This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The bracket welds on the front of the right side fuel tank support strap pulled out while on the highway, leaving the fuel tank supported by only one strap. The bracket pulled right out of the sheet metal, leaving two holes where it was previously spot welded to. The support strap itself was hanging off its rear mount, dragging behind the car and potentially sparking. This was extremely dangerous, as the tank had just been filled, and if the tank had began to leak, the support strap may have sparked a fire. There was no symptom or warning sign of the impending failure. There are many reports of this issue from other BMW E46 owners. Fuel tanks should not separate from the car under normal driving conditions. The car has been in southern California its entire life, and there is zero evidence of rust or poor maintenance. Records of the car's maintenance history have been meticulously maintained. This is DANGEROUS and has been reported many times. Please make BMW own up to this poor design and potentially save someone's life.
Gas tank strap that holds up the gas tank tore off on the part that is supposed to be welded on the car. One end is bolted on, the other has a welded bracket. That bracket broke off and my gas tank and bracket were dragging until I pulled off of the road. Luckily the entire gas tank didn-€™t fall out because if it would have, the tank would-€™ve broke and caused a massive spill of gas, since the tank was full of fuel. There is no warning lamps for this, a weld shouldn-€™t just break off, and I can-€™t find any replacements to fix it or replace it at all.
The welds on the front strap that holds the gas tank in place broke while driving, resulting in gas tank dropping half way during driving. There is no other device holding the gas tank making the vehicle unsafe and inoperable.
Strap that suspends the fuel tank broke causing the fuel tank to hang and almost touch the ground. The vehicle was in motion at a slow rate of speed on a city street.
The stainless steel strap that supports the fuel tank came off of my vehicle yesterday while driving on the highway. The strap is spot welded at 4 points on the front. The spot welds failed, leaving the strap dragging behind my car at highway speeds. As a result, the fuel tank itself is sagging about 4" from the surface of the road. The spot welds do not sufficiently support this strap - this seems to be an obvious safety issue. More robust mounting points should have been incorporated during design and manufacturing.
- Brooklyn, NY, USA
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The spark plugs and coils that where installed in my BMW at the BMW service center did not work proplerly or where installed properly they didn't even give me a warranty time frame it only ran 4,000 more miles since they did a service on it my car just stoped working it wouldn't turn on anymore I don't want this happening to anyone else they put my life at risk and anyone in the car with me or around it could have just stoped in the middle of the street but thankfully I was at a parking lot I just would like the BMW service center to be more cautious about what they do and to repair my car the right way they used parts that stoped working.
Support strap for gas tank broke off on passenger side and was dragging on ground. Vehicle was in residential area and made loud metal dragging noise. The welds broke away from the frame leaving the gas tank unsupported on passenger side. Definite fuel fire hazard car is now in driveway until repair. This is my commuter car and dealer should fix. How is a gas tank supported by welds that simply break? design flaw..
While driving on the freeway I suddenly heard a thump or pop followed by a grinding noise. I pulled over at the next exit and discovered that the bracket holding the strap that holds the fuel tank on the passenger side had torn off the body and the fuel talk was left hanging a few inches above the ground. The shop where I normally take my car for service couldn't fix it and recommended a body shop where the bracket could be welded back on to the body.
I was driving on the highway at 70mph when I heard a pop sound followed by a grinding of some sort. I pulled off the next exit and could hear the continuous scraping noise. I parked my car and could see that the gasoline tank strap had separated from the frame and it was just hanging from the back. The gas tank was 4 inches from the concrete. I had it towed home, and needless to say I am glad the tank did not hit the ground and explode. I see this is an ongoing problem with all E46 bmws. Please look into this issue before someone gets killed.
The bracket holding the strap that supports the gas tank on the passenger side broke off at the welds, leaving the gas tank hanging and the strap dragging on the ground.
The welds on the front (passenger side) fuel tank support strap fitting (welded to the under side of the body) broke away allowing the support strap to fall, contact, bend backward and scrape along the road surface causing sparks. The tank was full of fuel, and the weight of the tank caused it to sag downward toward the road surface. Fortunately it did not break or contact the road surface before I was able to pull over and seek assistance. This is a dangerous design/manufacturing flaw that could cause serious injury if not corrected. I am reporting it because after this event I learned that there have been numerous reports of this failure in this model BMW.
1) car would not start, fuse blown on fuel pump. (no. 1 original) towed to mechanic. 2) mechanic replaces fuel pump. (no.2) 3) return car to driveway where it sits over night. Car won't start. Towed it to mechanic. Replaced fuel pump, and he allows it to sit in his garage over night. (no.3) 4) car won't start. He thoroughly checks the car for problems, replaces the fuel pump, emptying fuel tank, replacing with new gasoline. (no.4) mechanic cut opened the original fuel pump and found that the impeller had swollen. This suggested to him that the high ethanol content fuel was swelling the impeller. He tried using both BMW parts and after market parts. This isn't not an issue with the age of the car. He saved the fuel pump and a gasoline sample.
I went over a small speed bump while driving on a parking lot. Immediately after I started hearing this metallic rubbing noise as if I was dragging something behind a car. I stopped and inspected the underside & found a metal strip hanging & dragging on the pavement right next to the rear passenger side wheel. The metal brace was apparently there to restrain the fuel tank in place. The fully loaded fuel tank was hanging under the car just inches above the pavement. The car was undriveable so I had to get it towed to a shop. This seemed very dangerous defect as this could have easily happened at high speed on a highway where I may not even have heard the noise. At worst this loaded fuel tank could have leaked or fallen off the car starting a fire. The car is in shop at the moment & the repair estimate is in excess of $600. This seems to be a known issue with this make and model. I would like this issues addressed by the manufacturer & be reimbursed for the repair bill. Thank you
While exiting the freeway at near freeway speeds, I heard a sudden thump, then the sound of something dragging on the ground beneath the car. I pulled over into a parking lot. Further inspection revealed that the 4 tiny spot welds and epoxy that fixes the passenger side fuel tank strap to the car had broken free, allowing the tank strap to drag on the ground and the fuel tank to come dangerously close to the road surface. I had just filled the tank.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- North Hills, CA, USA