2001 BMW 330I problems
Owners have filed 159 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 BMW 330I. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. Next are transmission (11%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 159 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 91,000 miles 84 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 | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 84 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 91,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 75,000 miles (10 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 4 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 2001 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the BMW 330I 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 BMW 330xi. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud banging sound coming from underneath her vehicle without warning. Contact's rear left tire broke off from her car. The contact immediately lost control of her vehicle and veered to left side of the road. The contact hit another vehicle and spun out in the middle of the road. The air bags did not deploy upon impact.
Vehicle overheated 2 days before it caughton fire. Vehicle was going 30 MPH when consumer smelled smoke pulling into driveway. Dealer has heard of problem, and looking at vehicle.
BMW 2001 330I sedan (4 doors). Door locks are unresponsive during hot days. I live in orlando florida and this means almost all the year is hot. This is a critical problem because for safety reasons you will get locked in your car. I am imagine if you have a car accident and you are not able to open the doors to leave the car? Online ([link removed] you can fine how BMW customers are dealing with the same problem. The guy on that website has a fix for that issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 BMW 330I. The contact stated that only the drivers side doors would open from inside or outside the vehicle using the key fob. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. Consumer stated front passenger and rear doors will not open from inside and outside.