RoadVitals

1995 BMW 318

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
19
Latest Aug 18, 2003
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
6
4 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 19 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1995 BMW 318, most frequently naming the airbags, transmission and electrical categories. 5 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags725.9%
  • Transmission414.8%
  • Electrical311.1%
  • Engine27.4%
  • Seat belts27.4%
  • Steering27.4%
  • Exterior lighting27.4%
  • Heating & air conditioning13.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 19
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 18, 2003

TAIL LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. CAUSE OF FAILURE IS UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME. *AK

NHTSA ID
10034135
Incident
Aug 18, 2003
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Jan 8, 2003
Crash reported

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS IN ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY ON TIME.THE CONSUMER STATES HER HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL THEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. ALSO PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AT 30MPH DURING IMPACT. CONSUMER ALSO STATES THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK UP. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

NHTSA ID
10002365
Incident
May 24, 2001
Electrical
Filed Jun 30, 2002

THE VEHICLE BEGAN BLOWING FUSES CAUSING MANY OF THE SYSTEMS TO QUITE FUNCTIONING. WE REPLACE WITH FUSES THE SAME SIZE AS IT ASK FOR AND IT STARTED MELTING FUSES CAUSING FUEL PUMP TO QUIT WORKING ADQUATELY. *AK

NHTSA ID
763662
Incident
May 1, 2002
Interior & seats
Filed May 9, 2002

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT SHIFTS AROUND WHILE DRIVING, MAKING DRIVER LOSE PEDAL, AND STEERING CONTROL.*AK *MJ

NHTSA ID
8009555
Incident
May 4, 2002
Airbags
Filed Oct 5, 1999

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
849925
Airbags
Filed Sep 30, 1999

AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND REMAINS ILLUMINATED EVEN AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
849560
Transmission
Filed Jun 25, 1999

I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE AND SPEED OF FAILURE. MY CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR WHEN SHIFTED WHILE DRIVING AT A LOWER SPEED. IT WOULD ALSO POP OUT OF GEAR ON THE ROAD. BMW REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION ON WARRANTY, AND SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I'VE JUST HEARD FROM ANOTHER PERSON WITH THE 318TI WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON BMW'S PART BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE DANGER OF HAVING YOUR TRANSMISSION GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING. *AK

NHTSA ID
707899
Incident
Apr 1, 1999
Airbags
Filed Dec 3, 1997
Crash reported1 injury reported

AIR BAG: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WHEN A CAR AHEAD STOPPED. RAN INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. BMW INVESTIGATOR SAID AIR BAGS SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OFF. *AK DRIVER'S HEAD SMASHED HIS HEAD INTO THE WINDSHIELD DURING THE ACCIDENT. *SLC

NHTSA ID
819657
Incident
Aug 5, 1997

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

62 02 97

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

REPLACEMENT OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *TW

61 19 96

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

CENTRAL LOCKING SWITCH - CERTAIN CENTRAL LOCKING SWITCHES MAY BE OVERLY SENSITIVE TO VIBRATION, SUCH AS THAT ENCOUNTERED WHEN DRIVING OVER ROUGH ROAD SURFACES - IN SUCH CASES, THE DOORS OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE CENTRALLY LOCKED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE CENTRAL LOCKING SWITCH. *TW

24/06/94R

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE FAULT CODE 40. *TW

510894(4129)

DASH WARPING ABOVE CENTER VENT. *TW

720294(4138)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

UNKNOWN

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 318 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2001600—
1998300—
1997500—
1996500—
1995Viewing190043.8
1994201042.1
1993172157.0
1992164253.7
1991213260.8
1990111—
1989011—
1988001—
1987001—
1986001—
1985222—
1984331—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.