2008 BMW M3
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2008 BMW M3. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
5 recalls name the 2008 BMW M3. Newest first.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i…
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2009 328i and 328xi, 2009-2011 335d, 2008-2012 M3 Coupe and M3 Convertible, and 2008-2011 M3 Sedan vehicles. The connection of the positive battery cable at the fuse box terminal may degrade, resulting in an intermittent loss of electrical power.
A loss of electrical power can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace and secure the positive battery cable connector, free of charge. The recall began August 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall is an expansion of a previous recall, number 18V-314.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2011 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi and M3, 2007-2011 328i xDrive, 335i xDrive and 335is and 2009-2011 335d vehicles. The wiring and electrical connectors for the system that controls air flow for the heating and air conditioning system may overheat.
Wiring that overheats could cause the electrical connectors to melt, and increase the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is unattended.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiring and electrical connectors, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons, 2007-2013 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335xi, 335i…
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW IS recalling 2,500 my 2008-2009 M3 passenger vehicles with an optional double clutch transmission. the problem involves the double clutch gearbox. in a situation of rapid vehicle deceleration, the transmission software may perform a multistage downshift.
In that situation, at low vehicle speeds, it IS possible for the engine to stall increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the engine and transmission electronic control unit with updated software free of charge. the recall began on december 3, 2008. owners may contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
During a regular fuel stop at a gas station, I noticed the central lock button nor the physical door hinge fail to operate to open the door for me to exit. The fuse for the central power door lock/unlock button blew out, completely disabling the interior door hinge mechanism. I got trapped inside but thankfully the power was still on and the rear doors remained unlocked. So, I lowered the driverside window and crawl outside. Then open the unlocked reer door to enter the vehicle from the back seat. Then located the fuse box, searched on the internet to itenfy the effected fuse, replaced damaged one to another fuse (dedicated to another function), temporarily replaced with the same ampage fuse. For my vehicle, there is no visible solution to enter the physical key to open the door from the outside that are typically found under the exterior door handle. If it wasn't for a combination of luck that the other door remained unlocked, had power to lower the window, have some knowledge of vehicle electrical system (fuse), and tolerable weather condition, I would've been stuck inside my car for indifinite time, or break the window to get to exit. I would testify that this is a serious safety concern the manufacturer should investigate and provide permanent resolution.
Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor error displayed in vehicle information center. Warning restraint/Air Bag not functioning properly. This was taken to the BMW dealership for diagnosis, and it was determined the Passenger Occupancy Sensor has failed and needs to be replaced. There was no recall listed for this issue. I found there was a Service Information Bulletin from BMW acknowledging the issue SB-10056703-9690 with many affected models of vehicles, that has been updated in 2018 to include additional. It currently does not list the E93 model, but does list E90 and E91 and stated the affected component if electric adjustable seats is seat option code 459. My vehicle has the same option code as listed as the affected components. BMW extended warranty coverage for owners of vehicles adding additional models with E91 in 2018. They should cover over models with the affected component as it presents a safety issue and is a common failing part.
Visible gasoline leak from the chassis under the driver side rear passenger area. Stationary inside garage.
While driving at approximately 70mph on the highway, cel came on, car went into limp mode, before losing power altogether while driving. Vehicle would not turn back on. Report of engine damage requiring an entire replacement.
TL* the contact owns a 2008 BMW M3. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in reverse on a hill. The emergency brake was not applied properly and the vehicle rolled down the hill and crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's vehicle sustained damages to the hood, bumper, and fender. The vehicle was towed by aaa to automaster BMW (3328 shelburne rd, #3, shelburne, vt 05482, (802) 985-1850) where it was diagnosed that the electrical system needed to be replaced. The electrical system was replaced; however, the body damage was not repaired. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 19v472000 (electrical system) as a potential cause of the failure, but he had not received a recall notice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and assisted with the repair cost. The vehicle was currently at an independent mechanic to have the body damage repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. *tr*jb
Nhtsa recall number: 17v676 this recall was issued over a year ago and still have yet to be contacted by BMW to resolve the recall or provide any recourse. What IS the typical response time?
TL* the contact owns a 2008 BMW M3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v676000 (electrical system); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer (basney BMW mazda, 52203 in-933, south bend, in 46637, (574) 272-8504) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. 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. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Takata recall. despite my having received 2 recall notices regarding my airbag, and my car's vin being listed on nhtsa.dot.gov as being subject to an airbag recall, the BMW dealer listed on my recall notice, BMW of mountain view, in mountain view, california, refused to do the recall repair on 5/16/2018 on the basis that their computer system said there were no open recalls on the vehicle. they further said that the recall notice I received meant that their might be a recall but that in fact there was no recall.
Passenger restraint error keeps coming up due to fault in seat mats. Recalled for other 3 series vehicles, 2008 M3 should be included in recall.
I've been driving BMW for over 12 years. My absolute favorite car to drive. I've had my M3 for a year. My dream car. I took the upmost care of her. coming home from work late monday driving around 65-70 miles per hour. I heard a loud noise from my car and an engine malfunction notification on my car. Almost hit an 18 wheeler as my car lost control before I swerved into a ditch. had it towed to my mechanic where he confirmed a piece of a rod poking out the lower part of my block. I never thought the rod bearing failure would ever happen to me! It happened. I currently have no car and I still make payments. I have to get a ride to work which I hate. BMW should be held responsible for all S65 motors that have these no clearance rod bearings. This was my baby. Now she'll never be the same again.
