BMW E46
Owners filed 45 complaints across 16 model years of the BMW E46. The 2000 drew the most (18).
Which BMW E46 years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 BMW E46 model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every BMW E46 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 2004 | 4 | 1 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | — | — | Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices | Routine | |
| 2001 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 2000 | 18 | 4 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1999 | 1 | 4 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 1998 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1997 | 4 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags › Side/Window | Routine | |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Fuel System, Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1995 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1994 | 3 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control Module | Routine | |
| 1993 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | Seats › Front Assembly › Seat Heater/Cooler | Routine | |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1991 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1990 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | Electrical System | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.