RoadVitals

2002 BMW Z3 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.
6
Latest Jul 18, 2020
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 Oct 7, 2008

What this page shows

Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 BMW Z3. 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 1–6 of 6

ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Jul 18, 2020

WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON THE LEFT BLINKERS STARTS BLINKING RAPIDLY AND IS VERY DIM SO NOT REALLY VISIBLE. WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE OFF IT OPERATES NORMALLY. THIS HAPPENS WHEN STATIONARY AND WHEN MOVING. I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF SAME PROBLEMS REPORTED ON BMW FORUMS LIKE FOLLOWS: HTTPS://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=537810://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=537810

NHTSA ID
11340054
Incident
Jul 16, 2020
Mileage
55,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Dec 5, 2019

AIR BAG FAULT LIGHT IS COMING IN AND OUT ON THE VEHICLE DISPLAY

NHTSA ID
11287152
Incident
Dec 4, 2019
Mileage
69,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Sep 28, 2019

2002BMW Z3. THE ABS/DSC SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS AT SPEEDS ABOVE 40MPH. THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE ENGAGES AND ABRUPTLY FORCES THE CAR TO PULL HARD RIGHT. THE ABS LIGHTS ON THE DISPLAY PANEL. NO BUMPS OR BAD ROAD CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED PRIOR TO OR AT THE TIME THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURS. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ENDANGERING NOT ONLY THE DRIVER, BUT ALL VEHICLE DRIVERS IN PROXIMITY.

NHTSA ID
11258709
Incident
Sep 3, 2019
Mileage
35,200 mi
Seat belts
Filed Aug 9, 2016

SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM - SEAT-BELT GUIDE HAS BROKEN AS IT IS WARPED PLASTIC AND STOPPING SHORT CAN BREAK IT. IN AN ACCIDENT SEAT BELT COULD SLIP UP, OR IMPACT NECK AS IT IS NOT HELD INTO PLACE NEAR THE SEAT. DEALER WANTS $400 TO FIX WHAT SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT

NHTSA ID
10894361
Incident
Aug 9, 2016
Mileage
46,000 mi
Steering
Filed Dec 21, 2015

TWO TIMES WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. WE HAVE HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO DEALER FOR SERVICE. WE THOUGHT THAT THE FIRST TIME WAS A MISTAKE, THEN IT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME. NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRIED, WE COULD NOT GET THE STEERING WHEEL UNLOCKED TO DRIVE THE CAR, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD THE KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARKING POSITION AND WE COULD NOT GET THE STEERING WHEEL TO MOVE. WE HAVE A AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH A KEY LOCK. WE WOULD PARK THE CAR IN THE PARKING LOT AND WHEN WE RETURNED, WE WOULD PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION TO START THE CAR, BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS COMPLETELY LOCKED. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. THE CAR WOULD BE IN PARK WITH EVERYTHING OFF, AND NOTHING WOULD MOVE.

NHTSA ID
10811359
Incident
Dec 20, 2015
Mileage
102,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Oct 7, 2008

PASSENGER AIR BAG FAILURE. PRESSURE SWITCH IN PASSENGER SEAT FAILED. HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10244619
Incident
Mar 1, 2006
Mileage
20,000 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 .