Frame And Members Problems of BMW 3 Series

The technician discovered that my subframe has started to fail. Today I had my BMW in for a normal brake service at my repair facility. They noticed my subframe is starting to crack along the mounting points. This is usually not found in an automatic transmission BMW especially since the car is a non m3, it's just a 328ci coupe.

See all problems of the 2000 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

BMW e46 model 3-series have a known subframe weakness causing the rear axle to separate from the vehicle. A class action lawsuit supposedly resolved this, but the terms of the suit ended in 2010 leaving anyone that experiences the problem after the term of the suite to fix the BMW admitted engineering failure themselves. This leaves thousands of 1999-2006 BMW 3 Series as potential hazards on the road.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

2000 BMW 323ci rear floor pan tearing. All four of the rear subframe mounting points have become torn.

The fuel tank support strap bracket on my 2000 BMW 323ci coupe snapped off without warning. It happened while driving, I noticed a loud metallic grinding sound coming from underneath the car. I stopped, and noticed an 18 inch metal strap being dragged along the ground, still attached at one end (rear end) of the fuel tank. The front side of the strap had disconnected from the car and the fuel tank on the passenger side had dropped several inches, and was 'dangling' to some extent - it bounced up and down when pushed. The weld that broke was holding the front side of the fuel tank support strap, on the passenger side of the car. It appears that a small amount of metal had torn out of the frame that the bracket was attached to. The car is currently being repaired by a mechanic. To repair it, they need to remove the entire fuel tank and weld the bracket back onto the frame, so that the support strap can be re-attached. I have been quoted $600.

While driving I heard a squeaking noise coming from the rear. I took the car to get an oil change at BMW dealership and they then informed me of the subframe tearing away. No way the should happen so many times to any vehicle. Dangerous and should be addressed immediately by Bmwna.

I drove from north carolina to California prior to pcsing overseas. Halfway I noticed a creaking sound. Upon arrival to California I took it to a shop only to find out the rear subframe was tearing from its mounts. Insurance claims it as a wear and tear issue and refuses to pay for the repairs. Under normal conditions the tearing of the subframe does not seem possible. I took it to a BMW dealer where they are now ripping apart the rearend to only spot weld the repair I do not even believe is a proper repair. Now with insurance refusing to cover it I'm stuck with an 8,000 dollar repair that should not even exist.

BMW e46 series cars, (1999-2006), have a weak point on the rear subframe mounting points. Over time, these points tear and cause the subframe to crack and begin to tear the body and frame of the car. My 2004 BMW m3 is experiencing this exact problem at the moment. There is numerous class action lawsuits open on this issue as well.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW 3 Series 🔎.

There was a clunking noise coming from the back. After taking the wheel off to investigate I saw where the rear suspension mounts to the frame it had pulled through. I have just found out about this and will e contacting BMW about this shortly. An internet search will find that this is not a rare occurrence and I believe BMW should be held responsible for this.

Sub frame tore from car rear chassis on a 2000 BMW 323ci, very dangerous and may cause serious accident.

I recently purchased the car used. Then took it to my local mechanic for thorough inspection and maintenance tune up. Front and rear shocks and struts along with springs replaced with oem parts. He and I located the subframe on the rear driver was torn. Car is mechanically sound and the only issue right now is that when driving, I can hear the metal on metal clunking noise. Afraid that if it does not get repaired, it will lead to more structure problems with the car. I'm scare to drive the car fearing that an accident is waiting to happen. Please help with investigation into possible defect on BMW 3 Series. I know that there is currently a class action lawsuit has been filed with wasserman, comden & casselman, l. L. P regarding manufacturing and/or design defect that severely compromises the safety, durability, and performance of the vehicle. Which alleges that the manufacturing and/or design defect includes a weak or insufficient floor panel in the unibody of the vehicle that causes, among other things, cracking in the floor pan and misalignment, cracking or the complete or partial failure of the rear subframe of the vehicle.

Rear subframe of car tearing out of body.

I was driving my car normally and started to realize a squeaking noise. Soon the noise got really loud and constant so I jack up the car and realized my rear subframe was detaching from the body. BMW says they will not take responsibility for it.

I experienced a typical problem with my 2000 BMW 323ci , as the subframe began to tear after only 57000 miles of use. After some complaining, I was able to get BMW to "goodwill" the repairs. But as soon as I picked up the car after the repairs were completed, the emergency brake parking light began to malfunction. It would come on when the brake was released etc. A couple weeks later the traction control light began to do the same thing. I didn't think too much of it, but now about 9 months later I have experienced severe electrical problems. First all the power stopped working, the headlights blinked, a/c and windows stopped working, power locks no longer worked. Then it somehow fixed itself. But a couple weeks after, something else happened and now I cannot even start my car. Again, it appears to be some sort of power problem, perhaps something draining the battery.

Torn subframe where rear end is secure to chassis subframe.

