1997 BMW Z3 Owner Complaints

The contact owned a 1997 BMW Z3 Roadster. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was a multi-car rear-end accident involving two other vehicles after she fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended the vehicle in front of her. The contact stated that no other passengers were in her vehicle; however, only the driver's side air bag had failed to deploy. The contact required hospitalization and was in a coma. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and later auctioned. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The approximate failure mileage was 199,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11513678

Incident

Feb 14, 2017

Mileage

199,000 mi

VEHICLE JERKS, SHUTTERS AND PULLS TO THE RIGHT. REAR SUB FRAME AND DIFFERENTIAL BUSHING FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10946920

Incident

Jan 19, 2017

Mileage

199,000 mi

THE SEAT TRACKS OF BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ALLOWED THE SEATS TO MOVE AT LEAST 10MM FORWARD AND REARWARD UNDER BRAKING AND ACCELERATION. THIS MOVEMENT CAUSES A PARTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10562829

Incident

Oct 3, 2012

Mileage

130,000 mi

UPON STARTING THE CAR THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE FIRST TWO TIME IT COST APPROXIMATELY $350 TO REPAIR. FOR THIS TO HAPPEN A THIRD TIME IS INDICATIVE OF A DESIGN FAULT.

NHTSA ID

10404652

Incident

May 26, 2011

Mileage

56,423 mi

I TURNED THE KEY TO START THE VEHICLE. IT STARTED NORMALLY. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL (5 SPEED TRANS.) TO ALLOW IT TO WARM-UP FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES WHILE I CHECKED MY VOICE MAIL ON MY PHONE. AS I PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDSHIELD TO PULL OUT OF MY PARKING SPACE, I SAW DENSE WHITE SMOKE ROLLING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I LOOKED AT THE DASH FOR ANY WARNING OR INDICATOR LIGHTS; THERE WERE NONE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF, POPPED THE HOOD, AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR. I WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE SMOKE WAS NO LONGER ROLLING OUT BEFORE ACTUALLY OPENING THE HOOD, AS I WAS AFRAID OF INTRODUCING A RUSH OF AIR IF SOMETHING WAS ON FIRE. AS THE SMOKE RAPIDLY INCREASED AND PROGRESSED TO BLACK SMOKE, I CALLED MY FACILITY SECURITY FROM AN EMERGENCY CALL BOX WHILE ALSO CALLING 911 FROM MY CELL PHONE. DURING THE 911 CALL, FLAMES BECAME VISIBLE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. FOUR FIRE ENGINES ARRIVED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. ALL FOUR LEVELS OF MY FACILITIES PARKING DECK WERE FILLED WITH TOXIC SMOKE WHICH WAS EVACUATED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE FIRE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT NIGHT THAT THE CAR WAS TOO BADLY BURNED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. THEY SUPPOSED IT WAS ELECTRICAL. AFTER INSPECTING THE CAR, THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR DID NOT BELIEVE THE FIRE TO BE FROM ELECTRICAL ORIGIN, BUT INSTEAD FUEL / ENGINE RELATED. THE CAR HAD BEEN MAINTAINED ON A REGULAR BASIS. NO SERVICE HAD BEEN RECENTLY PERFORMED. I HAD NOT BEEN EXPERIENCING ANY ISSUES WITH THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE.

NHTSA ID

10371628

Incident

Nov 12, 2010

Mileage

110,000 mi

MY 1997 BMW Z3 HAD THE AIRBAG LIGHT COME ON 2 YEARS AGO. THE TECHNICIAN SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY THE SEATBELT TENSIONER. HE REPLACED IT AND ALL WAS FINE. IT'S BACK ON AGAIN. IF THIS IS AS COMMON TO THESE MODELS AS I'VE HEARD WHY HASN'T BMW HAD A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS IS GETTING EXPENSIVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10369086

Incident

Dec 2, 2010

Mileage

131,000 mi

PASSENGER GOT INTO FRONT SEAT AND ADJUSTED IT DOWN AND BACK WITH THE POWER SEAT CONTROLS. AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HAS BEEN ON EVER SINCE. I CHECKED FOR BROKEN OR DAMAGED WIRING BUT FOUND NOTHING OBVIOUS. BMW IS RECALLING MANY OF THEIR NEW CARS, BUT IT SEEMS THEIR OLD ONES EXHIBIT THE SAME FAILURES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10238068

Incident

Apr 1, 2008

Mileage

69,500 mi

SEAT RAILS DO NOT LOCK PROPERLY THEREBY ALLOWING SEAT(S) TO SLIDE FORWARD DURING BRAKING. CAN POTENTIALLY LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10222149

Incident

Feb 10, 2008

Mileage

88,000 mi

1997 BMW Z3 WITH SLIDING SEAT PROBLEMS CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE SEAT WOULD SLIDE FORWARD WHEN HE PUSHED ON THE BRAKE AND SLIDE BACK WHEN HE ACCELERATED**CC THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE WORM GEAR ON THE SEAT BRACKET HAD WORN OUT BEYOND REPAIR AND A COMPLETE SEAT BRACKET WAS NEEDED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10199186

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 65 MPH ON I-95 WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE TRACTION CONTROL FEATURE ON THE VEHICLE FAILED TO WORK. THE CONSUMER HIT A GUARD RAIL AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10101604

Incident

Nov 22, 2004

MY 1997 BMW Z3 HAS THE SRS LIGHT CONSTANTLY ON, I GET IT FIXED AND IT GOES ON AGAIN. I'VE DONE THIS LIKE 3 TIMES, NOW MY MECHANIC IS SAYING IT'S LIKE 800 TO FIX. REDICULOUS! IT'A DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE, I'M NOT SUE THE SYSTEM WILL WORK NOW.*AK

NHTSA ID

10087000

Incident

Aug 30, 2002

Mileage

32,000 mi

AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON, UNKNOWN REASON.*AK

NHTSA ID

10062042

Incident

Oct 19, 2003

Mileage

34,000 mi

REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR'S AIRBAG. THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON. I HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AND I PAID BMW TO FIX IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS SOMETHING WITH THE SEATBELT. THE LIGHT HAS COME ON AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

10061983

Incident

Sep 1, 2003

WHILE APPLYING BRAKES STEERING JERKS SIDE TO SIDE. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE CROSSES OVER TO DIFFERENT LANES WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATES THAT IS A NORMAL PROCEDURE OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10056081

Incident

Jan 2, 2004

Mileage

72,000 mi

THE BRACKET WHICH HELD THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO THE FLOOR BECAME LOOSE. THIS CAUSED THE SEAT TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH WHEN A STOP WAS MADE. THE DEALER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS NORMAL AND THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THE SEAT. *JB *CB *JB THE DEALER WITNESSED ALOT OF THIS PROBLEM. *SCC

NHTSA ID

10020196

THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKS UP MORE OFTEN THAN NORMAL AND AT UN-NEEDED TIMES. THIS CAUSES PAIN TO THE USER WITH THE END RESULT BEING THAT THE USER TENDS TO REMOVE THE SEAT BELT, OR IS FORCED TO SIT THERE IN PAIN WITH THE SEAT BELT ON AND LOCKED UP. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10023167

Incident

Apr 6, 2003

THE SEAT TRACKS OF BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ALLOWED THE SEATS TO MOVE AT LEAST 10MM FORWARD AND REARWARD UNDER BRAKING AND ACCELERATION. THIS MOVEMENT CAUSES A PARTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 32K MILES ON IT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PREMATURE FAILURE AND A DEFECT OF BOTH TRACKS. THIS FAILURE MODE IS DOCUMENTED BOTH ON THIS SITE AND ON MANY BMW FORUMS. THE ENTIRE TRACK ASSEMBLY OF BOTH SEATS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10023166

