RoadVitals

1991 BMW 318IS 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.
6
Latest Mar 19, 2003
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 Sep 25, 1998

What this page shows

Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1991 BMW 318IS. 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 1–6 of 6

Engine
Filed Mar 19, 2003

THE HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED TWICE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10012090
Incident
Jan 1, 2003
Engine
Filed Mar 22, 2002

THIS HAS BEEN A WIDELY REPORTED FAILURE ON EARLY 1990S 318 MODELS. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK

NHTSA ID
759665
Incident
Mar 21, 2002
Engine
Filed Nov 16, 2001

TIMING CASE PROFILE GASKET FAILURE IS VERH HIGH FOR THE MOTOR. UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT, WHICH LEAKS SLOWLY OR ALL AT ONCE IS DUE TO GASKETS DESIGN.

NHTSA ID
754605
Incident
Nov 2, 2001
EngineVisibility
Filed Feb 28, 2000

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED, 65MPH, THE PROFILE GASKET IN MY ENGINE FAILED. LARGE AMOUNTS OF STEAM CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND RESULTED IN A CONDITION OF ALMOST ZERO VISIBILITY. MY WINDSHIELD WAS COVERED WITH ANTIFREEZE AND I COULD NOT SEE THROUGHT HE STEAM. I BELIEVE THIS FAILURE TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID
719415
Incident
Feb 24, 2000
Engine
Filed Oct 13, 1998

ENGINE GASKET FAILURE, CAUSING A SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT ON THE ROADWAY UNDER THE DRIVING WHEELS.

NHTSA ID
781204
Incident
Oct 1, 1998
Engine
Filed Sep 25, 1998

TIMING CASE PROFILE GASKET FAILURE IS VERH HIGH FOR THE MOTOR. UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT, WHICH LEAKS SLOWLY OR ALL AT ONCE IS DUE TO GASKETS DESIGN.

NHTSA ID
541694

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 .