1992 BMW 318IS 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 1992 BMW 318IS, 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
- Body & structure266.7%
- Interior & seats133.3%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVER'S INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE WHICH CAUSED DOOR NOT TO OPEN FROM INSIDE. IN EVENT OF A EMERGENCY DRIVER CANNOT GO OUT FROM DRIVER'S DOOR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
AFTER CAR PASSED THROUGH CAR WASH, WOULD NOT START; TOWED CAR TO DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IS 3-SERIES MODELS AND WAS QUOTED $1500 TO REPAIR. DEALER DID COMPLETE SERVICE 8 WEEKS EARLIER AND DID NOT INFORM ME OF WATER INTRUSION PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHERING TRIM.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
MAY 5, 2004 INCIDENT: DRIVER'S DOOR LATCH FAILS TO WORK ... SO THAT THE DOOR FLIES OPEN WHILE DRIVING ... AND CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY CLOSED AND/OR LOCKED WHEN PARKED. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1992 BMW 318IS 2-DOOR SEDAN WITH ONLY 34,319 MILES. THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN OCCASIONALLY OVER THE YEARS (ONLY BY MYSELF) AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM: I UNLOCKED AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY (MAY 5, 2004). I WENT TO TWO DESTINATIONS AND CLOSED AND LOCKED THE CAR EACH TIME WITHOUT A PROBLEM. AFTER MY SECOND STOP, I UNLOCKED THE CAR, ENTERED IT, AND CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND ME WITHOUT REALIZING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I DROVE AWAY AND WHILE MAKING A TURN, THE DOOR SUDDENLY FLEW OPEN. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN A SAFE AREA WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT. I LOOKED AT THE DOOR'S LATCH AND WHERE IT CONNECTS WITH THE BODY AND SAW NOTHING WRONG ... BUT THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE OR LATCH SECURELY. I CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR AND IT LOOKED SIMILAR TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I THEN DROVE MY STICK-SHIFT CAR HOME, WHILE HOLDING THE DRIVER'S DOOR AS CLOSED AS POSSIBLE WITH MY (RECENTLY, SURGICALLY OPERATED ON) LEFT ARM. I THEN PHONED THE NHTSA. OBVIOUSLY, A CAR'S DOORS MUST CLOSE AND LOCK PROPERLY TO KEEP ITS PASSENGERS SAFE. A CAR DRIVEN OCCASIONALLY, WITH ONLY 34,319 MILES, CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS JUST A FEW MILES FROM HOME AND THE CAR IS ALWAYS GARAGED. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR REVIEWING THIS CASE. SINCERELY, CHARLES DREYFUSS P.S. I'VE INDICATED '3 FAILURES' ONLY BECAUSE I'VE TRIED TO CLOSE AND LOCK THIS CAR SEVERAL TIMES ONCE I GOT IT IN MY HOME'S GARAGE WITH NO SUCCESS.
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 .