Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 08/09/2011 | 140000 | ||
| Rear subframe beginning to tear. common problem that has been noted here before. | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 65000 | ||
| 2000 bmw 323 4 door sedan inside fabric separating from windshield column frame, front and back windshields. glue is defective and bmw will not cover the repair. if fabric continues to lift off will obstruct view when driving causing a hazardous situation. | |||
| 08/14/2008 | 75620 | 1 | |
| While jacking up the car on the front-drivers-side the jack point on the vehicle failed. the metal where the jack goes bent inwards into the vehicle due to rust. this part of the car may have rusted due to a water leak possibly from the sunroof. *tr | |||
| 06/30/2007 | 1 | ||
| Drivers side rear subframe is tearing away from body. this has been noted several times on this website already. *tr | |||
| 11/13/2005 | 1 | ||
| 2000 323i bmw body failure at left rear subframe mount point. the following is a few other ppl who had same problem: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=195602&page=23&pp=20. *nm | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 05/12/2012 | 104000 | ||
| All passenger doors fail to open (even manualy) due to a faulty gm5 (computer) or door lock actuator rusulting in a hazard if there were to be a fire or accident. | |||
| 04/15/2011 | 234000 | ||
| Heard loud noises coming from rear end of vehicle. upon inspection by repair facility it was determined that the rear drivers side subframe mount had pulled away from the body, a large tear is present in the body panel on either side of the subframe mount. repair facility indicated the risk is that the car may not respond as expected in an emergency or evasive action. form would not allow me to complete vin, last character is a 2. | |||
| 07/27/2009 | 160000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 bmw 323i has sub frame fractures as defined in a class action lawsuit against bmw. in the settlement, bmw has agreed to inspect and repair all effected vehicles. the dealer told me my car was unrepairable and offered me a cash settlement well below avg trade-in value. i want my car fixed. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 09/15/2000 | 2 | 10/01/1999 | |
| Both front doors leak water into the cabin when it rains or gets washed. both front floor mats get damp along with the floor board. water damage to inside carpet, floor mats, and any other components in the area. (electrical) | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 204000 | ||
| Bmw e46 subframes are made with a defective material. over time the subframe cracks. mine has cracked. | |||
| 05/06/2011 | 170000 | ||
| Have been informed by my mechanic that my subframe is failing on the rear end of my bmw. he pulled a report saying that a lawsuit has been filed against bmw but no recall had been issued (i.e, a 'silent' recall). his words: man you're totally screwed. my reading of the lawsuit is that there was a limited time to seek redress from bmw; having just found out about the problem, i'm having a hard time imagining how something that apparently is epidemic in 3-series bmws and can cause catastrophic failure (in one case, apparently locking up the brakes and causing the car to come to a screeching halt) has not resulted in a recall of model with mandatory repairs! again, i'm not a lawyer but my reading of the document my mechanic showed me seems to reveal an enormous dodge by bmw in limiting the time frame during which one can have them repair the problem! my internet search this weekend shows that there are many others with the same complaint, people describing loss of control of their cars, etc., and of course i'm not in the drive this thing anymore. it seems the serious nature of potential problems and obvious defect in manufacturing should warrant some sort of mandatory redress by the manufacturer. (my car has never been used in racing or extreme activities, just highway driving, mostly for commute.) had i not asked him to check the cause of the squeaking in the rear, my 1st notice of this could well have been a loss of control of the vehicle. | |||
| 05/05/2010 | 135000 | 1 | |
