RoadVitals

1992 BMW 318I 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.
8
Latest Jul 10, 2004
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
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 Feb 16, 1997

What this page shows

Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1992 BMW 318I. 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 1–8 of 8

Engine
Filed Jul 10, 2004

FAULTY PROFILE GASKET ON 1992 BMW 318I ENGINE. *AK

NHTSA ID
10080772
Incident
Apr 15, 2004
Mileage
57,484 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 21, 2000

ONBOARD COMPUTER FAILED WHEN GOT WET AT A CAR WASH.*AK

NHTSA ID
725772
Incident
Jul 19, 2000
Airbags
Filed Jan 24, 2000

AIR BAG CONTACT RING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BROKE. WHEN THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE RING WAS REPLACED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 96V110000 BMW/INTERIOR; PASSIVE RESTRAINT: AIR BAG:DRIVER. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID
855407
Incident
Feb 17, 1997
Engine
Filed Nov 18, 1998

THE PROFILE HEAD GASKET IS A WIDELY REPORTED DEFECT ON BMW 318I ENGINES. FOR ME ITS A SERIOUS PROBLME NOW THAT THIS IS THE SECOND HEAD GASKET TO BLOW. THE FIRST WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, THE SECOND MAY OR MAY NOT BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN ANNY EVENT THE REPAIR WORK HAS NOT YET BEEN DONE. BASED ON THE WEB PAGES I HAVE READ THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND BMW IS NOT REACTING PROPERLY. I THINK YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A CLASS-ACTION LAW SUIT TO MAKE THEM ACT PROPERLY FOR SUCH A MAJOR DEFECT.

NHTSA ID
700720
Incident
Nov 17, 1998
Engine
Filed Aug 18, 1998

PROFILE GASKET FAILURE. THE PART FAILS ON ALL M42 ENGINES PRODUCED BY BMW BETWEEN 1991 AND 1992. WAS MADE AWARE VIA TECHNICAL BULLLETIN SENT TO DEALERS. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED.

NHTSA ID
540101
Incident
May 1, 1998
Engine
Filed Jun 29, 1998

I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH OVER THE INTERNET FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON ONE. I AM COMPLETELY AMAZED THAT BMW IS NOT COVERING THIS REPAIR OF THIS, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DEFECT.

NHTSA ID
537617
Incident
Jun 14, 1998
Driver assistance
Filed May 22, 1997

WHEN DRIVING AT 30 MPH THE VEHICLE SURGES, THE ENGINE RACES TO HIGH RPM AND THE VEHICLE CUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING. CONTACTED THE DEALER, CAUSE OF PROBLEM WAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. *AK

NHTSA ID
812463
Engine
Filed Feb 16, 1997

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED COOLANT LOSS AND LOW COOLANT LEVELS BUT THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE DID NOT RISE ABOVE NORMAL. LOSS WAS DUE TO ENGINE GASKET FAILURE.

NHTSA ID
546736
Incident
Nov 11, 1996

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 .