2003 BMW 318IC Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2003 BMW 318IC, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes150.0%
- Exterior lighting150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
YOU NEED TO GET THOSE STUPID, DANGEROUS BRIGHT LIGHTS OFF THE ROAD. NOT ALL OF US HAVE PERFECT EYES. EVEN A SMALL CATARACT CAUSEES A LOSS OF SIGHT AND THESE LIGHTS MAKE IT MUCH WORSE. CHECK WITH AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST AND THEY WILL TELL YOU THE SAME THING. MY FRIEND HERE IN POORTLAND OREGON JUST GOT BACK FROM MINN. & WIS. AND HE WAS MAD AS HELL ABOUT THE BRIGHT LIGHTS HE HAD TO CONTEND WITH. SO WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT AFTER THE FACT ON THE ACCIDENTS. WHY DON'T YOU GET THESE UNSAFE THINGS OFF THE ROAD. YOU NEED TO FORCE A SYSTEM ON VEHICLES THAT THEY CAN ONLY GO SO FAST ACCORDING TO THEIR WEIGHT. THIS STUPIDITY ABOUT PUTTING A SENSOR TO TELL THE DRIVER WHEN HE HAS A LOW TIRE IS STUPID AT BEST. WHY DON'T YOU FORCE SERVICE STATIONS TO GO BACK TO SERVICE STATIONS THE WAY THEY WERE IN THE 1950S. I CHECKED THOUSANDS OF TIRES, COOLENT LEVEL, & JUST BASIC STUFF UNDER THE HOOD AS WELL AS WASHED THOUSAND OF WIND SHIELDS. THE COUNTRY HAS GONE TO HELL IF YOU ASK ME. THE GOVERNMENT HAS RUINED ALOMST EVERY THING THEY GET INVOLVED IN. LET US KEEP SOME OF OUR MONEY & WE WILL DO IT OUR SELVES. STUDEBAKER & KAISER-FRAZER WERE VERY SAFE VEHICLES BUT THEY WERE EXPENSIVE FOR THEIR DAY. YOU CAN'T SELL SAFETY. I WENT TO GOGGGLE & PUT IN DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION. FOUND THIS SITE AS NO. ONE. THEN WIGGLED AROUND AND FOUND THIS SITE. IT IS WAY TOO HARD TO FIND. REX R. BAHR @ POORTLAND OREGON U.S.ALIENS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
I AM A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER WITH OVER 1 MIL ACIDENT FREE MILES. EVERY YEAR THE HEADLIGHTS GET AIMED WORSE, THE TECHNOLOGY GETS BRIGHTER AND SOMETIMES WIDER DISPERSION (BLINDING) AND MORE DRIVERS DRIVE FULLTIME WITH FOG LIGHTS (NON-LENTICULAR LENS). MANUFACTURERS ARE ENCOURAGING THIS PROCESS WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF AUTOS WITH BIG FOG LIGHTS AND FAILING TO LABEL THEM WITH RESTRICTIVE USE WARNINGS. IN ADDITION, THEIR ADVERTISING ALWAYS SHOWS VEHICLES WITH THESE LIGHTS ON IN THEIR ADVERTISMENTS. BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY I AM FORCED TO BLOCK OUT THEIR LIGHTS (AT THE RATE OF ABOUT ONE IN TWENTY-FIVE) WITH MY HAND, AND THEREFORE WILL HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT IF THEY CROSS THE CENTER LINE SINCE I CANNOT SEE THEM. POLICE IN EVERY STATE MUST BE TOLD TO ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS AGAINST FULL-TIME FOG LIGHTS AND MUST REGULATE THE BRIGHTNESS AND AIM OF HEADLIGHTS. THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME EPIDEMIC.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .