2000 BMW 328IC Owner Complaints

DRIVERSIDE REAR SUBFRAME MOUNT HAS TORN THROUGH THE REAR SUBFRAME DUE TO A BMW ENGINEERING FLAW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10407775

Incident

Jun 14, 2011

Mileage

141,129 mi

THE REAR SUBFRAME ON THE 1999-2006 :BMW 3 SERIES CARS CAN TEAR OR RIP, CAUSING THE REAR END TO FALL OUT OF THE CAR. MY 2000 328CI SHOWS EVIDENCE OF THIS FRAME CRACKING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10404412

Incident

Jun 1, 2011

Mileage

99,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 328IC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES WOULD EXHIBIT A LOUD THUMP FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE FEELING SIMILAR TO BEING STRUCK FROM THE REAR. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED THAT THE REAR BUSHINGS WERE FAILING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF AN UNKNOWN RECALL TWO YEARS PRIOR FOR THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT LISTED UNDER ANY RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

NHTSA ID

10379430

Incident

Jan 13, 2009

Mileage

120,000 mi

NO REVERSE.. NOVEMBER 23,2010 WHILE TRYING PARK TO MY DRIVE WAY, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FIND OUT THAT NO REVERSE!!! AND WHILE TRYING TO AVOID GET HIT BY ANOTHER CAR, I HIT CURB END UP WITH DAMAGED SUSPENSION AND STILL NO REVERSE .. *TR

NHTSA ID

10367843

Incident

Nov 23, 2010

Mileage

130,094 mi

MY 2000 BMW 328CI WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE. I HAVE READ THAT THERE THIS IS A VERY COMMON TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH THE GM TRANSMISSION AND THAT GM RECALLED IT BUT BMW DID NOT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10284903

Incident

Aug 13, 2009

Mileage

120,000 mi

THE CAR WAS IN PARKING LOT. I SWITCHED THE STICK INTO REVERSE POSITION AND THE CAR GOES NOWHERE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10283463

Incident

Sep 9, 2009

Mileage

120,000 mi

MY 200 BMW 328CI'S TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH LESS THAN 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I AM THE ONLY OWNER OF THE CAR AND TOOK PERFECT CARE OF IT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MAINTAINED BY AN AUTHORIZED BMW DEALERSHIP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10263912

Incident

Apr 1, 2009

Mileage

36,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 328IC. WHEN AN OCCUPANT IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATES EVEN IF THE PERSON IS PROPERLY POSITIONED. THE CONTACT IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS STATED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 FOR THE 2004-2006 BMW VEHICLES (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL). THE DEALER COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD AND IS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC AND A SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WAS RESET, BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

10261151

Incident

Jan 21, 2008

Mileage

144,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 3 SERIES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR SIX WEEKS DUE TO A CRACK IN THE OIL WATER SEPARATOR. THE PART HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE REPAIR. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF VEHICLES IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 120,000. UPDATED 3/19/09 *CN ENGINE WAS LEAKING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL. UPDATED 03/25/09.*JB

NHTSA ID

10258365

Incident

Jan 1, 2009

Mileage

120,000 mi

REVERSE REFUSES TO WORK. NO WARNING, DROVE 2 HOURS, PULLED INTO DRIVE WAY AND COULDN'T GET OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10253239

Incident

Dec 30, 2000

Mileage

103,000 mi

FIRST THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER. CAR WOULDN'T START IN PARK. I HAD THAT FIXED. THEN I NOTICED WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE, IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. THEN OUT OF THE BLUE, ONLY SEVERAL DAYS OUT OF THE SHOP, THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE IN ANY GEAR. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 21,500 MILES OR SO. I WILL ASK MECHANIC TO KEEP OLD PART. I CALLED VOB OF ROCKVILLE, MD. THEY WERE THEIR USUAL DISGUSTING SELVES. THIS IS GOING TO COST ME OVER 6000 DOLLARS THAT I DON'T HAVE. THE CAR IS A 200 328CI PURCHASED NEW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10250675

Incident

Dec 1, 2008

Mileage

21,500 mi

REAR SUBFRAME (LEFT REAR MOUNT) IS COMPLETELY TORN OUT OF THE FLOOR. CURRENTLY CAUSES A JOLTING ACTION IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND A CREAKING NOISE IN LOW SPEED DRIVING. IF LEFT UNATTENDED, COULD CAUSE MISALIGNMENT, POOR PERFORMANCE, AND THE REAR AXLE TO DROP FROM THE BODY. THIS IS NOT ONLY BAD BUT ALSO A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10207578

Incident

Oct 31, 2007

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 328IC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE SUB-FRAME TO CRACK WHERE THE TWO PARTS WERE ATTACHED. BMW STATED THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 90,000.