Incident

Feb 5, 2003

FIRST FAILURE, DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS ARE COMING LOOSE FROM THE TRACK THAT THE SEATS MOVE BACK AND FORTH ON. THE SEATS CAN MOVE BACK AND FORTH A FEW INCHES, WITHOUT DEPRESSING ON THE LEVEL TO MOVE THE SEATS BACK AND FORTH. THE AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE THE TRACK AND IT REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER CONTENDS THIS IS A REPAIR ITEM AND DOES NOT BELIEVE IT TO BE DEFECT IN THE SEATS OR A SAFETY PROBLEM SHOULD AN ACCIDENT OCCUR. THE FACT THAT BOTH SEATS NOW DO THIS AND IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN UNDER NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR WOULD INDICATE OTHERWISE. THE AUTOMOBILE HAS ONLY 42,000 MILES AND IS LESS THAN 4 YEARS OLD. SECOND FAILURE: THE OUTER TRIM OF THE DASHBOARD HOUSING OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG HAS COME LOOSE. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THIS DEFECT MAY DISRUPT OR ALTER THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG SHOULD A COLLISION OCCUR. DEALERSHIP AND AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURE CONTENDS THIS SITUATION WOULD NOT CAUSE THE AIRBAG TO MALFUNCTION AND THEREFORE NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY WOULD NOT SUPPLY INFORMATION OR DATA TO SUPPORT THEIR ASSESSMENT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10010799

Incident

Mar 20, 2003

WHILE DRIVING THE ACCELERATOR STUCK CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A TREE. THE CONSUME BELIEVES THIS ACCIDENT IS RELATED TO NHTSA RECALL #8324 97V-131000 OF THE CRUISE CONTROL THROTTLE CABLES CABLE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *TS *NLM

NHTSA ID

10001349

Incident

Dec 11, 2002

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISON. ONLY THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS

NHTSA ID

8022446

Incident

Oct 23, 2002

THE SEAT DOES NOT LOCK ON THE TRACK, IT SHIFTS BACK AND FORTH WHILE ACCELERATING OR BRAKING, IT WAS A DEFECT WHEN MANFURED BUT MANUFACTURER WILL NOT CORRECT, MANY Z 3 OWNERS HAVE THE PROBLEM, I FEEL IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR KILL SOMEONE, IF IT WAS A US COMPANY LIKE GM, FORD, OR CHRY I KNOW THEY WOULD HAVE REPAIRED THE DEFECT, WHY DO WE ALLOW FOREIGN COMPANIES TO GET AWAY WITH PRODUCING A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE WE WOULD NOT ALLOW ONE OF OUR COMPANIE TO PRODUCE. MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY SEAT. BY THE WAY BMW HAS AGREED IT WAS A DEFECT AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED BUT THEY WANT TO GET ANOTHER $4-500 BUCKS TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT WAS PLAINLY A DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING PROBLEM BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION. I ASK YOU HELP ON BEHALF OF ALL THOSE Z 3 OWNERS WHO MIGHT END UP IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE WRITTEN BMW BUT THEY DID NOT EVEN GIVE ME THE COURTESY OF AN ANSWER. HELP PLEASE. *AK

NHTSA ID

763069

Incident

Jun 7, 2001

LEFT REAR FRAME RAIL CRACKED WITH CAUSE UNKNOWN. THIS CRACK WAS ONLY DETECTED BY OWNER WHEN CHANGING TIRE. DEALERSHIP STATES THAT THIS MAY HAVE COME FROM MANUFACTURE TIGHTNING FRAME TOO TIGHT. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS

NHTSA ID

8010882

BOTH SEAT BELTS WILL NOT LATCH PROPERLY. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

8006061

Incident

Dec 15, 2001

WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATEED ON THE DASHBOARD, THE AIRBAG SENSOR WAS REPLACED. *AK. CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER AND HARNESS WAS CAUSING THE AIR BAG LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON, THE HOOD SENSOR FOR THE ALARM WAS REPLACED, THERE WAS A FAULTY THERMOSTAT THAT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE RADIATOR, THE GLOVE BOX WAS REPLACED AND THE SEAT CAME OUT OF PLACE WHEN STOPPING. *YD

NHTSA ID

8003673

Incident

Jan 22, 2002

WHILE DRIVING 50-60 MPH WHEELS LOCKED UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO VEER FROM SIDE TO SIDE, FINALLY SPUN AROUND. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT DIFFERENTIAL HAD LOCKED UP AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

8002952

Incident

Jan 25, 2002