2002 BMW 3 Series problems
The 2002 BMW 3 Series has 40 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (15%) concerns air bags. Next are electrical system (15%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 40 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 92,000 miles 34 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 | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 34 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 92,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 89% 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 2002 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the BMW 3 Series with enough data (10 complaints in that window).
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.
Was driving on a cloverleaf ramp in baton rouge, la. (hwy 61 & florida blvd.) when passenger side air bag deployed causing me to veer to the right. I then hit a drain on the curbing and blew out both right side tires and bent rims. Outside temp was 90* with no rain. ( not sure of exact vehicle mileage b/c car is in shop) I can get pictures if needed.
Consumer states while driving the vehicle 50MPH without warning the vehicle would increased speed 10MPH the vehicle would shut off. Ts
BMW 325 ci: I have experienced so many problems with my 325ci BMW, I bought the car in november, the car is not even 1 year old and I have taken to service four times already. My car is a 2002 and at this moment it has 10,660 miles. The car has a major computer problem. My ABS seems to be malfunctioning as well as my emergency brake, and to make matters worse the transmission has been reprogramed and pieces are coming off in the inside.
Michelin pilot sport a/s plus tires 275/30/19 on BMW m3 had blow out on freeway at normal speeds of 65 MPH. Could hear rubber whipping the road just prior to the abruptly bursting. Had tires inspected and technician found excessive cracking near the tread and center wear-bar had pitting in the rubber (15,622 miles). Car is seldom driven and always garaged (climate controlled). Tire store had seen identical issues in the past with same tire.