Equipment Problems of BMW 3 Series - part 1

Rear lights . Clip contacts melting ground wire . Purchased lights and clips 3 times and melted again. Lights inoperable after 2 weeks of life harness melted . Received multiple warnings and a ticket I now have to prove repair . Recall found for every other model except the 323i 2000 . Not safe to have no tail lights available . Can't drive car in unsafe conditions. Can't sell car in unsafe condition.

See all problems of the 2000 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Was driving on highway going 80 and the car just shut down, was unable to steer, left me and my 9 year old stranded for about 30 minutes untill it started back up, everyday everytime I drive it no matter what the speed it shuts down and have to pray that I don't get hit by a car or am able to glide to safety, very unsafe not knowing when the car will shut down on me, took to mechanic there were no codes no check engine light or anything, therefore couldn't be fixed, something is not right with car, car only started doing this from April 2019 to present,it doesn't matter if I'm on highway, street, stopped has always happened, like I said I don't know when it's going to happen. Im going to get killed one of these days or seriously injured.

See all problems of the 2008 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

I was going between 30 and 35 mph through city streets at roughly 3am on my way back from my commute which is roughly 60 miles. I noticed it started to smell like burning plastic and immediately after smoke was visible coming from hood vents, I parked the car as soon as I could and popped the hood and the heat cover for the hood was on fire along with most other components in the engine bay. My friend immediately called 911 for assistance as I ran and tried to warn neighbors , within 7 minutes the car was completely chard. No maitnance lights were on and nothing seemed to be a problem. The two recalls I never received both would explan this incedent NHTSA campaign number: 17v683000 NHTSA campaign number: 17v676000.

See all problems of the 2007 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

There are (3) current recalls for this model, 2008 BMW 328i. Only (1) recall has a 'remedy' available. According to my local BMW dealership, the 'remedies' for the other (2) recalls, both of which could potentially cause a fire even in a non-running parked situation, are 'not yet available'. These recalls are: NHTSA #17v76 and NHTSA #17v683. BMW USA has 'recommended' that the affected vehicles always be 'parked outside'. I do not consider this an acceptable solution to these <possibly> dangerous and serious recall issues, as I live in a 'marginal' neighborhood prone to auto theft and weather damage. My question is, when/how soon will NHTSA (federal government) force this auto mfr (BMW) to quickly and adequately address and provide permanent mechanical solutions for these (2) recalls. In fact, just recently (4/28/18) a house was destroyed by a fire <likely caused> by one of these BMW model recalls, parked in the garage and not running. BMW said they would contact owners of all affected vehicles when a solution has been found, but 'have no idea when that will be'. Not acceptable. These are a serious safety issues that affects one million+ vehicles and the health and safety of millions of american families. Please advise what you intend to do to protect these car owners?.

Recently I got a letter from BMW that my vehicle was recalled for two issues which I have been experiencing since a year. 1 overheating 2. Plastic burning smell inside the compartment. I brought this to their BMW's notice many times which they ignored. And recently when I got this recall letter from BMW I gave them a call(princeton BMW), they gave me an appointment saying they will fix that. I told them crystal clearly that I was there for the two recall issues only and nothing else. And to my shock ,let alone repairing the mandatory recall issues, they gave a big list of other things, which I did not even ask for, and they charged me around 170 dollars(attached copies). I am bringing this to your notice for solely one reason, and that is there are millions of unsuspecting people who are unaware of this malpractice who will be falling into this kind of trap. BMW is trying to make money out of this situation too. I am attaching all the copies. Please look into this matter and please make them realize there is an authority watching. I felt like somebody stole money from me. Hope to get a response from the department. Thank you very much.

The incident occurred 6-5-2017. The vehicle was parked and on ignition start, the car's engine was unusually loud and revved up. Upon shifting the automatic gear to reverse, the car self-accelerated in reverse without pressing the gas. Attempts to repeatedly break did not work, so gear was shifted to drive to move forward and avoid a collision into a neighborhood home that was behind the parked car. Upon changing gear to drive, the car continued to self-accelerate forward, and again brakes did not work. In forward motion, at high speed the car went over the curb and hilly ground. Attempt to shift now to park along with brake did not work. To avoid massive accident and collision with parked cars ahead, the driver turned the wheels toward a utility pole to stop the vehicle. The car stopped only after a collision with the utility pole. The car was smoking in the back and was still revving when stopped. According to the driver, car was moving at speed 60 mph. No floor mats were misplaced near driver pedals. Driver was able to get help, at which point 911 call was made. Driver was transported by ambulance to fairfax hospital emergency room. Driver suffered fractured nose and tears in face that required surgical repair and sutures. Event reported to BMW north America, 6-6-2017. Most people will try to conclude that this was driver error. However, various malfunctioning self-acceleration issues with Bmws have been reported online; including e46 generation Bmws, which is the model of my car. In cases where the problem was successfully solved (for Bmws), replacing either the vanos solenoid sensors or wheel speed sensors did the trick. In unsuccessful cases, the drivers simply sold/replaced the entire car because the dealerships were unable to detect or recreate the issue using the software and techniques they had.

