1997 BMW E46

Routine

Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › side/window. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Structure › Frame and Members1
000
Seats1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor1
000
Air Bags › Side/Window1
001

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
Seats
Filed May 28, 2007FL

THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS SLIDE (DO NOT LOCK IN POSITION). THIS IS IRRITATING AND UNSAFE IN MY OPINION. I ALSO BELIEVE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS MODEL YEAR. *TR

Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor
Filed Feb 21, 2007NC

ON 1/31/07 I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE THE NC INSPECTION DONE. I WAS GIVEN AT THAT TIME A RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP AND GIVE THEM MY VIN NUMBER TO VERIFY. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN CAMPAIGNS ON MY VIN NUMBER ON 2/2/0. ON 2/16/07 MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. I CALLED MY REPAIR SHOP AND DROPPED THE CAR OFF ON MONDAY. I WAS INFORMED TODAY THAT IT WAS NOT THE O2 SENSOR, BUT POSSIBLY THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS GOING TO COST ALOT OF MONEY. I LOVE MY CAR, BUT IF THIS WAS A RECALL I DON'T FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT TO BE FIXED. *NM

Structure › Frame and Members
Filed Jan 3, 2007124,000 milesCA

I OWN A 2000 BMW 323I AND ABOUT A MONTH AGO I HAD STARTED TO NOTICE A FAINT SQUEAKING SOUND FROM THE REAR WHEN MY CAR WAS MOVING, THE SQUEAKING PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE AND WORSE UNTIL THE SOUND WAS SO SEVERE THAT IT COULD BE HEARD EVEN WITH ALL THE WINDOWS UP. I TOOK IT IN TO A MECHANIC WHO IDENTIFIED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS INDEED THAT SUB FRAME SEPARATING FROM THE BODY. AS I FURTHER INVESTIGATED THIS ISSUE, I FOUND DOZENS OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO THE STERLING BMW NEWPORT BEACH COLLISION CENTER WHERE THEY TOLD THAT MY FRAME WAS SEPARATED FROM THE SUB FRAME AND THAT BMW SHOULD AND MOST LIKELY WOULD ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SUBSTANTIAL SAFETY HAZARD. THEY ALSO TOOK ME UNDER THE LIFT TO VISUALLY LOOK AT THE DAMAGE FOR MYSELF AND IT APPEARED THAT THE SHEET METAL THAT THE SUB FRAME WAS BOLTED TO HAD TORN, SIMILAR TO HOW PAPER WOULD TEAR. HE ADVISED ME THAT WAS CAR WAS UNSAFE AND WROTE A STATEMENT OF WHAT HE HAD SEEN SO THAT I COULD FORWARD IT TO MY ATTORNEY AND APPROPRIATE PARTIES, ??STERLING COLLISION PUT VEHICLE ON THE LIFT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FLOOR IS CRACKED ON THE LEFT SIDE WHERE THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSS MEMBERS MEET, THE FLOOR INFORMED THE CUSTOMER THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I CONTACTED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND THEY DENIED RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT, THEY TRIED TO BLAME THE POOR STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING ON HOW THE CAR WAS DRIVEN AND THE AGE OF VEHICLE. I FOUND A FELLOW BMW OWNER (STEVE CLEMONS), WEL

Air Bags › Side/Window1 injured
Filed Sep 22, 200673 milesAL

ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 70-75 MPH WHEN MY SIDE AIRBAG ON THE DRIVER SIDE DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. I HAVE A 1997 BMW 528I WITH APPROXIMATELY 230K MILES. I DO NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE AIRBAG DEPLOYING. I DID NOT HIT ANY POTHOLES. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. I COULD NOT HEAR WELL FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND MY LEFT ARM HAS A LARGE BRUISE ON IT. I TOOK IT BY THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG OR WHY THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WHEN THE AIRBAG WENT OFF, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC THAT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS THE FRONT AIR BAG. *NM

4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20050100Routine
20044100Routine
20031100Routine
20022200Routine
20010400Routine
200018400Routine
19991400Routine
19980200Routine
1997 — this page4100Routine
19961100Routine
19956100Routine
19943100Routine
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.