RoadVitals

1998 BMW 320

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
6
Latest Jun 18, 2001
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 BMW 320, most frequently naming the body & structure, electrical and exterior lighting categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Body & structure116.7%
  • Electrical116.7%
  • Exterior lighting116.7%
  • Seat belts116.7%
  • Transmission116.7%
  • Visibility116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Transmission
Filed Jun 18, 2001

THIS IS 2ND FAILED TRANSMISSION IN 58577 MILES. ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT APPROX 21000 AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BY BMW. CREVIER BMW WAS INFORMED OF PROBLEMS WITH 2ND TRANSMISSION MAY 2000 AND STATED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, THOUGH MADE NOTE OF ISSUE. ON JUNE 17, 2001 TRANSMISSION FAILED AND CAR TOWED TO SAVAGE BMW, ONTARIO CA, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED FAILED TRANSMISSION. STATED CAR NOT UNDER WARRANTY, THOUGH WOULD CONTACT BMW CORPORATE. I FIND IT INCONCEIVABLE THAT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WILL FAIL APPROXIMATELY EVERY 30,000 MILES. SERVICE DEALER AT SAVAGE BMW STATED THIS IS ONLY THE 3RD MANUAL TRANSMISSION HE'S HAD TO REPLACE SINCE 1968. BMW HAS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. *AK

NHTSA ID
747004
Incident
Jun 17, 2001
Filed Jun 30, 1999

CAR DEALER/MANUFACTURER WILL NOT SUPPLY A SHOP MANUAL. THE ONE AFTERMARKET MANUAL AVAILABLE IS LIMITED AND HAS INCORRECT INFORMATION. I NEED A SHOP MANUAL TO BE ABLE TO REPAIR MY CAR MYSELF. *AK

NHTSA ID
708059
Body & structureSeat belts
Filed Feb 1, 1999

SEAT BELT FAILED.

NHTSA ID
607686
Visibility
Filed Feb 1, 1999

THE RIGHT SIDE VIEW MIRROR MALFUNCTIONING, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *YC

NHTSA ID
607627
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 1, 1999

MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH FAILED. *YC

NHTSA ID
607468
Incident
Oct 12, 1998
Electrical
Filed Feb 1, 1999

FUSE BLEW CAUSING THE HEADLIGHTS / TAIL LIGHTS / REAR SIDE LIGHT BULB TO FAIL. *YC

NHTSA ID
606676
Incident
Oct 1, 1998

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

B510819

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW 320 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2002010—
2001101041.8
2000010—
1999200—
1998Viewing600—
1997100—
1996100—
1995200—
1989100—
1981100—
1980000—
1979110—
1978110—
1977010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.