We found the following complaints for BMW 3 SERIES (2003)
Read complaints for BMW 3 SERIES (2003)
Bmw of north america has failed to notify about two air bag recalls, one for the passenger side and one for the driver side, affecting my car, even though they have verified that they have my correct address. I have contacted them for each incident, twice in 2014 for the first recall and once on 9/24/2015 for the current recall.they have not been able to explain why they do not contact me.
In september 2014 i received a notice re: recall campaign no. 14v-428 front passenger air bag. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front passenger's air bag, excessive internal pressure could cause rupture of the air bag inflator, resulting in metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the front passenger or other passenger. Bmw has done nothing to replace this air bag. They continue to say that they have not received the parts. This is unacceptable in that 4 months have passed with nothing resolved. I, along with other bmw drivers, are at risk and we need you to take action for all of us.
"takata recall" the drivers door air bag light came on and would not go off . So we took the car to bmwdealer and was told the air bag was defective. We were given a recall# 15v318 , its over a year we have been waitingfor car to be repaired and when we call bmw at1-800-831-1117to check we were toldthat they willget toit in goodtimeso weshouldwait,it is now april how much longer do we have to wait?no one can give us an answer
I sent you my first complaint on or around august 10, 2016, and only received a 'thank you' return note, and that you would get back to me.you have not!to recapitulate the earlier complaint, i received recall campaign no. 15v-318 in july 2015, and have since not received anything from bmw.i called bmw customer relations around august 4, to find out the status of the airbag replacement.after getting no information from the first customer relations person, i was connected to a supervisor who also gave me no information.i asked when i could expect a airbag replacement - they told me 'probably before the end of the year'.i told them this was an unacceptable, dangerous situation, with the supervisor's response that 'nobody had died in a bmw of an airbag incident'.while it is good nobody has died, the response was less than acceptable.it is now a week later, august 18 - and still no further response from bmw or from the nhtsa.you guys have been working this - is it safe to drive my car or not?are you asking or working with bmw to resolve this?when can i expect a replacement airbag, or at least a response from bmw or the nhtsa?please get back to me - your in-action is not acceptable either.sincerely,[xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Dear sirs: i received a recall notice (15v-318) in july 2015, for the front, driver's side airbag recall for my 2003 bmw 330i.since that time i have not received any additional correspondence from bmw or anyone, to provide status. I called bmwusa, customer service on august 2, 2016 - i first talked to anthony smith, who recited prescribed verbage, that i would be contacted once replacement airbags were received.i asked when - he could only say 'probably before the end of 2016'.i told him bmw's handling of this was less than acceptable, and asked to talk to a supervisor - i was connected to a person named cole, who refused the courtesy of providing a last name, only his extension of x8917. I asked cole when i could expect to receive a replacement airbag; he could not answer that. I told cole i was deeply upset for not receiving any information (at all) from bmw since july 2015, and was deeply concerned for my safety and that of my passengers.he would only say that 'no one had died' of an airbag incident in a bmw - yet, and could offer no other options or comfort for me. I wrote an email letter to bmwusa that same day, detailing what i wrote in this note, receiving a note back from bmwusa (correspondence 1-7149508707), thanking me for my writing them, and that they had forwarded my email to cole for review - and of course i have not heard from them since. Its obvious that bmwusa customer relations group is less than compassionate for their customers.my friends that work at honda are telling me to 'get out my car', regardless of what bmw is saying - this is a dangerous, unacceptable risk.please let me know what you think - i think at the very least that bmw should put me in a safe car until they can replace this defective airbag.thanks for your time.
Purchase a 2003 bmw 325i on11-18-2016 . Unable to take possession of the vehicle from the dealer due to the outstanding takata airbag recall. The dealer is not a bmw store and i don't blame them for letting a customer get into a unsafe vehicle. Bmw is dragging their feet on the repair of these defective airbags.
I have contacted a bmw dealer and bmw usa regarding the takata airbag recall.the dealer has been unable to secure the part and has contacted other dealers to secure an airbag.none have been available.this recall began in august.i was not notified by bmw usa regarding the recall and searched the safecar.gov data and found my vehicle was implicated.the dealer advised me not to drive the vehicle with a passenger inside until the part is replaced. I contacted bmw usa this week inquiring as to when this part will be available.i informed the customer service representative that this vehicle has not been driven for several months.fortunately, this is not my primary vehicle.i was informed that bmw is dilegently working to solve this issue butthe parts were unavailable and there is no time frame for when they would be available.when i voiced my concern that (1) i was the only owner of the vehicle (10 years) and had not been informed of the recall.i was told my file had been recently updated.(2)i was dissatisfied with this unacceptable response and concerned that i cannot drive this vehicle, the customer service rep informed me that she had no further information to provide and that i was rude; this was not a personal attack on me and that i had no reason for attacking her for the information that she provided.i implore your organization to ensure that bmw usa expedite this recall and replacement of parts so that i can drive this vehicle without further safety concerns.i appreciate your attention to this matter.
Almost 6 months ago, i was notified by bmw about a recall because of air bag(s) and was advised that i would be called shortly for repair/ replacement.contacted bmw numerous times by phone and mail and every time was advised that parts should be in shortly.if they cannot find the parts for so long, there should be some alternate. Knowing a safety issue and not correcting it and letting the driver(s) on a chance for a tragedy should not be acceptable.
Re: bmw airbag recall campaign 14v428upon receiving the recall notice i immediately called my local dealer.bmw's authorized and franchised dealership (century bmw in grenville, sc ) informed me that bmw usa would contact us as parts became available. A month passed since receiving the initial nhtsa 14v428 notice (tanaka airbag) and i had no follow up. Therefore, i called century bmw again this morning : this time they took my info and are ordering the parts.bmw may a have contingent liabilities as some people are most likely waiting for another notice from bmw usa; based on the dealers initial representations .recalls are never a pleasant experience but the risks associated with this safety defect merit serious action and follow-up as some owners were notified to wait for a 2nd notice from bmw usa...and none has come in 30+ days.i understand oems and tanaka are probably scrambling to get "good parts" but this "tactic" or error in misinforming owners is putting the public at risk. People have died because of this defect and owners are awaiting a 2nd notification that may never come.i am glad i followed-up myself.please force bmw to inform the public correctly on parts availability. Bmw has the responsibility to contact registered owners. Owners are presently waiting. Misinformed and driving (literally) a ticking time bomb that can, and has, exploded and injured/killed people..
Last year we were notified by bmw us that our car was being recalled for the passenger side airbag malfunction and bmw dealers were responsible to fix the problem. Since then we have contacted bmw us numerous times and our local san francisco bmw dealer to schedule an appointment. Unfortunately, we were repeatedly told the same answer that we will have to wait until the parts are available for replacing the air bag. Finally, we were able to set up an appointment with our bmw local dealership for february 4, 2015. When we took the car there, we were told once again, by their 'service consultant rubi huey, that there are still no parts available to fix it and they could not even give us an approximate date as to when they would take care of this serious problem. Needless to say that we are very frustrated with this situation not only that bmw is not making the necessary effort to resolve this dangerously essential and hazardous repair which is necessary to being able to sell the car, which is a huge priority for us. We hope that you can resolve this problem soon. Thank you.
I have been on hold since the fall of 2014 on a driver side airbag. The dealer has no inventory and no eta. This is unacceptable.dodge changed my airbag (also takata) within 10 days of my recall notice.it's been over a year and a half with bmw.penalize them like you did fca
This is a california car parked outside from 2003-2014. From 2014-2016 is has been parked outside in north carolina. I would think a 13 year old car with this history would be in the priority a group. It is been hot and humid its entire life. It needs to be replaced now. It's just a matter of time.
I was traveling n/b on route 1 in elkridge maryland @ intersection ducketts lane on 10/9/14 @ 4:47 pm. I was involved in a 4 car pile up crash, i was stopped - the vehicle behind me was struck by a speeding motorist which caused a chain reaction & struck my bmw and knocking me into the vehicle in front of me. Both front airbags exploded with caused a severe burn to my right hand. My vehicle was a total loss and the at-fault driver's insurance has possession of the vehicle. I was immediately taken by ambulance to the hospital with other injuries. Appropriately two weeks before the accident, i received a letter stating that there was a recall on my vehicle, and parts were not available to fix the vehicle, and i would be contacted at a later time. I called and reported this incident to bmw north america this morning - they stated that an executive would get back to me in 1-3 business days.....updated 11/18/14 updated 8/4/2015
Takata recall. After waiting 9 months for replacement of passenger side air bag i received another recall notice for the drivers side airbag. It has now been nearly 15 months and no remedy in sight . Received a " final remedy available " letter dated sept. 2016 asking that i call dealer for repair. Called local dealer october 10/16 and was told no parts are available.i have not had full use of my vehicle for nearly 2 years and see no remedy coming anytime soon.
Takata inflators.manufacturer has not pursued the existing recall in even a remotely timely manner.i was notified by letter dated july 2015 of the recall.that was over 14 months ago!i called my local bmw service center who informed me the required parts were still not available. The representative here at safecar.gov notified me that parts are available.when i contacted manufacturer "national recall call center" (800-831-1117), as recommended by rep here at safecar, they said they weren't for my vin.when i informed them i had inquired here with this agency and was told the parts were available, the national center said they'd call me back in 48 hours.they never did. Does anyone take these safety recalls seriously?the manufacturer certainly isn't.
Bmw of champaign , illinois has refused to repair my airbags.i have attempted to resolve this problem through their attorney,david sholem. His response has been to hang up on me or not respond at all.this is a serious problem, as they have agnoliged ( copy available).i have asked for at least financial assistance to travel to another bmw dealer nearly 100 milesaway to relieve the hardship they created.bmw champaign is located less than 2 miles from my residence.i purchased this vehicle from bmw of champaignwith an open recall even though the vehicle was advertised as being "fully reconditioned.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 3 series. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags) however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 3 series. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 15v318000 (air bags)and 13v172000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An appointment was made to bmw of pleasant grove (2111 w grove pkwy, pleasant grove, ut 84062, (801) 443-2000) who stated that the parts were not available for the recall remedies. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unknown. Consumer stated he made an appointment at bmw of pleasant grove.
Traveling south on 75,driver door bag deployed for no reason. Applied brakes and ran off side off road to keep from having a car rear end me and then right tire blew out due to drop off. Car shut down by itself. Air bags did not completely deploy. Over head strap hit head and neck area causing soreness and headache. Door air bag caused fragments to hit hand and tore off skin.i thought car was on fire due to smoke smell of wires burning,removed strap off neck and got out of car. If traffic had been heavy there would have been a major wreck. If i had been on 2 lane highway i would have hit head on another vehicle. Monday called bmw and they said someone would call me back. I called every day for a week and was told to leave msg with case mgr which i did. 10 days later case mgr called and said bags are not suppose to fully deflate and she would have car towed to nearest dealer for engineer to look at and once they have car it could be another 2-3 weeks before he looks at car and not to expect any repairs. She also said she does not find any recalls for this car. I told her i found info on internet.now i am out of car and waiting on bmw to look into. Bmw case #[xxx]. Nhtsa campaign number 13v172000. + usa today may 7,2013. + suit claims air bags defective (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw.html). + los angles times-bmw recall air bags that could spray shrapnel dec 16,2013.information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Re: campaign # 14v-428i received an 'important safety recall' regarding a defective passenger airbag.i have been in touch via email and phone calls with bmw of north america to no avail.they advise they do not have parts yet.my dealer, habberstad, huntington, ny also advises they do not have parts.i am on a list to be serviced when parts are received.this letter is dated september 2014, it is now december 23, 2014 and i am still riding in a deathtrap.i have been advised not to have any front passengers or store anything on the seat!i cannot have my 3 grandchildren in the car or any other passengers.this is absurd! i have given bmw 3 fair options:1-secure the necessary parts to make my auto safe...2-give me a loaner until such time...or buy the car from me at a very fair price (as i couldn't sell it privately) so i can purchase another car.why isn't the consumer's safety a top priority, and what is being done by the nhtsa to ensure this???
The contact owns a 2006 bmw 3-series. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, indicating that the front passenger side air bag was not functioning. The contact noticed nhtsa campaign i.d. Number 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) and took the vehicle to an authorized dealer. The contact was informed that the front passenger air bag detection matt needed to be replaced, but the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The contact expressed concern in regards to driving a vehicle without a functioning air bag. The failure mileage was 81,606. Updated 07/26/11the consumer stated bmw agreed to share the cost with the him. Updated 07/28/11
Central locking wont work, the key does not open the doors light comes on to say door open but they don't and also driver door opens with key the internal button also does not open the doors, intermittent fault.
The projector bowls on the zkw headlights were burnt out due to a design flaw.i see lot of complaints online with the same issue.driving in night is really difficult and dangerous.
Traveling south on 75,driver door bag deployed for no reason. Applied brakes and ran off side off road to keep from having a car rear end me and then right tire blew out due to drop off. Car shut down by itself. Air bags did not completely deploy. Over head strap hit head and neck area causing soreness and headache. Door air bag caused fragments to hit hand and tore off skin.i thought car was on fire due to smoke smell of wires burning,removed strap off neck and got out of car. If traffic had been heavy there would have been a major wreck. If i had been on 2 lane highway i would have hit head on another vehicle. Monday called bmw and they said someone would call me back. I called every day for a week and was told to leave msg with case mgr which i did. 10 days later case mgr called and said bags are not suppose to fully deflate and she would have car towed to nearest dealer for engineer to look at and once they have car it could be another 2-3 weeks before he looks at car and not to expect any repairs. She also said she does not find any recalls for this car. I told her i found info on internet.now i am out of car and waiting on bmw to look into. Bmw case #[xxx]. Nhtsa campaign number 13v172000. + usa today may 7,2013. + suit claims air bags defective (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw.html). + los angles times-bmw recall air bags that could spray shrapnel dec 16,2013.information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I was locked in my car for 1 hour.my key fob would not unlock my doors, so i manually opened the door, started the car, closed the door, and tried to warm up the car (it is winter in chicago and my windows were also frozen shut). I then pressed the door lock button twice in an attempt to unlock the doors and at that point i learned i was locked in my car.i tried driving the car a block to see if the locks would reset and nothing worked (neither the door levers, key fob or lock button). I called a dealer and they suggested i drive it to the service center.when i arrived at the service center an hour later, my window was no longer frozen so i handed the key to the agent and although the manual door handles and unlock button would not work, the key fob was able to unlock the doors. The agent agreed that there was a problem that needed to be inspected.i drove the car home. Two days later i tried to start the car and the battery was dead.we jumped it and i drove the car to a dealer.the dealer replaced and programmed the general module behind the glove box. They said that it had caused the problem with the doors and drained the battery.the bmw representatives do not seem surprised by the problem, but i was quite frightened by the fact that i had to drive my car while locked inside the vehicle.
Transmission will drop out of gear and shut car down, while vehicle in motion during normal use.vehicle will only work when cold, manufacturer is aware of badly designed smg temp sensor and negligently designed computer logic that shifts transmission to neutral and shuts car down.
In 2010 the sunroof went bad i talked to a bmw dealer and they told me they have problems with them, in august of 2011 i noticed that my tail lights and blinkers were not working proper,nor was my horn,and the drivers window regulators are binding up, also a brake hose from my brake booster to the engine is collapsed in two spots.??
Passenger side door and both rear doors failed to open.all three doors remained locked and could not be open from inside by using the mechanical handles.neither the remote key nor the regular key was able to unlock the doors.
