2001 BMW 3 Series recalls, bulletins and complaint records

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Coverage held for this vehicle

OFFICIAL ACTION 10 US Recalls
MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 69 Manufacturer Bulletins
INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
CONSUMER REPORT 470 Consumer Complaints
CANADIAN RECALL 7 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: 2001
20V018000 2020-01-15

Recall 20V018000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators and PSPI passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used…

Recorded model years: 2001
19V853000 2019-11-26

Recall 19V853000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2001 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i and 2000-2001 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323iT, and 325iT vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver air bag as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI…

Recorded model years: 2001

Showing 3 of 10 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: 2001
10225115 2022-09-01

B610120

Customer is unable to power up or charge accessories through a plug adapter inserted in the front 12-volt power socket plug. Alternatively, it will only operate when constant downward hand pressure is maintained.

Recorded model years: 2001
10225126 2022-09-01

B662419

Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.

Recorded model years: 2001

Showing 3 of 69 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: 2001
PE02011 2002-01-31

INADVERTENT SIDE-IMPACT AIR BAG

Recorded model years: 2001

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

2020009 2020-01-15

Transport Canada recall 2020009

Issue: This recall is for certain vehicles that had an airbag inflator replaced as a part of an earlier recall campaign. This recall provides a final repair. Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force…

Recorded model years: 2001
2019599 2019-11-26

Transport Canada recall 2019599

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: 2001
2017034 2017-01-20

Transport Canada recall 2017034

Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.

Recorded model years: 2001

Showing 3 of 7 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

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

Outcomes stated in those reports

reports mentioning a crash 19
reports mentioning a fire 24
reported injuries 41
reported fatalities 1

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)125 (21.1%)Official recall records for this system: 52, covering model years 1999–2020.
Lights62 (10.5%)Official recall records for this system: 13, covering model years 1995–2021.
Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)59 (10.0%)Official recall records for this system: 16, covering model years 2008–2023.
Electrical system56 (9.5%)Official recall records for this system: 32, covering model years 2000–2025.
Fuel system39 (6.6%)Official recall records for this system: 7, covering model years 2013–2018.
Tires & wheels33 (5.6%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2001–2008.
Body & structure31 (5.2%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2002–2020.
Engine30 (5.1%)Official recall records for this system: 34, covering model years 1995–2024.

Other / uncategorized: 15 classifications (2.5%) 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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