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2000 BMW 3 Series

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2000 BMW 3 Series do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

74 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

8 reports
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90,000 miles · Jan 26, 2012
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

THE REVERSE GEAR STOP WORKING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10445482

125,000 miles · Jan 21, 2012
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

THE CAR TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO IN REVERSE. THE ISSUE HAPPENS SUDDENLY WITH NO WARNING, AND ACTS EXACTLY AS IF YOU WERE IN NEUTRAL GEAR. THERE IS A DEDICATED SITE CALLED HTTP://WWW.NOREVERSE.ORG THAT DOCUMENTS THOUSANDS OF CASES FROM BMW OWNERS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ITS TRANSMISS…

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THE CAR TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO IN REVERSE. THE ISSUE HAPPENS SUDDENLY WITH NO WARNING, AND ACTS EXACTLY AS IF YOU WERE IN NEUTRAL GEAR. THERE IS A DEDICATED SITE CALLED HTTP://WWW.NOREVERSE.ORG THAT DOCUMENTS THOUSANDS OF CASES FROM BMW OWNERS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ITS TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES 1999-2003 HAVE THIS ISSUE, BUT FAILS TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE ON THIS HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. IN NOVEMBER, I PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY NORMALLY TO DRIVE TO WORK. WHEN I ARRIVE AT WORK AND ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE INTO THE SPACE, THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACT THIS WAY. ALL OTHER GEARS WORK NORMAL (MEANING IT DRIVES FINE FORWARD), IT IS JUST THAT YOU CANNOT ENGAGE REVERSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10444721

128,000 miles · Nov 26, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

THE CAR WILL NOT GO IN REVERSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10437354

Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

MY 2000 3 SERIES BMW HAS STOPPED GOING IN REVERSE. AT ALL. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS AS I WAS IN TRAFFIC YESTERDAY AT A RED LIGHT WHEN A SEMI TRUCK TURNED THE CORNER IN FRONT OF ME AND NEEDED ME TO BACK UP. I WAS STUCK BEHIND A VAN THAT WAS ABLE TO GO IN REVERSE AND OF COURSE EXPECTED ME TO FOLLOW SUIT, AND I COULDN'T! I'VE BEEN R…

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MY 2000 3 SERIES BMW HAS STOPPED GOING IN REVERSE. AT ALL. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS AS I WAS IN TRAFFIC YESTERDAY AT A RED LIGHT WHEN A SEMI TRUCK TURNED THE CORNER IN FRONT OF ME AND NEEDED ME TO BACK UP. I WAS STUCK BEHIND A VAN THAT WAS ABLE TO GO IN REVERSE AND OF COURSE EXPECTED ME TO FOLLOW SUIT, AND I COULDN'T! I'VE BEEN READING ONLINE AND ALL OVER THE WORLD PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH THIS PARTICULAR SERIES OF BMW. I'VE ONLY HAD MY CAR A YEAR. IT HAS A LITTLE OVER 100K MILES ON IT. I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT AFFORD THE 3-5K IT WILL COST TO REPLACE IT. THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB. PLEASE HAVE THIS RECALLED BEFORE IT TURNS INTO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEBACLE. IT'S NOT FAIR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10425149

132,000 miles · Aug 4, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

REVERSE GEAR (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING. CAR ACTS AS IF IT IS NEUTRAL, ENGINE JUST REVS. CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. WAS SURPRISED TO FIND IT IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS MODEL, AND THAT THERE IS A WEBSITE DEVOTED TO THE PROBLEM (NOREVERSE.ORG). ALSO LEARNED THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED F…

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REVERSE GEAR (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING. CAR ACTS AS IF IT IS NEUTRAL, ENGINE JUST REVS. CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. WAS SURPRISED TO FIND IT IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS MODEL, AND THAT THERE IS A WEBSITE DEVOTED TO THE PROBLEM (NOREVERSE.ORG). ALSO LEARNED THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR CADILLACS THAT USED THE SAME TRANSMISSION AND HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #10418808

83,000 miles · Jun 22, 2010
Engine And Engine CoolingFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323CI. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWENTY MINUTES WHEN HE WAS INFORMED THERE WAS YELLOW SMOKE POURING THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ERUPTED INTO TWENTY FOOT FLAMES FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 BMW 323CI. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWENTY MINUTES WHEN HE WAS INFORMED THERE WAS YELLOW SMOKE POURING THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ERUPTED INTO TWENTY FOOT FLAMES FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED NEXT TO A BUILDING WHICH WAS PARTIALLY DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED AN INVESTIGATOR WOULD FURTHER INSPECT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 83,000.

NHTSA ODI #10339552

75,800 miles · Feb 26, 2007
Engine And Engine Cooling

DURING HWY OPERATION OF MY VEHICLE, WITHOUT WARNING THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK RUPTURED WITH A 7 INCH LONG GAP. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10183506

24,130 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine CoolingVisibility

CYLINDER HEAD CRACK - 9/5/03 WATER PUMP FREEZE, DRIVE BELT TEAR/BROKEN - 11/9/01 3 WINDOWS (REGULATOR BROKEN) DRIVER SIDE 2 TIMES

NHTSA ODI #10069068

Official recalls

1

21V401000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

May 27, 2021

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 BMW 3 Series (323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci and 330Ci), 1999-2001 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 2000 323i, 328i stationwagon vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bag inflators that were previously inspected, but not replaced under recall numbers 19V-851, 19V852, or 19V-853. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to explode or the air bag cushion to underinflate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The inflator could explode during air bag deployment, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag inflator with a newly designed inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 12, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

2

EA02012 · Inadvertent SIDE-IMPACT Air Bag Deployme

Opened Jul 15, 2002 · Closed Jun 24, 2003

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:side/window

THE SUBJECT VEHICLE'S AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE CONTAINS PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC FOR DEPLOYING THE SIDE-IMPACT AIR BAGS.BMW REVISED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE SPAN OF THE MODEL YEARS 1999 THROUGH 2002 (IDENTIFIED AS MRS2.CA, MRS2.BB, MRS3, MRS3+ AND MRS4).ALTHOUGH MODEL YEAR 1999.5 VEHICLES WITH VERSION MRS2.BB HAD 6.5% OF THE SUBJECT POPULATION, IT ACCOUNTED FOR 29% OF THE TOTAL REPORTS RECEIVED.THE MRS2.BB EXPOSURE ADJUSTED REPORT RATE WAS ALMOST 4 TIMES HIGHER THAN OTHER 3 SERIES AIR BAG MODULE VERSIONS.IN AUGUST 2002, BMW INITIATED A RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR 20,500 MODEL 323I AND 328I VEHICLES WITH VERSION MRS2.BB (NHTSA RECALL # 02V223000).IN ADDITION TO EXPERIENCING A LOWER RATE OF NON-CRASH DEPLOYMENTS, MOST OF THE NON-RECALLED VEHICLES ALSO SHOWED EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT POTHOLE/CURB IMPACT WITH SOME HAVING ADDITIONAL UNDERCARRIAGE CONTACT/SCRAPE OR SUSPENSION DAMAGE.SEE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PE02011 · Inadvertent SIDE-IMPACT Air Bag

Opened Jan 31, 2002 · Closed Jul 15, 2002

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:side/window

No summary supplied.