1994 BMW E46

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › ignition › anti-theft › control module. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000
Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch1
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control Module1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting06E040000
Filed May 15, 20061,648 vehiclesE Speed Racing

Defect. CERTAIN E SPEED RACING COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Risk. WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy. E SPEED RACING WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 10, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT E SPEED RACING 909-923-3636.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch
Filed Oct 17, 2007TX

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 BMW E46. THE CONTACT HAS NOT YET RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FOR HIS VEHICLE. HE MOVED, WHICH MAY BE THE REASON WHY HE HAS NOT RECEIVED IT IN THE MAIL. THE CONTACT FELT THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE REPAIRED FOR FREE EVEN THOUGH HE HAS NOT RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER. HE STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR THE BRAKE LIGHT REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Sep 1, 2007110,000 milesNM

I WAS RECENTLY DRIVING A 1994 BMW 740I WITH APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES ON IT, IT HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OF VERY WELL, AND UNEXPECTEDLY THE TRANSMISSION WILL "REST" IN A NEUTRAL STATE WHEN IT IS PUT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. THIS MEANS IT WILL GO BACKWARDS WHEN IT IS ON AN INCLINE, MAKING IT VERY UNSAFE. THIS PROBLEM DID NOT EXIST PREVIOUSLY WITH THE VEHICLE, AND AFTER MANY MANY HOURS OF RESEARCHING ONLINE, THIS PROBLEM AFFECTS MANY DIFFERENT MODELS OF VEHICLE THAT BMW MAKES. *JB

Electrical System › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control Module
Filed Jan 26, 2007MD

I WAS TRAPPED INSIDE MY BMW BECAUSE OF A FAULTY DOUBLE-LOCKING ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. IT WAS QUITE TRAUMATIC. BMW USA REFUSES TO BE OF ANY HELP....OR TO REPLACE THE DOUBLE LOCKING SYSTEM SOFTWARE BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLE'S AGE, DESPITE THE CANADIAN AND USA RECALL OF SIMILAR SOFTWARE SYSTEMS. THE CAR WAS IMMOBILIZED AND THE WINDOWS UNABLE TO OPEN. (THE OWNER'S MANUAL NOTES THIS SYSTEM IS NOT TO BE ENGAGED WHILE PASSENGERS ARE IN THE VEHICLE. THERE IS "POSITIVELY" NO WAY OUT, IT SAYS, AND THE ONLY WAY TO DISABLE THE SYSTEM IS TO USE THE MASTER KEY ON THE OUTSIDE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK). AFTER ONE HOUR, THE ONLY WAY OUT WAS FOR SOMEONE TO BREAK THE GLASS WINDOW FROM THE OUTSIDE FOR ME TO EXIT. THIS SYSTEM HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED, HOWEVER, MY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE BMW 525IS DOUBLE LOCKING SYSTEM WAS RECALLED IN 1994 (FOR THE SAME DOUBLE LOCKING SYSTEM-SEE BELOW) THERE IS A CANADIAN RECALL, I LEARNED IN MY RESEARCH ALSO (SEE BELOW) UNITED STATES RECALL FOR THE 525 SERIES (NOT THE 530 WHICH IS OURS) NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 94V219000 COMPONENT: 1994 BMW 5-SERIES LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 1994 BMW 525ITA LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH THE DOUBLE-LOCK FEATURE CAN ENGAGE WITH OCCUPANTS AND THE DOOR/IGNITION KEY INSIDE THE VEHICLE. CONSEQUENCE: THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE UNABLE TO EXIT EITHER FROM THE DOORS OR FROM THE WINDOWS OF THE VEHICLE. DRIVE-AWAY PROTECTION WOULD PREVENT THE ENGINE FROM STARTING. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE GENERAL CONTROL MODULE WITH ONE CON

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20050100Routine
20044100Routine
20031100Routine
20022200Routine
20010400Routine
200018400Routine
19991400Routine
19980200Routine
19974100Routine
19961100Routine
19956100Routine
1994 — this page3100Routine
19933110Routine
19920100Routine
19910100Routine
19902110Routine

Compare every E46 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: May 15, 2006. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.