Owners have filed 33 complaints on the BMW 328iC, covering 1997–2000. The system named most often is Structure (10 reports). Worst years by volume: 2000, 1997, 1999; cleanest: 1999, 1997, 2000. 1 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 6.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on BMW 328iC
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 33 328iC complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 10 Read
The rear subframe mount in my 2000 328ci has a significant fatigue crack at the subframe mount within the rear axle support. This part, bmw #41117000246, fails due to fatigue cracks forming in the sheet metal at the periphery of the spot welds of the subframe mount to the body of the car. The crack was observed during…
Back in june 2006, I took my 2000 bmw 332ci to bmw of san diego in california for the squeaking noise coming from rear area of my car while driving. They told me that they didn't find anything wrong with the vehicle so nothing was done at that time. Now I took my car to a regular check up at the same bmw of san diego,…
The contact owns a 2000 bmw 328ic. The contact stated that the rear differential detached from the vehicle and caused the sub-frame to crack where the two parts were attached. Bmw stated that they are currently investigating the failure. The current and failure mileages were 90,000
Suspension 5 Read
At low speeds, when turning, the front suspension has a creaking sound due to distorted and loose ball joints on both front control arms - required replacement of both control arms
The contact owns a 2000 bmw 328ic. The contact stated that when applying the brakes, the brakes would exhibit a loud thump from the rear of the vehicle feeling similar to being struck from the rear. The dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the rear bushings were failing. The contact stated that they received…
Vehicle shook and made noises from the rear. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for check up, and results showed that the suspension tore apart, and could cause the wheels to fall off
Power Train 4 Read
First there was a problem with the shifter. Car wouldn't start in park. I had that fixed. Then I noticed when I put it in reverse, it didn't feel right. Then out of the blue, only several days out of the shop, the car wouldn't move in any gear. I had to have it towed and I was told the transmission has to be replaced.…
No reverse.. November 23,2010 while trying park to my drive way, middle of the road find out that no reverse!!! And while trying to avoid get hit by another car, I hit curb end up with damaged suspension and still no reverse
2000 bmw 328ci. Transmission will not enter 3rd gear and goes straight into fifth. Common problem on bmw's with manual transmissions. Unsafe to skip gears in a normal accelerating situation. Car goes straight into fifth and nearly stalls every time. Bmw insists there is no flaw, but bmw forums highlight thousands of…
Engine And Engine Cooling 4 Read
Check engine light came on due to fault code 168 - faulty thermostat that required replacement of the thermostat
Engine would not start after it was started cold, then shut off within 15 - 20 seconds. Car owner called bmw service manager (tim polk, erhart bmw) and was advised to remove engine spark plugs, place them on a cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven until they are dried. Car started immediately after dried plugs were…
The contact owns a 2000 bmw 3 series. The contact stated that her vehicle has been in the shop for six weeks due to a crack in the oil water separator. The part has not been available in order to make the repair. There are a couple of vehicles in the shop with the same issue. The failure and current mileages were…
Electrical System 3 Read
On june 14th, my car was parked, stationary, key position off, unattended, interior caught fire and destroyed the car. Appears to be an interior fire believed to be electrical. Car was factory original. Thank god the car was in the yard and not in the carport or my home would have been destroyed
Cabin heater blower fan is sporadic (runs high then low then high again on its own) due to defective final stage resistor
Ignition switch failed on three occasions. Mjs
Air Bags 2 Read
The contact owned a 1997 bmw 328i. While driving at various speeds, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown
The contact owns a 2000 bmw 328ic. When an occupant is seated in the passenger seat, the air bag indicator illuminates even if the person is properly positioned. The contact is experiencing the same symptoms as stated in NHTSA campaign id number 08V384000 for the 2004-2006 bmw vehicles (air bags:frontal). The dealer…
Visibility 2 Read
Left side driver window will not make final power up after shutting door if the window has been partially opened or closed previously. The only way to make the window close tightly is to power down the window completely and then power up completely with no stopping part way
My rear subframe totally seperated from my vechicle costing 1600 to fix. I was not in an accident, it broke on its own. Bmw informed me that this is "normal wear and tear," but I think its a recall issue. There are a number of people with these problems. Also my moonroof bent the tracks, and now needs total…
Fuel System 1 Read
Service engine soon light turns on and off sporadically. Local dealership speculates that it is due to fuel tank and ventilation system but has not been able to eliminate this problem
328iC 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1999 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
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 | 14 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.4 |
| Worst single series | 8 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.6 years |
A model average of 2.4 hides a worst series at 8. 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 328iC?
By complaint volume, 2000, 1997, 1999 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 328iC years are the cleanest?
1999, 1997, 2000 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the BMW 328iC have?
33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1997–2000. Of those, 1 describe a crash and 1 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.