1999 BMW 3 Series recalls, bulletins and complaint records

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Coverage held for this vehicle

OFFICIAL ACTION 7 US Recalls
MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 48 Manufacturer Bulletins
INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
CONSUMER REPORT 243 Consumer Complaints
CANADIAN RECALL 6 Canada Recalls

These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

21V401000 2021-05-27

Recall 21V401000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 BMW 3 Series (323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci and 330Ci), 1999-2001 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 2000 323i, 328i stationwagon vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bag inflators that were previously inspected, but not replaced under recall numbers 19V-851,…

Recorded model years: 1999
19V852000 2019-11-26

Recall 19V852000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2000 323i and 328i and 2000 323Ci and 328Ci vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air…

Recorded model years: 1999
19V851000 2019-11-26

Recall 19V851000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999 323i and 328i vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata at one specific inflator production facility. These inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the…

Recorded model years: 1999

Showing 3 of 7 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 93 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.

Manufacturer Bulletins

NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US

10249437 2024-01-16

B510819

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

Recorded model years: 1999
10218380 2022-06-01

SIB640921

On these Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), the air conditioning cycles from cold to warm air while driving or while at a standstill. The vent outlet temperatures vary by 25 degrees Fahrenheit or more (38 F to 60 F+; 3 to 15+ Celsius) without changing any climate control settings. A difference may be felt in cooling power compared from left…

Recorded model years: 1999
10218369 2022-06-01

SIB510822

Whistling noise is heard coming from the front bumper while driving at highway speeds.

Recorded model years: 1999

Showing 3 of 48 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 1,699 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.

Investigations

NHTSA Investigation US

EA02012 2002-07-15

INADVERTENT SIDE-IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYME

THE SUBJECT VEHICLE'S AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE CONTAINS PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC FOR DEPLOYING THE SIDE-IMPACT AIR BAGS.BMW REVISED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE SPAN OF THE MODEL YEARS 1999 THROUGH 2002 (IDENTIFIED AS MRS2.CA, MRS2.BB, MRS3, MRS3+ AND MRS4).ALTHOUGH MODEL YEAR 1999.5 VEHICLES WITH VERSION MRS2.BB HAD 6.5% OF THE SUBJECT POPULATION, IT ACCOUNTED FOR 29% OF THE TOTAL…

Recorded model years: 1999
PE99017 1999-03-02

INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS

ALLEGED THAT THE DRIVER'S OR FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS MAY DEPLOY WITHOUT A VEHICLE CRASH

Recorded model years: 1999

A further 15 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.

Canada Recalls

Transport Canada Recall CA

2021354 2021-05-27

Transport Canada recall 2021354

Issue: This recall is for vehicles that had an inspection performed under recall 2019-599, 2019-600 or 2019-601, but where the airbag inflator was not replaced. This new recall will provide replacement of the airbag inflator. On certain cars, exposure to moisture over time could cause the driver-front airbag not to inflate properly in a crash. In some cases, this could…

Recorded model years: 1999
2019600 2019-11-26

Transport Canada recall 2019600

Issue: On certain cars, exposure to moisture over time could cause the driver-front airbag not to inflate properly in a crash. In some cases, this could cause an airbag not to fully inflate, while in others it could cause it to deploy with more force than normal. It could also cause the inflator to rupture. If the airbag inflator ruptures,…

Recorded model years: 1999
2019601 2019-11-26

Transport Canada recall 2019601

Issue: On certain cars, exposure to moisture over time could cause the driver-front airbag not to inflate properly in a crash. In some cases, this could cause an airbag not to fully inflate, while in others it could cause it to deploy with more force than normal. It could also cause the inflator to rupture. If the airbag inflator ruptures,…

Recorded model years: 1999

Showing 3 of 6 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 91 records exist for the BMW 3 Series where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA Complaint US

243 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.

Outcomes stated in those reports

reports mentioning a crash 22
reports mentioning a fire 10
reported injuries 18
reported fatalities 5

Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.

By system

Air bags (restraint system)93 (31.1%)Official recall records for this system: 52, covering model years 1999–2020.
Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)46 (15.4%)Official recall records for this system: 16, covering model years 2008–2023.
Body & structure26 (8.7%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2002–2020.
Electrical system22 (7.4%)Official recall records for this system: 32, covering model years 2000–2025.
Suspension19 (6.4%)Official recall records for this system: 6, covering model years 1995–2017.
Brakes15 (5.0%)Official recall records for this system: 14, covering model years 1999–2021.
Tires & wheels15 (5.0%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2001–2008.
Doors, latches & locks11 (3.7%)

Other / uncategorized: 3 classifications (1.0%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.

A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.

A further 9,235 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.

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