Body Problems of BMW M3

During a regular fuel stop at a gas station, I noticed the central lock button nor the physical door hinge fail to operate to open the door for me to exit. The fuse for the central power door lock/unlock button blew out, completely disabling the interior door hinge mechanism. I got trapped inside but thankfully the power was still on and the rear doors remained unlocked. So, I lowered the driverside window and crawl outside. Then open the unlocked reer door to enter the vehicle from the back seat. Then located the fuse box, searched on the internet to itenfy the effected fuse, replaced damaged one to another fuse (dedicated to another function), temporarily replaced with the same ampage fuse. For my vehicle, there is no visible solution to enter the physical key to open the door from the outside that are typically found under the exterior door handle. If it wasn't for a combination of luck that the other door remained unlocked, had power to lower the window, have some knowledge of vehicle electrical system (fuse), and tolerable weather condition, I would've been stuck inside my car for indifinite time, or break the window to get to exit. I would testify that this is a serious safety concern the manufacturer should investigate and provide permanent resolution.

See all problems of the 2008 BMW M3 🔎.

Passenger side rear sub-frame crack observed . Vehicle has never been in any accident or collision. It's a commonly know problem about BMW 3 series made between 1999 to 2006 that happens naturally without cause due to manufacture issue, so I decided to look under my car to look for any cracks as described. I identified at least one crack. After calling BMW USA for assitance, I was instructed to bring the car to have it inspected and confirmed by the BMW dealership in ontario, CA. Dispite me telling them the location of the crack, they concluded there is no crack and nothing needed to be done. Not satified with their inspection, I went to get a second opinion from an independent machanic/ body shop and they confirmed that there is indeed a crack and took clear pictures to show that. If left untreated, these subframe cracks will spread and the rear of the car can fall off along with the rear axel and rear wheels leading to accidents. The cost of fixing such manufacture issure is also costly, $2500 to over $10000 from the estimates I collected.

See all problems of the 2004 BMW M3 🔎.

Keep hearing a knocking sound on driver side when going over bumps. Feeling vibration under car under accelerating and breaking. Carbon fiber roof laminate peeling off.

See all problems of the 2016 BMW M3 🔎.

Rear subframe support is separating from the body where it mounts to. Cracks around the subframe bolts can be seen. Pinchweld around rear fender is seperating.

See all problems of the 2003 BMW M3 🔎.

Upon inspection, vehicle's rear subframe mounting points show cracking and other signs of structural fatigue consistent with other similar vehicles that have undergone complete rear subframe failure. Vehicle's subframe needs to be reinforced and BMW settled in a class action suit regarding the issue, however, the issue was not escalated to a recall, possibly leaving thousands of unsafe vehicles on the road.

See all problems of the 2002 BMW M3 🔎.

Tl-the contact owns a 2001 BMW M3. The contact stated while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that there was a severe fracture of the subframe and the support for the rear wheels and suspension. A dealer was not contacted or made aware of the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. Ah.

See all problems of the 2001 BMW M3 🔎.

Windows were closed. There had been a light rain. Temperature was about 90 degrees f. Doors were unlocked. Upon shutting the ignition key off in a parking lot, both doors locked automatically and immediately. Lock button on console was not pushed. Both doors would not open, by use of the buttons on the keys or by the console button. Two different keys were tried. The door handles moved, but would not open the doors. I don't believe the outside door handles would have opened the doors either because the doors were "locked" . The inside temperature of the car began to rise rapidly so the engine was started to provide air conditioning. Restarting the engine several times did not change the condition of the locked doors. After 10 to 12 minutes I decided to lower the driver's side window and use the key in the door lock on the exterior of the car. This finally unlocked both doors. This could have been deadly if there was an engine fire and I had pull over the car and shut the key off. The doors may lock. A disabled or weak person may not have the strength to break the glass or climb out the window if they panic. I am very scared to use the car at this point. . . Even to drive it to get repaired.

Passenger door cannot be opened either from insider or outside. Appears like the door is double locked. Luckily both doors are not double locked with passenger inside the vehicle. Possible failure of lock actuator without warning or failure of gm5 module.

Tl-the contact owns a 2011 BMW M3 convertible. The contact stated that the convertible top failed to operate. The dealer attempted to replace the top. However, the part needed was unavailable to do the repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000. Pam.

See all problems of the 2011 BMW M3 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2011 BMW M3. The contact stated that the convertible top failed to work. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician indicated that the part was not available. The contact was later told that the wait for parts might be longer than a year. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and was unable to provide a specific timeframe of when the vehicle would be repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 9,500. Pam.

Failed rear view mirror where a liquid inside forms a bubble making the mirror totally unusable. This is a problem experienced by most with similar vehicles and BMW na has refused to own up and address the problem. The liquid that spills causes irreparable damage to the parts that it spills on and is also toxic.

Had my car inspected by a mechanic and he noticed a tear in the subframe near the rear drivers side. Tunes out this is a known problem for e46 Bmws. BMW will only cover 50% of the repairs and has admitted that this is a defect in their design. It's now a safety issue as the car is out of alignment and the floor has dropped, rubbing on the rear axle.

After 2. 5 years of ownership of vehicle a slight "clunk" coming from the rear of the vehicle is noticed when moving forward from a stop some times. Within a few weeks the "clunk" became louder and occurred more often. In addition the a loud "bang" accompanied by vibrations would come from the rear when going over speed-bumps. During this time the car began feeling unsafe when on hills or in the rain. If I was on a hill and started moving forward I feared after the large "clunk" a major failure could lead to the car losing its rear drivetrain or suspension and falling backwards. I also felt the car was not safe in the rain and the rear of the car would shift around when under load or accelerating. I took the car to a local repair shop and was told the rear subframe was tearing at multiple points. I was told this was a common manufacturer defect of the BMW 3-series that has been a problem for over 15 years and newer model cars would tear the entire floorpan out. The repair is costly and the shop said they would not warranty or guarantee any repair of this part as it is a manufacturer defect. I contacted BMW na and they had a representative contact me and setup an inspection at a local BMW certified repair shop. I took the car to the repair shop and the BMW rep there said he would take a look at it. He said that 99% of the time the damage is covered as it is a problem in even their lowest models and even in automatic transmission cars. Later I received a call from the shop and was told that BMW would to fix the car with no cost to me. They said it was a manufacturer defect and a serious safety risk. A week later I received a call from the BMW na representative, he said the car was inspected again and decided that the car was driven too hard and therefore will not be repaired. The repair cost is estimated at $7600. At this point the car is unsafe to drive and now with confirmed tears in the body the car could suffer from rust and/or rodent/pest problems.