2003 Model Year

BMW 3 Series

NHTSA Complaints & Reliability Data

Compare
Complaints
488
Recalls
0
Crashes
17
Severe
58

Recent Complaints

Latest owner reports

Air Bags
Apr 2025

While I was driving the air bags went off.

Electrical System Fire
Jan 2024

On June 28,2024, after parking and turning off the ignition switch, the dash started smoking and within minutes the whole dash and front of car were o...

Tires
Sep 2022

Continental Sport Plus 215/50 ZR17 Replaced Michelin tires with four of this size/brand. Highly unstable at highway speeds. Even more unstable under w...

Exterior Lighting
Aug 2022

The xenon projector bowls in the headlight assembly on both sides of the vehicle have slowly been burning. The bowl is made of plastic and with the he...

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE
Jan 2022

Coolant leak from exhaust manifold Reservoir fails All coolant hoses fail

Electrical System Fire
Dec 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE F...

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES
Dec 2021

ON OR AROUND THE FIRST WEEK OF DEC. 2020 AFTER FILLING UP WITH GAS, THE CAR JUST STOPPED WHILE IN MOTION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR DASH WARNING INDICATORS. I...

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nov 2021

Power windows Power windows broke on 3 windows. Sometimes the glass has shattered. Sometimes the glass just slides down and becomes non operational....

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jul 2021

When the vehicle is without electrical power the door locks cannot be opened from the inside. In the event of any type of emergency that eliminates p...

Exterior Lighting
Apr 2021

330I SEDAN - ZKW HID HEADLIGHTS WITH BURNT XENON BULB REFLECTORS RENDERING THE HEADLIGHTS INEFFECTIVE AND THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT.

VS

Vehicle Safety Research Team

Automotive Data Analysts

Independent researchers analyzing NHTSA data to help consumers make informed vehicle decisions.

Data updated: March 5, 2026

Summary

The 2003 BMW 3 Series has 488 complaints and 0 recalls on record. The most commonly reported issue is Air Bags. 17 crash-related incidents have been reported.

Complaint Trend