2003 BMW 3 Series
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › BMW › 3 Series › 2003
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2003 BMW 3 Series. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 BMW 3 series. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 15v318000 (air bags) and 13v172000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An appointment was made to BMW of pleasant grove (2111 w grove pkwy, pleasant grove, ut 84062, (801) 443-2000) who stated that the parts were not available for the recall remedies. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unknown. *Tt consumer stated he made an appointment at BMW of pleasant grove. *Jb
Brake lights on both sides gets stuck on once the pedal IS pressed. This produces no error codes. I was told it could be the brake pedal pressure sensor switch. I changed this and it did nothing. This IS very dangerous to other drivers because they are not sure if the car IS braking as the light IS always on and will burn out the bulbs and melt the housing if constantly on. This can be reproduced either while parked or in motion.
2003 BMW 325I low fuel stall
Transmission will drop out of gear and shut car down, while vehicle in motion during normal use. vehicle will only work when cold, manufacturer IS aware of badly designed smg temp sensor and negligently designed computer logic that shifts transmission to neutral and shuts car down.
The zkw xenon headlights have a flaw in the plastic projector housing. the housing gets too hot and melts and the light output IS severely restricted. This happens to 100% of the headlights made by this manufacturer and IS a safety issue. the reflective coating on the headlights melts and the light can no longer be projected out correctly. the fog lights are now brighter then the headlights. the vehicle can no longer be safely driven at night. spare parts are not available and the only fix IS to replace the entire headlights at a cost of over $2000. there should be a recall to replace the headlights as this IS a safety issue of not being able to see.
Takata recall. After waiting 9 months for replacement of passenger side air bag I received another recall notice for the drivers side airbag. It has now been nearly 15 months and no remedy in sight . Received a " final remedy available " letter dated sept. 2016 asking that I call dealer for repair. Called local dealer october 10/16 and was told no parts are available.i have not had full use of my vehicle for nearly 2 years and see no remedy coming anytime soon.
Takata inflators. manufacturer has not pursued the existing recall in even a remotely timely manner. I was notified by letter dated july 2015 of the recall. that was over 14 months ago! I called my local BMW service center who informed me the required parts were still not available. The representative here at safecar.gov notified me that parts are available. when I contacted manufacturer "national recall call center" (800-831-1117), as recommended by rep here at safecar, they said they weren't for my vin. when I informed them I had inquired here with this agency and was told the parts were available, the national center said they'd call me back in 48 hours. they never did. does anyone take these safety recalls seriously? the manufacturer certainly isn't.
I sent you my first complaint on or around august 10, 2016, and only received a 'thank you' return note, and that you would get back to me. you have not! to recapitulate the earlier complaint, I received recall campaign no. 15V-318 in july 2015, and have since not received anything from BMW. I called BMW customer relations around august 4, to find out the status of the airbag replacement. after getting no information from the first customer relations person, I was connected to a supervisor who also gave me no information. I asked when I could expect a airbag replacement - they told me 'probably before the end of the year'. I told them this was an unacceptable, dangerous situation, with the supervisor's response that 'nobody had died in a BMW of an airbag incident'. while it IS good nobody has died, the response was less than acceptable. it IS now a week later, august 18 - and still no further response from BMW or from the nhtsa. you guys have been working this - IS it safe to drive my car or not? are you asking or working with BMW to resolve this? when can I expect a replacement airbag, or at least a response from BMW or the nhtsa? please get back to me - your in-action IS not acceptable either. sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Dear sirs: I received a recall notice (15v-318) in july 2015, for the front, driver's side airbag recall for my 2003 BMW 330I. since that time I have not received any additional correspondence from BMW or anyone, to provide status. I called bmwusa, customer service on august 2, 2016 - I first talked to anthony smith, who recited prescribed verbage, that I would be contacted once replacement airbags were received. I asked when - he could only say 'probably before the end of 2016'. I told him bmw's handling of this was less than acceptable, and asked to talk to a supervisor - I was connected to a person named cole, who refused the courtesy of providing a last name, only his extension of x8917. I asked cole when I could expect to receive a replacement airbag; he could not answer that. I told cole I was deeply upset for not receiving any information (at all) from BMW since july 2015, and was deeply concerned for my safety and that of my passengers. he would only say that 'no one had died' of an airbag incident in a BMW - yet, and could offer no other options or comfort for me. I wrote an email letter to bmwusa that same day, detailing what I wrote in this note, receiving a note back from bmwusa (correspondence 1-7149508707), thanking me for my writing them, and that they had forwarded my email to cole for review - and of course I have not heard from them since. Its obvious that bmwusa customer relations group IS less than compassionate for their customers. my friends that work at honda are telling me to 'get out my car', regardless of what BMW IS saying - this IS a dangerous, unacceptable risk. please let me know what you think - I think at the very least that BMW should put me in a safe car until they can replace this defective airbag. thanks for your time.
This IS a california car parked outside from 2003-2014. From 2014-2016 IS has been parked outside in north carolina. I would think a 13 year old car with this history would be in the priority a group. It IS been hot and humid its entire life. It needs to be replaced now. It's just a matter of time.
