Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › cooling system. It has been recalled 3 times.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly
1
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
1
0
0
0
Air Bags
1
1
0
1
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
Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Dec 7, 2001TX
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE FRONT OF HER VEHICLE SMASHED INTO THE RIGHT REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, CONSUMERS AIR BAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING A DEEP LACERATION TO HER ARM, AND SEVERE DISCOLORATION TO HER FOREARM, CONSUMER CONTINUES TO UNDERGO TREATMENT AND BELIEVES THAT THE DESIGN OF THE AIR BAG AND ITS SUBSEQUENT DEPLOYMENT WAS THE CAUSE OF HER INJURIES. *SLC
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly
Filed Apr 12, 2000NJ
BMW ACKNOWLEDGED DEFECT IN RADIATOR CAP ON THIS SPECIFIC VEHICLE SAYING IT CAN CAUSE EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN SYSTEM, BUT WILL NOT REPAIR PROBLEMS THAT IT CAUSES FROM THE DEFECTIVE PART. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed Sep 21, 1999RI
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED RECALL COMPONENT FAILURE PRIOR TO NOTICE RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM REPAIRS (98V-178). MJS
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.