ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ENGINE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG MAY BE INSUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED. THIS COULD LEAD TO LOOSENING OF THE PLUG CAUSING AN INITIAL OIL SPRAY AND A SUBSEQUENT OIL LEAK.
Safety risk
IF A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL LOSS OCCURS, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY RESULT. DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE OF THE OIL FILTER DRAIN PLUG AND, IF NECESSARY, RETIGHTEN THE DRAIN PLUG WITH THE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.
Safety risk
IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags
10
142,000 mi
Power train
6
143,000 mi
Service brakes
6
114,750 mi
Electrical system
5
70,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
5
109,606 mi
Engine
3
143,000 mi
Equipment
3
49,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
2
100,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system
2
89,900 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
2
22,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
2
6,000 mi
Seat belts
2
80,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
68,800 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
2
104,000 mi
Tires
2
—
Air bags: frontal
1
80,000 mi
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery
1
—
Electrical system: ignition
1
—
Electronic stability control: automatic (ASC)
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
1
49,000 mi
Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer
1
—
Exterior lighting
1
131,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
1
—
Fuel system, other
1
49,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
1
70,000 mi
Parking brake
1
96,000 mi
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
1
—
Steering
1
—
Structure
1
50,000 mi
Structure: body: hood: hinge and attachments
1
—
Structure: body: tailgate
1
1,250 mi
Suspension
1
—
Suspension: rear
1
—
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
1
6,000 mi
Tires: tread/belt
1
37,000 mi
Unknown or other
1
—
Visibility: power window devices and controls
1
49,000 mi
Wheels: rim
1
—
The 2002 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. The 2004 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.