2006 BMW 325XI problems
Owners have filed 143 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 BMW 325XI. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 48% of complaints. After that come steering (10%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 143 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 48% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 112 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 | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 28 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 25 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 112 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 76,000 miles (54 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 90% 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 2006 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the BMW 325XI with enough data (34 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW 325xi. When the air conditioner was activated, smoke filled the cabin of the vehicle. Flames appeared and the vehicle exploded. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. The passenger sustained burns to the hand, which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
My vehicle was parked in the driveway in front of my house and had not been driven for several days. I walked outside and noticed the engine fan was running so I opened the driver‘s door and noticed white smoke coming from the glove box compartment. I opened the glove box and noted a small fire which within a matter of approximately five minutes had turned into a full-blown fire throughout the vehicle I was able to call 911 and have a fire department here before my house caught on fire although it did damage the…
My son turned right from a complete stop at the stop sign. He accelerated to the appropriate speed prior to the upcoming turn (25MPH) he then let off the gas going into the turn to coast before braking. The car continued to accelerate up to 40-45 MPH due to floor mat entrapment because there is no floor mat retention system. He was losing control of the car as he tried to move the floor mat away from the gas pedal.
Air bag and passenger seat belt indicator on center dash cluster lit up during normal driving. Took car to dealership for repair and was told the air bag seat mat was bad and needed to be replaced. Also told that repair would cost $900. Decided to eat cost as it is a major safety issue as air bags will not deploy during a crash. Total cost for repairs: qty 1 part# 52-10-7-244-127 basic seat u 1 cost $385.10 , qty 2 part# 52-20-1-964-201 clip 13 cost $3.84 , qty 35 part# 52-10-945-543 clamp 134 cost $$22.40.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 BMW 325xi. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was sporadically illuminated. In addition, the passenger's side air bag would not activate when the passenger's seat was occupied. The dealer advised that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13v564000 (air bags). The contact was concerned that in the even of a crash, the air bags would possibly not deploy.