Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1992 BMW 318 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE AFFECTED GASKET IS KNOWN TO BE OF A DEFECTIVE NATURE AND IS PRONE TO FAILURE AT SOME POINT IN THE VEHICLE'S LIFE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT. THE ORIGINAL PART AND REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE REFERENCED IN A BMW TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 11 10 93 (3885). THUS FAR, BMW HAS CHOSEN ONLY TO EVALUATE EACH CASE INDIVIDUALLY AND SELECTIVELY REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS FOR VEHICLES WHICH ARE OUT OF WARRANTY.
VEHICLES HAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT FROM THE ENGINE DUE TO A DEFECTIVE DESIGN. THE MANUFACTURER-BMW HAS ISSUED A TSB ON THIS PROBLEM. *AK
ENGINE TIMING CHAIN/ENGINE MAIN HEAD GASKET FAILED. *AK
A GASKET WEARS OUT IN THE ENGINE VALVE TRAIN, CAUSING COOLANT LOSS. *AK
TIMING CASE PROFILE GASKET FAILED, ALLOWING A SUDDEN AND IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF MOST OR ALL OF THE COOLANT (RADIATOR) WHILE TRAVELING.
ENGINE GASKET FAILED, CAUSING COOLANT LEAK. *AK
ENGINE PROFILE GASKET FAILURE, CAUSING LOSS OF HOT COOLANT, RESULTING IN A FOG OF WHITE STEAM WHICH COULD IMPAIR VISIBILITY. *AK
THE HEAD AND THE GASKETS AND THEY ARE PORUS AND THEY FALL APART. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
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.
Data on this page last refreshed .