1997 BMW 3 Series Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1997 BMW 3 Series, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags116.7%
- Body & structure116.7%
- Electrical116.7%
- Engine116.7%
- Suspension116.7%
- Visibility116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
IT SHOWS SEATBELT SIGN AND AIRBAG SIGN
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE ON E36 BMW.. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS ON EVERY BMW FORUM.. THE REAR SUBFRAME MOUNTS TEAR THE FLOOR SHEET METAL AS THEY ARE NOT PROPERLY REINFORCED. I HAVE OWNED 4 SEPARATE CARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND I KNOW COUNTLESS OTHERS. HTTP://WWW.UNOFFICIALBMW.COM/PHPBB/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=10859. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
SUDDEN AND COMPLETE FAILURE OF IGINITION SWITCH. AFTER ROUTINE DRIVE FROM WORK TO THE GYM, I TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO THE OFF POSITION, AND THE ENGINE DID NOT STOP. I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY BUT THE ENGINE KEPT RUNNING. THERE WAS NO WAY TO TUN OFF THE ENGINE USING THE KEY. DROVE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT, MY ENGINE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REVVE HIGHER. IT DID NOT TAMPER DOWN UNTIL I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REVVE WHEN I BEGAN TO DRIVE AGAIN UNTIL I CAME TO MY DESTINATION AND PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. IT DROVE FINE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT THAT DAY. BEFORE THE INCIDENT I HAD TURNED ON THE A/C. ON TUESDAY (2 DAYS LATER) IT UNINTENTIONALLY ACCELERATED AGAIN AT HIGHER REVOLUTIONS AT THE SAME STOP LIGHT. I REPEATED WHAT I DID BUT THIS INCIDENT, THE CAR DID NOT THROTTLE DOWN. IT WAS AS IF IT WAS IN MANUAL MODE WITH THROTTLE FULLY OPENED. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THEN PARK. MY DESTINATION AT BOTH TIMES WAS 10 MIN AWAY. IT DROVE FINE EVER SINCE. I HAD THE CAR ABOUT A WEEK. I DID TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND IT DID NOT HAVE ANY HISTORY OF THIS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
REAR SUSPENSION FAILURE ON E36 BMW.. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS ON EVERY BMW FORUM.. THE REAR SUBFRAME MOUNTS TEAR THE FLOOR SHEET METAL AS THEY ARE NOT PROPERLY REINFORCED. I HAVE OWNED 4 SEPARATE CARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND I KNOW COUNTLESS OTHERS. HTTP://WWW.UNOFFICIALBMW.COM/PHPBB/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=10859. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THROUGH CAR CLUBS, PARTS SUPPLIERS AND THE MECHANICS PROVIDING REPAIRS THAT THE ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL UNIT OFTEN FAILS COMPLETELY OR BECOMES INTERMITTENT IN OPERATION. WHEN IT FAILS THERE IS NO CONTROLS OR CHANCE OF CHANGING FUNCTIONS. THIS ALLOWS THE CONDITION TO EXIST THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATOR CAN NOT SELECT THE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER FUNCTION AND POSSIBLY IMPAIRING THE DRIVERS ABILITY TO VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE TWO CARS OF THIS BUILD TYPE AND THEY BOTH HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE MECHANICS REPAIR BILLS OFTEN AMOUNTS TO AN EXCESS OF $400 PER REPAIR. HERE IS A QUOTE FROM A REPUTABLE PARTS SOURCE, WWW.BAVAUTO.COM WEBSITE: THIS IS THE DIGITAL CLIMATE CONTROL COMPUTER. THESE ARE A COMMON FAILURE ITEM ON ALL 1996-1999 3 SERIES. WHEN THESE FAIL, THE LCD SCREEN WILL GO DIM/BLANK (USUALLY IINTERMITTENTLY AND EVENTUALLY PERMANENTLY) AND THE VENTILATION & AIR SYSTEM WILL NOT FUNCTION." PART NUMBER: 64 11 8 379 521 DESCRIPTION: CLIMATE CONTROL COMPUTER MODULE - IN-DASH RICE: 74.95. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .