RoadVitals

2002 BMW Z8

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.
3
Latest Sep 7, 2016
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 BMW Z8, most frequently naming the exterior lighting and body & structure categories. 7 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

  • Exterior lighting266.7%
  • Body & structure133.3%

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

Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 7, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW Z8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID
10904397
Incident
Dec 13, 2004
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 6, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW Z8. WHILE STATIONARY, THE TAIL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AND WERE NOT STEADY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,400. UPDATED 10/21/16*LJ THE LIGHT BULBS WERE REPLACED. *JS

NHTSA ID
10903851
Incident
Sep 6, 2016
Mileage
23,400 mi
Body & structure
Filed Jan 29, 2006

THIS ENTIRE MODEL RUN OF THIS HIGH PERFORMANCE CAR IS NOW EXHIBITING SIGNIFICANT FLEXING AND WEAKENING OF THE ALUMINUM FRAME DUE TO A DESIGN FAILURE. THIS IS CAUSING THE CHASSIS TO BEND AT THE AREA OF THE SHOCK TOWER CROWNS, AND CHANGE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE CAR. ALUMINUM CHASSIS CAN NOT BE FIXED, THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE COST OF THIS DESIGN FLAW IS AROUND $80,000 PER CAR ONCE THE CHASSIS GIVES WAY. YOU CAN SEE A FULL REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM HERE: HTTP://WWW.BMWZ8.US/VBB/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=400&REFERRERID=2. *AK

NHTSA ID
10148952
Incident
Jan 13, 2006
Mileage
3,700 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-65-24-03

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

BMW: OPERATING DESCRIPTION OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LIGHT. *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

841301

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

A CONDITION MAY EXIST WHERE THE CPT 8000 TELEPHONE WILL NOT CLIP INTO THE CRADLE LOCATED IN THE CENTER ARMREST. *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 Z8 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2002Viewing300
2001420
2000000

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.