage at the same rear drivers side diff mount, in other words, out of four possible failure points, the rear drivers side is nearly always the failure point !! I implore the NHTSA to address this issue immediately before someone dies !!.

: the contact stated a vibration was heard and felt while driving on normal road conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the front control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced but continued to have similar problems. A loud clunking sound was heard while making a turn at 10mph. The noise was continuous. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the rear sub frame had fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and determined the same solution as the dealer.

Rear subframe damage where rear suspension connects. Vehicle has not been mistreated or run on anything but street roads. Vehicle has not been raced, primarily a family vehicle.

The exact date unknown. It was during heavy rains in san diego. Insurance CO. Said I need a date. We put down Nov 02 2005. During heavy rain san diego develops hundreds if not thousands of pot holes. While driving the car in the rain, the car ran into a large pot hole. The wheel was damaged according to the man that installed new tires on the car. At later weeks the car was making strange noises, I thought it was rear shock on the drivers side. My son took the car to BMW repair shop. After the inspection my son was told that it is not shock but that the frame was damaged and needed to be welded. The car was taken to mercedes body shop and insurance adjuster examined the car and said that he contacted BMW dealer and was told that it is metal fatigue that caused the damage and that they are not responsible for repairs. (the insurance CO. ) BMW does not have a regular frame that other cars do. All the wheels and other parts are held up by some kind of joint that is welded to the frame. He gave me an example "if you have a towel rack in the bathroom and some one pulls it down you know how screws and dry wall will look like?" he blames it on manufacturer defect because the BMW dealer said that they have seen this type of problem before. Updated on February 6, 2006 BMW accepted responsibility for the vehicles defect. The vehicle is currently in the body shop being repaired at no cost to the consumer.

My 2000 BMW 328i is all stock with the exception of a high-end aftermarket intake. . . It is one of many e46 BMW's to have the dreaded "body failure at rear subframe mounting point". Let me briefly describe the issue at hand: ". . . The rear mounting points for the subframe can rip out from their spots in the sheet metal. . . . The rear differential transmits the torsional load from the engine through the subframe, then into the chassis. This constant loading and unloading weakens the sheet metal and causes it to fatigue and separate from the chassis. This is where we have seen many failures of the chassis on low mileage street cars. . Read more...

Subframe problem the sheet metal of the car rips driver side.

A knocking noise was coming from rear and vehicle started to shake uncontrollably. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer. Mechanic determined that the rear sub frame cracked,and needed replacement.

Rear subframe torn away from chassis causing noisy and misaligned suspension parts and a definite safety concern for complete failure. Common enough problem that there are more than 100 websites detailing it. Time for a recall before someone gets hurt.

BMW frame failures are becoming more prevalent in the e46 body style (3 series). BMW in germany appears to be actively fixing cars. Here in the us, however, BMW na appears to be doing nothing but ignoring the problem. Posted below is just one of many posts over the past few years regarding the failure of the rear subframe mounts on the e46. (please note that it is occuring to other BMW models as well. . Read more...

The subframe ripped out from under the vehicle while driving. Vehicle was then driven to the dealership. The rear tires separated from the body of the vehicle, and only were attached by the shocks and rear axle. Dealership indicated that the factory didn't reinforce the unibody to the subframe, which caused this failure to occur.

Rear subframe damage (2000 328i, 80,000 miles).