RoadVitals

2001 BMW Z3 Coupe

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 Jan 4, 2008
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 2001 BMW Z3 Coupe, most frequently naming the electrical and visibility categories. 8 manufacturer communications are 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

  • Electrical150.0%
  • Visibility150.0%

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

Visibility
Filed Jan 4, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BMW Z3 COUPE. THE REAR WINDOW FOR THE CONVERTIBLE BECAME DISCOLORED AND TURNED A YELLOWISH-BROWN COLOR. THE VISIBILITY THROUGH THE WINDOW WAS GREATLY REDUCED. THE WINDOW WAS MADE OF HARD PLASTIC. THE DEALER REPLACED THE WINDOW. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000. UPDATED 01/29/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED COULD NOT SEE OUT OF THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDOW AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. UPDATED 01/29/08 *TR

NHTSA ID
10213729
Incident
Jan 1, 2004
Mileage
28,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 22, 2005

DT:CONSUMER SAYS THAT KEY SEEMS TO STICK IN THE IGNITION . CONSUMER HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, BUT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO JIGGLE KEY AND GET IT TO COME LOOSE. ON JUNE 21, 2005 CONSUMER DROVE TO STORE , WHEN CONSUMER WENT TO SHUT OFF VEHICLE THE IGNITION WOULD NOT MOVE. CONSUMER DROVE HOME AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO REMOVE KEY. CONSUMER DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE VEHICLE OUTSIDE OF STORE WITH ENGINE RUNNING. WHEN CONSUMER ARRIVED HOME HE PROCEEDED TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY UNTIL HE FINALLY GOT IGNITION TO SHUT OFF AND KEY TO DISLODGE. CONSUMER SPOKE TO DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS SOMETIMES HAPPENED, BUT BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED IT WAS NOT DEALER'S RESPONSIBILITY. DEALER SAID THAT TWO CYLINDERS COULD SOMETIMES LOCK, CAUSING KEY TO BE STUCK. ALSO, DEALER SAID THAT CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO PAY $135 JUST FOR DEALER TO LOOK AT PROBLEM. IT CAN OCCUR AT ANYTIME. PROBLEM HAPPENED FOR ABOUT A YEAR.*AK

NHTSA ID
10126214
Incident
Jun 21, 2005
Mileage
55,745 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SIB-63-02-01

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

BMW: PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING AND REPLACING INCANDESCENT AND HALOGEN LIGHT BULBS UNDER WARRANTY. *RM

SIB-32-04-07

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM; STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

BMW: A NEW TECHNICAL PROCESS HAS BEEN CREATED FOR BMW TO IDENTIFY CAUSES OF STEERING COMPLAINTS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF MODELS. *RM

SI B12 12 10

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

BMW: WHEN AT LOWER SPEEDS OR STOPPING THE ENGINE IDLE DIPS TOO LOW BECAUSE OF A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. *RM

SIB-16-02-09

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

BMW VEHICLES: FUEL LEVEL SENSOR REPAIRS. WHERE IT IS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT SIDE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR DUE TO A FAILURE, THE ENTIRE PUMP AND HOUSING OR DELIVERY UNIT (SUCTION JET ASSEMBLY) DO NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. IN SOME CASES, EPC DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE REPAIR KIT IS AVAILABLE SEPARATELY IN THE ILLUSTRATION, BUT IT IS AVAILABLE IN THE PARTS DESCRIPTION. ALL MODELS. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

650501

STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

SUBJECT REGARDING DWA ALARM CODING PROCEDURE. *TT

000200

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SUBJECT REGARDING NEW VEHICLE PREPARATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS. *TT

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 Z3 Coupe by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2001Viewing200—
2000100—

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.