RoadVitals

1997 BMW 318 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
5
Latest Nov 14, 2011
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.
1
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Sep 5, 1997

What this page shows

Our database holds 5 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1997 BMW 318. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–5 of 5

Steering
Filed Nov 14, 2011

STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED. IT WON'T BUDGE. YOU CAN CRANK THE CAR..NO PROBLEM, BUT THE WHEEL IS LOCKED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10435546
Incident
Nov 12, 2011
Mileage
218,800 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 27, 2001
Crash reported

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON HIGHWAY THERE WAS A FLYING TIRE ON THE ROAD, AND TIRE HIT VEHICLE. VEHICLE ROLLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER, AND DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID
891400
Incident
Apr 22, 2001
Engine
Filed Jun 14, 1999

CONVERTER FAILURE AT <20000 MILES SEEMS UNUSAUL. IN TALKING TO TWO DEALERS, BOTH SERVICE DEPARTMENTS INDICATED THAT THE "318'S HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CONVERTERS THAT YEAR". SEEMS TO ME THAT IF THEY HAD A PROBLEM, THEY SHOULD FIX RATHER THAN WAITING FOR IT TO BREAK, THEN MY HAVING TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM WORK, AND RENT A CAR WHILE MINE IS IN FOR REPAIRS. *AK

NHTSA ID
707542
Incident
Jun 4, 1999
Airbags
Filed Jul 31, 1998

AIR BAG SAFETY LIGHT KEEPS GOING OFF. THE MANUAL STATES THE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, COULD PREVENT SYSTEM FROM RESPONDING TO A HIGH INTENSITY FRONTAL IMPACT OCCURRING WITHIN NORMAL RESPONSE RANGE. DEALER WAS CONTACTED THREE TIMES AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
826132
Incident
Jan 31, 1998
Brakes
Filed Sep 5, 1997

THE VEHICLE'S GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, WHEN THINKING OF STEPPING ON THE BRAKES DRIVER IS ACTUALLY STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL. *AK

NHTSA ID
816061
Incident
Sep 3, 1997

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 sources

Data on this page last refreshed .