1994 BMW 325 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 1994 BMW 325, 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
- Airbags413.8%
- Engine413.8%
- Driver assistance413.8%
- Body & structure310.3%
- Transmission310.3%
- Brakes310.3%
- Interior & seats310.3%
- Visibility13.4%
- Seat belts13.4%
- Steering13.4%
- Suspension13.4%
- Tires & wheels13.4%
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
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT FAILED. AIRBAG WON'T DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK *SLC
VEHICLE TOOK OFF BY ITSELF AND THE AIRBAG'S DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT.VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. OWNER STATES THAT THERE IS A SAFETY NOTICE CAMPAIGN. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE FAILED AT 80,000 MILES. *NM THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT HIS ENGINE WAS NOT REPAIRABLE BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT HOLD OIL . *TC THE ENGINE HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. THE CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT A NEW WATER PUMP WAS NEEDED. *SC *JB
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING A COLLISION.
ACCELERATOR LOCKED UP WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER GARAGE, CAUSING A CRASH INTO THE HOUSE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
ALL FOUR DOORS AND DRIVER SEAT RATTLE CONSTANTLY. AFTER NUMEROUS VISITS TO THE DEALER, THE BMW AREA REP FINALLY ORDERED THAT TAPE BE PLACED AROUND THE DOORS. THIS TOOK 4 YEARS TO ACHIEVE AND CURED THE DOOR RATTLES FOR ONE DAY, UPON WHICH THEY RETURNED. BY THE TIME THE AREA REP RETURNED, THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAD TO MOVE AWAY FOR A JOB CHANGE. THE NEXT STEP WOULD HAVE BEEN TO REPLACE RUBBER DOOR SEALS. THE DEALER ALSO DAMAGED THE DRIVER SEAT, CAUSING IT TO RATTLE AND SQUEAK, THE FIRST VISIT TO REPAIR THE DOOR PROBLEM. NEITHER THE DOOR OR SEAT RATTLES HAVE BEEN FIXED TO THIS DAY.*AK
TRUNK HYDRAULIC LOCKING MECHANISM FAILED 3 TIMES. *TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR LOST POWER DUE TO PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. CAR HAS 120,000 MILES AND NEW TRANSMISSION WAS ALSO REQUIRED AT 55,000 IN 2000. BMW 3 SERIES TRANSMISSIONS SEEM TO BE DEFECTIVE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF TRANSMISSIONS SUDDENLY FAILING IN 3 SERIES. *TR
UNABLE TO UNLOCK STEERING WHEEL AND GEAR SHIFT LEVER WITH KEY UNLESS STEERING WHEEL IS VIOLENTLY PULLED. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM MANY TIMES SINCE CAR WAS NEW BUT DID NOT/COULD NOT CORRECT IT.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS REPAIRED ONCE UNDER RECALL. CONSUMER STATED THAT THERE WAS A LIGHT COMING ON THAT SAID CHECK BRAKE LIGHT CIRCUIT. CONSUMER STATED THIS LIGHT CONSTANTLY CAME ON. *AK CONSUMER FEELS THE BRAKE SWITCH IS ALSO FAULTY, HOWEVER DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE IT. *SLC
ON CERTAIN STRETCHES OF CALIFORNIA FREEWAYS HAVING A LONG DOWNGRADE WITH CAR TRAVELLING AT 55 MPH, BRAKES FADE, EMIT A SMELL, AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO SLOW OR STOP CAR UNLESS 2 FEET ARE USED ON THE PEDAL. THIS HAPPENED TWICE AT TWO LOCATIONS (I5 GRAPEVINE @ BAKERSFIELD HEADING NORTH, AND I580 NEAR LIVERMORE HEADING EAST).*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
ALL FOUR DOORS AND DRIVER SEAT RATTLE CONSTANTLY. AFTER NUMEROUS VISITS TO THE DEALER, THE BMW AREA REP FINALLY ORDERED THAT TAPE BE PLACED AROUND THE DOORS. THIS TOOK 4 YEARS TO ACHIEVE AND CURED THE DOOR RATTLES FOR ONE DAY, UPON WHICH THEY RETURNED. BY THE TIME THE AREA REP RETURNED, THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAD TO MOVE AWAY FOR A JOB CHANGE. THE NEXT STEP WOULD HAVE BEEN TO REPLACE RUBBER DOOR SEALS. THE DEALER ALSO DAMAGED THE DRIVER SEAT, CAUSING IT TO RATTLE AND SQUEAK, THE FIRST VISIT TO REPAIR THE DOOR PROBLEM. NEITHER THE DOOR OR SEAT RATTLES HAVE BEEN FIXED TO THIS DAY.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BROKE FROM THE BASE. NO CLIPS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
WINDSHIELD ARM STRUCK WINDSHIELD CRACKING IT. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
NHTSA RECALL #94V151000 INTERIOR SYSTEMS SHOULDER BELT; WARNING ILLUMINATES CONSTANTLY. NORTHGATE BMW MADE (4) ATTEMPTS. TT
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
UNABLE TO UNLOCK STEERING WHEEL AND GEAR SHIFT LEVER WITH KEY UNLESS STEERING WHEEL IS VIOLENTLY PULLED. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM MANY TIMES SINCE CAR WAS NEW BUT DID NOT/COULD NOT CORRECT IT.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE, CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TIRE AT APPROXIMATELY 60 % TREAD REMAINING ON TIRE, THE TREAD PEALED OFF THE CASING AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO UNDER FENDER AND TO RIM OF CAR WHEN TIRE BLEW AND RAN ON RIM OFF ROAD-NO PERSONAL INJURIES. *AK
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 .