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2005 BMW 330ci Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 33 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 BMW 330ci, most often about the air bags (61% of complaints). It is 5th of 7 330ci model years by number of complaints 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.

Complaints33
Recalls2
Crashes reported0
Fires reported1
Injuries reported0

Most common 2005 BMW 330ci problems

  1. Air bags

    20 complaints · 61%

    Parts named most often: side/window.

    The side impact air bag deployed for what seemed like no apparent reason while driving home from work on feb 14th 2010 at approximately 2320 hours. I managed to keep the car under control and made it to the side of the road. I inspected the vehicle and nothing struck it and there was no tire damage. I restarted the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 70,224 miles
    The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330ci. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags); however, the parts needed to repair the vehicle were not available. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2015, at 134,000 miles
  2. Lights

    7 complaints · 21%

    Parts named most often: headlights, tail lights.

    The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330ci. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the passenger front headlight failed to illuminate intermittently. The contact also mentioned that the failure was sudden. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the mechanic stated that igniter, controller, and bulb had to be replaced.…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2013, at 63,000 miles
    The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330ci. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the plastic that covered the front driver's side headlight wiring started to peel. The contact was concerned that the wires could become exposed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2017, at 157,124 miles
  3. Body and structure

    3 complaints · 9%

    Parts named most often: body.

    : the contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while entering a highway. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who was unable to determine the problem. Later that evening, the convertible top became stuck halfway open. The top had to be manually…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 18,900 miles
    The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330ci. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the plastic that covered the front driver's side headlight wiring started to peel. The contact was concerned that the wires could become exposed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2017, at 157,124 miles

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

2005 BMW 330ci recalls

  1. Air bags: inflator module

    ⚠ Do not driveNHTSA 20V018000 · January 15, 2020 · 292,948 vehicles

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

    Fix: Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began february 13, 2020. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

    Full defect summary

    Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323it, 325it, 325xit, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323ci, 325ci, 328ci, 330ci, m3 coupe, 323cic, 325cic, 330cic, and m3 convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal takata psan inflators and pspi passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

  2. Air bags: inflator module

    ⚠ Do not driveNHTSA 15V318000 · May 28, 2015 · 419,235 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 replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began aug 2016. Owners may contact bmw customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Note: on december 17, 2015 bmw removed the model year 2004 x5 3.0i and 4.4i sports activit

    Full defect summary

    Bmw of north america, llc (bmw) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi sedans, and 325xi and 325i sportswagons, 2002-2006 330ci, 325ci, and m3 convertibles and 325i, 330i, and m3 coupes, 2002-2003 m5, 540i, 525i sedan, and 530i sedans, and 540i and 525i sportswagons, and 2003 x5 3.0i and 4.4i sports activity vehicles. Please note that the 5-series and x5 vehicles are only included if they are equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

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.

NHTSA defect investigations

Questions about the 2005 BMW 330ci

What are the most common problems with the 2005 BMW 330ci?
By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (20 complaints); lights (7 complaints); body and structure (3 complaints).
How many recalls does the 2005 BMW 330ci have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 15, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2005 a bad year for the BMW 330ci?
It is 5th of 7 330ci model years by number of complaints, with 33 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 330ci years

BMW 330ci problems by year