1999 BMW 328I problems
NHTSA has received 125 complaints about the 1999 BMW 328I, and 34% of them involve air bags. After that come body & structure (9%) and suspension (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 125 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 106,000 miles 60 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 | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 8 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Among the 60 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 106,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 120,000 miles (12 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 7 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the BMW 328I with enough data (53 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 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.
The vehicle was involved in a head on collision while driving 35 MPH. The passenger side seat belt did not retract and as result the passenger hit the windshield. The passenger sustained some injuries. Please provide any additional information.
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle hit a curb causing a crash. The side air bags deployed causing injuries to the contact's arm that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Head and side door airbags falsely deployed without any side crash impact even after 30 days of just being serviced for recall#99v063000. Reprogrammed the central computer control module, resulting in burns and injuries.recall done on aug 10,1999 work completed at john roberts BMW austin tx512-343-3500.
Car parked in the garage over 24hrs ignited and resulted into fire. No known issue before the incident occur, from the looks of the car the fire started in the interior of the car and could have been caused by electrical. No after market installed equipment, no equipment left inside the car that have caused the fire. Almost burned down my house.
Consumer stated the driver's front seat belts did not lock into place when a sudden stop was necessary. *scc the drivers door made a rattling noise, the window regulator was repalced.