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2001 BMW 325 Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 BMW 325, most often about the engine (45% of complaints). It is the most complained-about 325 model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.

⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Complaints31
Recalls2
Crashes reported2
Fires reported5
Injuries reported2

Most common 2001 BMW 325 problems

  1. Engine

    14 complaints · 45%

    Parts named most often: cooling system, engine.

    Had just parked the car and a few minutes later it caught on fire. Everything under the hood is burned. Surveillance cameras caught the hole thing.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 240,003 miles

  2. Air bags

    7 complaints · 23%

    Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.

    Tl contact owns a 2001 BMW 325 wagon. The contact stated that the air bag light on the dashboard illuminated whenever someone was seated in the front passenger seat. A local mechanic informed the contact that there was a recall regarding the air bag light. The manufacturer informed the contact that his year, make, and…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 87,000 miles

  3. Transmission

    3 complaints · 10%

    Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission.

    2001 BMW 325i with no warning lights or previous signs lost its reverse gear with no warning for my college age student at a dead end road.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 219,000 miles

  4. Stability control

    3 complaints · 10%

    Daughter driving car, dynamic stability control(dsc) light came on and individual brakes started applying themselves uncommanded. Drove to a local import shop that verified a bad yaw sensor. Part is $1300.00 plus $300.00 labor. Part is only available from BMW who has superseded the part number 3 times. I went to a…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 165,000 miles
    Had just parked the car and a few minutes later it caught on fire. Everything under the hood is burned. Surveillance cameras caught the hole thing.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 240,003 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2001 BMW 325 recalls

  1. Air bags: inflator module

    ⚠ Do not driveNHTSA 19V698000 · October 2, 2019 · 3,924 vehicles

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. The recall began november 7, 2019. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: this recall is an expansion of previous recalls, numbers 17v-047 and 19v-015.

    Full defect summary

    Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2000-2002 325i and 325xi sedan, and 323ci, 325ci, and 330ci convertible vehicles. This recall affects certain vehicles that may have had a driver-side air bag module installed as replacement equipment such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bag, or as a remedy part for a prior recall. The frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

  2. Air bags: inflator module

    ⚠ Do not driveNHTSA 17V047000 · January 20, 2017 · 230,117 vehicles

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver side air bag module, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began march 15, 2017. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

    Full defect summary

    Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2000-2002 bmw 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 323ci, 325ci, 330ci, m3, 323it, 325it and 325xit vehicles, 2001-2002 525i, 530i, 540i, m5, 525it and 540it vehicles, and 2001-2003 x5 3.0i, x5 4.4i, and x5 4.6is vehicles. These vehicles may have had a driver-side air bag module installed as replacement equipment such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bag, or as a remedy part for a prior recall. These replacement modules contain an air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to lower absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

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 2001 BMW 325

What are the most common problems with the 2001 BMW 325?
By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (14 complaints); air bags (7 complaints); transmission (3 complaints).
How many recalls does the 2001 BMW 325 have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 2, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2001 a bad year for the BMW 325?
It is the most complained-about 325 model year since 2000, with 31 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.

Other BMW 325 years

BMW 325 problems by year