RoadVitals

2004 BMW E46 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
4
Latest Jun 10, 2016
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jan 17, 2012

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 BMW E46. 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.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

Airbags
Filed Jun 10, 2016

AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHEN HITTING POT HOLE AT AROUND 30MPH. THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MANY E46'S THAT THE AIRBAG IS TOO SENSITIVE.

NHTSA ID
10873665
Incident
Nov 18, 2015
Mileage
131,000 mi
Exterior lightingVisibility
Filed May 31, 2012

BONJOUR, LES RFLECTEURS ZKW DE MES FEUX XNON SONT BRULS. MES FEUX N'CLAIRENT PLUS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10460106
Incident
May 1, 2012
Mileage
190,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 16, 2012

FACTORY BI-XENON HEADLIGHTS GRADUALLY DIMMED. BY 77K MILES THE LIGHT OUTPUT WAS TOO DIM TO SAFELY DRIVE AT NIGHT. COMPARED TO A NEW MODEL AT DEALER WITH XENON LIGHTS AND FOUND VERY NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE. MECHANIC ANALYSIS FOUND METALLIZED PLASTIC REFLECTORS ON XENON BULBS HAD BURNED AND LOST THEIR REFLECTIVITY. REPLACEMENT REFLECTORS ARE NOT SOLD AS SERVICE PARTS BY BMW, SO REMEDY INVOLVES COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10448204
Incident
Dec 1, 2008
Mileage
77,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 17, 2012

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BMW STSTING THERE WAS NOW A RECALL FOR THE BAD GROUND WIRE ON THE REAR TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY THAT CAUSED THE METLING OF THE CONNECTOR. I HAD ALREADY SPENT $400 FOR THE FIX, NOW THEY RECALL THE PART. BMW NORTH AMERICA TOOK TOO LONG TO DO THIS, AND I AM GOING INTO THE DELAERSHIP TO SEE ABOUT GETTING A REFUND FOR THE SERVICE I PAID FOR THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER.

NHTSA ID
10444127
Incident
Jan 1, 2010
Mileage
80,000 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .