2001 BMW 3 Series problems
The 2001 BMW 3 Series has 49 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (16%) concerns air bags. Next are lighting (16%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 49 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 108,000 miles 36 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 36 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 108,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 94% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the BMW 3 Series with enough data (6 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Consumer was traveling about 55MPH on highway and another vehicle veered into his lane, and driver's side airbag didn't deploy. Dealership was aware of problem.
I previously reported this. See file # 748060- I have never rec'd any response or acknowledgement. I experienced 2 flat tires simutaneously at high speed with no previous warning or indication of anything improper, etc. I only had 4400 miles on this vehicle and find hard to believe that this could occur. After replacing at my expense, since my dealer informed me that anything could happen to tires and that they weren't responsible, I learned of NHTSA recall # 00v383.
The engine of my car shut off, and upon being towed to the dealer, they got back to me to say that the engine failed as a result of drivers error from a downshift from 4th to 2nd. The dealer said that this was identified by the car's computer system. However, after talking to many mechanics, I have been instructed that this problem could never have been identified by a car's computer, and this was just an out for the manufacturer and dealer.
BMW e46 model 3-series have a known subframe weakness causing the rear axle to separate from the vehicle. A class action lawsuit supposedly resolved this, but the terms of the suit ended in 2010 leaving anyone that experiences the problem after the term of the suite to fix the BMW admitted engineering failure themselves. This leaves thousands of 1999-2006 BMW 3 series as potential hazards on the road.
Recently my rear taillights were noticeably darker and less responsive. Taking my BMW to my authorized BMW dealership/service center, resulted in a diagnosis that the rear wire harness needed to be replaced at a cost of ~$300. Following the visit to the dealership/service center, resulted in the rear light failing completely. Researching this incident online produced many similar problems w/other 330I models and I also discovered that NHTSA had issued a recall of BMW 3-series from my 02-06. My BMW is a 01.