IllustrationTAIL LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. CAUSE OF FAILURE IS UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME. *AK
1995 BMW 318
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 318 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
Limited mileage data: 0 of 19 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
19 reportsCONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS IN ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY ON TIME.THE CONSUMER STATES HER HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL THEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. ALSO PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AT 30MPH DURING IMP…
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CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS IN ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY ON TIME.THE CONSUMER STATES HER HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL THEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. ALSO PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AT 30MPH DURING IMPACT. CONSUMER ALSO STATES THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK UP. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS
THE VEHICLE BEGAN BLOWING FUSES CAUSING MANY OF THE SYSTEMS TO QUITE FUNCTIONING. WE REPLACE WITH FUSES THE SAME SIZE AS IT ASK FOR AND IT STARTED MELTING FUSES CAUSING FUEL PUMP TO QUIT WORKING ADQUATELY. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT SHIFTS AROUND WHILE DRIVING, MAKING DRIVER LOSE PEDAL, AND STEERING CONTROL.*AK *MJ
AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND REMAINS ILLUMINATED EVEN AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE AND SPEED OF FAILURE. MY CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR WHEN SHIFTED WHILE DRIVING AT A LOWER SPEED. IT WOULD ALSO POP OUT OF GEAR ON THE ROAD. BMW REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION ON WARRANTY, AND SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I'VE JUST HEARD FROM ANOTHER PERSON WITH THE 318TI WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. I AM CO…
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I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE AND SPEED OF FAILURE. MY CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR WHEN SHIFTED WHILE DRIVING AT A LOWER SPEED. IT WOULD ALSO POP OUT OF GEAR ON THE ROAD. BMW REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION ON WARRANTY, AND SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. I'VE JUST HEARD FROM ANOTHER PERSON WITH THE 318TI WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON BMW'S PART BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE DANGER OF HAVING YOUR TRANSMISSION GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING. *AK
AIR BAG: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH WHEN A CAR AHEAD STOPPED. RAN INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. BMW INVESTIGATOR SAID AIR BAGS SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OFF. *AK DRIVER'S HEAD SMASHED HIS HEAD INTO THE WINDSHIELD DURING THE ACCIDENT. *SLC
DURING A FRONT IMPACT ACCIDENT, AT 30 MPH. THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS, WERE INOPERATIVE. *AK
THE TIRES ARE AFTER MARKET TIRE S( BRIDGESTONE BOIZZOAK) THERE IS A RUBBER DUST ON THE CAR FROM THE TIRE . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.