Doors fail to unlock, either using the keyfob, the inside button or manually by pulling the door handle. This is a very dangerous situation as occupants are trapped inside. No method of opening the door work. This appears to be intermittent and eventually the doors unlock mechanism starts working again. The gm5 module seems at fault. This could be very dangerous in an emergency situation.
Driver's side door will not open, either with the inside door latch or the outside latch. The lock plunger goes up and down normally with either the key, the key remote, or the inside door lock/unlock button, but in no case can either door latch open the driver's side door. All other doors operate normally. This makes entering or exiting the car difficult, necessitating either climbing in/out through the window or by climbing across the console from the passenger seat. If there were an emergency, it would be impossible to exit the vehicle quickly.no event appeared to cause this to happen. I entered the vehicle, drove it, exited the vehicle a few times during the morning before driving, parking, stopping the vehicle, and then having the door stick shut.
The general module 5 (gm5) is electronic hardware that amongst other functions primarily controls the locking and unlocking of the bmw e46's. This module has decided to stop working in my vehicle making it impossible to unlock the vehicle from any of the possible options (key fob button, central locking button, or door double locking handle). This is an extreme safety hazard because in the case of an accident the passengers will not be able to quickly escape the vehicle due to inability of the doors to unlock. After thorough research i have found that this is a very widespread problem with this make and model vehicle, yet nothing has been done by the manufacturer to address this extremely hazardous flaw. There is no way to manually override the gm5 to unlock the doors so without it passengers are essentially trapped in the vehicle. The module also controls the windshield wipers, power windows, and trunk release. Having these features inoperable on top of the inability to unlock for any given amount of time is unacceptable and should be addressed by the manufacturer as a recall and replacement.
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.
Formal petition for safety defect investigation, after replacing the tail light bulbs in on the passenger and driver's side they continued to burn out, after taking the bulb housing cover off, i noticed a burning smell and the brown wire in the unit had melted the entire connection. I was told by my local bmw dealership this is a known flaw as the ground wire is not adequate to handle the power comingthrough, this issue has caused me to almost be rear-ended 4 times when the light suddenly will stop working bmw usawhom i contacted is aware of this malfunction, and has done nothing to address this issue. Updated 04/27/09.
While driving 2003 325xi on county hiway slowed down to make right turn to about 15-20 mph. Halfway through the turn loud noise emitted from transmission area (previous failure of trans. Comp. Module @ 1500 miles-replaced by dealer) and vehicle locke up, hard enough for myself and my wife to move forward against the seat belts. Pressed on accelarator, motor running but would not respond. Dodge truck struck my vehicle in rear, driver and witnesses saw no brake lights or other indication i was stopped other than not moving forward. Shut car off. Had to restart car to move same to side of road, respnded normally. Towed to dealer, unable to find anything abnormal. Bmw to send engineer to shop.
The bmw e46 3-series (1999-2006) suffers from a design flaw in the cooling system.plastic parts in the cooling system fail as soon as 4 years and 80,000 miles from manufacture date, often failing catastrophically and causing the engine to overheat. Continued driving of the car in this situation leads to complete engine failure and loss of power (including power steering and power brakes), potentially causing an accident if it happens at highway speeds.typical failed parts include the coolant expansion tank, radiator end tanks, and water pump impellers or bearings.(bmw came up with an improved water pump design around 2004 that is more reliable.)cars with automatic transmissions also suffer failures of the mechanical fan clutch and the transmission cooling thermostat.failure of the fan clutch (found only on automatic transmission cars) can cause the fan blades to break off and damage the radiator, serpentine belt, and water pump, as well as the car's hood.at higher mileages (>150,000 miles) the plastic coolant pipes often fail, causing overheating and requiring major work to replace. On my car the coolant expansion tank and radiator both failed and were replaced. The thermostat also stuck open resulting in lower gas mileage until it was replaced. Now one of my plastic coolant pipes is leaking. Bmw should be required to repair failed plastic cooling system parts on the e46 3-series with higher-quality parts designed to last at least 10 years and 100,000 miles from manufacture date.
2003 bmw 325i low fuel stall
The cooling fan broke loose spontaneously and flew through the air cutting through the hood of the car and ripping through the entire engine compartment. Moments prior the hood had been open with people standing around looking at the hoses. Had the fan broke loose at this time, i would have seriously injured or killed people.
Originar requestcar gone for repair:main issue; leak of anti-free, pump issue. Hose replacement.2012 - package results no included in our original requests.suspension problem: tech found both rear coil springs broken. Note by car's owner: we when ahead and replaced both, although around 90% of my drive is in highways and my frequent passenger is only a 3 year old boy. Repair cost: us$400.00---------------------------------------2015- car brought over the dealership for "computer programming" as service was not available anywhere. Recommended services by the dealership:- "replace rear coil springs with lower pads. (both rear coil springs are broken) note: - although, we 'd like to make this repair we did not agreed to do so. - the tag price scaled to us766.28 without tax and we've been in a tight budget.- you may try searching online for "bmw rear coil springs complain, issue or problems." there are literally hundreds of complains on bmw's rear spring fail but still not recall, ( although by bmw own admission this should be consider a serious safety issue.
Erratic idle. . . When stopped at a stop light, car in neutral, the rpms rev in spikes from 500 to 1500, up and down, up and down.the car never resets to a constant idle.car has been in shop 8 - 9 times over 18 days total.no solution.tech told me bmw know of problem but has no plans to find a fix.
