Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 BMW 3 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system1
- Air bags1
- Visibility1
- Structure1
- Engine1
- Suspension1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Engines
The most common engines in 1997 BMW 3 Series cars on Dutch roads are the 2.0 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp), 2.8 petrol (142 kW, 190 hp) and 2.5 petrol (125 kW, 168 hp), out of 5 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 62 |
| 2.8 petrol | 142 kW 190 hp | 52 |
| 2.5 petrol | 125 kW 168 hp | 49 |
| 1.8 petrol | 85 kW 114 hp | 32 |
| 1.6 petrol | 75 kW 101 hp | 31 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
1,122 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 28% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €35,656.
Most common APK defects
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen530
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect453
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde349
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld189
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm154
- Waarschuwingsinrichting antiblokkeersysteem geeft defect aan146
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm144
- Band onvoldoende profiel117
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,143 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 3,939 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,816 of these cars first registered in 1997 took their annual MOT test. 67% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1997 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.1% | 16.1% |
| Suspension | 10.0% | 12.2% |
| Brakes | 8.8% | 11.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.4% | 7.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.4% | 9.7% |
| Visibility | 3.9% | 6.6% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
167 of these cars first registered in 1997 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 259,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
497 1997 cars are on the New Zealand register; 72% arrived as used imports, 21% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1997 BMW 3 Series.
| 1999086 17 May 1999 | Seats And Restraints On certain 323I, 328I and M3 vehicles, non-crash impacts with a significant vertical and/or longitudinal component, such as experienced when contacting large po… |
| 1997173 9 Oct 1997 | Engine On certain 318IC, 318IS, 318TI, 325I, 325IC, 325IS, 525I, 525IT, 530I, 530IT, 540I, 740I, 740IL, 840CI and M3, the cruise control and throttle cable are attache… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1997 BMW 3 Series.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 1997 BMW 3 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 601924 | SITUATION WITH THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY. *YC |
| 601210 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE ABS/ASC WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DURING DYNAMOMETER TEST. *YC *JN |
| 54154 | SITUATION ON THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT COMES "ON" AND STAYS ILLUMINATED FOR UP TO TWO MINUTES AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. *AK |
| 52234 | REPLACEMENT OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *TW |
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10051519 | BMW: THE HIGH-VOLTAGE (HV) BATTERY CELLS COULD BE DAMAGED IF THE VEHICLE IS PREVENTED FROM ENTERING SLEEP MODE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. UPDATED 03/11/2013 *JS |
| 10051459 | BMW: DSC WARNING LIGHT IS ON. THE WARNING LAMPS FOR DSC, ABS AND BRAKE WARNING ILLUMINATED. THERE MAY ALSO BE A WARNING IN THE CONTROL DISPLAY FOR CHASSIS CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE. *JS |
| 10051359 | BMW: VEHICLE DOES NOT START: LOOSE GROUND Z6000 *4B. COVERED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE BMW NEW VEHICLE/SAV LIMITED WARRANTY. *JS |
| 10044032 | BMW: THE LEFT OR RIGHT REAR LIGHT IN THE SIDE PANEL HAS CONDENSATION CONCERNING VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO FEBRUARY 27,2012. *JS |
