KnownCarProblems2009 BMW 3 Series Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 53 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 BMW 3 Series, most often about the air bags (28% of complaints, typically around 75,000 miles). It is 7th of 14 3 Series model years by number of complaints and has 1 recall.
Most common 2009 BMW 3 Series problems
Air bags
15 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles.
I turned on my vehicle one day and a message saying "passenger restraint system malfunction. Continue to wear seatbelt. Bring to local BMW dealership." the day before nothing happen as I was driving home from dallas to houston. Occasionally as I drive with someone sitting in the passenger seat, the warning goes away…
The car was stored outside in extreme heat during the month of april - 90+ degrees for over 3 weeks. (in florida) air bag sensor and seat belt sensor on passenger side, incorrectly alerting, when someone or no one was in the seat. Now the sensor is on all the time. Also the fan which cools the engine was extremely…
Fuel system
10 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles.
2009 BMW 335d, EGR cooler cracks open and starts fuming unfiltered diesel exhaust into the environment and into cock pit of car. Highly dangerous gas has severe impact to occupants, car could not be driven as exhaust smell inside of car. BMW refuse to fix this under below mentioned recall as it does not include the…
2009 BMW 335i, high pressure fuel pump failure. 9500 miles on vehicle. Engine is slow to start. While driving and RPM above 3000, check engine light comes on and engine reduces power significantly. If pump were to fail completely, engine would die, leaving driver without power steering. This could be a major safety…
Engine
8 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
I have a 2009 bmw328xi, which I bought brand new and paid a lot of money for. I only have 59,000 miles. On august 3, 2013 the car temperature light went on, first yellow and not even two seconds later red. With out warning the car didn't move. So I shut off the engine immediately. Thinking the car is over heating.…
2009 BMW 335d, EGR cooler cracks open and starts fuming unfiltered diesel exhaust into the environment and into cock pit of car. Highly dangerous gas has severe impact to occupants, car could not be driven as exhaust smell inside of car. BMW refuse to fix this under below mentioned recall as it does not include the…
Electrical
8 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 68,500 miles.
I have a 2009 bmw328xi, which I bought brand new and paid a lot of money for. I only have 59,000 miles. On august 3, 2013 the car temperature light went on, first yellow and not even two seconds later red. With out warning the car didn't move. So I shut off the engine immediately. Thinking the car is over heating.…
Recall # 17v676, 17v683 it has been nearly a year and I'm still unable to make repair appointment with BMW dealer for reason of parts unavailable. My air conditioning system couldn't keep car cool enough as heat from the engine is high.
Lights
5 complaints · 9%I think BMW needs to look into a recall for the tail lights on the 3 - series models from 09 and up. The circuit board for the LED signal lights malfunctions and some of the LED's stop working. When those few stop working, it affects the entire circuit and the rest are very dim/not visible. This also causes the…
2009 BMW 328i, the directional light at times blinks rapidly and a warning of light problem illuminates. The directional blinks fast and light is dull on exterior tail and front lamps. At times works normally and then begins to blink rapidly with a bell warning and electrical warning light sign displays. This problem…
Visibility and wipers
4 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: windshield, rearview mirrors/devices, sun/moon roof assembly.
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 328xi. The contact stated the windshield exhibited several cracks varying in size from a hairline crack to cracks the size of a penny. The dealer advised he could not assist and advised that the failure was due to various road conditions. The contact stated she would continue to find cracks…
Other or unspecified
4 complaints · 8%Have a 2009, BMW with 45,000 miles and my axel(both) are in need of replacing due to rust. When I took my vehicle in for repairs I was told by my service advisor that this problem is occurring a lot in 2009 & 2010 vehicles. Maryland is not a flood zone state and the vehicle is too young with low mileage to have this…
We came home and parked the BMW in the attached garage. Ten minutes later I heard a noise from the garage. I looked into the garage and found the engine compartment of the BMW on fire. I called the fire department who came as quickly as a volunteer department can. By the time the fire was out both cars in the garage…
Seat belts
3 complaints · 6%I turned on my vehicle one day and a message saying "passenger restraint system malfunction. Continue to wear seatbelt. Bring to local BMW dealership." the day before nothing happen as I was driving home from dallas to houston. Occasionally as I drive with someone sitting in the passenger seat, the warning goes away…
Hello, my 2009 BMW e92 328i is experiencing an issue where the front passenger seat sensor is not functioning properly, which will cause the airbag and seatbelt to not function as intended. There have been recalls on other models for the same issue, but with the same design and parts, I do not understand how my car is…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 BMW 3 Series recalls
Engine: crankcase (pcv)
Risk: An electrical short can cause the pcv valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
Fix: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17v-683 and 19v-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the pcv valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17v-683 and 19v-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on april 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 22,
Full defect summary
Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 series coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 series coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xdrive); 2007-2010 x3 sav (x3 3.0si, x3 xdrive30i); 2008-2013 1 series convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 series sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xdrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 series wagon (328i, 328i xdrive); 2007-2013 3 series convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 series sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 series wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 x5 sav (x5 3.0si, x5 xdrive30i); 2006-2008 z4 coupe (z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 z4 roadster (z4 3.0i, z4 3.0si, z4 sdrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (pcv) valve may short circuit.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2009 BMW 3 Series
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 BMW 3 Series?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (15 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles); fuel system (10 complaints, typically around 49,000 miles); engine (8 complaints, typically around 59,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 BMW 3 Series have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 2, 2022 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the BMW 3 Series?
- It is 7th of 14 3 Series model years by number of complaints, with 53 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.