Three problems related to other fuel system tank mounting have been reported for the 2001 BMW 330. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The stainless steel strap that supports the fuel tank came off of my vehicle yesterday while driving on the highway. The strap is spot welded at 4 points on the front. The spot welds failed, leaving the strap dragging behind my car at highway speeds. As a result, the fuel tank itself is sagging about 4" from the surface of the road. The spot welds do not sufficiently support this strap - this seems to be an obvious safety issue. More robust mounting points should have been incorporated during design and manufacturing.
Gas tank metal strap/brace weld came loose causing it to hang from bolt toward rear of the car located on the passenger side.
An accident occurred when I was driving on the highway. The metal strap that supports the passenger side of the fuel tank failed; the bracket to which the forward end of this strap mounts to, has broken free from the underbody. The strap and bracket seem to be in good shape but its the welds that hold the bracket to the underbody has broken. When the bracket broke free from the underbody, it dropped to the ground while still attached to the strap and dragged on the road making a very loud metal-dragging-on-road screeching noise. The fuel tank now has dropped about 3 inches down almost touching the ground, the fuel tank could break into two if it drops all the way to the ground and spark a fire. This is a major safety issue, welds for fuel tank straps just do not randomly pop off from the car, what if I were in an accident and the fuel tank broke free and became punctured, I would be fried to a crisp.
| Gas Tank Strap problems | |
| Other Fuel System Tank Mounting problems | |
| Other Fuel System problems | |
| Other Fuel System Tank Assembly problems |