Headlights fail randomly.headlights flicker, turn off, turn back on.independent of speed or weather conditions.bulb testing after this failure indicate that the bulbs are not failing (they are not burned out).
Real light assembly (turn signal, parking light brake light) malfunctions occasionally and none of the lights work thus, posing a dangerous situation when vehicle inmotion, turning and especially at night. Problem has been going on for at least a year. It appears that the wire connector in the assembly is burning out thus causinga short, i have temporarily repaired the problem myself by cleaning the burned parts of the wire and reconnecting and protecting with electric tape.
My bmw 2003 330i is equipped with zkw headlight assemblies that have plastic xenon projector bowls installed inside the headlight assemblies. After several years of usage these projector bowls burn out and as a result, the reflective coating that allows light to be focused through the projectors are burned off reducing effective light output from the headlight assembly. Upon inspection, both my headlight assemblies suffered approximately 50% loss in effective light output due to burned out xenon projector bowls and i found that my fog lights were putting out more light than both my zkw headlights. This problem affects all 3-series sedans made from 2002 - 2005. There have been many people who have, as a result of bmw inaction to do the right thing and correct this serious safety deficiency, either replaced their original zkw headlight assemblies with depot aftermarket headlight assembles or have replaced the defected zkw projector bowls with al projector bowls or fx-r projector bowls. This problem needs to be addressed as it is a serious road safety issue while driving at night.
The bmw e46 (3 series bmw) that was made from 1999 to 2006.in some cases during these years they used a lighting manufacturer "zkw" for their xenon headlights.unfortunately these lights have a common failure issue commonly referred to as a "burnt reflector" on the internet and on bmw forums. This is a non-consumer replaceable part.when this part fails it causes the vehicle to not have effective headlights.i personally have had times where my field of vision could not see items on the road due to the dim lights.the only remedy appears to be to replace the entire headlight assembly to the tune of hundreds of dollars (well over a thousand if you do both sides).in my opinion bmw should correct this issue for the consumer.headlights are an important safety item.to have a part fail that is not consumer replaceable is unacceptable.many people have this issue but have no way to remedy it.just google it or check e46fanatics.com.you will see that there are plenty of people that realize this is an issue.
The zkw xenon headlights have a flaw in the plastic projector housing.the housing gets too hot and melts and the light output is severely restricted. This happens to 100% of the headlights made by this manufacturer and is a safety issue.the reflective coating on the headlights melts and the light can no longer be projected out correctly.the fog lights are now brighter then the headlights.the vehicle can no longer be safely driven at night.spare parts are not available and the only fix is to replace the entire headlights at a cost of over $2000.there should be a recall to replace the headlights as this is a safety issue of not being able to see.
Brake lights on both sides gets stuck on once the pedal is pressed. This produces no error codes. I was told it could be the brake pedal pressure sensor switch. I changed this and it did nothing. This is very dangerous to other drivers because they are not sure if the car is braking as the light is always on and will burn out the bulbs and melt the housing if constantly on. This can be reproduced either while parked or in motion.
Zkw bi xenon headlights reflectors burn out over time.the bowls are shot and they were black, burned to a crisp.they were made out of a plastic material with a chrome coating, instead of a metal reflector.this should be a recall for bmw.they got the tail light which works fine in my car, i need my headlights to see!
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 3series. The contact stated that the rear tail light warning indicator illuminated on the instrumental panel. After checking the rear of the vehicle, the tail light appeared to be operating as designed.the warning light would illuminate on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 11v438000 (exterior lighting:tail lights). The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
My tail lights and turn signals work for a while then quite working. The exact same symptoms as recall #11v438000 for the same type, model and year as my car, but bmw says my vehicle is not included.
Due to the plastic bowels in the headlight projectors, which are chrome like lined, and the high heat of the hid bulbs, this chrome like coating has burned off making the light output of my hid head lights very dim. The outside of the bowels have gone from a chrome like coating to a bronze/caramel color/coating. This problem is very obvious. I have had other vehicles with hid headlights, and the light output of those cars is easily double or more, to the point where alot of times i have to drive with my fog lights on just to light the road up to be able to see well enough so that i don't have a accident. I have pictures i took of the discolored bowels im talking about on my phone that i would be able to send.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 323. The contact stated that the headlights would flicker on and off. The turn signal light would also flicker abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the taillight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 11v438000 (exterior lighting:tail lights). The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Zkw xenon headlight reflector bowl is burned resulting in very dim light output. I am often afraid of driving at night because i feel it is a danger to my safety.
Oem projector headlights burnt behind projector causing very dim lights.
The low beam reflectors on 2003-2004 zkw branded high intensity discharge xenon oem hid headlights on the 3 series bmw from that model year (sedan) were made of some painted material that degraded when subjected to the heat produced by the oem xenon bulbs. This results in a significantly decreased light output as the reflector became scorched. If it's bad enough, there is no light being projected on the road and it is very hard to see anything with the normal headlights. Either the high beams have to be used or the foglights have to be turned on. This is a safety issue. I would imagine that bmw and zkw were and are aware of the defect as the newer, redesigned headlights do not suffer from this problem. Replacement oem headlights cost $1200 for each side.
Formal petition for safety defect investigation, after replacing the tail light bulbs in on the passenger and driver's side they continued to burn out, after taking the bulb housing cover off, i noticed a burning smell and the brown wire in the unit had melted the entire connection. I was told by my local bmw dealership this is a known flaw as the ground wire is not adequate to handle the power comingthrough, this issue has caused me to almost be rear-ended 4 times when the light suddenly will stop working bmw usawhom i contacted is aware of this malfunction, and has done nothing to address this issue. Updated 04/27/09.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 330i. The contact stated that when the brake caution light illuminated, the brake light, tail light and turn signals failed suddenly. The contact replaced the rear bulb several time. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The contact planned to speak with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000 and the current mileage was approximately 60,000.
Lens cover for head lights on bmw 325 i with only 65k in southern california are severely oxidized limiting vision at night.called bmw and basically stated warranty has expired.
Bmw e46 3 series - zkw headlights- very low light outputthe zkw headlights have a design flaw in which after 2-3 years of use, they dim to around 20% of the original light output. This is very dangerous when it comes to night driving. Someone driving with this issue is nearly completely blind driving around at night. This is due to the projector reflector bowl being made out of plastic, and melting from the heat. This causes the light to bleed out from the backside of the light into the housing, instead of forward onto the road. Bmw noted this flaw by replaced the zkw headlamps with al branded headlamps in all the newer bmws in 2005 and on.the al branded headlights replaced the plastic bowl with metal bowls. However, all e46 3 series sedans from 2003-2004 still have these faulty zkw headlamps. There is no easy fix to this problem, as bmw does not sell the bowls separately. The only solution is to completely replace the headlamps, which costs around $2000. This is a very serious safety concern. I can guarantee that nearly every 2003-2004 3 series sedan with oem xenon headlamps faces this issue. Owners do not fix the issue due to the heavy costs.
There is limited light output from the xenon/hid headlight assemblies due to "melted" projector bowls from bmw.this is a serious safety defect that prevents end users from being able to see the road and objects ahead of them.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 330. The contact stated that the brake light assembly had melted. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the brake assembly replaced since both lights failed. Tsb action number 10025585 was related to the tail light failure. The contact called the manufacturer regarding a recall and was told that there was no further escalation process to follow regarding reimbursement. The contact was concerned that there was no recall related to the tail lights since a fire could potentially occur. The failure mileage was 46,578.updated 10/20/10updated 10/21/10the consumer is seeking reimbursement due to recall 11v438000 being issued. Updated 05/17/12
The projector bowls on the zkw headlights were burnt out due to a design flaw.i see lot of complaints online with the same issue.driving in night is really difficult and dangerous.
Passenger side xenon headlight operates intermittently.car had to go to dealer for repair but parts not immediately available to fix.for safety i have restricted vehicle to daytime driving only because i cannot depend on the headlights to operate as designed.
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 330. The contact stated that the brake light assembly had melted. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the brake assembly replaced since both lights failed. Tsb action number 10025585 was related to the tail light failure. The contact called the manufacturer regarding a recall and was told that there was no further escalation process to follow regarding reimbursement. The contact was concerned that there was no recall related to the tail lights since a fire could potentially occur. The failure mileage was 46,578.updated 10/20/10updated 10/21/10the consumer is seeking reimbursement due to recall 11v438000 being issued. Updated 05/17/12
My tail lights and turn signals work for a while then quite working. The exact same symptoms as recall #11v438000 for the same type, model and year as my car, but bmw says my vehicle is not included.
1.engine had been running roughly on start up (for a few seconds) for a few days.on the date of incident, while starting car to head back home, car started very roughly (for a short period of time).car then cleared up.while driving at speed of 55-60 mph on highway, car suddenly died.i had to steer the car from the left-hand lane onto the right hand shoulder in the midst of traffic (difficult to steer).2.the engine died suddenly while driving on the highway.this was the only time that the engine died while i drove the car.3.i had the vehicle towed to the shop.the fuel pump was replaced.even though there was gas in the tank, the fuel tank was empty.
Erratic idle. . . When stopped at a stop light, car in neutral, the rpms rev in spikes from 500 to 1500, up and down, up and down.the car never resets to a constant idle.car has been in shop 8 - 9 times over 18 days total.no solution.tech told me bmw know of problem but has no plans to find a fix.
2003 bmw 325i low fuel stall
Passenger side door and both rear doors failed to open.all three doors remained locked and could not be open from inside by using the mechanical handles.neither the remote key nor the regular key was able to unlock the doors.
The passenger side door lock will not work.the door stays locked and when it first occured the passenger had to crawl out the window.neither the electronic key lock nor the pushbutton lock control on the console will open the door lock on the passenger side.all other locks work fine, including the trunk.the manual door opener will not open the passenger door either.this is extremely dangerous since, in the case of an accident, the passenger would be trapped in the vehicle.
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.
The general module 5 (gm5) is electronic hardware that amongst other functions primarily controls the locking and unlocking of the bmw e46's. This module has decided to stop working in my vehicle making it impossible to unlock the vehicle from any of the possible options (key fob button, central locking button, or door double locking handle). This is an extreme safety hazard because in the case of an accident the passengers will not be able to quickly escape the vehicle due to inability of the doors to unlock. After thorough research i have found that this is a very widespread problem with this make and model vehicle, yet nothing has been done by the manufacturer to address this extremely hazardous flaw. There is no way to manually override the gm5 to unlock the doors so without it passengers are essentially trapped in the vehicle. The module also controls the windshield wipers, power windows, and trunk release. Having these features inoperable on top of the inability to unlock for any given amount of time is unacceptable and should be addressed by the manufacturer as a recall and replacement.
In 2010 the sunroof went bad i talked to a bmw dealer and they told me they have problems with them, in august of 2011 i noticed that my tail lights and blinkers were not working proper,nor was my horn,and the drivers window regulators are binding up, also a brake hose from my brake booster to the engine is collapsed in two spots.??
The contact owns a 2003 bmw 323ci. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into reverse gear. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated that the rear d drum failed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified about the failure. The failure mileage was 88,000.
While driving 2003 325xi on county hiway slowed down to make right turn to about 15-20 mph. Halfway through the turn loud noise emitted from transmission area (previous failure of trans. Comp. Module @ 1500 miles-replaced by dealer) and vehicle locke up, hard enough for myself and my wife to move forward against the seat belts. Pressed on accelarator, motor running but would not respond. Dodge truck struck my vehicle in rear, driver and witnesses saw no brake lights or other indication i was stopped other than not moving forward. Shut car off. Had to restart car to move same to side of road, respnded normally. Towed to dealer, unable to find anything abnormal. Bmw to send engineer to shop.
I was the previous owner ofa bmw 325i that i have been told needs a new transmission. Age - 2003, miles 60,000.it's unacceptable that a car with so low miles, has been maintained and driven gently has experienced this problem.after searching on the web, i find that this is a recurring problem with bmw's.why has nothing been done?how can bmw say this is not their issue when clearly this is a problem with their cars.i'm spending an additional 6,000 on this car.i recently purchased a brand new bmw and sold the 325 to a close friend.i replaced the transmission as i could not expect them to pay for it.prior to the sale, the car checked out with bmw.little did i know 2 wks later it would have this problem which appears to be a standard problem with bmw.i regret that i bought a new one.
Was going approximately 7mph hit brakes didn't stop hit car in front of me.w
While driving 2003 325xi on county hiway slowed down to make right turn to about 15-20 mph. Halfway through the turn loud noise emitted from transmission area (previous failure of trans. Comp. Module @ 1500 miles-replaced by dealer) and vehicle locke up, hard enough for myself and my wife to move forward against the seat belts. Pressed on accelarator, motor running but would not respond. Dodge truck struck my vehicle in rear, driver and witnesses saw no brake lights or other indication i was stopped other than not moving forward. Shut car off. Had to restart car to move same to side of road, respnded normally. Towed to dealer, unable to find anything abnormal. Bmw to send engineer to shop.
In 2010 the sunroof went bad i talked to a bmw dealer and they told me they have problems with them, in august of 2011 i noticed that my tail lights and blinkers were not working proper,nor was my horn,and the drivers window regulators are binding up, also a brake hose from my brake booster to the engine is collapsed in two spots.??
I arrived home with my son who was sitting in the front passenger seat. When he tried to get out of the car, the door would not open. The lock button stayed down and would not open with two pulls on the handle as it should, with use of the interior locking/unlocking button , or with the remote control key fob. It has now remained non-functional. In the event of a crash on the driver's side, there would be no way to leave the car or received help without breaking a window and trying to slither out through broken glass. In addition, someone who was infirm (e.g., back trouble) and could not climb over the console and driver's seat would be stuck in the car. This is a safety and health hazard and from what i have seen on line, is not unique to me. Bmw should be required to make modifications that would eliminate this safety and health hazard.
Bmw did not properly design the rear floor of the car body where it supports the rear subframe. As a result under normal driving, many of the bmw e46 3-series cars (325, 323, 330, in the i, ci, or cic trims, example 325ci or 330i) suffer from torn sheet metal where the rear subframe attaches to the body. This eventually causes a major safety hazard as the rear subframe and associated suspension can separately entirely from the vehicle resulting in a loss of control and severe crash. This can affect any e46 3-series car but is most common in models built from 1999-2001 and more common in manual transmission cars.the repair costs anywhere from $800 (pre-emptive strengthening of sheet metal if it has not torn already) to $5,000 (replacement of rear body subfloor). Bmw settled a class-action lawsuit in 2009 allowing 3-series owners to have their cars inspected and in some cases repaired by bmw but this did not cover all affected cars and expired in december 2010 so not all owners were able to have their cars inspected or repaired by that date. In addition many cars have experienced subframe mounting failures after dec 2010. Bmw should be required to inspect, repair, and reinforce all e46 (1999-2005) 3-series bodies where the rear subframe mounts.
Driver's side door will not open, either with the inside door latch or the outside latch. The lock plunger goes up and down normally with either the key, the key remote, or the inside door lock/unlock button, but in no case can either door latch open the driver's side door. All other doors operate normally. This makes entering or exiting the car difficult, necessitating either climbing in/out through the window or by climbing across the console from the passenger seat. If there were an emergency, it would be impossible to exit the vehicle quickly.no event appeared to cause this to happen. I entered the vehicle, drove it, exited the vehicle a few times during the morning before driving, parking, stopping the vehicle, and then having the door stick shut.