TL* the contact owns a 2013 baby trend expedition travel system (na), model number: tj94773. The seat was manufactured on march 10, 2012. The safety seat was being utilized in a 2003 BMW 3 series. After both rear latches were connected, the rear passenger side latch fractured. The failure occurred inside the vehicle. The child was not in the safety seat at the time of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. ......Updated 07/26/16 *bf
"Takata recall" the drivers door air bag light came on and would not go off . So we took the car to BMW dealer and was told the air bag was defective. We were given a recall # 15v318 , its over a year we have been waiting for car to be repaired and when we call BMW at 1-800-831-1117 to check we were told that they will get to it in good time so we should wait, it IS now april how much longer do we have to wait? no one can give us an answer
Purchase a 2003 BMW 325I on 11-18-2016 . Unable to take possession of the vehicle from the dealer due to the outstanding takata airbag recall. The dealer IS not a BMW store and I don't blame them for letting a customer get into a unsafe vehicle. BMW IS dragging their feet on the repair of these defective airbags.
I have been on hold since the fall of 2014 on a driver side airbag. The dealer has no inventory and no eta. This IS unacceptable. dodge changed my airbag (also takata) within 10 days of my recall notice. it's been over a year and a half with BMW. penalize them like you did fca
BMW of north america has failed to notify about two air bag recalls, one for the passenger side and one for the driver side, affecting my car, even though they have verified that they have my correct address. I have contacted them for each incident, twice in 2014 for the first recall and once on 9/24/2015 for the current recall.they have not been able to explain why they do not contact me.
BMW of champaign , illinois has refused to repair my airbags. I have attempted to resolve this problem through their attorney, david sholem. His response has been to hang up on me or not respond at all. this IS a serious problem, as they have agnoliged ( copy available). I have asked for at least financial assistance to travel to another BMW dealer nearly 100 miles away to relieve the hardship they created. BMW champaign IS located less than 2 miles from my residence.i purchased this vehicle from BMW of champaign with an open recall even though the vehicle was advertised as being "fully reconditioned.
Almost 6 months ago, I was notified by BMW about a recall because of air bag(s) and was advised that I would be called shortly for repair/ replacement. contacted BMW numerous times by phone and mail and every time was advised that parts should be in shortly. if they cannot find the parts for so long, there should be some alternate. Knowing a safety issue and not correcting it and letting the driver(s) on a chance for a tragedy should not be acceptable. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 BMW 3 series. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags) however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unavailable.
Last year we were notified by BMW us that our car was being recalled for the passenger side airbag malfunction and BMW dealers were responsible to fix the problem. Since then we have contacted BMW us numerous times and our local san francisco BMW dealer to schedule an appointment. Unfortunately, we were repeatedly told the same answer that we will have to wait until the parts are available for replacing the air bag. Finally, we were able to set up an appointment with our BMW local dealership for february 4, 2015. When we took the car there, we were told once again, by their 'service consultant rubi huey, that there are still no parts available to fix it and they could not even give us an approximate date as to when they would take care of this serious problem. Needless to say that we are very frustrated with this situation not only that BMW IS not making the necessary effort to resolve this dangerously essential and hazardous repair which IS necessary to being able to sell the car, which IS a huge priority for us. we hope that you can resolve this problem soon. Thank you. *js
Originar request car gone for repair: main issue; leak of anti-free, pump issue. Hose replacement. 2012 - package results no included in our original requests. suspension problem: tech found both rear coil springs broken. note by car's owner: we when ahead and replaced both, although around 90% of my drive IS in highways and my frequent passenger IS only a 3 year old boy. Repair cost: us$400.00 --------------------------------------- 2015- car brought over the dealership for "computer programming" as service was not available anywhere. recommended services by the dealership: - "replace rear coil springs with lower pads. (Both rear coil springs are broken) note: - although, we 'd like to make this repair we did not agreed to do so. - the tag price scaled to us766.28 without tax and we've been in a tight budget. - you may try searching online for "BMW rear coil springs complain, issue or problems." there are literally hundreds of complains on bmw's rear spring fail but still not recall, ( although by BMW own admission this should be consider a serious safety issue. *tr
In september 2014 I received a notice re: recall campaign no. 14V-428 front passenger air bag. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front passenger's air bag, excessive internal pressure could cause rupture of the air bag inflator, resulting in metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the front passenger or other passenger. BMW has done nothing to replace this air bag. They continue to say that they have not received the parts. This IS unacceptable in that 4 months have passed with nothing resolved. I, along with other BMW drivers, are at risk and we need you to take action for all of us. *tr
Re: campaign # 14v-428 I received an 'important safety recall' regarding a defective passenger airbag. I have been in touch via email and phone calls with BMW of north america to no avail. they advise they do not have parts yet. my dealer, habberstad, huntington, ny also advises they do not have parts. I am on a list to be serviced when parts are received. this letter IS dated september 2014, it IS now december 23, 2014 and I am still riding in a deathtrap. I have been advised not to have any front passengers or store anything on the seat! I cannot have my 3 grandchildren in the car or any other passengers. this IS absurd! I have given BMW 3 fair options: 1-secure the necessary parts to make my auto safe...2-give me a loaner until such time...or buy the car from me at a very fair price (as I couldn't sell it privately) so I can purchase another car. why isn't the consumer's safety a top priority, and what IS being done by the nhtsa to ensure this??? *tr