| My subframe is damage underneath the rear carrier. i noticed when i was driving i heard a loud knock in the back. it sounded so bad i went into an auto shop to have it checked out. they said it was a recall and to take it to the dealer. so i went to the dealer and they said it was not a recall but a class action suit. meaning they would repair it but i had to come up with a vehicle for 2 weeks while they repaired it. i can't afford the rental, so they let me drive off with my vehicle in very very poor condition. i have heard of the subframe being an issue with my car and was wondering if it were a problem, why haven't it made the recall list. it will end up killing someone if it's not taken care of. specially if a dealer is letting me take it back because they can't afford to give me a loaner car for two weeks while it is getting fixed (because it isn't a recall they implied). so here i'm complaining to you, were i hope god somehow touches you enough to make a few 100,000 people much safer by making this a recall. for it surly is unsafe as said by many mechanics (even the dealer ships mechanic said it was unsafe to drive it). but because i can't afford a rental with a new baby, and many bills... i'm still driving this 2000 bmw 323i and i will until i can either afford the two week rental or someone helps my situation. all parts are available, and would be replaced by the dealer at their expense (in other words. a big cover-up). but because it isn't a recall, they let me drive away because they wouldn't give me a rental in replace of the failed bmw.... i have the inspection copy from dealer stating below; campaign subframe recall is due damage found underneath rear carrier, requires bodyshop attention. if they are calling it a recall then why isn't it on the recall list? and if it went to a class action lawsuit, and lost... why is it still not a recall if its happening to many of these cars, and a very big danger while driving? something needs to be done! *tr | |||
| 04/23/2008 | 137800 | 1 | 05/15/2007 |
| 1: the rear of the car felt loose and sloppy while driving. but didn't perform to unusually. 2: the rear subframe ripped out of the sheet metal it was attached to leaving a gaping hole in the underbody of the car, and rendering the car undrivable. the passenger side of the car sat about 1.5 lower than the drivers side in the rear. also the rear sway bar was hitting on the rear passenger lower control arm, and also in the center on the rear differential mount. 3: nothing has been done to resolve this issue yet. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2006 | 93256 | 1 | 12/12/2004 |
| 1999-2005 bmw 3 series has defective rear subframe mounts. my rear sub frame mount of the driver side rear has torn out completely causing the car to constantly clunk and creak. *nm | |||
| 10/01/2006 | 115000 | 1 | 10/01/2000 |
| 1) there were no events out of the ordinary leading up to the failure of the rear subframe. all driving was normal in normal conditions. 2)cracked/separated rear subframe, failed due to engineering flaws in design and use of materials. consequences of this failure could be catastrophic and result in severe injury and or death. 3)i had my car inspected by bmw na at my local bmw dealer. bmwna agreed that the rear subframe was in fact broken and they would not be willing to participate in the repair of this. bmwag (germany) has acknowledge this compliant and problem and had ordered a recall for this year the car was manufactured. problem is currently being corrected with a combination of welding and metal reinforcement plates. *jb | |||
| 05/08/2006 | 1 | 03/01/2003 | |
| My 2000 bmw 323 cic was shuddering when i drove it. i took it in for repair and they told me that the rear differential had broken away from the subframe. my car has less than 70,000 miles on it and has never been in an accident. the only cause appears to be a defect in the design or manufacturer of this particular car. bmw has recalled this vehicle in germany because of this problem but has not done so here. it will cost me $3,300 to repair the problem and bmw has not agreed to cover it under the warranty. *nm | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 1 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Repetitive vibration in vehicle. the sub-frame had deteriorated and a weld failed. *bf (lawyer on behalf of consumer tony ward.)*jb | |||
| The subframe cracked which exposed the gas tank. the consumer feels an impact my cause an explosion. *nlm | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS - UNDERBODY SHIELDS | |||
| 12/01/2003 | 30000 | 12/12/1999 | |
| Clunking noise from left rear underside of vehicle. has to do with subframe and members, i.e., mounting point where subframe is attached to tears away from the rest of the sheet metal that forms the underside of the vehicle. | |||
| 09/27/2005 | 1 | 09/26/1999 | |
| Dt: 2000 bmw 323 ci - the rear sub frame mount tore loose from the car. took vehicle to a mechanic and he said this was a common problem for this year, make and model. while driving, it was making a popping noise from the rear of the vehicle, and that was why the consumer took it to the mechanic. this was the first time that had any problem like this with this car. the cost will be $2500-$3000. too vehicle to dealer to have it repaired. the consumer did research and there were no recalls on this car. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2004 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Rear subframe has torn away from the frame of the car. *ak | |||