See all problems of the 2005 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Engine suddenly shut down while driving. Had to be pushed off the road. Very dangerous.

See all problems of the 2009 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

We came home and parked the BMW in the attached garage. Ten minutes later I heard a noise from the garage. I looked into the garage and found the engine compartment of the BMW on fire. I called the fire department who came as quickly as a volunteer department can. By the time the fire was out both cars in the garage and the house had been badly burned.

I hear a grinding noise inside the car come from air vent up bin the dashboard when the air is offf when the air is on I don't hear it any more.

No star no light no power only light for steering lock.

Purchased car August 29 2015. On September 15 2015 after fueling and turning on car the brake, abs, traction control and service engine light appeared. Was unable to accelerate vehicle out of gas station parking lot. Lights went away but intermittently would come on while driving which caused sudden inability to accelerate while driving in traffic. Vehicle feels like it cannot switch and gear and is being pushed back. When this happens the resr lights stop working so drivers behind could crash into me because of sudden decrease in speed. Took to dealer September 22. Said they fixed control module. But problem continues.

Car was parked in the driveway, drove it earlier that day for about an hour, parked it 3pm and 2 hours later neighbor came knocking saying car was smoking. Ran outside and car was on fire. Interior was smoked out. Keyless entry was dead. Broke the window to get the car open, turned the garden hose on to try and stop the car from burning. Called 911 fire dept arrived and had to pry the truck open because it was still sizzling. Fire dept cut the battery cables and said it looked like an electrical fire under the dash. Glove box and passenger side front seat was completely charred. After 22 days, a BMW engineer and allstate ins called it a total loss. BMW engineers report still has not been published. Total loss on a parked vehicle; clearly this vehicle was unsafe and a design fault. Manufacturers are suppose to engineer cars to withstand fires.

Vanos bolt failure. 4 vanos bolt broken. Car stalled while driving. The car was driving on a city street while turning. No power at all. It is a 2011 328i.

See all problems of the 2012 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Have a 2009, BMW with 45,000 miles and my axel(both) are in need of replacing due to rust. When I took my vehicle in for repairs I was told by my service advisor that this problem is occurring a lot in 2009 & 2010 vehicles. Maryland is not a flood zone state and the vehicle is too young with low mileage to have this problem. This clearly a factory problem! it no way a vehicle with 45,000 miles is in need of an axel replacing due to "rust".

Inside passenger door handle melting.

I started the car and got a 'personal restraint system failure' message. I've checked message boards for BMW and apparently this is something they issued a recall for a few years back but now it shows 'no recall' when I type in my VIN. According to the message boards, others with the same message were told initially by BMW that this wasn't a recall but when pushed were told it was and it was fixed. I'm wondering about getting something about these recalls from your agency before going to argue with the BMW dealership?.

See all problems of the 2006 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

Rear view mirror leak onto the tan color console of the car. This is due to the manufactures malfunction rear view mirrors placed in most models. The liquid leak is the make up of the dimmer in order to work. Because the liquid spilled out, the dimmer no longer works and I have a black stained on my tan color consoled that does not removed and a very expensive mirror that does not work properly as expected by manufacture.

The car stalls when you accelerate from a stop and you are making a left or right hand turn. This has happened several times over the years and happens without warning. Today it stalled in a parking lot but the last few times it has stalled in an intersection creating a potentially very dangerous situation. We have taken the car to the dealership several times but they can't seem to find the problem.

See all problems of the 2002 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

I was driving from school and push the gas and 15mph the car jerked in transmission light came on. The car went into safe mode. I could not drive over 40 mp. The dealer ship said the transmission mechatronic may have malfunction. Something inside of the transmission the manufacturer build it with a plastic valve cover it's common on BMW the transmission failure. There are over 67,000 complaints on line for the same issue. Where is the recall!. You pay for this expensive car to pay 7000 to fix. I am looking to start a law suit if they don't recall and fix this common expensive problem!.

Catalytic permanent failure-replace, 08may14, 30kmiles. Oxygen sensor replace, 16jun14, 30kmiles. Extreme carbon build up-walnut blast cylinders,clean intake&exhaust side, 23mar15, 35kmiles. Replace injector, 08apr15, 35k miles. Replace nox sensor, 17apr15, 29kmiles. Diesel active tank failure 28 sept 15, 37k miles. Catalytic converter failure-part on back order, 28sept15, 37kmiles. Dsc rear sensor failure,07dec15, 38k miles. Above engine and related emissions faults caused poor mileage and poor engine performance and expensive repairs, likely to be needed again-specifically walnut blasting. Per BMW problem caused due to car being driven in city and not highway, "to blow it out"- luckily no accidents.

See all problems of the 2010 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

I was parked, placed my car in reverse and immediately all of my dashboard lights were activated (4x4 malfuntion, abs brake failure, transmission malfunction) then my car lost power. There is a known issue with the set positioning motor failing on these vehicles. The BMW dealer part # is 27 10 7 546 671. There is an internal gear, with in the set postioning motor, made out of plastic that wears prematurely. This is a known issue with BMW's and it should be recalled. My vehicle become disabled with out warning, leaving me stranded which may have caused an accident.