I have contacted a BMW dealer and BMW USA regarding the takata airbag recall. the dealer has been unable to secure the part and has contacted other dealers to secure an airbag. none have been available. this recall began in august. I was not notified by BMW USA regarding the recall and searched the safecar.gov data and found my vehicle was implicated. the dealer advised me not to drive the vehicle with a passenger inside until the part IS replaced. I contacted BMW USA this week inquiring as to when this part will be available. I informed the customer service representative that this vehicle has not been driven for several months. fortunately, this IS not my primary vehicle. I was informed that BMW IS dilegently working to solve this issue but the parts were unavailable and there IS no time frame for when they would be available. when I voiced my concern that (1) I was the only owner of the vehicle (10 years) and had not been informed of the recall. I was told my file had been recently updated. (2) I was dissatisfied with this unacceptable response and concerned that I cannot drive this vehicle, the customer service rep informed me that she had no further information to provide and that I was rude; this was not a personal attack on me and that I had no reason for attacking her for the information that she provided. I implore your organization to ensure that BMW USA expedite this recall and replacement of parts so that I can drive this vehicle without further safety concerns. I appreciate your attention to this matter. *tr
Re: BMW airbag recall campaign 14v428 upon receiving the recall notice I immediately called my local dealer. bmw's authorized and franchised dealership (century BMW in grenville, sc ) informed me that BMW USA would contact us as parts became available. a month passed since receiving the initial nhtsa 14v428 notice (tanaka airbag) and I had no follow up. therefore, I called century BMW again this morning : this time they took my info and are ordering the parts. BMW may a have contingent liabilities as some people are most likely waiting for another notice from BMW USA; based on the dealers initial representations . recalls are never a pleasant experience but the risks associated with this safety defect merit serious action and follow-up as some owners were notified to wait for a 2ND notice from BMW usa...and none has come in 30+ days. I understand oems and tanaka are probably scrambling to get "good parts" but this "tactic" or error in misinforming owners IS putting the public at risk. People have died because of this defect and owners are awaiting a 2ND notification that may never come. I am glad I followed-up myself. please force BMW to inform the public correctly on parts availability. BMW has the responsibility to contact registered owners. Owners are presently waiting. Misinformed and driving (literally) a ticking time bomb that can, and has, exploded and injured/killed people.. *tr
I was traveling n/b on route 1 in elkridge maryland @ intersection ducketts lane on 10/9/14 @ 4:47 pm. I was involved in a 4 car pile up crash, I was stopped - the vehicle behind me was struck by a speeding motorist which caused a chain reaction & struck my BMW and knocking me into the vehicle in front of me. Both front airbags exploded with caused a severe burn to my right hand. My vehicle was a total loss and the at-fault driver's insurance has possession of the vehicle. I was immediately taken by ambulance to the hospital with other injuries. Appropriately two weeks before the accident, I received a letter stating that there was a recall on my vehicle, and parts were not available to fix the vehicle, and I would be contacted at a later time. I called and reported this incident to BMW north america this morning - they stated that an executive would get back to me in 1-3 business days.....updated 11/18/14 *bf updated 8/4/2015*js
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
In a letter submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) dated August25, 2011, BMWindicated that it will conduct a voluntary recall campaign to remedy the subject vehicles.The issue involves the rear lamps in the vehicles body panel.Through normal vehicle use over time, the rear lamps ground wiring and associated 8-pin connector can experience an increase of the resistance at the electrical contact points.This can lead to intermittent or permanent loss of the rear lamp functions which include tail, brake, and turn signal operation.The recall consists of modifying the rear lamps in the vehicles body panel by adding a secondary ground connection in parallel to the existing primary ground connection.An 8-pin connector that attaches the primary ground wiring to the rear lamp assembly will also be inspected and replaced if necessary.BMW will complete dealer notification in September 2011 and will begin owner notification in October 2011.All 3 series sedans (except for the M3 sedan which utilized a different rear lamp assembly) that were built between September 1, 2001 and March 1, 2005 are included in this recall, totalling approximately 241,000 vehicles.The action taken by BMW is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly IS not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue IS with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the system.bmw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) sib-630306 on february 2007 to address the condition by adding supplementary ground wiring to the tail lamp assembly.odi IS upgrading to an ea to further investigate the issue.
In march 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. Mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 BMW 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to BMW in april 2009, and odi received bmw's response in june 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin (tsb) was issued by BMW in january of 2007 instructing service technicians to examine an 8 pin electrical connector for heat-related damage and to incorporate additional ground wiring to the connector.complainants have alleged that significant thermal damage to the connector and associated ground wiring has occurred.this condition can result in intermittent or total loss of all lighting (brake, tail, and turn signal) for the effected rear lamp assembly.odi will open a preliminary evaluation to further examine this issue including further evaluating BMW complaints and related warranty data.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.