Connecting rod bearing failure while driving. Starting making a loud ticking sound from the bottom end of the motor.
I have a BMW E92 chassis. I have spoken to many, many owners of the same BMW and they have said the same thing. the throttle body actuators are defective on these bmws. when the malfunction takes place the BMW goes into limp mode. the car IS not able to rev above 3K rpm nor go a speed of over 55 mph. this IS incredibly dangerous on the interstate when your car does this. I did not feel safe as well as many people I've talked to and this has happened to them. it IS a known issue on the E92 BMW around 79,000 miles. the BMW M3 of this year IS very popular and there are many owners. the rod bearings also go out in this car and create the same safety issue. I believe the throttle actuators and rod bearings going bad and putting the car into limp mode IS an incredibly dangerous issue. I have called BMW na and they will not look into them as they are not an 'active recall'.
Received a loss of power warning for the car. took it to the shop, shop was unable to diagnose the problem but stated that it was probably a bent red. took it to get a second opinion. no compression in the 4TH cylinder but there IS obvious cylinder wall deformation and small piston shrinkage.
I was driving from work and heard a loud metal knocking noise coming from the engine compartment. I immediately stopped and called a tow truck. The car was towed to kummrow automotive. They diagnosed that this IS a catastrophic rod bearing failure. How could this happen in a car with a little over 60,000 miles? I knew about the potential rod bearing issue and the class action suits, but since this issue affects less than 1% of the vehicles and since I bought a vehicle that was never tracked, babied all of its life, I felt confident I wasn't going to be one of the unlucky ones. I am extremely disappointed in the way I was treated by BMW na after so many years of being a loyal customer and a BMW enthusiast. The S65 (M3) and S85 (M5) engine rod bearing issue has been very well documented over the years. I reported the issue to BMW na and corresponded with you and scott kuchta via email as well as on the phone. It's been going back and forth for over a week. I spoke with scott on monday and he informed me that BMW na IS not aware of any rod bearing issues with my engine and that since the car wasn't maintained at the dealer, BMW na won't be able to offer any assistance. The car was serviced at BMW of sterling in va all of its life exclusively from 2008 through 2013. The second owner had the car from 2013 through 2017 and put 3,000 miles on it. That's it! So, he did one oil change. The car was babied all of its life. As far as the rod bearing issue, a simple search for the engine (S65) or the model number (E92 M3) generates pages and pages of information on the subject. Any BMW licensed or independent mechanic IS very well aware of this issue. This IS very disappointing and discouraging that BMW na wouldn't stand up to its reputation and do the right thing here. This IS a very well-documented problem with the S65 engine. I am hoping BMW will do the right thing here.
Connecting rod bearing failure. Well maintained at dealership and certified indy shop. crankshaft was heavily damaged because lack of oil due to incorrect bearing and connecting rod clearances from factory. engine IS unrepairable. Check by BMW and refuse to assist in replacement. Car was stationary and had been idling for 1 min.
Failed bearings engine had to replace engine happened while driving on the highway
I have been trying to reach my dealer to fix the steering wheel airbag (takata) and they are still saying ' no solution available yet' I need this fixed to feel safe driving my BMW again.
I was driving my car at bout 1AM on a clear 45 degree morning. I was driving at about 54 mph on a freeway. I heard a noise come from my engine, it sound like metal being grind. My vehicle then shut off I lost power steering causing me to run into a ditch. When I finally came to a stop I noticed the vehicle will not re start. I called a tow truck. When the truck moved my car I noticed a lot of engine oil under the car. I had the truck towed to a BMW mechanic. The mechanic told me " one of your rod bearings broke sending a rod through your oil pan". And I have tiny pieces of metal all inside of my engine. He also told me that I will need a new engine.
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 BMW M3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v071000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer and dealer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Throttle actuator problem: IS caused by an engineering defect in the actuator gears which deteriorate under 60,000 miles and cause the engine to go to "limp" mode. Once in limp mode the engine may stall and won't accelerate as normal; which was my case when it occurred on the highway causing a great danger to myself and society.
Engine failure resulting in loss of power at speed while driving. engine failed because of rod bearing issue which IS well known in these engines. *tr
Rod bearing failure! Today while entering the freeway I heard a loud boom followed by the engine turning off. I towed the car home and after inspection I found the cylinder 8 piston has blown through the block. The car has just broke 100K miles,has always been serviced on time and showed no prior indication of any issues. I had this car in the shop for a check up from bmw's "master tech" with no notes of any noises or issues.
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 BMW M3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 126v071000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
ABS hydro unit on E92 M3 2008 just failed, it IS a common issue on all BMW cars, though problem IS over the year and because of poor soldiering these unit fails, causing braking problem, cruise control not working irresponsive, and stability control problems.
My BMW have headlights insulation flaking off, this IS really scary because I'm afraid to get my car getting fire.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.
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.