RoadVitals

1978 BMW 320 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.
1
Latest Jun 30, 1999
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 Jun 30, 1999

What this page shows

Our database holds 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1978 BMW 320. 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 1–1 of 1

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Filed Jun 30, 1999
1 injury reported

HEATER CORE RUPTURED WHILE I WAS DRIVING., CAUSING COOLANT TO B E EXPELLED. RESULTED IN SEVERE SCALDING TO MY RIGHT FOOT AND LEG , ALONG WITH DAMAGE TO THIS AUTO. ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 98V178000, "A MALFUNCTION OF A COOLANT SYSTEM COMPONENT...CAN RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANTLY INCRESED COOLANT TEMPERATURE AND SYSTEM PRESSURE...IF A CRACK WERE TO FORM OR A SEAM WERE TO SEPARATE IN THE HEATER CORE END PIECE, HOT COOLANT COULD SUDDENLY BE EXPELLED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO A VEHICLE OCCUPANT...OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER, 1998..." THE HEATER CORE RUPTURE WHICH SCALDED ME OCCURRED IN JULY, 1998, WHICH WAS MONTHS BEFORE NOTIFICATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER WAS TO BEGIN. THUS, I WAS NOT FOREWARNED AND TO THIS DATE I STILL HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO NEGOTIATE RELIEF FROM BMW. PLEASE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE CONTACT ME FOR MORE DETAILS CONCERNING THIS, THE INVALID VIN ON THE CAR (ONLY 7 DIGITS), EXPLANATION OF THE BREAKDOWN OF THE PRICE SUBMITTED FOR REIMBURSEMENT, THE HEATER CORE MANUFACTURER'S LIABILITY, ETC. PLEASE GIVE A REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME AND ADDRESS THAT I MAY ALSO SEND A LETTER TO FURTHER CLARIFY THIS HORRIFIC SITUATION. YOUR TIMELY RESPONSE IS REQUESTED AND GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU, MR. BEN WATSON. *AK

NHTSA ID
708088
Incident
Jul 28, 1998

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 .