Owners have filed 89 complaints on the BMW 320i, covering 1982–2015. The system named most often is Engine (17 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2015, 2013; cleanest: 1982, 2013, 2015. 5 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 5.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW 320i
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 89 320i complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 17 Read
Bought a brand new bmw 320i I have had it for 45 days with 1548 miles on it. I was driving vehicle this morning driving posted speed limit of 70 mph on highway. My car went into "limp mode" and dropped down to 20 mph and would not go over any faster. Display says "drive train malfunction" I drove my car on side of the…
Oil pump prematurely failed causing engine damage. Not being covered by manufacturer warranty. Manufacturer claims engine damage will be on the customer even though oil pump prematurely fails
It a whistling noise coming from my valve cover . And I had to also replace my thermostat about a month ago
Electrical System 14 Read
On the night of october 18 2020 around 3:30am I was woken by my next door neighbors notifying me that me 2014 bmw was currently on fire in a uncontrollable blaze. From the engine bay of the car down to my fuel tank and pumps were shooting out flames covering the car itself by the time I was able to run from my room to…
My 2015 bmw 320i gave me a warning of charging malfunction warning so I took my car to bmw service for an inspection. This was in april 2019. The service advisor let me know I could need a new battery so I approved new battery if that's what it needed. Once inspected further I was told there was an oil leak and that…
My car shut off on the highway due to my fuel pump delivery system . My gauge is not reading I have enough gas leading me to believe I had gas in my car until it completely shut off . I was able to safely get my car out of the road due to the fact it was early morning and very minimal cars were on the road . I also…
Exterior Lighting 9 Read
Recently purchased vehicle. After about a week, had issues with both headlights and one brake light. I replaced all the bulbs. About another week later, headlights work but notifications pop up saying front left and right headlamp malfunction. Rear right brake lamp after replacing bulb however is malfunctioning only…
The vehicle continuously has left rear break like/turn light malfunction warnings. In researching this is known issue with this model due to the ground wire overheating and melting the plastic in the wiring harness connector and bulb carrier. This courses the connector pin in the connector to melt and break off. I…
Back light malfunction numerous repairs
Fuel/propulsion System 8 Read
The gas tank on my BMW 320i 4 door sedan is leaking gas. Yes; it is available for inspection upon request. I had picked up my son from school and ran an errand. We stopped for gas when we noticed the gas was leaking as soon as we filled up the tank. We were around the corner from our home and drove home very slow. We…
High pressure fuel pump failure. We have had this problem occur three times now. This last time happened to my spouse while traveling 70+ mph with cruise control set. The onset was a sudden loss of power, an immediate and unsettling shudder with an onscreen popup. The abrupt loss of speed nearly caused an accident…
Fuel gauge erroneous display: vehicle runs out of fuel, but the instrument cluster still displays fuel remaining in the tank. Dealer found out problem with the fuel cell and to fix the problem, the tank and the fuel pump must be replace, cost of $2875. See attached document from the dealer
Air Bags 7 Read
I was involved in an accident on 9/9/20, where my car crashed in to side wall of interstate. Driverside had impact with wall. Curtain airbags deployed successfully. Driver seat airbag came out with blast. They ignited fire and my shirt(dry-fit polo ) burned. I was injured with burn marks on my abdomen. Each burn mark…
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 320I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the front driver's side airbags and passenger side airbags deployed unintendedly, causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel and drive over the curb. The contact stated that there was no crash to cause the…
The contact owns a 2014 bmw 320i. While driving, the passenger restraint system indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to bmw of sterling (21710 auto world cir, sterling, va 20166, (571) 789-2306), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take…
Power Train 7 Read
I have been getting P0420 code over 2 years now. Loss of power while driving caused multiple times sudden stop and slow speed. I328 has recall but mine is not on the recall list. I tried everything to fix it but the light still comes on. And also my car is having the Navigation display delaminating. It seems like…
Twice I have gone to start up my vehicle and I'm getting a message that states something with my drivetrain and to shut the vehicle off, call roadside assistance and take vehicle to the dealership
The misfire detection monitor, a software strategy built into the computer, is designed to detect an engine misfire. The computer can also normally identify the specific cylinder in which the misfire has occurred. A misfire is nothing more than a lack of combustion, which can be caused by poor fuel quality or…
Structure 5 Read
Can NHTSA enforce a recall on the well-known 'trunk opens on its own' defect on bmw 3 series, which my 2015 320i also has since I bought it in 2016? Please see attached 'to NHTSA on bmw series 3 defect.pdf'
Clear Coat on car is peeling everywhere. Car manufactured in 2015 and purchased from Carmax in Doral, Miami
On 7/25/2023, I left my car keys inside the trunk. The 2015 BMW 320i xDrive does not have access from the cabin passenger to the trunk to open manually. Even the locksmith cannot open it. This is the bad design and may create safety issue. I called BMW road assistance and they cant help me instead told me to tow my…
Service Brakes 2 Read
I was easing into a parking space when the brakes failed and I rolled over the parking bumper and the curb and hit a pole
Re: tcn-kdn21-40701 on 9/17/13 I was involved in a car accident. I was unable to stop my car as it rolled down a hill - although I applied the brakes. The accident occurred as I was leaving a driveway which is positioned on a hill. Immediately prior to the accident a warning message flashed on my screen. I then heard…
320i years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1982 | Electrical System | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 66 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.6 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 320i?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 2013 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 320i years are the cleanest?
1982, 2013, 2015 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW 320i have?
89 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1982–2015. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.