RoadVitals

1997 BMW 318IS Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
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Latest Mar 28, 2005
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1997 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

  • Driver assistance150.0%
  • Steering150.0%

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

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND CRUISE CONTROL WON'T RELEASE. ALSO, AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD. *AK

NHTSA ID 10090298 · filed Sep 2, 2004

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, SUDDENLY A POPPING NOISE OCCURRED IN THE FRONT END, THE STEERING WHEEL SHUTTERED BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH ASC PLUS T (AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL PLUS TRACTION) AND IT WAS TRYING TO GAIN BACK CONTROL. THIS RESULTED IN THE DRIVER CRASHING INTO A TREE HEAD ON. DRIVER SIDE TIE ROD BROKE WHICH CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED, UPON IMPACT, AIR BAG DEPLOYED.. THE CAUSE OF THE TIE ROD BREAKING WAS STILL BE INVESTIGATED.*AK

NHTSA ID 10116932 · filed Mar 28, 2005

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

Data on this page last refreshed .