The passenger side door lock will not work.the door stays locked and when it first occured the passenger had to crawl out the window.neither the electronic key lock nor the pushbutton lock control on the console will open the door lock on the passenger side.all other locks work fine, including the trunk.the manual door opener will not open the passenger door either.this is extremely dangerous since, in the case of an accident, the passenger would be trapped in the vehicle.
Passenger side door and both rear doors failed to open.all three doors remained locked and could not be open from inside by using the mechanical handles.neither the remote key nor the regular key was able to unlock the doors.
Bmw did not properly design the rear floor of the car body where it supports the rear subframe. As a result under normal driving, many of the bmw e46 3-series cars (325, 323, 330, in the i, ci, or cic trims, example 325ci or 330i) suffer from torn sheet metal where the rear subframe attaches to the body. This eventually causes a major safety hazard as the rear subframe and associated suspension can separately entirely from the vehicle resulting in a loss of control and severe crash. This can affect any e46 3-series car but is most common in models built from 1999-2001 and more common in manual transmission cars.the repair costs anywhere from $800 (pre-emptive strengthening of sheet metal if it has not torn already) to $5,000 (replacement of rear body subfloor). Bmw settled a class-action lawsuit in 2009 allowing 3-series owners to have their cars inspected and in some cases repaired by bmw but this did not cover all affected cars and expired in december 2010 so not all owners were able to have their cars inspected or repaired by that date. In addition many cars have experienced subframe mounting failures after dec 2010. Bmw should be required to inspect, repair, and reinforce all e46 (1999-2005) 3-series bodies where the rear subframe mounts.
Originar requestcar gone for repair:main issue; leak of anti-free, pump issue. Hose replacement.2012 - package results no included in our original requests.suspension problem: tech found both rear coil springs broken. Note by car's owner: we when ahead and replaced both, although around 90% of my drive is in highways and my frequent passenger is only a 3 year old boy. Repair cost: us$400.00---------------------------------------2015- car brought over the dealership for "computer programming" as service was not available anywhere. Recommended services by the dealership:- "replace rear coil springs with lower pads. (both rear coil springs are broken) note: - although, we 'd like to make this repair we did not agreed to do so. - the tag price scaled to us766.28 without tax and we've been in a tight budget.- you may try searching online for "bmw rear coil springs complain, issue or problems." there are literally hundreds of complains on bmw's rear spring fail but still not recall, ( although by bmw own admission this should be consider a serious safety issue.
Rear springs were reported and replaced with bmw parts. At 112,172 miles (04/23/2013) they were reported broken again, but not replaced yet. Reported to bmw of north america,llc on 05/14/2013 who filed the report and denied any assistance.
Both rear springs of my bmw 2003 325i were cracked & replaced feb. 23, 2009.they now both are broken again. Any type warranty on the parts ?ridiculous !!!!
2003 bmw 325xi sudden acceleration.car accelerates suddenly when brakes applied to park or approaching light or stop sign.no accidents, but it is so dangerous that it is an accident waiting to happen.engine raves to 4000 - 6000rpm, very hard to hold the brakes.so far i have only gotten a moving violation ticket for not stopping at the stop sign, while returning from the third bmw service inspection and being told that the car is in perfect condition.bmw can not observe the problem and therefore does not want to fix it.i was told that they never heard of this kind of problem and perhaps i am hitting the wrong pedal.i have witnesses that were in a car with me that this is not the case.it also happened while my husband drove the car.by researching it on my own i found that there was a recall for 325i and 325ci series of the same year that is mine.because my car is 325xi service would not even try to apply the recommended remedy. The service is trying, but i was told that it's against the bmw policy to proceed without experiencing the actual problemtalked to bmw customer service four times, very polite, but no action so far.
Lens cover for head lights on bmw 325 i with only 65k in southern california are severely oxidized limiting vision at night.called bmw and basically stated warranty has expired.
In 2010 the sunroof went bad i talked to a bmw dealer and they told me they have problems with them, in august of 2011 i noticed that my tail lights and blinkers were not working proper,nor was my horn,and the drivers window regulators are binding up, also a brake hose from my brake booster to the engine is collapsed in two spots.??
Traveling south on 75,driver door bag deployed for no reason. Applied brakes and ran off side off road to keep from having a car rear end me and then right tire blew out due to drop off. Car shut down by itself. Air bags did not completely deploy. Over head strap hit head and neck area causing soreness and headache. Door air bag caused fragments to hit hand and tore off skin.i thought car was on fire due to smoke smell of wires burning,removed strap off neck and got out of car. If traffic had been heavy there would have been a major wreck. If i had been on 2 lane highway i would have hit head on another vehicle. Monday called bmw and they said someone would call me back. I called every day for a week and was told to leave msg with case mgr which i did. 10 days later case mgr called and said bags are not suppose to fully deflate and she would have car towed to nearest dealer for engineer to look at and once they have car it could be another 2-3 weeks before he looks at car and not to expect any repairs. She also said she does not find any recalls for this car. I told her i found info on internet.now i am out of car and waiting on bmw to look into. Bmw case #[xxx]. Nhtsa campaign number 13v172000. + usa today may 7,2013. + suit claims air bags defective (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw.html). + los angles times-bmw recall air bags that could spray shrapnel dec 16,2013.information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
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