NHTSA ID

10197051

Incident

Jul 17, 2007

Mileage

90,000 mi

BACK IN JUNE 2006, I TOOK MY 2000 BMW 332CI TO BMW OF SAN DIEGO IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE SQUEAKING NOISE COMING FROM REAR AREA OF MY CAR WHILE DRIVING. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE SO NOTHING WAS DONE AT THAT TIME. NOW I TOOK MY CAR TO A REGULAR CHECK UP AT THE SAME BMW OF SAN DIEGO, AND THEY ARE NOW TELLING ME THAT REAR SUBFRAME IS TORN AND IT IS SAFETY HAZARD SO THEY THINK I SHOULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR AT ALL UNTIL I GET A REPAIR DONE AT LOCAL BODY SHOP. THEY THINK I SHOULD TOW THE CAR THERE. I THEN NOTICED THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 40 OTHER COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA SITE ABOUT THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM I AM HAVING. I LEARNED THROUGH ONLINE FORUM THAT THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM HAS BEEN RECALLED BY BMW GERMANY IN GERMAN A FEW YEARS BACK. I ALSO LEARNED THAT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA HAS PAID TO FIX THIS PROBLEM ON FOR SOME CUSTOMERS EVEN IF THEY ARE ALREADY OUT OF WARRANTY JUST LIKE MYSELF. CURRENTLY I AM WAITING FOR BMW OF NORTH AMERICA REPRESENTATIVE TO VISIT THE BMW OF SAN DIEGO TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY VEHICLE. SINCE THE BMW OF SAN DIEGO RECOMMENDED THAT I DO NOT DRIVE MY CAR WITHOUT GETTING THE PROBLEM FIXED, I AM CURRENTLY DRIVING THEIR LOANER CAR. MY CAR IS AT THE DEALER RIGHT NOW. WHEN I CALLED THE BODY SHOP REFERRED BY THE BMW OF SAN DIEGO, I WAS INFORMED BY ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES THERE THAT PROBLEM WITH SUB FRAME GETTING TORN HAS BEEN ONLY SEEN FOR BMW 3 SERIES AND NO OTHER MANUFACTURER OR MODEL. *NM

NHTSA ID

10180835

Incident

Jan 25, 2007

Mileage

110,000 mi

MY 2000 328CI BMW 5 SPD. THE SUBFRAME BEGAN TO TEAR IN 2004. THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS BUT I'VE NOTICED VARIOUS COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING. *NM

NHTSA ID

10171945

Incident

Oct 26, 2006

Mileage

40,000 mi

THE REAR SUBFRAME MOUNT IN MY 2000 328CI HAS A SIGNIFICANT FATIGUE CRACK AT THE SUBFRAME MOUNT WITHIN THE REAR AXLE SUPPORT. THIS PART, BMW #41117000246, FAILS DUE TO FATIGUE CRACKS FORMING IN THE SHEET METAL AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE SPOT WELDS OF THE SUBFRAME MOUNT TO THE BODY OF THE CAR. THE CRACK WAS OBSERVED DURING A REGULAR INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS AND MORE COMMON FAILURE THAN THE NUMBERS REPORTED TO NHTSA. ONE ENTHUSIASTS SITE HAS A LIST WITH 120 1999 AND 2000 E46 CARS WITH THIS FAILURE. THE CRACK IN MY CAR WAS OBSERVED BECAUSE I KNEW TO LOOK FOR IT. OTHERS HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN. THERE WAS NO PRIOR ACCIDENT OR EVENT THAT WOULD MAKE ONE SUSPECT SUCH A FAILURE. I ONLY KNEW BECAUSE A FELLOW BMW CAR CLUB MEMBER WARNED ME TO LOOK. THE CONSEQUENCES IS THAT THE REAR DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION ARE SEPARATING FROM THE BODY OF THE CAR. AFTER THE FIRST SUBFRAME MOUNTING POINT FAILS (VIRTUALLY ALWAYS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR) THEN THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR FAILS. IF SOMEONE FAILS TO FEEL THE WOBBLY FEEL TO THE DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION THE FRONT TWO MOUNTS (4 TOTAL IN THE BACK) WILL PROCEED TO RIP OUT. NEXT THE UPPER SHOCK MOUNTS FAIL. AT THIS POINT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CAR AND SUSPENSION/DRIVETRAIN IS VERY DANGEROUS. THERE ARE FIXES FOR THIS BUT THEY INVOLVE REMOVING THE ENTIRE REAR AXLE SUPPORT WHICH IS A VERY INVOLVED PROCESS AND COSTS > $4000. BMW CHANGED THIS DESIGN IN 2001, BUT HAS DONE NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE E46 CARS PRODUCED BEFORE THEN. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND COULD BE ADDRESSED FOR SIGNIFICANTLY LESS MONEY IF DONE BEFORE CRACKING STARTS. BMWAG REPAIRED OR REINFORCED ALL E46 CARS PRODUCED PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 2000, BUT BMWNA REFUSES TO. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS THIS IS NOT RIGHT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10167196

