Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 09/10/2003 | 1 | ||
| Dashboard reflects into windshield, causing an obstructive view. *ak | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 118000 | ||
| Subframe failure on bmw e46. on my rear 2 differential mounts of the subframe were cracks that were spreading. driver side rear mount had completely torn out and the subframe was a gaping hole around the mount. no hard driving done to car. | |||
| 11/12/2011 | 135000 | ||
| I had heard that subframe failure was extremely common on bmw e46 models (1999-2006) but had no problems, until today. i was driving my 2000 bmw 328i when suddenly there was a loud pop, the steering became lose and there was a constant knocking noise. once i got it home i looked under the car and sure enough the sub-frame had ripped completed away from the body, the entire drivers side was ripped out leaving two big hole in the under body of the car. i did some research and found there was a successful class action lawsuit against bmw na but that claims had to be filed by 2010. they are not refusing to fix it. this is a clearly dangerous situation and there are 10's of thousands of others in online boards who are experiencing the exact same thing. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - TRUNK LID | |||
| 08/11/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Right side trunk liner is loose due to a missing clip, this was also installed incorrectly. *slc | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 07/15/2011 | 110700 | ||
| Bmw series 3 subframe cracking. there was a class action suit -- i had no damage during the time period allowed. the damage is just beginning, and it is still a safety issue. bmw should cover the repair ! there is still low mileage on the car -- but if i continue to drive it without the repair (several thousand dollars), there will probably be a major accident. | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 108000 | 1 | |
| Rear sub frame mounting points are tearing through the floor pan. this problem is very common and a result of insufficient structural support. *tr | |||
| 08/12/2008 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Common failure on 2000 bmw 3 series cars: the rear subframe tears away from unibody. i just received a report from the dealer that my car is experiencing this problem. it is acknowledged by bmw as a defect in the materials but it is not necessarily covered by bmw. the car is unsafe to drive in this condition and will require upwards of $5000 in repair. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2007 | 51500 | 1 | 04/18/2003 |
| I had been hearing a noise for a couple of months and thought it was the clutch, i took the car into a bmw-approved body shop and they pointed out the flaw in the subframe and rear differential and how the metal had torn due to stress. *jb | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 52000 | 1 | 05/08/2006 |
| In may '06 i purchased my (e46) 2000 bmw 328i. a couple of months later i noticed a subtle squeak coming from the rear end. thinking it was nothing serious, i ignored it for a while as my life was very busy at that time. after consulting some vehicle-savvy friends and a visit to motorsports of lexington (the place to go if you live near lexington, ky); they were unable to locate the source of the squeak as it was winter and just my luck, the squeak was almost non-existent that day. i was asked to bring it back during warmer weather. so today (70 degrees and sunny) i took it back to the shop. to my utter dismay i was shown that the rear driver-side differential mount had completely separated from the chassis. they told me this is a common problem with e46's. total repair costs were estimated between $600-$1000. out of curiosity i visited the dealer (don jacobs bmw) to see if my powertrain extended warranty covered such damage. to no surprise it does not. however, the shocking part was that the dealer told me they had never heard of this problem. after about an hour of searching the internet for other bmw owners who might have experienced a similar problem, i found many who had the exact same problem, as well as similar problems with the subfloor and not just on the e46. this having resulted in a class action lawsuit in 2005, from what i've read, many people have received reimbursement for this repair. *jb | |||
| 03/13/2007 | 52000 | 1 | 05/08/2006 |
| In may '06 i purchased my (e46) 2000 bmw 328i. a couple of months later (i don't recall the exact date) i noticed a subtle squeak coming from the rear end. thinking it was nothing serious, i ignored it for a while as my life was very busy at that time. after consulting some vehicle-savvy friends and a visit to motorsports of lexington (the place to go if you live near lexington, ky); they were unable to locate the source of the squeak as it was winter and just my luck, the squeak was almost non-existent that day. i was asked to bring it back during warmer weather. so today 3/13/2007 (70 degrees and sunny) i took it back to the shop. to my utter dismay i was shown that the rear driver-side differential mount had completely separated from the chassis. they told me this is a common problem with e46's. total repair costs were estimated between $600-$1000. out of curiosity i visited the dealer (don jacobs bmw) here in lexington, to see if my powertrain extended warranty covered such damage. to no surprise it does not. however, the shocking part was that the dealer told me they had never heard of this problem. after about an hour of searching the internet for other bmw owners who might have experienced a similar problem, i found many who had the exact same problem, as well as similar problems with the subfloor and not just on the e46. this having resulted in a class action lawsuit in 2005, from what i've read, many people have received reimbursement for this repair. i can send pictures if necessary, as the repairs have not yet been performed. *jb | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 112000 | 2 | 08/20/2004 |
| At about 112k miles i noticed a creaking noise coming from the rear suspension. upon inspection, the drivers side rear differential mount had multiple stress fractures and separations at the point where the mount was welded to the unibody. this vehicle has had all required maintenance inspections at normal intervals. this car is driven on the highway 90% of the time and the rest in residential streets. it is a family car and has had no modifications period. the car was purchased with a bmw na cpo warranty that has since expired. the dealership refuses to cover any repair costs ( estimated at >3000 dollars) bmw na has ignored repeated requests from owners to fix this dangerous condition. in fact, bmw germany has known about this problem and covers the cost of repairs, they even have a method of repair. this situation is very dangerous and requires immediate attention. the suspension should never separate from the body because of torsion forces from the trans/diff. it is clear that this is a design flaw. i personally have a list of over 100 names with documented subframe cracking/failure of the e46 body years 1999-2000. the overwhelming majority of these have subframe damage at the same rear drivers side diff mount, in other words, out of four possible failure points, the rear drivers side is nearly always the failure point !! i implore the nhtsa to address this issue immediately before someone dies !!*jb | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 80000 | 4 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated a vibration was heard and felt while driving on normal road conditions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the front control arm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was serviced but continued to have similar problems. a loud clunking sound was heard while making a turn at 10mph. the noise was continuous. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the rear sub frame had fractured and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and determined the same solution as the dealer. | |||
| 05/05/2004 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Rear subframe damage (2000 328i, 80,000 miles). *nm | |||
| 12/08/2005 | 85000 | 1 | 04/15/2002 |
| Rear subframe damage where rear suspension connects. vehicle has not been mistreated or run on anything but street roads. vehicle has not been raced, primarily a family vehicle. *nm | |||
| 11/02/2005 | 1 | 12/09/2000 | |
| The exact date unknown. it was during heavy rains in san diego. insurance co. said i need a date. we put down nov 02 2005. during heavy rain san diego develops hundreds if not thousands of pot holes. while driving the car in the rain, the car ran into a large pot hole. the wheel was damaged according to the man that installed new tires on the car. at later weeks the car was making strange noises, i thought it was rear shock on the drivers side. my son took the car to bmw repair shop. after the inspection my son was told that it is not shock but that the frame was damaged and needed to be welded. the car was taken to mercedes body shop and insurance adjuster examined the car and said that he contacted bmw dealer and was told that it is metal fatigue that caused the damage and that they are not responsible for repairs. (the insurance co.) bmw does not have a regular frame that other cars do. all the wheels and other parts are held up by some kind of joint that is welded to the frame. he gave me an example if you have a towel rack in the bathroom and some one pulls it down you know how screws and dry wall will look like? he blames it on manufacturer defect because the bmw dealer said that they have seen this type of problem before. *nm updated *jb on february 6, 2006 bmw accepted responsibility for the vehicles defect. the vehicle is currently in the body shop being repaired at no cost to the consumer. *nm | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 80000 | 1 | 05/18/2005 |
| My 2000 bmw 328i is all stock with the exception of a high-end aftermarket intake... it is one of many e46 bmw's to have the dreaded body failure at rear subframe mounting point. let me briefly describe the issue at hand: ...the rear mounting points for the subframe can rip out from their spots in the sheet metal. ...the rear differential transmits the torsional load from the engine through the subframe, then into the chassis. this constant loading and unloading weakens the sheet metal and causes it to fatigue and separate from the chassis. this is where we have seen many failures of the chassis on low mileage street cars.. that is a quote from the respected bmw specialists at turner motorsport (www.turnermotorsport.com). that is the exact problem that i've had. bmwag (germany) recognized this issue and has addressed it... bmwna (north america) has blown a large percentage of us off... stating that we are post warranty and that it's due to road hazards or just wear and tear. the frame, subframe, and it's mounting points should last the life of the car, without question. i've already got a lawyer which will be perusing this - and i will never buy another bmw until they take responsibility for this issue and issue a recall on all e46 bmws. this is completely unsafe - what happens when the driver side rear suspension / frame collapses on a windy road or on the highway? it will absolutely lose control and most likely head left - towards oncoming traffic. i have no other vehicle which i can drive and the condition is only getting worse ... louder ... more annoying. please help. there are much more of us that have this issue... please refer to the links below. i'm not trying to get over on anyone - i just know that bmw needs to step up to the plate ... this is supposed to be one of the safest automobiles on the road, not to mention the ultimate driving machine. thank you so much for your time, i do appreciate it. john hanson. *nm | |||
| 12/16/2004 | 1 | ||
| A knocking noise was coming from rear and vehicle started to shake uncontrollably. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer. mechanic determined that the rear sub frame cracked,and needed replacement. *ak | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS - UNDERBODY SHIELDS | |||
| 02/16/2006 | 120000 | 1 | 11/17/1999 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35mph there was a noise from the rear of the vehicle that vibrated throughout. the noise became more common at all speeds and while driving in general. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop. the mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered the sub frame separated from the body along the rear of the vehicle. there were no previous crashes or damage to cause the separation. the vehicle was also inspected by an authorized dealership, but no repairs were made. | |||