Passenger doors would not unlock. All passengers could not get out of the car. Pulling on the door handles did not open or unlock the doors. Interior unlock buttons did not work. Unlock button on the key fob did not work. This is very common issue and can be very dangerous. 4 passengers had to crawl out the driver door.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

The car just stalls out. Sometimes, when I stop at a traffic light and then start to go, the car hesitate to go. It stalls in traffic. I have taken it to the dealer, but they can not duplicate the problem with their diagnostic test equipment. I am afraid that I will be hit by other cars because of it. Since the dealer can't seem to figure it out, I have been researching it on-line and lots of other people have the same problem.

After cleaning my car I tried to start it, when suddenly a warning light popped up indicating that there was a passenger restraint malfunction. The warning, further indicated that all seat belt be worn immediately when driving. I took it to the BMW dealership only to find out after paying for diagnosis fee, that there was an internal fault in the rollover protection controller thereby affecting the deployment of airbags in case of a crash. The dealership told me this safety feature for convertibles wasn't under dealership warranty. This a safety issue and should be addressed as such, I would think.

Tire sidewall separation, just below the tire bead. The make of the tire was a michellin pilot sp, ps2, zp.

White smoke coming though ac ducts. When taken to shop they said it was coolant leak in heater core. Replacement would cost me $3000-$4000.

Sunroof exploded upward making a "gun shot" type sound leaving a basketball sized hole in the roof.

I was driving my vehicle on the highway in the left lane, trying to pass a car in the middle lane. After getting in front of the car in the middle lane, I tried to accelerate so I could re-enter the middle lane, but the car acted as if it slipped into neutral and would not accelerate. The engine growled as if it were in neutral. It kept driving, but would not accelerate, despite me stepping harder on the gas. This was potentially dangerous as there was a car immediately behind me, which could have rear ended me at over 60mph, and the car in the middle lane that I was trying to pass could have also hit me on the passenger side of my car. . Read more...

As I was approaching the on ramp for the highway, I sped up in order to merge into oncoming traffic. I depressed the gas pedal completely to the floor but the car picked up extremely slowly as if it did not have any power. I also noticed at the same time that my engine temperature seemed to be unusually low for a vehicle that had been running for over an hour. There had also been an extremely loud fan noise that would come on every 2 minutes or so. As a result of the lack of power, I nearly caused a collision between myself and the vehicle behind me because the oncoming vehicle did not anticipate someone merging onto the highway at such a slow pace. I continued to drive without power for about 20 minutes as if the car was a naturally aspirated vehicle even though it was clearly turbo charged but the turbo never kicked in. When I got off of the highway and was able to pull over to restart my vehicle, the car started to run as normal.

See all problems of the 2013 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

My wife was attempting to exit car when she noticed that she was not able to open any of car doors - all the locks would not operate ! also, the door handles would not open the doors from the inside the vehicle. This issue is safety issue that needs to be looked at ASAP. I was able to see on line that number of like and kind complaints with the 2007 328 xi models . . .

I have a 2006 325i sedan with 55,856 miles on it. I took it in for a routine service on 4-18-2013. It has been maintained by only BMW dealerships in its lifetime with all required maintenance done on schedule. They called to notify me that upon inspection they had found the head bolt broken behind the oil filter housing, the oil filter housing gasket leaking and the drive belt tensioner leaking. I had not been experiencing any outward s+s of this problem. They quoted me $3400 to repair this. I was shocked that a car in such great conditon would have such a problem at this milage. I asked why this would happen and essentially was told it is unusual but does happen. They advised a repair in the future. I went home and researched this and found it has been a common problem in this model and that subsequently BMW has changed the type of bolt they use. So I thought I would call the customer service line to follow up on any assistance from BMW. Long story short they took the complaint but because I have a low milage vehicle that has been outside of warrenty for 3+ years they would offer no help. You know shame on BMW this is my 4th BMW and very likely my last due to this. This should be a recall, this should not be happening no matter how long it took to get to the 50,000 mile + range where this problem shows itself.

Front two valve cover bolts sheered off causing oil to leak directly on the exhaust.

This car has no "safety catch" on the hood latch that the owner opens after first releasing the hood from inside the car. Instead, the owner opens the hood by pulling twice on the hood release level inside the car in the driver's footwell. The hood then opens freely without further unlatching outside the car. The problem is that this latch system fails to close the hood properly. Often one side or the other will not latch firmly into place. So, instead of two latches holding the hood down, only one does. I took my car to a dealer for this problem, who diagnosed it has being caused by "leaves" in the mechanism. However, the problem has recurred on both the side they cleaned (the passenger's side) and on the driver's side latches. It is unsafe to drive this car with the hood only partially latched closed, as I am sure you will agree. Owners are complaining of this safety problem. . Read more...

A/c stopped working with the car's odometer at 65k miles (car is 6yrs old). Dealer diagnosed as evaporator failure with estimated repair cost of $4500. On the web, others are also experiencing the same problem even at 50k miles, while older generations of the same car from the same maker never had such issue. This is clearly an impurity case and the part should be recalled, as evaporator shouldn't fail at such age.

BMW 328i stalls- no power upon take off and while driving.