2000 Bmw 328I problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
111 owner complaints analyzed
7 distinct recall campaigns
111,350 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2000 model year. Data snapshot: . 76 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 26 of 111 complaints (23.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 20 | 18.0% |
| Braking behavior | 7 | 6.3% |
| Engine operation | 4 | 3.6% |
| Steering behavior | 3 | 2.7% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 2 | 1.8% |
| Fuel system concerns | 1 | 0.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 26 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 18 |
| Structure:Frame And Members | 17 |
| Power Train | 8 |
| Structure:Body | 8 |
| Suspension | 7 |
| Air Bags:Side/Window | 6 |
| Electrical System | 5 |
Air Bags: 26; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 18; Structure:Frame And Members: 17; Power Train: 8; Structure:Body: 8; Suspension: 7; Air Bags:Side/Window: 6; Electrical System: 5
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 3 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 18 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 11 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 25 |
| 150,000 and above | 19 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 18; 75,000 to 99,999: 11; 100,000 to 149,999: 25; 150,000 and above: 19
100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (25). 35 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 |
| 2001 | 2 |
| 2002 | 3 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 12 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 2 |
2000: 6; 2001: 2; 2002: 3; 2003: 3; 2004: 4; 2005: 5; 2006: 10; 2007: 5; 2008: 6; 2009: 9; 2010: 5; 2011: 12; 2012: 4; 2014: 5; 2015: 10; 2016: 8; 2017: 3; 2018: 4; 2020: 5; 2021: 2
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 20 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 7 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10209179 · 2007-11-16 (November 16, 2007)
I OWN A 2000 BMW 328I. AROUND FEBRUARY 2007, I PARKED THE CAR IN A PARKING STALL. WHEN I RETURNED, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OUT OF THE STALL. SINCE THEN, THE CAR EITHER HESITATES TO REVERSE OR COMPLETELY FAILS TO GO IN REVERSE ABOUT HALF THE TIME I DRIVE IT. MY MECHANIC INFORMS ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM ABOUT TO HAVE IT REPLACED AT A COST OF $4,000. I DISCOVERED TODAY THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDE SPREAD IN CIRCA 2000 BMW 3 SERIES CARS. ONE WEBSITE I FOUND CONTAINING OVER ONE HUNDRED…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10209179 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10220045 · 2008-03-04 (March 4, 2008)
TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10220045 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10123691 · 2005-05-31 (May 31, 2005)
WAS PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE WHEN BRAKES GAVE OUT. CAR HIT 2 TREES AND CAME TO STOP. $6500 BODY DAMAGE. BODY DAMAGE REPAIRED. BREAKS AFTER INSPECTION REQUIRE OVER $1500 REPAIR. BREAK CALIPERS BENT. TECHNICIAN ATTRIBUTES BREAK FAILURE TO CALIPERS BEING DEFECTIVE AND WEAK IN ALL 3 SERIES AND 5 SERIES BMW.
Owner-reported narrative. 53,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10123691 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10148894 · 2006-01-28 (January 28, 2006)
CRASH - NO INJURIES. XENON HEADLIGHTS OF A 328I 2000 BMW. LOW FLAT BEAM NOTED TO BE A PROBLEM - I CAME UP UPON FOUR VERTICAL STICKS IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD, A RURAL 2 LANE COUNTRY ROAD, ON A DARK NIGHT. WHEN I WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM THEM, THE LIGHT REFLECTING FROM THE ROAD, ILLUMINATED THE UNDERSIDE OF A DEER. LUCKILY I HAD SLOWED ENOUGH THAT I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN TIME. I ASKED THE BMW DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ,AND WAS TOLD THAT THE LIGHTS SHOULD NOT BE RAISED BECAUSE THE XENON LIGHTS WOULD BLIND ONCOMING DRIVERS, AND THE…
Owner-reported narrative. 56,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10148894 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10173395 · 2006-11-13 (November 13, 2006)
WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY, CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED. THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING. ON ONE OCCASION IT STALLED ON A COUNTERCLOCKWISE HIGHWAY ON RAMP. POWER STEERING ALSO SHUT OFF WHEN CAR'S ENGINE STOPPED. NEAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED. DEALERSHIP REPEATEDLY STATES NO PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 80,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10173395 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10435369 · 2011-11-12 (November 12, 2011)
I HAD HEARD THAT SUBFRAME FAILURE WAS EXTREMELY COMMON ON BMW E46 MODELS (1999-2006) BUT HAD NO PROBLEMS, UNTIL TODAY. I WAS DRIVING MY 2000 BMW 328I WHEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD POP, THE STEERING BECAME LOSE AND THERE WAS A CONSTANT KNOCKING NOISE. ONCE I GOT IT HOME I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SURE ENOUGH THE SUB-FRAME HAD RIPPED COMPLETED AWAY FROM THE BODY, THE ENTIRE DRIVERS SIDE WAS RIPPED OUT LEAVING TWO BIG HOLE IN THE UNDER BODY OF THE CAR. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THERE WAS A SUCCESSFUL CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST BMW …
Owner-reported narrative. 135,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10435369 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10374676 · 2011-01-04 (January 4, 2011)
I WAS DRIVING AROUND 30 MILES/HR AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED HAVING ISSUES: TURN SIGNAL WILL NOT WORK ON DASHBOARD (WORKING OUTSIDE), TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN WHILE ENGINE IS ON (CAR IS STOPPED IN NEUTRAL), ON STARTING THE CAR SOMETIMES AC WILL NOT WORK, AND IF CAR IS STARTED WITH A DOOR OPEN, OPEN DOOR DISPLAY WILL NOT GO OFF EVEN AFTER CLOSING THE DOOR. BMW DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT LIGHT MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE. IT WOULD COST $575 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 70,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10374676 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10745056 · 2015-07-30 (July 30, 2015)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DROVE OVER A POTHOLE AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN AND HEADLINER AIR BAGS PARTIALLY DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG HEAD LINER MODULE, PASSENGER SIDE DOOR AIR BAG MODULE, FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TRIM PANEL, BATTERY, AND BATTERY CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V223000 (AIR BAGS), BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED.…
Owner-reported narrative. 90,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10745056 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10344915 · 2010-07-23 (July 23, 2010)
MY 2000 BMW 328I BRACKET WHICH CONNECTS THE BELT THAT HOLDS THE MY GAS TANK BROKE OFF WHILE DRIVING AROUND A RESIDENTIAL STREET. I HEARD A NOISE AND STOP. THE BRACKET CONNECTED TO THE RIGHT INSIDE SHEET METAL WAS MISSING. THE BELT WAS DRAGGING AND MY TANK DROP A FEW INCHES. BMW WHICH NO LONGER MAKES THE PART QUOTED ME $1.800 AND SAID THEY HAVE HAD 3 SIMILAR INSTANCES. THE REPAIR REQUIRES WIELDING; REMOVAL OF GAS TANK; BACK SEAT AND RUG. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC AND HE HAS ENCOURAGE ME TO WRITE THIS LETTER. HE FEELS THIS IS …
Owner-reported narrative. 152,630 miles reported. Look up ODI 10344915 at NHTSA ↗