Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 31 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 BMW 325CI. 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.
Showing 1–25 of 31 · page 1 of 2
RT REAR BRAKE LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 11V438000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,120. VEHICLE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION UPON REQUEST.
I was driving one night and the headlight out indicator on the dash lit up showing the passenger headlight to be out. This limited my ability to see the road as I now only had one headlight operational. Upon further inspection, the halogen bulb was found to be in working order, but the wiring harness has lost its insulation. On both the driver and passenger side the insulation on the internal wire harness to the headlights has dried out and fallen off, exposing bare copper making an electrical short highly likely.
On the night of 8/21/22, the fire department was callled to my detached garage when someone saw smoke comimg form the garage. The fire department determined that my car caught fire because of the cooling fan. The car was not running nor was the key in the ignition. The car was started 36 hours prior and had not been driven on a regualr basis for some time. The investigating office mentioned that the fan kept running, over heated causing the car and the contents of the garage to catch on fire.
PLEASE REMOVE THIS VEHICLE FROM THE RECALL LIST FOR TAKATA AIR BAG REPLACEMENT.. I HAD THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG REPLACED IN 2016, AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN WILMINGTON, NC. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE REPLACEMENT WASN'T REPORTED, BUT THAT DEALERSHIP DID HAVE AN OWNERSHIP CHANGE AFTER MY REPLACEMENT. I CONTINUE TO RECEIVE DOZENS OF NOTIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECALL, THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. I'VE CONTACTED BMW AT LEAST 3 TIMES, BUT SOMEHOW I'M STILL ON THIS LIST. PLEASE REMOVE MY VEHICLE FROM THE RECALL LIST IMMEDIATELY.
DRIVING VEHICLE AND ALL POWER CUTS OUT ...NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES ...JUST STOPS DEAD ... I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE BUT MY VEHICLE IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL...BUT OBVIOUSLY HAS A SIMILAR ISSUE...THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS...AND I AM AT THE POINT WHERE I AM AFRAID TO EVEN DRIVE IT...
SUSPENSION- SWAY BARS, BUSHINGS, EVERY PART OF SUSPENSION BREAKING. BRAKES-EMERGENCY BRAKE DOES NOT WORK. LIGHTING-ISSUES WITH HEADLAMPS. REARVIEW MIRROR-DEFECTIVE, NOT CLEAR ENOUGH TO SEE OUT OF. AIRBAGS-REPLACED, BUT WHEN THE CAR WAS IMPACTED THE ROLL BARS DEPLOYED WHILE THE AIRBAGS DID NOT.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INDEPENDENT SALES LOCATION THAT SOLD THE VEHICLE MADE NO MENTION OF TWO RECALLS PRIOR TO THE CONTACT PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED FOR MONTHS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS) AND 15V318000 (AIR BAGS), BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
HEADLIGHT RIGHT HAND SIDE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. UPDATED 10/21/16*LJ UPDATED 10/25/16.*JB
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PART DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. ..UPDATED 06/01/16 *BF UPDATED 06/10/16*LJ....UPDATED 06/15/16 *BF UPDATED 06/20/16.*JB UPDATED 06/27/16.*JB
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/17/2016*LJ UPDATED 06/14/16.*JB
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V31800 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
I RECEIVED A WRITTEN RECALL NOTICE FROM BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC, IN JULY 2015 ABOUT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEFECT THAT COULD RESULT IN "METAL FRAGMENTS STRIKING THE FRONT DRIVER ... [AND] POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH" IF THE AIRBAG WAS DEPLOYED. I ASKED THE DEALER TO REMOVE THE FAULTY AIRBAG, LEAVING ME WITH LAP AND SHOULDER RESTRAINT, AND INSTALL THE CORRECT AIRBAG MODULE WHEN IT WAS RECEIVED. I WAS TOLD THAT, BY LAW, AIR BAGS COULD NOT BE REMOVED AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT DO SO. I FEEL THAT MY REQUEST WAS VALID UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD NOT BE A VIOLATION OF THE LAW UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WAS A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION SINCE, AS OF OCTOBER 14, 2015, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT NEW BAGS WILL BE RECEIVED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE DEALER'S POSITION RESULTS IN MY HAVING TO DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT COULD KILL ME IN A COLLISION AT NO MORE THAN 25 MPH, THE SPEED I WAS TOLD WOULD CAUSE ANY AIRBAG IN THAT CAR TO DEPLOY. THERE HAS BEEN NO AGREEMENT BY THE DEALER OR BMW USA TO PROVIDE, AT NO COST TO ME, ANOTHER VEHICLE FOR MY NORMAL AND CUSTOMARY USE. MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME HAS PASSED TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM SINCE, EVEN PRIOR TO THE OFFICIAL WRITTEN RECALL NOTICE, BMW KNEW THAT SPECIFIC PART TO BE DEFECTIVE AND NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO SHOP REPAIR. THIS POSITION IS SUPPORTED BY THE FACT THAT AN EARLIER RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG AND RELATIVELY QUICK REPLACEMENT WAS MADE. I AM NOW GOING ON THREE MONTHS WITH NO ASSURANCE THAT A REMEDY WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, AND BMW'S ADMISSION THAT USE OF THE DEFECTIVE AUTOMOBILE EXPOSES ME TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V318000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER A BUMP, THE WIRING HARNESS BELOW THE PASSENGER OR DRIVER SEAT MAY BECOME LOOSE, CAUSING A HIGH RESISTANCE IN THE SRS SYSTEM AND CAUSING THE SRS ERROR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE AND AN ERROR CODE TO BE SAVED, THE SYSTEM MAY BECOME INACTIVE, AND IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SRS SYSTEM MAY NOT FUNCTION, AND MAY LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE CONNECTORS NOT COME LOOSE AND DEACTIVATED THE SRS SYSTEM. THIS HAS BEEN OBSERVED ON NUMEROUS E46'S OF VARIOUS YEARS. *TR
IN SEPTEMBER 2014, I RECEIVED AN IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL FROM BMW USA. [RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. 14V-428: FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG]. ACCORDING TO THE NOTICE, THE AIR BAG SUPPLIER ADVISED BMW THAT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG, EXCESSIVE INTERNAL PRESSURE COULD CAUSE RUPTURING OF THE AIR BAG INFLATOR, RESULTING IN METAL FRAGMENTS STRIKING AND POTENTIALLY SERIOUSLY INJURING THE FRONT PASSENGER OR OTHER PASSENGERS. UNBELIEVABLY, BMW STATED IT DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO FIX IT. HOWEVER, I WOULD BE NOTIFIED "AS SOON AS PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE." AFTER HEARING NOTHING FROM BMW, IN FEBRUARY 2015 I CONTACTED MY DEALER, SAN DIEGO BMW, WHO SAID I NEEDED TO BE ON A LIST SO THEY COULD CALL WHEN PARTS BECAME AVAILABLE. I GAVE THE INFORMATION AND AGAIN WAITED. IT IS NOW APRIL 24, 2015. I HAVE HEARD NOTHING MORE FROM BMW AND SAN DIEGO BMW. I WROTE TO BMW AT THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED LAST MONTH AND OF COURSE, GOT NO RESPONSE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT INVOLVE 8 MONTHS OF WAITING. RECENTLY, MY MOTHER IN LAW DIED FROM JUST THIS SITUATION [NOT INVOLVED IN THIS RECALL]. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A CAR COMPANY CAN BE REQUIRED TO RECALL A CAR FOR A SAFETY ITEM AND THEN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE ADVISE ME AS TO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET THIS FIXED IN A TIMELY MANNER. THANK YOU. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. ..UPDATED 05/19/15*BF UPDATED 7/6/2015*JS
I HAD AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE MY PASSENGER AIR BAG REPLACED, AS PER THE RECALL, ON NOVEMBER 28, 2014. I GET THERE AT MY SCHEDULED TIME AND WAS TOLD THEY RAN OUT OF AIR BAGS AND IT COULDN'T BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT 18,000 AIR BAGS HAVE BEEN ORDERED. I REQUESTED TO BE PUT BACK ON THE LIST AND HAVEN'T HEARD NOTHING. I WOULD LIKE THE AIR BAG REPLACED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V348000 (AIR BAGS) WAS RECEIVED IN NOVEMBER OF 2014. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL REMEDY BUT AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE STEERING WHEEL THAT HOUSES THE AIR BAG WAS BULGING AND PROTRUDING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000. THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. UPDATED 03/17/15*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. UPDATED 03/10/15*LJ UPDATED 6/18/2015 *JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V428000 (AIR BAGS). HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF DELAY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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