1991 BMW 318i

Routine

Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine3
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System1
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch1
000
Air Bags › Frontal1
100

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Knee Bolster91V054000
Filed Apr 10, 199113,500 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke

Defect. DURING TESTING, INCORRECTLY INSTALLED DRIVER-SIDE KNEE BOLSTER PREVENTED STEERING COLUMN FROM MOVING FORWARD AS DESIGNED TO ABSORB IMPACT ENERGY FROM DRIVER DUMMY.

Risk. CHEST DECELERATION EXCEEDS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE LIMIT WHICHRESULTS IN INCREASED RISK OF OCCUPANT INJURY IN A SUDDEN STOP OR ACCIDENT.

Remedy. REPAIR THE KNEE BOLSTER TO ALLOW CLEARANCE AND AVOID IMPEDANCE OF STEERING COLUMN MOVEMENT DURING FRONTAL IMPACT.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Apr 26, 200471,117 milesVT

ENGINE PROFILE GASKET FOR M42 ENGINE 4CYL, 16 VALVE HAS FAILED ALLOWING ALL COOLANT FLUID TO LEAK FROM ENGINE.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed Oct 12, 200368,881 milesOH

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A COOLANT LEAK. *JB THE COOLANT LEAKED FROM A FAULTY PROFILE GASKET. THE FAULTY GASKET WAS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL BUT THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. THE CONSUMER PAID FOR THE REPAIRS AND REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER REVIEWED THE CASE AND DECIDED NOT TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CONSUMER HAS THE OLD PART IN HER POSSESSION. *TS *NLM

Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Filed Apr 10, 2002IL

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WILL NOT LATCH AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL LATCH INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK MANUFACTUER AND DEALER UNWILLING TO HELP, CONSUMER REPLACED WITH SECOND HAND PARTS. *TT

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Dec 8, 2000IL

WHEN STRIKING A WALL HEAD-ON AT 40 MPH DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 7, 2000CA

I HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED HOW MANY OTHER VEHICLES OF THIS TYPE (BMW E30 M42) HAVE BEEN PLAQUED WITH THIS EXACT FAILURE. WITH SO MANY VEHICLES AFFECTED ISN'T A RECALL IN ORDER? THIS REPAIR/FIX COST ME $1258.43 AND BMW KNEW THE PROBLEM EXISTED!

Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed Jul 19, 2000VA

CONSUMER PUT KEY INTO IGNITION AND IT WOULDN'T TURN AT ALL. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jan 20, 1998CT

ENGINE GASKET FAILURE.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Dec 31, 1996NJ

TIMING CASE PROFILE GASKETS FAILED WHICH IN TURN RELEASES ALL COOLANT IN THE SYSTEM.

8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1995
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20033000Routine
20014000Routine
19988000Routine
19975100Routine
19963100Routine
199514210Routine
199414200Routine
199311200Routine
19928300Routine
1991 — this page8100Routine

Compare every 318i year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Apr 10, 1991. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.