10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 2
Average Mileage:
100,024 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2003 BMW 330 body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2003 BMW 330 Owner Comments

problem #10

Aug 202019

330

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car was being driven by my house and the transmision started slipping as well as it catching and breaking one of the axles leaving the car to be stuck not being able to move period surely the most important thing this resulted in the car getting hit and the fuel tank exploding my aunt want not able to make it out of the car to get out of the way and again this car didn't allow the air bags to deploy the location is unkown

- Jonesville, LA, USA

problem #9

Apr 212020

330

  • 175,000 miles
Power to car was cut. Could not unlock doors or pull door handle to open door/unlock. Stuck inside.

- Gladewater, TX, USA

problem #8

Aug 042018

330

  • 110,000 miles
Window broke while driving down highway. Right rear passenger window was being lowered. Hear what sounded like a cracking sound. Window stayed in the down position and could not be raised. Small child was seated in his car seat next to window. We were traveling on highway at a speed of 70 mph. (hwy 540). A thunderstorm began, no safe way to pull over for about a mile or two. 4 yr old child was scared, wet and hot (North Carolina-summer). Child was not harmed, just very scared. Semi trailer trucks hauling by. Very busy time of day. Child was my neighbors son, I was helping pick him up from daycare because her other child was sick I bring this to your attention as this is the 5th window on this vehicle that this has occurred. Each time it has been jarring to say the least to hear glass cracking as you lower the window. I've had to leave my car open to the elements, thrived. Each time the cost to repair a window has been around $600. I go to very reputable repair shops here and in California. Things have been sucked out of the window due to the force of the wind. This is ridiculous. One incident was enough, but 5!!! I have owned many vehicles over the years and the windows don't have a problem. It scary and a major distraction for the driver. Unbelievable. BMW has a big problem. My first occurrence was in 2010 and they have continued though 1218. Currently the front passenger window is also make a glass scraping sound, so we just lease it up. That window had been replaced in 2010.. something should be done about this. It's all over the internet, I don't have any photos to provide since I was always in such a hurry to get them fixed due to weather conditions. Please help this a big problem for us BMW drivers.(I'm glad the toddler in my car was unharmed, no broken glass got on him. My 1999 Ford Expedition windows have no problems, even with my 3 boys using them.

- Morrisvill, NC, USA

problem #7

May 122019

330

  • 118,006 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 BMW 330ci. The contact stated that while driving at 25-30 mph, the vehicle went over a bump in the roadway and the rollover protection system activated. The contact stated that there was no accident and that the vehicle did not rollover. The contact stated that safety lever to release the rollover protection system was never installed in the vehicle. The contact stated that the convertible top was unable to be lowered or raised. Winslow BMW of Colorado springs located at 5845 N Nevada ave, Colorado springs, co 80918, (719) 387-9650 was contacted by phone and an appointment was schedule to have the vehicle diagnosed and inspected which was still pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,006.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #6

Jan 032018

330

  • 130,000 miles
All passenger doors except driver door cannot be unlocked or opened using any method--the key or any unlock button, or using either inside or outside door handles. This leaves only the front driver door openable. This is a huge safety risk. I can't drive the car this way--I would not be able to get my kids out of the back seat. It happens whether the car is running or not, and moving or not.

- Creve Coeur, MO, USA

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problem #5

Apr 282014

330 6-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
I arrived home with my son who was sitting in the front passenger seat. When he tried to get out of the car, the door would not open. The lock button stayed down and would not open with two pulls on the handle as it should, with use of the interior locking/unlocking button, or with the remote control key fob. It has now remained non-functional. In the event of a crash on the driver's side, there would be no way to leave the car or received help without breaking a window and trying to slither out through broken glass. In addition, someone who was infirm (e.g., back trouble) and could not climb over the console and driver's seat would be stuck in the car. This is a safety and health hazard and from what I have seen on line, is not unique to me. BMW should be required to make modifications that would eliminate this safety and health hazard.

- Hummelstown, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 272003

330 6-cyl

  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

BMW did not properly design the rear floor of the car body where it supports the rear subframe. As a result under normal driving, many of the BMW E46 3-series cars (325, 323, 330, in the I, ci, or cic trims, example 325ci or 330I) suffer from torn sheet metal where the rear subframe attaches to the body. This eventually causes a major safety hazard as the rear subframe and associated suspension can separately entirely from the vehicle resulting in a loss of control and severe crash. This can affect any E46 3-series car but is most common in models built from 1999-2001 and more common in manual transmission cars. The repair costs anywhere from $800 (pre-emptive strengthening of sheet metal if it has not torn already) to $5,000 (replacement of rear body subfloor). BMW settled a class-action lawsuit in 2009 allowing 3-series owners to have their cars inspected and in some cases repaired by BMW but this did not cover all affected cars and expired in December 2010 so not all owners were able to have their cars inspected or repaired by that date. In addition many cars have experienced subframe mounting failures after Dec 2010. BMW should be required to inspect, repair, and reinforce all E46 (1999-2005) 3-series bodies where the rear subframe mounts.

- Los Gatos, CA, USA

problem #3

Jun 252013

330 6-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
Driver's side door will not open, either with the inside door latch or the outside latch. The lock plunger goes up and down normally with either the key, the key remote, or the inside door lock/unlock button, but in no case can either door latch open the driver's side door. All other doors operate normally. This makes entering or exiting the car difficult, necessitating either climbing in/out through the window or by climbing across the console from the passenger seat. If there were an emergency, it would be impossible to exit the vehicle quickly. No event appeared to cause this to happen. I entered the vehicle, drove it, exited the vehicle a few times during the morning before driving, parking, stopping the vehicle, and then having the door stick shut.

- Greer, SC, USA

problem #2

May 012012

330 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
The passenger side door lock will not work. The door stays locked and when it first occured the passenger had to crawl out the window. Neither the electronic key lock nor the pushbutton lock control on the console will open the door lock on the passenger side. All other locks work fine, including the trunk. The manual door opener will not open the passenger door either. This is extremely dangerous since, in the case of an accident, the passenger would be trapped in the vehicle.

- Harrisonburg, VA, USA

problem #1

Sep 062011

330 6-cyl

  • 73,229 miles
The passenger doors fail to open with the internal door unlock button. This is due to failure of door unlock relays in the GM5 module. This could result in a significant safety issue if a failure of the unlock relay happens when attempting to unlock passenger doors in an emergency to retrieve passengers.

- Garland, TX, USA

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