Incident

Aug 16, 2006

Mileage

65,250 mi

ENGINE WOULD NOT START AFTER IT WAS STARTED COLD, THEN SHUT OFF WITHIN 15 - 20 SECONDS. CAR OWNER CALLED BMW SERVICE MANAGER (TIM POLK, ERHART BMW) AND WAS ADVISED TO REMOVE ENGINE SPARK PLUGS, PLACE THEM ON A COOKIE SHEET IN A 325 DEGREE OVEN UNTIL THEY ARE DRIED. CAR STARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRIED PLUGS WERE RE-INSTALLED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154709

Incident

Mar 30, 2005

Mileage

47,074 mi

SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TURNS ON AND OFF SPORADICALLY. LOCAL DEALERSHIP SPECULATES THAT IT IS DUE TO FUEL TANK AND VENTILATION SYSTEM BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154705

Incident

May 9, 2003

Mileage

33,054 mi

AT LOW SPEEDS, WHEN TURNING, THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAS A CREAKING SOUND DUE TO DISTORTED AND LOOSE BALL JOINTS ON BOTH FRONT CONTROL ARMS - REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF BOTH CONTROL ARMS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154700

Incident

Jun 17, 2002

Mileage

23,224 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO FAULT CODE 168 - FAULTY THERMOSTAT THAT REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE THERMOSTAT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154695

Incident

Nov 29, 2001

Mileage

18,087 mi

CABIN HEATER BLOWER FAN IS SPORADIC (RUNS HIGH THEN LOW THEN HIGH AGAIN ON ITS OWN) DUE TO DEFECTIVE FINAL STAGE RESISTOR. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154694

Incident

Jun 21, 2001

Mileage

12,683 mi

LEFT SIDE DRIVER WINDOW WILL NOT MAKE FINAL POWER UP AFTER SHUTTING DOOR IF THE WINDOW HAS BEEN PARTIALLY OPENED OR CLOSED PREVIOUSLY. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THE WINDOW CLOSE TIGHTLY IS TO POWER DOWN THE WINDOW COMPLETELY AND THEN POWER UP COMPLETELY WITH NO STOPPING PART WAY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10154692

Incident

Jun 21, 2001

Mileage

12,683 mi

2000 BMW 328CI. TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ENTER 3RD GEAR AND GOES STRAIGHT INTO FIFTH. COMMON PROBLEM ON BMW'S WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. UNSAFE TO SKIP GEARS IN A NORMAL ACCELERATING SITUATION. CAR GOES STRAIGHT INTO FIFTH AND NEARLY STALLS EVERY TIME. BMW INSISTS THERE IS NO FLAW, BUT BMW FORUMS HIGHLIGHT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. A FAILED $4 PART COSTS OVER $1000 TO REPAIR AND IS A TRAFFIC HAZARD AS MANY PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION AS THE SHIFTER CAN STICK OR BIND IN NEUTRAL OR 5TH GEAR AND MUST BE FORCED INTO THE CORRECT GEAR, PROHIBITING PEOPLE FROM EXERCISING THE EXTREME CAUTION AND DEDICATION THAT DRIVING REQUIRES. *NM

NHTSA ID

10152916

Incident

May 1, 2005

Mileage

68,500 mi

THROUGH NORMAL DRIVING ON MY WAY TO WORK I STARTED TO HEAR CLUNCKING AND SQUEAKING COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT THE REAR SUB FRAME SEPARATED FROM THE UNI-BODY OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE SEVERE NOISES.*AK I TOOK THE CAR INTO BMW TO BE COVERED BY THE CERTIFIED PRE OWNED WARRANTEE BUT THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT COVERED SINCE THE BODY AND CHASSIS OF THE VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTEE. MY CAR HAS 49000 AND 1 YEAR LEFT ON THE WARRANTEE.

NHTSA ID

10116239

Incident

Mar 30, 2005

Mileage

48,500 mi

(1) NOTICED A SLIGHT NOISE FROM REAR DRIVERS SIDE OF CAR WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY. (2) REAR SUBFRAME CRACKED ON REAR DRIVERS SIDE OF VEHICLE. NO ACCIDENT CAUSED THIS. BMW SAID IT WAS WEAR AND TEAR OR "I MUST HAVE HIT A BIG POTHOLE." THIS I BELIEVE IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. HAVING FRAME DAMAGE IS NOT WEAR AND TEAR. (3) THE ENITRE REAR SUBFRAME OF THE CAR WAS REPLACED. OVER $3500 WORTH OF REPAIRS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10113934

Incident

Aug 1, 2004

Mileage

70,000 mi