RoadVitals

1999 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.
2
Latest Dec 18, 1999
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 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1999 BMW 320, most frequently naming the body & structure and transmission 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 & structure150.0%
  • Transmission150.0%

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

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

Body & structure
Filed Dec 18, 1999

MY SON AND I WERE TRAVELING SOUTH ON THE 405 FREEWAY IN THE CARPOOL LANE IN MODERATE/HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE RIGHT FRONT PLASTIC GRILL FLEW UP OVER THE HOOD AND STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD. I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING. IT WASN'T UNTIL I RETURNED HOME THAT I DISCOVERED THE GRILL PIECE MISSING AND REALIZED WHAT HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE WINDSHIELD. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPLACE BOTH THE GRILL AND THE WINDSHIELD(THE IMPACT HAD SCRATCHED THE WINDSHIELD). WHEN I DETAILED THE INCIDENT I WAS INFORMED THAT BMW WOULD NOT REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. I EXPRESSED MY OPINION ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS THIS COULD BE AND WAS STILL MET WITH RESISTANCE. THE SERVICE MANAGER DEMONSTRATED TO ME THAT WITH A SMALL BUMP OF THE PALM THAT THE GRILL WOULD POP OUT VERY EASILY. IT WAS AT THIS POINT I LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE AND DECIDED TO CONTACT NHTSA. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL. THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED AS OF THIS TIME. MY GREATEST CONCERN IS THAT THE GRILL COULD IMPACT THE WINDSHIELD, CRACK OR SHATTER THE WINDSHIELD AND CAUSE A MAJOR DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER(THAT BEING ME) AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL AND CAUSE A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. I AM ALSO SUPRISED THAT BMW WOULD BE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND BE RELUCTANT TO FIX IT AND ANY RELATED DAMAGE AT THEIR EXPENSE. I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW IF THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT OR A MORE COMMON PROBLEM THAT BMW IS UNWILLING TO ADDRESS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID
716213
Incident
Nov 28, 1999
Transmission
Filed Aug 4, 1999

TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID
844372

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—
1999Viewing200—
1998600—
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.