RoadVitals

1984 BMW 318I

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.
5
Latest Oct 28, 2002
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 5 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1984 BMW 318I, most frequently naming the engine, brakes and driver assistance categories. 1 manufacturer communication is 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

  • Engine350.0%
  • Brakes116.7%
  • Driver assistance116.7%
  • Powertrain (other)116.7%

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

Engine
Filed Oct 28, 2002

NHTSA#93-V-015-000 COOLANT TEMPERATURE RESULTING INCREASE IN SYSTEM PRESSURE. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE OVERHEATED, ALL READY WAS CHANGE WATER PUMP, THERMOTATS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHEWR INFORMATION. TS

NHTSA ID
8021743
Incident
Oct 15, 2001
Engine
Filed Jul 31, 2000

CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER IN REFERNCE TO RECALL NUMBER 98V178000/ MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 93V015. DEALER CORRECTED RECALL PROBLEM. HOWEVER, DEALER NEGLECTED TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR CAP WHICH HAS MELTED DUE TO RADIATOR OVERHEATING. PLEASE PROIVDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
866380
Engine
Filed Jul 11, 2000

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE OVERHEATED. ENGINE WAS STEAMING AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK

NHTSA ID
865259
Incident
Jul 7, 2000
Driver assistancePowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 22, 1999

VEHICLE IS IDLING, AND WON'T MOVE. ALSO, SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER DON'T WORK, AND CONSUMER CAN'T DETERMINE HOW FAST THE VEHICLE IS GOING. *AK

NHTSA ID
848433
Incident
Sep 1, 1996
Brakes
Filed Sep 7, 1998

WHEEL CYLINDERS FAILED.

NHTSA ID
540646

Manufacturer communications

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

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

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 318I by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2005000
2003303
2001400
1998800
1997510
1996310
1995142051.3
1994142049.1
1993112041.4
1992830
1991810
1985700
1984Viewing500

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.