1996 BMW 318Ic

Routine

Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seat belts › front › anchorage. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly	1		0	0	0
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage	1		0	0	0

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports

Vehicle Speed Control97V131000

Filed Aug 19, 1997410,000 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke

Defect. THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE BUSHING. IN THIS CASE, DURING APPLICATION OF THE THROTTLE PEDAL WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL BEING ENGAGED, THE OUTER TUBE COULD CATCH ON THE EDGE OF THE BROKEN BUSHING.

Risk. THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.

What owners reported

Newest filings

Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly

Filed Sep 9, 2006CA

REPEATED INSTANCE OF SEAT BELT LOCK FAILURE AS RELATING TO AIR BAG. DRIVERS SIDE BRACKET HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES. IT SEEMS THE WIRING OR SWITCH KEEPS FAILING AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON. ESPECIALLY TRUE AFTER HARD STOPS. SHOP SAYS AIR BAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY IF NOT REPAIRED. *JB

Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage

Filed Jan 5, 2001SC

THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT BROKE. NLM

2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1995

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Assessment
2003	2	0	0	Routine
2001	2	0	0	Routine
2000	1	0	0	Routine
1997	1	1	0	Routine
1996 — this page	2	1	0	Routine
1995	4	3	1	Routine
1994	1	2	0	Routine
1993	0	1	0	Routine
1992	1	1	0	Routine

Compare every 318Ic year →

Other BMW models

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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: Aug 19, 1997. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.