| 10040050 | BMW: THE END OF THE SEATBELT ASSISTANT BREAKS/FALLS OFF WHEN RETRACTING. THE RETAINING TAB IS NOT ROBUST ENOUGH. E92. *RM |
| 10040049 | BMW: A SOFTWARE PROBLEM IS CAUSING ONE OR BOTH OF THE SEAT BELT ASSISTANTS TO NOT EXTEND FULLY OR MAY NOT EXTEND AT ALL. THE POSITION AT WHICH THE ASSISTANT COMES TO REST VARIES. E92. *RM |
| 10037078 | BMW: THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR. *RM |
| 10033135 | BMW VEHICLES: REAR AXLE CARRIER (SUB FRAME) SUPPORT PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, A FRACTURE IN THE STEEL BODY STRUCTURE COULD FORM IN THE AREA AROUND ONE OF THE REAR AXLE CARRIER MOUNTING POINTS. AS A RESULT, A DISTINCT CLICKING NOISE CAN BE HEARD FROM THE AREA OF THE REAR AXLE CARRIER DURING CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS. MODEL E46 (3SERIES). NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10033131 | BMW VEHICLES: ENGINE CRANKS BUT DOES NOT START; FUEL LEVEL GAUGE DISPLAYS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FUEL, ALTHOUGH THE FUEL TANK IS EMPTY; FAULT CODE 2A1C (FUEL LEVEL PLAUSIBILITY) IS STORED IN MSV80. RIGHT SIDE FUEL SENDING UNIT IS DISLODGED FROM ITS BRACKET DUE TO INCORRECT ASSEMBLY. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 4/29/11. *PE |
| 10032989 | BMW: FUEL LEVEL SENSOR REPAIR PROCEDURE. THE CASE WHERE IT IS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE RIGHT SIDE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR DUE TO A FAILURE, THE ENTIRE PUMP AND HOUSING DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10032815 | BMW VEHICLE: NOISE FROM FRONT AXLE/RIGHT SIDE. A GRINDING OR SCRAPING NOISE MAY BE HEARD WHILE CORNERING AT VEHICLE SPEEDS UP TO 30 MPH. THE NOISE IS MORE PRONOUNCED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN THE WARM UP PHASE AND MAY CHANGE INTENSITY DURING LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS. THE RIGHT SIDE ENGINE SUPPORT IS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT SIDE ENGINE MOUNT. *PE |
| 10030844 | BMW VEHICLES: TEILECLEARING FOR DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL (DSC). A PART REPLACEMENT AUTHORIZATION MUST BE OBTAINED BY SUBMITTING A TC CASE IN PUMA BEFORE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING DSC COMPONENTS ARE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR THE VEHICLES LISTED IN THE MODEL SECTION OF THIS BULLETIN: DSC CONTROL MODULE, DSC HYDRO UNIT, AND YAW RATE SENSOR. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10029605 | BMW SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP (AWL) IS ILLUMINATED, TOGETHER WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS LAMP (POL). THE PROBLEM MAY BE INTERMITTENT. MICROCRACKS IN THE OC3 SEAT MAT. *PE UPDATED 9/30/11. *PE |
| 10028525 | BMW: SERVICE ENGINE LAMP IS ILLUMINATED. DME FC 2A15 MINOR LEAK AND 2A16 SUPERFINE LEAK IN EVAPORATION SYSTEM. TANK VENTILATION CORRUGATED HOSE MAY CONTACT THE LOW SIDE AIR CONDITIONING PRESSURE LINE ALUMINUM FERREL. THIS CONTACT MAY CAUSE A SMALL LEAK. *PE |
| 10025848 | BMW: SEAT FRAME DESIGN CHANGED FOR 392 (3 SERIES COUPE) PRODUCED UP TO MAY 2007. ON EARLY PRODUCTION E92S, THE SOCKET WHICH SECURES THE SEAT BACKREST RELEASE CABLE TO THE RELEASE MECHANISM COULD PULL FREE FROM THE RELEASE MECHANISM. *PE |
| 10025585 | REAR BULB FAILURE. MODEL E92 (3 SERIES COUPE) VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO JANUARY 21, 2008 ARE AFFECTED. THE BULB OUT WARNING SHOWS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *PE |
| 10025584 | N54 RATTLE NOISE FROM TURBOCHARGER AREA. MODELS E90, E92 AND E93 (3 SERIES) 335I AND 335XI; E60 AND E61 (5 SERIES) 535I AND 535XI, ALL WITH N54 ENGINE FROM THE START OF PRODUCTION TO JANUARY 17, 2008 PRODUCTION. *PE |
| 10025573 | N52 EDK THROTTLE JAMMING FAULTS 2D09, 2CED AND 2CEC. MODEL E90 AND E91 (3 SERIES) AND E60 AND E61 (5 SERIES), ALL MODELS UP TO 11/2005 WITH N52 ENGINE. *PE |
| 10015410 | CHECK ENGINE LAMP ILLUMINATED AND/OR VEHICLE OVERHEATS. BMW E90 (3 SERIES) ALL E90 (3 SERIES) AND E60 (5 SERIES) MODELS EQUIPPED WITH N52 ENGINE. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)