I bought this vehicle in mid April, 2006. A month after my purchase I began to notice creaking sounds coming from the rear of the car under normal acceleration, primarily in 1st gear. Upon further inspection I found the rear subframe to be tearing from the unibody on the driver's side. This is a major safety issue and must be addressed before someone gets seriously injured. Too many people ignore tell tale signs coming from their vehicles, if BMW is unwilling to do anything for the repair, the least they could do is send a notice to recommend an inspection to any 3-series owner. Repairing this costs money, not life and limb. Please BMW and the NHTSA, lets keep it that way.

Have you noticed that there are over forty (40) complaints about the BMW 3-series rear subframes? they are scattered among the various 3-series model numbers (I. E. 3-series, 323, 323ci, 328, 328ci. 325, 325ci, etc. ) this is all basically the same car. A technician told me that the rear axle carrier of these models were manufactured with an inherent defect. That is, one of the mounting points is too weak to absorb the normal, everyday vibration from the torque of the manual transmission. As a result, they manufactured a replacement part that is now stronger and reinforced. The fact that this problem does not happen with any type of frequency on any other BMW car, except for the 3-series that was introduced in 1999, is enough to force BMW to issue a recall. In addition, the fact that the replacement part is reinforced is the equivalent of BMW "admitting" that the original rear axle carrier had a design defect. BMW has refused to acknowledge its responsibility for this glaring defect in the car's structure despite this defects never having occurred in any other BMW -- or any other car for that matter however, it is my understanding that BMW issued a recall for this exact same problem in europe. Please explain why the transportation authorities here in the u. S. Have not forced BMW to issue a recall. How can BMW justify not having a recall in the u. S. When they've issued a recall in europe for the exact same thing? please let me know if you can do anything or if a class action lawsuit is my only resort. In one of the complaints listed below, the consumer reported that BMW paid for the entire repair. Yet in all other complaints, BMW managed to avoid having to pay anything, even for cars still under warranty. How is it that american car manufacturers have to issue numerous recalls for mundane defects, but BMW manages to skate by without having to acknowledge a defect that threatens the safety of consumers?.

Noticed squeaking sounds from the back of the car. Took it to the BMW dealer and they told me that the subframe was seprated from the body where the shock absorbers are attached. If you look underneath the care you see a large cracked in the chassis. They quoted 4k to fix the problem. I started looking on the web for the problem and found many incident of this issue. Got a hold of an engineer inside BMW and basically BMW knew about this problem and decided not to fix it. This is more frequently observed in more powerfull engine. The torque of the engine is causing the sheetmetal of the body to be stressed and eventually crack. I have been contacting the BMW for two weeks and they are very uncooperative. This a design flaw and they should recall it and fix it. This is a serious problem, the back of the car could essentially fall off and cause an accident. Is BMW waiting for people to have accident and die before they recall this?.

I recently found out that my subframe on my 2000 BMW 328ci was cracking . This was a problem that BMW has not fixed prior to the release of this vehicle. The previous e36 model has been a victim of this malfunction. I was browsing websites regarding my dilemma and I found that 40+ vehicles have had this subframe issue. This is one website (many more) and here is the link. . . Read more...

Experienced tearing in the sheet metal located above the rear differential carrier. The sheet metal had been fatigued from carriers movement under load (acceleration/deceleration). The service manager (on behalf of BMW na) states that the damage was a result of "hitting a large pothole". It should be noted that no other suspension components were damaged and everything on the car is factory original. No modifications whatsoever and no repairs until that point. The car has been repaired and the area in question has been reinforced to prevent future subframe failures. This is not acceptable for a car manufacturer to pass blame for a design defect onto their customers. Obviously, they have lost any future sales from me.

(1) in everyday driving, I heard a creaking noise in the rear end of my 1999 BMW 328i. (2) I found that the left rear subframe has started to shear away from the chassis making the car only drivable for only short distances, if at all. (3) I brought it to the dealer to see if they would cover the cost of repair as a goodwill gesture and they said no. I then appealed to BMW north America and they sent out a body technician who also denied the repair. The car was approx. One year and 10000 miles over warranty. No parts were replaced nor any repairs made. . Read more...

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The rear subframe tore out of the car's unibody (2000 BMW 328ci). It had not reached a point where there was an accident caused by it, but it was getting bad. I took the car to the dealership began the process of getting it fixed. BMW north America called me back and told me that they wouldn't fix the problem and that it was my fault.

The rear subframe of my car used a thin metal to hold it and I was draiving my car in it cracked. Any further use would result in the collapse of the rear part of the car. I have it welded and reinforced.

Broken rear subframe mount - has occured in many BMW 3-series cars (mine included) that are either completely stock or where the wheels, tires, and/or suspension may have been modified in any way. It is very unusual to be obliged to repair the frame in a car as a result of damage that occurs during normal driving.