IllustrationTHE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE GAS PEDAL IS TOO CLOSE AND POSES A DANGER WHEN MOVING FROM THE GAS PEDAL TO THE BRAKE. YOUR FOOT CAN BECOME ENTANGLED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL.
1999 BMW M3
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 M3 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: 6 of 11 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 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 2 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 reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
2 reportsSEPT 00 ABS DASH LIGHT ON, TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR, PARTS ORDERED, CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH LIGHT ON, REPAIRED OCT 00, ABS DASH LIGHT AGAIN ON, TOOK TO DEALER, TOLD THE ABS WAS REPAIRED-ABS LIGHT ON DUE TO GAS CAP, MAY 2001 CAR OUT OF CONTROL AS IF WHEELS LOCKED, NARROWLY MISSED GOING IN CANAL AND HITTING ONCOMING VEHICLES, SE…
Read full complaint
SEPT 00 ABS DASH LIGHT ON, TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR, PARTS ORDERED, CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH LIGHT ON, REPAIRED OCT 00, ABS DASH LIGHT AGAIN ON, TOOK TO DEALER, TOLD THE ABS WAS REPAIRED-ABS LIGHT ON DUE TO GAS CAP, MAY 2001 CAR OUT OF CONTROL AS IF WHEELS LOCKED, NARROWLY MISSED GOING IN CANAL AND HITTING ONCOMING VEHICLES, SERVICE SHOP DIAGNOSED ABS FAILURE
Official recalls
199V063001 · Air Bags:side/window
Nov 15, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT WITH A SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM CONSISTING OF DOOR-MOUNTED THORAX AIR BAGS (REAR DOOR AIR BAGS ARE OPTIONAL), A CENTRAL ELECTRONIC SENSOR AND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM, LEFT AND RIGHT SATELLITE IMPACT SENSORS, AND ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS SYSTEM IS UNDULY SENSITIVE TO CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS, SUCH AS CONTACTING LARGE POTHOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE SIDE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY WITHOUT AN ACTUAL SIDE CRASH. IN ADDITION, THE BATTERY SAFETY TERMINAL (BST) COULD ALSO ACTIVATE, DISCONNECTING THE STARTER CABLE FROM THE BATTERY. IN THIS CASE, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND THE ENGINE WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN, BUT AFTER STOPPING, COULD NOT BE RESTARTED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE CENTRAL COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE THAT REGULATES THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL OF THE VEHICLE'S OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.
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
1RQ99018 · Inadvertant Side Airbag Deployment
Opened Sep 3, 1999 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:side/window
ON MARCH 26, 1999, BMW OF NORTH AMERICAN, INC. RECALLED 32,500 1999 323I AND 328I MANUFACTURED UP TO APRIL 1999, FOR INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF THE SIDE AIRBAG SYSTEM IN CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS SUCH AS CONTACTING LARGE POT HOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEED.AS A REMEDY, BMW WILL RECODE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE.THE RECALL WAS A RESULT OF AN ODI SAFETY DEFECT INVESTIGATION. ODI RECEIVED 1 CONSUMER COMPLAINT OF A 1999 MODEL YEAR M3 ALLEGING THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT SIDE IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE CAUSING ONE INJURY.THE COMPLAINANT'S M3 USES THE SAMECHASSIS AS THE 3-SERIES AND WAS BUILT IN MARCH 1999. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RQ IS TO DETERMINE THE ADEQUACY OF THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL.CLOSING NOTE: BMW HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN UNDER SAFETY RECALL NUMBER 99V-063.001.