IllustrationCOMPLETE DISINTEGRATION OF OF A HANOOK VENTUS S1 NOBLE WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. TIRE DID NOT HIT ANY OBSTACLES, NOR WAS THE TIRE. UNDER OR OVER INFLATED. DRIVEN 17,000 MILES BEFORE FAILURE
2001 BMW 3 Series
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2001 BMW 3 Series do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 3 Series years →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
30–25K
025–50K
150–75K
575–100K
10100–150K
7150K+
26 reports with mileage · 10 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
Tires complaints
2 reportsI PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THIS. SEE FILE # 748060- I HAVE NEVER REC'D ANY RESPONSE OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I EXPERIENCED 2 FLAT TIRES SIMUTANEOUSLY AT HIGH SPEED WITH NO PREVIOUS WARNING OR INDICATION OF ANYTHING IMPROPER, ETC. I ONLY HAD 4400 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE AND FIND HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD OCCUR. AFTER REPLACING AT MY EX…
Read full complaint
I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THIS. SEE FILE # 748060- I HAVE NEVER REC'D ANY RESPONSE OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I EXPERIENCED 2 FLAT TIRES SIMUTANEOUSLY AT HIGH SPEED WITH NO PREVIOUS WARNING OR INDICATION OF ANYTHING IMPROPER, ETC. I ONLY HAD 4400 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE AND FIND HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS COULD OCCUR. AFTER REPLACING AT MY EXPENSE, SINCE MY DEALER INFORMED ME THAT ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN TO TIRES AND THAT THEY WEREN'T RESPONSIBLE, I LEARNED OF NHTSA RECALL # 00V383. (PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIFICS OF THIS RECALL BEFORE PROCEEDING). I TOOK DELIVERY OF MY CAR IN NOV. 2000, THEREFORE IT WAS EN ROUTE BY SEA IN OCT. 2000 AND MANUFACTURED IN SEPT. 2000. AFTER NOTIFYING MY DEALER, THEY SAID THEY HAD "CHECKED MY VIN NUMBER AND DETERMINED THAT MY CAR WASS NOT AFFECTED. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO VERIFY EXCEPT BY ASKING YOU TO INVESTIGATE. BMW USA WAS CONTACTED VIA E-MAIL AND PROVIDED NO ANSWERS, EXPLANATIONS, OR VERIFICATION OF THEIR CLAIM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AND PROVIDE ME WITH SOME KIND OF EXPLANATION AS TO WHETHER THIS WAS SOME FREAK COINCIDENCE THAT BMW IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR OR THAT THEY SHOULD REPLACE MY WHEELS, ETC. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER. (DOT NUMBER: 00V383 TIRESIZE: 17)
Official recalls
121V401000 · 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
2EA02012 · 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.