Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. It has been recalled 3 times.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
1
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
1
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
1
0
0
0
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
1
0
0
0
Air Bags
1
0
0
0
3 safety recalls
Part 573 reports
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System98V178000
Filed Aug 4, 1998340,000 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke
Defect. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF A COOLANT SYSTEM COMPONENT, SUCH AS A THERMOSTAT, WATER PUMP, OR FAN BELT, CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED COOLANT TEMPERATURE AND SYSTEM PRESSURE. IF THE INDICATIONS OF A CRITICAL OVERHEATING CONDITION IS NOT NOTICED BY THE DRIVER, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DAMAGE TO, OR FAILURE OF, A COOLANT SYSTEM COMPONENT COULD OCCUR.
Risk. IF A CRACK WERE TO FORM OR A SEAM WERE TO SEPARATE IN THE HEATER CORE END PIECE, HOT COOLANT COULD SUDDENLY BE EXPELLED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO A VEHICLE OCCUPANT.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN RADIATOR CAP TO CONTROL PRESSURE AND PROVIDE GREATER COOLANT OVERFLOW IN THE EVENT OF OVERHEATING.
Air Bags › Frontal96V110000
Filed Jul 1, 199675,000 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke
Defect. THE AIR BAG CONTACT RING LOCKING TAB LOCATED IN THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY CAN BREAK WITHOUT WARNING.
Risk. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE CONTACT RING WIRING COULD EVENTUALLY BREAK. THE AIR BAG READINESS INDICATOR LAMP (SRS OR AIRBAG) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WILL ILLUMINATE, AND THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL IMPACT VEHICLE COLLISION.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOCKING TAB WITH ONE OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN.
Filed Jul 1, 1996180,000 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke
Defect. THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAN FAIL ALLOWING THE SWITCH TO REMAIN IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS OFF" POSITION OR IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS ON" POSITION.
Risk. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE BRAKE LIGHTS EITHER WILL NOT OPERATE OR WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY ON, REGARDLESS OF BRAKE PEDAL POSITION. FOLLOWING DRIVERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS STOPPING, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SWITCH.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed Mar 22, 2001GA
CONSUMER HAD REPLACED MOST OF ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM PARTS. EACH TIME THAT TAKES VEHICLE TO DEALER THEY WILL REPLACE A PART, AND PRESENTLY, VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE FIXED AGAIN.*AK
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
Filed May 16, 2000TX
FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH CAUSED THE STARTER TO BURN UP, RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE LOOSING ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. NLM
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Apr 26, 2000CA
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CONSUMER HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER A FEW TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. BUT PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. *AK
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Jan 15, 2000MA
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Air Bags
Filed Aug 17, 1999NJ
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON BECAUSE OF A WIRE BURNING OUT. DEALER SAYS IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SHORTLY AFTER WIRE WAS REPLACED, THE WARNING LIGHT CAME BACK ON. DEALER SAID IT WAS THE CONTACT RING LOCKING TAB. *AK
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 4, 1998. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.